The Health Journey: Facts and My Experiences

In this second post, it is essential to establish some proven facts about GLP-1 medications and how each fact has personally impacted me. I have many other topics I'd like to discuss in future posts, but let’s start here.
 
(Note: I take Ozempic, but also commonly used are Mounjaro, Wegovy, Zepbound, and others. Each of these has specific FDA-approved uses, and there are some differences in their ingredients and functions. Your provider will be able to help you to determine which one, if any, could be best for your situation. None of this is medical advice. Please be sure to talk to your own medical provider for advice.)
 
Fact: These medications are not a quick fix. I hear people say this often: “People on weight loss medicine are just looking for an easy way out or a quick fix because they don’t want to do the work to get healthy.” There is no quick fix or easy way out when you are on a GLP-1. Quite the opposite, in fact.
My experience: I have worked very hard on my health, but the medication did not do that for me. It simply helped me to do it successfully. We are all different, and there is nothing helpful in comparing our journey with someone else’s. My weight loss has been very slow. I have lost an average of .5-1 lbs per week. I have experienced long plateaus where I didn't lose any weight, and some short stretches where the weight seemed to fall off without any effort on my part. It has not been a linear experience. But I have seen the scale move down overall, and the slow process has been fine with me because it has never just been about a number on a scale. It is so much more than that.
 
Fact: These medications do not melt fat away; they are not magic or a simple fix for lazy people who don’t want to diet. They are not “cheating” to lose weight; you still have to do every bit of the work. Nobody on a GLP-1 is taking it because they are lazy.
My experience: Nutrition has been super important for my weight loss. By that, I mean you have to be in a calorie deficit in order to lose weight, no matter how you are doing it. What I don’t mean is that you have to engage in diet culture. Diet culture is focused on rule following, and when the scale doesn’t budge, the sense of failure and shame takes over, and the cycle repeats (lose, gain, lose, gain more). The medication helps me stick to a healthy, balanced way of living. I do not fad diet; I eat and enjoy any and all kinds of food. No food is “bad” in and of itself unless you misuse it, of course. Common sense says that a steady diet of junk is never a good idea, so I eat those kinds of things in moderation when I really want to. I have learned to enjoy focusing on protein, fiber, healthier food choices, and good hydration. Those are the key ingredients in losing weight on any diet, including when taking a GLP-1. I no longer obsess about these things; they have become my natural habits because of the way Ozempic has changed me. The medication has helped to change my approach to food. I don’t experience cravings very often anymore, and I no longer obsess or fret about counting calories. I have a reasonably consistent eating pattern now, and I make the healthiest possible choices most of the time (although not all the time, as I do treat myself too!). If I stall in my weight loss, I take a closer look at what I am eating, just long enough to face reality and get back on track with a calorie deficit if I realize that I haven’t been as mindful about my health as I need to be as a good steward of my God-given body. Ozempic keeps me from overeating because I physically feel full after a reasonable meal and have no desire to keep eating, and it has taken the “food noise” (mental obsessions and constantly thinking about food and eating) away so that I don’t have urges to eat when my body is not really hungry. Naturally thin people do these things automatically. People with the disease of obesity do not. We often benefit from the extra help a GLP-1 offers as one tool in the health tool belt.
 
Fact: GLP-1 is useful for lowering A1c in Type 2 Diabetics, which I have. GLP-1 helps your body produce insulin and lowers your glucose numbers.
My experience: My doctor uses the A1c number to assess how Ozempic is working for me and determine whether I need a dose adjustment. Weight loss is a factor, but not the primary concern. She calls it a “side effect”. When people call Ozempic “a weight loss drug” or “the fat jab”, I want to tell them that it is neither. It is a diabetes management (or other qualifying diseases) medication. Some people lose some weight while taking it. Some GLP-1 medication is approved for weight loss for those who meet criteria, but the one I take was prescribed for my uncontrolled Diabetes.
 
Fact: GLP-1 medication can regulate blood sugar levels, promote satiety, and delay gastric emptying. This means that after a meal, the hormones impacted help you feel full for longer, reduce the rate at which your stomach empties, and ensure that your blood sugar levels remain stable. They also act in the brain’s hypothalamus, which, among other things, controls feelings of fullness and satiation.
My experience: YES. All of these benefits combined have enabled me to achieve a life-changing weight loss. In the past, I lost plenty of weight on diets and always gained it back (and more). This is common with the disease of obesity, for a variety of nuanced reasons.
 
Fact: Obesity is largely metabolic, which leads to behavioral factors, but it is not just behavior, and it is not a person’s ‘fault’. This is why counseling alone was never enough for me to lose weight. It is also why obesity is known now as a disease, not just a behavioral problem. While it is true that medicine cannot fix what is broken inside of us mentally, emotionally, and spiritually - only Jesus can do that, it is also true that medication can impact the brain and body in ways that clear the mind of food noise and emotional and spiritual confusion in such a way that the mind is finally clear enough to absorb proper counseling and spiritual input. Is everyone who is overweight also struggling with satiety, food noise, and metabolic problems? Probably not. Some will diet and lose weight and keep it off without medication, of course. These medications are not for everyone. But for those who need them, they are a game-changer.
My experience: Understanding this has freed me from a lifetime of guilt and shame (self-inflicted and inflicted on me by others and society in general.) Have I needed to make behavioral changes? YES. Could I have mustered the strength to do better? I tried. And tried harder. For years. It never worked well, and it never ‘stuck’, which I deemed a personal failure (resulting in shame and imposter syndrome, especially as a people-helper.) Ozempic has been the tool that has helped me to do all the necessary things to get healthier. I could not succeed without it; no amount of “trying harder” was going to change me. That does not make me weak; it makes me a human who has accepted her physical limitations and found a way to overcome them. Ozempic has made it better. I no longer have food noise, I no longer turn to food for comfort, I no longer eat past satiety, and I no longer indulge in constant cravings. I get full, a feeling I had never experienced before with Ozempic. My results are not because I tried harder, or did the right food-related bible study (I have done many), got the right kind of counseling, read the right bible verses about self-control and gluttony (have had those thrown at me more times than I can count) or not because I just need to repent of my sin (what does that really look like when it comes to eating anyway?). Still, my success is because my doctor prescribed a proven, safe medication that addressed my body metabolically, hormonally, and mentally. It gave me the ability to stick to a new way of eating, and my A1c is now normal. The weight has gradually come off, which is beneficial for my overall health.
 
Fact: Two things can be true at the same time.
My Experience: Big pharma is a problem in our country, and these medications are not accessible enough to everyone who needs them. This is a huge problem. This has nothing to do with the effectiveness of the medication. That is entirely separate from the business side of big pharma. Medication can be good, and Big Pharma is bad; both are true at the same time.
Additionally, people sometimes abuse medications in various ways. Some providers might be prescribing them without proper criteria. Some people might be self-dosing and taking them improperly. All of these factors have nothing to do with the effectiveness of properly using GLP-1s, prescribed by a qualified provider and used as directed. People abuse medication, and that is bad, but medication itself, used properly, can be good; both are true at the same time.

Fact: If you stop taking the medication, you are at risk of gaining it back. You might need to be on it for the rest of your life.
My experience: Any weight loss plan can help you lose weight, and when you stop that plan, you are likely to regain the weight. It is the same with a weight loss medication. It works as long as you take it properly, and when you stop using it, you are no longer getting the help you need for success. This is not a bad thing about GLP-1s, it is common sense.
 
Fact: These medications have been extensively researched and studied for over two decades and are not new. Side effects are known, although rarer than the media and naysayers would have you believe.
My Experience: You may be concerned about their lack of testing or potential long-term effects for those of us who are on them, but there is plenty of research available. These medications have been available for over 20 years. There are side effects associated with any medication, and these are no exception; however, the study shows that serious side effects are extremely rare. There are ‘side effects’ of obesity and yo-yo dieting, and all the health problems that come with it. I had to realize that the side effects of my weight were far more scary and dangerous than any slight chance that a GLP-1 would cause me long-term damage. Sometimes we have a choice to make, and I have no regrets or concerns about the choice I made to take Ozempic.
 
My challenge to you:
If you are someone who has judged, assumed, criticized, or been against someone taking a GLP-1 medication, either for weight loss or Diabetes and other qualified medical diagnoses, I hope that you will reconsider your stance. I have heard a lot of naysaying in Christian circles, and that is why I am compelled to bring this up and share my journey.
God allows, in His common grace, medical care that people can choose to use or not. It is not a moral issue for someone to be on medication of any kind. It is a choice they are free to make. Any concerns you have, unless you are a medical professional or expert in a specifically related field, should be addressed between the person and their medical provider. I get very concerned about laypeople advising people on medication choices, even if they believe they can prove the harms and woes of certain medications and Big Pharma. Your opinions are just that – opinions. Opinions can be wrong (mine included). In our Christian communities (including biblical counseling), there is no place for addressing medical concerns with opinions. Please encourage people to do their due diligence and then support them on their health journey, regardless of whether you agree with their choices. I am passionate about giving grace, extending kindness, and viewing science and medicine as gifts from God, provided for our benefit and His glory. Ozempic, included.
 
I did not write the following. It is an excerpt from an excellent, reader-friendly book that helped me to understand GLP-1 medication more thoroughly, but in lay-person language. I recommend this book:
Decoding GLP-1: A Guide for Friends and Family of Those On The Pen, by Dave Knapp
 
Here’s an excerpt from Dave’s helpful book that explains more science about the facts I mentioned above. Please read it and get educated:
 
Essentially, the medication helps your body produce insulin when you need it, on demand. When you eat, GLP-1 levels naturally increase, signaling the pancreas to produce more insulin. This helps lower blood sugar levels by allowing glucose to be taken up by cells for energy. GIP is another incretin hormone with similar functions. Both GLP-1 and GIP work synergistically to regulate blood sugar levels, promote satiety, and delay gastric emptying. This means that after a meal, these hormones help you feel full longer, reduce the rate at which your stomach empties, and ensure that your blood sugar levels remain stable. They also act in the brain’s hypothalamus which, among other things, controls feelings of fullness and satiation.
The effectiveness of GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonists lies in their ability to mimic natural incretin hormones, and in their resistance to being broken down by enzymes in the digestive tract. These medications are designed to have a longer duration of action than the body’s own GLP-1, providing sustained benefits throughout the day. When you inject a GLP-1 receptor agonist, it travels through your bloodstream to various organs, including the pancreas, brain, and stomach. In the pancreas, the medication enhances the release of insulin in response to food, just like natural GLP-1. In the brain, it acts on appetite-regulating centers, helping you feel full and reducing cravings. In the stomach, it slows down the emptying process, ensuring that you feel satisfied for a longer period after eating. One of the most remarkable benefits of GLP-1 medications is their impact on weight loss. Clinical trials and real-world evidence show that these medications can lead to significant and sustained weight loss.
Research has shown that these drugs can also improve cardiovascular health. Studies have demonstrated that GLP-1 receptor agonists can reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes. ⁵ This is particularly important because people with diabetes and obesity are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease. Additionally, GLP-1 receptor agonists have been found to have positive effects on blood pressure, cholesterol levels, inflammation, and sleep apnea. Perhaps even more exciting is the potential to reduce occurrences of the many cancers that are associated with obesity by treating obesity with these medications. ⁶ These combined benefits make incretin mimetic medications a powerful tool in managing not only diabetes and obesity, but overall health. There are ongoing studies suggesting that GLP-1 medications, like semaglutide, may also play a role in reducing amyloid plaque in the brain, a significant factor in the development of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Recent research has shown promising results, indicating that these medications could potentially offer neuroprotective benefits. ⁷ This expanding area of study highlights the potential for GLP-1 medications to impact not only metabolic health but also cognitive health, offering new hope for those at risk of neurodegenerative conditions. As these studies continue, they may open up new avenues for treatment and prevention, further emphasizing the importance of these medications in broader health contexts. The effectiveness of GLP-1 receptor agonists is not just supported by scientific research but also by countless real-world success stories.
 
Thank you for reading. See you next time! As always, feel free to comment here or on my social media posts.
 
Ellen