Thank you again for such a thoughtful look at these medications. As a person who has been in psychotherapy for my entire adulthood (I’m in my mid-forties now) and much of my teens, I can say with confidence that addressing the “underlying causes” of obesity is not enough. So many of the “causes” these people refer to are problems with society at large, not just our own family or childhood experiences, so it would be nearly impossible to escape those. I also think that this rhetoric just feeds into the “you shouldn’t need help, and if you do, you’re a failure” that is pervasive in modern society.
I have also been trying to lose weight my entire adult life (and much of my teens). There’s a history of obesity in my family, and I don’t know if that indicates a genetic component or not. All I know is that after decades of exercise and diets, anytime I *have* lost weight, I have also gained it back. Perhaps people who have never been obese don’t really understand that weight loss for someone like me requires a *constant* and unending amount of effort, both physically and psychologically. It requires policing oneself, always chastising and feeling guilty about one’s own desires. Every time I have gained the weight back, I have been more and more demoralized, and I know that’s common. It becomes harder and harder to do the work when it feels Sisyphean. The mental freedom I have felt from my time (4 months) on Wegovy has been an immense relief, akin to how I felt when I first started taking anti-depressants and realized I didn’t *have* to be depressed all the time.
Three decades of therapy to address childhood trauma (and yes, I’ve tried many modalities) and three decades of feeling like a failure because I couldn’t keep the weight off… and in just the first two weeks of semaglutides, I immediately began not only losing weight but also this incredible emotional and psychological freedom. Anyone who doesn’t believe that people deserve that chance, regardless of their background, probably has some issues of their own that could be addressed in therapy. ;)
I just wish women didn't feel like they needed a drug to either lose or weight or free up brain space. I say this as a 53 year old who's been fat for 25 years. I've never dieted. I don't always love my body, but I mostly have other things to obsess over. I really can't imagine feeling the need to take Ozempic or anything similar.
I can’t remember if I mentioned it in my comment on your first Ozempic post but in regards to your comment about availability, it is still an issue for Ozempic and other, older glp-1 agonists like Trulicity. It’s my understanding that it is not so much an availability issue with the medical itself but on the injection pens they come in. I sometimes cannot refill my medication for a week or two because my pharmacy is out. I live in a rural area so I often have to drive 30+ miles to another pharmacy to find it. As someone who needs the medication for diabetes, I admit to a little resentment when this happens. It really messes with my digestion to be out for any period of time, not to mention my blood sugar numbers.
Thank you again for such a thoughtful look at these medications. As a person who has been in psychotherapy for my entire adulthood (I’m in my mid-forties now) and much of my teens, I can say with confidence that addressing the “underlying causes” of obesity is not enough. So many of the “causes” these people refer to are problems with society at large, not just our own family or childhood experiences, so it would be nearly impossible to escape those. I also think that this rhetoric just feeds into the “you shouldn’t need help, and if you do, you’re a failure” that is pervasive in modern society.
I have also been trying to lose weight my entire adult life (and much of my teens). There’s a history of obesity in my family, and I don’t know if that indicates a genetic component or not. All I know is that after decades of exercise and diets, anytime I *have* lost weight, I have also gained it back. Perhaps people who have never been obese don’t really understand that weight loss for someone like me requires a *constant* and unending amount of effort, both physically and psychologically. It requires policing oneself, always chastising and feeling guilty about one’s own desires. Every time I have gained the weight back, I have been more and more demoralized, and I know that’s common. It becomes harder and harder to do the work when it feels Sisyphean. The mental freedom I have felt from my time (4 months) on Wegovy has been an immense relief, akin to how I felt when I first started taking anti-depressants and realized I didn’t *have* to be depressed all the time.
Three decades of therapy to address childhood trauma (and yes, I’ve tried many modalities) and three decades of feeling like a failure because I couldn’t keep the weight off… and in just the first two weeks of semaglutides, I immediately began not only losing weight but also this incredible emotional and psychological freedom. Anyone who doesn’t believe that people deserve that chance, regardless of their background, probably has some issues of their own that could be addressed in therapy. ;)
There's word these drugs curb drinking. Curb drinking! This is huge for the alcoholic community. Wow!
I just wish women didn't feel like they needed a drug to either lose or weight or free up brain space. I say this as a 53 year old who's been fat for 25 years. I've never dieted. I don't always love my body, but I mostly have other things to obsess over. I really can't imagine feeling the need to take Ozempic or anything similar.
I can’t remember if I mentioned it in my comment on your first Ozempic post but in regards to your comment about availability, it is still an issue for Ozempic and other, older glp-1 agonists like Trulicity. It’s my understanding that it is not so much an availability issue with the medical itself but on the injection pens they come in. I sometimes cannot refill my medication for a week or two because my pharmacy is out. I live in a rural area so I often have to drive 30+ miles to another pharmacy to find it. As someone who needs the medication for diabetes, I admit to a little resentment when this happens. It really messes with my digestion to be out for any period of time, not to mention my blood sugar numbers.