My medical school taught about nutrition, weight loss, and exercise. The information was all dense physiology and wasn’t the most practical for patient care. When I began to practice medicine independently, it became clear why. Weight loss is hard. Dieting is hard. There are no short cuts and the medications used to be problematic with limited effects. A big part of trying to lose weight is ignoring your body’s constant barrage of signals to eat, eat a lot, and eat often. No one should blame themselves for being unable to resist this constant biologic drive to take in and store Calories. This game is rigged.
When I first started, there were a few weight loss drugs out there. They were very limited in efficacy and safety. They also had problematic side effects. I’m talking addiction, palpitations, twitchiness, and of course crazy diarrhea. Few were safe to take long term. Few were particularly effective. When people asked me if I could help them with weight loss, my truest answer should have been “probably not.”
A new diabetic med class came out called liraglutide (early semaglutide - Ozempic, Wegovy) and it changed everything. It worked well for blood sugars and people started to lose weight, too. “Doc, my sugars look great, but I’m not hungry a lot and I’m losing weight.” To which I would reply, “Yes you are!” Better yet, it’s safe to take long term and its main side effect is the main driver for weight loss. It prevents people from habitually overeating.
I’m a skeptic. Miracle cures are usually scams or there is some crazy catch to them. This class of medications isn’t a miracle, it has its faults, but it is finally something effective and safe for weight loss. The way it works for appetite suppression is very clean (simply signals you are full faster by delaying your stomach’s emptying). Trust me when I say I wouldn’t be prescribing this if it wasn’t as real as it gets in the medical world. Its efficacy and safety are backed by the same types of studies that tell us antibiotics and cancer treatments are effective.
If you set out to lose weight, however you do it, I wish you the best and will part on this final note. This journey is a tough one. Your body will work against you, but it can be done. Counseling, social support, and medication can help. Sometimes a lot. Do what you need and get the help you need if you need it. You are worth it!
Reach out to me, Dr. Guzman, at helpdesk@calmhealthcaretexas.com with any questions about using Semaglutide or sign up for our free 14 day trial to get started on your care plan.
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