The popularity of weight loss drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy seems to be on the rise nowadays. They began as treatment options for people struggling with diabetes or obesity, but now they’re becoming a pretty common weight loss solution.
There have even been news segments talking all about how these weight loss drugs are the new “key” to weight loss, and many celebrities also tout how amazing they are.
But.. are they really the “key” to weight loss?
What is it about them that makes them so popular and effective? And are they really the optimal route certain people should be taking to get their weight under control? Let’s talk about some shit, get into how they work, discuss some of the drawbacks, as well as some other, potentially better, solutions.
WHAT ARE THEY
Ozempic and Wegovy (two of the most common) are essentially the same thing. They’re both fancy names for the drug semaglutide. They’re usually just given in different doses. Ozempic is typically given to those struggling with Type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy is typically given to those struggling with obesity and obesity – related health issues.
HOW THEY WORK
The idea is that they help to control appetite and make people feel more full and satiated before they end up eating too many calories (the cause for weight gain). So they essentially help people eat less.
The way this works is by the drugs acting as agonists on a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1. This is a natural hormone in the human body that does things like help control appetite and slow gastric emptying, to name two.
SOUNDS PERFECT RIGHT?
Doesn’t that just sound like the bees’ knees? Take some simple drugs and wala.. Magic weight loss!
Not so fast. Let’s now dive into some of the drawbacks of taking these drugs, starting with the side effects..
POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS
Let’s be real, meddling with your hormones is going to undoubtedly have side effects. As well as taking any kind of pharma drug. And it just so happens that these “magical” weight loss drugs also come along with some potential side effects. The most popular being related to stomach issues…
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Gastroparesis – “stomach paralysis”
- Pancreatitis
- Bowel obstructions
Some lawsuits have even been filed against the companies behind these drugs, and more research on them is still being done. But either way, these side effects seem to be real, and they don’t sound fun.
EXPENSIVE?
These drugs aren’t free. Insurance companies will usually cover the costs if a person is actually an appropriate candidate for them (diabetic or obese). But for those who are just looking for a weight loss short-cut more than likely are going to have to pay a pretty penny. And that pretty penny is anywhere from $900 to $1400 per month.
I’ll just say there are far easier and cheaper ways for a person to simply eat less.. One of them is signing up for my one-on-one online coaching! Heh, but really, those numbers are outrageous.
TEMPORARY RESULTS
Another concern with these drugs is that they don’t promote permanent weight loss unless you take the drug forever, aka develop a dependency on it. A 2022 study showed that people regained nearly ⅔ of their body weight after going off the drugs.
Which makes sense when you think about it. If a bodybuilder takes steroids and builds a ton of muscle, then goes off the roids, the muscle gained from the drugs will be lost. Why would this be any different when messing with your hormones for weight loss? Turns out it’s really not that different.
DEPENDENCY
IF someone is able to afford these drugs for the long haul, what they’re really doing is developing a dependency on something that can otherwise be achieved naturally and without all the potential risks. Some people argue, “who cares if you have to take it every day, people take things like protein powder every day!” Ok Becky, here’s the issue..
If someone is taking something like protein powder every day, that’s usually done out of convenience, and there’s usually no potential health risks like we see with taking pharma drugs. If you were to take the powder out of their routine, they would only need to eat more to meet their requirements. This is a convenience issue, not a dependency issue. Which, in my opinion, are two very different things.
Taking something every day out of convenience is not the same as having to take something every day because your body is dependent on it.
SAME RESULTS ACHIEVED NATURALLY?
Yes. The same exact results that these drugs can lead to can also be achieved naturally. This is because the GLP-1 hormone, as stated, is a natural hormone that is supposed to be activated when we eat what humans are supposed to be eating. To be more specific, food that contains fiber.
That’s right, I’ve written about the many benefits of fiber before, and one of the main ones being that fiber helps with satiety, or, feeling full and satisfied.
Researchers have also looked at fiber’s relationship with the GLP-1 hormone. Frank Duca, Phd, researcher of metabolic diseases out of the University of Arizona, is one of them.
“Eat more fiber”. Duca says this is his response to friends or family when they ask him what weight loss drug they should try next. He goes on to explain how fiber affects GLP-1 and other satiety hormones.
“Fiber triggers the release of not only GLP-1, but also another hormone that decreases appetite, called peptide YY (PYY)”.
“The boost of these hormones helps to drive down cravings, and increase the time between meals”, he explains.
This, of course, can be achieved without all the side effects, or pricey costs of weight loss drugs. Just by adding more fiber to your diet. Other researchers have also looked at this topic.
Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, is the director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). She has conducted and been a part of numerous studies examining the effects of food on insulin resistance, diabetes, and weight management.
One such study involved using a dietary approach to see the effects on GLP-1. Participants were given a fiber-rich, plant based meal, or a low-fiber, more animal based meal. If you’ve read this far, I’m sure you can imagine the results..
YEP! The fiber-rich, plant-based meal stimulated GLP-1 whereas the animal-based, low-fiber meal didn’t have much of an effect on GLP-1. Go figure.
Why is this important? It’s just an example proving how people can get the same results these drugs provide but from simply eating healthy foods.
With all this said, let’s get to my honest, brutal truth about these weight loss drugs..
THE BRUTAL TRUTH
Now I’m not trying to completely shit on these weight loss drugs. They can, in fact, be beneficial to the right people. However.. More and more people that are jumping on them aren’t quite “the right people”, and are just looking for another weight loss short cut. To those folks..
Do yourself a favor and just eat some more damn fiber. Weight loss drugs (as an easy weight loss solution) are a terrible idea. Let’s quick recap the downsides of these drugs:
- They’re expensive as fuck
- They create dependency (which is also expensive)
- Results are temporary (unless you become dependent)
- Side effects – nausea, diarrhea, gastroparesis, bowel issues, pancreatitis – really worth it?
- There’s nothing these drugs can do that simply eating healthier foods can’t do
By taking the more natural route to weight loss, some of the benefits include:
- Saving money
- Building healthy habits rather than dependencies on pharmaceuticals
- Sustainable results
- None of those terrible side effects
- Building confidence and having ownership of your results
More brutal truth..
These drugs are not “magical”, or the “key” to weight loss. Whoever honestly thinks that is a happy idiot.
These drugs are a money-making pharma wet dream.
We know we can produce the same effects in the body that these drugs produce by eating healthier, fiber-rich foods. And when you consider that in America, for example, roughly 97% of people already don’t get enough fiber, that creates a huge potential market for these drugs.
Especially because it appeals to peoples’ natural tendency towards instant gratification. “Don’t change anything about your life, just take this drug and your problems will be solved!” is the idea that sells.
To go the safer, cheaper, more beneficial route, here are 15 great sources of dietary fiber you can incorporate into your eating habits to help get more of a natural boost in all of your satiety hormones!….
- Berries
- Whole grain cereals
- Oats
- Whole wheat bread
- Rye bread
- Apples
- Quinoa
- Brown rice
- Lentils
- Beans
- Split Peas
- Whole wheat pasta
- Bean or legume pasta
- Chickpeas
- Chia, flax, hemp seeds
That’s only 15. The truth is all whole plant foods contain fiber, but in varying amounts. Each different plant food also has a different type of fiber. To sum it up, the more variety of plant foods – aka, variety of fiber – you can eat, the better.
Thanks for reading!
Chasing any health or fitness goals, or looking to go plant based/vegan? Let’s work together! Sign up for one-on-one online coaching below!
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