Pick not Ozempic
Care # 40
Tl;Dr
Willpower is no match for your evolutionary instincts, which prioritize survival over food control.
Stress, sleep deprivation, and ultra-processed foods worsen cravings and disrupt appetite hormones.
Drugs like Ozempic can help with weight loss but don’t address behavioral changes or root causes.
Muscle loss, slower metabolism, and severe side effects are significant downsides of long-term Ozempic use.
“If you're a severely obese person, you have severe health conditions, you're really struggling to get going, can it be a helpful aid? Absolutely. Should it be given to everybody who wants to look good for a party or a wedding? Absolutely not.” - Dr. Mark Hyman
Connections to Weight Loss Myths, Appetite Control, and Long-Term Health
Origins
Biological Overrides: Hunger is driven by the limbic brain, triggered by blood sugar drops and stress, creating "food emergencies" that willpower cannot overcome, if it is not trained.
Systemic Misdirection: Obesity solutions often focus on quick fixes like Ozempic, ignoring the need to fix underlying lifestyle issues, like poor diet and sedentary habits.
Dependencies
Pharmacological Limitations: Drugs like Ozempic act as an appetite suppressant but fail to change behaviors or habits. Once the drug is stopped, weight often returns unless significant lifestyle changes are made.
Muscle Loss & Metabolism: Approximately 50% of weight lost on Ozempic is muscle, which compromises metabolism and overall health. Recovery requires rigorous protein intake, strength training, and body composition monitoring.
Severe Side Effects: Long-term use of Ozempic is linked to serious health risks, including bowel obstruction (450% increase), pancreatitis (900% increase), and other complications affecting the gut, kidneys, and metabolism.
Consequences
Unsustainable Solutions: Ozempic is not a permanent fix. Its high cost ($1,300–$1,700 monthly) and the necessity for indefinite use make it inaccessible and impractical for many.
Metabolic Damage: Loss of muscle mass slows metabolism, making it harder to maintain weight loss and increasing long-term health risks.
Missed Opportunities: Reliance on pharmacological aids detracts from addressing the root causes of obesity, such as processed food addiction, poor sleep, and stress.
Discover other connections: Your energy source
ACCELERATE CARE
Focus on Muscle Maintenance: Incorporate strength training and ensure adequate protein intake to preserve muscle mass, especially if using medications like Ozempic.
Evaluate Alternatives First: Prioritize lifestyle interventions, including stress management, sleep improvement, and whole-food diets, before considering pharmacological options.
Monitor Progress Closely: Use tools like DEXA scans to track body composition and ensure muscle mass is maintained during weight loss.
Be Realistic About Quick Fixes: Understand that drugs like Ozempic may provide short-term benefits but require long-term commitments and careful management to avoid health setbacks.
Tackle Root Causes: Address processed food addiction and systemic factors contributing to obesity instead of relying solely on appetite suppressants.
Some tough-love 💕
Are you building habits or borrowing time?
Sources
The Longevity Expert: Is There A Link Between Milk & Cancer? + Ozempic Can Really Mess You Up!