Oprah was very vulnerable and said she is definitely one of the most scrutinized celebrities when it came to weight. I mean, we all love Oprah and we know that she has fluctuated up and down in weight all these years. She mentioned she was at her highest at 237 pounds back in the day. She even did a meal replacement program called optifast. And she actually was very successful in that. But again, through the years, she gained that weight back and she talked about a very important concept that we really need to be talking more of and that is shame around being overweight, shame about around being skinny, and people questioning whether you did it the right way or did you take a medication or did you cheat? Or if you’re overweight, why aren’t you on a medication? Why aren’t you considering surgery?
So now, let’s talk about weight loss medications. What do they do to our body and brain?
It is to help, again, quiet the food noise. It can metabolically help you feel full sooner. And I call it training wheels. It is meant for you to understand how to have the proper diet and exercise in the first place so that eventually you can ride the bike on your own, so to speak.
But the saying goes, are you going to be on this medication forever? Now, there’s a lot of experts out there that actually tell you, yes, you’re going to be on this medication forever, but I have to disagree. You actually have that choice.
You can scenario number one, just take a medication and go about your way. And sure it will work and help you manage your weight. And that’s perfectly fine. Being on a medication long-term is okay, but if you don’t change anything about your habits, that’s not okay.
But scenario number two, you finally have the opportunity to feel like this is treatable, that it actually is not your fault to begin with, and that it actually is a metabolic dysfunction. And if you are committed, put in the right healthy Lifestyle habits, then 100% you can get off this medication because the whole game plan in the first place is for you to live healthfully without medication at all. And that includes not being on blood pressure medicine, not being on cholesterol medication, reversing diabetes, and even reducing your risk for cancer. There’s so many benefits from losing weight by changing your lifestyle and it’s not considered cheating using a medication if metabolically that is something that you need. So it was just a great conversation that the panel had about the use of medication. And they do play a role. Not everybody is a candidate for it. Not everybody has to be on it and not everybody should be on it, but it is a tool that actually works in the right setting.
And then finally, the third biggest takeaway. Don’t be ashamed of yourself! Listen to your own body and take the step of consulting with a doctor.
Yes, you’re not going to be able to control other people’s opinions, but the best, most important thing that you can do is to take shame off of yourself and you actually control your own opinion about yourself. And when you truly wholeheartedly understand that you’re committed to your health, you’re willing to put in the diet and exercise for yourself.
If you are in need of shedding off that extra pound, or just need more information about weight loss medications, just click the link here and let’s get started!
You are not alone!
Dr. Angela Tran D.O.
Overweight person ignoring body shaming comments from critics
