Fat Bias & Ozempic
Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy — hot topics these days. With evidence that these medications can assist in weight loss, many are rushing to their doctor for a prescription, thrilled that there might be something that will FINALLY help them lose the weight they’ve been trying to lose for so long. However, some aren’t so happy about it. According to some, it’s giving people a way to not do the hard work to lose the weight. My question to them is - why do they care? Is it because society has an idea of how fat people “should” lose weight and if it’s too easy then we start assigning labels? Hear me out.
Evidence shows that diets don’t work. In fact, years of dieting can be the number one indicator of obesity. Losing weight is SO much more than just eating and exercise. There is an entire emotional and behavioral component that many don’t understand, but diets offer a structure and usually quick weight loss, which many are desperate for. They may even go into keto saying “i’m just going to do it until I lose 30lbs then I’ll figure out how to eat normally.” Unfortunately, that plan rarely works and then turns into a chronic cycle. Meanwhile, I have heard MANY success stories of people going on the medication, explaining the freedom they feel in their brain (insert: emotional component). Many say they didn’t know you could exist without your brain full of food noise. The FREEDOM, relief, and hope they feel is fascinating. So, if someone has yo-yo dieted for years and is consumed with feelings of failure and hopelessness, and these medications are helping them finally lose the weight in a way that has never worked for them before….why are we so against it? I know the answer and it’s going to feel uncomfortable — fat bias.
Society’s Arguments Against These Medications
Why is society so upset…and even concerned (?)…that there is a medication helping people lose weight? Here are the arguments I’ve heard: 1) well the weight is just going to come right back on once they stop 2) they don’t want to do the work and just want an easy way out 3) there are side effects and they shouldn’t be risking it just to lose weight. To all of those, I ask this….so what? Even IF the above are true, why do we care? We don’t care if someone uses it for diabetes, right? Well, the potential side effects are the same when it’s used for diabetes. It has shown to help diabetics lose weight, so why do we have such a problem expanding the population that can use it? I’m ready for the next argument — “well, they’re taking it away from those who need it.” — first off, no they aren’t. That was a very brief period that is no longer happening.
Fat Bias
So, I ask again - WHY do people care so much that there may be a medication out there that can help people successfully lose weight? Is it…drumroll please…maybe because they aren’t doing it the way YOU want them to? Is it because they aren’t suffering to lose the weight (i.e. eating celery and boiled chicken and spending hours every day in the gym)? Before you get defensive, this isn’t an attack! I’m asking you to really ask yourself that question because we don’t even realize how evident fat bias is in our society. Maybe, just MAYBE, people are up in arms because society actually doesn’t like fat people…at all. And, society wants them to suffer and “do the work”…meaning how SOCIETY wants them to do the work. I have never seen so many articles and opinions on a medication shown to help with a disease as I have with these medications. So, what makes this one so different? It’s because it helps fat people and society doesn’t want to help fat people.
As a NBC-HWC (National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach), I belong to various professional coaching forums and I have been SHOCKED at the language that HEALTH PROFESSIONALS are using around these medications and those taking them…you know, the same people whose profession it is to help clients adopt healthy habits and positive behavior change. They’re AGAINST a medication that is….wait for it…helping people do exactly that…??? My husband argued that maybe it’s because they are worried they won’t have clients. Maybe? But Ive had a number of clients who are on a semaglutide and still greatly benefited from working with a coach. If anything, working with a coach would make these medications even MORE successful. So, why is society so enraged that there might be a solution for fat people?
