Weight Loss in a Pill: Is More Than Fat Being Lost?
Get thin fast! These magical words will lure humans just about anywhere, figuratively speaking. (You may begin counting instances of wordplay now.) In the immortal words of Walter Morrow, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” (or a gigantic lunch that is pharmaceutically transmuted into a small lunch). There is always a price to pay for quick weight loss–and we’re not talking about our fee as your personal trainers.
With drugs like Ozempic, and its five other counterparts that are currently approved by the FDA, there is quite literally more than just fat being lost. When you drop weight quickly, you are not only losing fat, but also muscle mass. At Coaching and Coffee Talks, we don’t like to throw around the word “never,” but losing muscle mass is actually something you NEVER want to do. It is a condition called sarcopenia. As muscle mass is lost–so is strength, stamina, and metabolic rate. Oh, and by the way–a great place to start your fitness journey, as well as live a long and healthy life is to increase strength, stamina, and metabolic rate.
Can you see where we’re going with this?
Even if you’re in the “I don’t care, I just want to look good” category, a quick perusal of any celebrity gossip magazine will bring you face-to-face with (still counting?) “Ozempic Face.” This is an altogether unlovely condition of muscle wasting in the face. It basically motors you right past “Look at my cheekbones!” and straight on to “I’m a zombie!” We don’t like to name names, but Matthew McConaughey. Oops. The trade-off is sickly looking thinness for health. It’s just not alright, alright, alright.
That is just “literally” what is lost. What is lost if we dig more into the metaphorical side of things?
When someone undertakes a pharmaceutical-less weight loss journey, people notice. The weight loss comes more slowly than when drug-induced, but a myriad of other wonderful things come quickly. A father or mother shows a son or daughter that hard work pays off, that there is no fast-track to success, that self-care is important, that doing the healthy thing is doing the right thing, and that they want to stick around and meet their grandchildren. These inspirations not only ripple through families, but through communities.
It is not only that the weight loss journeyer is admired, it is also witnessed that they are happier. They have the special feeling inside of a “job well done.” They become better at their jobs, better family members, better friends, and better members of their communities.
On the flipside, what is learned by those watching when a pill is the answer to our problems? What are we teaching ourselves?
So, there is quite a lot more than just fat being lost with these “miracle” pills. In fact, many miracles may be lost–and the price being paid may be these little lessons and inspiring moments that are truly priceless–in life.
Until next time
Scott and Lennart