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This week’s newsletter was written by Brianna Bell, a writer based in Guelph, Ont. She is currently working on her memoir.
A few months ago, I was sitting at a long table having a community lunch when I overheard some fellow diners talking farther down the table.
“People keep taking Ozempic to lose weight, and it’s not fair to the people who actually need it,” one man in the group said.
My husband gently squeezed my knee and we shared The Look. People were talking about Ozempic again, and not in a good way. Little did they know, I was taking Ozempic for weight loss.
Last April, I started taking Ozempic after years of battling my weight. It was, and still is, hard to escape news about the medication – stories have flooded the media, Instagram and Facebook, and the topic has trickled down to everyday conversations. Nobody is kind to fat people, the media included, and the judgmental coverage of Ozempic felt like another cruelty.
Ozempic, generically known as semaglutide, was approved in Canada in 2018 to treat type 2 diabetes. It helps control blood sugar, and one of the side effects is that it may help you feel full longer. There are other semaglutides that are directly approved and marketed for weight loss purposes – like Wegovy. I was specifically prescribed Ozempic by a doctor who specializes in weight loss (I did not find it easy to get a prescription; my own doctor wouldn’t do it and I had to wait months for a specialist). At the time, Wegovy was in short supply and not a viable option, but there were no Ozempic shortages.
When I started the medication I finally felt like I had hope – I was excited a drug was available to support my weight loss, after years of trying every type of diet, only to regain weight again. I found a community of people online who felt the same way, people who were finding success after years of battling obesity. Some people in my support group cancelled weight loss surgery because they didn’t need it anymore. Many of us talked about the “food noise” that was finally silenced – we could focus on other areas of our lives, like being active and eating well, because we weren’t constantly fighting hunger.
One frequent topic of conversation was the shame we felt. Many patients have decided to keep mum about taking Ozempic, including myself (until now). I only shared that I was taking the medication with very close friends and family – because I knew I’d be judged. People would say that weight loss medication was a shortcut – but what I saw was the positive impact on those who wanted to lose weight for their health, many who were prediabetic, and finally feeling hopeful for their future selves. My blood work prior to my prescription showed I was indeed prediabetic – did people want me to wait until I had type 2 diabetes to take the drug?
In September, I learned my insurance would no longer cover Ozempic. At the time, the country was also hit with shortages of the medication, and I was starting to struggle with some of its side effects. After careful consideration, I decided to wean off. I had lost 20 pounds in six months, and was feeling strong and good about where I was in my health journey. While semaglutide is meant to be a long-term drug, there were just too many barriers to keep taking it.
Since stopping the medication, the food noise is back and I have gained a bit of weight, but I do have more energy for cooking, meal planning and exercise. I don’t regret taking it, and I also know there may be an option to go back on it if insurance coverage and supply become available. In the meantime, I continue to feel hopeful about my progress and my health – which is why I took the medication in the first place.
In recent months, more and more people are coming out and saying they also use weight loss medication – including Oprah Winfrey, one of the most weight-shamed celebrities of our generation. Oprah told People Magazine: “The fact that there’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for. I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people, and particularly myself.”
I couldn’t agree more.
What else we’re thinking about:
I’m thankful that I live at a time when my health can be supported by some incredible fitness technology. My husband and I both have Apple watches – a worthwhile investment because it motivates us to reach daily fitness goals. We are also pretty competitive and can vie against each other to see who earns the most exercise minutes, among other markers.
Most days I also do a quick and easy workout on YouTube – my favourite channels are MadFit and Yoga with Adriene. I’m also lucky to live in Guelph, Ont., which has an excellent trail system – and of course, places to go rock climbing!
Marianne
Marianne Kushmaniuk for The Globe and Mail
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