I have been overweight/obese most of my life. Most recently, I hit a BMI over 50 (and over 300 lbs) about almost two years ago. I was seeing my endocrinologist - who because of my continued gain, my expressed frustration with my inability to lose weight (despite trying to eat better and exercise) and the fact that I was pre-diabetic, offered to write me a script for Ozempic. I said yes. After six months, i had lost about 10 lbs, and she upped my dose. By my next six month visit I realized two things - it wasn’t working for me and i absolutely needed to come off it. In that six month period I had gone through an entire family sized bottle of antacid, and lost only another 5 lbs). So we agreed to stop the med, let my system purge it, and readdress writing for a different one in six months time.
Three months after that, I had gained the little weight I had lost back. Unhappy with that, I decided to go back to the one thing that ever had me losing weight. I downloaded an app, and started keeping track of what I ate (following macros). I told the app I wanted to lose 60 lbs. It gave me a target calorie count, and targets for protein, carbs, and fat. Since starting that, I am down nearly 40 lbs (my weight loss was slowed a little by foot surgery that has required me to be much more sedentary than usual and kept me from the gym for a month). But I focused on what I was eating - and I realized I was eating tons of empty calories, not nearly enough protein and mindless snacking was killing me. Now, 7 months in, I’ve changed the foods I eat significantly, but in a way that I can still do things like enjoy a glass of wine, eat dessert, go to a restaurant, etc.
I’m an anesthesiologist by trade. Ozempic and the like have significantly changed the way I practice. My anesthesia groups are full of anecdotal stories of patients who had been NPO for 2+ days coming in for endoscopy with a stomach full of food. Now, we are asking patients to skip a dose prior to surgery (and we aren’t sure if that is helping) and even if they do, we still treat them differently than a standard patient because of their aspiration risk. This is something I rarely see discussed.
Given all that, I’m overall not a fan of the drug.
This is a great story. I must confess that I have not struggled with being overweight. I am tall (6' 5"), and I topped out at 225-230. That is not too high given my height, but it was certainly not muscle weight (I might be called "skinny-fat"). The first thing I did was stop all sodas - even the "diet" ones as well as all other sweetened drinks. 25 lbs. came off, honestly, with little effort. But this was a starting point for a more important change. I proceeded with the theory that our cravings come from gut bacteria. If the bacteria that thrive on empty calories have the upper hand, they send signals to our brain that we otherwise experience as cravings.
So I decided to go on an eight-week "snack binge" - only now I was binging on things like slightly salted cabbage lightly drizzled with sesame oil. I discovered that I liked it when working in Japan as it is a common side dish. After eight weeks of snacking on cabbage, I discovered that even the sound of my wife chopping cabbage made me salivate. I recently did something similar with broccoli and now crave it.
Our gut bacteria is a battle. When we decide to avoid empty calories—especially when snacking—the good bacteria get the upper hand over the bad, and the taste signals sent from our gut change how we experience food.
I leveled out at 200-205 lbs. and haven't really had any problems maintaining it.
I have a secret weight loss program that really works. When I retired and moved back to the States, I ballooned to 200 lbs. and was diagnosed with diabetes. Because I knew there was a relationship between weight and diabetes and because I hate taking meds. I put myself on my secret weight loss plane and loss 35 lbs. in three months.
Because we are all friends here I will, for the first time, share my plan with you. A fool prove way to lose weight is, wait for it, keep your mouth shut. It worked for me and I am thinking about patenting it.
I heard of a very effective diet, where you strip naked, sit on a chair in front of a full-length mirror, and watch yourself eat a big plate of spaghetti.
Yep....that's exactly where I'm at. I've lost 25 lbs in 12 weeks. No alcohol, bread or sweets and no eating after dinner. I have not increased my exercise but do walk 20-25 miles per week at 61 years old.
Im big on fermenting things and a huge believer that Americans need to eat more lactofermemted vegetables. I make two different kinds of yogurt weekly, and always have my own kimchi or sauerkraut at hand.
One of the yogurt cultures, l. reuteri, they claim stimulates oxytocin.
I also make sourdough bread, regular pickles, beet kvass, and sometimes natural soda made with a ginger bug.
Its like keeping a garden of invisible little friends.
I’ve been doing the gradual change thing. And it’s working so far. I was literally post surgery in a cast and only sitting on my couch for two weeks. And I still managed to not gain weight. I won’t condemn anyone for trying one of these meds. But it definitely wasn’t for me. And it’s not the benign drug they make it out to be.
I have a cabbage recipe that you will LOVE. We host a lot and it has become one of my go-to sides because its delicious and more importantly super easy. Even my 16 month old and 5 year old can't stop eating it.
Preheat oven to 425. Dice either a red or green cabbage, larger than slaw pieces, but still relatively small. Spread out on roasting pan, smother in olive oil, generous amount of salt ( I am partial to diamond kosher salt, in the red box), copious amounts of freshly ground black pepper and roast for 20-25 minutes. The length of time will depend on how small you dice the cabbage. Start checking at 20 minutes. You are aiming for very slightly charred edges, you want that caramelization to have started to occur but you don't want the cabbage to burn.
Well, semaglutides essentially give people gastroparesis (temporarily, we hope). Sigh. Let me get this straight: we’re looking to Big Pharma to solve our problems…again. We have learned nothing.
About a year and a half ago, I was in hospital for a digestive disorder, with an IV in my arm and an NG tube from my nose into my stomach. It was five days of horrible. For whatever reason, or totally by chance, Bari was interviewing a founder of Levels (a CGM company) on Honestly as I lay there suffering mightily.
Casey Means spoke about the relationship between the gut microbiome, the brain, and food preferences. She talked about how, when you eat more fresh unprocessed foods (like broccoli), they actually begin to taste truly delicious to you. When I eventually got home, and ate only very carefully curated fresh foods, I discovered that she was right. The problem in our culture is that fresh unprocessed foods are a lot harder to come by, and require a lot more work, than so-called “convenience” foods. Eating well in our era requires an actual commitment of time, effort, and sacrifice. And all the while, temptation is buzzing around us like a swarm of bees…
I should also note that American food, unless you are lucky (and rich) enough to shop at local organic farms, tends to be a lower quality than what you find in Europe or Japan. Factory farming is designed for economies of scale rather than for quality, and often uses far more pesticides/herbicides/antibiotics/hormones than other countries do.
I'm a health coach and this is one of those uncomfortable realities I have to tell my clients. To eat clean takes a significant amount of time and money. I know this is worth it is as being sick takes monumentally MORE time and money (and you will also be miserable) but it's something that has to be honestly addressed.
I'm an ancestral health coach, so I also push for the elimination or near elimination of seed oils. That alone creates all sorts of problems. This means things like mayonaise, salad dressing, bread, and nearly all packaged foods (even the "healthy" versions) need to be eliminated. Right now I need to get to the kitchen and make mayo, ranch dressing, and meat marindade. All items most people just buy. If I do buy products without seed oils to save time they are usually 3x the price. Look at the cost difference between Primal Brand Avocado Oil Mayo and Hellmens loaded with soybean oil. I do a lot of dishes often due to the amount of cooking I do since eating out is almost always unhealthy. We go to the store for fresh items 3X per week since when you avoid shelf stable packaged goods you need to shop often. Meal planning is essential.
Eliminating processed carbs, sugars and seed oils and replacing them with fresh meats, fish, eggs, seasonal fruits and vegetables is expensive, yet most of my clients are spending much more a month on prescriptions and medical interventions that only treat symptoms and not causes. Still, it's not easy and I feel the pain of spending so much time in the kitchen and at the farmers markets and grocery stores that offer local and organic.
It requires a significant mindset shift. This is the biggest barrier for my clients. (Not money actually since if you can afford a health coach you can afford the groceries.) Although for lower income people the same applies it's just a little more difficult. Many lower income people say they can't afford healthy eating, yet they buy chips and soda on the regular and pay hundreds per month for Metformin and statins. As much as I would love for the government to better regulate our food supply and subsidize healthy whole foods rather than GMO corn and soy it's still the mindset that is the biggest barrier in my opinion. The government won't change as long as people allow the status quo to continue.
Yes more expensive to eat clean & I'm a doctor so I talk to patients about nutrition a lot too. I do notice when I go grocery shopping, my cart is full of meat, eggs, milk, fruits & veggies; most people's are full of processed garbage but a lot of that stuff is pricey too.
My recommendations for cheap, natural, whole unprocessed foods for patients: Carrots, Bananas, Beans, Onions, Potatoes, frozen vegetables, Dark Meat Chicken like Drumsticks & thighs which are cheaper & healthier, canned tuna, eggs. These are all relatively inexpensive. I love fruit so much but its pricey.
Agree. I tried to switch to avocado mayo but it is just awful. So no mayo for me. I don't miss it since I'm not eating sandwiches! And since my daughter had to give up dairy, no more ranch either. Honestly, once you start eating food without all of the sauce, etc it just tastes better.
I love mayo but don't like the avocado type either. I make mine with macadamia nut oil mixed with a little MCT oil. Add in some white pepper and paprika to the usual egg yolks, garlic powder, mustard and lemon juice and it's pretty close to Duke's.
MCT oil can be used as a quick energy source and may support weight loss. It may also fight bacterial growth and aid in managing certain neurological conditions.
= = =
and ... not far below that,
it DID have an explanation of ... what "MCT oil" is!
... it said -- [QUOTE #2] -- :
[...] medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil contains medium-length chains of fats called triglycerides. Due to their shorter length, MCTs are digested faster than longer-chain fatty acids found in many other foods.
Bari did a podcast with Casey Means recently. It was eye opening. If you think Big Pharma is here to help you, think again. Casey and her brother, Calley, have been very vocal about eating clean unprocessed foods. Look them up.
One of the comments (from Oct 7, 2024 iirc) contained a sentence that mentioned "a founder of Levels (a CGM company)"; the sentence said: [QUOTE] :
> For whatever reason, or totally by chance, Bari was interviewing a founder of Levels (a CGM company) on Honestly as I lay there suffering mightily.
... and it was followed by a sentence that started by mentioning Casey Means. *That* sentence said [QUOTE] :
> Casey Means spoke about the relationship between the gut microbiome, the brain, and food preferences.
So ... (please forgive me if the answer to this "should" already be obvious, to me) ... is that perhaps a 'hint', that the person -- a founder of Levels (a CGM company) -- whom Bari was interviewing on Honestly, at the time ... was actually Casey Means?
Casey Means, MD is a Stanford-trained physician, Chief Medical Officer and Co-founder of metabolic health company Levels, and Associate Editor of the International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention. Her mission is to maximize human potential and reverse the epidemic of preventable chronic disease by empowering individuals with tech-enabled tools that can inform smart, personalized, and sustainable dietary and lifestyle choices. Dr. Means’s perspective has been recently featured in the New York Times, Men's Health, Forbes, Business Insider, Techcrunch, Entrepreneur Magazine, The Hill, Metabolism, Endocrine Today, and more. She has held research positions at the NIH, Stanford School of Medicine, and NYU.
"Factory farming is designed for economies of scale rather than for quality, and often uses far more pesticides/herbicides/antibiotics/hormones than other countries do."
True story. And I do my best to try to buy organic. But in America, commercial farming is based on what has good "shelf life" & what looks good visually, so it will transport & sell, but not what tastes good.
I'm an apple connoisseur & my favorite is Jonathan. It is beyond amazing. No longer commerically produced b/c of bad shelf life or whatever. Now they make JonaGold which isn't as good as pure Jonathan. My second favorite is McIntosh. But has to be Pure McIntosh, which is hard to find. Pure McIntosh bruises easily b/c its super soft. Which is delicious! I personally love them when they are bruised, they taste better. But they often sell "AceyMac" or Empire or Cortland, which is Mac X Red Delicious, & it tastes SO BLAND compared to a delicious Real MCIntosh. The real ones are short & soft.
As an aside, I grew up in a city not far from apple country, and absolutely loved the early Macintosh apples at the farmers market in September — firm, juicy, and the perfect balance between sweet and tart. Thanks for the brief walk down memory lane…
Good for you for losing weight the right way. I, myself, lost 40 pounds in 2020 counting macros. It works! I had to listen to a man at CVS today complaining that he hasn't been able to get his Mounjaro for a while. The pharmacist apologized and said there were lots of people affected, not just him. As he was leaving he said well it will be your fault if I'm back at 400 pounds. I just shook my head. How about you learn how to eat properly and take responsibility for yourself. There is no magic pill. It's all about diet and exercise, mostly diet because you can't outrun a bad diet. Why would someone inject themself with something that has unknown side effects? Oh wait...
Agree! About 11 years ago I did South beach diet plan to get off the bad carbs and sugar. I am 62 and would love to be about 5-8 pounds thinner but bottom line I try and eat well and exercise. I also try my best not to take any meds I will control my cholesterol and sugar levels with diet. I worked in pharma and unless it’s absolutely necessary pharmaceuticals should be avoided at all cost. There are always side effects which may even require more drugs with even more side effects and well you know the rest.
Honestly, if the range that bothers you is only 5-8 lbs, isn't that just a cosmetic problem? It is enormously freeing to be satisfied with a healthy weight and not constantly chasing the elusive perfect figure. Of course, you're just a kid still. I'm 72!
The CVS guy's comment makes me think of all the people who can't get their diabetes drugs (who need them FOR diabetes!) because everyone else is using them to diet. :(
That's exactly what I was thinking. At first, I thought he might be diabetic and I felt sorry for him not being able to get his meds. But sadly that was not the case.
You look at not just calories but the amount of protein, carbohydrates, fat, sugars, fiber etc. there are apps out there that help with that. I personally am using My Net Diary.
For myself, I did the eyeball version of this: I made it a point to fill my plate with protein and vegetables, with some carbs. It worked pretty well until I got into running and realized I was now underfueling. Your way of tracking is more precise.
Macros is short for macronutrients, and “tracking macros” is putting meals and snacks together to keep carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in a beneficial ratio, depending on your goals (gaining muscle, losing fat, etc). Often people realize their diet is high in simple carbs and unhealthy fats, and making an adjustment to eat more complex carbs, high-quality fats, and sufficient protein can improve satiety and change body composition.
Your link is very generic Franklin. Anecdotally, I know people it helped amazingly, and othwrs who did not do well. Some get a weird sort of depressed-ish that's not depression but it's not good.
What I tell people that gain easily is that for them, their natural athletic strength is... strength training. One of the nice things about strength is that strength training can be very simple and efficient use of time. I've gotten people started on a dead simple set of two exercises 2X per week. (Add others, but always do the foundation and don't sweat it if you don't want or have time to do more. A problem can be exercise taking too much time.)
I am not a fan of 1 rep max. If you can't complete 5 good reps, don't move up. It helps avoid injury.
2. Floor press. 3 sets, 8-5. This is like bench press but lying on the floor. If you can't fit your head & chest under the bar, then use a rack with stops set an inch or 3 above chest level. This protects the shoulders from over rotation with too much weight. A general rule -- push one, pull two. The back can take more, and its the foundation for chest strength.
The other days walk for half an hour or 5000 steps in good shoes.
You can get a good Olympic barbell set with bumper plates for your living room from Rogue. (Or AliBaba.) GET A PROPER OLYMPIC SET. The people that got the Olympic colors plates seemed to like it better. YMMV
Don't get caught up in having to do a huge bodybuilding routine. If you like that, fine. But for later when you've got the foundation. Chill. Strength training is years. Don't sweat a bad day, a bad week, or even month. Just keep at it.
I work out with a personal trainer at least 1 x a week. Plus I’ve been outfitting a home gym. I aim for strength training 2x a week, plus cardio when I can fit it in.
It can be fun later on if you really get strong. The limit on strength isn't in the gym, it's at the table. Can you eat enough and still like your life?
That’s where a big natural appetite comes into its own.
Thank you and congratulations on your success. I am an RN 51 years and still practicing. I am maybe 10 pounds overweight. However I can tell you I learned as a teenager that I could NOT eat whatever I wanted without gaining weight. I have to watch my nutrition and I MUST exercise. I see so many doctors and nurses who are overweight and very inactive. For example, they are young but won't climb one flight of stairs. I am 71, follow my macros daily, exercise moderately heavy at least 4 days per week and climb 3 flights of stairs when I go to work. (I still work per diem 2-3 days per week). The poor nutrition and lack of exercise in this country is horrendous. Yes some of it is genetic but so much is within our control. I, for example, have a GI autoimmune disorder that requires me to cook my own food and religiously read food labels. I applaud your efforts not only in your struggle but in enlightening people to the dangers of these drugs, I have even witnessed people who have had BARIATRIC SURGERY gain lots of weight back after all that surgery because of their poor nutrition program and sedentary lifestyle. So many illnesses could be prevented or greatly reduced however our "healthcare" system is not about health and prevention but rather prescribing drugs amongst other things.
20 years ago there was Burt’s. Once a week shot that helped control diabetes. The FAA wouldn’t let me take it because they hadn’t check it out even though the FDA had approved it. I retire get the drug and it helps. The drugs used in Byetta were pretty much the same type used by Ozempic today. My diabetes dr. Put me on Mounjaro. Different formula from Ozempic and used two different drugs. I lost 50 lbs in four months, got to my target lowered the dose to just maintain that and it it great. Where there side yes. The worse was leaning how much to eat because f you ate too much you would have a terrible night. However, I no longer take insulin. My heart drug has cut in half. My BP is way down. A mass I have in the middle that they can’t get to biopsy was pushing on a vein and is not touching it or influence. Because with that wait loss there was a lot more room in the middle. I can tie my shoes without getting winded. Just a few minutes of the extra benefits from losing 50 lbs. As a diabetic I was going to be on something the rest of my life. I’ll take Mounjaro over insulin and heart medication any day. There are two or three sides to every story. It’s time for the author to see what the answers are besides Ozempic. As they say, the answers are out there.
I'm at the stage where I have faced that I'm going to get sick if I don't change, ie diabetes. It took me a long time to face it, but now I'm monitoring and I've quit eating sweets at all. I get my A1C test again soon and I hope I'm not going to find I've got type 2. But now I see I'm clinging to other munchy habits. I eat sunflower seeds all the time. But I used to wish for a medicine like Ozempic to change me. I can change myself.
That’s where I was. Which is why i finally decided to try the Ozempic. It didn’t work out for me, so I went back to what I was doing the last time i had significant weight loss. It seems to be working better this time. I, too, had munchy habits. That’s why I started tracking what I ate. It forced me to see what I was doing, and that more than anything else helped me get my eating under control.
Also the colorful baby sweet peppers. If you eliminate refined sugar for about 10 days, you'll find tomatoes, sweet peppers, etc., taste like candy. (Unfortunately, by eliminating sugar, I discovered good whiskey also tastes like candy, but that's a story for another day.)
“Lose It” is the app. Very stable platform. I’ve been using for seven years. I’ve lost 30 pounds in seven years. Slow and steady with three more pounds to go.
Thank you for that. I am a few days late to the party, but I felt so judged by the comments by people who did it the "right" way. Good for you! (the right way people). I did not struggle with my weight when I was young. I was skinny. I was active etc.... However stress eating and alcohol did a number. I just started the semaglutide and have lost almost 40 lbs in 5 months. I stopped smoking(made it taste awful and I got zero pleasure from a nice deep drag) and even thinking about alcohol makes me nauseous. So my point is, if it works for you then do it. If you need the additional help then take advantage of it. I needed it and got benefits I never even dreamed of.
This is frightening. In that we are finding out the gut microbiome can be considered the air traffic control tower of our bodies, to mess with it will have unintended consequences. And what about leaving all those toxins in the body for an amplified amount of time? What then?
Astrazeneca just pulled their vaccine off the market due to side effects. Ozempic has a lot of side effects that, unfortunately, won't get pulled off due to the amazing marketing by pharma. There are a plethora of side effects, even mental conditions, known with the drug: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/the-hidden-struggle-in-health-care
What works best for me is to incorporate intermittent fasting. Once you realize that hunger pangs and cravings will pass if ignored for about 15 minutes, it's like a superpower.
I soooooooo identify with that. One carby snack, and I'm back in the snack zone for the rest of the day at least. I also am afflicted with the "mightaswellfinish" syndrome: "There's only a couple of X left, I might as well finish them all." And, of course, don't forget our old favorite: The Last Supper (before cleaning up my diet "for good this time").
1. Fat acceptance is gaslighting on a national scale. Unlike peak trans, it seems to stop at our borders. We must reimplement fat shaming as a cultural norm.
2. Fat shaming actually works. Worked on me. Works on the Japanese. It prevents death. Death is worse than hurt feelings.
3. Diet and exercise works. It simply takes hard work and discipline, something in very short supply in the US these days.
4. Anyone remember Fen-phen? Killed a lot of people on time delay. Ozempic will be no different. There are no free rides with fat loss.
Shaming people for things that are bad for the person and also bad for society is appropriate. It's why we evolved feelings of shame. Shame means you should change, and if you're feeling it, it's your own conscience speaking to you. Let's normalize listening to it!
I explained to colleagues last week how the Chinese would not tolerate a bad coworker, they would hold a struggle session and shame the person into change.
Imagine if we had public humiliation ceremonies for overweight people. This is kind of normal in parts of Asia. Especially communist collectives.
I mean, it would probably fix the problem right? I'm starting to think they're right about Americans being too individualistic. They should use the word "narcissistic" instead.
The left have been using Shame and Guilt for a long time. Cancel culture ie based around it. Like so many issues, what you consider bad for a person and society can be different than someone else's definition.
Precisely. When leftist employ shame and guilt, they are judging you with the full expectation that they have the right to do so and that their morals are superior.
This is one reason we regard Wokeism as a religion. Conservatives and moderates should start making it clear to leftists that their judgements are unwelcome, and we no longer acknowledge their moral authority on topics of race and sex.
The problem with "fat shaming" is that it rapidly just turns into cover for bullying. I've seen people be really, really mean to others just for the fun of it, but when confronted they bleat "I'm just being honest! It's for her own good." No it's not! It's just fun to be a bully and get away with it.
Fat acceptance and fat pride are destructive, but giving people a free pass for just being jerks is not the answer.
I doubt that Ozempic will kill like Fen-phen. The latter drug fits the 5-HT2-C receptor. With FenPhen we found out that long-term, that receptor is overloaded in heart valve tissue. (Meaning multiple functions.)
I served in the military, I have a CPA and MBA. But losing weight is WAY harder than any of those. It's something I struggle with EVERY day.
I've done it in the past but only by putting myself on a very restrictive diet (low carb, high protein, intermittent fasting).
Is it possible for individuals of course. But society wide it's quite apparent that without MASSIVE society wide changes it won't happen.
I suggest putting a high tax on sugar and other high calorie sweeteners (corn syrup, honey etc) and then using that to offset people that stay thin and fit.
It will be quite interesting to observe what happens with future, unforeseen side effects from Ozempic considering that like 80% of Hollywood celebrities are on it.
I think that millions of Americans should do a reverse border crossing and head down to Honduras, El Salvador, China, Monaco, etc., etc. - millions of illegals on TV all the time and not too many fatsoes on those Fox News videos from the Rio Grande!
Mexicans are among the few nations on the planet that have become even fatter than us Americans. Furthermore, shame does not really work for most fatties.,The best data indicate that morbid obesity is really a matter of Pavlovian childhood conditioning. Even dogs and rats will get fat and stay fat, if mom feeds them exclusively on a manufactured american type diet as youngsters. So the long term cure is up to the moms. I know it’s a lot of work, but food loving given by your mother’s hand works a Pavlovian magic on the central nervous system. The childs nervous system feels some special intense pleasure and satisfaction, just as when breast feeding. . Soooo, Trust Mother Nature and papa Darwin. Don’t stuff you kids with sugar and fat. Natural paleo food,and they will never have weight problems in adulthood.
yup - I have a 12 year old lacrosse-playing, field hockey-playing, skiing dynamo and her go-to meal is mac 'n' cheese. Or pasta with butter. Or spaghetti, bucatini, lasagne...
You get the idea.
Anyway, we're starting to see that, as a 6th grader, her peers do a much better job of convincing her to eat the food that my wife and I eat and have been begging her to eat. Maybe a growing awareness of boys might have something to do with it - we'll see... :-)
The idea of that level of supervision and intrusion is terrifying. Stop advertising pharmaceuticals. Bring back the cafeteria lunch ladies in school. Add recess back into the school day. Tax the heck out of processed foods. Encourage small grocers to open in food deserts and protect them. Then see what happens.
Yes. I worked in pharma on science side. The biz side used to be pretty good folks 40-50 years ago. It's sociopaths now. They kill multiple amazing products to protect revenue.
Example. Did you know that with a one set treatment, a transplanted organ does not require anti-rejection drugs? That company was bought and buried. Some folks at Stanford are trying to revive the work.
Why? "Business reasons"
Over $50 billion a year market for immunosuppressive drugs.
I read Breath from Salt about drug development for cystic fibrosis. It's horrifying! No big profit margins mean some people die because no one develops drugs that might help and others get addicted to things like fentanyl, opioids, and off-label uses for drugs that they don't need.
In comparison? Nothing. Pennies. Chump change swag.
The TV campaigns cost tens of millions just for the cable portions, and there are entire other divisions supporting that. Watch any TV show now and you will see long, detailed commercials for pharmaceuticals that all seem vaguely familiar because they are subject to the same regulation.
It's a circular exchange of regulators, lawyers, and corporate people. The regulators fund the (medical) corporations through federal funding and requirements for insurance coverage, the corporations hire the lawyers, and the lawyers enforce the regulations. They spend a million dollars debating the right shade of color to meet the legal requirements, bill the patient and call that a service to the people.
They're propping up the dying cable companies with completely unjustifiable marketing budgets, using insurance and tax money to do it. And doctors hate it because there is zero reason for prescription drugs to be advertised to the patient. None. Doctors choose appropriate treatments, not tv commercials.
As a doctor, I can say that unfortunately, that aspect has changed for the worst in the past 15 years. Back in the "good old days" (1990s & earlier), yes docs got nice stuff. Ski trips, golfing, concerts, etc. Right now, most major hospitals/healthcare organizations don't allow any contact at all between docs & pharm reps. As in zero. Nothing. No lunches, no nothing. For most docs. There are a few of us in private practice. Material items are no longer allowed by law. Trips no longer allowed by law. By law what is allowed: lunch for your staff if it is educational (as in, we learn during lunch) and maximum of $20 per person so nothing extravagant. I accept lunches solely to reward my hard working staff.
I should also mention that nowadays, most docs find it hard to make ends meet. Due to Obamacare.
Trilllions & Trillions are lavished on:
1) Pharma companies
2) Health Insurance companies
3) Big Hospital Chain CEOs/Exec Board
These are the folks that have stolen ALL the money. Partly due to Obamacare screwing things up. Many clinics & doc offices are being forced to close, because all the money is stolen by these Large Corporations, their Wall St Exec Board & CEOs.
Doctor only making $40,000 forced to close office:
There are only two countries in the world that allow direct advertising of drugs to consumers: USA and New Zealand. There is a reason why others do not permit it. We should make it illegal too.
If Japanese kids could be taught to love broccoli, why are we incapable of teaching our children the healthy life style? Too busy teaching them about DEI and critical race theory? Another area we are falling behind.
Maybe we need to start addressing the root problem. The US food pyramid is a complete joke. You are being told protein is trash. Kids are fed only sugars and carbs and call it a “healthy lunch”? All the ozempic in the world is not fixing what is broken.
Perhaps the US food pyramid is meant to create more customers for Big Pharma, though sometimes they do it the other way: Invent the drug and find (invent) a condition it can be prescribed for.
The food manufacturers have an overwhelming influence on the makeup of the food pyramid, now the food groups. And many of the nutrition professorships are sponsored by Big Food, as well as the research they do and the conferences they go to. So it's no surprise that the government guidance does not guide us to healthy eating.
That is so true, Leon! and, it changes every so often. In the 80's, eggs were BAD for cholesterol. In the 90's, fat was the big evil, so Big Food took out fat and added more sugar. In the 2000's, sugar and carbs became Satan. Let's get real: MODERATION is probably the key, including moderation of sugar, red meat, heavy starches, SUGAR and the big one - ALCOHOL.
There is a nexus between Big Ag, the Food Bill, and diseases like obesity and diabetes. It is no surprise Big Pharma is making a killing selling diabetes drugs. Big Ag has taught farmers how to farm in a way that makes them reliant on Big Ag chemicals to maintain crop yields. Those chemicals then make us sick. That is great news for Big Pharma, of course.
How about we teach farmers how to farm without needing Big Ag chemicals? Then Big Ag will not be making us sick. And then we won't need Big Pharma's medicines.
It would great if you did a deep dive on this with the people who know the most about it: That would be Robert Kennedy Jr., by the way.
Yes! Better for animals (livestock and wild), soil and habitat, too, that we switch to integrated agriculture along the lines of Joel Salatin's Polyface Farm. Kennedy is wonderful on this; last year he hosted a roundtable of farmers employing these sustainable, earth- and animal-friendly approaches.
Everyone should watch The Biggest Little Farm on Netflix. It's about a couple who bought and reimagined a sustainable farm. If people ate like that, there would be no need for Ozempic and probably no cancer. This is why Bill Gates wants us to keep consuming industrialized garbage. No thank you
And the more you learn about how meat is processed in this country, the less likely you will be to eat it. Yuck. Sustainable farming and ranching is so much healthier.
The Biggest Little Farm is attractive on a first view. On second view, you realize that they got a lot of financial help and free labor. Also very labor intensive, if one of the couple had gotten sick or injured early on, it would have sank like a stone. They have never released their financial details. It is likely not really profitable and would not feed more than a modest few people with it's true surplus.
While it's not perfect, it provides an interesting perspective on regenerative farming. There are lots of regenerative farms around the U.S. and we need to support them.
Reminiscent of Henry David Thoreau, the "On Walden Pond" guy. Famous for being self-sufficient, it turns out his entire "back to nature" lifestyle was funded by money and favors from his more conventional, city-dwelling family and friends.
I listened to RFK Jr. at a fundraiser, and he laid it out quite simply. As President, he will ensure that the things suspected of causing chronic illness will be studied without industry having their thumb on the scale. And when a critical threshold of science is reached (as it was with Roundup and Monsanto), the common law of torts comes into play. Once real science is done and the cause and effect are clear, industry will have no choice but to remove these things from the market. Otherwise, they'll be sued into oblivion.
This is really what convinced me to support him. He has beaten these people before. He knows exactly how to do it as President and will not need a single thing from Congress since he will bring our common law traditions to the defense of the American people.
I'm an anti-Democrat rather than a Republican, and this post is a big argument pushing me towards JFK. I voted Gary Johnson in 2016 and I'm damn proud of it.
And I registered as an R in 1985 when I graduated high school. My parents were typical "Reagan Democrats." I remember their stories of JFK and RFK Sr. I was an R until March 6th of this year (the day after the CA primary). I voted for Mr. Trump three times, and make no apologies. Trump is like a crude, vulgar, boorish construction site supe from Queens. But the rest of the Wall Street crowd makes him look like an altar boy. A lot of us who voted for him wanted to stick a mirror in front of the ruling class and watch as they gagged for having to look at themselves for once.
The problem is that if Trump wins, he will be nothing more than a nuisance to these people for another four years. Biden will keep doing their bidding. So, come 2028, nothing will have changed between them. The ruling class has a visceral disgust for Trump because he is exactly like them but doesn't pretend otherwise. They have an existential fear of Bobby Kennedy Jr. because RFK doesn't just know where the bodies are buried... he knows how they buried them and what they died of! He knows how to end the ruling class's grip on power once and for all... And they know he knows how. We need to realize the opportunity right in front of us this year.
While I hate the idea of government controlling what I ingest, I do think government has a legitimate role to play in not letting industries lie to me about their products and their effects.
while I agree that changes need to happen to how we farm, I don't think that's the majority of the problem. The problem is what we eat, and how it's processed.
You have to cut out all the sugar and other high calorie sweeteners that we love so much. Along with the other things we do that make food so hard to stop eating.
Yes, but... If the crops are tainted by chemicals, you can be eating "healthy" and still be at risk. Farmers rely on chemicals to maximize yields. The reason they have to do that is because they are farming in the manner taught to them by Big Ag.
In my field of cybersecurity, I tell executives upfront that if I can get them to think about their data like a hacker or adversary, my services sell themselves.
Industry plays this game, but under the table and in the shadows. Get farmers to think a certain way about farming, and our chemicals fly off the shelves! Never mind that those chemicals taint the food supply and make us sick... But that's OK, now Big Parma gets to sell us medicines!
Believe me I'm a big time believer in regenerative agriculture. Reading Gabe Brown's book "Dirt to Soil" really made me a believer. And we try and put it into practice on our own small 20 acre homestead.
We practice no till, and try not to use anything synthetic. For fertilizer we use compost from our own cows, horse, donkey and chickens. And we try and use little to know sprays even organic if we can help it.
We also do companion planting to help boost soil health.
I think long term the world will have to turn to regenerative farming principles because conventional farming is losing too much top soil. In another generation we could have a repeat of the dust bowl but this time in the mid west.
20 acres! Damn, that's a lot of work. I don't know if this will help, but immediately after I started composting and using it in my garden, (I live in a city... tiny little plot comparatively), the rodents and other ground crawlers wiped me out. So I mixed peppermint oil and water and regularly spray the "border" of the garden and what I know to be their entry points. It works perfectly! We love the smell; they hate it. It wipes out the pheromone trail they leave, so they cannot follow that back to the food source.
Most of the 20 acres is pasture. But we do have fencing around the garden, and then additional fencing to keep out the rabbits. Usually not a problem for us till August or so and then they a real problem.
That and we got a German Sheperd that helps as well, lol
Take a look at the trainees at the beginning of WW II, shirtless in the films. Hardly a fat guy among them. Sure they ate some crap like Crisco, etc., but essentially a lot of unprocessed foods and definitely NOT an ocean of soft drinks. We need meat, fish, some dairy, fats and fruits and vegetables if you like them, but watch the high oxalates such as spinach. And grains are grass. Cows eat grass, we eat cows. Real milk, not nonsensical nut milk. But if you're an adult, do you really need milk? Or vegan processed garbage. Humans can't evolve quickly enough to eat the garbage our government pushes on us. (The "Food Pyramid" is pure junk science). And move. Exercise is the number one healthiest thing you can do. Finally and most important - remember, after Covid, that pharma companies are bordering on pure evil. Not sure when they took a wrong turn, but they did. You can't get happy, or fit, or well from a pill. That's just a Faustian bargain.
My son lost 30 lbs in USMC boot camp. He wasn't "fat" going in, just a bit soft. He said even the apparently fit guys lost 20. Hard work, no junk food.
WWII? Some of the Depression era kids actually gained weight.
"Some of the Depression era kids actually gained weight."
... that sounds plausible!
They might not have had very much "fat" to lose (well ... maybe some, but not others); but it does seem LOGICAL, that boot camp builds muscle -- ! -- while (in many cases) removing fat.
The farm/ranch kids found boot camp physically no big deal. They had grown up with that level of physical work, every day. My stepfather said that "ranching is a 365 day a year job. Except for leap year, when it is 366."
I basically agree, Bruce. And, "pharma companies are bordering on pure evil" I think they went from careless & greedy to evil & greedy a long time ago. In the US we once had radium water as a health drink. We put cocaine in children's medicine. Doctors used it to prep people for surgery. When we noticed it was addictive we substituted heroin which was supposed to be more effective and less addictive. Remember Thalidomide* - used to calm the nerves of pregnant women (now "pregnant people")? We had the Opiod crisis We had magic pills/injections to turn boys into girls and girls into boys (ongoing). All of this happened pre-Covid.
All drugs have side effects and sometimes the benefit outweighs the side effect.
But, there is no magic pill for anything. Pharma has been selling snake oil for a long time. I think a big step in the direction of pharma becoming more evil and powerful was when they were allowed to advertise direct to consumer - like on television. I think the US is one of only two countries that allow this. I've read that this gives the drug companies a great deal of power in advertising and that gives them some power over TV shows and news. You do not want to offend your advertisers ($$$$$)? It is likely one more thing fanning the myth of the "trans child". It is so lucrative! Do not violate The Narative^TM.
*"Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan and Thalomid among others, is an oral medication used to treat a number of cancers". This makes me think of so called "puberty blockers" which are really cancer drugs in search of a larger market. Just like synthetic sex hormones which were once widely given to menopausal women.
Everything is fine in moderation. But it's up to each person to moderate themselves and take personal responsibility for their own health.
But so many don't and look for an easy way out of it. A magic pill to "fix" obesity is just another part of the victimhood complex. Nobody wants to take responsibility for their own actions and looks to Big Pharma to fix their problems.
I had a 90% “widow maker” blockage and had a stent put in.
I decided to start eating healthy, and made spinach a centerpiece of my new, heart healthy diet.
Two years later, I had six kidney stones in one year, two large enough to require surgery.
The cardiologist who heartily approved of my new diet failed to warn me that spinach is more loaded with oxalates that cause kidney stones than any other food, and I would soon be enduring agony and threat to my kidneys. I now totally avoid it, and haven’t had a kidney stone since I stopped eating it.
There are 15 large scale, double blinded trials on the GLP-I agonists, such as Ozempic. They have their peer-reviewed results published in medical journals, so I think that it's a bit irresponsible to throw around comments about how we don't know about the risks because of a guy in France or whatever it is. Have a look at the publications and work of Dr. Judith Korner, MD, Ph.D. She is a Professor of Medicine, Dept. of Endocrinology at Columbia. The risks for patients with certain pre existing conditions are spelt out and most of the common ones relate to digestive issues. These drugs really seem to help diabetics in their original form, and those with high BMIs in their secondary labeling.
Sure, but long term effects have yet to be determined. The same is true for these transitioning kids who are put on cross hormones (which has medical approval as well). Only time will tell.
My endocrinologist (who most assuredly knows the risks) put me on Ozempic this winter.
I've had type 1 diabetes since I was 19, and thanks to the new software in my insulin pump, my A1c is below 7.0 for the first time EVER. But I had gained 10 lbs since I saw him last, and he said, "Yeah, that's the tradeoff between weight and A1c."
Since then I've lost 20 lbs--slow, but the kind of progress he likes to see. I am literally NOT HUNGRY for the first time since I was skinny kid.
I would rather deal with the risks than keep gaining weight (with the MANY bad results that involves).
I am glad to hear (or ... 'read') that things are working out better for you now.
Our daughter was diagnosed with TYPE II diabetes about a year ago. My wife decided to consult a nutritionist, who helps her [and us] 'mostly' over Zoom ... no driving to an "in person" appointment.
Our daughter recently switched to a different endocrine -ologist, which seems to be working out MUCH better for her. Now she is on (a "continuous glucose monitoring" [CGM] device called a) "Freestyle Libre 3", which means that:
[1] she does not have to puncture her finger to get a drop of blood, in order to find out how her "blood glucose" level is doing; and
[2] She can get immediate information about how the menu items (usually her own cooking) and the portion sizes are affecting her "blood sugar" levels.
By the way, those portion sizes [that she eats] ... *might* start becoming [somewhat] smaller, ... real soon now! ... "partly" thanks to Trulicity, which [iirc] is kinda _similar_to_ Ozempic. <--[is it maybe a competitor "brand"?]
... and
[3] She does not have to send data (e.g., via email or text message) to the nutritionist any more; now the CGM device does that! (... somehow ... over the internet.) We just saw that happen for the first time yesterday. It was remarkable ... and impressive!
Now, our daughter might have to pay some money -- once every 14 days, iirc -- towards that "CGM" device called "Freestyle Libre 3". It might turn out that "little or none of it" is covered by her insurance (UN-like her Metformin ... which is covered, with little or no co-pay.)
But that is OK. Our daughter has already been spending more money for her 'personal trainer' than I probably would 'for myself'; (although ... now that I think about it ... maybe if I had diabetes, then it might be different! ... hmm ...). If she does have to pay for the CGM device -- (to the extent of ... the part of it that is not covered by her insurance), then ... I think she can live with that.
Our daughter has MANY people participating in helping her cope with various challenges. Her PCP is definitely one of them. The new endocrinologist is probably another. But ... IMHO ... the over-the-internet via-Zoom *** nutritionist *** is also an important one.
They know the shame, which is why it is doubly forbidden in our narcissistic society to observe it. Ego above all. I am perfect in every way and don't you pop my delusion.
Whereas in Asia, they consider it an act of kindness to tell you, hey you have a serious health (and moral) problem and you should fix that.
Interesting article. We have cities that enable drug use and homelessness. Japan doesn't seem to be enabling either of those. That seems like a good place to start.
In the US the culture is to be sedentary (even driving to a gym) and humans are evolved to do a lot of walking. Bari mentioned that if you have a healthy culture you get a 102 year old woman who walks down the mountain by herself. But, I think it is the other way around. If everybody walks a lot every day there will be fewer overweight people regardless of diet. And, there will be more people who can move around as they age. I think you also feel less like eating junk food when you are active.
Of course, who wants to walk in a US city overrun with drugs and homelessness?
Shame is very big in Japan. But as someone who had a Japanese fiancé, believe me that it’s a double edged sword there—and I don’t mean hari-kari (on 2nd thought, I do!)
I watch a lot of Korean and Japanese influencers. Why? Because they are ambitious based on their abilities; they live well because they work hard and earn the good life and they seem to cook nutritious meals at home 75% of the time. Bottom line: being a healthy weight is not magic. You have to make the effort and yes, there are hormonal components that require a doctor's intervention. But let's face it. We are the country that coined the phrase, "All You Can Eat." We need to own up to what we preach.
I don't understand how anyone takes Johann Hari seriously. He's a fabulist and a plagiarist. He has interesting things to say, which I guess makes sense when you don't have to stick to the facts or your own material.
He had to return his Orwell Prize after it was discovered that he had plagiarized the article on which it was based. Separately, he fabricated quotes and facts for other articles, which led to his departure from The Independent. Then, he maliciously edited his critics' Wikipedia pages so that they were described as alcoholics, homophobes, and antisemites. Prominent researchers came out to dispute the central claims of his previous two books.
And just step back a moment. Does that Dalai Lama anecdote ring as true? He has many anecdotes like that, which sound too perfect and he repeats them ad infinitum on various podcasts. He's an engaging guest who tells people what they want to hear, the mark of of a successful con man.
Sad. You may be right—and it sound certain you are at least partly right—but hopefully the actual situation is more complex and at least mildly exonerating.
Nobody should be “shamed” for being obese or morbidly obese. But to pretend it isn’t a problem, or that it should be celebrated on its merit, is insane.
If you want to find a cause, start with Michael Moore’s Supersize Me. When you take in more calories than you expend, the result is as predictable as sun rising from east. Add in car culture and urban planning that disincentivizes walking, and you’re most of the way there.
The long term side effects of ozempic are a known unknown. But since your weight rebounds when you come off, most people are looking at taking it long term. So as a society, it’s a question we will be getting an answer to, sooner or later.
Why does the word greed never even get a mention in this conversation about obesity? The food industry gets a kicking and 'the culture' gets a telling off... but no mention of self discipline. Strange moral code here.... you could almost call it an obese one. And by the way "Fat Pride" hasn't totally "changed the conversation"....at least only in Cyberland. Most people have never even heard the phrase.
Unrelated, but I just learned that, years ago, right after that Larry Sinclair guy first came out with his claim that he had sex with Obama, Beau Biden indicted him.
I have been overweight/obese most of my life. Most recently, I hit a BMI over 50 (and over 300 lbs) about almost two years ago. I was seeing my endocrinologist - who because of my continued gain, my expressed frustration with my inability to lose weight (despite trying to eat better and exercise) and the fact that I was pre-diabetic, offered to write me a script for Ozempic. I said yes. After six months, i had lost about 10 lbs, and she upped my dose. By my next six month visit I realized two things - it wasn’t working for me and i absolutely needed to come off it. In that six month period I had gone through an entire family sized bottle of antacid, and lost only another 5 lbs). So we agreed to stop the med, let my system purge it, and readdress writing for a different one in six months time.
Three months after that, I had gained the little weight I had lost back. Unhappy with that, I decided to go back to the one thing that ever had me losing weight. I downloaded an app, and started keeping track of what I ate (following macros). I told the app I wanted to lose 60 lbs. It gave me a target calorie count, and targets for protein, carbs, and fat. Since starting that, I am down nearly 40 lbs (my weight loss was slowed a little by foot surgery that has required me to be much more sedentary than usual and kept me from the gym for a month). But I focused on what I was eating - and I realized I was eating tons of empty calories, not nearly enough protein and mindless snacking was killing me. Now, 7 months in, I’ve changed the foods I eat significantly, but in a way that I can still do things like enjoy a glass of wine, eat dessert, go to a restaurant, etc.
I’m an anesthesiologist by trade. Ozempic and the like have significantly changed the way I practice. My anesthesia groups are full of anecdotal stories of patients who had been NPO for 2+ days coming in for endoscopy with a stomach full of food. Now, we are asking patients to skip a dose prior to surgery (and we aren’t sure if that is helping) and even if they do, we still treat them differently than a standard patient because of their aspiration risk. This is something I rarely see discussed.
Given all that, I’m overall not a fan of the drug.
This is a great story. I must confess that I have not struggled with being overweight. I am tall (6' 5"), and I topped out at 225-230. That is not too high given my height, but it was certainly not muscle weight (I might be called "skinny-fat"). The first thing I did was stop all sodas - even the "diet" ones as well as all other sweetened drinks. 25 lbs. came off, honestly, with little effort. But this was a starting point for a more important change. I proceeded with the theory that our cravings come from gut bacteria. If the bacteria that thrive on empty calories have the upper hand, they send signals to our brain that we otherwise experience as cravings.
So I decided to go on an eight-week "snack binge" - only now I was binging on things like slightly salted cabbage lightly drizzled with sesame oil. I discovered that I liked it when working in Japan as it is a common side dish. After eight weeks of snacking on cabbage, I discovered that even the sound of my wife chopping cabbage made me salivate. I recently did something similar with broccoli and now crave it.
Our gut bacteria is a battle. When we decide to avoid empty calories—especially when snacking—the good bacteria get the upper hand over the bad, and the taste signals sent from our gut change how we experience food.
I leveled out at 200-205 lbs. and haven't really had any problems maintaining it.
I have a secret weight loss program that really works. When I retired and moved back to the States, I ballooned to 200 lbs. and was diagnosed with diabetes. Because I knew there was a relationship between weight and diabetes and because I hate taking meds. I put myself on my secret weight loss plane and loss 35 lbs. in three months.
Because we are all friends here I will, for the first time, share my plan with you. A fool prove way to lose weight is, wait for it, keep your mouth shut. It worked for me and I am thinking about patenting it.
I heard of a very effective diet, where you strip naked, sit on a chair in front of a full-length mirror, and watch yourself eat a big plate of spaghetti.
That's pretty frightening.
I know you, LPC, and trust me, there are a LOT of liberals who would like to see you double down on that "diet"... :-D hahahahaha!!!
What an evil, satanic laugh.
Not this 'liberal'. Keep those comments coming, Polecat.
For an evil satanic person
I'm told Tim ritually kills chickens and then southern fries them and eats them.
How diabolic is that?
simple but not easy. For me to lose weight I simply have to be hungry most of the time. And stay away from all the foods that I really love.
It all boils down to will power. I am wired to be a diet fanatic. It was easy for me. Not everybody can do it.
There’s also an exercise that is effective. Put both hands on the edge of the table and push.
That works too.
I'm on the same plan with a slightly different name. Mine's called the KYPHS plan, Key Yer Pie-Hole Shut.
When I lost my weight, I was hungry all the time and I ate nothing after dinner. I got used to being hungry.
Yep....that's exactly where I'm at. I've lost 25 lbs in 12 weeks. No alcohol, bread or sweets and no eating after dinner. I have not increased my exercise but do walk 20-25 miles per week at 61 years old.
Im big on fermenting things and a huge believer that Americans need to eat more lactofermemted vegetables. I make two different kinds of yogurt weekly, and always have my own kimchi or sauerkraut at hand.
One of the yogurt cultures, l. reuteri, they claim stimulates oxytocin.
I also make sourdough bread, regular pickles, beet kvass, and sometimes natural soda made with a ginger bug.
Its like keeping a garden of invisible little friends.
Pickled jalapenos from my garden ROCK on just about everything!
Americans need to eat more vegetables, full stop.
I’ve been doing the gradual change thing. And it’s working so far. I was literally post surgery in a cast and only sitting on my couch for two weeks. And I still managed to not gain weight. I won’t condemn anyone for trying one of these meds. But it definitely wasn’t for me. And it’s not the benign drug they make it out to be.
no drug is the benign drug "they" make it out to be!
Is the cabbage and broccoli you snack on raw with the sesame oil? Would love to eat more cabbage if I knew how to prepare it
I have a cabbage recipe that you will LOVE. We host a lot and it has become one of my go-to sides because its delicious and more importantly super easy. Even my 16 month old and 5 year old can't stop eating it.
Preheat oven to 425. Dice either a red or green cabbage, larger than slaw pieces, but still relatively small. Spread out on roasting pan, smother in olive oil, generous amount of salt ( I am partial to diamond kosher salt, in the red box), copious amounts of freshly ground black pepper and roast for 20-25 minutes. The length of time will depend on how small you dice the cabbage. Start checking at 20 minutes. You are aiming for very slightly charred edges, you want that caramelization to have started to occur but you don't want the cabbage to burn.
God made vegetables to give us an excuse to dip them in olive oil! Man, how I love olive oil!
I prefer olive oil to butter on pop corn.
Per a recent study 1/2 tsp of olive oil daily is associated with a 28% reduction in dementia related death. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240508/Olive-oil-e28093-7-grams-per-day-may-keep-the-dementia-away!.aspx#:~:text=Their%20cohort%20comprising%2092%2C383%20American,devoid%20of%20olive%20oil%20consumption.
I'll wait until that result is replicated... but I sure hope it can be.
Well, semaglutides essentially give people gastroparesis (temporarily, we hope). Sigh. Let me get this straight: we’re looking to Big Pharma to solve our problems…again. We have learned nothing.
About a year and a half ago, I was in hospital for a digestive disorder, with an IV in my arm and an NG tube from my nose into my stomach. It was five days of horrible. For whatever reason, or totally by chance, Bari was interviewing a founder of Levels (a CGM company) on Honestly as I lay there suffering mightily.
Casey Means spoke about the relationship between the gut microbiome, the brain, and food preferences. She talked about how, when you eat more fresh unprocessed foods (like broccoli), they actually begin to taste truly delicious to you. When I eventually got home, and ate only very carefully curated fresh foods, I discovered that she was right. The problem in our culture is that fresh unprocessed foods are a lot harder to come by, and require a lot more work, than so-called “convenience” foods. Eating well in our era requires an actual commitment of time, effort, and sacrifice. And all the while, temptation is buzzing around us like a swarm of bees…
I should also note that American food, unless you are lucky (and rich) enough to shop at local organic farms, tends to be a lower quality than what you find in Europe or Japan. Factory farming is designed for economies of scale rather than for quality, and often uses far more pesticides/herbicides/antibiotics/hormones than other countries do.
Keep fighting, Nicole. You’re on the right track.
I'm a health coach and this is one of those uncomfortable realities I have to tell my clients. To eat clean takes a significant amount of time and money. I know this is worth it is as being sick takes monumentally MORE time and money (and you will also be miserable) but it's something that has to be honestly addressed.
I'm an ancestral health coach, so I also push for the elimination or near elimination of seed oils. That alone creates all sorts of problems. This means things like mayonaise, salad dressing, bread, and nearly all packaged foods (even the "healthy" versions) need to be eliminated. Right now I need to get to the kitchen and make mayo, ranch dressing, and meat marindade. All items most people just buy. If I do buy products without seed oils to save time they are usually 3x the price. Look at the cost difference between Primal Brand Avocado Oil Mayo and Hellmens loaded with soybean oil. I do a lot of dishes often due to the amount of cooking I do since eating out is almost always unhealthy. We go to the store for fresh items 3X per week since when you avoid shelf stable packaged goods you need to shop often. Meal planning is essential.
Eliminating processed carbs, sugars and seed oils and replacing them with fresh meats, fish, eggs, seasonal fruits and vegetables is expensive, yet most of my clients are spending much more a month on prescriptions and medical interventions that only treat symptoms and not causes. Still, it's not easy and I feel the pain of spending so much time in the kitchen and at the farmers markets and grocery stores that offer local and organic.
It requires a significant mindset shift. This is the biggest barrier for my clients. (Not money actually since if you can afford a health coach you can afford the groceries.) Although for lower income people the same applies it's just a little more difficult. Many lower income people say they can't afford healthy eating, yet they buy chips and soda on the regular and pay hundreds per month for Metformin and statins. As much as I would love for the government to better regulate our food supply and subsidize healthy whole foods rather than GMO corn and soy it's still the mindset that is the biggest barrier in my opinion. The government won't change as long as people allow the status quo to continue.
Yes more expensive to eat clean & I'm a doctor so I talk to patients about nutrition a lot too. I do notice when I go grocery shopping, my cart is full of meat, eggs, milk, fruits & veggies; most people's are full of processed garbage but a lot of that stuff is pricey too.
My recommendations for cheap, natural, whole unprocessed foods for patients: Carrots, Bananas, Beans, Onions, Potatoes, frozen vegetables, Dark Meat Chicken like Drumsticks & thighs which are cheaper & healthier, canned tuna, eggs. These are all relatively inexpensive. I love fruit so much but its pricey.
I just hate, hate, hate beans! Always is a stumbling block to my eating vegan.
I haven't eaten mayo in... forever. It saves time to just forgo those items.
Agree. I tried to switch to avocado mayo but it is just awful. So no mayo for me. I don't miss it since I'm not eating sandwiches! And since my daughter had to give up dairy, no more ranch either. Honestly, once you start eating food without all of the sauce, etc it just tastes better.
I love mayo but don't like the avocado type either. I make mine with macadamia nut oil mixed with a little MCT oil. Add in some white pepper and paprika to the usual egg yolks, garlic powder, mustard and lemon juice and it's pretty close to Duke's.
I was curious about . . . what (the heck) "MCT oil" was.
So I looked it up ... (using a search engine).
One of the first hits on the "S.R.P." ('search results page'), was: THIS one:
7 Science-Based Benefits of MCT Oil
(at this internet address) : https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mct-oil-benefits
:-) !
= = =
[QUOTE #1] -- :
MCT oil can be used as a quick energy source and may support weight loss. It may also fight bacterial growth and aid in managing certain neurological conditions.
= = =
and ... not far below that,
it DID have an explanation of ... what "MCT oil" is!
... it said -- [QUOTE #2] -- :
[...] medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil contains medium-length chains of fats called triglycerides. Due to their shorter length, MCTs are digested faster than longer-chain fatty acids found in many other foods.
That's it!
Bari did a podcast with Casey Means recently. It was eye opening. If you think Big Pharma is here to help you, think again. Casey and her brother, Calley, have been very vocal about eating clean unprocessed foods. Look them up.
One of the comments (from Oct 7, 2024 iirc) contained a sentence that mentioned "a founder of Levels (a CGM company)"; the sentence said: [QUOTE] :
> For whatever reason, or totally by chance, Bari was interviewing a founder of Levels (a CGM company) on Honestly as I lay there suffering mightily.
... and it was followed by a sentence that started by mentioning Casey Means. *That* sentence said [QUOTE] :
> Casey Means spoke about the relationship between the gut microbiome, the brain, and food preferences.
So ... (please forgive me if the answer to this "should" already be obvious, to me) ... is that perhaps a 'hint', that the person -- a founder of Levels (a CGM company) -- whom Bari was interviewing on Honestly, at the time ... was actually Casey Means?
=
(asking for a friend ... ) ^H ^H ^H ^H
Never mind! I looked up "Casey Means, MD".
One of the 'hits', was :
Casey Means, MD, Author at Levels
https://www.levelshealth.com/blog/author/caseymeans
... which says (in part), :
Casey Means, MD is a Stanford-trained physician, Chief Medical Officer and Co-founder of metabolic health company Levels, and Associate Editor of the International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention. Her mission is to maximize human potential and reverse the epidemic of preventable chronic disease by empowering individuals with tech-enabled tools that can inform smart, personalized, and sustainable dietary and lifestyle choices. Dr. Means’s perspective has been recently featured in the New York Times, Men's Health, Forbes, Business Insider, Techcrunch, Entrepreneur Magazine, The Hill, Metabolism, Endocrine Today, and more. She has held research positions at the NIH, Stanford School of Medicine, and NYU.
"Factory farming is designed for economies of scale rather than for quality, and often uses far more pesticides/herbicides/antibiotics/hormones than other countries do."
True story. And I do my best to try to buy organic. But in America, commercial farming is based on what has good "shelf life" & what looks good visually, so it will transport & sell, but not what tastes good.
I'm an apple connoisseur & my favorite is Jonathan. It is beyond amazing. No longer commerically produced b/c of bad shelf life or whatever. Now they make JonaGold which isn't as good as pure Jonathan. My second favorite is McIntosh. But has to be Pure McIntosh, which is hard to find. Pure McIntosh bruises easily b/c its super soft. Which is delicious! I personally love them when they are bruised, they taste better. But they often sell "AceyMac" or Empire or Cortland, which is Mac X Red Delicious, & it tastes SO BLAND compared to a delicious Real MCIntosh. The real ones are short & soft.
As an aside, I grew up in a city not far from apple country, and absolutely loved the early Macintosh apples at the farmers market in September — firm, juicy, and the perfect balance between sweet and tart. Thanks for the brief walk down memory lane…
MacIntosh apples (especially those from CT) are the only apples worth eating. The others are too sweet or tasteless
Good for you for losing weight the right way. I, myself, lost 40 pounds in 2020 counting macros. It works! I had to listen to a man at CVS today complaining that he hasn't been able to get his Mounjaro for a while. The pharmacist apologized and said there were lots of people affected, not just him. As he was leaving he said well it will be your fault if I'm back at 400 pounds. I just shook my head. How about you learn how to eat properly and take responsibility for yourself. There is no magic pill. It's all about diet and exercise, mostly diet because you can't outrun a bad diet. Why would someone inject themself with something that has unknown side effects? Oh wait...
Agree! About 11 years ago I did South beach diet plan to get off the bad carbs and sugar. I am 62 and would love to be about 5-8 pounds thinner but bottom line I try and eat well and exercise. I also try my best not to take any meds I will control my cholesterol and sugar levels with diet. I worked in pharma and unless it’s absolutely necessary pharmaceuticals should be avoided at all cost. There are always side effects which may even require more drugs with even more side effects and well you know the rest.
I agree - avoid taking any drugs and supplements if possible. They are not natural and you end up being a guinea pig
Honestly, if the range that bothers you is only 5-8 lbs, isn't that just a cosmetic problem? It is enormously freeing to be satisfied with a healthy weight and not constantly chasing the elusive perfect figure. Of course, you're just a kid still. I'm 72!
The CVS guy's comment makes me think of all the people who can't get their diabetes drugs (who need them FOR diabetes!) because everyone else is using them to diet. :(
That's exactly what I was thinking. At first, I thought he might be diabetic and I felt sorry for him not being able to get his meds. But sadly that was not the case.
Counting macros? wazzat?
No - really - I'm not following what you're saying. Help! :-)
You look at not just calories but the amount of protein, carbohydrates, fat, sugars, fiber etc. there are apps out there that help with that. I personally am using My Net Diary.
For myself, I did the eyeball version of this: I made it a point to fill my plate with protein and vegetables, with some carbs. It worked pretty well until I got into running and realized I was now underfueling. Your way of tracking is more precise.
Macros is short for macronutrients, and “tracking macros” is putting meals and snacks together to keep carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in a beneficial ratio, depending on your goals (gaining muscle, losing fat, etc). Often people realize their diet is high in simple carbs and unhealthy fats, and making an adjustment to eat more complex carbs, high-quality fats, and sufficient protein can improve satiety and change body composition.
What are “macros”?
The macro nutrients that form caloric intake: fat, protein, carbohydrate.
As a Pharmacist as well, this drug has more side effects that are more dangerous than the weight loss that occurs: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/the-hidden-struggle-in-health-care
Your link is very generic Franklin. Anecdotally, I know people it helped amazingly, and othwrs who did not do well. Some get a weird sort of depressed-ish that's not depression but it's not good.
Anhedonia. The inability to experience pleasure--not quite depression, but its first cousin.
What I tell people that gain easily is that for them, their natural athletic strength is... strength training. One of the nice things about strength is that strength training can be very simple and efficient use of time. I've gotten people started on a dead simple set of two exercises 2X per week. (Add others, but always do the foundation and don't sweat it if you don't want or have time to do more. A problem can be exercise taking too much time.)
I am not a fan of 1 rep max. If you can't complete 5 good reps, don't move up. It helps avoid injury.
Barbell exercises
1. Deadlift. (With excellent form. No cat-back.) 3 sets, 15-5 reps.
2. Floor press. 3 sets, 8-5. This is like bench press but lying on the floor. If you can't fit your head & chest under the bar, then use a rack with stops set an inch or 3 above chest level. This protects the shoulders from over rotation with too much weight. A general rule -- push one, pull two. The back can take more, and its the foundation for chest strength.
3. Cleans. 3 sets 15-5. https://evofitness.ch/tutorial-barbell-clean/
The other days walk for half an hour or 5000 steps in good shoes.
You can get a good Olympic barbell set with bumper plates for your living room from Rogue. (Or AliBaba.) GET A PROPER OLYMPIC SET. The people that got the Olympic colors plates seemed to like it better. YMMV
Don't get caught up in having to do a huge bodybuilding routine. If you like that, fine. But for later when you've got the foundation. Chill. Strength training is years. Don't sweat a bad day, a bad week, or even month. Just keep at it.
I work out with a personal trainer at least 1 x a week. Plus I’ve been outfitting a home gym. I aim for strength training 2x a week, plus cardio when I can fit it in.
That's great 👍
You go Nicole!
It can be fun later on if you really get strong. The limit on strength isn't in the gym, it's at the table. Can you eat enough and still like your life?
That’s where a big natural appetite comes into its own.
Yes. Strength training is key. So important for your metabolism. And takes a lot less time than cardio (which is basically a waste of time lol)
Thank you and congratulations on your success. I am an RN 51 years and still practicing. I am maybe 10 pounds overweight. However I can tell you I learned as a teenager that I could NOT eat whatever I wanted without gaining weight. I have to watch my nutrition and I MUST exercise. I see so many doctors and nurses who are overweight and very inactive. For example, they are young but won't climb one flight of stairs. I am 71, follow my macros daily, exercise moderately heavy at least 4 days per week and climb 3 flights of stairs when I go to work. (I still work per diem 2-3 days per week). The poor nutrition and lack of exercise in this country is horrendous. Yes some of it is genetic but so much is within our control. I, for example, have a GI autoimmune disorder that requires me to cook my own food and religiously read food labels. I applaud your efforts not only in your struggle but in enlightening people to the dangers of these drugs, I have even witnessed people who have had BARIATRIC SURGERY gain lots of weight back after all that surgery because of their poor nutrition program and sedentary lifestyle. So many illnesses could be prevented or greatly reduced however our "healthcare" system is not about health and prevention but rather prescribing drugs amongst other things.
20 years ago there was Burt’s. Once a week shot that helped control diabetes. The FAA wouldn’t let me take it because they hadn’t check it out even though the FDA had approved it. I retire get the drug and it helps. The drugs used in Byetta were pretty much the same type used by Ozempic today. My diabetes dr. Put me on Mounjaro. Different formula from Ozempic and used two different drugs. I lost 50 lbs in four months, got to my target lowered the dose to just maintain that and it it great. Where there side yes. The worse was leaning how much to eat because f you ate too much you would have a terrible night. However, I no longer take insulin. My heart drug has cut in half. My BP is way down. A mass I have in the middle that they can’t get to biopsy was pushing on a vein and is not touching it or influence. Because with that wait loss there was a lot more room in the middle. I can tie my shoes without getting winded. Just a few minutes of the extra benefits from losing 50 lbs. As a diabetic I was going to be on something the rest of my life. I’ll take Mounjaro over insulin and heart medication any day. There are two or three sides to every story. It’s time for the author to see what the answers are besides Ozempic. As they say, the answers are out there.
Won't the massive slow down of food digestion be carcinogenic?
That's a good question, and as yet unaddressed.
I'm at the stage where I have faced that I'm going to get sick if I don't change, ie diabetes. It took me a long time to face it, but now I'm monitoring and I've quit eating sweets at all. I get my A1C test again soon and I hope I'm not going to find I've got type 2. But now I see I'm clinging to other munchy habits. I eat sunflower seeds all the time. But I used to wish for a medicine like Ozempic to change me. I can change myself.
That’s where I was. Which is why i finally decided to try the Ozempic. It didn’t work out for me, so I went back to what I was doing the last time i had significant weight loss. It seems to be working better this time. I, too, had munchy habits. That’s why I started tracking what I ate. It forced me to see what I was doing, and that more than anything else helped me get my eating under control.
for munching, I like baby carrots & tasty leafy greens like arugala
Also the colorful baby sweet peppers. If you eliminate refined sugar for about 10 days, you'll find tomatoes, sweet peppers, etc., taste like candy. (Unfortunately, by eliminating sugar, I discovered good whiskey also tastes like candy, but that's a story for another day.)
Lol on the whiskey :)
yes its so true! the baby sweet peppers and little tomatoes are so tasty and they are sweet
Can you tell me the name of the app you used?
I use an app called LoseIt. It comes with regular emails, recipes, etc.
“Lose It” is the app. Very stable platform. I’ve been using for seven years. I’ve lost 30 pounds in seven years. Slow and steady with three more pounds to go.
Three of my friends use it as well. Tracking works!
Thanks😁
I use and app called Carb Manager
I use My Net Diary. It’s free but has a paid option
You are the exception. Don't denigrate all the people who did lose FAT with the help of the drug.
Thank you for that. I am a few days late to the party, but I felt so judged by the comments by people who did it the "right" way. Good for you! (the right way people). I did not struggle with my weight when I was young. I was skinny. I was active etc.... However stress eating and alcohol did a number. I just started the semaglutide and have lost almost 40 lbs in 5 months. I stopped smoking(made it taste awful and I got zero pleasure from a nice deep drag) and even thinking about alcohol makes me nauseous. So my point is, if it works for you then do it. If you need the additional help then take advantage of it. I needed it and got benefits I never even dreamed of.
This is frightening. In that we are finding out the gut microbiome can be considered the air traffic control tower of our bodies, to mess with it will have unintended consequences. And what about leaving all those toxins in the body for an amplified amount of time? What then?
bravo on finding a healthy way to get healthier!
What app did you use?
My Net Diary
Thank you for your comment.
Inspiring.
“Why are we putting millions of people on a powerful new drug when we don’t know the risks?”
—————————————————-
I take my Ozempic to protect other people. But, sadly, if the MAGA extremists don’t take their Ozempic, mine doesn’t work.
Makes sense to me because I Believe Science.
does your last name begin with an F
I know what you're implying and this may be the most offensive insult I've ever had.
;)
“Attacks on me, quite frankly, are attacks on science,”
I Wonder why that makes me just want to attack even more? Go figure.
I better take some more drugs to get over myself!
well at least you did not say you ARE the science
Astrazeneca just pulled their vaccine off the market due to side effects. Ozempic has a lot of side effects that, unfortunately, won't get pulled off due to the amazing marketing by pharma. There are a plethora of side effects, even mental conditions, known with the drug: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/the-hidden-struggle-in-health-care
As the interview noted there are risks with Ozempic. But there are a LOT of risks with being obese as well.
If you can't lose weight on your own you to decide what works for you.
What works best for me is to incorporate intermittent fasting. Once you realize that hunger pangs and cravings will pass if ignored for about 15 minutes, it's like a superpower.
I've done intermittent fasting for years along with low carb. It's definitely helpful, but still hard.
For me 1 cookie is too many but a dozen is not enough
I soooooooo identify with that. One carby snack, and I'm back in the snack zone for the rest of the day at least. I also am afflicted with the "mightaswellfinish" syndrome: "There's only a couple of X left, I might as well finish them all." And, of course, don't forget our old favorite: The Last Supper (before cleaning up my diet "for good this time").
Potato chips, why stop at one when the whole bag is right there?
Very droll, I wonder how many will get it.
Clearly, not too many...
BRILLIANT!!
bravo
Who is we??
The Palestine protestors should take Ozempic so they can do at least one non-fake hunger strike before going on to graduate Summa Cum Laden.
(it’s a Bin Laden joke and you’re a bad person if you laugh)
((but please click the ‘like’ button because my ego is fragile))
I'm still laughing.
But then you knew I would.
I thought your pun sucked but because you are my friend, I gave you a thumbs up just to make you feel better.
That's what friends are for
Sucka Cum Laden?
EEEEeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!
(butt I'm laughing)
I get a thumbs up if you think that last line was a typo instead of a sicko typing....
Does my like make you feel better?
🤗🤗
Its a good joke :-)
LMAO
I like the 'Cum' part..
I am a bad bad person. Oh so very very bad because I snickered. I really really did.
Love the pun, but fragile egos shouldn’t be fed so I’m not clicking like for you this time (I usually do cus you’re funny).
😡😡😡
🤣🤣🤣
1. Fat acceptance is gaslighting on a national scale. Unlike peak trans, it seems to stop at our borders. We must reimplement fat shaming as a cultural norm.
2. Fat shaming actually works. Worked on me. Works on the Japanese. It prevents death. Death is worse than hurt feelings.
3. Diet and exercise works. It simply takes hard work and discipline, something in very short supply in the US these days.
4. Anyone remember Fen-phen? Killed a lot of people on time delay. Ozempic will be no different. There are no free rides with fat loss.
Shaming people for things that are bad for the person and also bad for society is appropriate. It's why we evolved feelings of shame. Shame means you should change, and if you're feeling it, it's your own conscience speaking to you. Let's normalize listening to it!
Shame and Guilt! So under-rated! We must bring them back!
We did. All the Covidiots shamed the rest of us regularly!
I explained to colleagues last week how the Chinese would not tolerate a bad coworker, they would hold a struggle session and shame the person into change.
Imagine if we had public humiliation ceremonies for overweight people. This is kind of normal in parts of Asia. Especially communist collectives.
I mean, it would probably fix the problem right? I'm starting to think they're right about Americans being too individualistic. They should use the word "narcissistic" instead.
That's ripping a page from the DEI handbook - "HEY! You don't think like we do! SHAME!"
The left have been using Shame and Guilt for a long time. Cancel culture ie based around it. Like so many issues, what you consider bad for a person and society can be different than someone else's definition.
Precisely. When leftist employ shame and guilt, they are judging you with the full expectation that they have the right to do so and that their morals are superior.
This is one reason we regard Wokeism as a religion. Conservatives and moderates should start making it clear to leftists that their judgements are unwelcome, and we no longer acknowledge their moral authority on topics of race and sex.
Shame is key to keeping society together and holding everyone in check.
The problem with "fat shaming" is that it rapidly just turns into cover for bullying. I've seen people be really, really mean to others just for the fun of it, but when confronted they bleat "I'm just being honest! It's for her own good." No it's not! It's just fun to be a bully and get away with it.
Fat acceptance and fat pride are destructive, but giving people a free pass for just being jerks is not the answer.
I doubt that Ozempic will kill like Fen-phen. The latter drug fits the 5-HT2-C receptor. With FenPhen we found out that long-term, that receptor is overloaded in heart valve tissue. (Meaning multiple functions.)
GLP-1 might, but no indications yet.
I served in the military, I have a CPA and MBA. But losing weight is WAY harder than any of those. It's something I struggle with EVERY day.
I've done it in the past but only by putting myself on a very restrictive diet (low carb, high protein, intermittent fasting).
Is it possible for individuals of course. But society wide it's quite apparent that without MASSIVE society wide changes it won't happen.
I suggest putting a high tax on sugar and other high calorie sweeteners (corn syrup, honey etc) and then using that to offset people that stay thin and fit.
It will be quite interesting to observe what happens with future, unforeseen side effects from Ozempic considering that like 80% of Hollywood celebrities are on it.
We will be seeing a LOT of interesting Celebrity news about celebrities dying & otherwise suffering very bad medically due to Ozempic.
I think that millions of Americans should do a reverse border crossing and head down to Honduras, El Salvador, China, Monaco, etc., etc. - millions of illegals on TV all the time and not too many fatsoes on those Fox News videos from the Rio Grande!
Mexicans are among the few nations on the planet that have become even fatter than us Americans. Furthermore, shame does not really work for most fatties.,The best data indicate that morbid obesity is really a matter of Pavlovian childhood conditioning. Even dogs and rats will get fat and stay fat, if mom feeds them exclusively on a manufactured american type diet as youngsters. So the long term cure is up to the moms. I know it’s a lot of work, but food loving given by your mother’s hand works a Pavlovian magic on the central nervous system. The childs nervous system feels some special intense pleasure and satisfaction, just as when breast feeding. . Soooo, Trust Mother Nature and papa Darwin. Don’t stuff you kids with sugar and fat. Natural paleo food,and they will never have weight problems in adulthood.
yup - I have a 12 year old lacrosse-playing, field hockey-playing, skiing dynamo and her go-to meal is mac 'n' cheese. Or pasta with butter. Or spaghetti, bucatini, lasagne...
You get the idea.
Anyway, we're starting to see that, as a 6th grader, her peers do a much better job of convincing her to eat the food that my wife and I eat and have been begging her to eat. Maybe a growing awareness of boys might have something to do with it - we'll see... :-)
The article suggests that once a kid, or a rat at least, is hooked on this poor diet, it will not eat healthy food until it is almost starving.
The idea of that level of supervision and intrusion is terrifying. Stop advertising pharmaceuticals. Bring back the cafeteria lunch ladies in school. Add recess back into the school day. Tax the heck out of processed foods. Encourage small grocers to open in food deserts and protect them. Then see what happens.
I'm convinced that the vast majority of pharmaceutical drugs can be replaced by lifestyle and diet changes.
I also believe Big Pharma would suicide some people to prevent that information from damaging their enormous pile of dragon gold.
Yes. I worked in pharma on science side. The biz side used to be pretty good folks 40-50 years ago. It's sociopaths now. They kill multiple amazing products to protect revenue.
Example. Did you know that with a one set treatment, a transplanted organ does not require anti-rejection drugs? That company was bought and buried. Some folks at Stanford are trying to revive the work.
Why? "Business reasons"
Over $50 billion a year market for immunosuppressive drugs.
https://www.statista.com/outlook/hmo/pharmaceuticals/immunosuppressants/worldwide
"Sociopath" is the appropriate word and it's why so many of them love DEI. They fake all their morals anyway.
I read Breath from Salt about drug development for cystic fibrosis. It's horrifying! No big profit margins mean some people die because no one develops drugs that might help and others get addicted to things like fentanyl, opioids, and off-label uses for drugs that they don't need.
Yikes this is horrible. Killing good treatments to make more money for Wall St
"Example. Did you know that with a one set treatment, a transplanted organ does not require anti-rejection drugs? "
Wow. What is that?
Relevant context - I spent the last two years in web marketing for pharmaceuticals. I'm speaking from experience on the inside.
People have no idea how much of their healthcare insurance ends up going to marketing campaigns for drug companies.
Oh I have an idea.
And how much goes to providing doctors offices with mugs, Starbucks and luncheon deliveries and other goodies...?
In comparison? Nothing. Pennies. Chump change swag.
The TV campaigns cost tens of millions just for the cable portions, and there are entire other divisions supporting that. Watch any TV show now and you will see long, detailed commercials for pharmaceuticals that all seem vaguely familiar because they are subject to the same regulation.
It's a circular exchange of regulators, lawyers, and corporate people. The regulators fund the (medical) corporations through federal funding and requirements for insurance coverage, the corporations hire the lawyers, and the lawyers enforce the regulations. They spend a million dollars debating the right shade of color to meet the legal requirements, bill the patient and call that a service to the people.
They're propping up the dying cable companies with completely unjustifiable marketing budgets, using insurance and tax money to do it. And doctors hate it because there is zero reason for prescription drugs to be advertised to the patient. None. Doctors choose appropriate treatments, not tv commercials.
Thank you for not lumping doctors into this.
As a doctor, I can say that unfortunately, that aspect has changed for the worst in the past 15 years. Back in the "good old days" (1990s & earlier), yes docs got nice stuff. Ski trips, golfing, concerts, etc. Right now, most major hospitals/healthcare organizations don't allow any contact at all between docs & pharm reps. As in zero. Nothing. No lunches, no nothing. For most docs. There are a few of us in private practice. Material items are no longer allowed by law. Trips no longer allowed by law. By law what is allowed: lunch for your staff if it is educational (as in, we learn during lunch) and maximum of $20 per person so nothing extravagant. I accept lunches solely to reward my hard working staff.
I should also mention that nowadays, most docs find it hard to make ends meet. Due to Obamacare.
Trilllions & Trillions are lavished on:
1) Pharma companies
2) Health Insurance companies
3) Big Hospital Chain CEOs/Exec Board
These are the folks that have stolen ALL the money. Partly due to Obamacare screwing things up. Many clinics & doc offices are being forced to close, because all the money is stolen by these Large Corporations, their Wall St Exec Board & CEOs.
Doctor only making $40,000 forced to close office:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGjmESD2jJg
"I'm convinced that the vast majority of pharmaceutical drugs can be replaced by lifestyle and diet change"
For sure. But the vast majority of people won't make those changes unless forced to.
And that's why I'm against most socialized medicine.
I understand Boeing Corporation has a whole team ready to go if Pharma wants to talk.
There are only two countries in the world that allow direct advertising of drugs to consumers: USA and New Zealand. There is a reason why others do not permit it. We should make it illegal too.
If Japanese kids could be taught to love broccoli, why are we incapable of teaching our children the healthy life style? Too busy teaching them about DEI and critical race theory? Another area we are falling behind.
You forgot Gender theory
Food deserts AKA as crime havens.
It's a shame, but yes. No business stays open when crime is allowed to happen.
Yeah. If you want small grocers in an area, you have to protect them from thieves. San Francisco is losing its stores.
That's why they need protection. People have to eat.
Agreed. The Dash Diet is a diet that has shown to be just as effective as Ozempic. It's biggest benefit are two fold: No side effects and Significantly less expensive: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/the-hidden-struggle-in-health-care
what is unorthodoxy? same vibe as TFP?
I think it is Franklin’s personal Substack. Note that he has it right next to his user name.
I'm afraid there is simply too much money to be made in pharmaceuticals and processed foods to ever go back.
I know. :(
Yes. It seems like most if the proposed solutions are state control. Not keen on that.
🙌🏻
You can't force small shop owners from retiring. Or is slavery making a return?
Maybe we need to start addressing the root problem. The US food pyramid is a complete joke. You are being told protein is trash. Kids are fed only sugars and carbs and call it a “healthy lunch”? All the ozempic in the world is not fixing what is broken.
High fructose corn syrup is another problem.
I believe The Problem.
Perhaps the US food pyramid is meant to create more customers for Big Pharma, though sometimes they do it the other way: Invent the drug and find (invent) a condition it can be prescribed for.
But does anyone follow its guidance anyway?
Yes. Schools. They follow the official guidance which is the trash pyramid food.
My wife thinks the four major food groups are dine in, carry out, frozen and canned
The food pyramid is no longer used. Now there is the concept of what food groups should fill one's plate.
The food manufacturers have an overwhelming influence on the makeup of the food pyramid, now the food groups. And many of the nutrition professorships are sponsored by Big Food, as well as the research they do and the conferences they go to. So it's no surprise that the government guidance does not guide us to healthy eating.
That is so true, Leon! and, it changes every so often. In the 80's, eggs were BAD for cholesterol. In the 90's, fat was the big evil, so Big Food took out fat and added more sugar. In the 2000's, sugar and carbs became Satan. Let's get real: MODERATION is probably the key, including moderation of sugar, red meat, heavy starches, SUGAR and the big one - ALCOHOL.
Not alcohol?!?
Bari...
There is a nexus between Big Ag, the Food Bill, and diseases like obesity and diabetes. It is no surprise Big Pharma is making a killing selling diabetes drugs. Big Ag has taught farmers how to farm in a way that makes them reliant on Big Ag chemicals to maintain crop yields. Those chemicals then make us sick. That is great news for Big Pharma, of course.
How about we teach farmers how to farm without needing Big Ag chemicals? Then Big Ag will not be making us sick. And then we won't need Big Pharma's medicines.
It would great if you did a deep dive on this with the people who know the most about it: That would be Robert Kennedy Jr., by the way.
Yes! Better for animals (livestock and wild), soil and habitat, too, that we switch to integrated agriculture along the lines of Joel Salatin's Polyface Farm. Kennedy is wonderful on this; last year he hosted a roundtable of farmers employing these sustainable, earth- and animal-friendly approaches.
Everyone should watch The Biggest Little Farm on Netflix. It's about a couple who bought and reimagined a sustainable farm. If people ate like that, there would be no need for Ozempic and probably no cancer. This is why Bill Gates wants us to keep consuming industrialized garbage. No thank you
And the more you learn about how meat is processed in this country, the less likely you will be to eat it. Yuck. Sustainable farming and ranching is so much healthier.
The Biggest Little Farm is attractive on a first view. On second view, you realize that they got a lot of financial help and free labor. Also very labor intensive, if one of the couple had gotten sick or injured early on, it would have sank like a stone. They have never released their financial details. It is likely not really profitable and would not feed more than a modest few people with it's true surplus.
Not many farms can let a pig die of old age.
While it's not perfect, it provides an interesting perspective on regenerative farming. There are lots of regenerative farms around the U.S. and we need to support them.
It has it's good points . . . not perfect, but what is. Cheers!
Reminiscent of Henry David Thoreau, the "On Walden Pond" guy. Famous for being self-sufficient, it turns out his entire "back to nature" lifestyle was funded by money and favors from his more conventional, city-dwelling family and friends.
This is well known to those who care to look. Often the case.
I do think that the movie has some good points.
Big Pharma has their rotten fingers on everything and the sicker we get, the more they demand tax money to fix problems they're causing.
They're nearly the most powerful companies in the world, and have gotten more so since President Grandpa declared "WE BEAT PHARMA AND IT MATTERED!!"
It's amazing how our president claims the exact opposite of reality, to cheers and applause.
I listened to RFK Jr. at a fundraiser, and he laid it out quite simply. As President, he will ensure that the things suspected of causing chronic illness will be studied without industry having their thumb on the scale. And when a critical threshold of science is reached (as it was with Roundup and Monsanto), the common law of torts comes into play. Once real science is done and the cause and effect are clear, industry will have no choice but to remove these things from the market. Otherwise, they'll be sued into oblivion.
This is really what convinced me to support him. He has beaten these people before. He knows exactly how to do it as President and will not need a single thing from Congress since he will bring our common law traditions to the defense of the American people.
100% agree. RFK all the way. He is the only Prez candidate I trust to fight Big Parma and win and he will not put us into another feardemic.
I'm an anti-Democrat rather than a Republican, and this post is a big argument pushing me towards JFK. I voted Gary Johnson in 2016 and I'm damn proud of it.
And I registered as an R in 1985 when I graduated high school. My parents were typical "Reagan Democrats." I remember their stories of JFK and RFK Sr. I was an R until March 6th of this year (the day after the CA primary). I voted for Mr. Trump three times, and make no apologies. Trump is like a crude, vulgar, boorish construction site supe from Queens. But the rest of the Wall Street crowd makes him look like an altar boy. A lot of us who voted for him wanted to stick a mirror in front of the ruling class and watch as they gagged for having to look at themselves for once.
The problem is that if Trump wins, he will be nothing more than a nuisance to these people for another four years. Biden will keep doing their bidding. So, come 2028, nothing will have changed between them. The ruling class has a visceral disgust for Trump because he is exactly like them but doesn't pretend otherwise. They have an existential fear of Bobby Kennedy Jr. because RFK doesn't just know where the bodies are buried... he knows how they buried them and what they died of! He knows how to end the ruling class's grip on power once and for all... And they know he knows how. We need to realize the opportunity right in front of us this year.
If only he were on the ballot in all fifty states….sadly he won’t be where I live. The two party stranglehold is sickening.
While I hate the idea of government controlling what I ingest, I do think government has a legitimate role to play in not letting industries lie to me about their products and their effects.
while I agree that changes need to happen to how we farm, I don't think that's the majority of the problem. The problem is what we eat, and how it's processed.
You have to cut out all the sugar and other high calorie sweeteners that we love so much. Along with the other things we do that make food so hard to stop eating.
People aren't overeating on salads or steak.
Yes, but... If the crops are tainted by chemicals, you can be eating "healthy" and still be at risk. Farmers rely on chemicals to maximize yields. The reason they have to do that is because they are farming in the manner taught to them by Big Ag.
In my field of cybersecurity, I tell executives upfront that if I can get them to think about their data like a hacker or adversary, my services sell themselves.
Industry plays this game, but under the table and in the shadows. Get farmers to think a certain way about farming, and our chemicals fly off the shelves! Never mind that those chemicals taint the food supply and make us sick... But that's OK, now Big Parma gets to sell us medicines!
Believe me I'm a big time believer in regenerative agriculture. Reading Gabe Brown's book "Dirt to Soil" really made me a believer. And we try and put it into practice on our own small 20 acre homestead.
We practice no till, and try not to use anything synthetic. For fertilizer we use compost from our own cows, horse, donkey and chickens. And we try and use little to know sprays even organic if we can help it.
We also do companion planting to help boost soil health.
I think long term the world will have to turn to regenerative farming principles because conventional farming is losing too much top soil. In another generation we could have a repeat of the dust bowl but this time in the mid west.
20 acres! Damn, that's a lot of work. I don't know if this will help, but immediately after I started composting and using it in my garden, (I live in a city... tiny little plot comparatively), the rodents and other ground crawlers wiped me out. So I mixed peppermint oil and water and regularly spray the "border" of the garden and what I know to be their entry points. It works perfectly! We love the smell; they hate it. It wipes out the pheromone trail they leave, so they cannot follow that back to the food source.
I wonder if it would work for things like deer.
Most of the 20 acres is pasture. But we do have fencing around the garden, and then additional fencing to keep out the rabbits. Usually not a problem for us till August or so and then they a real problem.
That and we got a German Sheperd that helps as well, lol
You can also drive yourself nuts by being afraid of every bite of food you eat. After all, we are all just pre-dead on any given day.
Take a look at the trainees at the beginning of WW II, shirtless in the films. Hardly a fat guy among them. Sure they ate some crap like Crisco, etc., but essentially a lot of unprocessed foods and definitely NOT an ocean of soft drinks. We need meat, fish, some dairy, fats and fruits and vegetables if you like them, but watch the high oxalates such as spinach. And grains are grass. Cows eat grass, we eat cows. Real milk, not nonsensical nut milk. But if you're an adult, do you really need milk? Or vegan processed garbage. Humans can't evolve quickly enough to eat the garbage our government pushes on us. (The "Food Pyramid" is pure junk science). And move. Exercise is the number one healthiest thing you can do. Finally and most important - remember, after Covid, that pharma companies are bordering on pure evil. Not sure when they took a wrong turn, but they did. You can't get happy, or fit, or well from a pill. That's just a Faustian bargain.
I'm evolving my diet towards eating nothing that comes with corporate marketing.
Simple, easy way to massively improve your health and save money: buy absolutely nothing that has corporate marketing on it.
Learn to cook.
Cooking is easy. Consistent motivation, self-discipline, and habit-forming in the face of constant temptation are the hard parts.
Honestly, it's cleaning up afterwards that kills me
My son lost 30 lbs in USMC boot camp. He wasn't "fat" going in, just a bit soft. He said even the apparently fit guys lost 20. Hard work, no junk food.
WWII? Some of the Depression era kids actually gained weight.
In reply to that "WWII" comment, saying that
"Some of the Depression era kids actually gained weight."
... that sounds plausible!
They might not have had very much "fat" to lose (well ... maybe some, but not others); but it does seem LOGICAL, that boot camp builds muscle -- ! -- while (in many cases) removing fat.
and: muscle tends to weigh more than fat.
The farm/ranch kids found boot camp physically no big deal. They had grown up with that level of physical work, every day. My stepfather said that "ranching is a 365 day a year job. Except for leap year, when it is 366."
I basically agree, Bruce. And, "pharma companies are bordering on pure evil" I think they went from careless & greedy to evil & greedy a long time ago. In the US we once had radium water as a health drink. We put cocaine in children's medicine. Doctors used it to prep people for surgery. When we noticed it was addictive we substituted heroin which was supposed to be more effective and less addictive. Remember Thalidomide* - used to calm the nerves of pregnant women (now "pregnant people")? We had the Opiod crisis We had magic pills/injections to turn boys into girls and girls into boys (ongoing). All of this happened pre-Covid.
All drugs have side effects and sometimes the benefit outweighs the side effect.
But, there is no magic pill for anything. Pharma has been selling snake oil for a long time. I think a big step in the direction of pharma becoming more evil and powerful was when they were allowed to advertise direct to consumer - like on television. I think the US is one of only two countries that allow this. I've read that this gives the drug companies a great deal of power in advertising and that gives them some power over TV shows and news. You do not want to offend your advertisers ($$$$$)? It is likely one more thing fanning the myth of the "trans child". It is so lucrative! Do not violate The Narative^TM.
*"Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan and Thalomid among others, is an oral medication used to treat a number of cancers". This makes me think of so called "puberty blockers" which are really cancer drugs in search of a larger market. Just like synthetic sex hormones which were once widely given to menopausal women.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalidomide
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalidomide_scandal
Everything is fine in moderation. But it's up to each person to moderate themselves and take personal responsibility for their own health.
But so many don't and look for an easy way out of it. A magic pill to "fix" obesity is just another part of the victimhood complex. Nobody wants to take responsibility for their own actions and looks to Big Pharma to fix their problems.
Weeeeeelllll. Akshully, I wouldn't recommend a moderate amount of heroin or cocaine.
Why avoid spinach?
I had a 90% “widow maker” blockage and had a stent put in.
I decided to start eating healthy, and made spinach a centerpiece of my new, heart healthy diet.
Two years later, I had six kidney stones in one year, two large enough to require surgery.
The cardiologist who heartily approved of my new diet failed to warn me that spinach is more loaded with oxalates that cause kidney stones than any other food, and I would soon be enduring agony and threat to my kidneys. I now totally avoid it, and haven’t had a kidney stone since I stopped eating it.
That’s why.
Thanks for the Information.
I believe extra magnesium can help with that. My wife used to get kidney stones often not anymore..
Thank you.
It's incredibly high in oxalates. Read Sally Norton on them. Kale is a good alternative and has almost none.
Kale? Oh no, not Kale.
Isn't it basically the stems?
So avoid spinach?
Most of those trainees prolly burned about 5000 calories a day doing real work
There are 15 large scale, double blinded trials on the GLP-I agonists, such as Ozempic. They have their peer-reviewed results published in medical journals, so I think that it's a bit irresponsible to throw around comments about how we don't know about the risks because of a guy in France or whatever it is. Have a look at the publications and work of Dr. Judith Korner, MD, Ph.D. She is a Professor of Medicine, Dept. of Endocrinology at Columbia. The risks for patients with certain pre existing conditions are spelt out and most of the common ones relate to digestive issues. These drugs really seem to help diabetics in their original form, and those with high BMIs in their secondary labeling.
Sure, but long term effects have yet to be determined. The same is true for these transitioning kids who are put on cross hormones (which has medical approval as well). Only time will tell.
My endocrinologist (who most assuredly knows the risks) put me on Ozempic this winter.
I've had type 1 diabetes since I was 19, and thanks to the new software in my insulin pump, my A1c is below 7.0 for the first time EVER. But I had gained 10 lbs since I saw him last, and he said, "Yeah, that's the tradeoff between weight and A1c."
Since then I've lost 20 lbs--slow, but the kind of progress he likes to see. I am literally NOT HUNGRY for the first time since I was skinny kid.
I would rather deal with the risks than keep gaining weight (with the MANY bad results that involves).
In reply to ["Celia M" / "Jotting In Purple"] :
I am glad to hear (or ... 'read') that things are working out better for you now.
Our daughter was diagnosed with TYPE II diabetes about a year ago. My wife decided to consult a nutritionist, who helps her [and us] 'mostly' over Zoom ... no driving to an "in person" appointment.
Our daughter recently switched to a different endocrine -ologist, which seems to be working out MUCH better for her. Now she is on (a "continuous glucose monitoring" [CGM] device called a) "Freestyle Libre 3", which means that:
[1] she does not have to puncture her finger to get a drop of blood, in order to find out how her "blood glucose" level is doing; and
[2] She can get immediate information about how the menu items (usually her own cooking) and the portion sizes are affecting her "blood sugar" levels.
By the way, those portion sizes [that she eats] ... *might* start becoming [somewhat] smaller, ... real soon now! ... "partly" thanks to Trulicity, which [iirc] is kinda _similar_to_ Ozempic. <--[is it maybe a competitor "brand"?]
... and
[3] She does not have to send data (e.g., via email or text message) to the nutritionist any more; now the CGM device does that! (... somehow ... over the internet.) We just saw that happen for the first time yesterday. It was remarkable ... and impressive!
Now, our daughter might have to pay some money -- once every 14 days, iirc -- towards that "CGM" device called "Freestyle Libre 3". It might turn out that "little or none of it" is covered by her insurance (UN-like her Metformin ... which is covered, with little or no co-pay.)
But that is OK. Our daughter has already been spending more money for her 'personal trainer' than I probably would 'for myself'; (although ... now that I think about it ... maybe if I had diabetes, then it might be different! ... hmm ...). If she does have to pay for the CGM device -- (to the extent of ... the part of it that is not covered by her insurance), then ... I think she can live with that.
Our daughter has MANY people participating in helping her cope with various challenges. Her PCP is definitely one of them. The new endocrinologist is probably another. But ... IMHO ... the over-the-internet via-Zoom *** nutritionist *** is also an important one.
The U.S. will never solve the obesity crisis because "shame" in nonexistent and all but outlawed. And that is a shame.
If that were true weight loss drugs wouldn’t be selling like hot cakes. No one wants to be fat and most people are definitely ashamed of it.
They know the shame, which is why it is doubly forbidden in our narcissistic society to observe it. Ego above all. I am perfect in every way and don't you pop my delusion.
Whereas in Asia, they consider it an act of kindness to tell you, hey you have a serious health (and moral) problem and you should fix that.
You know what else Japan doesn't have? Crackheads wandering around homeless encampments.
Yeah because they're so judgemental and unkind they won't let people shoot up drugs in public spaces. What assholes.
Exactly. It's unacceptable.
I would be lonely in Japan.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dark-side-how-japan-able-overcome-homelessness-issues-inegbedion-tz3wf
Interesting article. We have cities that enable drug use and homelessness. Japan doesn't seem to be enabling either of those. That seems like a good place to start.
In the US the culture is to be sedentary (even driving to a gym) and humans are evolved to do a lot of walking. Bari mentioned that if you have a healthy culture you get a 102 year old woman who walks down the mountain by herself. But, I think it is the other way around. If everybody walks a lot every day there will be fewer overweight people regardless of diet. And, there will be more people who can move around as they age. I think you also feel less like eating junk food when you are active.
Of course, who wants to walk in a US city overrun with drugs and homelessness?
Shame is very big in Japan. But as someone who had a Japanese fiancé, believe me that it’s a double edged sword there—and I don’t mean hari-kari (on 2nd thought, I do!)
But few are willing to do the actual work to lose weight and instead look for easy solutions from Big Pharma to "fix" their problems.
I should clarify: We aren't allowed to call being fat - or anything else - out anymore. Japan is brutal about it... and they stay thin.
I watch a lot of Korean and Japanese influencers. Why? Because they are ambitious based on their abilities; they live well because they work hard and earn the good life and they seem to cook nutritious meals at home 75% of the time. Bottom line: being a healthy weight is not magic. You have to make the effort and yes, there are hormonal components that require a doctor's intervention. But let's face it. We are the country that coined the phrase, "All You Can Eat." We need to own up to what we preach.
People need to learn how to cook.
This can't be stated often enough. And cooking has never been easier, or involved less drudgery.
I enjoy watching Japanese cooking ASMR videos. It's the direct opposite of watching someone wolf down a cheeseburger while they're on the go.
I don't understand how anyone takes Johann Hari seriously. He's a fabulist and a plagiarist. He has interesting things to say, which I guess makes sense when you don't have to stick to the facts or your own material.
I was coming to ask the same question. I am quite surprised that Bari does not address Hari's past journalistic problems.
What problems? I dont know that story?
He had to return his Orwell Prize after it was discovered that he had plagiarized the article on which it was based. Separately, he fabricated quotes and facts for other articles, which led to his departure from The Independent. Then, he maliciously edited his critics' Wikipedia pages so that they were described as alcoholics, homophobes, and antisemites. Prominent researchers came out to dispute the central claims of his previous two books.
And just step back a moment. Does that Dalai Lama anecdote ring as true? He has many anecdotes like that, which sound too perfect and he repeats them ad infinitum on various podcasts. He's an engaging guest who tells people what they want to hear, the mark of of a successful con man.
Caveat emptor.
Very alarming to read this. Makes me question his trustworthiness. He did make some bold claims in the interview that triggered my spidey senses.
Sad. You may be right—and it sound certain you are at least partly right—but hopefully the actual situation is more complex and at least mildly exonerating.
Nobody should be “shamed” for being obese or morbidly obese. But to pretend it isn’t a problem, or that it should be celebrated on its merit, is insane.
If you want to find a cause, start with Michael Moore’s Supersize Me. When you take in more calories than you expend, the result is as predictable as sun rising from east. Add in car culture and urban planning that disincentivizes walking, and you’re most of the way there.
The long term side effects of ozempic are a known unknown. But since your weight rebounds when you come off, most people are looking at taking it long term. So as a society, it’s a question we will be getting an answer to, sooner or later.
Super Size Me was Morgan Spurlock, not Michael Moore.
Oops my mistake
Funny how we can mix up names and words based on the first letters. Almost as if we operate with mental drop-down menus like the old Windows app.
Yes they should. It’s worked well for thousands of years.
FWIW I laughed at the multiple stomachs joke.
I heard a pile of zen master jokes.
How many zen masters does it take to tell a joke?
What a fake movie! Stuff your self up to the back of your throat after totaling changing your diet and supersize, supersize you get sick???
McDonald's never said that you should 6 Big Mac Superized meal a day,
A total fraud of a movie.
Why does the word greed never even get a mention in this conversation about obesity? The food industry gets a kicking and 'the culture' gets a telling off... but no mention of self discipline. Strange moral code here.... you could almost call it an obese one. And by the way "Fat Pride" hasn't totally "changed the conversation"....at least only in Cyberland. Most people have never even heard the phrase.
Unrelated, but I just learned that, years ago, right after that Larry Sinclair guy first came out with his claim that he had sex with Obama, Beau Biden indicted him.
Anyways, how about that Ozempic, huh?
Kevin did you drink your lunch today?
I drink my martinis to protect *you*