Oprah and Dr. Ania Jastreboff on How People Treat You Differently After Weight Loss

hi again everybody and thank you for. listening to the Oprah podcast and hello. to everybody who's watching us on. YouTube in the few years since glp1. medications were approved by the FDA for. use for obesity we have seen how these. drugs can result in dramatic weight loss. but when you lose up to 100 lb or even. more how does that impact the self-image. you had for most of your life I wish I. could say oh my gosh it's just been the. most perfect experience ever do people.

treat you differently people look me in. the eyes now and everyone was so much. friendlier to me how do you see yourself. in the world my life opportunities have. opened up but it's not without its. complications on this episode of the. Oprah podcast my conversation continues. we're Dr Ana yerbo an endocrinologist. and associate professor at the Yale. School of Medicine and we're going to be. joined by licensed psychologist Dr. Rachel Goldman for this episode our. guests asked us to share their before.

after weight loss pictures because they. believe the photos are an important part. of their. Journey welcome to part two of our. conversation about weight loss. medications I'm so glad we get another. chance to open up the subject for people. who are still confused I'm here with Dr. Ana yasto who is an endocrinologist and. an associate professor at the Yale. School of Medicine and I wanted to. introduce you to one of my producers. longtime producers Brian so Brian tell.

us why you started gp1s I've seen the. transformation but when I first started. talking about it a year ago you seemed. reluctant you were like I'm going to. wait and see I'm going to think and I. you know have my own burdens to carry. and want people to do whatever is good. for them and so I stopped right there. when I realized that you were not ready. and wasn't my business to tell you what. to do what convinced you to do it it was. you and you don't know the story but we.

were right outside here yeah um it was. right before we taped the ABC special we. were taping something else here we're. taping an ABC special called Shame blame. and the weight loss Revolution yes you. and I had a brief conversation and I. said I was scared of the side effects. and I was scared of mourning the loss of. food mourning the lo I remember you said. that and you said to me what are you. waiting for and then of course we tap. the ABC show and the reason I ultimately. did it was that push but you know I have.

the classic symptoms and signs of the. disease of obesity which we didn't know. we had yes and I love this question of. what are you waiting for because in a in. in another conversation we talk to. people who put off everything in their. life waiting for the weight to disappear. waiting for the right diet waiting for. the moment waiting waiting waiting and. when you think about all the times in. your life you delayed you delayed you. delayed really the living experience the. Vitality of what life is here to bring.

us because you were waiting on the. weight yeah waiting on the weight I had. tried every diet I counted I I've gained. and lost the same 50 pounds six times in. my life oh getting to that point for me. it didn't feel like it was underwater it. felt like I was empty mentally and. physically by underwater you meaning. holding your breath underwater and it's. you're going to eventually rise yes. correct for me though it felt like. emptiness so when I lost the 50 lbs and. got to what I know as my set point I.

mentally and physically felt empty and. thought I'm going to eat I work so hard. I'm only here once why am I doing this. you know now I no longer feel that way. I've lost more weight than I ever have. and don't have those feelings and you're. still in the weight losing process yes. yes so I started at 312 lb I've lost 70. in 5 months so I'm losing about 15 lbs a. month MH I need to lose 50 more or would. like to um but yeah I'm still losing and. how do you feel fantastic I mean Brian.

yeah what I didn't know was the. anti-inflammatory properties because I I. noticed those almost immediately the. natural aches and pains you have I'm. over 50 uh went away you're over 50 now. I'm over 50 now you were a babe when you. started bab yeah so yeah I feel great I. mean I can bend over and tie my shoes we. were on a shoot in New York I could run. up and down those Starbucks stairs like. it's lifechanging okay you used to have.

three desserts I heard right I was a. sugar addict so it was a sugar addict. what are those going to be today and if. I don't have them do I need to have them. delivered to the office or if somebody. put donnuts out in the office I know. I'll have one how can I sneak the second. one so I don't look crazy and then I had. to talk myself out of not eating the. third one cuz I knew I would be sick for. the day so that was the mental gain and. that's happening to me and that was the. food noise yeah I remember when we first. talked about this you were so um you.

were reluctant because you said I don't. about the side effects so have you had. any side effects none I've had I had a. tiny bit of constipation but that's. manageable and I learned how to manage. it and that's it I've had no other at. all and it the day I took it and whether. that's psychosomatic or not I don't know. but the the day I took it it all stopped. the food noise not feeling full I did. not wake up hungry I me I would be. ravenous if I didn't eat lunch until. noon you know that's just gone I just.

don't I look at food like many people. must have always looked at food now yes. and isn't it amazing when you think oh. this is how you all have been doing all. this time it's so free it's so free you. know friend of mine shared that it's a. friend of mine who is on the medication. said I've become ambivalent to food it. doesn't rule everything in my life I've. become ambivalent to it all that it. doesn't mean you don't enjoy it doesn't. mean you don't enjoy it so people who. have the fear like you have the fear of.

losing your enjoyment and pleasure from. it doesn't mean that at all you still. enjoy it you just don't want as much. that's right all that time you get back. from not thinking about it or figuring. out how to get it like I said I did want. to add we talked in the first show about. misconceptions I do want people to know. that it's still hard work yes it's not a. miracle shot you you don't take it and. then eat whatever you like I mean you. have to lean into the diet and exercise. and and but but in doing that on that's. exactly what Dr Ana was saying about. when get blood pressure medication they.

tell you to lower the salt when you're. getting medication for diabetes they. tell you to lower your glycemic intake. and so take eat less sugar so the same. thing is here leaning into proteins. leaning into healthier food and what I. have found it it's easier to do. everything's easier to do right easier. to do when you start to eat that way you. crave it even more that's what you crave. yes and now a strawberry for me is so. satisfying and I'm so grateful for that. taste and I freeze grapes as my candy.

yeah you wonderful the other day I was. satiated by a handful of blueberries and. I'm like what has happened to me like. blueberries are like a delicacy yes wow. these blueberries are so delicious tell. me you know I've talked about this over. the years and Brian's been a producer. for me for 22 years so you've heard me. talk a lot about the way even being a. known person in the world uh how the. world treats you differently when you're. overweight.

and I've always thought it's easier for. men because people look and they excuse. a big belly for example on a guy where. is you know on a woman they would not. have you noticed a difference in how the. world receives you yes and you say my. belly but always the first thing people. would look at was my belly yeah then. look me in the eye because it really was. huge I wasn't talking about your belly I. was talking about guys who carry bellies. and I look me in the eyes now we were.

just in New York doing a Starbucks shoot. and everyone was so much friendlier to. me strangers in the elevator someone. struck up a conversation with me in the. lobby people we were working with I mean. I think that do you think they would not. have struck up a conversation with you. 70 lbs heavier nobody did really I also. know I feel better and I'm more outgoing. so I probably attract people to say. hello or ask me where are you in from. you know which is what a guy said to me. in the lobby that never would have. happened and so it never would have. happened because is that because you.

were hiding in plain sight yes or you. feel that people don't notice you when. you're showing your wearing your obesity. both I me you make yourself invisible. and and they don't see you either so. you're invisible on both sides of that. coin and I you know it feels great it. feels so much better I've always been. kind but allows me to be even extra. kindlier is that the word kindlier to. people because I feel like it yeah cuz I. know I won't be shot down and I don't. have to keep my head down.

yes and I'm just so thrilled for you. Brian I'm just so thrilled and so happy. for you and that you made the decision. really it's a decision to save your own. life and lengthen to lengthen your life. and to live more productively period. yeah I'll never get off it I thank you. for the nudge and you you know I was. good emotional but I want to thank you. I'll have the opportunity because I do. thank God twice a day for it but to. thank you because I know you've made Z. bound available to people like me I know. you've helped in that process so so. grateful yeah well I know you have get. back into the control room yes I do all.

right all right thank you thank you for. sharing of course yeah all right all. right bye bye all right see you in the. control room after one half of us adults. are saying now that they would like to. take a weight loss medication and yet. only. 12% of Americans have ever taken one I. do think 12% is quite a lot in the past. year because when I announced last. January I think I was like in anomaly an.

anomaly in that I was willing to say it. yes and I remember Joseph who does um. social media for me said all these. haters are coming after you now in a. year it will be normalized that's right. and you helped normalize it you. absolutely did and then you came out. again so vulnerably so bravely and you. shared your story yeah and and and again. the your voice carries so much and so I. think the fact that people are embracing. this now and shifting from shaming.

people from taking these medicines or. for seeking treatment for their obesity. you've had such an incredible impact on. that well I hope to continue to have an. impact and let the haters hate on. because as I've shared before my mother. was an insulin taking diabetic for most. of her adult life and if this were the. dawning of insulin and I had a. microphone to tell people what insulin. could do for diabetics yeah that's what. I would be doing and I feel as strongly.

about that as I do about these obesity. medications and if we had those obesity. medications perhaps she would not have. developed diabetes in the first place. absolutely yeah so researchers have. found that g lp1 uh. medications uh we talked a bit little. bit about this may also help treat. addiction cardiovascular disease we know. that they help prevent Strokes they have. General anti-inflammatory. properties Brian was saying after the.

first week of taking it he noticed the. inflammation going down and I think the. public is confused about this because. you hear that list and it seems like a. miracle drugs what are the facts yeah. well the facts are that we have many. studies now that are coming out all. actually within the last year and a half. or so um uh about all these other. diseases about heart disease about. obstructive sleep apnea about reducing. knee pain so there are over 200 uh.

obesity related diseases that are either. caused or a major contributor is obesity. and now we're finding that treating. obesity is actually impacting those. diseases but there's two parts to this. one is that it could be the weight. itself right so people are always like. well is it the weight loss is it the. weight reduction or is it something else. that the medicines are doing and it's. actually both so the medicines work in. the brain and that's how they lower. weight they also work on other tissues.

and organs in the body there are. receptors for these medicines on the. heart uh for some of them on the bone or. the fat so there are Direct effects of. the medicine on these disease States. these other obesity related disease. States as well as reducing the weight it. seems to me which is another discussion. for a yet another opportunity to have a. podcast but it seems to me that the. insurance companies would be running. towards these drugs because if you're. going to be able to M have an impact on.

over 200 other dis related dis obesity. related diseases that you would want to. prevent prevent yeah but we're not there. yet we're not there yet we're not there. yet for many reasons one we talked about. in the LA last podcast which is that um. many people are still not understanding. that obesity is a disease and it is. clearly a neurometabolic dis Insurance. compan among those people right so the. way that're set up is we're treating the.

downstream effects of obesity so we're. putting Band-Aids on all these other. diseases rather than treating the root. cause the root cause of all these other. diseases yes and honestly this is so key. because we can transform Medicine by. treating this one disease we can impact. hundreds of other diseases there are 13. at least 13 types of cancers that are. obesity related we know this so colon. cancer is one another one is. postmenopausal breast cancer endometrial.

cancer these are all uh cancers that are. related to obesity and one of the. questions is well if we treat obesity. can we actually impact the development. of those diseases can we actually. prevent cancer and we don't have the. answers to those types of questions yet. but think about the impact yes I I'm I. am thinking about the impact and we. don't have the answers because we're at. the dawning of this we are at the. dawning right thank you so much for. explaining that sure I want to get back. to how this is a holistic change for so.

many people Michaela is joining us from. Oxford Ohio hi. Michaela hi thank you so much for having. me today thank you you look beautiful. aren't you dressed up that I love that. dress and the necklace the whole thing. the color so you started dieting at age8. and you were labeled the fat cheerleader. so let's hear that story yeah so I have. been absolutely struggling with my. weight my entire life um I remember. being 8 years old and walking into the.

doctor's office and them telling my mom. you need to watch what she's eating. giving me a food pyamid all of those. sort of things and that was the moment I. remember my struggle with eating started. then from that entire time all the way. through high school all the way through. my adult life even like during the time. I was getting married constantly. thinking about how much I weighed what I. was eating and how I was obese so I knew. from a young age and now with the help. of Zep bound I understand it and.

bariatric surgery that you've lost 165. lbs wow that is a another whole full. person. congratulations how has your life. changed oh my gosh so I kind of want to. dive into when I was 27 I went to the. doctor and I had high blood pressure. high cholesterol de apnea they were. recommending me to be put on oxygen and. since I've been dealing with this since. I was 8 years old I'm like I can lose. the weight I can it myself it's my fault.

you know I I'll do it I'll do it and. finally the doctor said to me um when. are you going to stop blaming yourself. and let somebody help you and that was. the phrase that changed my life I love. that say it again yes um she said to me. when are you going to stop blaming. yourself and allow someone to help you I. ask you to repeat that because I know. that that's going to resonate with a lot. of people when are you going to let. someone else help you and I say that to.

everybody who is in the struggle right. now with. obesity if you could have fixed it you. would have that's right if it could have. been fixed because like Michaela and. like myself you've done every diet. you've been through every program you. have boiled the soups you have eaten the. grapefruits you have pulled the skin off. the chicken and steamed that broccoli if. you could have done it you would have. done it yes a million per I tried.

everything just like you said and now. I'm 30 um I feel like how I probably. should have felt when I was 17 um all of. my comorbidities are gone I wake up. every morning and I just get to be me I. get to live my life I get to eat food. and enjoy it and not wonder if I'm going. to gain 20 pounds at the end of the week. because of what I ate I use food as fuel. um just truly to live my life I feel.

like Oprah that I have been completely. reborn like I am a new person all. together so happy for you I am really. truly happy for you because I see how. beautiful you are and how vibrantly you. are now letting yourself be seen you. would not have worn that 165 lbs ago you. would not have even put on those. earrings 165 PBS ago I I mean I know and. I just I rejoice in in your new found. sense of self and sense of well-being I.

really do cuz I know what the struggle. is is is like what's it been like for. you being transitioning into this I mean. 165 pounds over what how how how much. time um it's been about two and A2 years. now wow you lost another full whole. person in 2 and A2 years and I know. people's reactions to you it's. unbelievable right yes so I have truly I. wish I could say oh my gosh it's just.

been the most perfect experience ever. but I've truly been funneling through. these three emotions and it's been happy. sad and mad and I'm happy because I'm. finally who I've always wanted to be and. I finally got the help that I needed and. I'm living this amazing life I mean look. where I am right now I'm talking to you. Oprah um I'm also sad um I'm very sad. because no one would listen to me I was. constantly blamed for such a long time. and I think about the life I could have.

lived if somebody would have helped me. um and then anger because like you said. what is the reaction to people seeing me. I constantly get told oh you're so. pretty you're such this nice person uh. you know getting invited to certain. things I would never have been invited. to before and it's like why now why do. you feel like that about me now because. I've always been Michaela I've always. been this person but then it falls back. into happy because I'm just happy I'm. here now and happy I'm able to tell this.

story and advocate for other people just. like me well I want to bring in Dr. Rachel Goldin now who goes by Dr Rachel. uh there's Dr Ana Dr Rachel and Dr. Rachel is hi again is zooming in from. New York she's a licensed psychologist. in private practice and a clinical. assistant professor in the department of. Psychiatry at the NYU Grossman school of. medicine so Dr regel you see what. Michaela is talking about right I do all. the time unfortunately it's it's. completely normal you know to be.

experiencing all of those different. emotions because there's so much going. on right so if we think about taking the. medication losing this amount of weight. it doesn't just end there right as as. Anya has been talking about but there's. so many changes going on and emotional. changes that people don't really. anticipate or expect unfortunately and I. like to explain it in a way that there's. a lot of changes that people don't. expect and they they end up saying like. oh that's not going to happen to me and.

they don't really understand it until it. does happen to them right and there's so. much because individuals are learning to. navigate life in a different body and. and that's difficult for many reasons. any change can be really overwhelming a. good change or a bad change right it can. be overwhelming and a lot of emotions. and then when like what Michaela just. expressed you know people are treating. her differently people are you know or. what Brian said before that people are. opening the door for him and being.

Kinder there's that realization of like. wow the world in our society is really. viewing appearance as you know putting. so much weight on that appearance that's. right I like what Michaela said the. reason why it's so angering is because. you've always been this person it's not. like you became another person Michaela. you say not everyone in your life has. also been supportive right as you. expected how so so I think when you say.

you're going to lose all this weight. people automatically assume it's because. you hated yourself and that's not the. case for me I love myself so much that I. wanted to make this change and make this. transition so when I said I'm going I. think that's huge underscore that I. loved myself so much I wanted to make. this change that is that's powerful I. want to live life like that that's why I. did it but when you say I'm having.

bariatric surgery or after having. bariatric surgery I also got on set. bound because I still needed help I. asked for help a second time people are. like well are you sure you need to why. don't you try dieting why don't you try. exercising have you tried this have you. tried that when like we've talked about. I've done all of those things my entire. life um and I think the reason I got. that push back is they thought I was. going to fail like how I failed with. everything else so I didn't I've lost. the 165 pounds and what I've noticed is.

a lot of the people that would invite me. to things and that I would show that. would show up for me stopped and I'm not. sure if they enjoyed me more as the. background friend or like you said I. would have never worn this top or this. dress I would have never put on these. earrings I would have probably been. dressed in all black trying to mute. myself out and for no one to see me and. now I love to be seen I love to talk I. to be the center of attention in these. type of situations and I have to ask. myself did they prefer me the way that I.

once was before I think a lot of people. who have friends like us who were. overweight um you you get a you get. accustomed to them being a certain way. and there is no question about it that. the culture feels that people who are. overweight are inferior there's no. question that that is the case and I I. don't see how some of that even if you.

have the best of friends some of that. doesn't also get interpreted in. relationships not your most intimate. relationships but in other relationships. and so being the fat friend serves a lot. of people because you're right the. attention isn't on you it's always on. them that's what I think but let's ask. Dr Rachel she has a degree in. it yes and I actually was just going to. say that every relationship serves a. purpose right every single one and at. the time when Michaela was in a larger.

body the relationship that she had with. those friends and that dyamic was very. different yeah and now the dynamic is. changing which is UN again unfortunate. because she still. meeta but I am going to add though she. now has this new found self-confidence. she has this new found self-esteem she. feels better about herself and that. shows and everybody around her that. isn't so to say like catching up so.

quickly isn't familiar to that right. that's not comfortable because this. isn't the Michaela we know yes exactly. because we like what's familiar we like. what's comfortable as humans so in a way. we're like shaking that Dynamic up we're. changing things and that can be scary to. other people which is unfortunate for us. or for Michaela because again she still. makea is this a typical reaction though. from some friends. there are friends who are just genuinely.

genuinely happy for you and then there. are other friends who are like oh you. think now you must think you're you're. celebrity or now you must think you're. cute or now you must think you know what. I'm talking about Michaela right yes a. million percent a million percent and. even like something like this like oh. I'm going to be on Oprah's podcast I. know when I say that there will be some. people who will be so supportive of me. and watch and then there will be people. that won't just because it's me and. because I lost the weight but they would.

have been there before when I was 350. plus pounds and living my worst life but. now that I'm living my best life it's. like they've disappeared so it's been. very hard so anger and sadness and. happiness are those all normal feelings. to be feeling Dr Rachel absolutely and. it's important to remember that we can. have conflicting feelings and emotions. at the same time right so we can be. feeling happy about aspects of this I. got my life back I'm happier and all of.

these things and we can be angry and. upset and sad about the other aspect. like the relationships and people. treating us differently in the way that. the society is so it's completely normal. and I think it's important that people. remind themselves of that we can have. conflicting emotions and feelings at the. same time we're human there's a wide. range of emotions that we all have and. we're never just one single emotion got. it thank you so much Michaela thank you. for joining us y okra if I could say one. thing to you I remember being a little. girl and I heard you talking earlier and.

um I would see the magazines in the. aisle when I was at the grocery store. with my mom and I remember seeing when. you would have a great weight loss. success story and how you did it and. then they will be another one like years. later something like oh she gained it. back like something so controversial and. you said earlier you've been shamed and. blamed your entire career um and I just. wanted to say I'm so sorry because. totally understand in that and thank you. so much for what you're doing and using.

your platform to advocate for girls like. me because I have been watching and I've. seen it I I understand so just thank you. thank you for that thank you for that. that means so much to me thank you I. appreciate. you Anna is a recent college graduate. who says that after losing 80 pounds she. finds that guys treat her differently. too Anna joins us from Willam Mantic. Connecticut hi Anna what have you. noticed I'm still getting over Michaela.

looking at the magazines all those years. uh okay so what have you what what's. going on with you hi Oprah hi Dr Anna Dr. Ana is actually my Mom's doctor um so. good to see you great to see you too you. look just like your mom just like your. mom beautiful shout out my. mom so um yeah a few years ago I kind of.

started getting into the dating scene um. and you know when you don't like the way. you look and when you're overweight it's. already so difficult to set up a profile. just for yourself you're just like. looking at what pictures are kind of the. most strategic and not even in a way. that you want to hide how you look. because I never wanted to hide the way I. looked but it was also just like I just. didn't like any pictures of myself I. just never took any pictures of myself. because I didn't like the way I looked. so just starting off it's already.

difficult and then I remember I would. start talking to guys and before I would. go on a date with them I would always. ask them well just letting you know like. I'm bigger or I'm cier is that okay with. you like as if the way I look needed to. be okay with them which is just so. strange because thinking about it now. it's like well if they didn't like me. then why would they even go on a date. with me and also like they've seen how I. look so it was just it's very strange. that felt the need to do that but I do.

think. that that's the way that a lot of people. feel dating and a lot of women. especially because in dating culture. today and in dating app culture. everything is about First Impressions. and about the way you look um did you. have a question you wanted to ask Dr. Anya or Dr Rachel um yeah so I think. there's like a misconception that. obesity isn't related to mental health. and I guess my question is like why do. people think that and how are they.

really related Rachel you want to take. that yes so great question um and. obesity is related to so much as Dr Ana. had mentioned before it's you know. multifactorial it involves so many. different illnesses and diseases and we. all have mental health and actually. everything impacts our mental health and. if we think of just obesity for a moment. um you know we're talking about not just. weight as we've been saying but we're. talking about the emotional aspect the.

emotional piece even related to food and. eating we're talking about body image. selfesteem self-confidence self-worth. all of that is being impacted by again. our weight our appearance but also the. disease of obesity so everything is tied. to our mental health and that's going to. impact how we act it's going to impact. the way that we think and how we think. about ourselves the words that we use. when we talk to ourselves and that. impacts our emotions as well so it's.

absolutely all rated and I really thank. you for that question because mental. health is so important and we can't be. having this conversation without talking. about mental health and do you have a. lot of patients who share similar. concerns when they first start dating. like Anna sharing yes absolutely um a. lot of people come to me saying you know. I have one client in particular that's. like oh my gosh I'm flirting like people. are flirting with me and I've never. experienced this right so there's that. also that it there's a lot of newness to.

this um and and people again like we. said before are going to treat you. differently unfortunately but it's how. we learn to navigate that and that's. where the emotional piece comes in. because this is different it's something. that you're not used to it's something. that could have caught you off guard. which is why what Dr Anna said before I. want to just highlight that for instance. with bariatric surgery most bariatric. surgery programs require IND indviduals. to see a mental health provider like. myself before having surgery and we talk.

about the changes to expect after. surgery unfortunately with these. medications that is not the standard and. I really wish it was um I do have a few. clients that have come to me saying I. want to start these medications I know. there's going to be changes and I want. to talk about it and get ahead of it. which is amazing unfortunately mental. health you know Services just like. certain healthc care is not accessible. to everybody think so you know you you. all are aware that there are a lot of.

Physicians and you know providers who. aren't even very familiar with the drugs. themselves you know they were just. handed the drugs through the drug. companies or whatever and they don't. even understand themselves how the drugs. work or what to expect and I just think. there needs to be more education for the. Physicians themselves and I know a lot. of people in you know that are not in. Los Angeles not in New York but are in.

you know rural areas and so forth and. their doctors don't know anything about. it and their doctors are still telling. them to go on a diet I mean and in in. terms of the education none of us. learned about this in medical school um. you know I was in medical school nearly. three decades ago we didn't have any. education about obesity um I don't even. think we had a maybe we had one lecture. about nutrition or what food was so. there there really wasn't any of that. and the thing is is we didn't have.

highly effective tools um Beyond. bariatric surgery which of course is a. very highly effective tool but we didn't. have medications and so in essence there. wasn't the education around it because. we didn't have a medical way of treating. we had a surgical way but not a medical. way and the medications these highly. effective medications they come out and. now we're playing ketchup we're trying. to make sure there's enough education in. medical schools and residencies and. fellowships we're trying to make sure. that that happens but it's it's playing.

catchup and in terms of psychological. support super critical thank you so much. thank you Dr Rachel thank you thank you. Anna thank you so much thank you so much. keep keep on Shining keep keep your. light shining keep going and enjoy the. flirting flirt. back flirt back. okay okay 27-year-old juel uh is joining. us from New York City and her mother. Marissa from St Louis the last time we. spoke on the ABC special shame blame and.

the weight loss Revolution Jewel I. remember you telling look at. you. girl I remember you telling us your. highest weight was around 390 and now. what has happened so I weigh myself this. morning because I wanted to be super. accurate for you yeah um today we are. 284 which is 26 lbs since the last time. I saw you and 107 lbs total which is is. crazy crazy w wow and how has your life.

changed honestly it has been so much. more complicated than I anticipated um I. think that I had always growing up in a. bigger body expected that once I finally. got the weight off it would be I'm happy. and this is it that was my only thing. standing in my way um so I I have so. many more options available to me my. life opportunities have opened up in a. way that like make me feel so proud but. it's not without its complications like.

like Dr Rachel was talking about my. mental health has been you know we're. doing roller coasters we're doing. jumping Jack's cartwheels and. somersaults like it's up and down and I. think that I wasn't anticipating that. but the way that I have fought my way. through it I think has given me a level. of confidence that I could not have had. if I didn't go through everything that I. went through I mean even the tone of. your voice is than when I first spoke to. you and the state of weight Marissa what.

changes have you seen in your daughter. since she started on these medications. what have you noticed I I bet it's been. a roller coaster for you two too it's. been great for the most part her her. confidence is up her sense of self is. way up um we talk about weight a lot. less like our conversations are much. more motherdaughter. fun um she's she's thriving as a young. adult now and. living her best life right she's. focusing on other goals besides just OBS.

about weight you know she's taking up. hobbies and American Sign Language and. just you know she focuses on nonscale. victories and you know yeah airplane. seats and going to the theater. comfortably and so it's just refreshing. to watch her live and and to be honest I. feel like she kind of takes it for. granted a little bit like she forgets. where she's come from like she she takes. it from granted a little bit but she has.

come such a long way she's like oh it's. just a lifestyle now no big deal I'm. like girl what girl what so juul do you. have a question for either Dr Ana or Dr. Rachel yeah I do um for Dr to anyna I so. I kept up with Amy who was also on the. ABC special um and we're both content. creator so we keep up together online. and part of my journey was getting over. the discouragement I felt she l. 160 PBS in 14 months my weight loss has.

been a little bit slower so it kind of. feels like the tortoise in the hair and. my question would just be like why why. is that why is it possible for someone. to lose so much weight so quickly. whereas other people just don't yeah. that's a a wonderful question and one. that we hear a lot and you know the Crux. of the answer is that there are. different types of obesity so your. obesity is likely different than Amy's. and your response to a medicine and Amy. had bariatric surgery and took a.

medicine is also different and and. that's that's not a bad thing that's a. that's a good thing right your body is. doing it at its Pace given the treatment. that you are taking and again it's not a. race right so the thing is is the weight. did not come on overnight and maybe it's. a good thing that it's not coming off. overnight right we want to do this. safely we want to do this slowly it. gives you the opportunity to make sure. that you're getting nutrients that you. can exercise and do all the things that.

you love to do so it's not a negative. thing we just got to be patient right. and then just know that over your. lifetime you may need different. therapies right um and right now this is. working for you and keep going um once. you reach a plateau if you're in a. healthy place in terms of your health. and how you're doing and how you're. feeling keep going with it if you need. additional treatment just like Amy reach. out for additional treatment and and and. grab it with 107 pounds have you.

plateaued did you PL I have so I I kind. of for the past three to four months. have been a in a little bit I like I'm. like in the same fiveish pounds but like. honestly I have been really trying to. make peace with that I'm just like my. mom said this is my lifestyle now I'm. not this is not a crash diet this is not. a thing that I'm trying to do hard and. fast I really want to make this stick. and so it's not even a thing for me the. fact that I've plateaued you know I want. to just if my body feels good if I'm.

moving my body if I'm fueling my body. and it decides it wants to be 284 we're. going to chill at 284 and I'm not going. to make a big thing about it that I and. that is such a wonderful approach right. like you have such a wonderful healthy. approach and to your mom's point about. saying like well this is just how it is. now and and that you're starting to take. things for granted I actually want that. for everybody within my lifetime uh and. I'm I'm 50 so we got to hurry up when I. first talked to them they were debating.

whether to even use the and and and. Marissa at the time was like I don't. want my daughter on drugs I don't want. that. happening I'm not sure but in that. audience I saw Marissa's face she had. the same light bulb moment I did when we. heard obesity is a. disease your body's going to always take. you back to that set point that was the. Revelation right Marissa. absolutely it's it really has been a. game Cher and I've been kind of like a.

champion for you know other parents you. know who question and have those same. questions I'm just like you know check. your resistance like check the root of. your. resistance to your child and understand. their experience I've never thought. about um going to the theater and. worrying about the seat in the theater. or that you know you can't sit in the. exit road we have we're tall and have. long legs we prefer the exit roow that.

wasn't an option for her I didn't know. that there were policies for extra seats. I did not understand her experience and. we have a very close relationship like I. really had to educate my ignorance and. thanks to you I was able to do that and. you know I one of the things that I also. love about her that I didn't mention she. has become such a fierce advocate for. her health overall she actually went to. try an obesity doctor and they weren't. great they put her on a crash diet she.

did it for about a week and she was like. you know what she did it because they. were supposed to be obesity Specialists. but she was like this isn't right I. don't want to go back to this and she. stopped going and I was just like. excellent for you yeah ex that would be. a question is sort of how do you find. good doctors what are the questions to. ask since there is a shortage how do you. find good. doctors that are versed in this space or.

at least what questions should you ask. yeah and and you know right now we're in. this place where we're trying to educate. as many providers as we can um and there. are different Specialists that can. prescribe this in fact most of obesity. care is going to come from primary care. providers because they're on the front. lines they're seeing the most patients. and they are going to provide the the. most of obesity care longterm that's. what happens with diabetes too most. people with diabetes are not not treated. by an endocrinologist like me they're. treated by their primary care what I.

would say to you Joel is you did this. amazing job because you said uh-uh this. this does not feel right this is not. right and you listen to yourself you. talked to your mom about it and you went. forward and you actually found the help. that you needed which is so amazing. right and I think right now that's what. we need to do um I think long term we'll. still need to do that right you got to. find the right doctor you have to bond. with them you have to trust them you. have to know they truly believe and know. that obesity is a disease and that.

they're going to help you through that. process and it's lifelong it's a. lifelong relationship with that provider. great to see you all again thank you. juel thank you thank you. Marissa Maggie and her mom Erica are. joining us from Marceline Missouri and. they appeared on the ABC weight loss. special too Erica told us about the. decision for Maggie to take hi y'all you. look so great hi. wow Maggie Maggie to take glp1.

medications when she was just 12 years. old because Maggie was nearing 300 lbs. when she was 12 years old and now she's. lost. 155 lbs and had excess skin removed I. hear how are you doing Maggie I'm doing. great thanks for asking I saw the. pictures of you from the prom how was. that it was so much fun but there was a. tornado so we had to go to the basement. of the school. oh it was fun we still got to do stuff.

afterwards oh. great so how is your life change now. well let's see I got a part-time job at. the nursing home and right now I don't. have any cheer you don't do we don't do. basketball cheer yeah the last time we. talked you had made the cheerleading. team that was so cool and now you have a. job working at the nursing home and I. heard you really like that job it takes. a special kind of person to work at a. Nur home and feel comfortable and be. able to give a service there I'm sure.

they love having you there oh my gosh I. love them yes Erica what advice do you. have for other parents who have. teenagers who are struggling with their. weight I would say my biggest piece of. advice is just keep looking it is hard. to find a good provider and I think that. people are obese for different reasons. and finding treatment that fits you. is a hard process yes yes but you can't.

I could never give up I could give up. for myself but I could never give up for. my. daughter and I know your daughter's glad. you didn't give up I am so glad yeah. yeah and I and you know it's got to be. so hard Erica because you knew for a. long time I remember you telling me that. you all were sitting at the dinner table. and was it some kind of pork something. she was eating before she even had teeth. Maggie was always a really good eater.

even as a baby we would eat dinner a lot. with Papa and Nanny and my father-in-law. at one point giggled and said look at. that she doesn't have a tooth in her. head and she's already eaten a Whole. pork. steak and I remember thinking as a. mother that something wasn't right with. that that was too much food for a child. of her age I really honestly think that. Maggie had one of the most extreme cases. of. obesity that I have ever.

seen in that I mean my mother struggled. with her weight I've struggled with my. weight but I've never seen someone who. just couldn't stop themselves from. eating and that's what Maggie. experienced and you know the date we. found out that obesity was a. disease. was lifechanging for us and to work with. a team of doctors who were willing to. try everything to fix that for her was.

the best thing that ever could have. happened to us I mean they were willing. to try combinations of medicines and. meeting with psych we've met with. psychologists and psychiatrists and. exercise um Specialists and you know. she's had this multi-prong approach. where every tool in the tool box was. implemented to help her out and it. wasn't just one thing thing that helped. her it was a combination of many things.

but I feel like we have finally found a. place with glp1 medications that she can. maintain her weight loss she can. maintain her mental health um for the. rest of her life yeah and one of the. things that was the big aha for me on. the last uh podcast that I did with Dr. Ana was. recognizing that just because you've. lost the weight you haven't solved the. problem of obesity that you still carry.

the Obesity with you and it's just like. managing your blood pressure when you're. taking blood pressure. medication if you stop taking blood PR. pressure medication your blood pressure. goes back up and the same thing is true. with these obesity management. medications and that you will always. have the Obesity and Having the courage. as you have done to be the kind of. mother who did not give up on your child.

you did not give up you have fought the. fight and dealt with the doctors who. didn't believe who didn't know who said. you know you should watch your own. weight and you should watch what she's. eating and all everybody just needs to. steam some more broccoli you know yeah. and and keep moving so I'm so I applaud. you for that I applaud you for that and. I just hope you have the. most wondrous best life possible POS for. yourself Maggie thank you yes good to.

see you both again thank you Erica and. Maggie bye guys before we go Dr Rachel. any final thoughts yes so I think you. know I just want to add the piece that. there's a lot of changes that are going. to happen so if somebody decides to go. on an anti-obesity medication it's not. just about doing an injection once a. week There's a lot that's going to. happen and I think it's important that. people like no that that there's amazing. changes that are going to happen there's.

going to be a roller coaster of emotions. there's going to be changes that you. didn't expect and changes that you maybe. heard from other people and didn't think. would happen to you and the most. important thing that you can do is to. find not just the right doctors but. toine a supportive community and I. understand that not everybody can have a. mental health provider in their back. pocket or afford therapy but having that. supportive Community figuring out who. you're two people are who can lift you. up who can help you navigate this if.

that's you know parents like some of the. moms that have been here or other people. or Amy from our our show last week who. started her own online community with. people who are going through the same. thing I think that's huge exactly yes. right because there's going to be. comments unfortunately there's going to. be different emotions different comments. about food and body shape size and. people need to know how to be prepared. for that and and eventually I think you. get to the place where you can own it. cuz I noticed you know when we started.

out with Brian uh he gave us the you. know how much weight he'd lost and what. his number was before and I know that. for myself and everybody I've ever. talked to about this that there's so. much shame around the number there's so. much shame around the number even going. to the doctor you're standing on one. foot on the scale to take off five. lounds you know because there's just so. much shame around the number and being. able to. reduce that shame and just to be able to. call it what it is is so liberating yes.

yeah I'm so glad you said that because. similar to what Dr Ana said before if. somebody was like oh what are you doing. for blood pressure somebody would say oh. I'm not eating as many salty foods yes. and I'm taking medicine yeah right so I. think that just feeds into the whole. idea that we're trying to change the way. that we're thinking about this because. obesity is a disease so so if you own it. that would be amazing. because then we're helping other people. understand but it takes time it takes.

time it takes time yeah you do everybody. should do it in their own time in their. own way Absolut and I think you know. there's a difference in terms of obesity. that it's external right so you could. take that anti-hypertensive that blood. pressure medicine and it's in your. pocket nobody knows but with obesity. it's external right so it's experienced. in a very different way so everybody. knows when you're losing weight that's. right that's right well I think my. biggest take away from today is that. uh the medical community needs to be. made aware that it is not.

a you don't fix the problem just because. you give somebody the medication that. there needs to be an overall. psychosocial mental approach to taking. these medications especially if you have. a lot of weight to lose. because you shift the way you see. yourself and other people certainly. shift the way that they see you and that. takes adjustment and I agree with that. and I agree with the psychosocial I.

think has been talked about the least. right so we've talked about the diet and. the exercise the physical activity but. the psychosocial has not and you know to. Dr Rachel's point it affects so many. things all at once and it's because it's. change and it's external change that. wanted to do the show right the reason. why I wanted to do the show is because. exactly what Dr Rachel said everybody. who goes through uh a great weight loss. is going to experience some kind of. Psychosocial change and you need to be.

prepared for it right and they've been. doing it for years with bariatric. surgery they just are not doing it with. these medications yeah and and all of. the psychosocial things that we're. seeing now with the medications we've. been seeing for years with bariatric. surgery the relationship changes the. body dysmorphia all of that we've known. about I mean I've been talking about it. for years to my bariatric surgery. patients but now it's becoming something. new because it's now with the medic. as well but it's not new to us and. that's why we need to be having these.

conversations well thank you for being a. part of this one thank you thank you so. much for having you to every time I talk. about this topic I think that we are. barely scratching the surface of the. impact of these medications Dr Rachel. and Dr Ana I thank you so much for your. valuable insights here today and uh. thank you to all of our guests thanks. everybody for listening and for watching. us here on YouTube I hope you'll. subscribe to the opr podcast on YouTube. and follow us on Spotify on Apple. podcast or wherever you listen we'll see.

you next week go well everybody.