So… how DID she do it?
I am no stranger to the rumor mill. I went from small schools to small towns and know first hand that gossip isn’t just for playgrounds and celebrities. From childhood to adulthood, it just seems human nature is to observe, judge, exaggerate and share. This may not be the way for everyone, but it certainly is for many.
And nothing gets the rumor mill turning quite like a big change with a little mystery.
“Have you seen Maggie lately? She looks SO different.”
And so the conclusions start jumping…
Gastric bypass? The sleeve? She starved herself? It must have been Ozempic or Mounjaro. Wegovy maybe? Yes, that's probably it.
At first, this drove me bananas. Why was it so inconceivable that I could have done this without assistance? I mean.. Y’all, it took me 6 years. If it takes 6 years, I probably didn’t have much help.
But soon I started feeling differently about this question. It started to remind me of the judgy mom-shame game around childbirth.
“Did you have your child naturally or did you get an epidural?” Don’t dare mention C-section…
As if the natural birthers in this world are possibly better mothers than those who opted for less pain. Or perhaps, the epidural mothers and C-Section mothers were less “crunchy” than the naturals. Insert eye roll emoji here please.
So here are my questions:
Does the method of birth make the baby any less loved?
Just as…
Does semaglutide make the weight loss weigh any less?”
Heavens no.
For whatever set of reasons (rumor has it this is a trauma response), I don’t get easily embarrassed and I will answer almost any question I get asked. I hear this is a boundary thing and I’m working on it.. BUT for my job as a nutritionist at Prestige, I find it a super power.
“So did you take semaglutide to lose the weight?”.. I get asked this at almost every weight loss consult I am blessed to have with new patients at PRM. I love them all.
And here is my honest answer:
No, I didn’t.. but I probably would have.
I remember how defeated and helpless I felt at that first post baby weigh in and sure, I overcame it.
I started working out hard when it was physically the hardest.
I started eating differently when the cravings were in their highest gear.
And yes that’s great, but I’m not sure I needed all that to get to where I am now. Life is already full of hurdles and heartache. I’m already bulletproof.
I wonder though, what would a caring support person have felt like when I got started? What would the encouragement of medical assistance done differently for me? What if I hadn’t taken 6+ years to do it? What if I had had a team?
When I think about it, I smile.
Zero regrets, though. I’m glad I got healthier the way I did because if I hadn't, I wouldn’t be writing this blog and helping the people I work with now. But that’s my journey and I’m not thinking it's for everyone.
So does this mean there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the semaglutide question?
You got it. No surprise there. It’s bio-individual.
Nowadays there are thousands of ways people lose weight. We live in a country begging for it. You get to make your choice, uh-hem choices, the way that makes sense for you at the time you make it. And you get to try one thing now and another later.. depending.
SO..
If you are taking semaglutide to lose weight, I support you. I want you to know that you will only improve your health if you are still doing the work to build up muscle and to lose fat.
I want you to team up with a provider and not just mail order yourself these drugs by some AI assisted program that sees you as a dollar sign.
I want you to know how to feed and move your body in a way that makes your goal weight sustainable once you’ve hit it. And once you’re there, I want you to have an exit strategy for coming off the medication.
I want you to have a maintenance plan to keep your body healthy for the rest of your life.
And for my friends who choose to go the old fashioned organic route, I support you too. Surround yourself with the right people and work with a health coach to keep yourself encouraged through the ups and downs. They’re coming.
Exercise your patience as well as your body and find your bio-individuality so you can do this for the rest of your life too.
And please, do not judge those who chose to get assistance. Cheer them on.
SO to answer the question on how I got healthier… here ya go:
-I took my time.
-I tried a bunch of different lifestyle choices and put myself in school to find the right ones.
-I locked in on the Primal Blueprint and a low carb lifestyle. Like, real low.
-I learned to move my body the way the cavewomen did.
-I enjoy cardio, barre and weights throughout the week.
-I strive for 80/20… 80% of the time I am knocking it out of the park. 20% of the time, I’m enjoying some flexibility.
-And when that number goes to 50/50.. I do some inner work to figure out why, give myself some grace, and get right back to 80/20.
And I am really selective on who I surround myself with.
Remember, you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.
Don’t be afraid to hire a few.
Get a coach. Get a team. Get to work.