NEW YORK — Brad Jobling has struggled with his weight since college, bouncing back and forth between a low of 155 pounds in his 30s and a high of 220 pounds. He tracked his calories with WeightWatchers for 10 years, but the weight he lost always came back on. to his 5’5” frame.
A little more than a year ago, the 58-year-old Manhattan resident took a new weight-loss drug called Wigoby. He lost his 30 pounds and started eating healthier and exercising. This is the practice behind many commercial diet plans and decades of conventional wisdom about sustainable weight loss.
But Jobling’s experience also changed her perspective on dieting. He now sees obesity as a disease that requires medical intervention, not just behavioral changes. In fact, he believes he will need to continue taking drugs like Wegoby for the rest of his life, even if they take away some of the pleasure of eating.
“I don’t know how you can maintain[your weight]without drugs,” Jobling said. “Obviously, it’s all a matter of self-control. But with that kind of help, I don’t think it’s that difficult to really maintain a healthy diet.”
Like the lives of those taking them, recent injectable drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes drug Ozempic, are reshaping the U.S. health and fitness industry. These have been proven to be more successful in eliminating unwanted weight faster and easier than consuming fewer calories and burning more calories alone. Its disruptive power is such that it is transforming even established diet companies like WeightWatchers and brands like Lean Cuisine.
Celebrities like Oprah Winfrey have publicly said the drug is revolutionary, but some medical experts believe that companies without expertise are using it with bad advice and unproven treatments. I am concerned that he will start dispensing prescription drugs.
A request too big to ignore
In the 12 months ending in March, at least 3 million prescriptions for a class of drugs known as GLP-1 agonists were written each month in the United States, according to data from health technology company IQVIA. These include Ozempic and Wegovy’s drug semaglutide and Mounjaro and Zepbound’s drug tirzepatide. Morgan Stanley research analysts estimate that by 2035, 24 million people, or 7% of the U.S. population, will be using GLPT-1 drugs.
The world’s leading diet programs have taken note of such statistics and are incorporating the popular drug into their existing subscription plans.
Founded in 1963, WeightWatchers last year acquired telemedicine provider Sequence, allowing its members to receive prescriptions for weight loss drugs. WeightWatchers adheres to a focus on behavioral change as the basis for weight loss, but offers customized exercise and nutrition plans, We have launched a virtual clinic to provide prescription care.
“The weight loss space will be driven by the recognition that weight loss is a health care issue,” Sima Sistani, CEO of WeightWatchers, told analysts earlier this year. “This is a paradigm shift because weight loss has been, and unfortunately still is often, seen as a vanity issue.”
Mayo Clinic, which first offered a weight management plan in book form in 1949, has published an updated version of its perennial bestseller, Mayo Clinic Diet: Weight Loss Pills.
The Mayo Clinic Diet Program now also includes advice on accessing weight loss medications and managing side effects, according to Digital Wellness CEO Scott Penn. It is said that the company has developed an online platform for original programs.
New drugs have made extreme weight “feel more like a medical condition,” he said.
Gyms and diet food companies focus on muscle strengthening
Last year, luxury athletic club operator Lifetime launched a membership program that offers comprehensive medical exams, personalized training and alternative treatments such as cryotherapy. Members of the Miora program also have access to Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs through medical staff at a clinic that opened last year in Minneapolis.
Jeff Zwiefel, executive director of Lifetime Miola, said the new drug is a “game changer” for the fitness industry.
“We have an opportunity, an obligation and a responsibility to work with health care providers to help people achieve outcomes and make sure that is the way forward,” he said.
Fitness chains rely on the idea that people on drugs will lose enough weight to overcome the self-consciousness and physical limitations that have kept them from exercising. Gym franchise Equinox launched a new personal training program in January for prescription holders who want to maintain or build muscle mass while shedding unwanted weight.
The world of drug-induced weight loss is also changing the ambitions of food companies. The brand’s parent company, Glanvia, told investors in February that meal replacements sold in supermarkets are becoming more popular as people turn to weight loss pills and retailers cut shelf space for diet products. Sales of Slim Fast, a series of shakes and snacks, are decreasing.
Because these drugs suppress a person’s appetite, Granbia and other companies market their products as a source of adequate nutrients for people taking GLP-1. Swiss multinational Nestlé SA believes it can benefit from the drug’s popularity and is expanding its Lean Cuisine frozen meals and Optifast protein shakes.
“Diets are cool again,” Nestlé SA CEO Ulf Mark Schneider told analysts in February. “This is something that people were doing quietly on the sidelines, not being sure of their results.”
Promising results and a wealth of unknowns
Dr. Louis Aronne, director of the Center for Comprehensive Weight Management at Weill Cornell Medical College, said studies have shown that about one-third of people lose more than 5 percent of their body weight through diet and exercise alone. In comparison, the drug contained in the diabetes drug Munjaro can help obese and overweight people lose at least a quarter of their body weight when combined with calorie restriction and exercise, a new study shows. It was shown in
But some experts are concerned about companies selling drugs or acting as fitness coaches for patients taking the drugs. Dr Sian Wade, a healthcare consultant at global strategy and management firm Kearney, said she was concerned about the proliferation of clinics with little experience in obesity and related health conditions.
“There is a potential concern for some patients that (clinics) may not have the appropriate expertise on hand to adequately address side effects and nutrition-related issues,” he said.
Because GLP-1 treatments are so new, it is unclear how many patients will continue with them, and some may experience intolerable side effects. Another reason patients stop taking their medications is cost. His month’s worth of Wegovy costs $1,300, and Zepbound costs $1,000.
“New version of me”
Lisa Donahey, a 54-year-old actress and singer from Los Angeles, started using Munjaro a year ago while seeing her doctor to help manage her type 2 diabetes. At the time, Donahey was 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighed 260 pounds, and was a veteran of diet plans such as Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and Nutrisystem.
Since then, her weight has dropped to just under 190 pounds. She goes to the gym. She has always been cast as a character actor and is looking for new roles. Donaghey, who used the drug to “kickstart” her, said she plans to wean Munjaro once she loses another 40 pounds.
“I felt so hopeless that this was what was going to happen to me and I couldn’t do anything about it,” she said. “Now that my weight is under control and a new version of me is emerging, I feel so empowered, excited and hopeful.”