At this point you’ve either heard of or likely know somebody taking weight loss medication. It seems to be the latest hot topic in our industry with opinions all across the board.

Please note: Always consult with your doctor or a qualified healthcare professional before starting any medication, including weight loss medications. This blog post is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice.

According to a Pew Research Study completed in February 2024, 53% of Americans who are familiar with weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy believe they are good options for people with obesity or weight related conditions. Of those surveyed only 12% think they are good options for people who want to lose weight but don’t have a weight related health condition.

Some experts say that weight loss drugs can help patients lose weight, but their costs, shortages, and side effects may limit their impact. Common side effects include nausea, constipation, and acid reflux, while rare side effects include pancreatitis. Experts also believe that the popularity of these drugs is “overmedicalizing” a complex condition that should have increased structural support: public health policies that promote healthier lifestyles.

Today, we get to share one client’s personal story of her journey with macro counting and weight loss medication. We applaud her for her honesty and willingness to come forward and hope that her perspective brings value to others who may be navigating similar challenges, offering insight, encouragement, and a sense of community.

Thanks for your willingness to share, Lynne! Please tell us your story.

Lynne: I am getting ready to turn 53 years old, and I have three grown children. I have been married for 32 years, and we just moved into my husband’s home place that we totally renovated. I am a retired school counselor, and I currently work part time as a licensed clinical mental health counselor.  I have had a battle with my weight ever since I can remember. When I was a child, I was called “big boned” by my family and friends and I constantly compared my body shape to others, wanting to be skinnier and prettier. I never felt like I was good enough and put a tremendous amount of pressure on myself to be perfect. After graduating from high school and college as a first generation college student, I became a teacher, and then a school counselor for twenty nine years before retiring in 2023. 2019 was a very difficult year for me, being diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, suffering from severe work burnout, and being told I was Insulin Resistant. My weight just kept getting heavier, and the anxiety and stress were killing me. I joined Stay Fit Mom after Covid in 2021 after I came upon it online while trying to research macros that I had heard people talk about at my CrossFit gym. I was having great success with losing inches and feeling better than I had felt in a long time. However, I couldn’t lose weight (which I now know was because of  the Insulin Resistance) and I became obsessed with the number that wouldn’t budge on the scale . At the same time, we were beginning to remodel a house and were trying to cut expenses, so I decided to give up SFM for a while. I thought I could count macros on my own and that I had it under control. However, by 2023, I had gained over twenty pounds and was at my heaviest weight. My numbers were in the pre-diabetic range, and I was miserable at work, totally stressed and burned out. In February of that year, my Dr. mentioned putting me on Mounjaro for the Insulin Resistance, and I was ecstatic. I decided to join Stay Fit Mom again, because I knew how it had helped me the first time around. However, it was hard to be committed because I had no appetite at all and couldn’t eat my macros. I was finally having success losing weight, so I decided that I would once again stray from SFM. Little did I know how much I needed it. I noticed I began getting back into old eating habits, eating unhealthy foods and no vegetables. However, I was still losing weight. But I looked so much older, and I was losing a lot of muscle. My stamina had decreased in the gym, and my numbers had gone way down. I was getting dizzy spells, and I had no energy and felt drained. In March of 2024, I decided to join SFM for the third time, and this time I am in it for the long haul. Here is what I have learned about Stay Fit Mom. It is a lifestyle, and a lifelong commitment. It is so much more than a number on the scale – it is learning how to properly fuel your body and give it the nutrition and energy that it needs to function at its optimum level. It is about being a part of a community that stands by you and helps you see that you are not alone, and it is about learning to balance the food choices that you make. There is freedom to eat foods that you enjoy, but there are also guidelines to help you get the macros, fiber, and water intake that you need. You learn to monitor your energy levels, sleep levels, and mental levels, and you begin to see a picture of your body as a whole. This is what I love most about SFM – it is a program that teaches you to eat in a way that fuels your body for life. The only person to compare yourself to is the person you were last week. What did you learn from that person, and how can you grow? What was good about last week, and where do you need to give yourself grace? SFM is my lifestyle, and it is helping me to be the healthiest version of myself. That may not be the skinniest version of me, but I have found out that the happiest version of me is a mentally, physically, and spiritually healthy Lynne. 

How has Stay Fit Mom helped you along the way while taking it/ transitioning off of it? What’s your best advice for others who are considering weight loss medications? How can counting macros benefit them while doing it?

Lynne: I am transitioning off of the weight loss medication due to my insurance no longer covering it. There have been some pros and cons. The pros are that I lost 40 lbs and my A1C levels have gone back down to normal. The cons are that I have had a lot of fatigue, low energy levels, and I have lost a lot of muscle. I also feel like I look older since I have been taking the shots. It is also very expensive without insurance coverage. If you are going to consider using weight loss medication, also continue to count your macros, no matter how hard it is to eat. Your body needs fuel, and you will lose valuable muscle; also, the older we get as women, the more we realize we need strong, healthy muscles and bones! Will I get back on the weight loss medicine if my insurance once again covers it? I’m not sure…it’s been really stressful trying to get it in stock over the past six months, but my doctor says that it is a life-long medication that I may need because obesity, heart disease and diabetes run in my family. However, if I were to get back on the drug, I would absolutely stay with SFM because of the reasons I have mentioned. Being happy, fit and healthy are much more important than being skinny. 

Tell us about your experience working with Coach Chelsea specifically.

Lynne: The coaches at Stay Fit Mom are great! Coach Chelsea has been so encouraging and supportive. She also does CrossFit and she knows how important it is for me to feel good in and out of the gym! She always has a kind word and good advice that I carry with me throughout the week. 

What Coach Chelsea has to say about her time working with Lynne:

Lynne is full of life. In our time working together thus far, I’ve seen how passionate she is about implementing macros as a way of life and not something she does for a quick fix. She hasn’t allowed the use of Mounjaro to be an excuse to let her nutrition go by the wayside. It has merely been a tool to treat a biological imbalance in her body to help her life a full life. I admire her for signing up with Stay Fit Mom to ensure she would be making every effort to eat balanced since Mounjaro is used as a weight loss drug rather than what it was created for, to help people who are insulin resistant. She has been a joy to coach, even when she’s having a hard or stressful week, she continues moving forward!! I’m excited to continue this journey with her!! 

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Lynne! Learn more about our next 1:1 coaching session HERE. Reserve your spot in the upcoming session today!