Please for the love of God, we need to stop using colace!!!!

The one thing I tell my patients with obesity over & over again is to find a form of strength training they enjoy! Yes aerobic activity is great but many often forget the importance of strength training. We are losing muscle & strength as we age!

Obesity is not a “lifestyle related risk factor” as quoted in a research article I was reading. It is a chronic disease with a strong genetic predisposition & neurohormonal dysregulation. Yes, lifestyle factors can contribute to development BUT that’s true for many diseases!

Concerned every health care conference for the next decade is going to become a parade of execs sharing their opinion about AI, and not talking about real, actual health care.

3 common misconceptions about meds to treat obesity that come up in my practice:

1. GLP-1RAs are the only options
2. They are prescribed for short term use, I.e can be stopped once weight loss achieved
3. Insurance will automatically cover treatment because their FDA approved

For my Bay Area folks, catch me on KTVU FOX2 at 9:15 AM PST tomorrow, May 17th, talking about Wegovy & the SELECT trial.

The neuroscience nerd in me is hard core excited!!!!!

Sarcopenic obesity is a huge problem given the rising rates of obesity in an aging & overall sicker population. I’m grateful to have a body composition machine embedded into my clinic to track muscle & adipose tissue changes when patients lose weight.

Just wow wow wow!!! I cannot wait for what the next 5-10 years looks like for obesity pharmacotherapeutics!

Treating obesity with a comprehensive approach is more than just focusing on weight loss. It’s about watching your patient train for a 32 mile hike with their bestie after a 35 lb weight loss; something they weren’t able to do before.

Despite all the negativity about meds to treat obesity, here is a typical clinic week for me:

1. Pt whose knee pain is better
2. Pt who is now off insulin therapy for diabetes
3. Pt whose MASLD has improved significantly

Haters will keep hating but the results speak loud!

I started my physician career in hospital medicine. I quickly realized that although acute care is necessary, my heart is in preventing cardiometabolic diseases & secondary complications. Sadly our healthcare systems don’t value prevention 😔 I want to be apart of the change!

“Food noise” can be VERY distressing to people with obesity. I’ve had patients tell me they find the grocery store a difficult place to navigate given the plethora of calorie dense foods. Some have switched to home grocery delivery to avoid these situations completely.

It took over a year of constant appeals but I almost cried tears of joy when an insurance company finally overturned their denial of coverage for meds to treat obesity for a patient who desperately needs a kidney transplant. It shouldn’t have take a year but I’ll take this win!

Know what all the moms in your life really want?

Bodily autonomy
Parental leave
Affordable childcare
Equal pay
Paid sick time
Safe schools
And more sleep

Most of my patients DO tolerate medications to treat obesity. We carefully titrate dose with frequent follow up to assess response. There is a difference between the care of an obesity med doc & some random healthcare provider with an NPI prescribing these meds at a “GLP mill.”

I cannot wait for the future therapeutics for obesity to get approved! It’s an exciting time!!

The next frontier of cardiovascular medicine #atherosclerosis Small molecule medicines for reducing Lp(a) #heartdisease nature.com/articles/s4158…

“My feet don’t hurt anymore & I can walk around easier”-patient with obesity in Ozempic. I’ll say it again, treating obesity is not about “achieving” a certain body shape, size or weight. It’s about improving health outcomes & quality life all day everyday!

5 obesity truths to accept

1. Fasting is not magical for weight loss outside of calorie deficit
2. Taking meds are not the easy way out
3. Consistency with habits is king
4. Avoid the “all or none” mindset
5. Supplements, “vitamin infusions”, detoxes don’t work for weight loss