This is great: Let me ask you something, he said (I’m paraphrasing here). Now that you see how much the drug has helped, is it fair to say that there is a profound chemical component to losing weight?
Of course, I said.
So, then, he said, doesn’t it make sense that there was also a profound chemical component to gaining all that weight in the first place?
Congratulations! I’ve considered these drugs but really can’t afford them with the two other VEDs (very expensive drugs) I already take. I’m following the Medicare discussion closely and may be able to try these, too, in the future. I wish you all the best and appreciate your sharing your journey.
Tommy- thank you for this post. Congratulations on your success! To say I can relate is putting it mildly. I was a weight cycler all my life. Lose 40lbs, regain it all plus, lose 60 lbs, regain 80, over and over. Nothing helped stop this cycle til Glp-1. A few years ago,I tried Ozempic and was very sick, and so disappointed. Apparently I was very sensitive to it. Now, finally, microdosing is a real thing. I am on the smallest dose of a new pill, Foundayo, and it is working great. I am not only maintaining my recent loss of 60 lbs, but feel entirely capable of reaching my goal.
Food noise is GONE, as well as cravings for sweets to which I was seriously addicted. Fortunately, I was able to get on Medicare’s Bridge program so the cost is minimal. Yes, it is important to eat right and make good choices.The weight won’t melt away miraculously without the work. But these drugs make it possible to succeed.
I feel so relieved to have finally broken the cycle.
U-Suck FM is a station so many of us listened to for FAR too long. I am also grateful for a GLP-1 to have turned the dial for me. Food noise is a bitch. 40 lbs. down and happier about getting dressed every day than I've been in decades.
Hi Tommy, I used to be a thin guy and then I wasn’t which is what psychiatric drugs will do to you. I jumped to 275 pounds as of July 7, 2025, and then I started Zepbound. In one year one month and four days I have lost 115 pounds! It’s literally a miracle. Thanks for sharing this article. It is so remarkable how much better I feel. I did not know how bad I fell at 275 pounds. I almost have six pack abs today and that has never been true, even when I was almost this low before. Can you believe it? Keep going. It has been helpful for me to weigh myself every day and see the progress. Sometimes I sit at the same weight for a month or more and then magically without any effort five more pounds falls off. Don’t give up and thanks again.
Hi Tommy, A terrific post - encouraging others and answering questions that many are now having. And the exchange with the doctor/researcher about the chemical component is vitally important for many to hear, both those who are struggling with excessive weight and those who are in the "just make better choices" category. It's all so similar to drug and alcohol addictions and makes good sense.
We met when you spoke about Elephant at SFA and I quickly saw that your open heart is a gift to all.
I am in a clinical trial for a new GLP-1, and I am happy to report the results are miraculous. I was only a few percentage points into the overweight BMI, but that qualified me for the study. I am down 12 lbs in ten weeks, but I will find a way to stay on one of these after this study ends for the food noise relief if nothing else. My father fought obesity his whole life, one shortened by his third and fatal heart attack at age 60. Every time I inject myself I think about how many more years we might have had him if these medications were available during his lifetime. Keep it up!
I think the short version is this: GLP-1 drugs alter our body chemistry (mostly in the brain and digestive system) to help us lose weight. What Lee Kaplan is saying is that *something* in the chemistry of overweight people is also one of the reasons we are so inclined to gain weight. It's not clear just what that is yet; it could be physical, psychological or some mix. And it could be different for everybody. But it makes sense that our body chemistry is a part of it.
Thank you for this article. You articulate food noise perfectly. I too am on a GLP-1 (Wegovy) and it has helped me. I am on the lowest dose and the food noise is not entirely good but it is reduced. USUCK-FM is also something I relate to.
I have had slightly high blood pressure and high cholesterol. My body does not tolerated cholesterol meds or high blood pressure meds.
I have found that Wegovy has helped me lose a little weight so my BP is in a healthy range. It also appears to have reduced inflammation because my arthritis is better - joints less swollen and knobby.
I will be having a cholesterol test and then deciding whether to stay on this drug or taper off. I am inclined to think I will stay on it.
Oh Tommy, this is tremendous. Two things: 1. Yes, it IS a great album, and 2. After my big birthday last month, I'm thinking of "Irrelevant Long-Term Side Effects" as my next book title. Now can be pretty important.
I would read the hell out of that book. The side effects in the drug commercials have gone past warning into parody. (I'd like to see a sketch where a medieval doctor has to list the side effects of leeches.)
I've just started these for diabetes, but I too am overweight and food was always my coping skill for life's ups and downs. I would like to see some pounds go as I am overweight, though I am okay with myself if they don't. But I know the voices, less negative self talk but lots of wouldn't that taste greats... lower numbers are the goal but the big side benefit will be dropping pounds, like 70 if things go well. Thank you for sharing your journey.
You're absolutely right that food is one way many of us cope with the good and bad in our lives. I'm hoping you'll find that the drugs will help ease you away from that. Good luck on the journey...
This is great: Let me ask you something, he said (I’m paraphrasing here). Now that you see how much the drug has helped, is it fair to say that there is a profound chemical component to losing weight?
Of course, I said.
So, then, he said, doesn’t it make sense that there was also a profound chemical component to gaining all that weight in the first place?
Genius, right? I wish I'd had that insight myself a long time ago.
Congratulations! I’ve considered these drugs but really can’t afford them with the two other VEDs (very expensive drugs) I already take. I’m following the Medicare discussion closely and may be able to try these, too, in the future. I wish you all the best and appreciate your sharing your journey.
Best of luck and I hope it works out for you! I'm stealing that VED thing :)
If you are on Medicare, check the Medicare Bridge program, running now through 12/31/2027. $50/month!
Grateful for the lesser Tommy
(bows deeply)
Tommy- thank you for this post. Congratulations on your success! To say I can relate is putting it mildly. I was a weight cycler all my life. Lose 40lbs, regain it all plus, lose 60 lbs, regain 80, over and over. Nothing helped stop this cycle til Glp-1. A few years ago,I tried Ozempic and was very sick, and so disappointed. Apparently I was very sensitive to it. Now, finally, microdosing is a real thing. I am on the smallest dose of a new pill, Foundayo, and it is working great. I am not only maintaining my recent loss of 60 lbs, but feel entirely capable of reaching my goal.
Food noise is GONE, as well as cravings for sweets to which I was seriously addicted. Fortunately, I was able to get on Medicare’s Bridge program so the cost is minimal. Yes, it is important to eat right and make good choices.The weight won’t melt away miraculously without the work. But these drugs make it possible to succeed.
I feel so relieved to have finally broken the cycle.
Thanks again for you openness!
Good for you! I hadn't even heard of Foundayo ... I suspect these drugs will get better and better over time. Glad you found one that works for you.
U-Suck FM is a station so many of us listened to for FAR too long. I am also grateful for a GLP-1 to have turned the dial for me. Food noise is a bitch. 40 lbs. down and happier about getting dressed every day than I've been in decades.
Love your article.
So glad to hear this. Yeah, putting on new clothes that I feel like I look good in is a revelation.
Hi Tommy, I used to be a thin guy and then I wasn’t which is what psychiatric drugs will do to you. I jumped to 275 pounds as of July 7, 2025, and then I started Zepbound. In one year one month and four days I have lost 115 pounds! It’s literally a miracle. Thanks for sharing this article. It is so remarkable how much better I feel. I did not know how bad I fell at 275 pounds. I almost have six pack abs today and that has never been true, even when I was almost this low before. Can you believe it? Keep going. It has been helpful for me to weigh myself every day and see the progress. Sometimes I sit at the same weight for a month or more and then magically without any effort five more pounds falls off. Don’t give up and thanks again.
I keep a log of my weight
Congrats, Harry! I know I have a six-pack under there somewhere :)
I keep a log, too ... I weigh in once a week on the morning I take Zepbound. It's so nice to see the numbers get smaller.
Thanks for this. Happy to report they're working for me, too!
So glad to hear this, Rich.
"playing the first Boston album in my head when I wake up"
I'mma want that voice!
Congrats on the weight loss and how positively it has affected you. I'm glad to read this.
Ha! I wish I could rent out a couple of these voices. They're quite entertaining.
Hi Tommy, A terrific post - encouraging others and answering questions that many are now having. And the exchange with the doctor/researcher about the chemical component is vitally important for many to hear, both those who are struggling with excessive weight and those who are in the "just make better choices" category. It's all so similar to drug and alcohol addictions and makes good sense.
We met when you spoke about Elephant at SFA and I quickly saw that your open heart is a gift to all.
Susan! So good to hear from you again. Thanks so much for the kind words. That SFA session was one of the great weekends of my life.
I am in a clinical trial for a new GLP-1, and I am happy to report the results are miraculous. I was only a few percentage points into the overweight BMI, but that qualified me for the study. I am down 12 lbs in ten weeks, but I will find a way to stay on one of these after this study ends for the food noise relief if nothing else. My father fought obesity his whole life, one shortened by his third and fatal heart attack at age 60. Every time I inject myself I think about how many more years we might have had him if these medications were available during his lifetime. Keep it up!
So glad you found this, Nancy! I'm rooting for you...
I would like to know more about the "profound chemical component" to losing and gaining weight.
I think the short version is this: GLP-1 drugs alter our body chemistry (mostly in the brain and digestive system) to help us lose weight. What Lee Kaplan is saying is that *something* in the chemistry of overweight people is also one of the reasons we are so inclined to gain weight. It's not clear just what that is yet; it could be physical, psychological or some mix. And it could be different for everybody. But it makes sense that our body chemistry is a part of it.
Thanks, Tommy.
Thank you for this article. You articulate food noise perfectly. I too am on a GLP-1 (Wegovy) and it has helped me. I am on the lowest dose and the food noise is not entirely good but it is reduced. USUCK-FM is also something I relate to.
I have had slightly high blood pressure and high cholesterol. My body does not tolerated cholesterol meds or high blood pressure meds.
I have found that Wegovy has helped me lose a little weight so my BP is in a healthy range. It also appears to have reduced inflammation because my arthritis is better - joints less swollen and knobby.
I will be having a cholesterol test and then deciding whether to stay on this drug or taper off. I am inclined to think I will stay on it.
Good for you! And thanks for mentioning that it has some welcome benefits in BP and doing pain as well.
Oh Tommy, this is tremendous. Two things: 1. Yes, it IS a great album, and 2. After my big birthday last month, I'm thinking of "Irrelevant Long-Term Side Effects" as my next book title. Now can be pretty important.
I would read the hell out of that book. The side effects in the drug commercials have gone past warning into parody. (I'd like to see a sketch where a medieval doctor has to list the side effects of leeches.)
Losing an entire person is More Than a Feeling, for sure.
I bow to your skills.
I've just started these for diabetes, but I too am overweight and food was always my coping skill for life's ups and downs. I would like to see some pounds go as I am overweight, though I am okay with myself if they don't. But I know the voices, less negative self talk but lots of wouldn't that taste greats... lower numbers are the goal but the big side benefit will be dropping pounds, like 70 if things go well. Thank you for sharing your journey.
You're absolutely right that food is one way many of us cope with the good and bad in our lives. I'm hoping you'll find that the drugs will help ease you away from that. Good luck on the journey...
Tommy,
I appreciate your vulnerability in writing this. I wish you continued success.
Thank you, Nancy...