Angela Fitch first realized her family history of obesity at 40, when pregnant with her first child and pregnant for the second time. Being an obesity medicine specialist and physician herself, Dr. Fitch knew exactly which lifestyle levers were available and had enough financial means to pull them with force.
After giving birth, she met with her trainer twice weekly to lift weights. Additionally, she enjoyed Peloton workouts every other day while recording all her food intake in MyFitnessPal.
Dr. Fitch struggled for 10 years to lose and then regain the same five to ten pounds, as her blood pressure steadily rose and eventually led her doctor to diagnose sleep apnea.
As she approached 50, Dr. Fitch decided to follow the advice she would often give to patients: she went on medication (and also managed to shed 30 pounds in the process).
Over the years, Dr. Fitch has intermittently gone off her medications while still achieving results. She keeps up the results for some time until stopping altogether again.
At first, her weight dropped. Since it rose again eventually, however, she decided that medication will remain part of her lifelong regimen.
As a coach, how does this story strike you? Does it leave you feeling disappointed or make you think someone has given up or not tried hard enough?
Astound you? That modern medicine has found yet another treatment option to combat chronic disease?
Bring up questions: e.g. about potential long-term effects of being on medication (or whether weight loss matters as long as eating healthily and exercising regularly?).
Dr. Fitch currently holds the title of President of the Obesity Medicine Association and Chief Medical Officer at Known Well, an obesity medicine practice located in Needham, Massachusetts. No matter your feelings toward her story, her experiences illustrate what may initially seem like an uncomfortable truth for those of us working in health coaching:
Behavior change alone may not always be enough to combat obesity; for many with obesity, GLP-1 receptor agonists (like Semaglutide or Wegovy), tirzepatide (Mounjaro or Zepbound), or other weight-loss tools can provide significant and long-term weight loss solutions.
