Dr Skinny, the man who applauded my efforts, has clearly never had to refuse a chip in his life. Slight diversion: I mention chips – I always mention chips because they are utterly, crisply, saltily delicious.
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A few years ago I interviewed Eric Rimm, professor of epidemiology and nutrition and director of Harvard Chan School’s program in cardiovascular epidemiology. He was the bloke who told The New York Times: “I think it would be nice if your meal came with a side salad and six French fries”. Six chips. And he wondered why there was an instant backlash. I mean, who stops at six chips. Not even Rimm himself, he confessed to me.
I’ve written before about how hard it is to lose weight and how hard it is to keep it off. Yes, I lost all that weight despite menopause. But I am still overweight. People with no boundaries (it’s OK, I forgive you. I don’t have boundaries either) ask me why I can’t lose more. God knows.
But in this kind of environment, we need all the help we can get. And if in 2009, when my GP read me my death notice, there had been revolutionary weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, I would have signed up in a flash. And I would have signed up for life. Never mind the cost.
And yes, it is still a pain. These days, I have both fond and grumpy memories of how it happened after decades of failure. My GP enrolled me in a clinical trial run by the University of Sydney, the Live Life Well program. I have to exercise every day. I still have to think about what I put in my mouth. If I have a blowout one day, I need to really dial back over the next few days. My friends on weight-loss drugs tell me they have also had to rethink how they live their lives. Those using the last dramatic weight intervention – gastric banding – had the same experience.
It’s hard, no matter how you do it. And keeping it off is even harder. If taking weight-loss drugs makes it easier for anyone, sign them up. Late last year, the World Health Organisation urged governments to make drugs such as Ozempic more affordable, publishing new guidelines that endorse them to treat obesity. We should make them free. It would save lives and save money.
Jenna Price is a regular columnist.
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