‘NYT Presents: The Weight of the World’ highlights GLP-1 benefits and challenges
The New York Times Presents: The Weight of the World is an excellent and insightful documentary, well-worth a watch. The doc follows three individuals taking GLP-1 medication: Liz Sanchez, Jeffrey Luxmore, and Jennavecia Arrellin. The three share their experiences with the medication, as well as their health history. Jennavecia is 14, participating in a limited trial of Wegovy for the treatment of PCOS. Liz found GLP-1s after discovering she was suffering from lipidemia; even after successful gastric bypass surgery, she saw no weight loss in her legs. And Jeffrey has struggled with his weight all his life, saying, “I’ve lost 64 pounds while being on the GLP-1 drugs. It is twenty-some years of relief.”
It’s an eye-opening look at the positive impact of these medications as we hear from Liz, Jeffrey, and Jennavecia about the results they’re seeing. Jennavecia says, “I feel like a normal girl now,” with PCOS symptoms managed. Liz shares, “This is the first time in my life that I’ve ever been on a weight loss journey and my legs have actually transformed… I don’t think I realized how much I was living in pain in my legs before because I just tolerated it.” But the documentary also explores the devastating impact of stigma. New York Times contributor and sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom says, “GLP-1s challenge our unexamined belief that fat people deserve the way we treat them… who do we judge now?” Virgie Tovar, author and body positivity activist, raises an important question as well: “We’re going to end weight stigma? How? By getting rid of every fat person… at the end of the day, what will happen is we won’t have dealt with fatphobia… We’re not eradicating stigma; we’re eradicating the people who experience stigma.” And from Jeffrey, the lived experience of stigma impacts his willingness to take risks: “I honestly don’t even care about the long-term effects, and that’s where I’m at today… let’s say in five years, I have stomach cancer, and it’s bad, like, I had a good run … just being normal for a while - I would take that [even] if it meant a terrible ending.”
“To really improve people’s wellbeing, we need to focus on ending the cultural obsession with dieting and body image,” says intuitive eating dietician and author Christy Harrison. At TriadHLTH, we’re focused on exactly that. We support women taking GLP-1 medications, and that support includes help with eating and exercise habits, typical hallmarks of diet culture. But our approach is different. We know that many women we work with have been trapped in the diet cycle for years; GLP-1 medication provides an opportunity to end the cycle. Our nutritional support encourages an intuitive eating approach, where members can re-learn to listen to their body’s food cues (without all the food noise). Our movement support focuses on building strength and improving health, not burning calories. And we go beyond just the physical. With mental, emotional, and social support, HLTHYher helps members embrace the “and” - learning to love who they are now AND focusing on building healthy habits for who they want to become.
