Thanksgiving was a holiday that Claudia Stearns hated her whole life. Having battled weight since childhood, Stearns detested the yearly upheaval of worrying excessively about her diet and feeling guilty for indulging on a food-focused holiday.
Wegovy is a potent new anti-obesity medicine that Stearns used to lose over 100 pounds. She claims that since then, the “food noise” in her brain has completely disappeared.
According to Somerville, Massachusetts resident Stearns, 65, “it felt so lovely to just be able to enjoy my meal, to focus on being with friends and family, to focus on the joy of the day last year.” “It was an entirely novel experience.”
Source : NBC NEWS
Stearns’ experience is becoming increasingly prevalent as a new generation of weight-loss medications becomes available to millions of Americans who struggle with obesity. It is also more visible at the times of year when cooking, eating, and a feeling of plenty may characterise and heighten gatherings of loved ones and friends. Both consumers and medical professionals claim that the medications are changing how users think about food in addition to what they eat.
It implies more mental control over mealtimes for some people. Some claim that it lessens the pleasure of social events, such as Thanksgiving, Passover, and Christmas, which are often associated with food.
According to Dr. Daniel Bessesen, head of endocrinology at Denver Health, who treats patients with obesity, “it’s something that really changes a lot in their life.” “They stop making food the main focus and start acting like it’s not.”
sabotaging the celebrations?
The new obesity medications, such as tirzepatide (used in Mounjaro and recently authorised as Zepbound) and semaglutide (used in Ozempic and Wegovy), were first intended to treat diabetes. The weekly injections of medications are now intended to aid in weight reduction, although they function quite differently from diets.
They mirror the potent hormones that are released after meals to control hunger and the brain’s communication of fullness. Studies indicate that users may reduce up to 15% to 25% of their body weight.
“That’s how it works — it lessens the satisfying aspects of food,” says Dr. Michael Schwartz, a University of Washington in Seattle specialist in metabolism, diabetes, and obesity.
Using the weight-loss drugs allows Stearns, who began treatment in 2020, to have a few slices of her favourite Thanksgiving pies before stopping.
She claims that while she wouldn’t feel full, she would be content.
However, since it modifies the experience of joyous and holy festivals that are often centred on exchanges with food—and plenty of it—such a change may have wider ramifications, both religious and cultural.
“My name is Italian. Joe Sapone, 64, a retiree from Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, says, “For us, it’s like going to church, going to a table.” Joe shed almost 100 pounds using Mounjaro and dieting. He concedes that it was an adjustment, but he no longer needed “the food orgy” of a vacation.
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“Disconnecting a good time from what you eat is part of succeeding at this,” he explains. “If I don’t eat that much, will I still have fun?”
Variations in pleasure Thanksgiving
More control over one’s diet is something that many users express gratitude for, especially during the highly heated Christmas season.
“I think I might be pickier about what I put on my plate,” says Trinity, Florida resident Tara Rothenhoefer, 48. After enrolling in a research study in 2020 to test Mounjaro for weight reduction, she shed more than 200 pounds. “I’m not as concerned about the bread. I continue to eat what I like.
However, some medication users completely lose their appetite or have unpleasant side effects like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea that make eating less enjoyable.
According to Dr. Katherine Saunders, a clinical and software specialist in obesity therapy at Weill Cornell Medicine, “I’ve had a handful of patients over the years who were really miserable because they didn’t enjoy food in the same way.”
However, she said, the majority of individuals who have resorted to weight-loss drugs have endured years of physical and psychological hardships due to chronic obesity, and they are happy to find that their appetite has diminished as well as appreciative of the pounds they have lost.
According to studies, when patients quit using the medicines, their appetites return and they often gain weight more quickly than they lost it. Two-thirds of patients who began using weight-loss medications stopped doing so a year later, according to an early review.Thanksgiving
That might be partially caused by the high price and continuous supply problems. However, Dr. Jens Juul Holst of the University of Copenhagen adds that it’s also important to think about the bigger picture of what it means to change an instinctive human motivation like hunger. He was among the scientists that first discovered the gut hormone GLP-1, also known as glucagon-like peptide 1, which later gave rise to a new line of anti-obesity medications.Thanksgiving
Speaking this autumn at an international diabetes conference, Holst provided a philosophical assessment of the practical implications of the new drugs.
“What’s the reason for your weight loss? You’re not as hungry as you once were. Holst informed his coworkers, “That’s because you’ve lost the joy of eating and the reward of having a beautiful meal.” How much longer can you put up with that? That is the actual question at hand.Thanksgiving
Throughout her life, Claudia Stearns has dreaded Thanksgiving, a holiday often connected to gluttony and giving thanks. Having struggled with weight since childhood, she was annually caught in a vicious cycle of diet-related stress and shame. But with the advent of powerful anti-obesity drugs like Wegovy, a new era has begun, one that has altered Stearns’s experience of Thanksgiving and her relationship with food.
The Impact of Wegovy
Somerville, Massachusetts resident Claudia Stearns lost almost 100 pounds with Wegovy and went on a life-changing adventure. Wegovy stands out because it allows Stearns to enjoy Thanksgiving without the usual worry that comes with dietary worries by blocking out the continual “food noise” in her head.
Stearns’ experience is not unique; an increasing number of Americans are changing their eating habits and weight by using this new class of weight-loss drugs. Tirzepatide and semaglutide, two drugs that were once developed to treat diabetes, are now showing to be effective weapons in the battle against obesity, which offers a fresh take on holidays that revolve around food.
Denver Health’s chief of endocrinology, Dr. Daniel Bessesen, highlights the life-changing effects of these drugs, noting that patients often stop making food the focal point of their lives.
Undermining Festivities?
Although there is no denying the advantages of weight-loss drugs, their impact on joyous occasions such as Thanksgiving begs interesting concerns. Tirzepatide and semaglutide are examples of medications that function by decreasing the pleasure derived from eating, so altering the experience of happy and culturally meaningful occasions where food is a major component.
New Jersey retiree Joe Sapone notes that adjustments are necessary but emphasises the benefit of not needing a “food orgy” during parties. But for others, the question remains: Is it possible to enjoy oneself fully without partaking in the delectable treats that go along with these joyous occasions?
Distinctions in Enjoyment
Particularly over the holidays, users of weight-loss drugs express thankfulness for the increased control over their eating. Tara Rothenhoefer, a resident of Trinity, Florida, talks about how she lost almost 200 pounds via a drug trial and is now pickier about what she eats.
However, not everyone has the same experience. Some people claim to have completely lost their appetite or to have had unpleasant side effects, such as nausea and vomiting, which make eating less enjoyable. While some patients may find the new connection with food difficult, according to Dr. Katherine Saunders, many patients find that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
The Repercussions
Research shows that patients’ appetites often return after they stop using weight-reduction drugs, and weight gain might happen faster than the original loss. According to preliminary evaluations, two-thirds of patients stop taking these drugs after a year, citing things like exorbitant prices and supply problems.
Philosopher Dr. Jens Juul Holst of the University of Copenhagen discusses the ramifications of changing basic human drives such as hunger. He wonders how long people can bear losing the pleasure of eating and the satisfaction of a satisfying meal.
In summary
The Thanksgiving table is evolving for many Americans who are struggling with weight as the holiday draws near. Weight-loss drugs provide a potent instrument for changing attitudes towards eating by causing changes in both the body and the mind. But the subtle effects on religious and cultural festivals make us think critically about the wider ramifications of changing how we feel about food, happiness, and customs. While we express gratitude, we can also consider how our experiences and customs during this abundant season are impacted by changing medical advancements.
