Previously at my physicals I would get an entire section of instructions on weight loss and BMI. I have lost no weight since my last visit but have added weight training. My chart noted “normal weight, athletic appearance”. Nothing about BMI other than noting it.
I was just reading in Runners World that Eliud Kipchoge had what would be considered an “average” BMI.
My neighbor recently opened a clinic where she offers weight loss and IV services. She is a NP. The drugs and counseling she offers are evidently expensive enough to require the availability of payment plans. The drugs are primarily used for diabetes but are approved for weight loss. Who decides if this is appropriate for a patient? (Cross posted with ucbalumnus)
Over the years, there have been drugs meant for other things that has a weight loss side effect. Wellbutrin for smoking is one that comes to mind. These drugs are usually associated with minimal weight loss, 10-20 lbs, not the kind of person that would be doing weight loss surgery.
Semiglutide (Ozempic or Wegovy) is apparently quite expensive (>$1,000 per month in typical doses), so ability to pay for it (oneself or through an insurance plan) would be necessary to be able to use it.
“Who decides” would be a provider willing to write a prescription for it.
Yes. Also, perhaps there is a connection to stuff discussed in other threads like bigger and heavier cars and trucks. How many Americans today would be willing to fit themselves and their families into a 1970s car?
My sister who was probably 40-50lbs overweight is getting semiglutide shots at a Med spa (in Ohio) for $350 a month. She’s lost 10lbs in her first 6 weeks. Says she feels nauseous sometimes but thats been her only side effect. Expensive yes but not $1000 a month. My local spa offers them at $425. You only have to have a bmi of 26 there which seems low to me.
I’m not a fan of medical solutions for weight loss but the truth is that a medical solution is likely better than heart disease.
Good point. Or the houses of the 1970s? Square footage got more and more over the years. Bigger Americans need more room to spread out? I know that’s not the reason for bigger houses, but it did come to mind!
Additionally, there weren’t as many households where both parents were working fulltime or even overtime. So many people find it easier and cheaper to pick up a pizza or burgers on their way home from work.
Many households where no one works also eat only fast food. I recall my mother, who worked 60 hrs a week, cooking large meals on the weekend for us to eat during the week. It is not just as a result of working parents.
I don’t know that this is fair. After the racist massacre at the supermarket in Buffalo, many residents said it was an ok supermarket but the ones (same brand) in whiter areas were much better. And these were working people living in a neighborhood where they felt comfortable raising their kids.
Shelf life is a big challenge for produce, especially at smaller stores. I see this from a different angle at a biweekly food pantry distribution. Any excess canned good will keep, but not so for the produce.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are also expensive. I worked in a ‘urban’ grocery store thru college and sure, we had plenty of shoplifting, but the real issue was that the low income community could not afford the more expensive items – name brand vs. house label, hamburger vs NY Strips, for example – so the individual store profits were always low. Store labor (clerks) was also higher-- takes the same effort to stock lower cost items (Coke vs. house brand cola) as it does expensive items.
