Katie Couric discusses 'celebrity weight loss drug,' Ozempic with obesity expert and Dr. Lou Aronne

Katie Couric interviews Dr. Lou Aronne, an expert on obesity and a physician at New York Hospital, on what everyone’s describing as the “celebrity weight loss drug”, Ozempic -- including how it works, and who should (and shouldn't) be taking it.

[karenvest]

I started Mounjaro in mid-July 2022 because I had diabetes. I’m now down 68lbs. I just got new bloodwork (A1c is 5.2) and no longer have diabetes glucose levels. I went from a size 16 to a size 4 in 6 months on doses 5mg to 10 mg. Hit maintenance at that 6 month mark but now to a size 2 at 12.5 mg No side effects.
I haven’t exercised but I have tons of energy and have reversed many other medical issues. After being obese/overweight for 25 years I finally feel like I did in high school. Thank God for this medical breakthrough - life changing!
Update, now 9/12/2023 down to 118lbs from all-time high of 200lbs 5’5”. My A1c is 5.2 & my LDL is 42, overall Cholesterol is 120. My triglycerides were over 1000 now 25. BP 118/78.
I initially lost about 15lbs on WW from Jan-June 2022. Then started Mounjaro in mid July 2022. I lost the bulk of my weight on 5mg-10mg doses. I hit maintenance while on 10mg on Jan 2023. I’m currently on the 15mg dose because I was no longer able to get the $25 per month price. I have to pay $450. So my agreed increase does with the idea of spacing my dosing to every other week for maintenance. So far so good. My insurance will pay for Osempic so that may be a future option I’ll consider. Everything is still going great. My only regret is living with diabetes for 30 years & so miserable for so long. Why couldn’t I have been living the life I have now at 30? I’m now wearing a clothes size I haven’t been in since I was in high school. I’m grateful for my health now just wish I didn’t have to get to 60 yrs old before it happened. Most people I meet now think I’m in my early 40’s so that feels really good. I’m going to start exercising now and doing weights to maintain bone mass etc. Just so thankful for the energy to do it now. I encourage everyone with diabetes to try this. Good luck to all.

[dapcook]

Started wegovy about a year ago, was 330, today I am 242. Life changing!

[MarylandMermaid]

Just had 3rd injection. I began at age 76 5’3” 177 lbs. I’m 168 today. The reason I started Wegovy was for six months, I’d tried intermittent fasting along with 1200 calories, emphasis on Protein, low carbs. I was walking too despite a bad leg. Nothing. Nada. I gained on NOOM. So, I’m doing this as a jump start. Side effects have been nausea & constipation. Best thing is my insurance copay is $20 a month. If I’m depriving anyone of meds, I’m sorry, but I’m tired of struggling without results. I once weighed 232 and lost 80 pounds on my own. I’m trying to be independent and not rely on others in my old age. I’d like to reach 140-145, but mostly I want a bmi much less than 33.
7/4/24 UPDATE: I weigh 148 now. I quit Ozempic four months ago and lost the last 15 pounds by counting calories. The boost I needed was just a boost. The important thing is my kidney values are better and my BMI is 24

[mistyhefner]

I have seen this work with my husband. It saved his life. He was almost 400lbs, people assumed he ate like a pig and was lazy which was not true. He had metabolic syndrome and a doctor put him on ozempic with a keto diet and it changed his life. He has lost over 100lbs and probably has saved his life.

[richardshultz]

Started Ozempic in 2019, Cost me my sence of tast and smell.
My a1c went from 6.9 to 5.2 in six months.
My weight went from 324 to 235. I worked at it really hard.
I stopped taking it, thinking I could conrtol my weight from there. (don't like taking meds)
Sorry did not happen I now weigh 298 and my a1c is 6.1.
I went back to the doctor and got a prescription for Ozempic.
The pharmacy had a waiting list for the script, I was number 140 on the list.
Waited six weeks
Sunday Feb 19, I got a call Ozempic was in stock.
I had it with in the hour.
If you don't think weight control is important get a back pack and put a bag of concrete (80 lbs) in it.
Now walk around all day!!!!
See how that workes.
You would never tell and alcoholic to just drink less and expect it to work.
Why would you expect a fat person to be able to just eat less?

[therealcrissyg]

I've lost over 50lbs and hadn't been this weight in over 20 years!!! This medication is a blessing🥰🙏🏽

[maryjones]

I started taking Ozempic in November 2018, and did so for about 8 months. I was taking samples, as I am not a diabetic. My doctor felt that if I lost some weight, it would take some f the load off of my heart, and maybe my blood pressure would be under better control. I had an acute MI a year before, and the extra weight put more strain on my heart and such. I am 60 years young. If a person can get past the ‘tummy issues’, it works well. For me, it almost made me have an aversion to food overall. I stopped taking it, and now walk more and count the calories I eat each day, which is now working for me. I see Ozempic as having given me a jump start.

[selah]

this is a great interview - however, Katie, i feel that you conducted the interview as though perhaps you don't personally understand the battle of obesity, and that's fine if you have not experienced it in your life. But this guy gets it!!!! I really sensed Dr. Lou Aronne's advocacy for fighting obesity. Thank you sir!! I have been overweight, obese ro weight shamed for as long as I can remember at my earliest remembered pediatric dr appts, sometimes out of legit concerns and out of cultural expectations, but it never worked other than to make me feel ashamed. Now at 48 years old I am 10 months post bariatric (gastric bypass) surgery and I feel more alive and thriving than I can ever remember! A fresh start on life! He is absolutely right that these are life changing treatments and i am soooo very grateful to have had the opportunity to be helped overcome my obesity. I was 248 size 20/22 and now 151lbs size 6!!! Thank you sir for your dedication to all of us "fat kids" out here (That is who I have always felt I was in relation to every other peer) Katie, please try to open your mind to the experiences of the struggle of obesity. Thanks for this interview!!

[Sticky-Situation]

I do have insulin resistant, I've been on it for the last 3 weeks. When I tell you this has changed my life so far I wouldn't be exaggerating. I sleep better, feel less impulsive, have been loosing weight, which is a great motivation to make better choices and move more.

[thegrumpypapa]

So easy for her to have this point of view. She isn't 100, 200+ pounds overweight. I'm 63, I have had 3 back surgeries and can't do a lot in regards to "just exercise". In last 18 months I've been able to go from 275 to 215 as of this morning. I'm no longer looking at having to have my right knee replaced. I can now walk for about 30 minutes at a time which I haven't been able to since before 2001. This has been a life changer for me.

[ramahh]

I truly appreciate that you informed her that not all weight issues are related to behaviors such as over eating or laziness. I personally have done the diets, the workouts and fasting and my body will adjust by slowing down the processing of food and will simply hold onto whatever I do eat whenever I do. This misconception of behavior simply isn’t always the case. I know several morbidly obese people who eat less than “normal sized” people, and can’t seem to lose weight.

[PamelaBrownTheBuzz]

He hit the nail on the head. It is like something is broken in my brain. No matter what I have done. The weight just kept coming on and I lived a very clean and active lifestyle. But it just kept packing. Like something was broken ☹️

[jojoply]

I have never been a binge eater. I have been on steroids for rheumatoid arthritis and severe asthma. The result was morbid obesity. I am also handicapped and movement is hard. I have been on ozempic for a while. I also have congestive heart failure. So far I have lost a bit. Praying for more in the near future.

[daniellebudriss]

65lbs down on Mounjaro and I can tell you it’s been life changing. I have suffered from PCOS since I had my last baby. I didn’t get a period for almost 2 years and couldn’t lose weight no matter what I ate or did. Mounjaro has regulated my body again so much so I got pregnant. I cannot thank these weight loss drugs enough!

[TandyMartin]

I really appreciated his sane and balanced approach. It’s so difficult to weed through the many different opinions. Thanks Katie. Thank you Lou.

[DianebelongstoChrist]

I’m impressed with Dr. Aronne's kindness.

[rejaneserao]

Dr Aronne was my doctor at Weil Cornell and he is just amazing. Now I live in CA and miss him!

[LK-bzsk]

This doctor knows how to do a knowledge transfer and knows his audience. Very good.

[laurabeaudry]

I have been on Wegovy for 8 days. It’s the first time in my life that the food “noise” has quieted. I am watching what I eat and workout 6 sometimes 7 days a week. I was working out 7 days a week before Wegovy but the diet issue was incredibly difficult. I have had mild side effects so far. Took my second dose yesterday. This is a life changing medication. It’s clear that Katie is biased. Tune that out and listen to what the doctor shared. Just as drug/alcohol addicts are misunderstood so are those who are obese. It’s very hard to understand if you have not been obese.

[dianewhitehurst]

I have always struggled with my weight. Up until the age of 50 or so, I had been able to maintain a healthy weight through exercise and a healthy diet. Then the menopause process began. Slowly, my weight began to creep upward. By 56, NOTHING worked! I was told by my primary care physician as well as my gynecologist that it was just a fact of life. By 60, when my BMI passed 35, and both my triglycerides and cholesterol were now firmly in the “high” range, I was told I needed to do something. I am active and conscientious about what I eat. I do not drink, binge, or eat fatty food/snacks. Evidently, eating less than 800 calories and exercising every day was not working because my weight just continued to rise. I was desperate. Mounjaro has been a game changer both physically as well as mentally. After 7 weeks, my BMI is down to 30. Yes, there are people who would benefit if they put away the chips and ice cream OR got up off the couch, but this characterization is not reflective of everyone with extreme weight issues.