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  #1   ^
Old Sun, Mar-12-23, 10:55
doreen T's Avatar
doreen T doreen T is offline
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Default WeightWatchers is adding next-generation weight loss drugs like Wegovy to its program

WeightWatchers has purchased telehealth startup Sequence, which will give customers access to anti-obesity medication.

USA TODAY - March 7, 2023 .. updated March 9, 2023
Quote:
WeightWatchers – for more than 60 years the standard bearer of diet and exercise programs for weight loss – is getting into the medication business.

The company is purchasing a year-old telehealth startup called Sequence, which will give patrons the option to request anti-obesity medication along with their monthly membership.

The details of precisely how the medical care will be integrated into the behavioral health system have yet to worked out, said Gary Foster, WeightWatchers' chief scientific officer.

But after the deal closes this spring, WeightWatchers' members will get the option to request a telehealth visit to discuss medication. If eligible, Sequence's technology will speed the process of applying for insurance coverage for the drugs.

"As a brand leader, we have a responsibility to … look at recent advances in the science and treatment of obesity and think about if and how they fit in our WeightWatchers' ecosystem," Foster said. "We decided this was one that was worth incorporating."

Obesity expert Dr. Caroline Apovian said she's skeptical weight loss can be well managed without an in-person physical exam, but praised the move into medication.

"Kudos to them for doing this," said Apovian, who co-directs the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

A new class of drugs has been shown to help people shed 15% to 20% of their excess weight, the kind of weight loss only possible before with bariatric surgery.

"Lifestyle (change) is very important but it's not going to help people keep the weight off and that's the key," said Apovian, who serves on the scientific advisory board of Novo Nordisk, which makes one of the new drugs.


Details of the deal

WeightWatchers will acquire Sequence for a total of $132 million in a deal scheduled to be finalized this spring, according to a joint news release from the two companies.

Sequence, which launched in late 2021, had about $25 million in annual revenue from approximately 24,000 members as of last month. It offers an automated preapproval process to help patients get coverage for weight-loss medications.

"For those who have insurance coverage, you'll be able to ascertain insurance coverage in short order," which can be challenging for many medical offices to handle and has been a major roadblock for accessing medications, Foster said.

Today, only about 20% to 30% of private insurance plans cover weight-loss medications and government programs do not, Apovian said.

The drug Wegovy (generically called semaglutide), which can help people lose as much as 15% of their body weight, costs about $1,300 a month. Mounjaro (tirzepatide), a $1,000-a-month diabetes medication being tested for weight loss, has shown it can help people lose about 20%.

Foster said he also was impressed with how Sequence's customers spoke about the quality of the service and how easy it was for them to access care. The company has a limited history and did essentially no marketing, he said, but still managed to accumulate more than 20,000 members.

"We're always looking for how we can better serve people with weight management that is scalable, science-based and effective," Foster said.

Weight-loss medications aren't for everyone, he said, but for the people for whom they're appropriate "we want to make sure that process gets done well."


Why offer weight loss medications now?

In one study of 150 WeightWatchers members, participants lost about 6% of their body weight after six months, with one-third of the most active members losing at least 10%.

The new generation of medications, which manipulate natural hormones that regulate fullness, can lead to much greater weight loss.

Foster described this class of drugs, called GLP-1 agonists, as "a significant inflection point in the treatment of obesity."

While most people who lose weight through diet and exercise regain the weight, medications are expected to be taken indefinitely to keep pounds from creeping back.

"This is not a short-term fix," said Dr. Christopher Still, an obesity medicine expert and director of the Geisinger Obesity Institute. "Once you stop these medications, you take away that barrier of appetite and your appetite comes back and the weight comes back."

WeightWatchers' purchase is "a great idea," according to Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, a Canadian weight-loss specialist, who takes some funding from Novo Nordisk.

"Right now, we have a world that treats obesity like a disease of willpower and a healthcare system that's not trained in the medical management of obesity," he said.

In the past, WeightWatchers has contributed to the false notion that lifestyle change can lead to enduring weight loss for many people, Freedhoff said, while in reality thousands of genes and hormones undermine weight loss efforts. "Thankfully, we are finally in an era of safe, useful, tolerable medications that can lead to long-term clinically meaningful change."

The drugs are intended to be used in combination with a healthy diet and regular exercise, so WeightWatchers' traditional plan will help people who are eligible for and choose to use medication, Foster said. As people lose substantial amounts of weight they are expected to lose some muscle, so exercise will remain crucial.

"We're not going away and we're going to continue to help people whether medications are part of their journey or not," he said.


What does WeightWatchers do?

For a monthly membership fee ranging from about $23 to $45 (USD), WeightWatchers provides a point system related to food and exercise, a digital app, branded foods and items and in-person and virtual workshops.

The company has been struggling financially in recent years. Its stock, which sold for over $100 a share as recently as June 2018 closed on Monday at under $4 a share.

Advocates have criticized WeightWatchers for giving people false hope about their ability to lose and keep off weight through diet and exercise, which has been shown ineffective long-term for the vast majority of people.

"Weight Watchers has made their fortune fomenting fatphobia, co-opting body positivity, and selling a product that almost never works," advocate Ragen Chastain said in an e-mail. "The fact that a company that is so morally bankrupt that it has been putting profits over people since its inception might gain the ability to prescribe medications with dangerous side effects is horrifying."

Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity specialist at Boston Children's Hospital, said he doesn't see medication as the solution to obesity, which now includes more than 40% of Americans.

But the newer medications can be very effective at helping people lose weight.

"They're in a class by themselves compared to prior options and there's a lot of excitement about them," Ludwig said.


https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...gs/11415201002/


Disturbing ...
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  #2   ^
Old Sun, Mar-12-23, 15:29
WereBear's Avatar
WereBear WereBear is offline
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They can't spend all this money figuring out how to addict people to their processed food and then turn around and keep saying, "eat less and move more!" when the real problem is processed food addiction.

That’s their real issue.

They can't come up with a diet plan that works unless they tell people to moderate their junk food intake. But if someone tries to moderate their junk food intake, it's just keeping the cravings alive.

The people making money from a problem this big cannot be the ones who fix it.
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  #3   ^
Old Sun, Mar-12-23, 16:05
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JEY100 JEY100 is offline
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This article is so bad in so many ways, I don’t know where to start! Where does USAToday get its writers?
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  #4   ^
Old Sun, Mar-12-23, 16:26
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cotonpal cotonpal is online now
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I need to stop reading these articles. They just make my head spin.

So all of us long term success stories on this forum, successes achieved without benefit of either medications or surgery, simply don't exist. What we have accomplished is impossible, or so such articles and their ilk would have you believe.

Last edited by cotonpal : Sun, Mar-12-23 at 16:34.
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  #5   ^
Old Mon, Mar-13-23, 03:37
WereBear's Avatar
WereBear WereBear is offline
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Our modern world has ramped up an already powerful impulse.

In a world where appearance and status matters more than facts and science, people will cling to their favorite lies.

Weight Watchers started as a support group using a low carb diet. Look at what it's become now.

Like Dr. Atkins said, "No one binges on steak." Yes! No one binges on real food.

These latest "food products" are designed to trigger bingeing. A teen wound up in the hospital unable to stop eating them.

How long will corporate overlords pretend it's all our own choice? Hardly.
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  #6   ^
Old Mon, Mar-13-23, 09:38
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BawdyWench BawdyWench is offline
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Dr. Michael Eades has written about Wegovy/Ozempic several times now in "The Arrow." Bad idea to take it. You lose weight quickly, but if you stop taking it, you gain everything back even more quickly.
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  #7   ^
Old Mon, Mar-13-23, 10:41
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Ms Arielle Ms Arielle is offline
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I looked into this drug. Seemed like hope. A great option to find health. But its a drug with side effects.

Low carb and keto and carnivore and fasting, in a rolling pattern keep cked my unending want for sweets. Stop craving by stopping the beast. Stop feeding it. Even AS keeps it alive.

After much digging I decided this drug was not worth pursuing. Between side effects and the regains , learning how to moderate foods and exercise and such will never happen.

Getting the weight off is easier than maintaining the weight loss. It takes trial and error to find the balance that keeps the weigh oFF.
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  #8   ^
Old Mon, Mar-13-23, 15:42
WereBear's Avatar
WereBear WereBear is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BawdyWench
Dr. Michael Eades has written about Wegovy/Ozempic several times now in "The Arrow." Bad idea to take it. You lose weight quickly, but if you stop taking it, you gain everything back even more quickly.


So they hold desperate people for ransom.
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  #9   ^
Old Mon, Mar-13-23, 20:22
Bob-a-rama's Avatar
Bob-a-rama Bob-a-rama is offline
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It might just be me, but I tend to avoid drugs whenever I can. I wouldn't take a weight loss drug, not trusting the drug company to be honest with any problems. After all, they all have side effects.

When I was young, we had a family doctor who prescribed drugs only when other, more natural methods failed, so I guess that became part of my philosophy, too.

He gave me the arthritis/bursitis diet before he retired, and it cured my arthritis and bursitis with no drugs at all, just with an adjustment to my diet.

If something like that works, I'll skip the medications.

For weight, I'm lucky, keto works for me.

Bob
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  #10   ^
Old Tue, Mar-14-23, 07:04
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WereBear WereBear is offline
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They aren't telling the truth about statins, at all, are they?

In his book Metabolical, Dr. Lustig describes a chain of education, health insurance influence, and big pharma all creating a corporate attitude towards "health." As in, the blackness of their bottom line.

Under this sneaky paradigm, we can only maintain a chronic illness, with drugs. I also suspect they significantly encourage the common attitude of, "I'd rather eat what I want and take a pill." Honesty from the patient, but not countered with honesty from the doctor, who would have to say, "It doesn't work that well."

Not addressing root causes and covering up symptoms is no way to go through life. Especially when it's more miserable that way.

And they don't even touch the addictive nature of the fake food. It's not a "drug" but it is engineering to hijack our brain for their own purposes.
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  #11   ^
Old Tue, Mar-14-23, 08:27
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GRB5111 GRB5111 is offline
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Looked at the headings and sub-headings in this article. Didn't read the rationale behind this move, as it's simply more fiction to influence the masses. The WW method has met with limited success for so long, that now, they're placing their bets in the new GLP-1 drugs that have been transitioned from initial use with T2D patients to people desiring weight loss. The towel has been thrown in with the influence of pharma and the medical communities supported by pharma. It's not hard to guess which of the two, diet or drug, will be favored and responsible for the loss of weight. It's easy to ignore the long-term consequences when you get immediate results and can continue eating in unhealthy ways.
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  #12   ^
Old Sat, Oct-07-23, 10:20
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JEY100 JEY100 is offline
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The Company That Defined Dieting Is Sorry It Told Us to Have More Willpower

Ozempic, Oprah and apologies: WeightWatchers says there’s no shame in being overweight, or in taking new weight-loss drugs



Quote:
WeightWatchers Chief Executive Sima Sistani hears from them all of the time, those customers she thinks her company has failed. They fill her Instagram inbox with messages detailing their years on the WeightWatchers count-your-points program, a frustrating pattern of fluctuating weight that only made them feel like they weren’t trying hard enough.

Today, Sistani has a message for her members: It’s not your fault.

“We introduced the shame for people for whom diet and exercise wasn’t enough,” she said at a recent event, seated next to the company’s investor, board director and the most famous dieter in America, Oprah Winfrey.

For decades, WeightWatchers told the world that weight loss came through sheer willpower—“choice, not chance,” as its founder, Jean Nidetch, said in the 1960s. Now, thanks to new drugs like Ozempic, Sistani is rejecting that blame-the-dieter approach in favor of the view that obesity is an illness—one her company can help cure.

The promise that a doctor’s prescription can eliminate extra weight for good has touched off a seismic moment in global health, and compelled WeightWatchers to undergo its most radical change yet.

So that it could prescribe weight-loss drugs, the company paid $106 million to acquire a telehealth company called Sequence. But Sistani’s biggest change has been cultural, as WeightWatchers wades into a fraught debate: Whose fault is it if you’re fat? And were those decades of WeightWatchers’ count-your-points plans liberating or stigmatizing for millions of customers? Much like Mattel and its reckoning in this summer’s blockbuster movie over the Barbie doll’s impossible proportions, WeightWatchers has opted to apologize for much of what made it iconic.

“We want to be the first to say where we got it wrong,” Sistani said.
. Continues….

https://www.wsj.com/health/pharma/o...cle_email_share
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  #13   ^
Old Sat, Oct-07-23, 12:09
doreen T's Avatar
doreen T doreen T is offline
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The paid access to prescribed weight loss drugs via WW membership is US-only.

Many long time WW members feel betrayed by this move to offer drugs. Especially those who lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off .. they feel their efforts have been invalidated. It doesn't help that WW has recently cancelled their decades-long free lifetime membership for maintainers . Whatever keeps the shareholders happy, I guess.

I actually had a bit of hope that WW was moving in the right direction back in 2018. The algorithm used to calculate points was changed to favour high protein, high fiber, low-glycemic foods; articles on the website encouraged consumption of "healthy fats" from whole eggs, oily fish, avocados and olive oil. Hmmm, sound familiar?? A close friend had joined and let me browse the app on her tablet. A breakfast of eggs, bacon, tomato slices and coffee with light cream cost 6 pts, while a bowl of Special K with skim milk, orange juice and black coffee was 12 pts. Gasp!! Not surprisingly, the high-carb addicts were angry .. Waaahhh, I don't like protein. Bring back my potatoes and fat-free cookies!

I also noticed there was a lot of emphasis on non-weight lifestyle changes .. exercise, stress reduction, meditation and improved sleep. Don't know if they still offer those other things or not, as it seems the focus now is strictly weight loss.

Sima Sistani's background is in online gaming development. Can't help but wonder if she sees weight loss as just another game. Sigh.
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  #14   ^
Old Mon, Oct-09-23, 18:36
Bob-a-rama's Avatar
Bob-a-rama Bob-a-rama is offline
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It's more than will power. It's will power plus the diet that agrees with you.

There are dozens of different diets, some work for some people, others work for other people.

I found keto works for me. I tried a few others first.

Try them all, one at a time for a few months with no cheating, until you find the one that works for you.

And avoid all drugs if you can. Every drug comes with an undesired side effect. Some mild, some severe, and the severity depends on the person taking the drug.

"Drugs are there as a last resort, when everything else has failed." I'm not a doctor, and I'm not qualified to give medical advice, but this is what a doctor told me.

There is no easy way out.

Bob
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  #15   ^
Old Tue, Oct-10-23, 05:27
WereBear's Avatar
WereBear WereBear is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doreen T
A breakfast of eggs, bacon, tomato slices and coffee with light cream cost 6 pts, while a bowl of Special K with skim milk, orange juice and black coffee was 12 pts. Gasp!! Not surprisingly, the high-carb addicts were angry .. Waaahhh, I don't like protein. Bring back my potatoes and fat-free cookies!


For the high-carb addicts, it's not about losing weight. It's about pretending they won't gain weight by eating the foods that have this effect on them. Those thumbnail sized WW desserts, the air-popped popcorn, and rice cakes of the low fat era are still with us.

People are still scared of fat and meat. It's not even subconscious any more. They talk "good fats" but they mean a part of butter per meal. If I skimp on my fat I get sugar cravings. It's no wonder I was trapped by carbs for so long.

It is all about the addictive qualities of food. Now it's been turned up to 11 with science of junk food and the increasing amounts of flat out Not-Food that is making their way into every aisle.

When DH and I go to the grocery store, I've noticed how much we get from circling the outside instead of going up and down the aisles like everyone else. One new thing I see in the meat and seafood aisles are the oven dinners, with an entree and a veg with a pat of seasoned butter, that can go in the oven, and are going to be popular with me in the coming cold season.

It's a much better choice, and not that much more money, than a frozen dinner. Which costs meat prices for mostly-not-meat. Seeing actual butchers return to local shops has been an incredible boost.

So on the one hand we have people who are paying attention, and trying to eat more real food. On the other, we have the people using food as cheap therapy, and it isn't either cheap or therapy.

I think people need more help instead of being preyed upon.
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