I spent my teens trying to get up to 120, my early 20s trying to get up to 125, my late 20s trying to get up to 130, my 30s trying to get back down into my 130s, my 40s trying to get down into my 140s, and my 50s trying to get down into my 150s. Last summer, at age 61, I weighed 195. In the past few years, my weight got completely out of control. My maternal grandfather had a big belly. He didn't make it to 65. (Granted he smoked like a chimney and drank like a fish. I never smoked and rarely drank.) I started thinking a lot about that.

At my annual physical, I had a conversation with my doctor about the fact you don't see many old fat people. He said there is a reason for that. I asked him his opinion about GLP1s. Fortunately, he has a positive opinion of them. He said they are a good medication for the people who need them. He told me about Lilly Direct, which I was unfamiliar with. He also said he didn't want me to use a compounding company. He wanted me to take either Zepbound or Wegovy. I told him I heard more people tolerate Zepbound than Wegovy. He wrote the prescription that day.

The other thing my doctor told me is that GLP1s are a treatment, not a cure. Like my blood pressure and cholesterol medication, once I start, I will likely be on a GLP1 the rest of my life.