WEIGHT

How I Lost 50 Pounds

I don’t care if you think I cheated

I’m posing with a 25-pound bag of flour. When this picture was taken, I’d lost more than 25 pounds — more like 40, but I couldn’t find a 40-pound bag of anything. It’s hard to believe I was carrying all that extra weight all day! (Photo by Harrie Teheux)

I’ve lost 50 pounds since last summer, and yes, I did it with the help of the new weight loss injections. No, I don’t care one bit if you think I did it wrong.

The stigma is real

Some people really enjoy feeling superior to fat people. Online commenters feel free to judge people harshly for using these new drugs, to the point that many users avoid criticism by lying and saying they’re just watching their weight and exercising more.

I won’t judge people for doing what they have to do to keep peace with their judgier friends and relatives, but that approach simply furthers the common misconception that losing weight only requires a bit of willpower and minor lifestyle changes.

If that were true, you wouldn’t expect that nearly 100 percent of dieters regain everything they lose by dieting — plus a bit more. There’s endless motivation to lose weight. It affects our health, our attractiveness and how others judge us. Yet many people who are quite successful in every other part of their lives struggle with their weight.

Oprah Winfrey comes to mind. She built a media empire and we have all watched her struggle with her weight through the years. Nothing worked long-term until these…