In this follow-up to Kelly’s conversation with Dr. Alexandra Sowa, author of The Ozempic Revolution, Chip shares his personal experience with GLP-1 medications like Ozempic. From the unexpected challenges to the ways it’s impacted his life, Chip offers an honest look at what being on this medication is really like.
Kelly and Chip also dive into the stigma surrounding weight loss medications, the shifting perspective on obesity as a disease, and how these conversations are reframing the way we think about health. They explore the emotional side of weight loss—how it ties into identity and self-worth—and reflect on the bigger picture: Is Ozempic just another quick fix, or can it be part of a meaningful, long-term approach to wellness?
This episode is a candid and relatable take on a complex topic, offering insights that go beyond the headlines.
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Chip Dorsch // @chipdorsch
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Hello ship oh la oh right, because you're in Mexico.
I love it. Last week we did our words and
you were like, I'm going to be nestled in home,
at home a lot more.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
And then it's snowed.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Yeah, then it's snowed and you're like, peace out. I'm
going to Mexico.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Oh bye, what are you doing in Mexico.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I'm here for a festival. Els playing the annual crash
My Plaia Festival. Yeah, so came down for that. She's
playing tonight, coming back tomorrow. But we're recording this on Wednesday.
Just for those of you who think we're live.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
I don't really think anyone cares or knows, but thank you,
thank you for learning the listeners, So chips in Mexico.
We are here actually though this this week, you're being
discussed a lot on the podcast, whether you know it
or not. I was just like, yes, I had doctor
(01:09):
Alexander Alexandra Sowah. I think that's how you pronounce her
last name. She wrote this book called the Ozembic Revolution.
If you haven't listened to that podcast, it was very interesting.
She's very informative, and I was telling you who you
are an Ozembic user. We talked about you a lot
because one of my big things in life is like,
(01:29):
I don't like how our culture throws pills at things.
And so seeing this rise of ozimpic as this weight
loss you know, remedy or revolution, yeah, I mean revolution. Truly,
it has been a little alarming to me because I'm like,
here we go again, We're just throwing a pill at something.
How is this long lasting? How is this actually getting
(01:51):
to the root of the problem. What about everyone's health
issues that come you know, the health issues that come
with obesity. And she was very, very informative because she
really made me realize that this is actually a treatment
for the disease of obesity. And what I'm talking about
is the prevention of obesity. So before we can even
(02:12):
get to prevention, you have to treat the disease and
just looking at obesity as even a disease, you know,
because I think.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
That's most people don't think of it. They think of it,
Yeah I didn't before.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
So anyway, it was super helpful for me for just
kind of like helping me understand why this is maybe
a good thing in our culture. And then also she
puts together this whole like program and plan for people,
and she describes it in the book of Ways to
actually change your life and change your lifestyle and not
(02:47):
only to maintain the weight loss, but to actually like
heal your body, which I just love incorporating all of it.
So we had a great conversation. Go check it out.
But obviously on Fridays, we you know, start talking about
what we talked about on Wednesday in our own form,
and so I kind of wanted to just start with, like,
I want to hear how this has been for you,
because you've lost a ton of weight. You look amazing,
(03:09):
and I think you're feeling amazing. More importantly, I want
to hear about your journey and maybe even some of
the pluses and minuses of what you found on ozimpic
or the GLP one medication.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Yeah, so you know I arrived, I was like everyone
watching everyone just like shed a ton of weight around
me or on the internet or whatever. And I finally
found an affordable way to get it done because my
insurance doesn't cover it. And it worked pretty quickly for me,
(03:42):
Like I was just shocked at how quickly it turned.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Off the food we call it food noise.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Okay, and for people that have struggles with weight, it's
there's this noise in your head, like you can drive
by McDonald's sign and you aren't even thinking about McDonald's
and you're like, I want some fucking McDonald's now, and
it's just and you can pass it and not get it,
but then your mind is still telling you that you
want it. And it's it's an addiction to you know,
(04:10):
various forms of food, sugar, whatever they're putting in these
processed foods to make them addictive, and that's a really
hard thing to overcome.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
You know.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Also, you know, we would be remiss to not mentioned that,
like it is a obesity, is a disease, and you know,
it's it's it's not a very far line to have
to cross to be technically medically considered obese, right, you know,
Like I think a lot of us think that it's
these really big people are obese. No, like most people
(04:45):
in America I think are medically obese, myself included. And
it there is, it is a sickness. It's a disease,
and I don't think a lot of people realize that.
And what makes it really unique to other sicknesses is
you have to eat to survive. So it's one thing
if like you want to quit smoking or you want
(05:06):
to quit doing drugs or drinking alcohol, like you don't
need those things to subsist and survive, but you need food.
So it's really challenging because you can't it's really hard
to turn it off. Where this drug steps in is
it helps. It helps curb the food noise, It helps
curb the cravings. So when I first started using it,
(05:29):
when I would sit down to eat, like it's say,
for instance, I would go to a Mexican restaurant I
would eat prior to using ozembic, I would eat a
basket of chips myself without thinking about it, because you're
just sitting there talking.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
You got your market rita, You're just doing it.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
When you think about like the number of chips that
are in a basket, I probably ate like eight full
tortillas myself before I.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Put any real food in my heart.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
And then I would eat all of my fajidas and
you know, call it a meal and think I'd done great.
And then once I started use in the drug, I
would go in and if I ate three chips, I
could barely even touch my food, Like I would just
be full and my body would react to it, and
I couldn't believe it. I was like, I know this
sounds crazy, but I'm full, Like my mind was telling
me I was full.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
And I don't know how it.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Works, but maybe it just speeds up those receptors, because
that is one of the problems is if you eat.
I'm a fast eater too, so it's my stomach would
be full, but it wasn't telling my brain that I
was full yet, so I would overeat. But you know,
my whole point and I don't want to be on
it forever. I'm still using and I'm like a little
over a year in was that I needed a jump start,
(06:40):
and it gave me the confidence and the ability to
move again, to get back into the gym, to start,
you know, doing cardio just to move better, and those
feelings being able to move better feels so much better
than feeling like you look better.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
It really does, Like I can understand that yet when
I was I was at the airport the other day
and I had a really short layover and I had
to run, and I can remember the last time before
I lost some weight having to run, and like just
being like a sweaty fat mask when I got on
the plane and being like really embarrassed.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
And this time I wasn't sweating, I wasn't out of breath.
And I have asthma too, So it's like it's improved
that for me, and it just it it's just a
it's created a different type of pride in myself. And
you know, I have to remind myself every day like
this is a lifelong sort of journey and it's about you.
(07:38):
I've used it to do a full on reset and
I'm trying to learn new habits. I'm trying to wake
up differently, get a different start to my day, all
of those things so that when I do come off
of the drug, I'm prepared to just continue this on
my own.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Yeah, and that's a lot of what that's what this
book is for. And I highly like I am so.
I think Western medicine is wonderful to use when needed.
Like I always feel like I'm kind of bashing pills
and things. I think there's a necessary piece of it,
and we have the science to do things that we
never could do in the past. I just find it disturbing,
(08:19):
especially with the food stuff in our culture because they're
putting so much stuff in our food. I mean, I've
talked about this and talked about this, and I'm going
to keep talking about it because I do think people
are waking up to it. But all of the underlying
chemicals and our food. Even when you're talking about that
Mexican restaurant, I'm like, yeah, and how much stuff was
pumped into that? You know, we don't think about that
(08:39):
when we go see these restaurants, and I notice a
difference between when I'm eating at home versus when I'm
eating out a bunch or like I think a lot
of us during COVID notice that, like when you're cooking
your own food, you know what's going into it. Right
when you're in a restaurant, it could look healthy from
the outside, but there's all these like underlying things in it.
And so that's just my bigger problem typically is I'm like, okay,
(09:03):
but like, why are we not looking at how everyone
got obese or like how everyone got sick. The other piece,
I love that you brought up that, like you have
to eat. It's like sex addiction, you know, like sex
and food are two things that you can become addicted
to the process or the chemicals or whatever it is,
(09:24):
but they're also needed for our survival like as human beings. Yeah,
and so I think it's really important to talk about that,
which she does in this book. But I'm glad you're
looking at it that way too, because you don't want
to like go into like anarexia to lose weight either.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
No.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
And I also think like that is you know, we're
seeing you see reports of some celebrities have been on
this for a long time that probably didn't ever need
to be on it in the first place, right, that
have taken I mean, I think Sharon Osbourne has like
publicly said like don't don't ever do it because she
she's reached a point where she can't stop losing weight
(10:01):
and she looks like a skeleton with skin.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Yeah, and.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
So I mean there's that too, And I know a
couple of people that have gotten so unhealthily thin. But
I think that speaks to the disease because it's a
being a fat person. And I say that with a
little giggle because that's in my mind, that's what I
tell myself. I am, you know, is very mental. You know,
(10:31):
you think about what people think about your body.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
All the time.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Really yeah, and.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
When like you go and try clothes on, you're reminded
that you're fat. Like there's just those things. It's a
very mental thing. So I think it can be a
very slippery slope. When you have someone that's struggling mentally
with the shape of their body that is finally in
a place where they're liking what their body is doing,
that that becomes the new addiction, right, the penalty that
(11:04):
you're not really addressing the problem because the problem is
you've got some sort of bad relationship with food and
you haven't learned how to deal with that. So I
do think that there is as much good as there
is in this drug. It also it needs to be
used responsibly because I do think that if someone is
(11:27):
just an overeater and has.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
A terrible relationship with food.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
It's just the pendulum that's wing really far in the
wrong direction.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
If you get.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
You've talked a little bit about the importance of journaling
and actually emotionally tapping into what is the underlying thing here,
because one of the things you mentioned is that a
lot of times when you get your weight in check,
it can just manifest into another addiction or not, you know,
which is the same for like an alcoholic who gets
sober and all of that stuff. Like a lot of
(12:05):
what we talked about was really fascinating to me because
of the work I've done in twelve Step of just
looking at this in that capacity, because I don't think
I did. And I think it's like a cultural addiction
almost happening that we've seen, and like it's cultural for us.
So it's almost like it's like alcoholism, I guess, like
the way that all of these things are just almost
(12:26):
like normalized here. So it's good. I think it's good
that we're talking about this. And one of the things
that's interesting to me to look at is there used
to be kind of a big stigma around like a
weight loss drug or weight loss surgeries and stuff like that.
And if you notice now it's like openly talked about
on social media, it's very common. Do you see the
(12:47):
shift in this, Like, how do you feel stigma wise
even saying you're on it.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Well, I.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Was very vocal about it from the get go because
I was seeing there was in the beginning, and some
of it was right so because the drug is so
incredibly expensive, particularly in the US, and Kelly shared something
with me last night on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
That blew my mind. So the company that.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Makes makes a Zepic, which is just a brand name
of a semigluetide GLP one medicine. They're a Norwegian company
called Novo Disc and last year they became their there
their income there, they made more money than the entire
(13:30):
country of Norway.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
That's wild.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
They're the most.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
They passed Apple, they're the they're the most valuable company in
the world now. And in the UK it costs like
ninety five dollars a month. In Norway it costs like
one hundred and twenty dollars a month. In the US
it's between one thousand and fifteen hundred dollars a month.
And it's it's it's insanity. So there were a lot
of people that were I you know, I got off
(13:56):
track a little bit, but there were a lot of
people that were angry because it was it seemsingly was
only celebrities and rich people could afford to do it.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Right Now, they're alternative.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
They are other companies that are making semaglue tide that
is the same exact chemical compound and that in fact,
that's what I'm using is through a compounding pharmacy, so
it's a lot cheaper and a much more affordable. It's
still not as cheap as these other countries are getting it.
But I digress. I think there was a stigma because
(14:25):
people were angry that they didn't have access to it,
and so like you would see I mean even with Elle,
my client, when she lost a bunch of weight, like
if she posted a new photo of herself where she
looked pretty and thin, like the comments would just be ozempic, ozempic, ozempic,
and it was like people were mad at her for
being healthy and she was working her ass off, I remember,
(14:47):
but she.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Worked really really hard.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
And to see people like diminish it by just like
pointing out a drug, who fucking cares?
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Like I think putting your We get one.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Body at one life and the body. Our body is
simply just the vessel for us to move around in
the world. It does not define who we are. And
so I think it is really important in this conversation
is for nobody to feel shame. It's so much easier
said than done. Coming from someone who has carried shame
about their body for a really long time.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
I get it. I'm here for you. I know it.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
So I also think it's really important that if you
love your body and it looks different than what you're
seeing on television and on models, then fucking love your body.
That is the point. It is a vessel. Obviously, it
is best to be as healthy as you can, but
there are people that are in bigger bodies that are
perfectly healthy. In fact, I would happily give my blood
work for you to put on Instagram because I've always
(15:48):
had amazing fucking blood work.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
I am a really healthy person.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
I just happen to have a bigger body, and I
just want to keep getting healthier because as I age,
it's going to be harder for my body to keep up.
It's having to work too hard. So yes, I think
that there are stigmas I and I think there's an
industry of stigma that makes a lot of money making
(16:13):
sure fat people hate themselves because the gym industry is
built on it. They're built on those monthly things where
people come in January and they stop going. There's supplements,
there's books, there's I mean, now like with the whole
internet shift to the internet, there's influencers, like people need
people to be unhealthy to sustain business, and the stigma
(16:39):
comes because it a light is it shines a light
on your shame when you step into it. And I
think that, you know, we all need to just work
together to sort of just embrace everybody with love. Like again,
you know, I think obesity aside. We're all on our
own journeys. Like some people have thyroid issues and that's
(17:00):
all it is, is their thyroid is out of whack
and it makes them fat. It doesn't matter what they eat, yeah,
or how hard they work out. And I think it's
just what we need to do as a society is
embrace each other for our uniqueness and support each other
when we're making good decisions. That's it, you know, and
(17:21):
let's kill the stigma.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
Yeah, I think that's I love what you just said
about support each other when we're making good decisions, because
like it just made me think sometimes I actually get
a lot of shit in our friend group for the
way that I eat. Yeah, like a lot. There was
like a year where I was like, eh, I just
don't want to drink. I mean I talked about that
on the podcast. I just was, you know, wanting to
kind of dive deeper into some spiritual work that I
(17:44):
was doing, and alcohol seemed like it didn't fit in
that picture for a minute. And it's interesting though, because
through that I had to get really strong with myself
because I knew, like I knew I was doing what
I needed to do for me and something that was
good for me. But when everyone around you is not
doing that or not eating that way like I do
(18:06):
gluten free, dairy free, and a lot of times when
we go to order, people are like, oh god, you know,
here we go and I'm like, I like, I laugh
about it, but it's only because I have a strong
sense of self in that that I know what's good
for my body and what doesn't work. But it's the
same thing, Like it can literally be anyone and we
all feel the same way. I think everyone kind of
(18:27):
just wants to be a part of with this kind
of stuff. And so when you feel alone or left
alone when you are doing yeah, because I try not
to make it a big thing, other people make it
a bigger thing than I do. But what I've also
tapped into is most of the time when people are
making fun of you, it's because of their own shame.
Like what you're saying is they don't want to look
at the fact that they're not doing that, right. Yeah.
(18:49):
So I'm like, I'm not trying to shine a loud
ya you do you, you know whatever, But I had
to be really strong and you know this is better
for your body because the times where I've tried not
to do that, I do suffer and I like the consequences.
And it's like I want to feel good and I
want to feel good in my body, like you're talking about,
I want to feel help.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
I've definitely seen you.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
I've been with you when you're like, fuck it, I'm
eating this ice cream tonight.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
I don't care what price I pay tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Yeah, And so it's like it really, I mean, because
it's not a vanity thing. And I think I think
the reason why we give you shit is because we've
all been at the table with that person who is
doing it because it's a.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Trend or whatever.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Everyone's gluten free right now, Like we know that it
actually does make you sick.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
So it's like we just give you shit for it. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
I also want to point out too, and this I'm
never really personally affected by this, but something to think
about for everybody out there. When you know someone is
on a weight loss journey and they've lost a lot
of weight and you see them for the first time.
I think you need to be very careful with how
you frame congratulations to them, because when you say to
(20:03):
someone like, oh my god, you are so thin, you
look amazing. Okay, in the moment, that is, it feels
like the right thing to say, but you have to
think about what that person who has struggled with their
body image their whole life is hearing. They're hearing, oh,
you used to think I was fat. You didn't think
I looked good before. And so it is like when
(20:25):
I say support people, support people with kindness, just be like,
I'm so proud of you for how hard you're working.
Acknowledge their work and not their body. I personally like,
I love it when people tell me that I look great,
you know, because I've been dying. I've been dying to
hear that, you know, I've been dying to hear that.
So but I think I only say that because it
(20:48):
has never personally hurt my feelings.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
But I do think that there are a lot of
people out there that it would.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
So I can see it's striving people to get obsessed
with weight loss like you were talking about earlier, like
going to the opposite side because you're you're all of
a sudden getting all of this affirmation for your body
that you haven't previously gotten, and so that gets addictive
too for all of us. I mean, yeah, we all
like validation. That's a really good point. Okay, So saying
I'm really proud of you on this journey, or like,
(21:15):
can you say so hard?
Speaker 3 (21:17):
Yeah, I mean I think you can be like what
what are you doing? Like, Okay, you look like you've
been working hard something like that. I mean I think
it's like and I don't want to discourage people from
saying nice things, right, just just reframe it, okay, in
the same way that like, I'm sure as women like
when people are like, this is my friend Kelly, she's
(21:38):
so pretty, and you're like, I'm also smart, I'm funny,
I'm I own my own business, I do all these
I'm so much more than pretty.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
So I think it's like.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
It's totally understand what you're saying. Yeah, you just don't
want to be pigeonholed. And then also it's like, yeah
that it's a fine line because I mean I think
everyone wants to be told they look great too, but
so yeah, just kind of just trying not to make
such a big deal about.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
Oh my god, and I think you could say you
look great, I just wouldn't be like, how'd you get
so skinny?
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Yeah? You know, well, the one thing I noticed with
you is when you have like when you're working out,
you're taking care of yourself, there's a way you carry
yourself that's completely different. And it's like, so, yes, on
one hand, you've lost a lot of weight and you
look great, but there's also an energy about you that
I can I can see and maybe it's because I
(22:31):
know you so well, but it's like there's a confidence,
there's an energy, there's you feel comfortable in your own
skin kind of so when you walk in a room,
it's it's very different, it is, and so like, oh
my god, whoa, you look great or like so maybe
you can even say like you look like you're feeling
your like feeling good in your skin.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Yeah, something like that.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
Okay, we've kind of mentioned a couple of the things
about talking about weight loss and also like just my
new understanding of obesity after having the conversation with doctor Soa,
(23:15):
because I just didn't understand. And I know that sounds
very ignorant, but I think we all have these things.
The more she talked about it, I was like, this
is no different from any sort of addiction or not
paying attention to what we're doing in our culture, like
kind of just going through the motions of life without
being really present and aware with ourselves. And so to me,
(23:38):
it's like very applicable to very like a lot of
things that a lot of people can probably relate to,
even if they don't relate to obesity. But it is
more than just willpower. And you kind of touched on
this a little bit with like the driving past McDonald's,
So like when you are talking about those kind of circumstances,
can you help people who might not fully understand what
(23:59):
that's like? Is it it's is it like another addiction.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
Of Well, I mean you have to think about there's
so many factors that affect how we think about food. Yeah,
there's advertising, which we're constantly being advertised, especially things like
fast food and snacks. There's also food manufacturing and food
I mean manufacturing, not even just growth, Like when you
(24:24):
think about all the chemicals that they're putting into.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Foods just to taste certain ways.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
I read yesterday that the US is about to ban
red number five.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
They are going to do it. I had read they
were in talks for that.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
But that's great.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
That's one.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Yeah, because it was banned for in nineteen ninety for
a minute and then they pulled it back. But yeah,
it sounds like the FDA is moving forward to remove it.
And yeah, there's just so many factors. And then also
on the flip side of it, like everyone's super attractive
and modeling and everyone's then so there's like an ideal
(24:59):
that has put out into the world that just creates
more shame, which then drives you to your comfort, which
is probably food, and it's a self flfilling prophecy. I
think in terms of just straight up obese too, it
is like when you think about how our media portrays
it too, it is about being fat versus skinny, and
(25:19):
there's no mental there's no mental part of it being addressed.
So it's like when you think of shows like My
six hundred Pound Life, it's kind of like just putting
obesity like front and center, and they're not like talking
about the real issues deeply because they're just trying to
make good television even unlike The Biggest Loser, it was
(25:39):
just like about how much weight you lost and it
wasn't about how much you changed. And I don't know, Like, look,
I don't produce television shows, and I know that the
whole goal is to make entertainment, but I don't think
it necessarily helped because it wasn't giving. And I've read
that a lot of the people that participate on that
(26:00):
show ended up gaining their way back because they were
just being starved and working out too much and it
wasn't a full reset. I'm not really answering the question properly,
but I to get back to your question about like
the McDonald's.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
It is it is just a.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
When you think about food all the time, not only
are you thinking about eating it, but if you recognize,
like I have had the conversation with myself more times
than I could probably count, like when I have a
moment like that, like chip, you don't need a milkshake? Yeah,
but I really want one, But you don't need one. Okay,
I know I don't need it. I'm just I talk.
I can talk myself out of it sometimes and sometimes
(26:39):
I can't. And it really it is having a devil
on your shoulder, and so there is it's not just
a physical manifestation, there is a whole mental piece to
it too. And when you think about the fact that
bad foods are cheaper for you than healthy foods, and
(27:01):
the idea of convenience is so important for work. I mean,
we now live in a society where most households have
two working parents. So coming home and making a really
quick dinner for your family of four, five, six, however
many kids you have, it's a lot on a parent
to have to do that. And let's not even get
started with single family, single parent homes, like that's even
(27:23):
more challenging. And when you can feed a family cheaper
at McDonald's and you can go into the grocery store,
what are you going to choose if you're a broke
single mom or single dad. So it's the system is
broken and not really designed for us to be healthy.
And then you have to think about the rewards to
the medical system. To me, the fact that this miracle
(27:47):
drug that now exists that we've all been dreaming of
is not covered by most insurance. I mean, it's covered
if you've got diabetes, they'll cover it, But if you're
just fat and want to get skinny.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
It doesn't cover it.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
I'm like, that makes me scratch my head because I like,
obesity is the root CAUs to so many other.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Health diabetes being one of them.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Yeah, the disease, all of the things.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Why aren't we try to that It should be the
first thing that insurance companies are covering so that they're
not having to cover all of the other shit that
comes with being overweight. But does the medical industry really
want people to be healthy? Because then you have less
people coming in for shit. So I mean that's the
(28:36):
conspiracy theorist in me. But why the fuck isn't it
covered right?
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Well? I mean I think that's These are the questions
I think we're all asking as a society as a whole,
and I think that they're good questions. I think the
conversation about food and all of the stuff you're mentioning
changing is also a really good conversation. And like you said,
this was like a really good job start for you.
And it's like what doctor Soa told me, where it's like,
(29:03):
you can't treat a disease with prevention. You have to
treat a disease with treatment, and then incorporate prevention. So
to me, it's a it's a whole picture kind of thing,
and it's a whole circle and it's very interesting to
hear about someone's personal journey with it. So I really
appreciate you, and none of the listeners appreciate you being
so open about that.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
And one other quick thing I want to add, because
I did, I you know, in full disclosure, I also
hired I've got a trainer named Will who is It's
everything's done through an app and online and text, so
I've never even met him face to face other than
on zoom. He's in Las Vegas, and that has been
a game changer to me. And I'll admit, like the
hardest part of it all has been getting my food
(29:43):
right because I didn't grow up in a household where
we never had salad for dinner as a side, yeah,
or like a big sat like, I mean, we ate
good and I think my mom thought she was being
as healthy as possible, but there was cheese on our broccoli,
you know, like it was a very American style diet
and I never really learned how to cook. It's been
(30:06):
so it's been the most that has been the most
challenging part and for twenty twenty five is kind of
like I feel like I've gotten I'm committed to working out,
I'm committed to eating better, but the eating and cooking
and that portion is really what I want to focus
on this year, because, like they say, abs are made
in the kitchen, not in the gym. It's so to
(30:28):
you cannot do enough setups to outwork a bad diet.
So and I feel like I've kind of hit a
wall with my weight loss, and so I know that
that is the one piece of the puzzle that I
have to dial in this year, and I'm going to
be exactly where I want to be by the time
I'm fifty.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
They go, yeah, so that's my core.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I do take that for granted too.
I was telling you before the podcast, like I grew
up both of my parents were athletes, you know, they ran.
My mom was like a marathon runner, and so they
ate very well. Like my dad was a football player
at LSU. Like I just grew up with that, and
so I don't know any different, but I've realized how
(31:08):
lucky it is now. And that's what she was telling
me on the podcast, Like you literally there's only very
few people that could survive the changes in our culture
that started in the eighties when I was born, so
basically my whole life, my parents did such a good
job of teaching me still how to eat clean, what
(31:29):
our body needs as fuel. And then I was an
athlete and so I needed that and I was always
very active. So it's just like all these components that
I never have thought about that have really helped me
to stay healthy in this world. But our world is
not set up to teach that, Like, why are we
not teaching that stuff? It kills me. I don't understand.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
I mean, I look back at my childhood and like
sweets and shit were a reward, like bad foods were
rewards for me, of course, And really it's such a
healthy way to think about food, like we only need
food to survive. It is a fuel, it's fuel for
our body. And the way that we've sort of turned
(32:14):
it into a reward. And I see my friends with kids,
it's like, just to shut them up, you'll give them
a bag of EM and M's.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
And it really makes your life worse later though, because
when kids sugar bars, they're terrible.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
Well, and it also it creates an addiction, right, you know,
and it's a condition. It's really a conditioning too. So
it's like then when you're an adult and you're drunk
and you're like, I feel bad, I want McDonald's. Like
you reward yourself with those bad things, if you've been
conditioned to do it, whereas you are conditioned to eat
(32:48):
well because your family conditioned you to do that.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
So you don't know any differently.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Well, like when I eat bad, I just feel it
so bad. Like it's not that I don't ever and
there are times where you know, I'm just kind of
on a like yeah, I need like a fry. I
love a French fry. But like or you know, holiday seasons,
like we're talking about, you're at parties, you're at dinners
or whatever, and it is harder to eat whatever. But
(33:13):
I've been doing it for so long that I'll find
stuff pretty much everywhere that I can eat at this point,
Like everyone's always like, how do you do gluten free?
Dairy free? Actually it's really easy now, Like there's so
many options, and because I know what real food is,
Like I've done a bunch of like whole thirty resets
and like different diets not to lose weight, but because
(33:37):
I actually care about what's happening on the inside because
I feel it like I feel it so drastically because
of how I grew up. I think so right. Anyway, Well,
I know you got to go. You got to go
to this festival and live it up. Hopefully you can
find some clean food. Actually, Mexico has great food.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
They Mexican food is can be very very clean in
health healthy, Yeah, because there's a lot of whole ingredients.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
A lot of friends, a lot of vegetables.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
I had faetas yesterday that were probably the best feet
as I've ever had in my life. And one of
the things that I noted to the people I was
with was they didn't come out sizzling because the sizzling
isn't necessary for heat. That's flash that the American Mexican
restaurants have added if they square oil on the food
that's on a hot plate and its sizzles.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
Mine came out on a regular plate and was so
clean and healthy, and it was after round of a
big mound and it was great.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
It was amazing.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
One of the things I always say to people as
a way to know if you're eating clean or not,
is you shouldn't feel tired after you eat. And I
think in America we're so accustomed to we eat a
meal and then you're tired, you have that lull. Well,
that means there's a bunch of junk in your food.
That's the biggest that's the quickest way to know. Is
because food is fuel, like you said, and so what
(34:58):
you're supposed to feel after you eat. And I think
in a lot of countries when we go out to
eat and stuff, because they're not putting so much junk
in their food, you do feel this way. Like I've
heard people talk about Italy even like they could go
eat a whole pizza and go run a marathon after
like they don't feel heavy and tired. So anyway, if
you're feeling that way after you eat, that's a good
indicator that maybe there's something in your food that's inflaming
(35:20):
your body inside making you tired. And then inflammation over
a long periods of time or long term is the
cause of all disease. So it's like food is I mean,
that is what's making us so sick in our culture,
and that's why there's so much cancer, That's why there's
all this stuff, so I'm glad in some ways that
this is coming around and people at the same time
(35:42):
that people are starting to pay attention to what's in
our food. I think it's the perfect timing. So anyway,
thank you for sharing your story with us. And I
know Chip would be willing to talk to anyone who
is interested in talking about this or going on this
journey themselves or curious about it, so you can always
email us at the Edge at Velvestage dot com, or
if you want to hit him up directly on Instagram. Chip,
(36:02):
what is your insta?
Speaker 2 (36:03):
I'm at Chip Doors.
Speaker 3 (36:04):
It's Chip d r SCCH and I'm happy to give
the information about where I'm getting my compound and pharmacy
stuff from too, so just hit me up.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
And maybe even your trainer since you can do it. Actually,
that's interesting too, So anyway, hit him up for all
that if you want to talk to me about anything.
I'm at Velvet's Edge. And as you guys go into
the weekends and you're living on the edge, I hope
you always remember too
Speaker 2 (36:28):
A casual bye bye
Hello ship oh la oh right, because you're in Mexico.
I love it. Last week we did our words and
you were like, I'm going to be nestled in home,
at home a lot more.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
And then it's snowed.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Yeah, then it's snowed and you're like, peace out. I'm
going to Mexico.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Oh bye, what are you doing in Mexico.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I'm here for a festival. Els playing the annual crash
My Plaia Festival. Yeah, so came down for that. She's
playing tonight, coming back tomorrow. But we're recording this on Wednesday.
Just for those of you who think we're live.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
I don't really think anyone cares or knows, but thank you,
thank you for learning the listeners, So chips in Mexico.
We are here actually though this this week, you're being
discussed a lot on the podcast, whether you know it
or not. I was just like, yes, I had doctor
(01:09):
Alexander Alexandra Sowah. I think that's how you pronounce her
last name. She wrote this book called the Ozembic Revolution.
If you haven't listened to that podcast, it was very interesting.
She's very informative, and I was telling you who you
are an Ozembic user. We talked about you a lot
because one of my big things in life is like,
(01:29):
I don't like how our culture throws pills at things.
And so seeing this rise of ozimpic as this weight
loss you know, remedy or revolution, yeah, I mean revolution. Truly,
it has been a little alarming to me because I'm like,
here we go again, We're just throwing a pill at something.
How is this long lasting? How is this actually getting
(01:51):
to the root of the problem. What about everyone's health
issues that come you know, the health issues that come
with obesity. And she was very, very informative because she
really made me realize that this is actually a treatment
for the disease of obesity. And what I'm talking about
is the prevention of obesity. So before we can even
(02:12):
get to prevention, you have to treat the disease and
just looking at obesity as even a disease, you know,
because I think.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
That's most people don't think of it. They think of it,
Yeah I didn't before.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
So anyway, it was super helpful for me for just
kind of like helping me understand why this is maybe
a good thing in our culture. And then also she
puts together this whole like program and plan for people,
and she describes it in the book of Ways to
actually change your life and change your lifestyle and not
(02:47):
only to maintain the weight loss, but to actually like
heal your body, which I just love incorporating all of it.
So we had a great conversation. Go check it out.
But obviously on Fridays, we you know, start talking about
what we talked about on Wednesday in our own form,
and so I kind of wanted to just start with, like,
I want to hear how this has been for you,
because you've lost a ton of weight. You look amazing,
(03:09):
and I think you're feeling amazing. More importantly, I want
to hear about your journey and maybe even some of
the pluses and minuses of what you found on ozimpic
or the GLP one medication.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Yeah, so you know I arrived, I was like everyone
watching everyone just like shed a ton of weight around
me or on the internet or whatever. And I finally
found an affordable way to get it done because my
insurance doesn't cover it. And it worked pretty quickly for me,
(03:42):
Like I was just shocked at how quickly it turned.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Off the food we call it food noise.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Okay, and for people that have struggles with weight, it's
there's this noise in your head, like you can drive
by McDonald's sign and you aren't even thinking about McDonald's
and you're like, I want some fucking McDonald's now, and
it's just and you can pass it and not get it,
but then your mind is still telling you that you
want it. And it's it's an addiction to you know,
(04:10):
various forms of food, sugar, whatever they're putting in these
processed foods to make them addictive, and that's a really
hard thing to overcome.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
You know.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Also, you know, we would be remiss to not mentioned that,
like it is a obesity, is a disease, and you know,
it's it's it's not a very far line to have
to cross to be technically medically considered obese, right, you know,
Like I think a lot of us think that it's
these really big people are obese. No, like most people
(04:45):
in America I think are medically obese, myself included. And
it there is, it is a sickness. It's a disease,
and I don't think a lot of people realize that.
And what makes it really unique to other sicknesses is
you have to eat to survive. So it's one thing
if like you want to quit smoking or you want
(05:06):
to quit doing drugs or drinking alcohol, like you don't
need those things to subsist and survive, but you need food.
So it's really challenging because you can't it's really hard
to turn it off. Where this drug steps in is
it helps. It helps curb the food noise, It helps
curb the cravings. So when I first started using it,
(05:29):
when I would sit down to eat, like it's say,
for instance, I would go to a Mexican restaurant I
would eat prior to using ozembic, I would eat a
basket of chips myself without thinking about it, because you're
just sitting there talking.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
You got your market rita, You're just doing it.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
When you think about like the number of chips that
are in a basket, I probably ate like eight full
tortillas myself before I.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Put any real food in my heart.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
And then I would eat all of my fajidas and
you know, call it a meal and think I'd done great.
And then once I started use in the drug, I
would go in and if I ate three chips, I
could barely even touch my food, Like I would just
be full and my body would react to it, and
I couldn't believe it. I was like, I know this
sounds crazy, but I'm full, Like my mind was telling
me I was full.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
And I don't know how it.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Works, but maybe it just speeds up those receptors, because
that is one of the problems is if you eat.
I'm a fast eater too, so it's my stomach would
be full, but it wasn't telling my brain that I
was full yet, so I would overeat. But you know,
my whole point and I don't want to be on
it forever. I'm still using and I'm like a little
over a year in was that I needed a jump start,
(06:40):
and it gave me the confidence and the ability to
move again, to get back into the gym, to start,
you know, doing cardio just to move better, and those
feelings being able to move better feels so much better
than feeling like you look better.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
It really does, Like I can understand that yet when
I was I was at the airport the other day
and I had a really short layover and I had
to run, and I can remember the last time before
I lost some weight having to run, and like just
being like a sweaty fat mask when I got on
the plane and being like really embarrassed.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
And this time I wasn't sweating, I wasn't out of breath.
And I have asthma too, So it's like it's improved
that for me, and it just it it's just a
it's created a different type of pride in myself. And
you know, I have to remind myself every day like
this is a lifelong sort of journey and it's about you.
(07:38):
I've used it to do a full on reset and
I'm trying to learn new habits. I'm trying to wake
up differently, get a different start to my day, all
of those things so that when I do come off
of the drug, I'm prepared to just continue this on
my own.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Yeah, and that's a lot of what that's what this
book is for. And I highly like I am so.
I think Western medicine is wonderful to use when needed.
Like I always feel like I'm kind of bashing pills
and things. I think there's a necessary piece of it,
and we have the science to do things that we
never could do in the past. I just find it disturbing,
(08:19):
especially with the food stuff in our culture because they're
putting so much stuff in our food. I mean, I've
talked about this and talked about this, and I'm going
to keep talking about it because I do think people
are waking up to it. But all of the underlying
chemicals and our food. Even when you're talking about that
Mexican restaurant, I'm like, yeah, and how much stuff was
pumped into that? You know, we don't think about that
(08:39):
when we go see these restaurants, and I notice a
difference between when I'm eating at home versus when I'm
eating out a bunch or like I think a lot
of us during COVID notice that, like when you're cooking
your own food, you know what's going into it. Right
when you're in a restaurant, it could look healthy from
the outside, but there's all these like underlying things in it.
And so that's just my bigger problem typically is I'm like, okay,
(09:03):
but like, why are we not looking at how everyone
got obese or like how everyone got sick. The other piece,
I love that you brought up that, like you have
to eat. It's like sex addiction, you know, like sex
and food are two things that you can become addicted
to the process or the chemicals or whatever it is,
(09:24):
but they're also needed for our survival like as human beings. Yeah,
and so I think it's really important to talk about that,
which she does in this book. But I'm glad you're
looking at it that way too, because you don't want
to like go into like anarexia to lose weight either.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
No.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
And I also think like that is you know, we're
seeing you see reports of some celebrities have been on
this for a long time that probably didn't ever need
to be on it in the first place, right, that
have taken I mean, I think Sharon Osbourne has like
publicly said like don't don't ever do it because she
she's reached a point where she can't stop losing weight
(10:01):
and she looks like a skeleton with skin.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Yeah, and.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
So I mean there's that too, And I know a
couple of people that have gotten so unhealthily thin. But
I think that speaks to the disease because it's a
being a fat person. And I say that with a
little giggle because that's in my mind, that's what I
tell myself. I am, you know, is very mental. You know,
(10:31):
you think about what people think about your body.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
All the time.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Really yeah, and.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
When like you go and try clothes on, you're reminded
that you're fat. Like there's just those things. It's a
very mental thing. So I think it can be a
very slippery slope. When you have someone that's struggling mentally
with the shape of their body that is finally in
a place where they're liking what their body is doing,
that that becomes the new addiction, right, the penalty that
(11:04):
you're not really addressing the problem because the problem is
you've got some sort of bad relationship with food and
you haven't learned how to deal with that. So I
do think that there is as much good as there
is in this drug. It also it needs to be
used responsibly because I do think that if someone is
(11:27):
just an overeater and has.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
A terrible relationship with food.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
It's just the pendulum that's wing really far in the
wrong direction.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
If you get.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
You've talked a little bit about the importance of journaling
and actually emotionally tapping into what is the underlying thing here,
because one of the things you mentioned is that a
lot of times when you get your weight in check,
it can just manifest into another addiction or not, you know,
which is the same for like an alcoholic who gets
sober and all of that stuff. Like a lot of
(12:05):
what we talked about was really fascinating to me because
of the work I've done in twelve Step of just
looking at this in that capacity, because I don't think
I did. And I think it's like a cultural addiction
almost happening that we've seen, and like it's cultural for us.
So it's almost like it's like alcoholism, I guess, like
the way that all of these things are just almost
(12:26):
like normalized here. So it's good. I think it's good
that we're talking about this. And one of the things
that's interesting to me to look at is there used
to be kind of a big stigma around like a
weight loss drug or weight loss surgeries and stuff like that.
And if you notice now it's like openly talked about
on social media, it's very common. Do you see the
(12:47):
shift in this, Like, how do you feel stigma wise
even saying you're on it.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Well, I.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Was very vocal about it from the get go because
I was seeing there was in the beginning, and some
of it was right so because the drug is so
incredibly expensive, particularly in the US, and Kelly shared something
with me last night on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
That blew my mind. So the company that.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Makes makes a Zepic, which is just a brand name
of a semigluetide GLP one medicine. They're a Norwegian company
called Novo Disc and last year they became their there
their income there, they made more money than the entire
(13:30):
country of Norway.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
That's wild.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
They're the most.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
They passed Apple, they're the they're the most valuable company in
the world now. And in the UK it costs like
ninety five dollars a month. In Norway it costs like
one hundred and twenty dollars a month. In the US
it's between one thousand and fifteen hundred dollars a month.
And it's it's it's insanity. So there were a lot
of people that were I you know, I got off
(13:56):
track a little bit, but there were a lot of
people that were angry because it was it seemsingly was
only celebrities and rich people could afford to do it.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Right Now, they're alternative.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
They are other companies that are making semaglue tide that
is the same exact chemical compound and that in fact,
that's what I'm using is through a compounding pharmacy, so
it's a lot cheaper and a much more affordable. It's
still not as cheap as these other countries are getting it.
But I digress. I think there was a stigma because
(14:25):
people were angry that they didn't have access to it,
and so like you would see I mean even with Elle,
my client, when she lost a bunch of weight, like
if she posted a new photo of herself where she
looked pretty and thin, like the comments would just be ozempic, ozempic, ozempic,
and it was like people were mad at her for
being healthy and she was working her ass off, I remember,
(14:47):
but she.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Worked really really hard.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
And to see people like diminish it by just like
pointing out a drug, who fucking cares?
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Like I think putting your We get one.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Body at one life and the body. Our body is
simply just the vessel for us to move around in
the world. It does not define who we are. And
so I think it is really important in this conversation
is for nobody to feel shame. It's so much easier
said than done. Coming from someone who has carried shame
about their body for a really long time.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
I get it. I'm here for you. I know it.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
So I also think it's really important that if you
love your body and it looks different than what you're
seeing on television and on models, then fucking love your body.
That is the point. It is a vessel. Obviously, it
is best to be as healthy as you can, but
there are people that are in bigger bodies that are
perfectly healthy. In fact, I would happily give my blood
work for you to put on Instagram because I've always
(15:48):
had amazing fucking blood work.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
I am a really healthy person.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
I just happen to have a bigger body, and I
just want to keep getting healthier because as I age,
it's going to be harder for my body to keep up.
It's having to work too hard. So yes, I think
that there are stigmas I and I think there's an
industry of stigma that makes a lot of money making
(16:13):
sure fat people hate themselves because the gym industry is
built on it. They're built on those monthly things where
people come in January and they stop going. There's supplements,
there's books, there's I mean, now like with the whole
internet shift to the internet, there's influencers, like people need
people to be unhealthy to sustain business, and the stigma
(16:39):
comes because it a light is it shines a light
on your shame when you step into it. And I
think that, you know, we all need to just work
together to sort of just embrace everybody with love. Like again,
you know, I think obesity aside. We're all on our
own journeys. Like some people have thyroid issues and that's
(17:00):
all it is, is their thyroid is out of whack
and it makes them fat. It doesn't matter what they eat, yeah,
or how hard they work out. And I think it's
just what we need to do as a society is
embrace each other for our uniqueness and support each other
when we're making good decisions. That's it, you know, and
(17:21):
let's kill the stigma.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
Yeah, I think that's I love what you just said
about support each other when we're making good decisions, because
like it just made me think sometimes I actually get
a lot of shit in our friend group for the
way that I eat. Yeah, like a lot. There was
like a year where I was like, eh, I just
don't want to drink. I mean I talked about that
on the podcast. I just was, you know, wanting to
kind of dive deeper into some spiritual work that I
(17:44):
was doing, and alcohol seemed like it didn't fit in
that picture for a minute. And it's interesting though, because
through that I had to get really strong with myself
because I knew, like I knew I was doing what
I needed to do for me and something that was
good for me. But when everyone around you is not
doing that or not eating that way like I do
(18:06):
gluten free, dairy free, and a lot of times when
we go to order, people are like, oh god, you know,
here we go and I'm like, I like, I laugh
about it, but it's only because I have a strong
sense of self in that that I know what's good
for my body and what doesn't work. But it's the
same thing, Like it can literally be anyone and we
all feel the same way. I think everyone kind of
(18:27):
just wants to be a part of with this kind
of stuff. And so when you feel alone or left
alone when you are doing yeah, because I try not
to make it a big thing, other people make it
a bigger thing than I do. But what I've also
tapped into is most of the time when people are
making fun of you, it's because of their own shame.
Like what you're saying is they don't want to look
at the fact that they're not doing that, right. Yeah.
(18:49):
So I'm like, I'm not trying to shine a loud
ya you do you, you know whatever, But I had
to be really strong and you know this is better
for your body because the times where I've tried not
to do that, I do suffer and I like the consequences.
And it's like I want to feel good and I
want to feel good in my body, like you're talking about,
I want to feel help.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
I've definitely seen you.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
I've been with you when you're like, fuck it, I'm
eating this ice cream tonight.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
I don't care what price I pay tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Yeah, And so it's like it really, I mean, because
it's not a vanity thing. And I think I think
the reason why we give you shit is because we've
all been at the table with that person who is
doing it because it's a.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Trend or whatever.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Everyone's gluten free right now, Like we know that it
actually does make you sick.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
So it's like we just give you shit for it. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
I also want to point out too, and this I'm
never really personally affected by this, but something to think
about for everybody out there. When you know someone is
on a weight loss journey and they've lost a lot
of weight and you see them for the first time.
I think you need to be very careful with how
you frame congratulations to them, because when you say to
(20:03):
someone like, oh my god, you are so thin, you
look amazing. Okay, in the moment, that is, it feels
like the right thing to say, but you have to
think about what that person who has struggled with their
body image their whole life is hearing. They're hearing, oh,
you used to think I was fat. You didn't think
I looked good before. And so it is like when
(20:25):
I say support people, support people with kindness, just be like,
I'm so proud of you for how hard you're working.
Acknowledge their work and not their body. I personally like,
I love it when people tell me that I look great,
you know, because I've been dying. I've been dying to
hear that, you know, I've been dying to hear that.
So but I think I only say that because it
(20:48):
has never personally hurt my feelings.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
But I do think that there are a lot of
people out there that it would.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
So I can see it's striving people to get obsessed
with weight loss like you were talking about earlier, like
going to the opposite side because you're you're all of
a sudden getting all of this affirmation for your body
that you haven't previously gotten, and so that gets addictive
too for all of us. I mean, yeah, we all
like validation. That's a really good point. Okay, So saying
I'm really proud of you on this journey, or like,
(21:15):
can you say so hard?
Speaker 3 (21:17):
Yeah, I mean I think you can be like what
what are you doing? Like, Okay, you look like you've
been working hard something like that. I mean I think
it's like and I don't want to discourage people from
saying nice things, right, just just reframe it, okay, in
the same way that like, I'm sure as women like
when people are like, this is my friend Kelly, she's
(21:38):
so pretty, and you're like, I'm also smart, I'm funny,
I'm I own my own business, I do all these
I'm so much more than pretty.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
So I think it's like.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
It's totally understand what you're saying. Yeah, you just don't
want to be pigeonholed. And then also it's like, yeah
that it's a fine line because I mean I think
everyone wants to be told they look great too, but
so yeah, just kind of just trying not to make
such a big deal about.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
Oh my god, and I think you could say you
look great, I just wouldn't be like, how'd you get
so skinny?
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Yeah? You know, well, the one thing I noticed with
you is when you have like when you're working out,
you're taking care of yourself, there's a way you carry
yourself that's completely different. And it's like, so, yes, on
one hand, you've lost a lot of weight and you
look great, but there's also an energy about you that
I can I can see and maybe it's because I
(22:31):
know you so well, but it's like there's a confidence,
there's an energy, there's you feel comfortable in your own
skin kind of so when you walk in a room,
it's it's very different, it is, and so like, oh
my god, whoa, you look great or like so maybe
you can even say like you look like you're feeling
your like feeling good in your skin.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Yeah, something like that.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
Okay, we've kind of mentioned a couple of the things
about talking about weight loss and also like just my
new understanding of obesity after having the conversation with doctor Soa,
(23:15):
because I just didn't understand. And I know that sounds
very ignorant, but I think we all have these things.
The more she talked about it, I was like, this
is no different from any sort of addiction or not
paying attention to what we're doing in our culture, like
kind of just going through the motions of life without
being really present and aware with ourselves. And so to me,
(23:38):
it's like very applicable to very like a lot of
things that a lot of people can probably relate to,
even if they don't relate to obesity. But it is
more than just willpower. And you kind of touched on
this a little bit with like the driving past McDonald's,
So like when you are talking about those kind of circumstances,
can you help people who might not fully understand what
(23:59):
that's like? Is it it's is it like another addiction.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
Of Well, I mean you have to think about there's
so many factors that affect how we think about food. Yeah,
there's advertising, which we're constantly being advertised, especially things like
fast food and snacks. There's also food manufacturing and food
I mean manufacturing, not even just growth, Like when you
(24:24):
think about all the chemicals that they're putting into.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Foods just to taste certain ways.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
I read yesterday that the US is about to ban
red number five.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
They are going to do it. I had read they
were in talks for that.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
But that's great.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
That's one.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Yeah, because it was banned for in nineteen ninety for
a minute and then they pulled it back. But yeah,
it sounds like the FDA is moving forward to remove it.
And yeah, there's just so many factors. And then also
on the flip side of it, like everyone's super attractive
and modeling and everyone's then so there's like an ideal
(24:59):
that has put out into the world that just creates
more shame, which then drives you to your comfort, which
is probably food, and it's a self flfilling prophecy. I
think in terms of just straight up obese too, it
is like when you think about how our media portrays
it too, it is about being fat versus skinny, and
(25:19):
there's no mental there's no mental part of it being addressed.
So it's like when you think of shows like My
six hundred Pound Life, it's kind of like just putting
obesity like front and center, and they're not like talking
about the real issues deeply because they're just trying to
make good television even unlike The Biggest Loser, it was
(25:39):
just like about how much weight you lost and it
wasn't about how much you changed. And I don't know, Like, look,
I don't produce television shows, and I know that the
whole goal is to make entertainment, but I don't think
it necessarily helped because it wasn't giving. And I've read
that a lot of the people that participate on that
(26:00):
show ended up gaining their way back because they were
just being starved and working out too much and it
wasn't a full reset. I'm not really answering the question properly,
but I to get back to your question about like
the McDonald's.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
It is it is just a.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
When you think about food all the time, not only
are you thinking about eating it, but if you recognize,
like I have had the conversation with myself more times
than I could probably count, like when I have a
moment like that, like chip, you don't need a milkshake? Yeah,
but I really want one, But you don't need one. Okay,
I know I don't need it. I'm just I talk.
I can talk myself out of it sometimes and sometimes
(26:39):
I can't. And it really it is having a devil
on your shoulder, and so there is it's not just
a physical manifestation, there is a whole mental piece to
it too. And when you think about the fact that
bad foods are cheaper for you than healthy foods, and
(27:01):
the idea of convenience is so important for work. I mean,
we now live in a society where most households have
two working parents. So coming home and making a really
quick dinner for your family of four, five, six, however
many kids you have, it's a lot on a parent
to have to do that. And let's not even get
started with single family, single parent homes, like that's even
(27:23):
more challenging. And when you can feed a family cheaper
at McDonald's and you can go into the grocery store,
what are you going to choose if you're a broke
single mom or single dad. So it's the system is
broken and not really designed for us to be healthy.
And then you have to think about the rewards to
the medical system. To me, the fact that this miracle
(27:47):
drug that now exists that we've all been dreaming of
is not covered by most insurance. I mean, it's covered
if you've got diabetes, they'll cover it, But if you're
just fat and want to get skinny.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
It doesn't cover it.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
I'm like, that makes me scratch my head because I like,
obesity is the root CAUs to so many other.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Health diabetes being one of them.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Yeah, the disease, all of the things.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Why aren't we try to that It should be the
first thing that insurance companies are covering so that they're
not having to cover all of the other shit that
comes with being overweight. But does the medical industry really
want people to be healthy? Because then you have less
people coming in for shit. So I mean that's the
(28:36):
conspiracy theorist in me. But why the fuck isn't it
covered right?
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Well? I mean I think that's These are the questions
I think we're all asking as a society as a whole,
and I think that they're good questions. I think the
conversation about food and all of the stuff you're mentioning
changing is also a really good conversation. And like you said,
this was like a really good job start for you.
And it's like what doctor Soa told me, where it's like,
(29:03):
you can't treat a disease with prevention. You have to
treat a disease with treatment, and then incorporate prevention. So
to me, it's a it's a whole picture kind of thing,
and it's a whole circle and it's very interesting to
hear about someone's personal journey with it. So I really
appreciate you, and none of the listeners appreciate you being
so open about that.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
And one other quick thing I want to add, because
I did, I you know, in full disclosure, I also
hired I've got a trainer named Will who is It's
everything's done through an app and online and text, so
I've never even met him face to face other than
on zoom. He's in Las Vegas, and that has been
a game changer to me. And I'll admit, like the
hardest part of it all has been getting my food
(29:43):
right because I didn't grow up in a household where
we never had salad for dinner as a side, yeah,
or like a big sat like, I mean, we ate
good and I think my mom thought she was being
as healthy as possible, but there was cheese on our broccoli,
you know, like it was a very American style diet
and I never really learned how to cook. It's been
(30:06):
so it's been the most that has been the most
challenging part and for twenty twenty five is kind of
like I feel like I've gotten I'm committed to working out,
I'm committed to eating better, but the eating and cooking
and that portion is really what I want to focus
on this year, because, like they say, abs are made
in the kitchen, not in the gym. It's so to
(30:28):
you cannot do enough setups to outwork a bad diet.
So and I feel like I've kind of hit a
wall with my weight loss, and so I know that
that is the one piece of the puzzle that I
have to dial in this year, and I'm going to
be exactly where I want to be by the time
I'm fifty.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
They go, yeah, so that's my core.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I do take that for granted too.
I was telling you before the podcast, like I grew
up both of my parents were athletes, you know, they ran.
My mom was like a marathon runner, and so they
ate very well. Like my dad was a football player
at LSU. Like I just grew up with that, and
so I don't know any different, but I've realized how
(31:08):
lucky it is now. And that's what she was telling
me on the podcast, Like you literally there's only very
few people that could survive the changes in our culture
that started in the eighties when I was born, so
basically my whole life, my parents did such a good
job of teaching me still how to eat clean, what
(31:29):
our body needs as fuel. And then I was an
athlete and so I needed that and I was always
very active. So it's just like all these components that
I never have thought about that have really helped me
to stay healthy in this world. But our world is
not set up to teach that, Like, why are we
not teaching that stuff? It kills me. I don't understand.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
I mean, I look back at my childhood and like
sweets and shit were a reward, like bad foods were
rewards for me, of course, And really it's such a
healthy way to think about food, like we only need
food to survive. It is a fuel, it's fuel for
our body. And the way that we've sort of turned
(32:14):
it into a reward. And I see my friends with kids,
it's like, just to shut them up, you'll give them
a bag of EM and M's.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
And it really makes your life worse later though, because
when kids sugar bars, they're terrible.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
Well, and it also it creates an addiction, right, you know,
and it's a condition. It's really a conditioning too. So
it's like then when you're an adult and you're drunk
and you're like, I feel bad, I want McDonald's. Like
you reward yourself with those bad things, if you've been
conditioned to do it, whereas you are conditioned to eat
(32:48):
well because your family conditioned you to do that.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
So you don't know any differently.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Well, like when I eat bad, I just feel it
so bad. Like it's not that I don't ever and
there are times where you know, I'm just kind of
on a like yeah, I need like a fry. I
love a French fry. But like or you know, holiday seasons,
like we're talking about, you're at parties, you're at dinners
or whatever, and it is harder to eat whatever. But
(33:13):
I've been doing it for so long that I'll find
stuff pretty much everywhere that I can eat at this point,
Like everyone's always like, how do you do gluten free?
Dairy free? Actually it's really easy now, Like there's so
many options, and because I know what real food is,
Like I've done a bunch of like whole thirty resets
and like different diets not to lose weight, but because
(33:37):
I actually care about what's happening on the inside because
I feel it like I feel it so drastically because
of how I grew up. I think so right. Anyway, Well,
I know you got to go. You got to go
to this festival and live it up. Hopefully you can
find some clean food. Actually, Mexico has great food.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
They Mexican food is can be very very clean in
health healthy, Yeah, because there's a lot of whole ingredients.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
A lot of friends, a lot of vegetables.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
I had faetas yesterday that were probably the best feet
as I've ever had in my life. And one of
the things that I noted to the people I was
with was they didn't come out sizzling because the sizzling
isn't necessary for heat. That's flash that the American Mexican
restaurants have added if they square oil on the food
that's on a hot plate and its sizzles.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
Mine came out on a regular plate and was so
clean and healthy, and it was after round of a
big mound and it was great.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
It was amazing.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
One of the things I always say to people as
a way to know if you're eating clean or not,
is you shouldn't feel tired after you eat. And I
think in America we're so accustomed to we eat a
meal and then you're tired, you have that lull. Well,
that means there's a bunch of junk in your food.
That's the biggest that's the quickest way to know. Is
because food is fuel, like you said, and so what
(34:58):
you're supposed to feel after you eat. And I think
in a lot of countries when we go out to
eat and stuff, because they're not putting so much junk
in their food, you do feel this way. Like I've
heard people talk about Italy even like they could go
eat a whole pizza and go run a marathon after
like they don't feel heavy and tired. So anyway, if
you're feeling that way after you eat, that's a good
indicator that maybe there's something in your food that's inflaming
(35:20):
your body inside making you tired. And then inflammation over
a long periods of time or long term is the
cause of all disease. So it's like food is I mean,
that is what's making us so sick in our culture,
and that's why there's so much cancer, That's why there's
all this stuff, so I'm glad in some ways that
this is coming around and people at the same time
(35:42):
that people are starting to pay attention to what's in
our food. I think it's the perfect timing. So anyway,
thank you for sharing your story with us. And I
know Chip would be willing to talk to anyone who
is interested in talking about this or going on this
journey themselves or curious about it, so you can always
email us at the Edge at Velvestage dot com, or
if you want to hit him up directly on Instagram. Chip,
(36:02):
what is your insta?
Speaker 2 (36:03):
I'm at Chip Doors.
Speaker 3 (36:04):
It's Chip d r SCCH and I'm happy to give
the information about where I'm getting my compound and pharmacy
stuff from too, so just hit me up.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
And maybe even your trainer since you can do it. Actually,
that's interesting too, So anyway, hit him up for all
that if you want to talk to me about anything.
I'm at Velvet's Edge. And as you guys go into
the weekends and you're living on the edge, I hope
you always remember too
Speaker 2 (36:28):
A casual bye bye
Host
Kelly Henderson
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