In August, Wall Street Journal editor Bradley Olson joined the growing ranks of those taking weight-loss drugs. It worked. In an essay, he describes his 40-pound weight loss since then, which he found hard to process because it largely occurred without will power. "There are simply fewer cravings," he explains. And on some days, he felt something akin to acid reflux, making the very thought of eating "unappealing." Olson took his last dose this week—he went with Eli Lily's Mounjaro, for which he shelled out $1,000 a month—and a big focus of the essay is his wariness about what happens next. While research into these drugs is still ongoing, early results suggest most people start gaining the weight back once the dosages stop.
Will he gradually move back into "obese" territory? Will he (and others) have to stay on the drugs permanently? Olson doesn't think it's possible, given the cost and the potential side effects—for example, he has sometimes struggled to consume even 1,000 calories a day over the last few months. For now, he's working out regularly and "eating like I'm in a healthy-eating competition" in an effort to stay at his desired weight level. Maybe someday, these drugs could be taken less frequently, in tandem with other diet and exercise programs, he suggests. More research is sure to come on that. "That's the frontier I am now entering, along with many others," he writes. "Here's hoping for us all." Read the full essay. (More weight loss stories.)
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