Obesity Is Not a Willpower Problem: GLP-1s, Myths, and Menopause with Dr. Angela Fitch

Obesity may be the most misunderstood chronic disease in medicine. For decades we told people to eat less and move more, but the science says our weight is regulated by biology we don't control, in the same brain region that runs our reproductive cycles. Dr. Angela Fitch, past president of the Obesity Medicine Association and one of the country's leading experts in obesity medicine, joins me to separate what's real from what's myth in the world of GLP-1s.Angela's fascination with metabolism started back in her chemical engineering days and carried her through residency, ten years of primary care, and eventually board certification in obesity medicine, where she's spent the past fifteen years building non-stigmatizing, comprehensive care for patients, including her current clinic, Knownwell.We start with the question I hear constantly: why does obesity carry so much stigma when we treat it as a chronic disease like diabetes or hypertension? Angela traces it all the way back to Hippocrates prescribing treatment for "gluttony and sloth," through insurance systems that carved out obesity treatment as cosmetic, to the willpower myth that still shapes how patients are treated in exam rooms today.The science behind why weight loss is so hard is more interesting than most people realize, and Angela is one of the few people in this field who can explain it without making you feel like you're being lectured. We get into how these medications work, what they do in your brain, and why the conversation around them has become so loud. We also answer the questions that come up most frequently in my office and online, around muscle loss, microdosing, and whether compounded versions are safe, and Angela is refreshingly direct about all of it.For the women in perimenopause and menopause who feel like their bodies stopped responding to everything that used to work, this episode puts language to what you're experiencing and gives you something real to bring to your next appointment.Highlights:Obesity is a chronic disease, not a willpower problem.Why your body actively fights weight loss.What GLP-1s actually do and how they evolved.The truth about muscle loss on these medications.Compounded GLP-1s: what you need to know.Why access and coverage still fall short.Get in Touch with Dr. Fitch:WebsiteInstagramLinkedInGet in Touch with Me:WebsiteInstagramYoutubeSubstack