Does Weight Loss Equal Will Power?

“Just eat less and move more.” 

“Using a GLP1 is cheating.” 

“People who gain weight have no discipline.”

This and other tired notions that weight loss equals willpower is a simplistic and often harmful narrative that ignores the complex biological, psychological, and environmental factors influencing body weight.

Struggling with weight? It’s not your fault! 

It's crucial to understand: if you've struggled with weight, it's not your fault. Your body and its biology are incredibly complicated, and often, they are working against you.

In the past decade with years of obesity research and with the advent of GLP1 agonists such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, and Mounjaro, we have witnessed a transformative shift in the understanding and treatment of obesity, moving beyond simplistic narratives to embrace a more nuanced, biologically-driven approach.

Let’s talk about hormones and the brain! 

Let’s talk about the arcuate nucleus and the satiety pathway in the hypothalamus. Imagine a tiny part of your brain (arcuate nucleus) that plays a huge role in telling you when to eat and when to stop and how it relates to fat. 

Fat is an organ. Just like the heart or the liver or the kidneys, fat (adipose tissue) has a job in our bodies. Your body fat, also known as adipose tissue, isn't just a passive storage site; it's actually a very active organ that produces more than 600 different hormone-like substances called adipokines. These powerful little messengers play a huge role in many important body functions, from controlling your appetite and how sensitive your body is to insulin (which manages blood sugar) to influencing inflammation throughout your body and even impacting your risk for heart disease.

Looking at the big picture…

Big picture: hormones send signals to your brain on whether you are full or not. You can’t override these signals anymore than you can override taking a breath or stopping your heart. 

Your brain has a special "control center" (the arcuate nucleus in the hypothalamus) that receives important hormone signals from your body, like those from your fat, stomach, and gut. You may recognize some of these as ghrelin, leptin, insulin, glucagon, and the now famous GLP1 or glucagon-like-peptide 1.  These signals tell specific brain cells whether to turn on your hunger or your feeling of fullness, ultimately controlling your appetite. GLP1, for example, is secreted by the intestines, stimulates insulin secretion, and suppresses glucagon section to manage nutrient intake, down-regulates hunger, and slows gastric emptying. 

What does this mean for you?

We see that in individuals who have had excess weight for longer periods of time, these signals no longer are responsive or fire in the way they are intended to. 

Simply 'eating less and moving more' often overlooks a crucial fact: your body fights back. When you restrict calories, your brain interprets this as a threat, triggering powerful biological changes that make maintaining weight loss incredibly difficult. That familiar 'food noise' often turns into an overwhelming 'food screaming' because your body deliberately ramps up hunger signals and dampens fullness hormones like leptin and GLP-1. MRI studies even reveal that when these fullness hormones are low, your brain's reward centers become highly activated by the sight of food, driving intense cravings. Unfortunately, research also suggests that these powerful brain reactions can become even stronger with every diet attempt.

How do GLP1s help?

GLP1s help these signals recalibrate. 

This is why physician-guided, personalized weight management is not just the best approach, but often the only sustainable one. We understand these complex biological processes and can work with your body's unique signals, rather than against them, to achieve lasting health.

How Physician-guided weight loss can help?

Here at I.M. Well Medical, led by triple-board certified Dr Sanjeet K. Baidwan, MD, we treat patients with comprehensive care, taking into account the complex biological, psychological, and environmental factors influencing body weight.

Our Total Transformation Program is not just about a number on the scale or a quick fix, but a total transformation to improve your quality of life, physical and mental health, and prevent future conditions or lifestyle diseases. Combining modern medicine such as GLP1 agonists (Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, Mounjaro), personal training, nutrition & habit coaching, and a holistic lifestyle audit.

Email our Care Team for more information on our Physician-guided weight loss program for personalised weight management.

Learn more from our patients who have been on a Medical Weight Management journey with Dr. Sanjeet, K. Baidwan, MD at our Midtown Primary Care practice.