Shedding pounds can feel like a long, lonely uphill battle. As we get into midlife,  it can feel like an even more futile struggle. And with the endless diet fads being plastered across every article you read online, sometimes you just need some life-changing advice to enter your ear to change everything.

Sounds great, right?

As the US population’s average age increases, the nation-wide obesity epidemic is increasingly affecting older US citizens and it’s started to get alarming. Weight management for senior citizens can make all the difference when it comes to truly enjoying the later stages of life, so there is hope.

But for many, it can seem hard to stay active but not impossible, so don’t lose hope. Bad habits can feel more deeply ingrained in our lives, and support can seem scant.

What’s the latest fad diet? Just as you’ve filled the fridge with everything you need for a paleo diet, there’s a new trend in town and it’s time to hit the store again to buy the latest organic producing disrupting the consumer market that’s got celebrities clamoring to endorse it.

Is there a new superfood to dig for in the produce aisle? How easy is it to spot a chia seed or acai berry, and what makes a vegetable cruciferous?

Is the prescription weight loss medication that everyone’s raving about really safe, and how much weight could it help you lose? So, if you’re looking for expert guidance, you can’t get much better than the latest weight management podcast from Dr Spencer Nadolsky, Beyond the Scale, dedicated to shedding light on the newest weight science.

Picking the right weight loss approach

In the most recent episode, Nadolsky explains why the FDA approval of the latest weight management medication is such exciting news.

Many older people who aspire to lose weight feel they should be able to do so with nothing more than a strict exercise regime.

In fact, in one study of US adults interested in weight loss methods,  81% said they would do so by increasing the amount of exercise they took. Just 32% said they would use a prescription drug and only 23% would consider weight loss surgery.

Prescription weight loss wonder drugs

But this preoccupation with exercise as the only healthy way to lose weight is a weight loss myth. Nadolsky reveals that exercise can only help shed around 7 or 8% of body weight, and some people won’t respond at all.

Prescription weight loss medication can help bridge the gap between what’s possible with exercise, and the more significant levels of weight loss previously only possible for most with bariatric surgery. The most cutting-edge medicines could help shift more than 20% of your body weight.

Nadolsky dives into the details of the clinical trials that have led the FDA to approve several GLP-1 and GIP prescription weight loss medications, how they can change your behavior and the food noise you live with, and what this means for your weight loss journey.

Nurturing Nutrition

Nadolsky dedicates another episode to the importance of supporting all weight loss medications with a careful and healthy approach to nutrition.

Speaking with dietician Lillian Yang, the show reveals how prescription weight loss medications and balanced nutrition can work hand in hand to help achieve any weight loss goal, at any age.

While the latest medications might have seen many people find great success when it comes to weight loss, many have also realized that living healthily means paying attention to what they are eating—especially if they are now eating substantially less.

Cutting-edge medications can seem scary. Often when something seems too good to be true, that’s because it is!

On the other hand, huge amounts of time, money, and brain power are devoted every year to finding brilliant new ways to crack life’s most persistent challenges. It’s no wonder that breakthroughs seem to be bountiful!

Having the expert advice of a clinical professional like Spencer Nadolsky and the WeightWatchers Clinic team behind Beyond the Scale means deciding if these medications are for you need not be so daunting.

Add this to your weekly listening and you’ll always be right at the forefront of weight loss science.