Ever since college, Brad Jobling struggled with his weight, fluctuating between a low of 155 pounds when he was in his 30s to as high as 220. He spent a decade tracking calories on WeightWatchers, but the pounds he dropped always crept back onto his 5-foot-5-inch frame.

A little over a year ago, the 58-year-old Manhattan resident went on a new weight-loss drug called semaglutide (Wegovy). He’s lost 30 pounds, and has started eating healthier food and exercising — the habits behind many commercial diet plans and decades of conventional wisdom on sustainable weight loss.

Yet Jobling’s experience also has altered his perspective on dieting. He now sees obesity as a disease that requires medical intervention, not just behavioral changes. In fact, he thinks he will need to stay on a drug like semaglutide for the rest of his life even though it has taken some of the joy out of eating.

“I don’t see how you can maintain (the weight) without medication,” Jobling said. “Obviously, it’s all about self-control. But I think it’s less of a struggle to really maintain healthy eating when you got that assistance.”

Like the lives of the people taking them, recent injected drugs like semaglutide, which was first approved for diabetes under the brand name Ozempic, are reshaping the U.S. health and fitness industries. They have proven successful in eliminating unwanted pounds more quickly and easily than consuming fewer and burning more calories alone. Such is their disruptive power that even established diet companies like WeightWatchers and brands like Lean Cuisine are getting makeovers.

Although celebrities like Oprah Winfrey have spoken publicly of the drugs as revolutionary, some health experts worry that businesses without any expertise will start dispensing the prescription medications along with bad advice and unproven therapies.

A Demand Too Big to Ignore

At least 3 million prescriptions for the class of medications known as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists were issued each month in the U.S. during the 12 months that ended in March, according to data from health technology company IQVIA. They include semaglutide and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound). Morgan Stanley research analysts have estimated that 24 million people, or 7% of the U.S. population, will be using GLP-1 drugs by 2035.

The world’s leading diet programs have taken note of such statistics and incorporated the popular drugs into their existing subscription plans.

WeightWatchers, which was founded in 1963, last year acquired telehealth provider Sequence, enabling members to get prescriptions for weight-loss drugs. WeightWatchers is sticking with its focus on behavior change as the cornerstone of weight reduction but launched virtual clinics that provide customized exercise and nutrition plans, as well as prescription care, for individuals who want to lose 20% of their body weight on average.

“The weight loss space will be led by the acknowledgement that weight loss is a matter of healthcare,” WeightWatchers CEO Sima Sistani told analysts earlier this year. “This is a paradigm shift because weight loss has been and, unfortunately, often still is viewed as a vanity issue.”

The Mayo Clinic, which first offered a weight management plan in book form in 1949, has published an updated version of the longtime bestseller, titled “The Mayo Clinic Diet: Weight-Loss Medications Edition.”

The Mayo Clinic Diet program also has expanded to include access to weight-loss drugs and advice on managing any side effects, according to Digital Wellness CEO Scott Penn, whose company developed an online platform for the original program.

The new drugs have made being very overweight “feel more medical as a condition,” he said.

Gym and Diet Food Companies Look to Muscle In

Luxury athletic club operator Life Time launched a membership program last year that offers comprehensive medical testing, personalized training, and a host of alternative therapies like cryotherapy. Members of the Miora program also can get semaglutide and other weight-loss drugs through the medical staff of a clinic that opened in Minneapolis last year.

Jeff Zwiefel, executive director of Life Time Miora, called the new drugs a “game changer” for the fitness industry.

“We have an opportunity and an obligation and a responsibility to help people achieve results in conjunction with medical providers and make sure that that’s the way to go,” he said.

Fitness chains are banking on the idea people on the drugs will lose enough weight to overcome any self-consciousness or physical limits that kept them from exercising. The gym franchise Equinox started a new personal training program in January for prescription-holders who want to preserve or build muscle mass as they shed unwanted pounds.

The world of drug-assisted weight loss also is altering the ambitions of food companies. Sales of SlimFast, a line of meal replacement shakes and snacks sold at supermarkets, have dropped as people turn to weight-loss drugs and retailers cut shelf space for diet products, the brand’s parent company, Glanbia, told investors in February.

Since the drugs suppress the appetites of people taking them, Glanbia and other companies are marketing their products as a source of adequate nutrients for people taking GLP-1s. Swiss multinational Nestle SA thinks it can benefit from the drugs’ popularity and is expanding its Lean Cuisine frozen meals and OPTIFAST protein shakes.

“Diets are cool again,” Nestle SA CEO Ulf Mark Schneider told analysts in February. “It’s something that people used to do quietly on the side, uncertain about their outcomes.”

Promising Results and a Wealth of Unknowns

Research has shown that about a third of people lose 5% or more of their body weight with diet and exercise alone, according to Louis Aronne, MD, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medical school. In comparison, tirzepatide helped people with obesity or who are overweight lose at least a quarter of their weight when combined with restricted calories and exercise, a new study showed.

But some experts worry about businesses marketing the drugs or serving as fitness coaches for patients on the medications. Cian Wade, BMBCh, MPH, a healthcare consultant for the global strategy and management firm Kearney, said he’s concerned about a proliferation of clinics that don’t have as much experience with obesity and related health conditions.

“There’s a potential worry that for some patients, (the clinics) will not have the right expertise at hand to be able to appropriately manage the side effects, nutrition-related issues,” he said.

Since GLP-1 medications are so new, it’s unclear how many patients will stick with their drug regimens, which produce intolerable side effects for some people. Another reason patients may drop the drugs is cost. A month’s supply of the weight-loss formulation of semaglutide costs $1,300, and tirzepatide’s is priced at $1,000.

‘The New Version of Me’

Lisa Donahey, 54, an actress and singer who lives in Los Angeles, started tirzepatide under a doctor’s care a year ago to address her type 2 diabetes. At the time, Donahey, who is 5-foot-7-inches tall, weighed 260 pounds and was a veteran of diet plans like Jenny Craig, WeightWatchers, and Nutrisystem.

Her weight has since dropped to a little less than 190 pounds. She goes to a gym. After always being cast as a character actor, she’s looking for new roles. Having used the medication to give her “a kick-start,” Donahey said she plans to wean herself off tirzepatide once she loses another 40 pounds.

“I had a sense of hopelessness that I was destined to be this way and just could not do it by myself,” she said. “Now, with my weight being managed and the new version of ‘me’ is emerging, I just feel so empowered, excited, and hopeful.”

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – The YMCA of Greater Michiana appears to have found a new home in the heart of downtown South Bend.

Pending approval this Thursday from the city’s redevelopment commission, the YMCA says it will begin leasing the third and fourth floors of the Memorial Leighton Healthplex (111 W. Jefferson Boulevard) from the city in June. The space is currently home to Beacon Health & Fitness South Bend.

“It’s a good win for the city,” said Caleb Bauer, executive director of community investment. “It keeps preservation of the downtown fitness location, but also really adding the second location for the Y in South Bend makes sense and seemed like a good fit, and we look forward to them opening here in the near future.”

If approved, the YMCA will sign an eight-year, rent-free lease with the city at the Leighton Healthplex. In exchange, the YMCA will donate its old building on Northside Boulevard to the city at no cost for future redevelopment.

“We believe there’s good redevelopment potential there,” Bauer said. “Its right by the farmers’ market, it’s an exciting site with good river frontage.”

“The city of South Bend is excited to continue a downtown fitness presence and grateful to the YMCA for its willingness to take over fitness operations downtown,” said South Bend Mayor James Mueller in a news release. “We are grateful for the YMCA’s continued commitment to expanding operations in South Bend. The city will move forward with redevelopment of the former YMCA on Northside Boulevard, which will benefit both the nearby neighborhoods as well as the entire South Bend community.”

Once up and running, the Downtown South Bend YMCA will offer a wide range of amenities, including cardiovascular and weight training equipment, personal training, a basketball court, a racquetball court, an indoor track, a lap pool, a therapy pool, a whirlpool, saunas, aquatic and fitness classes, locker rooms, and more. Beacon Health & Fitness is donating equipment and supplies to the new YMCA facility.

“Its an amenity that people are looking for when deciding where to live,” Bauer said. “If somebody is looking to rent an apartment near downtown, they might be looking for a gym facility. And now we got one that will continue.”

The YMCA says it will maintain operations at the O’Brien Center on the city’s south side under a new three-year agreement that is currently being finalized with South Bend Venues Parks & Arts.

Beacon Health & Fitness will remain open to members through May 31. The YMCA says members of Beacon Health & Fitness South Bend who wish to maintain access to a downtown fitness facility will receive an exclusive invitation to join the YMCA.

South Bend city employees will also be eligible for discounted memberships at the new facility.

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FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — A local organization is taking action to improve the well-being of Latinas in rural areas of Fresno County.

Cultiva La Salud is now offering fitness classes in Parlier.

Get ready to move and groove! You also don’t want to forget a towel because the class will have you sweating.

“These classes combine cardio and dance,” explained Evelyn Morales, project coordinator.

The non-profit is partnering with Parlier Unified to host the free classes to Latinas in the community.

“Community members living in the rural areas of Fresno County have high incidence rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, just to name a few,” Morales said. “This can be attributed to limited opportunity to engage in physical activity.”

Cultiva La Salud wants to offer a safe and fun way to promote healthy and active living.

According to Morales, taking part in physical activity regularly can help maintain good cardiovascular health.

The goal is to expand the fitness classes to other rural communities, such as Orange Cove.

“We really want to mobilize and encourage community members to participate in these classes because it is available to them at no cost,” she said.

The fitness dance classes happen every Monday from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at Parlier High School’s cafeteria.

Children 10 years or older can join, but no child care is available for younger kids.

Registration is required.

Information can be found on Cultiva La Salud’s Facebook.

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