Kweku’s Korner
An Interview with Dr. Kweku and Dr. Sheriece Sadberry
Dr. Sheriece Sadberry
By Dr. Sheriece Sadberry
Q: As a psychologist who works with clients with eating disorders, body image concerns, chronic medical conditions, and general mental health concerns, what do you see as some of the issues with weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and the like?
1. The anti-obesity, fat phobia, fat shaming, thin is best mindset of this country and now worldwide perspective is driving the sale of these drugs and increasing insecurities of people.
2. This is another systemic “-ism,” like racism or sexism. Society treats people differently based on the size of their bodies.
3. Initial reaction to how I hear people talk about these drugs and the desire for thinness sounds like the Black and Brown communities’ pressure to meet Eurocentric standards of beauty. (e.g., Curly hair – straighten it, etc.) Society shames people in bigger bodies, and society treats people differently when they are in bigger bodies; therefore, “I must fit society’s ideals to feel better.” Trying to solve a societal issue by forcing ourselves to fit the societal expectation.
4. Unfortunately, we have removed the psychological and sociological perspective from the conversation.
5. These medications also have side effects. Most people stop taking them because of these side effects, but they don’t know to report them to the FDA. So, the number of issues people are experiencing, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, fatigue, headaches, etc., goes largely unnoticed.
Q: What if someone says, “my doctor told me I am obese” or I have medical concerns because of my obesity?
A: What we see happening is a conversation about obesity. “Obesity as a disease.” I want to challenge some of these:
• My first question when someone says they are being told they are obese is, based on what markers? If the doctor is using BMI to say someone is obese, this is an entirely incorrect use of BMI. BMI is a simple calculation that was created by a mathematician, not a medical professional, trying to estimate the “socially ideal” or average European man. It didn’t take into account women, people of different ethnicities, age, athletes, or other factors. It doesn’t distinguish between fat and muscle.
• It is appropriate for use in research when examining populations. It is not appropriate for assessing the health of individual people, despite so many medical professionals and organizations using it.
• BMI does not tell you anything about health. So, if your doctor says you are obese, you need to lose weight because you are at risk of these health conditions. These are estimates and not actual evaluations of your health.
• There are genetic, metabolic, and behavioral factors that are complex and all at play in different ways for different people that determine their body size and their health. So many factors in the environment, food quality or processed food, lack of sleep, etc., also impact health. The health concerns a doctor may be worried about, like high blood pressure or high cholesterol, are found in people of all shapes and sizes.