As a sex and relationship expert, Pepper Schwartz helps others find and cultivate love.
But as she offered advice, wrote books and appeared on reality TV, the busy sex therapist struggled with weight and needed medical help. She says it came in the form of Ozempic, the type 2 diabetes treatment with a famous side effect: weight loss.
Like many patients on prescription drugs, Schwartz does not have diabetes. She says she started using it off-label after her doctor and follow-up medical tests deemed it appropriate for her situation. (Ozempic’s maker, Novo Nordisk, previously told TODAY.com that it “does not endorse or promote the use of our drugs outside of the FDA-approved indication.”)
Schwartz, a professor of sociology at the University of Washington, explains that after years of dieting that was difficult to follow long-term and led to a cycle of weight loss and regain, the drug facilitated weight loss and feeding less without much effort.
She has lost around 30 pounds since the summer of 2022.
“I’ve really thought about it a lot in terms of my health. I’m older. I just don’t think I can afford to (mess around) with the weight anymore because there’s just all these concomitant things with the weight, and none of them are good,” Schwartz, 78, who lives in Snoqualmie, Wash., told TODAY.com.
She is a consultant for Ro Body, a weight loss program that provides access to Ozempic and its sister drug, Wegovy, which is approved for weight loss. Medications are prescribed by Ro only if deemed appropriate, according to his website.
“I really feel like it’s a lot more serious at this point in my life. I like the fact that my blood pressure is low and my cholesterol is low and all that good stuff. Those are my motivations now rather than trying to fit into a size 4 dress.”
Obese BMI, but diets didn’t work
Schwartz’s weight issues began in her late thirties when she says she simply started overeating. Standing 4ft 10in, it didn’t take many extra calories for the pounds to pile on his petite frame.
“I wouldn’t sit down with a pint of ice cream or eat a box of chocolates. It’s just that you really have to be extra careful if you’re short,” she notes.
When Schwartz hit 165 pounds, a BMI that puts her in the obese category for her height, she tried different diets but always quickly regained the weight she had lost.
Then came the buzz around Ozempic. The drug, which patients self-inject once a week, interested her because it seemed medically safe since it is already used for type 2 diabetes. It also seemed to make it easier to eat less without feeling hungry. .
“I had tried everything,” says Schwartz. “Like a lot of people who are overweight, you are a little desperate. Like, I have to do something.
Food is less important now
Like all patients who use Ozempic or Wegovy for weight loss, Schwartz started with the lower dose to help the body adjust to the active ingredient in both drugs, semaglutide. It is a synthetic version of a hormone known as GLP-1, which the body releases when a person eats food. Patients have a reduced appetite and when they eat, they feel full sooner, doctors say.
The most common side effects of Ozempic and Wegovy include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain and constipation, according to Novo Nordisk, which makes both drugs.
Schwartz says she has had none of these issues and now feels much more in control of her eating. The main effect is that she is not as hungry and has changed the way she views portion sizes. For example, 2 ounces of meat is enough now, whereas before she wanted to eat two or three times that amount.
“It makes food less important, less threatening. I rarely finish an entire plate of food now,” says the professor.
“There is food, and I will have some of it, but I don’t need all of it and that’s fine. I have eaten too much. Nevermind.
Schwartz is also more aware of what she eats now and has found it easier to resist non-nutritious foods, which she sees as an opportunity to start better habits.
Seek to sustain weight loss
Schwartz now weighs about 137 pounds and would like to continue taking semaglutide until she loses another 10 to 15 pounds.
“I definitely feel healthy and better,” she says.
“I’m an athletic person, so I feel better doing the things that are active and not having to drag around all that extra weight.”
Many patients regain weight if they stop taking semaglutide, so they must continue injecting the drug to prevent weight gain.
If that’s what it takes, Schwartz is willing to take it indefinitely. “It was easy,” she says. “I don’t want to gain any more weight.”