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Weight-Loss Trial Update: Journalist Discovers Will Power

MedpageToday

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 27 -- I'm a few days short of a month into my participation in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of an investigational weight-loss drug -- and I can report that I'm a fast starter.


I lost 4.8 pounds by the end of week two. Now I weigh a mere 278.6 pounds.


More importantly, I find that I can resist food right in front of me and I can make good decisions -- if I know what I'm eating. I went to one restaurant and ordered a tuna hoagie with fresh tuna, peppers, onions, and a roll. But it turned out that the chef also added six ounces of melted cheddar cheese, which was 678 calories more than I had anticipated and it put me over my calorie allotment for the day.


According to my nutrition coach, if I want to lose 60 pounds over the 12-month trial, I need to limit my daily intake to 2,482 calories, which is a pretty generous diet.


I don't know if I have the placebo or the active drug, which is supposed to dull my food cravings. I hope I am getting the active drug, but if I have the placebo it means I am overcoming my own desires to stuff food in my mouth.


Either way, I hope to become a big winner by losing a lot.


Editor's Note: At his one-month clinic visit a few days after this report was filmed, Ed learned that he's lost 9.8 pounds. His weight has dropped to 273.6 pounds.