DEAR ANNIE
BY ANNIE LANE

WEIGHT LOSS VIA MEDICATION MAY NOT BE HEALTHY

Dear Annie:

My sister “Claire,” is getting married this summer and has lost weight by getting injections of drugs for diabetes.  Claire might have had a little padding, but I never thought of her as being fat.  And Claire is not the only person I know who is taking these drugs for weight loss.  I know several others, and they all seem to be very happy with the results.  The two brands that I keep hearing about are Ozempic and Wegovy.

Claire lost 10  pounds in the first few weeks of getting the shots, and she keeps losing weight every week.  Her doctor gave her a prescription to Wegovy because her BMI was in the obese category, even though, as I say, to me she did not look obese.  Now she has dropped another 40 pounds, and she is starting to look like a skeleton.

I asked my doctor about this popular new form of weight loss.  Instead of talking about these drugs as weight loss aids, he told me there is an epidemic of obesity in our country, where more than 40% of the population is statistically obese.  But I did not ask him to prescribe the drugs for me, and he did not offer to do so.  According to my BMI of 20, I am in the “healthy” category.  I enjoy exercising three of four times a week and don’t want to be dependent on any drug.

My husband has been lifting weights for many years and has lots of muscles, which he says weigh more than fat.  Yet his BMI says he is obese, and he says I should ignore the BMI as a measurement of obesity.  He says body fat percentage is a much better indicator of health and fitness.

Claire is in great spirits, and I don’t want to discourage her since she feels so good about her weight loss.  But the whole thing scares me — the idea of taking diabetes injections to drop a few pounds.  What is your advice?  —  Without Drugs

Dear Without Drugs:

I love the way you signed your letter.  You are literally doing it without drugs, and we all know that is a much healthier approach to losing weight than taking regular injections of drugs designed for coping with diabetes.  Your regular exercise and, I suspect,  healthy eating habits are something you can enjoy every day of your life.   Imagine waking up knowing that you have to give yourself an injection so you can “look healthy.”  I wouldn’t want that, and I’m glad you wouldn’t either.

~ Send  your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.
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EGGS ON A STACK

Say hello to a super-fun “you’re a rockstar” weekend breakfast recipe.  It’s delicious, it’s outside-the-box and totally memorable.

YOU’LL NEED:

• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1 – (20 oz package frozen shredded hash browns) or if you have the time, shred 3 large, peeled russet potatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pepper
• 2 TBSP butter
• 1 cup finely chopped red onion
• 3 cups packed, thinly sliced, fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup fresh tomato, diced
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 8 thick slices, bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 4 large eggs poached or fried, however you like them
• favorite salsa (optional)

PREHEAT OVEN TO 400*

Heat a large non-stick skillet – coated with vegetable spray – over medium high heat.

Add shredded potatoes to skillet.

Spray additional vegetable oil on top of potatoes.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook potatoes, uncovered, 15 minutes or more, until browned and crisp, giving them a stir now and then to keep the browning even.

While potatoes are browning, heat a small pan over med-high heat.  Add butter.  Add red onion and tomato and saute for about 3-4 minutes, until soft.

Coat a baking sheet with vegetable oil spray.  Divide browned, shredded potatoes into four little stacks on baking sheet.

Equally sprinkle onion, spinach, tomato and cheese on each potato stack.

Slide the potato stacks into the oven and bake approximately 15 minutes or until cheese is beautifully melted.

While potato stacks are baking – prepare eggs – per preference.

Remove potato stacks from oven and gently move each to a salad sized plate with a trusty spatula.

Shower the stacks with the bacon crumbles and top them off with prepared eggs.

Serve at once with salsa on the side and orange juice or if you’re in that kind of weekend mood – Bloody Mary or Mimosa.

~ Hippie Cowboy recipe box