Looking for weight loss support & spotting false advertising

Welcome, @cricket1591sjg. I moved your question to the Weight Loss support group here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/bariatric-surgery-weight-loss/

Here you find other people talking about weight loss and supporting one another on their journey.

You ask about an advertisement for weight loss patches. I’m glad you asked. There are so many miracle cure and false advertising out there. One has to be really careful. Weight loss is often an area of health that scammers target. In fact, they may even use fake logos or actors to help sell their product.

Some advertisers try to mis-use the Mayo brand to give credibility to their product. Mayo Clinic does not support or endorse any commercial products or companies and never has.

- Mayo Clinic's position on product endorsement https://www.mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic/position-on-product-endorsement

Here is a helpful article on how to spot false claims.
- Can you spot a fake health article? https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/spot-fake-health-articles-misinformation/art-20587692

Cricket, where are you on your weight loss journey? How are you doing?

There is a weight loss program, previously known as Optavia and now known as Trilivy, that enabled me to lose 55 pounds in about 5 months with very little effort. It consists of taking 5 "fuelings" (their term for a 100-110 calorie "meal") a day, every 2-3 hours to get into "fat burn", plus a "lean & green" meal which you make yourself and is typically 6 ounces of a lean protein plus 6 ounces of a green vegetable. It takes a few days to get into "fat burn", at which time the pounds just melt away! The cost is about $420/month, so it's not cheap, but it is very easy and very effective. Once you reach your goal weight, there is a less costly maintenance program. They provide coaching support and very good literature. If you're interested, I can provide you with the name of a great coach! There's not a lot of pressure. If you try it and don't like it, you can stop. Today, I only use it when I've gained a few holiday pounds and want to get the weight off very quickly. It's very good for that!

@scampano3
I’m so glad this weight loss program, (Optavia, now known as Trilivy) worked for you. Losing 55 pounds in 5 months is huge! Congratulations!👍😃

I see from your profile you are a male Army veteran + Powerlifter for 25 years + 13 spinal surgeries. That tells me you have perseverance and determination in the face of adversity!

I’m not any of those things. We are all “snowflakes” (unique) when it comes to how to lose weight AND our health.

I’m a 62 yr old female. Over the past 20 years I’ve tried diets similar to the one you did. I’ve lost 60-70 pounds on each diet and gained it all back when I went on their maintenance programs. I’ve spent over $5000 combined on all these diets.

I take meds for diabetes + high blood pressure + high cholesterol + hormone replacement (post menopause). I also have sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine.

Endocrinologist put me on Ozempic in 2019 = no weight loss and A1C never got below 7.

Finally Nov. 2025 at 275 pounds, I went to a new endocrinologist and she put me on Mounjaro plus two supplements to help with weight loss and blood sugar. I also use the Carb Manager phone app so I’m sure to get high protein + low carb + medium fat + reduced calories. Plus I exercise on recumbent bike.

With all of this I’ve lost 40 pounds in 4 months and I’m excited to continue losing weight. My endocrinologist said if and when I reach a plateau, there’s medications to help with that. I don’t feel hungry or deprived. My A1C went from 7.6 down to 6.2.

This healthy way of living is working for me. I don’t call it a diet because my body will require me to continue on Mounjaro + healthy food + exercise the rest of my life due to my family genetics of diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.

Basically I’ve learned that obesity is a disease for some people. They can lose weight but regain it all.

The book “Enough” explains all of this = “The new obesity medications target the biology. Part of brain which manages energy stores tells body to hold on to more fat than it needs. Neuro metabolic disease. Medication recalibrates those signals so body wants to store less energy and fat. When treating obesity it’s a lifelong process which helps prevent other obesity related conditions which can lead to death = cancer and heart attacks.”

I highly recommend reading/ listening to this book! 👍😃

@louiserivers Hi Louise! Thanks for responding to my post. I understand your fight. Obesity runs on my mother's side of the family. I never had to fight that until I became disabled lifting weights. Isn't that ironic?! I trained in the gym three hours a day, six days a week, since I was 22 years old. The goal was to be super-healthy when I retired and be the best-looking 70 year old person in the gym. Yes, I was a bit vain when I was younger, but the goal was just to be very fit in my old age. I became disabled 12 years ago at only 52 years old when I broke my back in the gym, had L4-S1 fusion surgery, and then one of the screws broke during rehab, dislodging the cadaver bone between my L5-S1 vertebrae, cracking the L5 vertebra in half and severely pinching the nerve down my left leg. It was an extremely painful experience, and the surgery had to be repeated to correct the defect. Now, at 66 years old, I am fused from L3-S1 and C4-T1 in my neck, and I haven't seen the inside of a gym since 2014. As a result, I find myself unable to exercise and now fighting the obesity on my mom's side of the family. It sounds like you've been through a different kind of "Hell" yourself, but you are fighting through it one day at a time and being successful doing it. Congratulations! I just purchased the book you recommended on Amazon since my wife is on Mounjaro for her diabetes. I am looking forward to reading it. Keep up the fight, sister! You're doing great! Beat Navy!

I’am asking about the patch that reduces weight as advertised under Mayo Clinic advertisement and CVS .

Good for you to ask this important question and do research before jumping into any weight loss product. 👍😊

Weight loss patches advertised online? How old are you? How much weight do you need to lose? Why do you need to lose weight - doctor advised for health reasons? What else have you tried to lose weight - healthy food choices, exercise, other supplements?

I googled “weight loss patches”and found Berberine and GLP-1 patches. From what I understand using a patch allows the medication to go directly into blood stream and bypass having to go through your liver. I have an estrogen patch for post menopausal symptoms. It works well for this 62 yr old. 👍

My endocrinologist recommended dihydro-Berberine supplement (capsule) to help me lose weight along with Mounjaro 15 mg (top dose) AND Alpha Lipoic Acid supplement (capsule).

These 3 are definitely working to help me lose weight and lower my blood sugar (along with low carb + high protein + reduced calories AND exercise). I’m diabetic and was 275 pounds. After 4 months I’ve lost 40 pounds and my A1C is 6.2.

Here’s the online definition =
Dihydroberberine (DHB) is a highly bioavailable derivative of berberine that supports blood sugar regulation, metabolic health, and cardiovascular function.

You can google more about this supplements benefits. I’m amazed how well it has worked for me, but remember we are all “snowflakes” (unique) so it may not work for you. And always talk to your doctor AND pharmacist before adding a supplement to your medication routine.

I’m sorry I can’t speak to the GLP-1 patch. Not sure how they make this into a patch.

Mounjaro is a GLP-1 and GIP injection. You can google how this is different from just the GLP-1.

Again I highly recommend the book “Enough” which explains very well how these new medications “target the biology. Part of brain which manages energy stores tells body to hold on to more fat than it needs. Obesity is a Neuro metabolic disease. Medication recalibrates those signals so body wants to store less energy and fat. When treating obesity it’s a lifelong process which helps prevent other obesity related conditions which can lead to death = cancer and heart attacks.”

Keep being proactive with your health and doing your research. You’ve got this! 👍😊

@cricket1591sjg
As @colleenyoung mentioned earlier, Mayo does not endorse products. Companies or scammers use the Mayo name to promote products that are not endorsed by Mayo.

I did find a mention of Mayo and CVS patches on Facebook; in my opinion, the CVS Online store mentioned is not an official CVS website.

FDA recently posted an alert about the concern about false advertising and unapproved GLP-1 drugs.
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-alerts-and-statements/fdas-concerns-unapproved-glp-1-drugs-used-weight-loss
Also, Cleveland Clinic recently posted about GLP-1 patches: "Do GLP-1 Patches Actually Work?"
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-a-glp-1-patch
Hope that clears up any confusion about false advertising and the patch.

@cricket1591sjg, Mayo Clinic is not advertising a weight loss patch in collaboration with CVS. Mayo Clinic does not endorse any commercial products or companies and never has. What you are seeing is a fake ad.

Please report this false use of the Mayo Clinic name to Business Relations at businessrelations@mayo.edu

Thank you for helping to protect yourself and others from these scams.

@louiserivers
Obesity is fundamentally a chronic neuro-metabolic disease driven by brain signals that instruct the body to store more fat than necessary. Modern weight-loss medications work by recalibrating these internal energy-management signals, allowing the body to settle at a lower baseline of stored fat. Because it addresses underlying biology rather than short-term habits, managing obesity requires lifelong treatment—a sustained effort that plays a critical role in preventing severe, potentially fatal conditions such as heart attacks and cancer.

@gualkeml1
Amen! This is exactly what I’ve read in the book “Enough”.

For the past 40 years I’ve tried to lose weight by calorie restriction + exercise. I could lose 60-70 pounds but I would always gain it all back.

My body has a “body fat set point”. Brain is wired to hang onto more fat in case there’s a famine. Crazy!

Obesity was declared a disease in 2013. I wish I would have heard that news back then instead of constantly beating my head against the wall.

I’m excited for the future of these new weight loss meds which are beginning to rival the same amount of weight loss as Bariatric surgery has had in the past 30 years!

I take weekly injection of Mounjaro 15 mg (top dose). The half life is 5 days. I told my endocrinologist that I can tell when the Mounjaro is reaching the end of its weekly effectiveness = about 2 days before my next weekly injection. I get more “food noise” and cravings. She said she had heard this same thing from her other patients.

Research and FDA trials are being done on a future med which will last 21 days. Plus they’re working on meds which target more than just GLP-1 and GIP hormones, like glucagon.

All of this wonderful info I’ve learned from the book “Enough”.

I love knowing the details behind my health issues because it motivates me to be proactive and work with my health care team to strive toward better health.