For the sake of privacy and safety, the names of all students have been changed

Check the dose, find the spot, take a breath, inject.

           According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 42% of the adult American population is obese. A new movement, under the identity of being the solution to this problem, has emerged: fat burners.

           “I’ve always hated my weight and even while doing my sport I couldn’t seem to lose it,” Winter said. “ It wasn’t until I got blood work done and almost was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes that I was told I needed to start taking Tirzepatide, and that it would help me medically.”

           While some take it prescribed for health needs, others take it from online sources. Regardless if it’s prescribed or not, the first couple of days begin to change the body’s needs.

           “I don’t use Ozempic but I use something that helps out like Ozempic but is healthier,” Fall said. “The first day you don't notice much but by day two or three is when I started noticing appetite suppression. I just wasn't ever hungry. You do have to make sure that you are eating enough and you're not starving yourself. You have to make sure you're still eating and getting the right things in because if you can't you’ll just become super unhealthy.”

           While the appetites change because of the effect of the drug, medical professionals emphasize the importance of following the safe guidelines to a healthy use of weight loss supplements.

           “We prescribe it to patients when the benefits outweigh the risk,” Psychiatrics Mental Health Practitioner Lacie Swapp said. “The FDA approved it for medication. It's FDA approved for ages 12 years old and older for obesity related diagnoses. If the child is going to have a high risk of having complications from obesity and if they are in the 95th percentile or greater for their weight for their age.”

           While it is approved for those over 12 in the right criteria, there are concerns for those who take it without it being prescribed by their health provider.

           “I'm not a fan of people giving it to their kids,” Swapp said. “They've kind of found a backdoor way of getting it. It needs to be monitored by a medical professional because of the risk and because of the age.”

           Society is hard when it comes to body image and many feel like it’s the only way to get thinner.

           “No matter how much I starved myself, I couldn’t lose anything and my sport definitely didn’t help,” Winter said. “I kept telling myself, ‘I need to be skinny, I need to be skinny,’ and that I have to be this picture perfect model to love myself. I felt like I was slowly starting to accept that I would always be my weight.”

           The struggle to lose weight in any form is heavy on one's mental health. While the majority of people want to lose weight there are requirements on who can and can’t take ozempic that's needed to keep you safe.

“It's not for the people who want to lose 10 or 20 pounds, it's for the people who are actively obese and not able to lose the weight using diet and exercise,” Swapp said. “You would not take it if you were capable of implementing diet and exercise and controlling your weight.”

           The distinction between the appropriate use and the potential risk of taking anything becomes more concerning when you consider the effects on the adolescents.

“When you take something that can affect your hormones it can affect your growth and your bone mass as you develop those things in your teenage years,” Swapp said. “That's why I say it's important that they don't lose too much weight too fast.”

           When you’re finally getting the body you want it's easy to push off or neglect to exercise. Exercise is an important factor while taking supplements even when your body is already shedding off fat.

           “I still exercise about the same,” Fall said. “But of course, food is fuel, and since I haven't been nearly as hungry the workouts have been not as good just because I don't have a ton of food in me.”

           While taking a form of weight loss supplement it’s important to know what you’re putting into your body. Not only that but it’s also important to be informed about what you’re buying and what it’ll do to you.

“I would say before they actually take it to actually look into it first,” Fall said. “Don't just see someone online that took it and they look super skinny and then take it. Actually look into it and see what it does so you know what you're getting yourself into.”

           While researching the drug before starting it is important, many tend to skip that factor for the cheapest option they can find.

           “Depending on the website the prices vary,” Fall said. “It was a hundred bucks for a month and a half to two months worth. It's expensive, but compared to other things and what you get out of it, it's a pretty good price.

           The cost, however, is only part of the equation. Social pressure is heavy in one's mind and can shape the way you see yourself without the supplements’ help.

           “Everybody I’ve talked to told me I was taking the easy way out,” Winter said. “I started to feel worse about myself because I then felt like I couldn’t actually work it off and become thin without it.”

With the beginning views of oneself many take confidence and pleasure in the supplements results.

“It has built my confidence in the end though,” Winter said. “I used to always wear baggy clothes because I didn’t want anyone to see everything. Now I’ll wear shorts and tank tops in public and not feel like the big girl I used to be.”

           A huge problem that forms when beginning to take ‘fat burners’ is the lack of knowledge from not researching what is going into the body.

“I don’t think there’s enough education around these kinds of medications,” Swapp said. “Children think it's okay to just take it or they don't really understand why they're taking it. Everybody taking medication needs to understand why they're taking it because they're taking the risk no matter what the medication is. They need to be educated.”