ST. GEORGE — For Mitsy Olsen, losing weight was not only a physical transformation but also a journey of discovering strength and overcoming adversity.
Olsen’s weight-loss journey has been years in the making. At her heaviest, she was 390 pounds. Now, she is 4 pounds away from her goal weight. Though she has worked hard to eat healthy and exercise, she credits GLP-1, a hormone-mimicking medication that regulates appetite and blood sugar levels, with helping her achieve her weight-loss goals.
“The only regret that I have with GLP-1 medications is that I didn’t know about it or start them sooner,” Olsen told St. George News.
Her journey recently took her beyond a decreasing number on a scale when she was invited to the March 18 filming of “The Oprah Conversation,” which advocated for GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. Oprah’s own struggles with weight and public shaming have resonated with many, including Olsen.
The GLP-1 medication proved transformative for Olsen, who said it silenced the “constant noise” of food obsession and enabled her to focus on healthier eating habits.
“All of a sudden you can hear yourself,” she said. “There’s no more food chatter.”
Olsen first began to struggle with obesity as a child.
“I had a lot of trauma as a kid; I think played into it,” she said. “Then, when I got pregnant with my first child when I was only 17, that’s when the first big amounts of weight came on.”
Olsen’s health issues, including endometriosis diagnosed at age 12 and severe gastrointestinal problems, worsened with her obesity.
The number on the scale increased with each of her five pregnancies, and she struggled with medical issues. She now has been out of the hospital for a year and a half – a major win, she said.
By her fifth pregnancy, she was placed on bed rest. And things took a turn for the worse.
“I had to have an emergency hemorrhage ectomy … six weeks later, I had a hysterectomy,” Olsen said.
Eventually, she had surgery to fix a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. After building up a tolerance to the painkillers she was prescribed, she eventually had to detox.
Throughout her life, she said she was made to believe that obesity is not a disease but a personal failure, and she once shared that perspective.
“It is important that it (obesity) is a recognized disease. There are a lot of people who will argue that it isn’t,” she said.
“I don’t think anybody would ever choose that (obesity) … we don’t choose to be in a larger body,” she added.
After battling ongoing mental health issues due to her weight, she eventually enrolled in a 30-day mental health treatment program, and it was there that she first discovered GLP-1 medications.
Despite not being diabetic, Olsen said GLP-1 medication has been effective in managing her weight. After beginning the medication, she found a community on TikTok, which she said has been invaluable.
“There’s a huge TikTok community for GLP-1,” Olsen said. “It’s a big part of how I communicate with them.”
Her own TikTok page is full of videos encouraging people like her to see the positive in their weight-loss journeys.
Her professional life flourished as she lost weight, but that also has come with some unexpected feedback.
“I started getting promoted,” she said. “There was a lot of gossip, that it was just because I’m attractive.”
But she doesn’t let the negativity get her down and instead chooses to focus on her own happiness. Looking ahead, she hopes to get skin removal surgery.
“I think that no matter what your approach is — to become the most healthy, happy version of you … it’s such a personal choice,” she said.
She said her family’s support, especially her husband, Mike Olsen, and their five children, has been amazing.
She said she looks forward to her next phase of life, marked by the joys of being a grandparent and expanding their home to support the next generation.
In addition to showing others what is possible through her own story, she said she aims to advocate for broader acceptance of treatments like GLP-1 medications for weight loss.
You can find the Oprah Winfrey episode on Hulu.
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