Chennai | Revivo’s Obesity meet looks beyond Ozempic and the weighing scale

Revivo’s Obesity meet looks beyond Ozempic and the weighing scale

“How many of you weigh yourself every day?”

About 90% of the people in the room raise their hands. We are at Revivo Metabolism Clinic’s Obesity Action Meet, and co-founder Arvind Ashok is on stage. 

He shrugs, with characteristic candour. “How much we weigh is a stupid number to base our entire self-worth on. It’s a very one-dimensional, short-sighted data point. It doesn’t tell you how much muscle you have. It doesn’t tell you how much fat you have.” He then adds, “Replace your goal of weight loss with the harder, but more useful goal of building muscle.” 

It is a message that feels especially relevant now, as GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro gain popularity in India. Ozempic, once considered a ‘celebrity drug’ is becoming more accessible. As prices fall, it is being prescribed more widely, pushing the fitness industry to grapple with a new reality. If weight loss is going to be increasingly pharmacologically assisted, should the way we approach it change? And should doctors, dietitians and coaches rethink their methods? 

Arvind does a demo on the InBody machine | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Arvind, who also co-founded The Quad, Chennai’s popular functional training and fitness coaching outfit, has spent his career teaching people how to move — and feel — better. Now, as GLP-1 drugs become more visible, he is intensifying that mission.