Soon after beginning to use weight loss drugs, Latisha Doty and Alison Bocking met through a TikTok GLP-1 group in 2022, and they have since found strength in each other as they deal with their weight concerns.
The two women’s friendship quickly transformed into a necessity; they started communicating or texting each other every day, providing support and crucial reminders.
Doty told People, “All your life, if you’ve dealt with weight issues, you’re scared. Then, you have somebody on your side who’s motivating you, saying, ‘We can do this. We are not going to stop until we reach our goal.’”
She added, “We’re each other’s biggest cheerleader.”
Doty recounted the long list of the ways she tried—and failed—to lose weight over the years: Richard Simmons, Weight Watchers, ‘90s fad drug fen-phen, lap band surgery, Tae Bo, Atkins, gastric bypass surgery.
“I’ve tried everything. I’d lose a little bit… and instantly put it back on,” recalled Doty. “It was exhausting.”
This time, she said, it is not the same. Since beginning the GLP-1 medicine Mounjaro two years ago, when she weighed 279 pounds, Doty has shed 118 pounds, saying, “This medication has given me my life back.”
Meanwhile, Bocking was 11 years old when she embarked on her first diet and recalled informing her teacher that she dropped 5 pounds.
“It’s a lifelong process of dealing with this beast inside of you,” she shared. “There are people who enjoy their larger body. I was not one of them. I had so much joint pain I didn’t want to get out of bed a lot of days.”
She said it’s often assumed those who are overweight aren’t trying hard enough. “But I tried a thousand times. For some people, it feels like you’re behind bars without options. You’re trying to lose weight, but your mind and body are working against you.”
The GLP-1s have allowed her to devote more time and energy to other things instead of worrying about her weight. Bocking has lost 114 lbs. on Mounjaro and Wegovy.
“I thought everyone thought about food nonstop,” she said. “This quieted the food noise. Once I was done with my plate, I was done. It’s life-changing.”
Bocking currently weighs 172 pounds, which she hasn’t seen since middle school. According to her, most of her life has been characterized by the “constant battle” of weight loss and gain. “It’s a painful way to live both physically and mentally,” she said.
Her success with GLP-1s has opened doors for her as she is now talking about riding a bike again and boarding a zip line without worrying about approaching the weight restriction. With her youth group students, “I’m more willing to play dodgeball and not stand on the sidelines and be the ref. It’s allowed me to be present in all I do.”
She said of Doty, “I don’t know anybody who is more inspiring and encouraging to those around her than Latisha.”
Doty, a cancer survivor whose husband died in April of kidney failure, can now be more active with her 6-year-old daughter, Freedom, owing to her weight loss. A few years ago, she took her daughter to the pier in Santa Monica, Calif., and couldn’t go on the rides with her because of her weight.
Now she can run around with her and experience the joy her daughter feels when they are active together.
“I live life and live through the eyes of my kid,” added Doty, recalling a time at the park after she began to lose weight. “I was able to go down the slide and my thighs wouldn’t stick to the side. She was just so elated, and I was so happy.”
Doty, who is pre-diabetic, expects to be on the medication for the rest of her life. Bocking’s insurance no longer pays for it, and she has begun non-GLP drugs for craving and binge eating in preparation for when her supply runs out. The two said they are not solely relying on the drug to maintain weight loss. Bocking walks daily with her dogs; Doty has done weight training, and both have changed their diets to incorporate more protein and vegetables.
“It feels like a magic wand,” said Bocking, “but you need lots of tools in your tool bucket on this journey.”
Both women who refer to one another as “friend” and “sister” expect their adventure to last a lifetime.
Doty expressed, “We’ve gone through this together. We’re sisters for life.”
