 Americans are flooding to doctors to try to get prescriptions for these drugs, not realizing the short-term and long-term effects they have on the body. The published side effects, including gallstones, thyroid tumors, kidney disease, pancreatitis, and more, got me thinking, why do you want to lose weight? Because you want to feel better. You want to be healthier. You want to do it the right way. Well, that's what I did with Ph.D. weight loss and nutrition. That's why I lost 53 pounds. As we age, it's a battle to keep the muscle we have. It's vital to our bone health.