{
  "id": 16462616,
  "title": "How This Former Weightlifter Lost 80 Pounds After GLP-1s Stopped Working",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/how-this-former-weightlifter-lost-80-pounds-after-glp-1s-stopped",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-25T09:04:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Healthline News",
    "slug": "healthline-news",
    "url": "https://www.healthline.com/health-news/former-weightlifter-weight-loss-after-glp1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former competitive weightlifter Dana Bichler has lost more than 80 pounds after undergoing a minimally invasive endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) procedure. After struggling with weight regain despite dieting and trying GLP-1 medications, Bichler pursued ESG due to concerns about his obesity-related fatty liver disease. The procedure, performed at the University of Minnesota, involves suturing the stomach to create a smaller, narrower sleeve, limiting food intake without removing any portion of the stomach. Bichler weighed around 260 pounds pre-procedure and now weighs 178 pounds. While ESG may be a good alternative to GLP-1 medications for those who don't achieve desired weight loss goals or have concerns about long-term medication use, it is not a replacement for obesity treatment, according to Boston Scientific's chief medical officer, Dr. Brian Dunkin. After ESG, Bichler experienced depression and had to adjust to a new way of eating, but he now exercises four to five times a week and feels better than he has in 30 years.",
  "summary": "After trying diets and GLP-1 medications without lasting weight loss, former competitive weightlifter Dana Bichler (pictured above) lost more than 80 pounds following a minimally invasive procedure. Photo: Dana Bichler Former competitive weightlifter Dana Bichler lost more than 80 pounds after undergoing endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), a minimally invasive weight loss procedure. After…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}