I’ve struggled with my weight for most of my life.

Like many of the patients I care for today, it started early. I grew up in a family with a strong history of obesity and type 2 diabetes, and from a young age I learned—often the hard way—that weight isn’t just about food choices or motivation. Genetics and metabolism matter, whether we want them to or not.

Over the years, I tried just about everything. Low-calorie diets. Low-fat. Low-carb. Keto. Appetite suppressants. Some worked for a while. None lasted. The weight always came back, usually along with frustration and that quiet, familiar feeling of “Why can’t I just get this right?”

At 37, after the birth of my first child, things changed in a way I couldn’t ignore. My BMI reached 31. My cholesterol and blood sugars were climbing. My blood pressure was going up. I felt tired most of the day and hungry almost all the time. It wasn’t just weight gain anymore—it was my health slipping away, in the same pattern I had seen affect others in my family.

As an internal medicine physician, that was a wake-up call. I was developing the very conditions I treated every day. And it forced me to face a difficult but freeing truth: this wasn’t about willpower. Obesity is not a personal failure. It’s a chronic, biologically driven metabolic disease—and it often runs in families.

That realization changed everything.

I went back to the science. I pursued additional training in obesity medicine, joined the Obesity Medicine Association, and immersed myself in the research. Under proper medical supervision, I combined evidence-based nutrition, regular movement, and GLP-1 therapy—not to punish my body or “eat less,” but to support a metabolism shaped by genetics, hormones, and years of insulin resistance.

For the first time, something felt different. My hunger quieted. My energy came back. My labs improved. My body stopped fighting me at every step.

But the biggest change wasn’t just physical. It was mental and emotional. I stopped seeing my body as broken. I learned to respect its biology and work with it instead of against it. That shift required patience, self-compassion, and resilience—things that matter just as much as any meal plan or medication.

This experience reshaped how I practice medicine.

Today, I approach weight loss as long-term, individualized metabolic care—grounded in science, guided by empathy, and focused on sustainable health. That philosophy is the foundation of my work at Text2MD.

If you have a family history of obesity or diabetes and feel like you’ve been fighting your body for years, I want you to hear this clearly:
Your genetics are not your destiny—but they do deserve understanding, respect, and proper medical care.

This reflects my personal experience as a physician under medical supervision. Every body and medical history is different, and weight-loss care is always individualized.

Miguel Antonatos, MD
Internal Medicine Physician
Founder, Text2MD