Patient description: The patient is a 47-year-old Asian woman complaining of persistent feelings of sadness. She lost interest in activities she used to enjoy. She states that her mood is mostly depressed for the past 3 weeks. She also lost her appetite , which led to about 5kg weight loss. She complains of loss of energy and feelings of worthlessness nearly every day. She is not using any drugs and she does not smoke. She doesn't drink alcohol. She used to exercise every day for at least 30 min. But she doesn't have enough energy to do so for the past 3 weeks. She also has some digestive issues recently. She is married and has 4 children. She is menopausal. Her husband was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and he is starting his chemotherapy. There is nothing remarkable in her past medical history and her drug history is only positive for Vit D3 1000 units daily. Her family history is negative for any psychologic problems. Her HAM-D score is 20.

Clinical trial eligibility criteria: eligible ages (years): 25.0-60.0,  Obesity Impaired Glucose Tolerance Females aged 25-60 2. BMI 28-35 kg/m2 3. No known diagnosis of diabetes 4. No known diagnosis of coronary heart disease 5. Self-described sedentary lifestyle with minimal regular cardiovascular exercise (no more than 1 hour per week) 6. Stable weight (variation < 3 kg within 6 months of screening visit) 7. Ability to give informed consent 8. Ability to follow verbal and written instructions 9. Use of medically approved form of contraception (monophasic oral contraception, intra uterine device, surgical sterilization or 2 combined barrier methods) 10. Nonsmoker (tobacco, marijuana) 11. Outpatient visits every 2 weeks throughout the study period are required. While most of these visits are short (15 minutes)ability to commute to the performance site in Boston, on a regular basis, is necessary  Type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus diagnosed according to American Diabetes Association 2. Coronary heart disease (history of myocardial infarction or unstable angina pectoris) 3. Uncontrolled hypertension hypertension (BP > 150/90 mmHg on or off antihypertensive medication) 4. Uncontrolled dyslipidemia (LDL > 200 or TG > 400 on or off lipid lowering medication) 5. Tobacco, marijuana or intravenous drug use 6. Shift workers (night shift or alternating day/night shifts) 7. Recent weight loss (> 3 kg within 4 months of the screening visit) 8. Gastroparesis 9. Inflammatory bowel disease 10. Malignancy treated with chemotherapy within the past 3 years 11. History of pancreatitis 12. Depression requiring hospitalization or diagnosis of psychosis 13. Renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance < 50 ml/min) 14. Transaminases > 2x above the normal range 15. Pregnancy within 6 months of the screening visit 16. Breastfeeding 17. Failure to use medically approved contraceptive methods 18. History of an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia or laxative abuse) 19. History of surgery for the treatment of obesity (gastric banding, gastric bypass, gastric stapling) 20. New diagnosis of hypo or hyperthyroidism within 1 year of screening visit 21. Previous participation in a clinical study with exenatide 22. Presence or history of allergic reaction to multiple drugs