Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to feel uneasy about what this means long term rather than surprised by the weight regain itself?

682 replies

HazelMember · 28/01/2026 18:03

I’ve just read a BBC article about research into weight loss injections like Ozempic and Wegovy showing that people who stop taking them tend to regain weight quite quickly.

I’m not shocked that weight comes back. That happens after most weight loss attempts whether they involve medication or not.

These drugs are increasingly talked about as something people might take for years or even indefinitely. That raises questions for me about what happens when someone cannot afford them anymore, when supply changes, when side effects become an issue or when a person simply does not want to stay on a medication for life.

If stopping leads not just to regain but to a fairly rapid rebound, it feels less like a temporary aid and more like something that is very hard to step away from once started. That sits oddly with how casually they are sometimes discussed.

AIBU to think the real issue here is not that people regain weight after stopping, but whether we are quietly normalising a treatment that may be difficult to discontinue once begun? Or is this simply the reality of managing a chronic condition?

A woman, wearing bright red nail polish and unbuttoned blue jeans, injects herself into the skin and soft tissue of her lower abdomen with an obesity jab pen.

People coming off weight-loss injections risk fast weight gain

Overweight people shed large amounts on jabs but gain 0.8 kg a month on average once off them, study shows.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c050ljnrv2qo

OP posts:
Thread gallery
14
fruitbrewhaha · 30/01/2026 12:13

EricTheHalfASleeve · 28/01/2026 19:58

The late lamented Terry Pratchett & the unlamented Neil Gaimen wrote a parody of this is in Good Omens - the horseman of the apocalypse Famine is a businessman who creates CHOW - ready meals designed to make you lose weight due to them having 'the nutritional content of a Sony walkman'.

He follows this with a range called MEALS: 'MEALS was CHOW with added sugar and fat. The theory was that if you ate enough MEALS you would a) get very fat, and b) die of malnutrition.'

The food industry sells us fat then the weight loss industry sells us slim.

If society really wants to tackle obesity we need a calorie tax on the food industry. Tax Just Eat and the like and subsidise fruit and veg. It's not hard to make a healthy ready meal, and if those were substantially cheaper than a high calorie version people will buy the cheap healthy option.

This. It’s a racket.

I think labelling obesity as a disease is unhelpful. I’m not disagreeing there are physical and psychological issues involved but it’s not equivalent. This is a societal issue. We are eating shit food that lacks nutrients.

People need to stop getting fat in the first place. People gain weight with the notion that they can shift it off again, but once your fat you’re fucked. Your body tried to revert to its set point. Your body is trying to gain back the fat.

The answer is to never get fat. No one is born fat. If you put on 5 or 6 pounds do something about straight away. Don’t wait until you got 3 stone to shift.

SilenceInside · 30/01/2026 12:11

TonTonMacoute · 30/01/2026 12:04

The main problem with WLIs atm is the fact that in reality anyone can get hold of them if they have the money. People who are only slightly overweight have been using them to lose a stone quickly before a holiday.

Ideally they should only be available on NHS prescription to treat obese patients, carefully monitored and used alongside a carefully assessed diet and exercise plan, but I guess that's too much to hope for in the Wild West of the Internet.

Can I ask why that model would be ideal? It would prevent hundreds of thousands, millions, of obese people from accessing these medications legitimately and using them responsibly as they are currently. It also cannot happen, as the NHS has reviewed what they can offer, and cannot cope with that level of demand. They have therefore decided on a limited rollout where very few people can access WLI via the NHS.

StrawberryJamAndRaspberryPie · 30/01/2026 12:10

TonTonMacoute · 30/01/2026 12:04

The main problem with WLIs atm is the fact that in reality anyone can get hold of them if they have the money. People who are only slightly overweight have been using them to lose a stone quickly before a holiday.

Ideally they should only be available on NHS prescription to treat obese patients, carefully monitored and used alongside a carefully assessed diet and exercise plan, but I guess that's too much to hope for in the Wild West of the Internet.

Why should private practice doctors be limited in their practice when they’re just as qualified as NHS doctors to prescribe? And do you really want the NHS to have to shoulder the burden of the cost of ALL WLI when 30% of the UK population is obese?

HazelMember · 30/01/2026 12:08

TonTonMacoute · 30/01/2026 12:04

The main problem with WLIs atm is the fact that in reality anyone can get hold of them if they have the money. People who are only slightly overweight have been using them to lose a stone quickly before a holiday.

Ideally they should only be available on NHS prescription to treat obese patients, carefully monitored and used alongside a carefully assessed diet and exercise plan, but I guess that's too much to hope for in the Wild West of the Internet.

There is also the danger of fakes:

www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/24/experts-warn-counterfeit-weight-loss-medication-tablets-uk

OP posts:
TonTonMacoute · 30/01/2026 12:04

The main problem with WLIs atm is the fact that in reality anyone can get hold of them if they have the money. People who are only slightly overweight have been using them to lose a stone quickly before a holiday.

Ideally they should only be available on NHS prescription to treat obese patients, carefully monitored and used alongside a carefully assessed diet and exercise plan, but I guess that's too much to hope for in the Wild West of the Internet.

SwingTheMonkey · 30/01/2026 11:51

HazelMember · 30/01/2026 11:44

Like I questioned, can you see my PMs?

Feel free to report the post. Hide it.

Participation is voluntary.

Absolutely no idea what your pms have to do with anything. You’re not engaging in any meaningful way on the thread and have exposed yourself as being absolutely clueless about WLI and not ‘concerned’ about anything in the slightest (except perhaps people losing weight). Funny.

HazelMember · 30/01/2026 11:47

velvetgeranium · 29/01/2026 23:24

Here is a quote from David A Kessler, former FDA commissioner, from his book "Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine". He is the former dean of Yale School of Medicine, and other prestigious universities. Kessler has tried GLP-1s himself.

"I am deeply troubled the FDA approved GLP-1s for long-term chronic use without requiring the pharmaceutical companies to conduct enough studies.

The pharmaceutical industry argues that these drugs have been around for decades, but not in such large doses and not for the treatment of obesity.

Some people may be able to handle the drugs for life, but we juct don't know. Right now we only have about five years of data at the current doses."

Thank you for this. I will check it out.

WLIs are too new to have detailed data yet about the potential long term effects when used in such large doses and not for the treatment of obesity.

OP posts:
Nancylancy · 30/01/2026 11:44

I think this is really interesting. I have just started (ordered but not injected yet) WLI after months of debating whether to or not, to help with weight loss to reduce my cholesterol. I am on the lighter side of obese with a BMI that requires a health condition to qualify, and my intention is to use the jabs to help me establish healthier eating habits and to address my comfort eating. My hope is that I'll only be on them for 3-6 months and then I will be in a good enough routine to maintain after that.

I'd be really interested to read the research and have a look at this study to understand why weight gain seems to happen more quickly than before once stopped. This is very worrying tbh and does put pharma companies in a position where they have power over people who need to continue taking them for life.

I don't think obesity is a lifelong condition at all - once you've lost the weight, you should be able to keep it off if you've gone about it the right way and established a healthy lifestyle. I haven't RTFT but I wonder if there is a link to the research as I'd love to understand this better.

One reason could be that WLI are correlated with loss of muscle mass (I have just attended a coaching session where this was explained, and weight training and protein were highlighted as being vital alongside the jabs). It could be that those exercising more, are then developing muscle more quickly once stopping? Obviously there is going to be an increase in appetite and some gain may be inevitable, but the mechanism of how weight gain is made faster needs to be established before people panic about it.

HazelMember · 30/01/2026 11:44

SwingTheMonkey · 30/01/2026 11:30

You clearly have nothing of interest to say in response to any post actually about WLI. You just want to argue with people…

Like I questioned, can you see my PMs?

Feel free to report the post. Hide it.

Participation is voluntary.

OP posts:
HazelMember · 30/01/2026 11:43

DarkForces · 30/01/2026 11:21

Awwww. Watch out your concern is showing

😂

OP posts:
SilenceInside · 30/01/2026 11:39

@HazelMember what have PMs got to do with anything?

SwingTheMonkey · 30/01/2026 11:30

DarkForces · 30/01/2026 11:21

Awwww. Watch out your concern is showing

This always happens. They start off with their ‘concern’ and gradually the mask slips as the thread progresses!

SwingTheMonkey · 30/01/2026 11:30

HazelMember · 30/01/2026 11:19

Can you see my PMs? WOW!

You clearly have nothing of interest to say in response to any post actually about WLI. You just want to argue with people…

DarkForces · 30/01/2026 11:21

HazelMember · 30/01/2026 11:20

Start one yourself. Are you not an adult?

Awwww. Watch out your concern is showing

HazelMember · 30/01/2026 11:20

soupyspoon · 30/01/2026 10:53

Exactly I had weeks and weeks recently of my PPIs not being available, from any chemist in this area

No one started a thread for me then.

Start one yourself. Are you not an adult?

OP posts:
HazelMember · 30/01/2026 11:19

SwingTheMonkey · 30/01/2026 10:40

You’re not discussing anything though? In the past few pages of this thread you’ve done nothing but reply to people who’ve questioned your motives for this thread.

Can you see my PMs? WOW!

OP posts:
HazelMember · 30/01/2026 11:18

Wickedlittledancer · 30/01/2026 10:51

Some people are consumed by envy and resentment over these injections. Threads like this pop up most days from them. They think they are hiding behind faux concern, they aren’t.

op. I’m on the meds, my bmi is 20, I look and feel fabulous, I am staying on a low dose to maintain, but plenty will either stop and restart if they can’t maintain, or will maintain, it’s all personal.

im sure you’re the exception and aren’t just one of these consumed by envy and resentment though snd you do spend your days all worried for us. But you can stand down.

I think people who keep saying others are resentful and envious are projecting their own inner worlds. That is a sad state to be in.

Feel free to report or hide the thread. Participation is voluntary 😂

I don't need to stand down. You are not MNHQ.

OP posts:
SwingTheMonkey · 30/01/2026 11:12

Wickedlittledancer · 30/01/2026 11:09

Nooooo, the op!

😅

velvetgeranium · 30/01/2026 11:11

soupyspoon · 30/01/2026 09:06

If you're not on HRT why would you be on a thread about HRT?

I wouldn't. But any time a thread starts asking people who are not on HRT how they are finding menopause/postmenopause, it is over-run by people on HRT eager to stop discussion and persuade everyone they must go on HRT.

Wickedlittledancer · 30/01/2026 11:09

Binus · 30/01/2026 11:09

The poster switched who she was addressing in mid post, 2nd and 3rd are to OP I think?

Yes,,thanks.!

Wickedlittledancer · 30/01/2026 11:09

SwingTheMonkey · 30/01/2026 11:07

Me?!

Nooooo, the op!

Binus · 30/01/2026 11:09

SwingTheMonkey · 30/01/2026 11:07

Me?!

The poster switched who she was addressing in mid post, 2nd and 3rd are to OP I think?

SwingTheMonkey · 30/01/2026 11:07

Wickedlittledancer · 30/01/2026 10:51

Some people are consumed by envy and resentment over these injections. Threads like this pop up most days from them. They think they are hiding behind faux concern, they aren’t.

op. I’m on the meds, my bmi is 20, I look and feel fabulous, I am staying on a low dose to maintain, but plenty will either stop and restart if they can’t maintain, or will maintain, it’s all personal.

im sure you’re the exception and aren’t just one of these consumed by envy and resentment though snd you do spend your days all worried for us. But you can stand down.

Me?!

Binus · 30/01/2026 11:05

The truth of course is that all this is self fulfilling.

WLIs are newsworthy because people are interested, unfortunately for reasons that are not always morally blameless. The BBC reported on this review because it's clearly a topic the public want to read about, and they chose the headline they did because they know full well that regaining weight on WLIs will get more clicks than losing much more of it in the first place.

People care more about WLIs they're not taking than they do about other drugs they're not taking. So there are more stories, so people are more aware.

soupyspoon · 30/01/2026 10:53

StrawberryJamAndRaspberryPie · 30/01/2026 10:00

The same as what happens when any medication becomes unavailable. Just like HRT or statins or PPIs. People need to stop thinking of them as a lifestyle craze/fad and start thinking of them as medication to treat a disease (obesity among others).

Nobody gets all faux concerned when my eczema medication is having production issues.

Exactly I had weeks and weeks recently of my PPIs not being available, from any chemist in this area

No one started a thread for me then.