Depressed that I can’t afford WLIs

Just eat in calorie deficit and be grateful that you don’t fit criteria for the WLI.

I spent far more on food when I was obese than I do now I’m a healthy weight.

It may not cover the full cost of WLI for everyone (depending on dose, if you split doses, spread out doses etc) but it certainly offsets some of the cost for many people.

Agree the revealed preference is likely to be lifelong maintenance doses, particularly when it becomes more financially accessible. Let's hope the cheaper options come soon!

The general consensus in the US where I am is that people will stay on a maintenance dose for life, just like you do a statin and other tabs. I know it’s expensive at the minute but it soon won’t be, there’s a glut of GLPs about to hit the market this year.

People waste money on all sorts, like all the takeaways and junk that makes them fat in the first place.
Or the gym they never attend.
and for some, money really isn't the issue or a problem.
That's life.

Yes but you've not forked out thousands of pounds to get where you are then to pile it back on again 🤦‍♂️

[All] Obesity interventions typically result in early rapid weight loss followed by a weight plateau and progressive regain. Maintenance of lost weight and long-term management of obesity - PMC

This is true of ALL diets, ALL OF THEM from intermittent fasting to slimming world to diet shakes.

WLI are a tool that aides dieting. They are not a magical potion that makes fat melt. They help people diet. They are not the enemy here. They help the way that some people find going to slimming world or weight watchers helps, its just that it is a biological tool.

@Velveteengreen keep going, small incremental changes are the way to go to lose and keep weight off long term. Create healthy routines, make eating well a habit but not one that is restrictive or punishing.

I am also in a position of not being able to afford them but have people around me who have successful lost alot of weight on them. Its frustrating but I'm trying to focus on me not them.....and alot of research now suggest people gain back up to 60% of the weight they lost within a year once they stop. I remind myself of that when I feel really down.

Try to not compare. You can't afford it and its not worth the debt. Look at what you can afford.
Swimming is great exercise. Can you walk much? Walking even low impact walking is great for weight loss. I got a small walking pad for at home. Or could you up your swimming per week to maybe 4?
I've got appetite control pills (apple cider vinegar ones). They are not as affective as WLJs but do take the edge off and seem to be helping but they are what I can afford easily.
Do you accurately and meticulously calorie count checking packaging/weighing/ using an app?
Do you accurately record what calories you have burnt

So the same as every man and women that goes on Slimming world, weight watchers, calorie counting or shakes then👌

Same as every diet people do then.

I am currently reading this book written by a psychologist who is an addiction specialist. It’s called Why diets make us fat and tackles the psychology behind our eating habits. It’s a good read, so is her other book The Kindness Method

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1785122770?ref=cmswrffobkcsowaapindpQWH02NHWYV3BAF2FS26K&ref=cmswrffobkcsowaapindpQWH02NHWYV3BAF2FS26K&socialshare=cmswrffobkcsowaapindpQWH02NHWYV3BAF2FS26K&bestFormat=true

That also makes no sense, she’s as likely to pile it all back on when she stops the meds as when she stops dieting without them, what consolation is that. Hey don’t worry, 80 percent of folks regain from normal dieting, how good do you feel about that then,

My understanding is not so much that your body gets used to it but that when you lose weight (for instance I lost just under a stone in 1st month of my diet) you then need less calories. Mine have had to reduce by over 300 a day. If I stay at one weight my maintenance calories would never really change. I have been dieting for just over 3 months, every few weeks adjusted my cal deficit based on current weight. I have not had a week where I have lost less than 1.2lb so far.

There is an element of people having a plateau and increasing then reducing calories again can help but it doesnt necessarily happen to that many people. Often people plateau for a few weeks, continue on their calorie deficit then have a whoosh of loss on one go.

The problem with calorie deficit is your body can get used to the reduced calories and then you need to go even lower to have significant weight loss.
id work out what your maintenance level is (the amount of calories you can consume without losing/gaining weight ) do 4 week’s deficit and 1 week maintenance to avoid this.

That's totally normal. I felt the same when friends of mine (before WLI were even around) were losing large amounts of weight and I just couldnt seem to get in the head space of doing that consistently.

My fitness pal is good for tracking, dont go by their daily calorie recommendation though, use a separate TDEE calculator first. MFP will track macros which i find are the key to how much weight I lose and also controlling hunger.

So same as after any diet then?

This doesnt even make sense. You have to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, end of!

Why even comment when you don't actually know anything about it. The press will always report on negative sides of everything.

Op can you console yourself with the fact that you’d likely pile it all back on when you stopped the injections?
Sounds like you’re making good lifestyle changes that are sustainable so maybe you’re on the right path.
can you try increase your daily activity/ step count at all?

This. My mum eats very well and spends as much on food for two of them as I do for 4. She’s obese. Her portion sizes are ridiculous! When I went for dinner she served me enough for two people!
if you don’t over eat you wont get fat, if you do you will. It’s as simple as that.

My mum always bangs on about how I don’t eat enough, I eat plenty, have a reasonably healthy diet on a budget, exercise regularly and have at most only ever been slightly over weight and never underweight. As soon as I stopped being in the healthy range for bmi purposely lost weight and kept it off. We have a bit of a warped view of a healthy diet and portion sizes in this country and my mother is a prime example of that. Eats very healthily just wayyyy too much for her very sedentary life style.

The grass is always greener OP. With the amount of weight you need to lose the old fashioned calorie counting is probably best method for you, and yes it is bloody hard work. I think that in the long run you will have the last laugh, maybe your friends will put weight back on or have to keep paying for their WLIs.

Im not against them at all. I had a morbidly obese friend whose health was at such risk she had to have her jaw wired - these was 20 odd years ago. WLIs would have been far better for her, but like all life changing drugs they are not the trouble free magic cure a lot of people imagine.

You can't say that for everyone though, all you have to do is read on the WLI boards on here and so many people have completely overhauled their lifestyle (as recommended when taking them). There are actually very few people who eat crap on them, not least because it would make you feel very unwell.

I get people are trying to make the OP feel better but there is a lot of misinformation and anecdotes based on very limited knowledge.

I am not anti-WLI (think they are an amazing health tool), but its not the same. With WLI you are getting an artificial appetite suppressant that disappears when you come off them whereas this doesnt happen if you lose weight another way.

That said, its really common for anyone who has lost weight to put it back on afterwards. I think because losing weight gives you a (dopamine?) boost that maintaining doesnt. So, however you do it, it needs to be a long-term lifestyle change.

It will be much harder for OP to lose the weight than on WLI. But I do think her chances of keeping it off i think are better than someone on WLI who doesnt stay on forever. Slower weight loss is psychologically extremely tough but physically better. I actually read it takes your body 2 years to adjust to a new weight - no matter how fast you drop the weight.

So you ARE doing really well, OP. It’s a long-term game and you are improving your health and teaching yourself long-term habits. It is do psychologically tough though to see others dropping stones in weeks. But just do not compare.

It's about the amount consumed.

If you doubled your income tomorrow you'd still get fat on healthier foods if you ate too much.

Can you go swimming more than twice a week and for a bit longer each time? It’s hard even for ‘normal weight’ people who have a tendency to gain weight to keep it off. I’m afraid it’s all about moving as much as you can and making the majority of your diet clean healthy foods. Chicken, fish, fruit, veg etc. A take-away once a fortnight is fair frequent for many people. And one takeaway can undo a weeks worth of hard work. It’s a tough reality to face and it’s really hard when food that isn’t great for us is literally all around us constantly. Sometimes it comes down to a really difficult choice - do I want that Chinese takeaway or do I want to lose weight? As you can’t have both if you’re serious about significant weight loss. I’m afraid it’s a lifelong mind set too. As you will put weight back on once you’ve lost it if you don’t keep on top of eating well and moving as much as you can. The WLI might accelerate an initial weight loss but once stopped the weight will be regained unless you maintain the same diet patterns as when on them.

I think it’s completely normal and valid to feel jealous. But they will have this expense and potential side effects for life. They seem like a miracle but they’re not for everyone and some people experience some pretty nasty side effects.

you’re doing well. You’ve lost a stone and while it’s slower and not as dramatic making sustainable changes to your diet and life style will help you to keep weight off without having to be on injections for the rest of your life. That seems like the better option to me.

keep up the walking and swimming alongside calorie counting and then as that gets easier add in some other bits such as weights, Pilates, yoga, Zumba or even couch to 5k if you think your joints can take it.