Depressed that I can’t afford WLIs

Huh? You have no idea about these people’s diets, how long they were fat for or their plan for maintence.

gosh it’s been a few days since there’s been a bitter jealous thread on these drugs, but we clearly have another.

op, 90 percent of people eligible for the drugs aren’t on them, it’s only 2.5 million that sre. Two thirds of the British population are overweight or obese. I think social media makes people think everyone is on them and they are being left behind, they aren’t, the vast majority of fat people are not on them

the drugs are a huge advancement in medicine, and yes can be used to lose weight in the first place snd regain health, or as a long term maintenance plan to prevent regain or even you can restart with many suppliers within a year of stopping, so periodic use. It is not fair there is a cost now, but over time that will alleviate, price will come down, and the nhs will also ramp up their prescribing.

Do you know that the eating habits of the OP’s 2 friends are?

We don’t know what their eating habits are .
They may well be eating well and exercising .
Also they may decide to continue long term with WLI, so they will remain slim

You may regain all the weight anyway. It seems.unless on for life.you sound healthy and swimming is good also

And as soon as they stop,the weight will pile back on again. I know someone on them with awful eating habits,so as soon as she has to stop,she's going to be right where she started. She's not exercising or learning new eating habits.

Op, have you spoken to your GP about weight loss injections ?

Let’s be realistic, I say this as someone who is obese.
Losing weight and keeping it off once you’ve been significantly overweight is statistically very difficult. 80% of those who lose significant amounts of weight put it back on. 2/3 of people regain the weight within the year, nearly all regain the weight in the next five years.
They’re not stupid or lazy people. It’s biology and hormones. Why people can understand that hormones are a huge factor in menopausal mental health, physical health, sleep, fitness but deny that hormones play a part in weight gain, I’ll never know. Easier to blame the fatties I guess.
So whilst suggestions of calorie counting are well meaning, they do not necessarily offer a solution for the OP as statistically she is likely to regain any weight she’s lost. That’s why the weightloss injections are so revolutionary, lots of previously overweight people are losing weight on them and they are keeping it off whilst taking the injections. Don’t give the OP false hope to say she can easily replicate this with calorie counting. Calorie counting might offer a slight mindset change, but her hormones will still intend for her to keep to her current weight. They’re very powerful!
It is not fair to compare a size 8 woman who noticed she was getting a bit of a tum and gave up booze for a bit to get her weight down to someone who has been a size 18-24 for years who is trying to lose eight stone. The battle is not the same. The body will not react in the same way.
The WLI literally made me so sick I was unable to work or move much from my bed. But I did lose weight. And that was nearly enough for me, so much so that I continued to be so debilitated by them just for that weight loss. I don’t think people realise how much overweight people want to lose weight.

Weight loss injections don’t melt your fat off, they inhibit your appetite and thus you motivation to shovel excessive food in. The same thing can be achieved by … just not shovelling the food in in the first place.

Would you be able to afford it - if the jabs were more spread out. I don’t take mine weekly as I do every 10 days ( Dr aware) to maintain and I find I was barely eating for the first few days so I need the 10 days to allow some fuel. Therefore I only by a new needle every 6 weeks ish as opposed to monthly - not a big saving I know but …

Would that make it a more financial prospect ?

@Daisywhatsyouranswer
I know how they work. I’ve done the research when I was considering them for myself.
My concern is what happens afterwards when one stops taking them - unless you can afford to take them for life.
This is why I’ve decided against them and am replying to the OP that they don’t seem to be the magic bullet they’re being made
out to be.
As I say, if you’re taking them I really hope you get the permanent result you’re aiming for.

It’s not like people who want to lose weight don’t know what to do, we all know exactly what we need to do, but sticking to it for enough time is the issue. GLPs just help with that. All the time on MN (and elsewhere) there are people who come on these threads and say “oh just eat less and move more” like it’s as easy as that. I know for some people it is but it’s not like anyone considering using GLPs hasn’t tried it all a hundred times.

Keep going, dont give up - as you would have done before these injections became a thing.
And if it helps.......remind yourself of the possible side effects of these drugs - which wont be something for you to be worrying about if you arent taking them.
Im a similar ish weight. Set yourself little achievable goals as steps to the final goal. You've done well already, no reason why you cant continue to do well. Good luck xx

I'm a similar size to you.

Can't take WLI as I'm breastfeeding, so I've joined Slimming World (again). 6lbs down in the first week, 4 in the second! I feel great already, and I'm eating tons as I need to maintain my milk supply.

The recipes are also really good for the whole family so I'm not scrambling to serve different meals all the time.

I know it's not for everyone, but if you do it properly - i.e. cook everything from scratch, I think it's really effective.

I last did it 10 years ago and was able to stay at target for 4 years before the pandemic hit.

OP I totally understand and empathise! But if you’ve lost weight you’ll have been in a calorie deficit. And I’d say well done so far!

I think losing the first stone is the easiest but if you continue as you are, in a deficit, you will keep losing but more slowly perhaps.

The smaller we become, the fewer calories we need, which is what I’m struggling with, having lost over 3 stone I’m now stalling. I would love to feel full with less and not to be constantly thinking about food. I can’t afford WLIs though so I’ll keep at it as I have no choice if I want to be healthy. But it’s difficult to be surrounded by the obvious benefits of these seemingly wondrous drugs.

Well yes, I’m sure most people understand that the jabs don’t melt fat. But if they didn’t help by reducing hunger and making you feel full, thereby providing the conditions to support eating in a calorie deficit, why would anyone buy them.

By far the most difficult thing for me is portion sizes, I would love to feel satisfied on a smaller portion. It’s a daily battle, that I often lose, with the result of painfully slow weight loss.

The WLIs are becoming a them and us based on affordability as the NHS thresholds don’t help many who would benefit.

They’re a bit cheaper here but people earn more. Even with the higher cost of living in the US, they are still more affordable. We also have access to compound GLP-1s, which are cheaper than the branded and the WL tablets have started to come out. By Summer, there will be lots of options, all of them cheaper than the current offerings. Hopefully when the prices come down, the NHS will shift their criteria for prescribing.

@allthingsinmoderation unfortunately the OP doesn’t meet the NHS requirements which is a BMI of 40 or higher plus 4 out of 5 specific weight related health conditions. I mean, it’s fortunate that the OP doesn’t have a BMI over 40 and several serious health conditions, but it does also mean the NHS will not prescribe Mounjaro. Wegovy can only be accessed, in some areas, by working through the specialist weight loss service “tiers” of support without successfully losing weight. But you are likely to be offered bariatric surgery instead of Wegovy, if you get to that point.

@Velveteengreen you could ask your GP to be referred to the specialist weight loss service, or in some NHS areas you can self refer. You may be offered some level of support with weight loss, which you might find helpful.

Im sorry you dont have the option of NHS GLP 1.
Your BMI seems high enough to meet NHS guidelines ,is it that you are deemd not to have any co morbidiities/underlying health conditions that prevents you being prescribed GLP 1s?
I was in your situation and decided to save up for a private prescription (lots of introductory offers around) Considering my food bill went down by half it was worth it . i did it for 6 months and lost 4 stone.

They can cost up to £300 a month, even the maintenance dose can be almost £150.

Can I ask how do you think wli work how do you think people lose weight on them?

Sorry, I’m in the US. I didn’t realise they were so expensive in the UK. I think going on them here, you’re aware you’ll probably be on some form of GLP for life so can plan accordingly.

Many people can't afford to be on them long-term. They're bloody expensive.

Why are they coming off them instead of lowering to a maintence dose?

I’m going off several people I know who have used WLIs who have told me when I said I was considering how difficult they are finding managing the hunger now - including one who is restarting.
Surely addressing the issue as to why we overeat and getting coping strategies in place is far better than concentrating on just reducing the weight.
I hope the OP finds the best way for her but I’m of the opinion with the research I’ve done and the people I’ve spoken to that WLIs aren’t all that.
Having said that, if you’re using them, I really hope they work for you.