If you're taking Ozempic to lose a bit of weight doesn't this make you feel guilty?

[QueenieMe]

The Weight Loss Chat board feels like it's been taken over by Ozempic threads at the moment, with everyone and their aunt spending a fortune on injections to lose weight. Yet I've just seen Diabetes UK has issued a warning saying that diabetic patients are struggling to get supplies because of the demand. For them, taking the drug is not a lifestyle choice! I do appreciate there are those on the WLC board who are clinically obese and are taking it because their weight is impacting their health, but when I see women with normal BMIs saying they're taking it to lose that last stubborn stone I do despair. Knowing patients were struggling for supplies so I could fit in a bikini make me feel so guilty that I just couldn't do it. I'd love to hear their justification.

https://inews.co.uk/news/ozempic-diabetic-weight-loss-patients-drug-demand-2342119

@hamstersarse the “horrendous” keto side effects for me are, stabilising of my blood sugars, dampening down of my autoimmune conditions, better sleep, increased energy, and generally feeling more well than I have for years.

Yes, I started this thread out of concern that diabetics are missing out. I don't judge anyone for being overweight - I have a BMI that's pushing 30 so I could do with losing some myself. But using a quick fix drug at the expense of people who could experience serious medical complications if denied it doesn't sit right with me.

Sorry I missed a sentence off my last post - It should say, nobody who eats only minimally processed food is going to be overweight, regardless of the macronutrient composition.

I agree with this. Proper food, unprocessed.

However, for some people doing a 'healing' keto diet is the best way to reset their cravings and understand, fairly quickly, how different your body and mind can feel when fueled right (i.e. fewer cravings which seems to be the main noticeable benefit of Ozempic)

Sounds horrendous. Must have been very difficult for you

Yes obesity is a disease why should people suffer just to achieve weight loss? Why is it a moral failing? You have probably never been obese. Keto is also ridiculously expensive. The only thing that worked for me was getting most of my stomach cut away I was 116kg now 57kg I had it done 2.5 years ago. I don't diet anymore or follow silly keto rules. I eat whatever I like 👍just small portions no weird rules. I have probably saved money as well from all the diets ,obesity is a disease.

It's a drug that makes a huge beneficial change for people with diabetes and people who are morbidly obese. It has side effects, some potentially bad (like many drugs) but for those two groups it's beneficial.

I can't however get my head round somene with only one or two stone to lose taking it and risking the side effects. And I'm saying that as someone who struggles with weight loss.

@hamstersarse yep, it’s been terrible😂

Like cosmetic surgery, if people want Ozempic for weight loss WITHOUT it being medically necessary they should pay full whack for it.

Stupid NHS for prescribing it to all and sundry imo.

I think keto is madly unhealthy

So we are on a thread about a drug which essentially mimics the effects of the ketogenic diet, but the natural way to do it is unhealthy but the pharmaceutical way to do it is healthy and good all round

There is nowt so queer as folk

I started a thread in site stuff suggesting this. It got quite a few responses at the time but presumably not enough to reach the threshold? Mumsnet's response on the thread seemed to give this impression

Yes I can see the logic in that. Which leads me to wonder if this will actually encourage real change in people's dietary choices if they know they will be able to stay on this for life, or re-start it when they gain the inevitable weight from those choices? At £73.35 without VAT to the NHS per pack, it has a way to go to prove itself as safe, effective and value for money. Not that the latter seems to trouble the NHS procurement terribly

It's expensive and really difficult to do. Have you ever been obese? It made my binging much worse.

The NHS aren't prescribing it for weightloss currently. It's only available on the NHS for type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetics with co-morbidities.

Those taking it for weightloss ARE paying privately for it to be prescribed to them via private Dr or prescribing pharmacist and paying for it.

The NHS will start prescribing it for weightloss under the name wegovy, probably later this year but the NHS criteria will be very tight I would imagine.

The vast majority of people getting Ozempic for weight loss are paying for it privately & it’s costing them a lot of money. If you read the Ozempic threads, they are mainly people who are obese and who have tried multiple other diets over the years. Of course you do get the odd misguided person who wants to use it to lose a small amount of weight, but that’s not the case for most people.

The NHS definitely aren’t prescribing it to all and sundry.

I don't think the NHS is prescribing it to all and sundry. They have a strict criteria for who gets it. It's the people taking it to lose a stone for summer or who are lying to off-licence providers to get theirs who are the issue. I've just seen a comment on another thread where a poster is continuing to give the provider her starting weight, even though she's lost a lot, so she'll keep getting a prescription.

There is always an excuse, I know.

Expensive? Pork chops, liver, chicken legs, eggs - all extremely cheap

Difficult - only if you eat out all the time, which I presume you don't as that would be expensive

I doubt the NHS will prescribe it long term for weightloss once someone reaches a healthy weight. Certainly not for several years, until there's evidence the cost of prescribing is worth it.

I'm taking it, after years of struggling to lose weight and having my own medical conditions that predispose me to diabetes, I absolutely do not feel guilty for taking a medication that has prevented me developing other weight related illnesses. It's sole purpose was never to just treat diabetes.

And anyway a lot of clinics are contacting patients and asking if they would like to swap to the oral supplement which is not in short supply compared to the subcutaneous injectable.

If you're gonna be mad at someone be mad at the government who have the power to fund the manufacturing and supply of the product so it's available on the NHS under contracts and not the people paying £200 a month for something that should be more readily accessible as a weight management tool.

Obviously that’s not right. But it doesn’t seem fair to be judgemental towards all Ozempic users who are using it to lose weight, just because of a few “bad apples” who don’t understand they are using it inappropriately. Most Ozempic users on the threads seem well educated about the drug but some are not and those people do annoy me too, tbh.
People who are obese worry about becoming diabetic, and maybe it’s better to prevent diabetes rather than simply treat it with Ozempic? Especially as they are paying for the drug privately.

If you read my comments and my OP, I've made it clear I am NOT being judgemental towards all Ozempic users. Far from it. (I even say in the title 'a bit of weight'). I'm talking about those users who are taking it to just shed that pesky last stone or are lying about their BMI or weight to get supplies. And paying for it privately makes no odds in my book - it's still causing the supply issues that are affecting diabetics. That's the entire point of this thread.

I was looking into it because I also had the perception that Keto was quite unhealthy, but seeing you can eat a lot of veg still which is great. If it works for you (and I know keto is absolutely life changing for some people) that's fantastic.

I do think a diet that has plenty of veg as stables but then swaps carby staples out can be relatively expensive when comparing those 2 options, but I do reckon a lot of people (like myself) who are very overweight must be spending a fair amount of money on food overall.

I don't do keto as it doesn't work for me like people say it works for them and I absolutely love fruit so wouldn't want to quit, but it sounds like a great option for a lot of people.

I've never in my life defended the product or taken it, or plan to take it. I do however have empathy and sadly that seems to not be the case for 70% of the people on this thread.

You havent answered my question ? Have you ever been obese? I am a former obese person.

Hope this answers the questions surrounding sustainability once treatment has stopped for some of you who haven't had any experience with ozempic, but a lot of clinics are also offering ongoing and inclusive weight loss management programmes that tackle the reasons why weight gain might have occurred in the first place focusing on sleep, exercise diet and stress with many resources at their disposal to help build lasting habits that are sustainable for the kind of life you lead so weight can be maintained once treatment has ceased.

Some people will take longer to develop those habits than others. Years, possibly.

It isn't going to work for every one either, for some people surgical intervention might be the last resort but this is another step before resorting to surgical intervention which is a major choice and if it works, by curving hunger cravings and allowing you time to build healthier habits rather than having food on your mind all the time and prevent prediabetes, diabetes, heart disease, respiratory issues then it's well worth while if conventional diet and exercise has not worked for you and you've been facing years of obesity through.

Not obese no.

What has that got to do with it?

If the insinuation is that I don't have to think about what I eat, then you would be mistaken.