All these people taking weight loss appetite suppressant drugs?!!

[OnHerSolidFoundations]

Is it me or is this a bit sinister?

I've been with the same supplier the whole time. They are happy to continue to prescribe as I've been on it since BMI 32. Also, I consent to them contacting my doctor. Why wouldn't you?

I have consented to them contacting my doctor but I know they haven't.

What you seem to fail to under understand is that the degree of will power and discipline required is unreasonable to expect any person to manage for some people.
Its nut just cutting out afternoon tea and walking

Hormones have a massive impact and doctors have acknowledged this. This is why diabetic people require these medications. Hormones. It's why some menopausal women gain weight on extremely low calorie diets. It's why some women pile on weight in the first trimester without having increased intake.

I’ve consented for the pharmacy to contact my GP and I’m sure they have, as I’ve seen an entry on the NHS app relating to pharmacy. I don’t get other meds otherwise or go to the GP, so no reason for anyone else to be poking in my notes.

For a lot of people their weight gain can be related to trauma/abuse
Food is where they feel like they are getting the comfort that eating brings and food becomes the crutch they need.

For a lot of people, unless they have therapy to work through the abuse they have suffered and the reasons why they overeat it will not matter how much weight they lose on these type of drugs it will always go back on because the reasons to eat haven’t been dealt with

I also think it is more complicated than eat less move more and weight will fall off you.

I think for women hormones and age play a huge part in weight gain and how fast or slow they can lose weight.

I also think sensitivity to some foods can hamper weight loss.

If all you have to do to lose weight is eat less and move more then explain why is it that a 22 year old man can have weight falling off them by eating less and moving more and a post menopausal woman struggles to lose 2lbs even though they have reduced their consumption and are exercising to the same extent as the 22 year old.

Which is why I said “Perhaps what is really needed is therapeutic support to develop the necessary skills to ignore or overcome ‘food noise’ and spurious sensations of hunger.”

That won’t guarantee weight loss though.

Like I said before, my weight gain came after attempting to control it, instead of just eating how I had done prior to dieting. I had treatment and therapy for the the eating disorder I eventually developed because of this and now I have no ‘food noise’ because of that and the fact I eat mindfully. I don’t crave things because I know I’m allowed whatever I want and because I know that, the foods I used to crave have lost their power. And I’m still fat. My relationship with food and my actual diet are the healthiest they’ve ever been since before I first clapped eyes on that Slimming World leaflet.

So, what do you propose? (In an ideal world, where money and resources are not an issue...)

There is so much more to weight loss than eat less, move more. Thankfully there are more and more studies about the complexities of weight, and more information in the public domaine.

And this thread isn't full of concern, but it is full of judgement.

I personally disagree with antidepressants, I think they act as masks for larger issues, BUT I also recognize that they can allow the person to function whilst they build up the mental strength to begin dealing with their issues.

Same for smoking. People won't stop smoking until they are mentally prepared to do so, and when they do, they are given the best tools available at that time, to help them achieve their goal.

I cannot understand why PP are trying to stifle people's efforts, by demanding to know now what they will do when they get to their goal and how they will manage to stay at their goal.

Instead, how about cheering on people who are doing their best, with the tools that they have got? And as they build up their strength and energy, continue to encourage them as they discover what is it about how their individual body functions, that leads them to make informed choices.

Health issues are rarely easily solved or without risk. Everything has a consequence. If you don't want to take these injections, then don't. But don't piss on the parades of people who are genuinely trying to do their very best to live a healthier life, for whatever reason, just because you personally don't believe that obesity is a medical issue, or that you think you know better than people who have studied in this field for several years, or that you saw someone who dared to be curvy, having cream on their hot chocolate in public one time, therefore all people overweight have clearly brought it on themselves.

I think anything that makes you lose weight quickly is always going to have its downsides because of things like excess skin, loss of lean tissue as well as fat etc. Indeed anything in life that offers to be a "quick fix" I am often dubious of.

I have PCOS and all the fun metabolic issues that come with that, so I do get that people's bodies process foods differently and that weight is a complex issue. It's not just about willpower and calories in vs calories out.

I have lost weight successfully and kept it off by doing it the slow way. I've exercised (strength training) consistently for two hours a week for a year. Eaten a bit more protein than I used to and a bit less sugar, and that's pretty much been it. My body shape has completely changed. I've built solid habits through regular exercise. I don't have any lose skin because I've done it gradually. Its been hard at times - walking to the gym in sleet and rain, on days when I didn't feel like it. But this is the shit I had to do to change my life and my mindset. My mental health has also massively improved from the regular endorphins from the exercise. Its been a complete lifestyle overhaul but in small steps over a long period of time.

I wouldn't take injectables because for me, it was lack of muscle that was my issue (and I believe is the issue for many overweight people). And to build muscle you need to eat plenty. I don't want my appetite to be reduced. An increase in lean muscle has improved my metabolic issues. In turn, reducing my weight.

I'm using injectables and enjoying 1lb a week weightloss. That's not fast, or sudden or overnight. It's allowing me to eat a reasonable amount of calories that lets me loose a consistent amount of weight each week. No muscle loss, ozempic face or loose skin risks with this.
I'm learning about portion control, food choices and how life can be when my thoughts are not dominated by what I can eat next.
What will I do when I get to my goal weight? Who knows, it's quite far off to be honest, with a 4 or 5lb weight loss per month.

I am roughly the same! It's been a really great experience for me so far.

I am learning a lot about myself and my eating habits, and I am receiving medical guidance throughout. (Am non uk based though). I had to see an endocrinologist and a dietician, and they had to submit reports to my medical insurance before it was prescribed to me.

No quick fixes or eating lots of crap here. I am building up my fitness levels slowly too, as my confidence grows.

More a very steady, slow journey with lots of support. I am very grateful.

After 27 years of trying to diet and failing miserably I went to doctors and was shocked at how much I weighed. BMI 38. I begged doctors for help but the best they could offer was 12 weeks free slimming world. The last time I joined slimming world I actually put 5 pound on as following the plan was more than I was eating before.
i decided there and then I would pay privately for saxenda. I’ve kept on the minimum dose and lost 2 stone in a year. My bmi is now 32.5 and I feel much better. My relationship with food has completely changed and I haven’t counted a single calorie all year just gone no UPF and eating full fat. Previously I’d go v low fat and be starvingly hungry all the time. I had a 3 month spell where I couldn’t get any saxenda and still lost some weight in that time with the new habits albeit even more slowly and more willpower required.
my weight loss has now plateaued a bit and I need to add in more exercise but at least that’s now doable. At bmi38 it was near impossible.

I firmly believe that these injections should be available on the NHS together with education on ultra processed foods, this new way of eating combined with the jabs changed my life completely