All these weight loss drugs... surely we are heading towards disaster?

[shellswirl]

So as we all know there are various weight loss drugs that have become very popular in recent months.

It seems like the whole of Hollywood is using it.

Even regular people are spending huge amounts of money on it from online pharmacies.

I get that these drugs might be useful for certain people with real medical conditions, but really a lot of people are using it as a quick fix to be thin.

With no consideration to side effects or future health. And without thinking about what happens when you stop it?

Surely the best way to lose weight involves no drugs. No fad diets. But exercising more, moving more, eating a balanced diet. Retraining your brain and finding food and exercise you enjoy.

I say this as an overweight person too! Surely there are other ways.

If every other person is taking these drugs won't there be a huge pool of people to monitor side effects etc?

Aibu to say the whole thing makes me feel very uneasy.

Yes addiction is a disease. It's a disorder of the normal functioning of your body.

@Riversideandrelax Food noise is very common in yoyo dieters I imagine. Basically before Mounjaro I’d spend all day thinking about food, desperately trying to get through to the next meal time without cracking.

now I eat breakfast/lunch/dinner and am fine in between. Forget about food. No chocolate cravings. No “ooh I should make a cake this weekend because I fancy cake”. It’s so freeing.

My friend is on it and has lost two stone so far, all the relevant blood tests have seen a huge improvement too.

Best thing she said is that she no longer has the food noise - she doesn’t think about food anymore outside her 3 meals a day - she said it’s like a wand has been waved, first time in her life that she can recall living like this and said it’s very freeing.

I really think that if people are prescribed medication that causes weight gain that they are given support at the same time to not gain weight instead of just left to pile it on.

Obesity is an illness too! It is caused by unhealthy lifestyle choices, environmental factors and sometimes has a genetic component. Type 2 diabetes is also caused by unhealthy lifestyle choices, environmental factors and sometimes has a genetic component. These GLP1 meds are HEALTHCARE, whether it’s for obesity or T2 diabetes. Even the private companies online have certain criteria you have to meet for you to be able to access them, they aren’t just dishing them out willy nilly to anyone that asks for them. We are learning more about these meds all the time. They help with addiction issues, they prevent cardiovascular disease, they’re helping women with PCOS fall pregnant by reversing insulin resistance and increasing fertility amongst other things. These meds aren’t “concerning” they are a lifeline for a lot of people. They are changing and saving lives. Also, you don’t just take them and the weight magically falls off. You use them AND have to make lifestyle and dietary changes. I used Ozempic for a year and couldn’t go near pastry, fried foods or anything too fatty or I’d become severely ill. They forced me to make better choices and improved my health massively. Hope that helps.

Sigh. Another thread bashing weight loss medication.

The people judging others for using it are probably the same bunch who judge people for being obese and developing T2 diabetes.

Mounjaro is marvellous and I couldn't reccomended it enough. Use CONSULT-BLOOM for £25 off with MedExpress 😂

You're oversimplifying. The jobs available, the lifestyle, the weather, the stress level, mental health, genetic build up and food are all responsible. So your utopian idea might tackle one of the factors. The weight loss medication can assist with tackling all of them in the context of weight loss as proven for many people. It won't resolve genetic tendencies or MH issues and it won't make the sun shine every day but it helps people manage their obesity which is a chronic illness despite these issues which go against them. You need to understand an obese brain is different to average and there's a lot of research out on this now. It's really not the case that everyone just can ear less, exercise more and stay slim because it's their brain that needs to steer this process. It's incredibly difficult or impossible for an obese brain to successfully do it for life without any support so the medication, especially combined with longer term lifestyle guidance, is definitely the best way forward.

Absolutely - there's no support for people on ADs or either type of medication that makes you put weight on and it's far from easy to lose it afterwards.

Obesity is an illness and can be successfully medicated. Welcome it. It will improve many people's lives and release obesity comorbidities-related money within the NHS.

Also - weight loss medication works because people eat less on it. They still eat less, believe it or not, that's what makes them lose fat. It's no different to losing it without medication. The only difference is that their brain stops being their worst enemy. So don't bash the people who are looking after their health and decide to take medication whilst only cherishing those who choose not to, the actual reason for losing the weight is the same in all cases, the assistance is different. It's like saying to a depressed person to go for a walk, some may shift depression without ADs but some will spend 25 years walking and nothing will change without medication.

Do you mean she looks older in the face simply because she has lost weight (as a bit of fat on your face makes you look younger) or that it's something more specific to this drug?

I am chosing healthy food now though. Like I said, it's a choice. No kne forces anyone to eat anything. I'm fat through my own not giving a fuck and laziness, not down to anything or anyone else.

Just a few points about UPFs

• all those talking about UPF- what do you think all those fat people in Waitrose are doing? Buying trolleys full of organic fruit, veg and fruit and throwing it away on the way to Burger King? People can be fat and never touch junk food. I eat a (too big) portion of salad, houmous, falafel and olives each day. My slim colleague eats (without fail) a ready meal each day, or a pot noodle or a tinned soup. She NEVER cooked. UPF doesn't make everyone fat, nor does a Mediterranean diet make it easy to loose weight.
• why are there huge levels of obesity in the third world country where my dad is from? Hardly any processed food. Most cook three meals a day. Nearly 80% of women are overweight.
• why are you worried about children not learning about diet and nutrition now these drugs exist? Most adults know why they're fat. Most children I know are slim. I am a fat mum with thin kids. They know what a bloody apple is. Most fat women were not fat children, due to the hormonal element.

All these “UPFs are the enemy, cut them out and everything will be fine!” posters… I couldn’t tell you the last time I ate anything I didn’t cook from scratch from whole, natural ingredients. Years and years and years. No packet sauces, no bread products, nothing like that. I’ve seen the programmes and read the books and got equally outraged by the absolute rubbish were sold. And yet even with that, even totally avoiding UPFs: I have to eat 1000 calories a day to lose weight. If I eat more than that – even whole, natural, cooked from scratch – I gain weight. For whatever reason, my metabolism just doesn’t work that way and I have to eat a very low calorie diet to lose weight.

I can cope on 1000 calories now because I’ve trained myself into it. But I couldn’t have got started without Saxenda.

Neither is obesity long term good for anyone's health. You pick your risks.

So people on these medications are ‘Guinea pigs’ I’m fine with that because I’ll probably have eaten myself to death in 15 years anyway.

I get it. People are making money out of making us fat and now people will make money out of giving us meds to address the fat. But food addiction is real and if these meds help address that then good. Will there be side effects? Probably. But I guess it's a cost benefit analysis people need to do.

Sure there are other ways to treat addiction through therapy but that may be hard to access or expensive.

I don't think the meds will mean people stop learning about what foods are good for us and what portion size works.

Ideally we should be exercising more, eating better, looking after our mental and physical health. We all know that but stuff happens that makes all of that hard to do.

Good luck to everyone trying the meds route and to those trying the alternative route.

Off topic but I always think 'Mounjaro' sounds like a Mac OS.

It's a bit late to worry about the cost of medication now. Any idea how much ADHD medication costs?? Loads. Look it up. Yet I don't see anyone commenting that people shouldn't be so lazy and have they tried good sleep hygiene and reducing screen time? Both work for combatting concentration. But no, it's considered bad form, as it should be. This sort of gaslighting of fat peoples experiences is so frustrating.

Yes, ‘aggressively pouncing’ to share real facts and data

I am a good cook and have never enjoyed eating rubbish or junk food. I don't drink alcohol. I never and I mean never drink fizzy drinks. I can assure everyone I am very capable of getting fat from food cooked from scratch.

My friend was on Ozempic injections, and lost quite a few stone. She's put most of it back as she cannot get it anymore. Too many people are on it, the manufacturers cannot make enough to keep up with demand. She's upset because lost so much and started to regain it. To be honest a restricted calorie intake, with 10,000 steps a day would have the same effects. I know because I'm doing it. Injections aren't the answer here. I agree with op regarding supermarkets selling processed crap, we only need meat, veg, fruit,grains, eggs, nuts, pulses, dairy. No need for all the aisles filled with processed junk food crap, that only serve to make us fat.

You can buy it online really easily, so I’m not sure the supply issues are still relevant.

Exactly this. I eat well, I don’t eat processed junk food, I don’t drink soft drinks, I rarely drink alcohol. I buy high quality meat and veg from the farm shop. I just eat too much. I don’t sleep more than 4 hours a night due to caring responsibilities, and food is really the only thing that gets me through a full day at work after 4 hours sleep. Not an excuse, it’s just the way it is. If a medication could stop me feeling that all consuming desire for food to get me through the day, I’m all for it.

: I have to eat 1000 calories a day to lose weight. If I eat more than that – even whole, natural, cooked from scratch – I gain weight. For whatever reason, my metabolism just doesn’t work that way and I have to eat a very low calorie diet to lose weight.

@peachgreen obviously this is none of my business but have you had your thyroid checked? This isn't normal. I eat probably about 2000 calories on an average day and I'm slim. I think there's something else going on here...

Anyone besides me remember in the 70s and 80s when we had weird appetite depressant biscuits called I think limits