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.

@shellswirl

If we changed education and food as a whole then yes healthy eating could be way more successful.

But we won't change, we won t learn... because money. This is going to make certain people very very rich.

If you know that it's not going to change (it won't) then why do you keep pushing for it and complaining about the drugs!?

Imagine if people took the tablet and just thought "nah sod the exercise" because they can get thin on the drugs.

I bet a proportion of people would.

Yeah of course there will be a proportion who would, just like there's a proportion of people who take diabetes medication and don't look after themselves or medication for high blood pressure or treatment after a heart attack and don't look after themselves.

So rather than take a medication that enables obese people to restrict their food intake and lose weight, we should shame them into losing weight instead?

There's a lot more to it than understanding the emotional reasons behind why they do it, like the hormonal changes in the body for example.

The mind is influenced by what's going on in the body. It's often the hormones that are making the person craving the food, it's not the childhood bullying they experienced. That might have been why they started comfort eating, but years or decades later that's not what is influencing the constant thoughts and cravings about food.

There have been many people who have went down the therapy route and actually did a lot of healing from their past trauma and healing from the time their comfort eating might have started and it hasn't helped the cravings.

And sometimes the emotional issues come after the weight gain, it's not always something that comes first.

@thesurrealist thank you for your input. I like a good academic to quash the neighsayers.

I have two Oxford degrees. Not exactly as thick as mince. I also have a nutrition qualification.
I have been nine stone overweight and pumped full of steriods to keep me working. 15 hour days added to the weight gains. I'm not essential work wise but I paid huge taxes for thirty years.

I have mobility issues and it would be nice to be a normal weight. I still have some pre weight gain clothes I want to wear.

I went onto Lloyds pharmacy. Com today and no way can you cheat the protocol.
A lot of the tutting is not obese people. Unless you have been there, you don't understand.
Lots of larger people get abused on mumsnet and it's seen as fair game.

I was using an (extreme) example of what other countries do. I never said it was right, in fact I was being slightly facetious. I think it’s an awful way to treat people. I fully remember the dread of the school nurse coming to weight us in front of classmates, knowing I was heavier than everyone and would be mocked. Japan’s way is most certainly not the right way.

The 4 part documentary (I’m sure it was on channel 4) Around The World in 80 Weighs is where I learned about the above. It was actually very interesting to see how obesity is tackled in different countries. But….spoiler alert..:not one of them has the magic key to fixing it.

ETA: You can watch it here, if anyone is interested. https://www.channel4.com/programmes/around-the-world-in-80-weighs/on-demand/73978-001

You are right, not all the tutting is from obese people:

But even for those with obesity, not all weight loss is healthy. While shedding excess fat mass (and in particular, visceral fat mass) has a multitude of beneficial effects on health, shedding lean mass – which includes muscle and bone – is associated with poorer health trajectories and reduced lifespan.

Lean mass loss on GLP-1 receptor agonists (peterattiamd.com)

I went onto Lloyds pharmacy. Com today and no way can you cheat the protocol

You can of you get a private prescription and lie about you weight. Most of those going into the pharmacy for these prescriptions could not be described as over weight. They do it for the last 6lb or so, the hardest bit to shift.

They are taking away from people who really need it.

Not yet but I expect it to as my boobs try to suffocate me

Sorry but what are you talking about? We’re all taking private prescriptions- the rules and protocols still apply. If they are taking them from non registered private providers they are stupid and playing with their own health- they could be taking anything eg. Insulin

Thanks for sharing. Thats good to hear. My experience was different. No photos. No id. I could have been anyone. This was a reputable high street pharmacy.

Then it’s a bit of luck that the latest evidence shows that weight loss medications improve body composition with people ending up with a higher proportion of lean mass and a lower proportion of fat, so a healthier, leaner body overall. Counterintuitively obese people often have more lean mass than lean people. However the muscle is poor quality so it doesn’t make them healthier. https://easo.org/eco2023-newsletter-day-three-new-analysis-shows-improved-body-composition-with-tirzepatide-is-consistent-across-adult-age-groups-with-overweight-or-obesity/

Like I’ve posted before, but I’ll do so again, THIS is what happens when you lose weight.

p

That's because less of it is psychological than you think it is.

Most bodies that have gained a lot weight are essentially damaged, the person has constant cravings for food because of the hormones and their body is primed to store fat easily.

Also the obesity figures from Japan seem to be misleading, they might not have many over a BMI of 30, but they have a high amount with a BMI over 25, and a BMI of 25 in Japanese people is considered to have the same health risks as a BMI of 30 in other countries. They are prone to obesity related problems at a lower BMI.

It’s boots I went through - no photos were asked for. This was in March this year

I'm trying one of them menapause weight can't exersize as much due to chronic pain I am classed as obese

But Boots requires you to pick up in store, so they can visually check then

I was confused by your mention of 'poor quality muscle' and then I read the article and saw that you have confused 'poor muscle quality' for 'poor quality muscle'.
Or are you talking about something else?

ToBeOrNotToBee

My mother died aged 31 from obesity related conditions. Up to her late 30s she was healthy. Then weight crept on, things started failing and she developed diabetes which was uncontrollable

so she died at 30 but was healthy after that? Sorry for your loss.

One of these numbers is obviously a typo.

You're entitled to an opinion, but it doesn't make it right.

Where's your primary evidence? What scientific research backed by references and citations have you done? Where is your thesis and hypothesis? Or have you just seen something, been disallowed it, and now throwing your toys out of the pram?

Not one person on this thread has the right to say who does and does not work for a person's specific dietary requirements.

Weight loss medication doesn't stop you from putting the wrong food in your mouth- It lessens your appetite, rewires your psych, makes you think differently.

To lose weight on the medication you still need to eat healthily and move more - The medication is a massive help in doing this.

I am sorry if things aren't working out for you, but pulling other people down with threads like this? It's just a reflection on you.

I'm just jealous as fuck that I can't afford the weight loss jabs, and instead have to work out everyday and eat a low carb diet.

What I find particularly problematic is the poster saying one of the problems is the UK doesn’t invest heavily in sport like say the USA and this is part of the issue. I assume the poster bizarrely thinks the USA doesn’t have an obesity issue!!!

Education- all overweight people know what healthy food it. The question arises why this Knowledge isn’t leading to weight loss. There are probably as many answers to this as there are overweight people. Surely this poster should welcome having as many options as we can to help people lose weight. It appears that medication can help many people. Why not let people use this?

I think it's becoming a far-right conspiracy staple to wring your hands and deride weight loss injections, though. It's on the list with covid vaccines and face masks

Utterly batshit.

That may well be the case!

I’ve asked that but not had an answer. I’ll eat my hat if it’s not the first few times.