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.

Have you been tested for Cushings disease, a friend of mine has it and your symptoms sound so similar to there’s. She self diagnosed using google prompting the dr to test for it

If when you stop taking it, the weight goes back on... then it perhaps isn't a miracle? Isn't rehabilitation, education, therapy, looking at social reasons for obesity a better long term solution?

A comparison would be me taking antidepressants. They were good for sure but had side effects I didn't like. And I really did need some CBT alongside to educate my brain, retrain my thinking etc. therapy was more successful long term for me.

Where I'm confused is - setting aside all the people who suffer with thyroid issues etc, or hormonal issues like a PP.

People say 'diets don't work, that's why I need the injections' but then the injections mean you eat less and lose weight, and people have reported having lessened cravings for unhealthy food. So eating less and eating better, ie a diet, does in fact work?

I think, much like 'gentle parenting' has been misconstrued by people as 'never telling your kids off'
The phrase 'diets don't work' has been taken by people as very literal, when what it actually means is 'diet culture does not work'

But there are people out there saying 'diets don't work' then going on the injections and eating less and losing weight. So a diet does work? Am i missing something here or should people be more careful and say 'diet CULTURE' doesn't work.

Again, just to reiterate, I am not talking about people with medical conditions, I am talking about people with issues with hunger cues, portion sizes, emotionally triggered eating etc (I am in that camp)

I've tried googling and I'm none the wiser. am i just being super literal about this and everyone actually means 'diet culture' not 'diet'?

These drugs have their place but we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that losing weight can itself be addictive. I did WW about 10 years ago and went down to 8st 4lb and a size 6-8. In hindsight that was too much to lose. I’m 5ft 2 but not in any sense slight, medium/large frame, wide hips and shoulders, big boobs, big hands and feet (size 5.5). I’m now a stone heavier than I was when I started the WW. I have an underactive thyroid and I think doing the WW probably made it worse- the thyroid needs a moderate calorie intake to support its function. The weight I now hope to get down to is 9.5stone.

If when you stop taking it, the weight goes back on... then it perhaps isn't a miracle?

well that was my point...

Look you can think what you like but you do you. I have been on a diet since I was 15 I am sick of starving myself and being hungry. I’m on my second week of mounjaro and for the first time in my life I don’t think about food and eating from the moment I wake up. Somehow it also makes me WANT healthy food rather than crisps or junk. So I will take it for what it is a chance to reprogramme and hopefully make a life long change

Definitely. I bet it took willpower to just put that, and to not add DANGEROUS, ILLEGAL

What are you talking about. It’s not just about healthy food, you cannot ban everything that contains fat or sugar, and portion size is a lot to do with it. If it was as easy as you say, no one would be overweight, inc yourself.

Because of the cost. How do you not know this?

It must seem such a mountain to climb when you are so much overweight- sometimes people need to actually lose weight to be able to lose more weight, IYSWIM, as it become easier to exercise and find clothes to wear to exercise in, you are able to move about more freely etc, and they start to feel better in general. That's where I think drugs, surgery etc come in, and I can see that appetite control can be so useful as well, as someone whose appetite vastly outweighs the calories I actually need, particularly what I need to lose weight.

I remember when I was three stone overweight and a size 18 I couldn't find many exercise clothes to fit, and that was in 2016 so not very long ago. I'm struggling with the last stone or so but I don't think these drugs are designed for me, but they may well help others.

@Poppysmom22 were you prescribed it?

If so then, you'd dr knows best.

@JJathome is it cost though?

Surely it's not all about that? In some cases they weigh up various things. Cost vs benefit, side effects, alternative solutions. Who gets prescribed medicines on the nhs takes quite a bit more than just "this is too much money"

I agree. They are not "well-tested" medications. They have no known safety data for use (especially as weightloss treatments) beyond a couple of years, or less. Most studies are shorter term. Long-term effects are basically unknown, and unpleasant, severe, life-changing and life-threatening side-effects and after-effects of use are emerging.

Oh, but the obesity crisis! You can lose weight taking class A drugs, but no-one suggests that's a good idea.

Yes I was prescribed it by a doctor and I pay for it as it’s a private prescription treatment and is not available on the NHS, this is the same for anyone who uses it. It’s a prescription medication and cant be bought online without one. Much like my dogs working tablets.
There seems to be some assumption that people are going into this as a first choice when actually for me it is a last resort and was a considered thought out and researched decision. I’m sick of punishing myself with hunger and deprivation to try to undo 40years of bad eating psychology.

How about the people who were using this drug already , such as diabetics , who now find it is not available ,even though its prescribed .

Mounjaro isn’t used by diabetics it’s specifically designed for weight loss and isn’t a co-opted diabetes treatment.

I do think that fat people have to put up with a lot of moralising. Being fat is bad but not losing weight in the approved manner (Ozempic, weight loss surgery) is also bad and akin to cheating.

I agree that people need to work on the psychological reasons behind overeating, but I can understand that appeal of these ‘magical’ new drugs.

if I stay obese in 5/6 years I will actually be diabetic so should I wait while then to act would that be more acceptable to you@elfies

Weight loss by exercising more and eating healthily is also very effective.

@PeachBlossom1234 well done lovely- x

What's your stance on DRUGS for keeping blood pressure under control, DRUGS for Type 2 diabetes caused by diet, DRUGS (methadone ) to get people off Heroin? Do you disagree with all those as well?

Why does it have to be one or the other? Why do you think one solution that worked for you will work for everyone else?

I have family members who invested a lot of time and money into CBT, but ultimately needed antidepressants to regain mental health.

some people might do well with a behavioural modification programme, but it is vanishingly rare for anyone to lose significant amounts of weight and sustain it longer term, which suggests to me that something else (or something in addition) is probably required for many people.

I think clubs absolutely mess with your head and your metabolism. I wish to God my mother had not made me go when I was 18 and quite clearly trying to sort out my MH by stuffing in cakes.

Yes again , I am face with trying to chip away at weight gain.

I really don’t understand the hate for people who are trying to make a positive change to their health. If I don’t do this now in 5/6 years I will be costing the NHS millions and probably will do so for the rest of my life. At the moment I’m costing them nothing.

Here's another thought. Maybe humans aren't all meant to be size 8.

I've been slim, I've been heavier. During my twin pregnancy I was told to put weight on as much as I could as it had better outcomes. Ive been fitter and less fit. Life is a journey.

I was enjoying a little break in this obsession with wanting to be thin. I'd noticed that social media influencers were focusing on real bodies (Georgie swallow as an example) and fitness (em clarkson). We had a shift towards eating less processed foods. Women had started lifting weights and toned, became the new thin.

And now... we are saying nah screw that, take this drug instead. Keep taking it forever to be thin.