To wonder how people afford weight loss injections?!

[Karmacharm]

So many people I know are doing Mounjaro or Ozempic. I’ve looked at the price online and even with the discount it’s still hugely expensive in this cost of living crisis.
I would love to do it but there’s no way I can afford it long term.

Most people in this country are not on these injections.

Most MNers have a higher than average income and so it seems like everyone is on them but they’re not.

Unfortunately, obesity affects more people on lower incomes than it does on higher incomes.

I believe you can get them on the NHS is your BMI is over a certain number. Perhaps it’s worth a visit?

These injections are great but I believe all they do is suppress your appetite and so its possible to lose weight by not using them.
Many people also put the weight back on afterwards too.

I lost weight without the injections by walking as much as I could.
And eating mainly protein and vegetables.

I would eat overnight oats in the morning with a bit of Aldi’s own Greek yoghurt and frozen berries.

For lunch I would have tuna or leftover chicken with lettuce, cucumber and sweetcorn (1 lettuce, cucumber and sweetcorn would last at least 3 meals).

For tea, I would have things like chicken with a large portion of frozen mixed veg.
I would also have whatever everyone else was having but just a much smaller portion and lots more frozen veg.

For snacks, I would eat things like sugar free jelly.
I always allowed myself to have treats but I would have these as snacks and be aware of them.

I was guilty of eating too many calories during my meals because my portion sizes were too big and then wondering how people could eat biscuits and things without putting on weight.

Going to bed early was one of the best and easiest things I did for weight loss too.

I joined a library and would borrow books all of the time.
I would get into bed as early as I could and take a cup of tea up with me and read my book before going to sleep.

If you are tired or stressed you will eat more.
Walking out in the fresh air and getting a decent nights sleep are great for weight loss.

@Choochoo21 They're not available on the NHS (yet) for weight loss and even then you'll have to go through their weight loss programme and it can take literal years to get through that depending on location.

Why not try it @Unashamed2sayit You can always stop if you get bad side effects. My friend started a few weeks ago and she's had no side effects at all. You should be able to get that through your GP.

I can’t understand why anyone would want to even use the injection. My mum has just been put on Munjaro for her diabetes and I had a look at the side effects makes me wonder if the people who are using it for weight loss even know what some of a side effects are of them because pancreatitis, gallstones, changes in vision, low blood sugar and hair loss all put me off the idea ever using any sort of injection I’m not sure weight loss is really worth ending up seriously ill for.

If someone has been overweight for 10 years and hovered at the same weight all that time, they are not over eating. They are just not managing to under eat either. People have all different reasons for being over weight, as well as the people with no will power. PS, I was one of the ones with no will power, but unfair to make sweeping statements.

If they're overweight and maintaining their weight, then they are overeating for what their body should be.

I'm 5'6" and weigh 10 stone ish. My maintenance calories are 2000 for my age and lifestyle. If I weighed 15 stone, I'd be overweight but could eat 2500 calories to maintain that weight based on my age and lifestyle. I would be maintaining an overweight weight so therefore overeating. Just because you're not gaining doesn't mean you're not overeating.

Do you know what the health risks associated with obesity are?

@TeaAndTattoos Have you read the side effects for any drug you take? Paracetamol for example?
The side effects of us not taking this drug are more certain: heart attack, stroke, multiple different cancers.

@TeaAndTattoos your mum has been very unlucky to have got all of those side effects that you've listed there. Has she had to stop using Mounjaro?

The side effects you mention are extremely rare and some are related to any kind of weight loss programme (hair loss). I am well aware of the possible side effects of Mounjaro, that was part of the decision making process of taking it. The very small risk of serious side effects is more than outweighed by the risks of being very obese for a long period of time.

It's massively expensive but it could add years onto your life if you are overweight amd have something like prediabetes but not full diabetes.

The NHS can't prioritise preventative care while they are trying (and even failing) to save lives. But as an individual you can make that choice.

They will get cheaper and already have. It's just a case of waiting till the price gets low enough to afford them.

Plus - let's not pretend everyone is destitute in this country. There is a time lag between inflation and wages, but most people still afford holidays and takeaways. These are two things I would willingly sacrifice to improve my health.

I've saved a lot on food because I simply have no urge to eat expensive processed food.

Harsh!! And I am being kind. Weight issues are a more complex issue than just eating X or not eating y

Also just to add - I considered them, and can afford them. However I read a fantastic reply to someone on here (on a different thread) saying unless you can say you are doing 8,000 steps a day, doing some resistance training, eating better and making sure you eat plenty of fruit and veg, don’t even consider it. Start with the basics.

It resonated with me hugely and I started doing exactly that. I look and feel so much better and the weight is falling off.

Because of course that's the only way to become overweight 🙄

I've been on it since July. I pay for it by doing overtime on my days off during the week so I don't feel bad for taking it from family money and only work extra during school time so I don't also miss out on family time.
The amount I have saved on food is ridiculous. I am no longer interested/craving takeaways. I order a child's meal/ small meal when we have been out to eat etc. My family aren't missing out, we still do everything we did but instead of me eating with my eyes I now eat with my stomach which really doesn't need that much food. 2 stone down in 2 months, more energy, and genuinely feeling so much better in myself.

@Karmacharm Well this is mumsnet, so the cost of having those injections privately is probably just one day's work for most people on here.

No definitely not. As soon as I stop taking it I'll get an appetite back but I'll make sure I monitor it so I'm eating well and not gaining again.

My big cash saving was wine, simply because I only drink the expensive stuff! I have not spent a penny on booze since starting Mounjaro, and many reports are suggesting that this alcohol aversion is the real unsung hero of the medication. No cravings. Not even mildly wishing for it. I haven't wanted a single drink, and I was a regular 'glass with dinner and two more at the weekend' type drinker before starting. I am consequently more productive in the evenings 😅My house has never been so tidy!

As for food, I always ate healthily, just too much when combined with empty wine calories and menopausal metabolic slowdown. Tonight, I had homemade chicken and veg soup (delicious) with a bread roll that I immediately found stodgy and yuck (I lived for carbs before) AND I had to scrape the butter off! WHO AM I? 😂Not thinking about food is simply amazing, and eye-opening. I can only imagine this is what naturally slim people with a small appetite feel like all the time -- enjoying food, and then stopping when full.

My side effects have been mild queasiness on waking, cured by a single weetabix and a cup of ginger tea. Small price to pay IMO, and that was just the first few days. Fifteen days in, I've never lost weight like it and I will happily pass on a VOY code to anyone who wants one.

‘’Sorry if I’m being stupid, but how does it save money on food overall? I understand the bit about takeaways, but I always find healthier foods e.g. with decent amount of protein plus fruits and veg more expensive than microwave meals/oven chips/fish fingers and the like?’’

if you are really up against it, you can buy more fat and calories in cheap food but you probably would have a limit on it and not eat much.

What many people do is eat the lower priced processed food and add in higher priced snack food. It buy 2 large packs of crisps buy some green beans and brocolli instead. A cheap pack of biscuits is as same a a bag of carrots. Replace a bag of cheap oven chips with a bag of potatoes. 500g yoghurt is under a pound. Oats, pulses, lentils are dirt cheap. Meat and fish are expensive but have it twice per week and not nuggets etc daily. It can be done. And the less processed the food, the fuller people tend to feel.

@Trebol what one are you using please?

I had a total vagotomy on medical grounds and have never been overweight. I assume these drugs work in a similar way. I no longer have the ability to feel hungry, no cues whatsoever and food doesn't interest me so it becomes a means to an end, a chore.
I imagine I spend a fraction on food to the amount someone binge eating does, or anyone who month on month consistently gains weight.
I don't earn the fabled £100,000 everyone on MN seems to but I also wouldn't struggle to find £50 a week. I know that's not your case but you must realise not everyone is a low earner or has high outgoings.

This. Although weight loss injections is a new one in the how do they afford it field! But yeah, £200 a month disposable income isn't that unusual.

I'm using my birthday money and some savings to do it for 4 months. If I've not lost 2st then i may use credit card(s)(currently nil balance). My view is it's an investment and I am using the opportunity to habit change.

And if you stop taking them you need to stick to a habit of not eating or drinking the wrong thing. A fair amount revert back to bad habits.

Same as any diet.

Yeah but INJECTIONS WITH SIDE EFFECTS? no thanks.

Well that’s ok, because no one is forcing you to take them!