Risking a flaming but jealous of those on weight loss injections

[Notmyfinesthours]

I’ve specifically not put this in the weight loss section as I’d rather hear from those who aren’t dieting or thinking about it. Might help me find perspective better.

I am not overweight. I never have been.
I have however had what feels like a lifetime of making sure this is the case.

I suspect many women feel like me. Brought up to fear being fat or greedy or ‘let myself go’ as if it were the worst sin.

Ive skirted close to or actually been in the midst of orthorexia for most of my adult life. Always saying no to pudding, finding the latest food that will fill me up but not have too many calories and fixating on it before I find the next one. Exercising most days, fitting it in by missing lie ins or nights in front of the fire.

Fretting in pregnancy, menopause and any ill health leading to immobility that it might trigger weight gain.

you get the picture? Self flagellation is big driven by an instilled fear of being fat given to many in my generation (I’m 58) (and yes I know I should address this first- I am trying but the media doesn’t help)

Several of my friends and family are big eaters, always seem to have the toastie and cake when we are out and by their own admissions do little exercise. They have often jokingly talked about being slimmer but say they like food too much and ‘have no willpower’ and can’t be bothered to deny themselves for the sake of a few dress sizes.

I know it’s more complex than that but they basically enjoy life in the way it should be enjoyed to my mind and accept they will be a bit larger bodied. I’ve actually always really admired this as an attitude or at least been a bit jealous of it.

But with the new weight loss injections several of them have dropped weight significantly and are so slim and delighted.

I just feel so cheated. Like I’ve been so careful for so long and they haven’t but they get to be slim just with an injection.

I know it’s more complicated, I know it costs them money, might have risks etc but it’s clear so many celebs are doing the same and it feels like it’s not going to be more commonplace.

Why is this making me feel cheated and am I just an awful person?

Multiple tests. It’s totally safe, dont worry.

Also it looks like next up it will be approved for cardiovascular health. But these drugs have been in trials for decades, for all sorts of subjects.

Yes this is what I’ve taken from lots of posters on this thread. A desperation for it to all go horribly wrong for the lazy jab users. ‘Don’t worry op - they’ll put all the weight back on as soon as they’ve stopped the injections’ or ‘There’s awful, terrible side effects - they’ll probably also get cancer’ - without having any personal experience of using the jabs.

I also haven’t had any side effects and I still enjoy food, just in far healthier quantities.

@MadeupofMultipleRivers wouldn’t the poss pancreatic issues be the same regardless, whether someone obese or borderline overweight or even an ‘off label’ user?

its Not off label. It was always going to be approved for three things, first was diabetes, then next up was weight loss. Which is now fully approved, so basically the label. Even the nhs has now been given funding to prescribe, and next up for cardiovascular issues.

If on the jab & eating super healthily with increased protein intake etc but poss didn’t do so before, will your hunger likely ‘quieten’ when you come off?

Do certain foods trigger hunger?

@TheBoldHelper the alleged doctor comment ‘never F with your pancreas’ sounded rather alarming, responding to that. Does your weight to start with affect ‘safety’ of drug? It would appear not. (?) Esp if approval for cardio vascular in offing.

Be fair - Hollywood is a whole different ballgame and I guarantee thse drugs are not all they are on. It's a whole industry of people with complex mental health needs, all with too much money and access to all the wrong things to help them.

But genuine 'off label' users are equally as vulnerable and damaged and stupid. Anyone taking a drug that does not meet the qualifying criteria for that drug and accepting it from god knows where is likely to encounter serious problems sooner or later. Whether it's weight loss, pain killers or whatever. They are mad (and sad) to do so.

But it's wrong to then tarnish everyone with that viewpoint. Just as it would be wrong to tarnish legitimate painkiller users with those abusing them. For many people, especially that I've seen on mn, they appear to genuinely meet the criteria and are in genuine need of help and hope. Anyone else piping up about trying to break the system and get drugs that don't qualify for gets roundly sat on.

I don’t think so at the higher end, the nhs just approved it for folks qith an over 40 bmi. But I assume it does at the lower end, I think you can only stay on till about 23 bmi then it’s maintenance,

@TheBoldHelper so those borderline overweight are taking a greater risk? Or drug would have been more broadly approved?

To add if from legitimate source not knock off copy etc.

No, not at all.

Yes, this

Also puzzled by the bemusement of the possibility of needing to be on these meds for life

Some people might do, some might not

My OH is on statins and BP medication. He hasnt got and has never had either high cholesterol or high BP.

He is on those for life as a preventative, because he is type 2 diabetic, because he got too fat. As those illnesses are a comorbid factor for type 2 diabetes, he is on them for life, as are most type 2s (and many other people who havent actually got those disorders now)

Its just accepted that is the treatment model, as it may well be for people who struggle to maintain their weight without these meds. Time will tell.

I am in no way against the use of it. If I could be certain it was safe then I would be tempted to use it myself - to lose a stone and be at my perfect weight, slender and looking good in the clothes I want to wear. It sounds like it has no effect on the enjoyment of food.

It also sounds from previous posters that it will soon be made available for such use.

The draw backs for me are - well what does happen when you stop using it, as I wouldn't want to have to take it for the rest of my life. It's kind of the same feeling with using Botox. If you start it and like the results do you have to keep going. Talking purely about myself here.

Also, whilst I have no doubt that tonnes of trials have been done etc. - have those trials been done on people who are already a fairly healthy BMI but just want to be thinner? I just can't shake the feeling that there has to be a catch. I will watch and wait for the time being.

They're not designed for those at a healthy BMI who just want to lose a stone.

@itwasnevermine i realise that but a lot of people currently taking it fall into this category. A previous poster has stated that it is soon to approved just for 'weight loss'.

The manufacturer is starting to look at testing for use with people are are not yet overweight but who have factors that make weight gain more likely or more dangerous.

www.ft.com/content/b2da2ca6-822e-4d42-bee4-e500522531e7

@MadeupofMultipleRivers these injections are absolutely not about to be made available to people with a small amount of weight to lose for vanity reasons. Probably not ever. I'm puzzled as to why you think they might be.

One thing is for sure - healthcare systems including the NHS are obsessed with weight. It is true that obesity causes problems but there are plenty of obese people out there who are generally very healthy and plenty of very thin people who are horribly unhealthy. I know three people who've had serious health issues over the last few years and all of them are very skinny. However no one makes any connection with their weight because no one notices weight unless it's high.

@SilenceInside well if they are as safe and effective as many posters are saying here, and are now 'on label' for weight loss alone - then why shouldn't they be available for people who have a small amount of weight to lose? What is your issue with that?

I am not suggesting that they get these drugs on the NHS but if people are prepared to pay (and the drug is fully tested and safe with minimal side effects). Then why not let people take them to lose small amounts of weight. Surely this would give them some health benefits too?

Mounjaro and similar drugs are being extensively tested and trialed because apart from their being currently licensed and prescribed for weight loss and regulating blood sugar/diabetes, they also show benefits for:

heart disease
stroke
Parkinsons
Alzheimers
liver disease
sleep apnoea
addictions such as alcoholism
depression/ mental health issues

Going forwards, it is likely that these drugs will be prescribed for these conditions in the fairly near future. Maybe many, many of us will end up taking them to increase the length and quality of our lives, if not now then when we are getting older?

I wonder if this will also cause judgement from those of us who do not have these illnesses? Or is it just fatties who are not worthy?

Because the non-existent benefits for already healthy weight people who want prescription medicine for cosmetic reasons don't outweigh the risks. And yes, there are risks, and side effects. Isn't that incredibly obvious, or have I entered some kind of parallel universe?

Because of risk / benefit analysis. These drugs on not entirely benign - no drugs are - but as has been pointed out these come with quite a high side effects profile, and may possibly be linked with thyroid cancer (this is completely unproven in humans at the moment). So prescribing it just to lose the last few pounds, or to look prettier, the risk is too high. But by using to prevent, or treat illnesses that would cause way more problems and threaten the life of the person, then the risk is deemed acceptable.

Does that make sense?

@JusteanBiscuits it completely makes sense, which I why I would not take them myself. I think there are a lot of posters on here (some of which I think must be involved in the sale or promotion of these drugs) that are claiming these drugs are completely and utterly safe and that we will soon all be on them. They appear to cure everything. Well in that case shouldn't we all be given access to them?

I have my doubts that they have been thoroughly tested and trialled on people who are not diabetic or pre-diabetic. The long term use of these drugs outside of their original prescribed use is not yet known.

Because its the biggest correlator and indicator of other health risks thats why

Its not rocket science. For every one 'healthy' obese person there are 10 overweight unhealthy people caused by their weight. ( I actually made that stat up but it wouldnt surprise me)

We as a nation are at risk, actually we already do this, of minimising weight as a problem. Its just a bit of a joke at the moment, oh and have another cake blah blah blah. Thats how we see it.