People who think weight loss injections are cheating

[AuntieDote]

I've seen this viewpoint over multiple threads recently, and I'm just really curious to understand it a bit more because it makes no sense to me whatsoever.

What do you think people using the injections are cheating at?

As in - what's the competition and who are they gaining an unfair advantage over? What do you think the rules of being allowed to lose weight are/ should be?

Is it more important to you that overweight people/ those struggling with obesity lose the weight, become healthier, reduce the burden on the NHS, stop taking up more than their allocated amount of space in the world, or just stop doing whatever it is that upsets people so much about the existence of fat people -- or is it more important that they struggle and suffer whilst doing so?

Or would you secretly prefer them to remain fat so you can feel superior?

Is it that you feel you've worked really hard to either lose weight, keep it off or never put it on in the first place, so nobody else should be allowed to achieve this without the same amount of struggle?

What do you think the weight loss injections actually do, and do you not recognise that those on them are also doing all the usual things people who are trying to lose weight e.g. modify their eating, exercise etc? Does it not count that they're doing these things because it's made easier in some ways by the drug?

What types of weight loss support or tools are not 'cheating'? e.g. I used hypnosis once and it worked for a bit, to the point that I felt pretty much the same way I do with the injections i.e. reduction in food noise and compulsion to snack etc. It didn't last anything like as long, but it worked for a time - was that cheating?

Would it still be cheating if they weren't as effective as they are?

FWIW, I really couldn't care less if people think I'm cheating - who cares? Who does it impact only me and my bank balance? If someone said here, press this button and you'll be a healthy BMI overnight and stay there forever I'd press it with both hands and not give a shit about how anyone felt about it.

But it's just the logic of it that baffles me - I've never seen it as a competition and have never felt like getting to or being a healthy weight only counts if it's done in a certain way - I suppose I'm not much interested in what size anyone else is or what they do to get that way, so I can't imagine for a second ever thinking another person was 'cheating' - only ever being happy for them if they're happy and hopefully healthy too.

Let’s not forget that there didn’t used to be this level of obesity around 50 years ago, yet there will still have been a lot of people who lived traumatic lives/suffered abuse back then. The difference is they didn’t have access to as much junk food (and were more likely to get hooked on cigarettes).
So yes, societies increase in fast/processed/junk food has caused this obesity problem. The ‘trigger’ is just that, a trigger.

I'm not obese but the slimmest I've been was when I was staying with my in laws and did no cooking or food prep / choosing at all. She cooked really bland but healthy meals. I should pimp her out

Her doing all the thinking and planning around food make the food noise disappear for me

See this is where I think a lack of understanding of what the injections actually do comes in. Which isn't a criticism - if you don't need them why would you need to understand?

But we're not just injecting ourselves with an appetite suppressant - people do notice a reduction in appetite on it, but it's not as simple as that.

And the factors that lead people to overeat are way more complex than just being hungry and choosing not to ignore that. Most people who are on the jabs have done exactly what you, and other thin people, do over and over again many times. It's not a case of they were all just wondering around stuffing their faces with whatever, whenever they wanted, until one day mounjaro came along and now they never have to feel hungry again.

I did years of dieting, years and years. I've lost the weight through will power - if you could measure these things and add them up then I guarantee I've exercised more cumulative will power over the years than anyone who has never needed to lose weight in the first place. To the point that I developed insulin resistance and any attempt to lose weight, even the quite extreme ones, just stopped working. I was never hungry so it wasn't a case of mj needing to stop me being hungry - the whole system was fucked up. (And, of course, when I first started this ridiculous cycle way back as a child, I didn't actually need to lose weight in the first place).

Even if it was as simple as taking a drug to stop being hungry though, I still don't get how it's 'cheating' because it's not a competition and it doesn't affect anyone else, unless they chose to view it that way. They could also choose to see it differently, if they just exercised a little willpower hey?

PS:I'm not concerned as by BMI is normal, but I am hungry all the time and to control my weight, I have to cattle my inner voice telling me to eat every hour that I'm awake.

I have to say that a drug that would keep that voice quiet sounds like heaven!

Ok.......you have filled the whole bingo card in one post. Seriously.

Out of curiosity, those taking the drug, what side effects have you had?
Have any of the side effects made you consider stopping the drug?

I've seen this viewpoint over multiple threads recently, and I'm just really curious to understand it a bit more because it makes no sense to me whatsoever.

Surely if you'd read the multiple threads a bit more closely you would have got the answers to your questions instead of starting yet another one on this same getting very tired subject?

@ThatCoralShark never too early 😂

It isn’t cheating, and the reasons why someone is overweight don’t matter. Whether you’re overweight because of an eating disorder, trauma or plain greed and you want to lose weight, do whatever is necessary to achieve that. I happen to think that the drug should be available to people who are of a “healthy” weight but who just want to lose a few spare pounds. Better to knock off a spare 10lbs than battle 10 stone.

Nope, because I tend to see it just plopped there with no further explanation.

It's not a tired subject to me, nor to the other people sharing their thoughts on the thread. Sorry if you find it so, feel free to hide it.

I don't think it's any more "cheating" than someone who can eat more or less what they want, not do much exercise and still remain towards the lower end of a healthy BMI in their 50s. That's probably just good luck / genetics (although I don't massively overeat).

It's also no more cheating that taking blood pressure medication, statins or even painkillers. It's not like it disadvantages anyone else.

It's quite a new area of medicine though - not in some ways as it has been used for diabetes for a long time, but in terms of weight management. So there is strict criteria and caution right now, which I think you'd expect. In time, perhaps a modified version - maybe in pill form - will be available to people who aren't obese but are overweight. I'm sure the drug companies will be working on that as it would be hugely profitable.

I also think you're very wrong to categorise obese people as the ones who 'try the least to be healthy' and put in 'limited or no effort'. In my life, I have done every possible imaginable diet and thanks to yoyoing up and down, I must have lost about ten stone total in my life if not more (losing a stone here, regaining a stone and a half; lose two stone, regain three; lose two stone again, get pregnant and regain four stone in the toddler years, rinse and repeat!). It was really hard work losing that weight over and over, and absolutely crushing to regain it every time. I couldn’t measure it against someone who works consistently to maintain a healthy weight, there would be no point.

Very quickly I think the companies will push for these drugs to be available to the overweight, not just the obese and also to produce them in pill form (although a once a week injection is quite convenient).

Then the lack of equality of access will go away. People can and do get round it even now otherwise how are all the celebs thinner than ever, but it does seem a bit bizarre that the BMI is a rather arbitary cut off and it can be prescribed at normal weight for those who were obese but not to very overweight people near to obesity to begin with.

Yes.

D&V mainly. I have pretty bad IBS so D&V is fairly common, and the drug does lead to more flare ups - not constant but more common than without it.

I'm very much at the point now where this pen will probably be the last because of that, although I have an appointment booked in with my prescriber to discuss the potential options e.g. going back to a dose which was less effective for me but which did not trigger the side effects.

I've been off it just over a week for now - although still very much maintaining the good habits I've developed, of course it will still be in my system to some extent.

It's been absolutely worth it for me personally, but it's not been an easy ride.

I completely agree. I just don’t know if we are aware of the potential side effects. I wish there was more research if there are any longterm damages so that people can make more of an informed choice because it’s scary what little we seem to know about these injections.

I disagree about it cheating your body, but I come at WLI from a slightly different angle to some others. I was prescribed Mounjaro in Sept due to being diagnosed with T2 diabetes. At the time of diagnosis my HbA1C was 11%, my blood sugars were out of control and I was obese. The blood test and other screenings show I likely had diabetes for a few years without knowing it, and it makes sense because I have PCOS and I had Gestational diabetes 10 years ago.

My body does not create enough insulin and what it does create it doesn't respond to very well. That means my blood sugars go high which leads to feeling starving hungry and tired which leads to me eating more. At the same time my body doesn't break down glucose well so what I have eaten is more likely to convert to fat. The more fat I gained the worse the diabetes symptoms.

Since starting Mounjaro 3 months ago, I've lost 35lb, my blood sugars are completely in control, my HbA1C has reduced to 7.2%.

Mounjaro has treated a previously undiagnosed illness,

We don't routinely test people to make sure they don't have underlying conditions contributing to their weight gain, in fact it's exactly the opposite, we go to the doctor seeking help for our symptoms and get told we're fat and will feel better if we eat less and move more to lose weight.

But when you use the injections you ARE losing weight by dieting. That’s how the meds work. They control insulin so that your body isn’t craving a sugar hit and you are able to stick to the diet/calorie deficit without your body’s cravings screaming at you and making it an utterly miserable experience. I eat proper, healthy, balanced meals not a ‘few mouthfuls’ and it has taken 15m in total to lose 6st - so an average of 1-1.5lb a week, though it tends to drop off in chunks followed by plateaus.

I also don’t have ‘psychological’ issues with food - I had physiological ones rooted in PCOS/insulin resistance/hypothyroidism. Most of the people I know who are on it have a similar medical profile. Many of us only have issues with food because underlying issues such as mine mean you gain weight easily and food becomes the enemy.

Apart from slightly crepey skin on the front of my thighs and around my belly button (which lifelong skinny friends approaching 60 assure me they have too), I also don’t have sagging skin or look old in the face.

That sounds rough, though I’m glad it’s been worth it. How long does it stay in your body for?

Honest skinny person here... we resent fat people being able to loose weight as we want to feel superior.

As I mentioned in my initial comment, the amount of hair loss was really distressing. For me, I believe it was a side effect of the medication not from rapid weight loss as some suggest because I only lost 19lbs (I didn't have much to lose, really) and lost that over the course of 4 months, so it wasn't rapid at all.

Weight loss jabs contain GLP-1. A deficiency of this can stimulate the need to overeat. My DH has lost 3 stone in three months. He goes to the gym every day to maintain his muscle mass. It’s not cheating. Those who take antidepressants have low serotonin. No one picks on them for taking medication that helps.

Positive effects - Mainly weight loss, reduction in appetite , much more energy, reduced inflammation meaning stiff ankles etc gone, no food noise, lack of interest in sweet stuff, no interest in alcohol, better sleep.

negarive effects, - a couple of days of feeling nauseous after one dose

I think over 80 percent have no symptoms and looking at the stats, those who do it’s mild and manageable.

Often negative side effects are avoidable and can be cause by lifestyle , ie not eating clean ie too much fatty/carby/sweet food, not enough water , not enough protein (causes loss of muscle and hair loss ) etc.

however like all drugs some people will react badly, 2000 people a year die from nurofen for example.

Not quite, she missed out 'move more' 🙄

I think it is this. They think that people are not changing their eating habits and are essentially paying a fee to allow them to eat what they want but lose weight.

After all, why Google when you can just judge eh?