The rise of the trend of GLP-1 and the pressure it brings?

[PiriPiriMenopause]

First of all I just want to say I have nothing against the choice people make for the injections at all, I think they’re great and they obviously work for people who need them! I totally get why someone would want to take it, and it really is transforming lives.

But I worry about the pressure this is bringing so the it. I’m a size 14 and pretty normal. At the moment I don’t have trouble buying clothes or getting stuff to fit. My BMI is about 26 which yes is higher than the recommended but not massively so.

So many people I know are on this drug! Honestly, in my normal every day life, I know of at least 15 people who are taking it. It’s working brilliantly and the results are fantastic they’re happy and it’s great, I love seeing how their confidence has turned on a sixpence. Some of the women were larger than me some were not that much larger than me or the same size.

I’m not sure if my experience is a reflection of what’s going on country wide or not. But AIBU to worry about the knock on effect this will have moving forward. I worry that a size 14 will soon become almost obsolete in the shops because people are no longer requiring larger sizes, I worry about the knock on pressure this will bring to those of us who can’t afford to take it or simply don’t want to or can’t take it. I worry about it becoming a culture for people of my daughter’s age and what it means for their confidence in future.

I’m just interested to see if I’m just being paranoid or if this is something other people worry about. There’s always been a massive pressure on women in particular with their size and appearance but this is the first time I’ve ever really felt it so extreme!

I’m embarassed for you and dismayed by your it’s not our fault, the big bad men made me do it stance.

And I'm embarrassed for you that you're unable to see that it's way more complex than that childish and patronising oversimplification and is pretty much built into the structure of society as a whole. Female children are socialised from birth in so many ways, but you've clearly stated you're not open to learning any more so I will leave you to continue in your wilful ignorance on this topic.

I'm also embarrassed that you're actually in the same camp as me on the topic of WLIs, the way you've spoken to people on this thread.

Again, you lost. Move on. Keeping hurling abuse won’t change it.

and so we see this constant stream of negativity ,,it’s cheating, not doing the hard work, all will get ill, you look older, you will regain, look terrible, lose muscle,

You will lose muscle. Anyone dieting loses some lean muscle. The often rapid weight loss with these drugs increases loss of muscle (and often bone). That's just a fact - which everyone on them, who all say on these threads that they know all about them and all the side effects and risk factors, ought to already know.

"Physiological weight loss can help decrease metabolic risk factors and is effective in managing several diseases. ... However, high rates of weight loss carry substantial risks of muscle loss. GLP-1 RA use is associated with a significant loss of lean body mass, including skeletal muscle mass. ...

This may increase the risk of sarcopenic obesity, particularly in older individuals.
Integrating exercise, adequate protein intake, and potentially adjunctive pharmacotherapies is essential to mitigate this risk."

Do GLP-1 drugs shrink your muscles? New study explains the risks and what to do

People who go off them regain roughly two-thirds of their weight, generally, but some studies have shown that a large percentage of the weight regained has been found to be fat, not muscle (or bone), so you end up with a higher body fat composition than when you started. So maintaining some sort of exercise (and being aware of protein intake, etc) would be better than not.

Oh dear.😂

Weight loss is not a competitive sport.

It does not matter how you lost weight or how someone else looses weight.

You lost your argument on page 15 then.

@seafoamhair
You are spot on! Muscle mass is V important.
For optimal health and longevity it's important to keep your cardiovascular system in good shape but just as important (if not more so) is increasing and maintaining muscle mass. For which proper weightlifting is required, and don't forget some sort of flexibility training so that you don't lose mobility.
(Who's got time for all that though 🤦🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️)

I think you lost it already then.

That’s not most people.
Some people are alcoholics. Does that mean no one else should enjoy a glass of wine with their dinner? You’re clutching at straws here.

I am being 100% honest. You can track through all my posts on all the WLI boards and you will see it all there. My life on WLI since August 2024.

Regardless, I'm not in competition with anyone else. I was just seeking to improve my own health, which is exactly what I've done. I am full of respect for myself, so yours is neither here nor there. I'm just sad for you that you would feel the need to be so negative about someone else's achievements.

Not related to this thread, but have you dealt with excess skin? Or did you find the weightloss with the jab to be slow enough that that wasn't an issue?

When I asked about people whonstsrted morbidly obese most said they had no loose skin which I find very hard to believe.

Young women who have babies can often have lose skin where their breasts shrink down so how come a lot of older women on jabs have no loose skin? Why are people lying? I ask because I am on a weight loss journey and wonder about loose skin.

I feel like my post has offended you? I agree my sample is tiny. I think theyre absolutely fantastic for supporting people who are morbidly obese to get down to a healthy level. I dont think they are the ‘be all and end all’ because once you come off them at a healthy weight, you have to be different to how you were before. Whereas losing weight by dieting or slimming world you have had to made healthy changes already and consistently for a long time. Research shows that actually the longer it takes, the more likely the weight is to stay off longterm, as it is more likely to stick. Someone who was morbidly obese before would hopefully never get back to their previous level of obesity. But you have to work at it.

So my post wasnt saying they dont work or that theyre not good. I was saying theyre probably not the best way for someone who isnt at the worst levels of obesity because they arent an easy longterm solution like everyone thinks. The whole world isnt going to suddenly be skinny. Only those who make dietary changes afterwards will stay slim.

Look, we have an obesity crisis. There are some very unwell people out there who have extreme weight problems. These jabs have been lifesaving. Someone very close to me had high blood pressure, cholestrsl, stomach problems and various ached and pains (worse than this - surgery for his joints). The jabs have made him a healthy weight and all of these things have disappeared.
However he did not change his eating habits on the jabs. He had no food noise (obviously) so only ate once a day - but it might be toast or a ready meal. He didnt actually change his diet. So now he has food noise again he’s back to eating like that all day. However he’s trying really hard to work on it and joining slimming world to stop himself from creeping abck into overwegiht. So it’s been a lifesaver but it’s just the beginning.

You do need to factor in that lots of people will continue taking them for the long term. There isn't necessarily going to be an 'afterwards'.

That’z true, some will. Not all though. And there will be health impacts on those who take it long time. Hopefully not as bad as the impacts or morbid obesity but it’s hard to tell this early in the game.

I dont think we need to worry about the whole world becoming skinny though. Most of thr world cant afford it snd there are always those who prefer not to be on them and have bigger bodies.

Although there is a worrying trend in hollywood if you look at the Wicked cast. That is a whole new issue though.

@Newsenmum it would be great if you could sign post to the research around the health impacts of taking the drugs long term.

Yes, I think we need to hear what you mean by 'there will be health impacts' and the basis for that. It doesn't sound like you meant the positive ones?

But you have to make changes to your diet when you’re on WLI - it’s not a magic fat melting potion. Why do you think people won’t have made any changes to their diet on WLI? I was on mounjaro for roughly 18 months and ate clean, healthy meals - I still do now I’m maintaining. So yeah, it’s offensive that people who have no personal experience with using WLI think they know anything about those using them.

Exactly. Eating less food helps you lose fat but you will also lose muscle and won't tone up. If people don't workout and eat well while on the jabs, they certainly won't when off and the weight will just come back. Who would waste the time, effort and money for that? People on the jabs know this, despite what they may say to qualify.

I have a feeling that the Ozempic cast did not use the skinny jabs. I reckon they got there all on their own.

I doubt anyone is lying, why would they?

I wasn’t morbidly obese, my bmi was 32 and I wast obese long, just a few years, and I worked out, did strength training, ate my protein and moisturised all over daily, so effectively massaging my skin, lost weight at about 1.5 lbs a week, and did this throughout the weight loss phase, and I genuinely have none.

i did have crepey skin on my arms and on my stomach if i twisted, and some loose skin under my backside, when i hit goal, but within six months of hitting goal and keeping up with my regime, it all tightened up. I’m in my fifties.

so I can well beleive some people whose bmi was 40 have achieved the same thing, if I was two or three stone heavier ans into morbid obesity,I assume it would be the same, it really depends on genetics, how you lost the weight, how long you were fat, how much you did exercise, did you protect your muscle as much as possible and what weight you have at goal. Mine is 20, that’s what I’ve been for several months, and genuinely I have none.

Others will have a lot of loose skin, and for the exact same reasons, genetics, how long they were obese, how they lost the weight, did they protect their muscle, there is no one answer, it simply isn’t a given you will have a lot of loose skin if your bmi was 40 which seems to be what you’re assuming.

if you’ve been morbidly obese for a long time, loose weight too rapidly, don’t do strength training, don’t eat your protein, doesn’t matter if your BMI is 3o or 40 at the start, you’re likely going to have a lot of loose skin.

once your bmi goes above 40, say 50, then I think it is more difficult, and loose skin is odds on.

It’s just so irritating that so many people claim to know someone who is on the injection who hasn’t changed their diet and doesn’t exercise, so therefore, apparently, nobody who uses the injection exercises or has changed their diet.

Im not talking about everyone! Im saying that it is possible to take the injection and not be healthy. I know because my husband bloody did it! Obviously youve done the right thing. Well done you. Ten stars.

I don’t know anyone has saud that. You are clearly extremely sensitive about it.