All my historically fat friends have gone thin this year

[donttellscotty]

Okay maybe not ALL of them, but a few friends/acquaintances who have been very big for years and years, tried everything but could never shift the slightest bit of weight, have all had dramatic transformations and shed many stones over the past year. It’s just becoming expected now whenever I see another formerly large acquaintance or relative pop up on my feed with a super slim selfie.

I (rightly or wrongly) suspect it’s got to be WLIs or similar? Although all are adamant it’s a strict diet only. Just to add there is NOTHING wrong with jabs at all, and I’m aware it’s absolutely none of my business, and I sound mean but I wouldn’t actually discuss this in RL. It just got me thinking that being overweight might be obsolete in a few years?

Anyone else noticing this trend with people they know?

Back to the OP's original question...

We're never going to get to a point of obesity being a thing of the past, because the WLIs simply don't agree with everyone or work for everyone.

I've (successfully) used WLI this year and joined a few online communities. There's so many people struggling with the side effects because they won't, or don't know how to eat well.

You see it all the time from Americans in particular - they think they're doing the right thing because their new diet is UPF 'high protein' waffles and Wendys burgers without the bun, and they'll post to complain that they haven't pooped for a month and their hair is falling out. (And the advice from fellow Americans is always to take medication/supplements, NEVER to eat better.) The food landscape there is absolutely dire.

But even outside of the USA there's a lot of people unwilling to make any lifestyle sacrifices (usually under the banner of 'everything in moderation') so they're relying really heavily on the WLI's appetite suppression rather than addressing whatever made them obese in the first place.

I did the jabs and I think the most interesting thing I’ve noticed is that people see me now, they look me in the eye and don’t treat me like I’m invisible or not worth talking too. That obviously doesn’t apply to everyone but there is a markedly noticeable increase in my experience which makes me sad cos I’m still the same person on the inside but people view me differently and that’s based on only a 4st loss. I tell everyone I did the jabs and I get some people telling me I cheated or acting like it doesn’t count that I’m thin now like I didn’t work hard enough to achieve it so my value as a human is somehow less. Hence I get why people lie about it. It’s sad how many people seek ways to knock each other down. People lie because they need to maintain their sense of self worth and not give others ammunition to break them with.

I’m not proud to have lost weight though. It’s a process that was necessary. I’m not proud of eating, or going to the loo, or of any of the things I do to be a healthy human. I’m not proud of taking supplements, I’m not proud of going to the gym, of going to Pilates, I’m not proud of brushing my teeth… I’m not proud of losing weight. I’m satisfied that it’s working.

I don’t want to talk to people about losing weight at all, let alone the method I chose, because my size is the least interesting thing about me and of all the things I’m proud of that I achieved last year, it does not even register. I did some incredibly hard things last year that have profoundly changed me as a human, and my friends and family know, and for my weight to be the only thing they want to talk about despite that is PROFOUNDLY upsetting.

I have noticed it in general and honestly am a bit jealous. I really struggle to shift the weight even with diet but I have a slow emptying stomach anyway so the last thing I can do really is mounjara or similar. Otherwise I absolutely would because the results seem astonishing and I hope it will lead to improved health for those who choose to do it and are able.

I will keep plodding along with better eating and exercise but it would be nice to have the additional help.

You must not be very observant. An obese body is very obviously ill. It never even looks healthy. Just like an anorexic body doesn't look healthy. The very same thing you judge your friend for.

Conversely, I was ashamed of being morbidly obese. I tried not to be, because I knew there was no logic to it, but I was and I couldn't change that - its been ingrained into me ever since my dad made his first fat joke at my expense when I was around 8 and reiterated every time someone yelled 'fat cunt' at me out of their moving car. Its very hard to remain proud of yourself in a society that constantly wants to remind you that they think you are contemptible.

And I am proud of losing weight, but not in the way you think. It's got nothing to do with willpower, I know that now. I had a medical problem and medicine fixed it and allowed me to utilise the discipline I always had in every other area of my life but this one. So I'm not proud of my efforts in weight loss but rather proud of myself for finally, proactively taking a stand and doing something good for myself in spending the money, that I worked bloody hard to earn, to take charge of my health. In the same way I'd be proud of myself if I lost weight without injections. For standing up for myself. There's a dignity in that.

Nope not my experience, people who lost weight rapidly in the summer showed their Christmas snaps looking slightly heavier like a passing fad. All bar one and who knows if that is/isn’t doctored, I’m quietly relived I’m in good company.

I also notice moreso this year no slimming world then and now pictures in this period after it has decimated that business. Well causing some franchises to close as they cannot run with 3 people in a room.

Feel for people who think the life long solution is to remain on this medication. Not bad for a cost of living era.

Sorry none of it makes sense the type 2 diabetic who puts their diabetes in remission with what 7, 9, 10 stone lost but still qualifies with this apparent long term medication alongside one or two other medications, and is said as saving the nhs?

Brilliant comment. 👏

Yes me included.. we dont hide the fact we are on the jabs... we have discussions about it.. even a WhatsApp group.. what mg we are on.. what we ate.. if we found any good meals... what bigger clothes we sold on vinted and what we bought and in which size etc..
It's transformed our lives.. not only physically and healthy but mentally too.
We compliment each other and help each other all the time. Two of us are now waiting for surgery we couldn't have before.

Thank you. I actually got a bit choked writing it. This is like therapy! 😂

They’re not working well for me. I’m currently on 12mg and six months in, I’ve never felt full and I still get a lot of food noise. I’m having to use a lot of willpower. I have two more pens and then I’m giving up with the jabs and going on willpower alone. I can’t justify the £250-300 a month for what it does. I really wish it worked better on me.

Yes, many of my work colleagues. But instead of going from fat to thin they have gone from average or slim to really thin or scary skinny. It's seriously about 6 of them.

It is driving me nuts with jealousy. I'm relatively slim with a lifelong range of eating disorders and I almost don't want to go to work anymore because I've gone from being at the thin end to probably over the average (I know it's pathetic that I even knew where I fitted in the scale to start with!)

I don't know if it is fraudulently obtained weight loss injections or crash dieting or what but it happened quickly (roughly August - November).

You expressed very well what i am thinking too. I literally survived severe abuse with a lifelong impact. Nobody is gonna tell me anything about willpower. I don't think it exists the way people imagine it does. I have a huge amount of determination that made me push through life and I am proud to be able to afford therapy and weight loss jabs. I got myself here. My determination is never going to fix my weight just like it's never going to fix cancer.

This thread got me wondering about how WLI have affected businesses like Slimming World and Weight Watchers. A previous poster mentioned how they have now lost a lot of custom. So I guess people on WLI wouldn't go to SW or WW? Sorry if that is a silly question.... I'm just curious as to whether SW or WW would allow someone on the jabs to go there, as after all surely it's a place to discuss what you're eating and how much weight you've lost, so in theory that could fit with being on WLI. But would being on WLI be seen as 'breaking the rules' there?

Would you be offended if you had taken it and someone didn’t believe you?

I did you start with as I was already a member - much good though that had done me! I was very upfront about jabbing from the outset though, as I didn't feel right being in the running for Slimmer of the Week etc with an additional advantage over people who almost certainly had the same physical limitations that I did.

They were actually pretty cool about it. Ivthink, by then, they had already seen the lay of the land and had an idea where things were heading. I was told those on WLIs werent in the running for the various prizes but were very welcome to attend.

I attended for some structure to my eating in the first few weeks but, once all that food noise and the insatiable hunger had gone, it just felt a bit daft to be sitting there discussing how to make cake out of All Bran when I knew I could have a small slice of proper cake without it then taking over my brain like some kind of malevolent, delicious sugar-demon. So I left and never needed to go back.

I’m actually surprised at the amount of people (who could probably afford it) who are still fat!

Im on them OP - I love it, it’s life changing.

I think it's a net good thing. I do wonder though if years down the line we will discover unanticipated trade offs.

You literally just told someone they’re going to ‘die sooner’ because they said they didn’t want to use WLIs and want to try losing weight naturally.

I am supportive of people using them.

I don’t believe they should be used as a first option outside of needing to lose weight fairly quickly due to a medical condition/surgery.

I’m not supportive of people acting smug because they had success with something and telling others they’ll die sooner if they don’t do the same.

It’s not a cult where everyone has to join and use them. There are other ways of losing weight. If those other ways don’t work for you (or me) then injections are an option, not the only answer.

Probably not.
Taking it isnt something i would choose to do. I dont care what other people choose to do, crack on and do what works for you.
The instant assumption that i have used it is what annoys me.

Probably not.
Taking it isnt something i would choose to do. I dont care what other people choose to do, crack on and do what works for you.
The instant assumption that i have used it is what annoys me.
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Had this same conversation the other night with DH after seeing lots of friends and family over Xmas, loads of whom have shed huge sounds of weight after years of severe weight issues. It seems there is a kind of shame maybe about the drugs, as literally nobody I know, or heard of through others, has ever said, yeah, I did it with Mounjaro or another of the GLPs They have all said, just watching what they eat, going gym more etc...yet they've all had very long term weight issues which they've never managed to get on top of before, so it seems likely that they've made use of the drugs, but don't feel able to say so for some reason.

@donttellscotty personally I only know a few people on them, none have kept the weight off, all had side effects like thinning hair, tiredness, body odours, and stomach issues. I often read the boards here and am amazed at the success stories. Im obese myself at a size 16/18. I work in a related field and am concerned about side effects so want to avoid them but who knows what 2026 may bring. A pharmacist friend was saying that when they ran out of stock recently, they had customers screaming at them. People are becoming hugely dependent on these things.

Question for people who have said they expect to be on them for life (apologies if it's already been answered):
Does there come a point where you stop losing and maintain while still taking them? People say if you stop taking them then you gain so does that mean if you continue then you continue to lose? And, if the weight loss does stop while still taking the jabs, at what point would that be - averag weight? a low healthy weight? Underweight? Emaciated? I just don't get how it stops.

I have one friend who obtained them as a recoveriing anorexic. I think she used photoshop and an online provider (it was a year or so ago now). She went from a BMI of around 20 to around 14 and is still there, really struggling to eat anything at all.

It's scary - but at the same time so tempting. I totally get how people end up there. If I could afford them and knew how to fudge the system, I think I'd do it. And my BMI mostly swings between 20 and 23.

Affordability must prevent most people doing it though, surely? I have a slightly above average salary but there's no way I have that kind of money spare every month.