Page 39 | All my historically fat friends have gone thin this year

donttellscotty · 2025-12-30T15:43:38+00:00

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?

MsRumpole · 31/12/2025 13:11

SchoolDramas · 31/12/2025 12:53

It's 2025 and people should really know better then to comment on other people's bodies. Like others I've known people to go through significant weight loss due to grief, cancer, severely disordered eating.. also intentional weight loss and pursuit of fitness. It's none of my business!

But more importantly, for me commenting on someone's weight loss is the equivalent to reminding anyone in earshot how unacceptable fatness is - and most of the commentary on this thread, where people are taking issue with WLI is just another form of fat phobia/ weight discrimination. It fits the narrative that people are fat because they are lazy and or stupid and the only way out of fatness is some sort of cheat or shortcut that somehow bypasses all the hard work "naturally thin" people have put in. This completely ignores that food environment and diet culture drive weight gain, not personal failings. I've always been overweight - I also am clever/fairly highly qualified, driven, successful in my work and relationships. I have always worked very hard - I'm not lazy, but have to deal with that perception on a daily basis.

In case it helps anyone else who has yoyo dieted through their entire lives, or anyone considering WLIs, i'd really recommend listening to some of the Fat Science podcast, lots of info about metabolic disorder and explanations around how dieting doesn't work, but also how dangerous it can be.

It references scientific studies that show almost everyone (like 98% or something) of people who have been in larger bodies will not maintain lower weight through dieting for any period of time because of how your body fights against what it interprets as starvation. She observed test results for hormones related to metabolism for people with obesity were similar to people with anorexia, because of the affect of dieting on the body which is the same whether you are small or big. You're very likely to have damaged your metabolism to a degree that you'll regain weight, and probably end up heavier then where you began. Also noting that staying big is probably more healthy then yoyo dieting, which puts a huge strain on heart etc.

She does endorse medical treatment like WLI but these aren't supposed to be prescribed with diet and exercise, it's not really how they are designed to work, but honestly the number of people taking them to basically stop eating is really alarming, likely doing even more damage to their metabolic systems.

Hopefully as the science becomes better understood some of the societal judgements around fatness will fade, but we've had generations of diet culture and fat phobia so it's probably going to take a while.

One of the most interesting bits of research for me around diet culture and mental health related to the treatment of fat people found that these things cause more negative health outcomes then those caused by being fat. In other words being fat is less bad for you then the outcomes caused by the stigma of being fat/ dealing with being fat. So perhaps we could all consider just leaving people tf alone?!

I could not agree more. But some people are very attached to the narrative that fat people are choosing to be fat and "just eat too much" - I cannot tell you how often I have referred such posters on here to really accessible primers from people like Dr Giles Yeo who are very balanced and reasonable and very led by research into the complex and in some aspects not consciously controllable causes of obesity. They don't read what I send them, even if they were asking for proof of whatever it was I was saying. Quite often they just keep asking for proof.

I think it's because they don't want to know about science that might make it harder for them to justify being horrible to fat people 🤷

Dollybantree · 31/12/2025 13:13

Twoboysandabengal · 31/12/2025 00:19

But if you were confident enough, you would admit it openly! Your just too embarrassed to admit it 😊

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Awww, you sound jealous 😘

GalaxyJam · 31/12/2025 13:22

Rosscameasdoody · 31/12/2025 12:48

And yet every article on the development of Mounjaro specifically states it was developed to treat type two diabetes. In the USA Mounjaro can still only be officially prescribed for type two diabetes - it’s used off label for weight loss because it wasn’t intended for that purpose.

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And as has been explained to you multiple times on this thread, it’s irrelevant what it was originally developed for. Many common medications in existence were originally developed for one condition, and then were found to be effective in treating other conditions. This is what happened with Mounjaro, which is now licensed in the UK to treat obesity.

MsRumpole · 31/12/2025 13:22

TrickyD · 31/12/2025 12:04

I didn’t say they were prevented from expressing views about fat people, I said it was not acceptable. Plenty of hostile comments from those who disagreed.

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If you keep telling people who actually are obese and actually know what it's like, and who have spent most of their lives reading and researching and trying different ways of losing weight in order to lose the weight without success, that their problem is just that they eat too much and they need to eat less, and if you ignore the evidence routinely posted here about the complexity of why some people find it much harder to eat less than others and how that is not always or completely within their control, then yes, you'll get a certain amount of hostility in return 🤷

Foottapper1 · 31/12/2025 13:29

@SexyFrenchDepression ,but people can get round the strict criteria by lying, just like you did,? presumably you didn't declare your previous eating disorder? No judgement neither did I.

CremeCarmel · 31/12/2025 13:32

FrangipaniBlue · 31/12/2025 11:43

The way posters are going on you’d think the majority of the population are “insulin resistant” and that’s why every man and his dog NEEDS WLIs.

If that’s the case then why is obesity in the UK a relatively new phenomenon? In the 70s and 80s there were very few “overweight” people, now it’s the norm.

Sorry, but I don’t buy it.

The majority of people these days are overweight because of their lifestyle choices. Those with genuine medical reasons (like a previous posters DH who has mobility issues) are in the minority.

People pay for WLIs (alongside changes in diet and exercises) because of the instant gratification culture; they want to lose 6 stone “this year” not over the next 2+ years that it would take with lifestyle changes alone.

If that’s for you then fine, but at least own your decisions and reasons and stop telling little white lies to yourself and everyone around you.

Surely some morbidly obese people actually have an eating disorder - or have had. Otherwise, how do you get so big? Not every MO person just loves food? Many must be emotional eaters. Many on here are insinuating the problem is merely one of physiological hunger which the appetite suppressant drug addresses, but what are people doing to cope with the mental distress that may have driven the overeating?

SexyFrenchDepression · 31/12/2025 13:34

Foottapper1 · 31/12/2025 13:29

@SexyFrenchDepression ,but people can get round the strict criteria by lying, just like you did,? presumably you didn't declare your previous eating disorder? No judgement neither did I.

I left that out, I was 17 and never had medical intervention so could get away with it with the prescriber. I don't feel bad about that TBH though.

Perimenoanti · 31/12/2025 13:36

SchoolDramas · 31/12/2025 12:53

It's 2025 and people should really know better then to comment on other people's bodies. Like others I've known people to go through significant weight loss due to grief, cancer, severely disordered eating.. also intentional weight loss and pursuit of fitness. It's none of my business!

But more importantly, for me commenting on someone's weight loss is the equivalent to reminding anyone in earshot how unacceptable fatness is - and most of the commentary on this thread, where people are taking issue with WLI is just another form of fat phobia/ weight discrimination. It fits the narrative that people are fat because they are lazy and or stupid and the only way out of fatness is some sort of cheat or shortcut that somehow bypasses all the hard work "naturally thin" people have put in. This completely ignores that food environment and diet culture drive weight gain, not personal failings. I've always been overweight - I also am clever/fairly highly qualified, driven, successful in my work and relationships. I have always worked very hard - I'm not lazy, but have to deal with that perception on a daily basis.

In case it helps anyone else who has yoyo dieted through their entire lives, or anyone considering WLIs, i'd really recommend listening to some of the Fat Science podcast, lots of info about metabolic disorder and explanations around how dieting doesn't work, but also how dangerous it can be.

It references scientific studies that show almost everyone (like 98% or something) of people who have been in larger bodies will not maintain lower weight through dieting for any period of time because of how your body fights against what it interprets as starvation. She observed test results for hormones related to metabolism for people with obesity were similar to people with anorexia, because of the affect of dieting on the body which is the same whether you are small or big. You're very likely to have damaged your metabolism to a degree that you'll regain weight, and probably end up heavier then where you began. Also noting that staying big is probably more healthy then yoyo dieting, which puts a huge strain on heart etc.

She does endorse medical treatment like WLI but these aren't supposed to be prescribed with diet and exercise, it's not really how they are designed to work, but honestly the number of people taking them to basically stop eating is really alarming, likely doing even more damage to their metabolic systems.

Hopefully as the science becomes better understood some of the societal judgements around fatness will fade, but we've had generations of diet culture and fat phobia so it's probably going to take a while.

One of the most interesting bits of research for me around diet culture and mental health related to the treatment of fat people found that these things cause more negative health outcomes then those caused by being fat. In other words being fat is less bad for you then the outcomes caused by the stigma of being fat/ dealing with being fat. So perhaps we could all consider just leaving people tf alone?!

Exactly. I started intermittent fasting and every time I lost a couple of kg my body went crazy. The cravings were beyond anything I ever knew. It was worse than period cravings. There was nothing I could eat to satisfy me. My thoughts circled around food more than ever. It lasted a good week every time. I lost a dress size and kept it off, but I was still obese. My body wanted to get back to the old weight because it thought it needed to.

I wasn't able to go through this every month for say the three years I would have needed to become normal weight.

Rosscameasdoody · 31/12/2025 13:42

IrisPallida · 31/12/2025 13:10

In the USA, Mounjaro is sold under the separate name Zepbound for weight loss only. Same drug, same pen, same drug company and manufacturer. This is only in the USA. People taking Zepbound will still refer to it as Mounjaro because it is, but if you are prescribed the drug for weight loss it will be Zepbound.

In the rest of the world, the drug is sold only under the name Mounjaro and is licensed for diabetes etc AND for weight loss. It is not prescribed 'off label' for weight loss, but it is prescribed 'off label' for a host of other conditions that it successfully treats such as sleep apnoea etc whilst it waits on licences for those other conditions.

A quick google would have told you this.

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I don’t need to google. We were given various sites to visit for information by the diabetic clinic when my DH was prescribed Mounjaro, to make sure we understood everything before he started taking it. Every single one stated that Mounjaro was developed specifically for type two diabetes. It also gave information about Zepbound in the USA, stating that the drug had the same active ingredient as Mounjaro but stressing that the former is for weight loss and the latter specifically for type 2 diabetes, and that before Zepbound was made available, Mounjaro was prescribed for weight loss off label, as to date is hasn’t been approved by the FDA for any purpose other than treating type two diabetes. In the UK, unless there are unusual circumstances Mounjaro is only NHS prescribed for weight loss if there are other specific conditions increasing the patient’s overall health risks. I’ve no wish to derail the OP’s thread further so I’ll leave it there.

CremeCarmel · 31/12/2025 13:42

@SchoolDramas does the podcast you
mention say why they endorse WLI over dieting? Surely they have the same physiological impact? If not do they say what the difference is?

Zov · 31/12/2025 13:44

@Moro93

I have issues with people lying about it because they’re literally contradicting themselves. They say that it’s no more admirable to lose it on your own, but then lie about using them like they’re ashamed. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about using a medication to help you, losing a large amount of weight can be one of the hardest things to do. But even if I fail to lose weight on my own and had no choice but to use them in future, I wouldn’t care about telling people and would still have huge respect for those who have the willpower to do it on their own.

100% this.

Zov · 31/12/2025 13:50

@Oneforallandallforone

Anybody who has been big for years and seemingly consistently loses weight through exercise is quite obviously on weight loss injections.

Yeah exactly. I find it inexplicable that anyone thinks that people don't know they've been using weight loss injections, when they've been 5-6 stone overweight for 20 years or more, and then suddenly drop 7 stone in weight in as many months.

IrisPallida · 31/12/2025 13:50

Rosscameasdoody · 31/12/2025 13:42

I don’t need to google. We were given various sites to visit for information by the diabetic clinic when my DH was prescribed Mounjaro, to make sure we understood everything before he started taking it. Every single one stated that Mounjaro was developed specifically for type two diabetes. It also gave information about Zepbound in the USA, stating that the drug had the same active ingredient as Mounjaro but stressing that the former is for weight loss and the latter specifically for type 2 diabetes, and that before Zepbound was made available, Mounjaro was prescribed for weight loss off label, as to date is hasn’t been approved by the FDA for any purpose other than treating type two diabetes. In the UK, unless there are unusual circumstances Mounjaro is only NHS prescribed for weight loss if there are other specific conditions increasing the patient’s overall health risks. I’ve no wish to derail the OP’s thread further so I’ll leave it there.

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I don’t need to google.

I will leave it there.

Oldandgreyer · 31/12/2025 13:51

One I know says she's just eating healthily.

The other two are very open about it. They've all done amazingly well and I am envious of their new lighter bodies. But I have no will power or cash! I've shed stones before through various diets / lifestyle changes and always put it back on.

SilenceInside · 31/12/2025 13:51

This again. I’m not embarrassed or ashamed or any of those negative judgements. Lovely that you or other people would be happy to talk about WLI. I don’t want to. No one else has any right to that information, so if directly asked I will say no and shut down any other comments. That’s a perfectly reasonable and acceptable response. It is of no odds to anyone else how I choose to respond if asked.

Perimenoanti · 31/12/2025 13:54

Zov · 31/12/2025 13:44

@Moro93

I have issues with people lying about it because they’re literally contradicting themselves. They say that it’s no more admirable to lose it on your own, but then lie about using them like they’re ashamed. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about using a medication to help you, losing a large amount of weight can be one of the hardest things to do. But even if I fail to lose weight on my own and had no choice but to use them in future, I wouldn’t care about telling people and would still have huge respect for those who have the willpower to do it on their own.

100% this.

Well it's because of people like you still banging on about willpower. If they knew they wouldn't be judged maybe they might actually tell you? Even so, someone else's shame is also none of your business. Everyone carries shame. Shall we maybe do a deep dive into your own denial and shame about something? And yes, you do have those.

The way you speak is the very reason some don't want to speak about it. You are very good at feeding stigma.

Pickledpoppetpickle · 31/12/2025 13:54

CremeCarmel · 31/12/2025 13:32

Surely some morbidly obese people actually have an eating disorder - or have had. Otherwise, how do you get so big? Not every MO person just loves food? Many must be emotional eaters. Many on here are insinuating the problem is merely one of physiological hunger which the appetite suppressant drug addresses, but what are people doing to cope with the mental distress that may have driven the overeating?

Show quote history

In my case, I did the Freedom programme, some individual counselling and suddenly remembered who I was. Like a lightbulb went on. Dressed in black for years, a uniform of trousers and tunic top. I stopped seeing myself through my ex’s eyes and overnight pulled out all those clothes I had bought but never worn because I felt somehow they were for other people. I am still fat - getting smaller - but wearing a rainbow of different coloured dresses on a daily basis. Dr Marten boots in all the colours (thank you Vinted!). I no longer give a fuck. I also take a cocktail of vitamins and use kind patches to support my mood. And lionks mane. I have tidied my messy bedroom because who knows, I might want to be sharing it with someone soon?! In short, the work was done before I started on the injections. The only sadness right now is the people trying to make me feel like shit because I dare to be me again, like the changes in me are somehow a reflection on them? Who knows why people feel the need to put us down rather than support. Shrugs.

Zov · 31/12/2025 13:56

Moro93 · 30/12/2025 22:24

I’ve never asked anyone. The people I know tend to be open and honest about it. Lying about it just comes across like you’re ashamed of it, like it’s less worthy of respect than doing it on your own.

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Taking weight loss injections to lose weight, isn't as big an achievement as losing it without them though. No-one needs to feel ashamed of it, but people shouldn't act like it's the same as losing weight without the jabs.

It's like me and you having a running race around a village (2 mile circuit,) and me grabbing my pushbike out of my garage and using the bike, whilst you use your legs. I've beat you, hooray! Cheated though!

Averynicelady · 31/12/2025 13:58

Zov · 31/12/2025 13:56

Taking weight loss injections to lose weight, isn't as big an achievement as losing it without them though. No-one needs to feel ashamed of it, but people shouldn't act like it's the same as losing weight without the jabs.

It's like me and you having a running race around a village (2 mile circuit,) and me grabbing my pushbike out of my garage and using the bike, whilst you use your legs. I've beat you, hooray! Cheated though!

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Who said weight loss was a competition?

Zov · 31/12/2025 13:58

Notashamed13 · 30/12/2025 22:25

You can, I genuinely earn my supplementary money by doing surveys overnight when the insomnia hits (yes I have a job, dont qualify on NHS) where there's a will, there's a way.

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I have found online surveys to be a useless way to make money. You end up getting about £3 an hour if you're lucky. Better to just get a part time waitressing job or something!

Perimenoanti · 31/12/2025 13:59

Zov · 31/12/2025 13:56

Taking weight loss injections to lose weight, isn't as big an achievement as losing it without them though. No-one needs to feel ashamed of it, but people shouldn't act like it's the same as losing weight without the jabs.

It's like me and you having a running race around a village (2 mile circuit,) and me grabbing my pushbike out of my garage and using the bike, whilst you use your legs. I've beat you, hooray! Cheated though!

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Why is it an achievement? Is beating cancer an achievement? Is getting diabetes under control an achievement? Is getting through a cold without medication an achievement? Your posts sicken me. Views like yours are part of a societal issue.

Rosscameasdoody · 31/12/2025 13:59

GalaxyJam · 31/12/2025 13:22

And as has been explained to you multiple times on this thread, it’s irrelevant what it was originally developed for. Many common medications in existence were originally developed for one condition, and then were found to be effective in treating other conditions. This is what happened with Mounjaro, which is now licensed in the UK to treat obesity.

Show quote history

No, I wasn’t being told it was irrelevant, it was that Mounjaro was developed for weight loss, not type 2 diabetes. That’s not the same thing. I agree that it’s irrelevant - my point was that people buying up supplies when it was notified that the price was nearly doubling resulted in delays to my DH’s prescriptions for Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes. The fact that it can be used for weight loss and bring other benefits is great, that was not in any way what I was disputing.

SchoolDramas · 31/12/2025 13:59

CremeCarmel · 31/12/2025 13:42

@SchoolDramas does the podcast you
mention say why they endorse WLI over dieting? Surely they have the same physiological impact? If not do they say what the difference is?

From what I understand the theory is that dieting is bad for you in all sorts of ways, and not just the act of calorie restriction over a period of time (which puts your body in a mode where it thinks there is food scarcity), but also psychologically it can impact your metabolism. Apparently talking about dieting in a household can when have an impact on hormones of those who are not dieting. From what I understand if you were able to go to a clinic like hers there are a number of tests you can undertake to figure out what's going on with things like leptin levels (there are lots of other hormones, insulin resistance etc etc) and take an appropriate pharmaceutical approach to try and repair the issue. One of those approaches is drugs like moujarno but there are lots of others available in the US.

Broadly she seems to recommend eating balanced meals (protein, fat and carbs) and snacks so your body is getting everything you need, not going a long time between eating, not restricting calories heavily through dieting, not being overly restrictive with types of food (it's normal to eat some sweet things), not exercising without appropriate fuel and ideally a few hours after eating so you've got some readily available energy, and the use of WLIs to repair hormone responses to allow your body to respond normally to food.

Zov · 31/12/2025 14:00

SilenceInside · 30/12/2025 22:31

@CremeCarmel are you sure you can’t figure out what has changed in the world that correlates with an increase in obesity? The causes are pretty well known. What is different about the environment we are in compared to 100 years ago?

Enlighten us then. Why do people overeat way more now than say, 40-50+ years ago?

LordofMisrule1 · 31/12/2025 14:00

Definitely WLI if they've been trying to lose weight for years and just all done it in 2025! They've become much more popular and easy to get hold of.

I lost 50lb on them, and have been very open with everyone in my life. I feel like it's worse to hide it and pretend I've magically melted it off with calorie counting and exercise, which I tried for ages and struggled with much more in my late thirties compared to when I was younger.

It's really a miracle drug, feels like the first time there's been a clinically safe and effective tool for people to tackle obesity. I can't wait to see the positive impact on the NHS and the country from so many people no longer being obese. It's brilliant.