To be really jealous of people who can afford weight loss injections?

[Charliede1182]

It seems like everyone and their dog is taking them, I personally know several people who are on them with significant and effortless weight loss, and I feel like there is becoming more and more of a disparity between those who can afford to buy themselves a smaller appetite and those who can't.

It's not just a social or cosmetic issue, it's about health equity.

In my case I don't want to lose weight for vanity or to cater to patriarchal beauty standards, I am comfortable and confident in my appearance and keen to model body positivity to my daughter.

However I am on the combined pill (for important medical reasons not contraception) and my weight is starting to threaten my ongoing access to this.

I am very fit, walk 5-8 miles a day, some of it with a weighted vest, gym 2-3 x weekly, resistance training, cook almost everything from scratch and although I am no angel I would say my diet is about 90% healthy.

I just don't feel full with small portions, it is an apparent mismatch between appetite and metabolism which is why I would love these injections to make me less hungry.

Even if I had the willpower to just eat less, being hungry all the time isn't a good quality of life and my attitude has always been I would rather enjoy myself and be a bit heavier than society thinks I should, than be thin and miserable.

Whilst I could probably get the money together for a couple of months of treatment, this is not how these drugs work, as people's appetite just comes roaring back if they stop, and then they can end up in a worse position having lost lean mass as well, so I would only go down this road if I could afford it longer term.

Just wondering if anyone else has Ozempic envy right now??!!!

Well it isn’t up to to you. There is many things that I’d rather have or not have in society but I don’t control society and overweight people losing weight using WLI is the least of my worries.
Go ahead and move to Japan.

I’m not the poster you’re responding to, but:

I don’t think anyone has suggested that people are or are not ‘deserving’ of these drugs. I think that these drugs are not solving the root cause of the problem - namely the junk food and the lack of regular exercise. As a society I’d rather we spend resources on those root causes than on giving people drugs to suppress their appetite (with potential side effects like pancreatitis etc).

No one needs injections to lose weight. ‘Food noise’ is obviously nonsense. If you eat less for a period of time your appetite will adjust. If you do as much exercise as you say you do, you’ll lose weight very quickly and not expose yourself to all the long term consequences and costs of these experimental drugs.

I am hoping that I am still able to share my thoughts, especially on a forum like this where the op has asked for opinions. But I’m sorry if I’ve upset anyone.

Yep - and another fantastic by product of MJ is that I’ve stopped being an occasional smoker and hardly drink any more as it knocks me sick. Many posters on here say the same thing.

I believe they’re looking into it being used to help both of those things.

It’s going to end up revolutionising peoples health around the world in general imo.

Gyms are a complete rip off, no one needs a gym to be fit and healthy. You seem to have very rigid ideas about how to achieve fitness and health

Did you not know that formerly obese people who lose weight through diet are more likely than not to put it back on?

🤣🤣🤣

Also I checked and the average age of death in Japan is 84 whereas it’s 83 for females in the UK so it’s hardly like they’re living til they’re 100 and we’re dying in our 50’s!

Look at the amount of chronic longterm smokers that were able to quit finally as there was an aid available, the vape, granted non smokers and teens started using them, but they did work for 100,000’s quit and eventually stop vaping too.

I personally think all the concerns by slim people are thinly veiled jealousy, angry that they work out, watch their food intake so why should fat people be given help? I’ve always been slim and don’t have a huge appetite but I never worry about calories. I eat chocolate daily and can have whatever I please so it doesn’t anger me or make me jealous that there is an aid to assist. Be happy for people. My neighbour hide behind her curtains for 5 years, she is out walking daily, it’s amazing.

Considering the amount of money ploughed into the NHS already to teach people about health and nutrition and educate them about the benefits of exercise - how do you suggest we do this? And the fact that obesity rates were still rising despite the fact we are more educated about heath, nutrition and exercise than ever?

Stop trying to disguise your judgemental attitude and ignorance as some kind of morality tale. Just be honest with yourself about what the issue really is for you.

You don’t like that it’s now really easy for people to lose weight and people don’t have to flagellate themselves in order to do it (perhaps like you?)

But “society” isn’t funding WLI, individuals are (except for a tiny number on the NHS), so that doesn’t make sense.

Also, I’m 60. I get one life and have a limited number of years left. Should I have not taken WLI, stayed obese, lived a less happy life and probably died prematurely? What benefit would that be to anyone? I’ve paid for my own injections, I’m probably saving the NHS money. What is the downside for society or anyone else to me taking WLI?

Oh my God. It’s just laughable now isn’t it?

Have we had the MJ bingo card on here yet? 😂

That’s another good point - I’ve never joined a gym in my life - they’re for mugs imo.

I’ve always exercised by walking and lifting weights at home.

If you enjoy the gym then have it at - but it’s stupid to suggest you need to be a member of one in order to exercise. I’d much rather be outdoors running/walking in the fresh air - and it’s free.

Speaking only for myself, I'm not upset and respect the willingness to apologise. But I do think it's interesting that you thought being like Japan (presumably before the obesity rate rises) is one of the options on the table.

It's quite sobering when you realise that there is absolutely nothing proven to work at keeping human populations at healthy weight, once we've got enough resources to feed us all, other than appetite suppressant drugs of one kind or another.

And that the only known example in human history of a society lowering obesity rates is the US in the last couple of years. Which coincided with the uptick in availability of WLIs.

@Binus thank you that’s interesting.

so there’s a difference if you continue after you are no longer obese, against starting WLI after having once been obese but no more. That’s the bit that I don’t get, because either way, both methods require calorie deficit, one has a drug to help you by saying you’re full, the other doesn’t. I can only think it is because most people know that keeping the weight off is the real challenge and it’s preventative. I’ve heard addicts say that they won’t do rehab because the fear of relapse is massive.

Exactly - and seeing how negligible the age of death is for Japan (like, a year or two) it will be very interesting to see how the younger generation now fares seeing as they now have access to all the western food that we have - and it is very popular.

The stats atm coming from the population who are already dead of course.

Well that's pointless. May as well just give ut to the entire population then

FFS. You don’t know you have food noise until it goes away. At my thinnest I had food noise. Drugs have been around for a long time now. There is nothing experimental about them.

Another dreadful policy in this country was the push to low fat diets which just increase sugar intake. When I first needed to lose weight, low fat was the thing. That advice was everywhere.

@Binusi guess I look towards Japan as I spent two months there earlier in the year and was really surprised how strong the cultural emphasis is on health, from walking/cycling everywhere, mindful eating, lots of fish to, importantly, judging people’s weight. Pointing out someone’s weight gain may be an insult in the West, but it’s pretty normal in Japan, and companies pay extra taxes for every overweight employee.

I am therefore wondering whether there is anything we might be able to learn? And I feel these WL injections are only going to reduce the need for change imo.

A friend of mine did the "shake" replacement diet & lost several stone each time.

However; each time they slowly increased from small portions to normal portions of food & put all the weight back on each time.

It makes no sense to me that millions of people becoming healthier fitter and not obese via WLI is going to drive a reduction in demand for fitness related change.

It's important to distinguish between things we could potentially do to be healthier on the whole, which I agree are good, and things that represent a remotely viable alternative to the proven success of WLIs in tackling obesity rates.

Even if Japan's obesity rates weren't rising, which I assume you weren't aware of, there's no reason at all to believe an already majority overweight society had the option of becoming like them. That is not how already obese human bodies work. Japan can have nothing to teach us about that particular problem, because they have never faced it. It would still be good if we eg ate more veg like they do, but that's not a cure for obese populations.

It will be interesting to see whether the attitude to being overweight in Japan persists in the face of rising obesity rates. One thing companies paying fines when it's not many people, quite another if it would actually become expensive for them.

I agree @Charliede1182

How about metformin? It is often used off label for PCOS because of the insulin resistance the syndrome causes. I used it years ago to help with fertility issues and lost a lot now weight without trying. I've googled it and over a year the average user can expect to lose 5-8%. Ok so its not MJ on 22% but it helps. Also if you feel weak and shaky hat sounds like there is probably an element of hypoglycemia, suggesting probable insulin resistance yourself. Just a thought.