to think WLI have given many people huge health improvements despite the remarkable number of people on MN who are anti WLI for no good reason

[MountainStorm]

There seem to be endless anti WLI threads on here filled with misinformation, faux concern, and thinly disguised jibes at overweight people. I don’t really understand the motivation but that’s another issue.

On the other hand, many people have seen huge improvements in their health, confidence and wellbeing from using WLI. I certainly have.

So I wanted to ask AIBU to say that WLI have given many people huge health improvements and to ask what health improvements have you personally experienced on WLI?

For me

• been able to reduce antidepressant medication
• improved fitness, don’t get so tired or out of breath when walking

Why though if its self funded? Are you really suggesting you are hugely concerned about the health of millions of obese strangers? I bet you aren't concerned about the random obese person on the street.

Haha all of a sudden fatties lose weight and a lot of people hate it and predict failure for many. I give you a hint: premature death is guaranteed for an obese person. There is no risk of WLI that's worse than that.

No, not optional. It should be mandatory imo.

If you already need the intervention of WLI's then I'd say it goes hand in hand with needing some other lifestyle interventions.

@TubbyTabby20 why? I haven't needed such interventions during the 18 months I've been on WLI. I am an intelligent competent adult, and I can read and understand the advice given alongside the prescription and put it into action. Nothing about these meds make them special and need additional regulations and rules to force people to behave in a way that you and others deem appropriate.

Showing off your lack of understanding again. Just wonder when was the last time you have completely changed your life? Never? Ah.

Such fundamental changes are trial and error for a lot of people. For many it takes years to figure something out. You might as well suggest funding for long-term psychotherapy along with WLI. That i would support. Because the solution is individual at an individual pace. It's not an NHS leaflet.

I'm a fan of them but so far it looks like when people stop them they regain most of the weight. This might simply mean you need to stay on a low dose longterm -hopefully as a tablet not an injection - oral version is now licensed in the US. If that's cheap and safe then go for it.

Overall the cost is likely to end up being lower than annual diabetic care - but only when the drugs start coming off licence. That's likely 2028-2031. Prices for current drugs might drop sooner if competitors have newer agents licensed.

Good for you.

My interactions with several people on WLI's tells me that lots aren't following the guidance though.

Maybe it's just luck, mayve I know the only six people in the UK using them 'incorrectly'. Doubt it though.

Whether these are a good thing or a bad thing will be revealed over the coming decade when the huge real world lab experiment, currently in progress, has run long enough for the true benefits and risks to reveal themselves.

And that's their learning process they use their own money for. What's your issue? I'm not buying your 'I'm concerned'.

So when does your decade of reassurance start and end?

@TubbyTabby20 it doesn't matter if you think they are using them incorrectly, and you have no actual idea about their private lives and what they are or aren't doing anyway. On balance, they will be healthier having lost the weight than they were before. That's the balance of risk versus health outcomes that have been decided by the MHRA. You might not like what they look like, or judge them for being incorrect, but that is all irrelevant to their actual health outcomes.

@Perimenoanti you clearly have a huge chip on your shoulder about WLI's.

It doesn't make for the convincing posts you seem to think, it just makes you sound ranty, dim and best ignored.

If you can't deal with the fact that lots of people don't think WLI's are an instant magic cure and fantastic in all ways, why wind yourself up by reading such threads?

You can't rant, belittle and compel people to agree with you. Sorry about that 🤷‍♀️

Fatties???

Please just FRO.

Who said I'm concerned?

It doesn't impact me at all, I don't have any skin in the game to be concerned.

I do find it interesting though, hence me taking part in the discussion. Your imaginings that this worries me are wrong though.

@TubbyTabby20 but you want there to be mandatory lifestyle re-education in order to access a private prescription for WLI? People are asking for the justification for that, other than your opinion that people are losing weight incorrectly.

Hugely concerned? No.
Concerned, if I stop to think about it, about the health of a dangerously overweight person? Yes. As I would be concerned about the health of an alcoholic, a smoker or a heroin addict. Does it directly affect me? No. Why does that mean I can’t have a bit of empathy for a fellow human being who is struggling?

👏👏👏👏

This isn't a Court...i'm not required to provide justification to you for my own opinion. My goodness 😂

I believe if you're taking medication to 'fix' something, education and check ins to ensure you're taking steps to prevent recurrence should be mandatory, yes. That could be extended to many things, not just WLI's.

@TubbyTabby20 I think you're giving "justification" more weight than intended. I was referring to justifying your argument, not your opinion, for restrictive controls around these particular medications and requiring people accessing them privately to mandatorily complete some kind of lifestyle retraining.

It's such a patronising controlling approach. As an obese person, you need to be retrained and forced to behave in acceptable ways to merit accessing medication that will help you.

Every single medication is to "fix something". The NHS doesn't mandatorily check that I am making lifestyle changes to address my high BP in order to access my NHS prescription for BP meds. Strangely, they treat me like a competent adult, they give me the information and then what choices I make after that are not enforced and controlled.

By the way prescribers actually do have to provide advice, check ups and support. Mine has a private customer site, advice line, compulsory video calls for weigh ins and check ins to discuss your progress and maintenance plan with my pharmacist. I have brought up a child with less intervention than this.

I no longer hate myself and that is the biggest win

Most people when they gain weight on medication is because a side affect of it is increased appetite which will explain your carb cravings which sort of proves what the PP was saying.

What prescriber are you with?

Oushk but there's plenty of others who offer maintainance. Monj.co.uk has details of them

That is fascinating - exactly as you describe is what happened for me in relation to UPF around 15 years ago (so long before WLIs). My issue was chronic hypoglycemia and I did a sort of hybrid mostly plant-based paleo for 3-4 months. I think as my body/mind felt the benefits of stable blood sugar, I completely lost interest in processed foods - as you say walking round a supermarket I see products not food. I'm now genuinely very interested to learn more about how these injections work!

Are you new here? 😊