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

What?! LOADS of people say it. On repeat

This is a lie.

People hate obese people and hate the thought that weight loss and healthy weight maintenance is far more difficult for some that others.

They simply believe obese people are lazy and see WLI as the “lazy person’s approach to weight loss.

WLI does not negate having to do the work to “lost weight the conventional way”.

It simply reduces the psychological and impact of hormonal factors that make weight loss so difficult for people who suffer from obesity.

@JHound I would say that this is by far the hardest and the bit that many of us obese people face (and in my case what I am envious of as I can’t afford to pay). It may “simply be” but wow what a big “simple” help it is for so many!

”It simply reduces the psychological and impact of hormonal factors that make weight loss so difficult for people who suffer from obesity.”

1, lifelong dependency that's just another form of addiction and everything that comes with it.

WLI are not addictive. If you are meaning a psychological reliance, rather than a true addiction, then you are ignoring the fact that people can choose to remain on Mounjaro for maintenance, it is approved for that. So it is no more an "addiction" than using any other long term medication.

2, you need to be morbidly obese to get it on the NHS, leading to people not trying to lose weight the conventional way.

Huh? The two parts of this sentence don't seem to be connected to each other. Are you maybe suggesting that there a lots of people who don't try to lose weight in order to become morbidly obese so they can access medication on the NHS?? If so, that seems unlikely. To access Mounjaro, you need to also have 4 out of 5 specific weight related health conditions, so you'd need to "hope" you also acquired those as well as being morbidly obese. Would anyone really do that?? As for Wegovy, that's only available via specialised weight loss services, in some areas , instead of being offered bariatric surgery. You need to be on Tier 3, which means waiting for a referral sometimes for 18 plus months, and then working through the process which includes things like coaching and dietician support.

3, self funding I really wonder why? Is there is something we are not told and healthcare providers do not want the responsibility? Or is it simply costs & the morality of lining big pharma companies pockets.

WLI are available privately because they are approved by the MHRA, that's all. They are available also on the NHS, but that is currently rationed as described above and that decision to ration was due to cost and ability to manage numbers practically. The rollout plan is over 12 years in order to handle this.

4, secondary impact on the food industry- they still get away with selling junk as healthy while decent fruit & veg costs an absolute fortune!

What has this to do with WLI? Nothing stopping anyone for campaigning about junk food and cost of fresh food. People taking WLI are usually all eating healthy food as a result, not just less junk food.

5, it's new and we have no idea about the long term health implications.

There are many new medications. Each one goes through clinical trials, lengthy ones, that establish the known side effects. WLI are no different, and have been through these trials. Some of the earlier ones have been around for decades, and no serious long term health implications have been identified. There is no rationale for avoiding WLI based on this as an "issue".

6, for some people, it takes away accountability for their own health.

Again, huh? How so? I am totally accountable for my own health, I'm paying around £50 a week to do so, and have committed to a long term weight loss process. Anyone who takes WLI is doing the same. What is the reason that you think people become unaccountable for their own health? What evidence do you see of this that concerns you?

7, my own observation: FIL (78) was put on them for his diabetes... he's lost weight and aged beyond recognition in the space of 3 months. Now this could be a natural occurrence but I would like to see some research into this.

Losing weight is an known side effect of Mounjaro, which I presume your FIL is taking? If it's too much then his diabetes team should be reducing his dose, or using a different medication. This is really specific to your FIL's personal circumstances, and is irrelevant to any discussion about WLI in general. Ditto for the "aged beyond recognition" comment. No idea what you mean by this - do you mean in terms of appearance, or in terms of health? I would point out that at 78, you might expect to age....

@SilenceInside do you know if Wegovy is approved for maintenance or where the info can be found?

@Perimenoanti as far as I can tell, Wegovy as prescribed via the NHS on the Tier 3 weight loss programme is for a maximum of 2 years because of the guidance from NICE, eg see this article from Oviva who provide Tier 3 services (oviva.com/uk/en/wegovy-for-weight-loss/). I think a lot of private prescribers may also adhere to those guidelines too, but I don't think they have to as it's not NHS. So some may go on a case by case basis.

And WLI's are the invisible injectible version of stapling your mouth shut or locking yourself in the attic and being fed rations - of course people will lose weight.

Absolutely bizarre analogy. So bizarre I’m not going to bother refuting it. But perhaps do some reading if you want to understand how WLIs work.

I think it's brilliant, WLIs are brilliant. But I do worry about them because of the desperation of people to get on them. My mother is very overweight and is not entitled to them on the NHS, but I know she would take risks to drop a few dress sizes. Are the checks and balances okay really? I genuinely think there are a lot of people who would lie to get them and to stay on them.

I’d really love to understand it. Someone made the point earlier on that if WLI only had the health benefits they do but didn’t cause weight loss which makes people look better, no-one would be bothered. It’s truly bizarre and fascinating.

It seems to be a combination of as you say, losing perceived superiority, envy for some people who can’t use them, and believing that being fat should be punished somehow rather than “easily” solved. I do wonder if people who are vociferously anti ever try to reflect on their motivations.

@TheWonderhorse she doesn't need to be desperate or take risks, or lie. If she is very overweight then she will likely qualify for a private prescription, if BMI is over 30. Every legitimate online provider will do a comprehensive consultation form, and ask for photo or video evidence of current body size. What are you concerned about for her in that situation?

You must be new to MN. And any RL discussion about weightloss 😂

Total agree with your excellent reply to @NowLetsBeReal SilenceInside.

for some people, it takes away accountability for their own health

What does this mean @NowLetsBeReal? How on earth is people taking responsibility for losing unhealthy weight, reducing their risk of numerous diseases, being able to exercise more, increasing their life expectancy, often reducing medication and need for operations, reducing the burden on the NHS “taking away accountability for their own health”?

I asked the question if the checks and balances are okay because I don't know if they are.

I think she will qualify for a private prescription on sight alone. But I also don't think she'd report side effects, or take the correct dose if she could avoid it. I think meds like WLIs are different in that respect to other medications. When people are desperate they do stupid things.

@TheWonderhorse There's nothing much any provider or the NHS could do if someone was determined to take a different dose to that prescribed. I don't think it's a likely risk for most people though? Would she really try to deliberately overdose?

You don't need to report side effects to your prescriber, if you don't want to. If you can manage them yourself, or otherwise cope with them. Or you can simply stop taking it. You can of course contact the prescriber for advice, and they usually provide advice up front about side effects and how to manage them. Anything serious or urgent should be 111 or A&E as prescribers aren't going to communicate quickly enough in that situation.

What I am trying to say is that my mother would take risks that she wouldn't take for other medications with WLI because she wants to lose weight so badly. I am concerned that if it gave her chest pains or an allergic response that she'd keep taking it at risk to herself, because she sees them as a solution to all her problems. I think if they didn't work she'd struggle to accept it.

I just hope there's ongoing support for her. She's got an appointment for a consultation.

It seems to me that those who seem anti-WLI don't perhaps understand how they work (or perhaps they do and don't care - who knows). I am 50 this year and have spent my entire life obsessed with food. It first started when my parents split up when I was 5 and we were shuttled between my mum (whose cupboards were often bare) and my dad (where we could get a proper meal). I developed the idea of food being comfort and whilst I was fully aware that eating less would lead to weight loss, that knowledge didn't assauge my obsession in any way, shape or form. I've always been pretty fit and strong, exercised regularly (ran a marathon, plenty of 10Ks etc.), and eaten plenty of veg but my portion sizes were far too big, my thinking about what I would eat next was constant, and I was always worried about being hungry (would always ensure that I had something in my handbag just in case). I was consistently overweight.

Now, in my case, saying 'eat less' doesn't work - it really doesn't. I know and always knew that eating less would make me lose weight but as with many overweight people, the problem was a good deal deeper than that. You may be thinking that I should have had therapy then, if the issue was so deep/ingrained. I did! I had CBT, hypnotherapy and even tried the Paul McKenna weight-loss CDs way back when.

I have been on WLI since late January 2025 and they have changed my life. I have lost 31% of my body weight this year and, for the first time in about 25 years, am in a normal BMI. I continue to exercise regularly, with a particular focus on strength training as I want to ensure that I don't lose muscle mass, I get at least 10K steps every single day, and I eat really well - plenty of veg, quality protein etc.

What I have found is that my obsession has stopped - I am not constantly thinking about food or what I will eat next. I'm comfortable being a bit hungry, I rarely snack, I don't crave any particular foods.I still, however, have to exercise discipline/willpower - I can easily have a huge piece of cake if I want but I know that it's not good for me and so I'll either ignore it, or have a small slice to satisfy myself and move on. I could very easily have plenty of toast and butter for my breakfast but I make an active choice to have something that will better sustain me. I could not make these choices without WLI.

As for the future, I'm okay. I can afford to take WLI for the rest of my life if needed, just as someone who has lost weight on say, Weight Watchers, may need to continue to follow that method to maintain their weight. I'm comfortable with that choice. If there are any medical ramifications, I'll deal with those in a calm and rational manner but until then, if I am reducing the burden on my joints/organs, feeling considerably better about myself, and being significantly happier, I'll stick with them.

There are issues. One thing I wonder is what happens when people stop using them after reaching their ‘goal weight’ or whatever, do they regain the weight like lots of others on crash diets?

Another is the fact it’s great if people exercise alongside them to get fit too but many don’t. They rely on the jabs alone to lose weight which to me seems unhealthy and yes, like a form of crash diet. It works to suppress appetite so presumably the idea is people barely eat on them so of course the weight drops quickly.

It’s just whether this works long term as I say, as it does when people use a combination of less and healthier food with exercise. People get hooked on fitness generally so stick with that meaning the weight doesn’t pile back on.

I’ve also noticed a few people on WLI just look like skeletons, presumably because they aren’t working out so they’re not getting toned. Also maybe because they keep using them even when they’ve reached a healthy weight.

Such an odd response

1. lifelong dependency. This is not the same as addiction. Many people take drugs long term, sometimes those drugs change. Actually WLI have stopped my lifelong dependency on omeprazole so it’s swings and roundabouts
2. Noone is deliberately going to give themselves the several health conditions necessary (diabetes, heart condition) to get access to drugs to solve them
3. they are rationed on the NHS because supply and budgets wouldn’t cope. They will be rolled out as years go by and costs are offset elsewhere
4. i think the reverse. I think a lot of negativity in the press is because advertisers are shitting themselves. They’ve spent billions making us eat more processed crap and now something has come along to stop them
5. we don’t know about long term health implications but many of these could be positive
6. how does taking accountability for your own health take away accountability for your own health
7. ‘78 year old looks old’ shocker. Everyone over a certain age will look older with less fat in their face. Why does this bother you?

This is so honest and I completely get and can relate. I feel that WLI would help me but for the cost. More specifically I am able to lose the weight (the “old fashioned way”) but it’s the maintenance so I am really hoping that in the future those like me might have the option of going straight to maintenance only, which I guess is cheaper too.

I think a lot of the issues stem from tge fact that people who CAN manage their eating habits struggle to understand those that can't.
You can get your body to release GLP1 hormones naturally by eating food in the correct order - fibre, protein (for glp1 release) and carbs last - but maintaining that is often difficult.
Everything in life is a balance - and overweight people can balance the risk of a jab with unknown consequences with the risk of known consequences of being overweight - if the weight is coming down thats a fantastic thing - if someone doesn't understand why you've made that decision, that's on them - i don't understand why people drink so much and then brag about it like it's an achievement, or why someone spends thousands of pounds on a handbag - but I don't care enough to offer my opinion which is of no consequence to them.

How on earth is relying on WLI to lose weight a “crash diet”?

Diet is ALWAYS the key component of weight loss.

I think it’s this but I don’t understand why it is a struggle to understand.
I understand that alcoholics simply do not have the same response to alcohol that I do.

I don’t get why so many struggle to apply this to obesity. (Although admittedly when I was young I lived with an alcoholic and did struggle to understand why he found it impossible to simply “stop” once he had drunk too much.

It’s also the same as HRT. There are plenty of people who don’t get mood swings, hot flushes, tiredness, insomnia but they do seem to accept that other people do and there are drugs to help them.

But then the Daily Mail et al did spend years trying to discourage women from taking them too with many of the same arguments they are now using for WLI.

HRT is a good comparison. I take HRT and I get quite a lot of stick from my SILs who are currently sailing through the menopause "naturally", and not having to rely on "chemicals" - the implication being that they are better than me.

I'd take WLI if I was slightly heavier and it was recommended to me for health reasons. Why on earth not? It's so successful and allowing many people to get on with other aspects of their lives that they could not do previously as so much time was spent on weight worries.