If you are on weight loss injections, what do you make of this article?

[IwishIwasacaterpillar]

If you have come off them, have you gained weight very quickly?

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jan/07/weight-loss-jabs-regain-two-years-health-study

This thread was asking people on wli what they thought, I don’t think there is even one person of the 50 odd million globally on them who doesn’t know if they stop they may regain and thinks the drug is a magic cure that works when you don’t take it.

The NICE guidelines are for the NHS use of Wegovy, and represented the situation at the time. Mounjaro is approved for long term use. The NHS and NICE guidelines don’t apply to private prescribers, as they are about NHS cost effectiveness and use of public money.

Of course people were stressed about the Sept 2025 price hike. No one knew what the prices were going to be and the decision to change them came at such short notice that no one ahd time to plan for it. Why is it an issue that this was difficult for some people to manage? As it turns out, the price hike wasn’t as awful as initially suggested, and many people were ok with moving to Wegovy instead. All manageable in tbe longer term.

I wish I could erase the phrases “quick fix” and “magic wand”! I never see anyone using WLI refer to it as that, people know it’s a long term process or if they are ignorant of that then it’s explained to them in the support threads.

There are no barriers to taking them long term if that’s what people want and they can budget for it, which people who are considering it tend to do!

Well, the major issue will be is that if the NHS stop the funding of them, as recommended by NICE,, after two years, then it will only be those who can afford them that can take them. 🤷‍♀️

They may drop in price by then, already there is a grey market for peptides and the demand means it’s only going to be more available and less expensive

Honestly, I've seen a lot more people who are sceptical of WLI criticising the idea that they can be taken long term. Lots of us who take them see long term use as a substantial positive and are very vocal about our plans!

@chipsticksmammy I think peoples’s experiences are very different. I’ve been on it for 18 months, and been on 10mg recently. It works the same as usual for me although my weight loss has inevitably slowed down as my calorie deficit reduces. I think extrapolating any definite statement from any one person’s experience is probably not a reasonable thing to do.

@Eyeshadowpeople who take it for diabetes are usually not prescribed higher doses unless their blood sugar is not stabilising. If they lose excessive weight on the lowest dose they will be taken off Mounjaro. The 2.5mg dose does not produce significant weight loss for the majority according to the research trial data, so staying on that dose for diabetes control is very different to using it for weight loss.

Nobody has said they're a magic wand, just that they are better for resolving obesity than anything else currently available. Mounjaro doesn't have a two year limit. Any weight loss strategy will be challenged by illness, pregnancy or major life changes. You are holding WLIs accountable for every problem associated with weight loss. It's not an easy process, and there are no perfect answers. You are, however, in no position to announce that no one can take them for life and that everyone must plan to come off them. People are entitled to make the best decisions for themselves based on the information available. At the moment, it looks like I can take MJ in the long term. If that changes, I'll plan again.

I think the problem is that a lot of people don’t really understand what WLIs do.

Everyone probably knows someone (probably when they were quite young admittedly) who can eat like a horse and stay skinny and I think some people think WLIs are like this; you can eat huge bags of crisps and sweets and still lose weight. Obviously they aren’t. Both times after giving birth I lost my appetite for a few weeks. I just wasn’t interested in food. Of course it came back but in the six week post partum I just wasn’t interested in food or eating. The WLIs are a bit like that and any cravings for a particular food are either non existent or minimal, as in I might passingly think something looks nice but it doesn’t consume my thoughts or my brain.

@Eyeshadow you are out of date regarding the long term use of WLI / medications.

The WHO updated its guidance on the use of GLP 1 medications at the end of last year:

Recommendation 1
In adults living with obesity, GLP-1 therapies may be used as a long-term treatment for obesity.

I know that deep down, I think I am being a bit flippant today 😂

I am just amazed at all of the opinions. We all accept that we have different reactions to HRT for example in terms of dosage, what works, what doesnt, what it helps, and what it amplifies.

I wish the same tolerance was given to those on WLIs and who are trying it for the first time, we know we have to mindful and for some of us who have FINALLY seen a difference it is life changing. I got so down on myself for not being strong willed enough or 'making the necessary changes to my diet' when what I have learned is that it has taken medication to help me lose weight.

I did Crossfit, Spin, Step, Weight Watchers, Slimming World, meal planning, Joe Wicks 18/6, and PT sessions obsessively for years and years and years. I drove myself to tears eating protein, being hungry, denying myself nights out and no booze to always end up with the BMI of a whale and hiding in big outfits.

If its for life, then so be it ❤

I loose between 1 and 2lb per week, roughly the same as I did under weightwatchers.
That is also the recommended loss which my private Bupa GP, who prescribes the jabs for me, confirms.

You are supposed to increase your exercise but obviously nobody can force you. But you will find that exercise comes a lot easier to you when you loose the weight.

You also are supposed to know what your calorie deficit is and stick to this. So, I eat 500kcl less than what I need to maintain weight, adjusted to my exercise level. If you eat not enough, you actually don't loose weight, you have more severe side effects and it's not sustainable long-term.

With all this you are minimising the muscle loss.

It's not just about "just eating less", you need to eat less correctly, you need to up protein, go down on processed carbs, ignore all the zero fat diet versions. I manage to hit my daily calorie target with whole food, have eaten less crab and not "saving for a piece of cake" and then binging it.

Obviously it is easier to stay slim if you never were obese/overweight, what an insight.

Yep, they could well be, but who knows?

But that’s the case today, practically no one gets them on the nhs, it’s less than 200k people. The nhs made the barriers so high for weight loss. BMI forty and 4 of 5 weight related health conditions.

the nhs isn’t funding it today for the overwhelming majority of people, it’s self funded via private prescription.

A good friend of mine lost 4 stone and it's changed his life. He walks every morning before work, goes to the gym and has changed his diet. The WLI gave him the headspace to work on his mindset around food and I just can't see that he will go back to his old habits.

I think people on here are really confused and a lot of people responding for some reason who aren’t on the drugs and know little about them.

the article is aimed primarily at the restrictions the nhs place with the two year limit.
but the nhs doesn’t really prescribe, it’s a tiny percentage of folks who get it for weight loss. Nearly everyone is via private prescribition and self funded.

when via self funded you can chose to stay on a maintenance dose or you can restart within 12 months of stopping if the weight comes back on, irrelevant of bmi at that point. It’s an ongoing medication.

every single person taking them knows the risk of regain, yes some might think they can go it alone and fail, they may find they can’t afford to go back on. But most factor in either staying on or going back on, if required. Maintenance is a key part of the journey for those privately prescribed.

it really is not a once and done. That’s the nhs small number of people. Everyone else it’s choice and finances.

Yeah, I get that changes would be really concerning for those reliant on NHS provision but for the large majority that's not relevant. NICE guidance is substantially about what to fund as well as clinical standards per se, so a lot of it doesn't apply to private providers. And the new WHO guidance is available to rely on.

I'm starting a new thread so everyone can follow along with my weight gain journey. I'll update with my daily calorie intake and lack of exercise. I'll set a goal at the start of how much weight I'd like to pile back on and use the thread to track my progress and keep myself accountable and make sure I don't slack off the gain goals by falling into old habits. It will take a lot of willpower but if I dig deep and really watch my intake i'll be obese again by Easter.

I have been on WLI on and off for the last 2 years and whenever I have stopped using them for a a couple of months,I've not put on any weight. Not lost any admittedly,but I've been happy to stay the same. I have found that even while not using them,my appetite seems to have been reined in.

Good grief, there is way yoire even on the drugs. What a pile of nonsense.

But isn't this the same for everyone? Genuinely? Im honestly not trying to have a dig here but surely the majority of people whether fat or think about food multiple times a day, with it sometimes interfering in their life? Surely that is just a normal animal response. I dont think what you've described there is unusual. I accept though that I dont actually know. None of us can really know what goes on in someone else's head.

I dint understand what’s happening here, the thread asks people in weight loss injections and we’ve so many people not only not on them, but clearly clueless on them, wading in posting like they are the authority with a load of batshit nonsense.

I've put all the weight back on that I lost bar 8lbs since I stopped in July. Sadly I can't afford to be on it for life.

Honestly, I don't know. I know you're not having a dig, but I don't know what even most people think about. I wake up and think about the fact that I'm not going to eat; I think about that multiple times throughout the morning when I see my husband and kids make their breakfasts; I look forward to 10 am when I 'allow' myself a cup of tea with milk, and I think a lot about when I 'should' eat lunch and what I'm going to eat. If I'm in the office and someone suggests going out I feel anxious, or if they offer round cakes or sweets, I worry about whether I should say yes to be like most others or say no and risk people asking why and what excuse I'll give. I see others having snacks in the pm and wish I could have some biscuits with my tea but know I can't. I think about what I have planned for dinner most of the way home (or when I'm working from home, many times in the afternoon) and what is a good time to eat it. I make a separate dinner from my husband and kids so I can make sure I'm eating things that feel 'safe', but also make dinner for my kids. I keep clock-watching so I don't end up eating too late, and if I do have something later, like 70% dark chocolate, I debate whether I 'should have' or 'shouldn't have'. And feel guilty. This is a typical day for me.

ETA: I look at what others eat, including my family, every day, with jealousy. My husband and kids are very slim and eat what they want when they want. I can't imagine eating like that, ever.

I'm inclined to agree. I had my long run yesterday morning, ate when I broke my fast at 12 as I usually do. Made sure I fed myself well for the rest of the day. Decided to have a rest day today as my legs were a bit heavy and I'm a really bad overtrainer in general. No work on this morning, DS sent off to school, foul weather and all I wanted to do was curl up on the sofa with a good book and have a carb binge. It's 100% psychological soothing rather than nourishing and providing the body with what it needs. Yes it's hard to endure, but what I've learned from distance running is how to endure (absolutely trainable) and that we don't need to pathologise normal human responses.

Any drug is potentially dangerous, they can all cause side effects, common and less so, monjaro can cause severe gastrointestinal problems, pancreatitis, hypoglycaemia to name a few and yes they are not the common ones, but would the average person be able to identify them, probably not but they are common enough not to be rare outliers and regard# monitoring, I meant while its being used not after stopping it. I spent a long enough time prescribing and monitoring medication to know it shouldn’t be taken lightly just because you’ve read a bit on Google doesn’t make you an expert