to feel uneasy about what this means long term rather than surprised by the weight regain itself?

[HazelMember]

I’ve just read a BBC article about research into weight loss injections like Ozempic and Wegovy showing that people who stop taking them tend to regain weight quite quickly.

I’m not shocked that weight comes back. That happens after most weight loss attempts whether they involve medication or not.

These drugs are increasingly talked about as something people might take for years or even indefinitely. That raises questions for me about what happens when someone cannot afford them anymore, when supply changes, when side effects become an issue or when a person simply does not want to stay on a medication for life.

If stopping leads not just to regain but to a fairly rapid rebound, it feels less like a temporary aid and more like something that is very hard to step away from once started. That sits oddly with how casually they are sometimes discussed.

AIBU to think the real issue here is not that people regain weight after stopping, but whether we are quietly normalising a treatment that may be difficult to discontinue once begun? Or is this simply the reality of managing a chronic condition?

A lot of people ‘being trapped on them for lifelong chronic conditions’

Does this refer to people who met the medial threshold and prescribed accordingly to manage chronic obesity/diabetes with all other risk factors taken into account OR

Does or refer to people who are privately prescribed them for being overweight or obese

The WLI were meant to be used as a last resort to reduce serious health risks associated with weight and on the short term may alleviate serious risks.

So like any other weight loss intervention that works - it has to be maintained and I genuinely would like to know if not is worth it compared to other less risky methods

Well, there aren't actually any other less risky methods when a person is already obese. Because the thing about traditional weight loss techniques is that on a population level, they don't work. An obese person who loses weight through dieting is probably going to put it all back on again.

So the actual comparison is the risk of continued, lifelong obesity vs the risk of ongoing WLIs that allow the person to stay a normal BMI. We do need to be really clear about that.

I'm open to arguments and evidence that the risk of obesity is lower than the risk of long term WLI usage, but that does mean acknowledging that an obese person probably only has these two choices. That there isn't a version that involves obese people as a population losing the weight through diet and keeping it off.

No worries.

You can thank the BBC for their kindness and concern. They published the article 😂

Tell the BBC!

Is it not permitted to discuss the issues? The BBC shouldn't publish articles about WLI?

You’re not discussing anything though? In the past few pages of this thread you’ve done nothing but reply to people who’ve questioned your motives for this thread.

Some people are consumed by envy and resentment over these injections. Threads like this pop up most days from them. They think they are hiding behind faux concern, they aren’t.

op. I’m on the meds, my bmi is 20, I look and feel fabulous, I am staying on a low dose to maintain, but plenty will either stop and restart if they can’t maintain, or will maintain, it’s all personal.

im sure you’re the exception and aren’t just one of these consumed by envy and resentment though snd you do spend your days all worried for us. But you can stand down.

Exactly I had weeks and weeks recently of my PPIs not being available, from any chemist in this area

No one started a thread for me then.

The truth of course is that all this is self fulfilling.

WLIs are newsworthy because people are interested, unfortunately for reasons that are not always morally blameless. The BBC reported on this review because it's clearly a topic the public want to read about, and they chose the headline they did because they know full well that regaining weight on WLIs will get more clicks than losing much more of it in the first place.

People care more about WLIs they're not taking than they do about other drugs they're not taking. So there are more stories, so people are more aware.

Me?!

The poster switched who she was addressing in mid post, 2nd and 3rd are to OP I think?

Nooooo, the op!

Yes,,thanks.!

I wouldn't. But any time a thread starts asking people who are not on HRT how they are finding menopause/postmenopause, it is over-run by people on HRT eager to stop discussion and persuade everyone they must go on HRT.

😅

I think people who keep saying others are resentful and envious are projecting their own inner worlds. That is a sad state to be in.

Feel free to report or hide the thread. Participation is voluntary 😂

I don't need to stand down. You are not MNHQ.

Can you see my PMs? WOW!

Start one yourself. Are you not an adult?

Awwww. Watch out your concern is showing

You clearly have nothing of interest to say in response to any post actually about WLI. You just want to argue with people…

This always happens. They start off with their ‘concern’ and gradually the mask slips as the thread progresses!

@HazelMember what have PMs got to do with anything?

😂

Like I questioned, can you see my PMs?

Feel free to report the post. Hide it.

Participation is voluntary.

I think this is really interesting. I have just started (ordered but not injected yet) WLI after months of debating whether to or not, to help with weight loss to reduce my cholesterol. I am on the lighter side of obese with a BMI that requires a health condition to qualify, and my intention is to use the jabs to help me establish healthier eating habits and to address my comfort eating. My hope is that I'll only be on them for 3-6 months and then I will be in a good enough routine to maintain after that.

I'd be really interested to read the research and have a look at this study to understand why weight gain seems to happen more quickly than before once stopped. This is very worrying tbh and does put pharma companies in a position where they have power over people who need to continue taking them for life.

I don't think obesity is a lifelong condition at all - once you've lost the weight, you should be able to keep it off if you've gone about it the right way and established a healthy lifestyle. I haven't RTFT but I wonder if there is a link to the research as I'd love to understand this better.

One reason could be that WLI are correlated with loss of muscle mass (I have just attended a coaching session where this was explained, and weight training and protein were highlighted as being vital alongside the jabs). It could be that those exercising more, are then developing muscle more quickly once stopping? Obviously there is going to be an increase in appetite and some gain may be inevitable, but the mechanism of how weight gain is made faster needs to be established before people panic about it.