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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think it will be revealed WLI cause physical aging

830 replies

Tuliptana · 02/03/2026 07:14

Obviously the pictures of Kelly Osbourne are both sad and terrifying.

But a few women i know have also used this method for weight loss and their skin has lost elasticity. They look at least 10 years older. Is this side effect being under played?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
18
JHound · 03/03/2026 10:10

CreamolaFoam26 · 03/03/2026 09:59

It’s taken me 18 months to lose 29kgs on Mounjaro and if it had aged me (it hadn’t) I couldnt have cared less now that Im no longer on BP medication, pre diabetes medication and statins. My blood results are at the fantastic side of normal and I think it means my internal organs are working really well. Saggy skin, I’m 68, is a tiny price to pay for all of the health benefits that’s come with my weight loss.

Edited

I am only 2 months in so a long way to go (also not found right dose for me. But a friend has lost 20kg so far on Wegovy and the improvements to her health, joint pain, and reversing her pre-diabetes matter more to her than looking older (she does not).

The passionate hatred for WLIs needs to be studied in a lab.

Blueskiesnotgrey · 03/03/2026 10:12

Clearly WLI are going to be beneficial to very overweight people, and diabetics. The health risks from being overweight outweigh the side efects of the drug. But i know a lot of women using them who weren't overweight to start with, or who just wanted to lose a stone, and I really dont think the cost/benefit stacks up there. They all look very unwell, wheras the very overweight people who have lost a lot using them look better/fine and are feeling the benefit in terms of being able to move around much better. The slim women are now looking skeletal, 10 years older, and seem to be having trouble moving. I think these drugs should only be used by people who will really benefit from them and whose hormonal/blood sugar is already out of kilter i.e obese or diabetic people. That is what they were designed for and taking them if you're not in that category is going to cause problems down the line I think.

JHound · 03/03/2026 10:13

Calliopespa · 03/03/2026 09:55

I think it is your response to that poster that is the sort of reason the WLI are getting pushback though.

As I see it, they are an option, and for people who have very real health issues and plenty of reasons the weight loss is hard - and it CAN be complicated; I have good friends who have had weight battles and I am fully on their side that there wasn't an easy fix through traditional weight loss methods - I think they are a godsend.

However, not everybody's situation is the same, and for many people, especially with only a little to lose, diet and exercise can actually work and, as I see it, should be the first line of attack. It is the idea that that is now somehow outdated and ridiculous that I think people see as the dark side of the WLI.

I just think everyone should make their decisions based on their situation - and we can never really judge that from the outside.

It is the polarised positions - it is cheating, they are absolutely too dangerous regardless of the user's current obesity-related dangers vs they are essential and anyone who raises even the slightest misgiving is simply a jealous naysayer who has zero understanding of science - that are likely to lead to an unhealthy discussion around them.

The truth, as ever, is likely to sit somewhere in the middle: they can be useful in the right circumstances where clear benefit outweighs any misgivings.

But I don't think poo-pooing healthy diet and exercise is a reasonable standpoint.

Edited

Ignore me - I misread.

FurForksSake · 03/03/2026 10:15

I was asked to stop a week before surgery, which I did. I then also did an extended fast for solid food. Anaesthetist was delighted with that. No need for a rapid sequence induction, just a massive dose of sedatives (they don’t work on me) and then usual anaesthesia. I went home four hours post surgery after my blood pressure recovered.

Last time I had the same surgery and after a different surgery I was supposed to be a day case and had to stay in due to post surgical tachycardia and it would not resolve. So losing six stone definitely made operations easier.

JustSawJohnny · 03/03/2026 10:17

Notsosweetcaroline · 03/03/2026 07:36

Please leave these women alone. Stop attacking their appearance. Use one of the millions of other people on them. If you need someone famous try Serena Williams. Sharon is elderly, she’s previously suffered cancer, she’s grieving, Kelly has never once said ghe drugs rendered her unable to eat, she’s asking people to leave her alone, her father died and she’s struggling.

shame on you. Absolute shame of it.

I'm not attacking her, I like her.

I feel massive empathy for her and genuinely worry that she's slipped into an eating disorder.

And yes, both she and Sharon HAVE said in interviews that even after coming of Ozempic they are really struggling to eat!

You don't get to gatekeep people's comments or intentions or tell people they cannot talk about Kelly, especially on a board in which SHE WAS NAME CHECKED IN THE ORIGINAL POST!

Get over yourself.

Calliopespa · 03/03/2026 10:21

Blueskiesnotgrey · 03/03/2026 10:12

Clearly WLI are going to be beneficial to very overweight people, and diabetics. The health risks from being overweight outweigh the side efects of the drug. But i know a lot of women using them who weren't overweight to start with, or who just wanted to lose a stone, and I really dont think the cost/benefit stacks up there. They all look very unwell, wheras the very overweight people who have lost a lot using them look better/fine and are feeling the benefit in terms of being able to move around much better. The slim women are now looking skeletal, 10 years older, and seem to be having trouble moving. I think these drugs should only be used by people who will really benefit from them and whose hormonal/blood sugar is already out of kilter i.e obese or diabetic people. That is what they were designed for and taking them if you're not in that category is going to cause problems down the line I think.

I think this outlines things well.

On the one hand there is a very helpful outcome for people with certain health issues; on the other they are creating a fresh source of unhealthy body image influences not dissimilar to the whole heroic-chic look that that looked unhealthy but, well, thin, and reinforced that as the key goal. Lots of the rhetoric on here echoes that ("who cares if I look haggard: at least I am THIN" type comments), and I think for those of us who have watched people struggle with (and even, tragically, succumb to) eating disorders, that type of talk is hard to let pass.

The truth is that obesity is a danger to health, but not being stick-thin isn't, and, the truth is people are using them to push down into unhealthy weight loss territory. It is that end of the usage that is a problem, and the attendant rhetoric around "just anything to be thin." I do know people who are looking ill and gaunt on them. I am not about to glamorise that aspect.

Perspective and moderation in the way we discuss these things is key.

Notsosweetcaroline · 03/03/2026 10:21

GnomeDePlume · 03/03/2026 10:04

My DM, T2 diabetic, obese for most of her life is now in the final stage of vascular dementia. Part of my motivation for getting my own diabetes under control and lose weight was to try to avoid dementia.

Dementia is hell, not just for the sufferer but also for their family. As it progresses, the person you love disappears. The person you are left with may be fearful, angry, vicious, violent. My DM has been through all of these. Now all we have left is a barely recogniseable person, doubly incontinent, mostly asleep. No quality of life. If my dog was like this I would have him pts but humans have to suffer on.

I am taking mounjaro and doing what I can to avoid my DCs having to watch me go the same way.

Yes so so many health benefits with these meds.

reduced cancers,
curing cardio vascular discease
curing fatty liver disease,
curing some kidney diseases
anti ageing on all organs due to reduction in inflammation
reduction in arthritic symptoms for the same reason.
reduction in dementia
and that’s over and above the base things they do, ie manage blood sugar and insulin production, meaning our bodies don’t lay down extra glucose as fat and making our body fat available to fuel us.

my husband went on them to lose a couple of stone, his belly basically, once he saw the result I was having, and I am staying on for all the health benefits, been maintaining a year now on a low dose, and quite frankly I don’t want to have to spend every day in a daily struggle feeling deprived. as it is shit for your mental health.

he’s now also considering staying on long term as he has high cholesterol which runs in his family and it’s healthy now, but also his family have a history of dementia and cardio vascular problems, heart attacks in the men, so for him it’s less about weight, and more about proactive health protection.

GiveMeWordGames · 03/03/2026 10:26

Darlingx · 03/03/2026 10:02

Currently in the states I am told you are advised to stop the medication a month before surgery is this the case ?

If this is the case (in the UK it seems to be more like 1-2 weeks) it's got bob all to do with changes to tissue structure, or rat intestines, or however the pp was adding 2+2 together and coming up with 76, and everything to do with a slowed emptying of the stomach and the risks that poses under anaesthesia. The same reason people are told to be nil my mouth from a certain amount of time before surgery.

Notsosweetcaroline · 03/03/2026 10:29

I’d also add, I was on brutal blood pressure meds, max dose of two, the meds are so brutal you keep needing blood tests as they can damage your kidneys, I’m off them totally, my blood pressure now healthy and unmedicated, my sleep apnea has gone, I sleep 8 hours a night. All the inflammation has gone, no more stiff ankles, my stomach is flat, as my cortisol levels are now healthy again.

im a bmi 20, dress size 8, I likely look my age, youd prob guess me early 50s, no idea , but as arrogant as it sounds, I look very good for it, I am mid fifties, before with my puffy face, double chins, big belly, matronly bust, I probably also looked my age, but I certainly didn’t look good.

I think most people look within 5 years of their age. And I’d rather look good for my age than bad for it. Looking good for your age is directly tied to looking healthy, and no one looks healthy under or over weight, and the further you stray from that corridor, the unhealthier you look.

however I did this for health, the appearance is the cherry on top.

FurForksSake · 03/03/2026 10:30

So I am definitely someone that has taken WLI and got towards the bottom end of the healthy bmi, but still over 20. I wouldn’t want to get to 18.5 or whatever the bottom is, but I am well away from a bmi of 25.

I think there are lots of us that are maintaining (I’ve been around 8st for months and months now) maybe slightly lower than we would have achieved naturally as we know that maintenance is hard and that tapering and even coming off WLI can involve some level of regain. If I maintain at lower than what would be acceptable if I do have a bounce I’ve got more to play with and it will be easier to lose and stay within a window. It’s self preservation. I’m also interested in set point theory; whether that’s true or not and want to stay at this bmi with WLI for at least two years. I’m also not menopausal wnd only just at the start of peri and know that HRT and menopause can cause weight gain so again, I’m trying to pre-empt these things.

Will I still be a size 6-8 in ten years? Possibly not, but I’m hoping I won’t be above a 12 and still at a healthy BMI.

FrothyCothy · 03/03/2026 10:37

I’m only a couple of months into WLI but I can see the point some are making here - it is very easy to abuse and for those with existing eating disorders there is a huge risk factor in using them. In an ideal world they would be prescribed as part of a holistic diet and exercise programme so people are maintaining their lean muscle mass and then shown how to eat well at maintenance, and their overall health and wellbeing was being monitored. Instead it’s a bit of a Wild West out there.

CreamolaFoam26 · 03/03/2026 10:50

Blueskiesnotgrey · 03/03/2026 10:12

Clearly WLI are going to be beneficial to very overweight people, and diabetics. The health risks from being overweight outweigh the side efects of the drug. But i know a lot of women using them who weren't overweight to start with, or who just wanted to lose a stone, and I really dont think the cost/benefit stacks up there. They all look very unwell, wheras the very overweight people who have lost a lot using them look better/fine and are feeling the benefit in terms of being able to move around much better. The slim women are now looking skeletal, 10 years older, and seem to be having trouble moving. I think these drugs should only be used by people who will really benefit from them and whose hormonal/blood sugar is already out of kilter i.e obese or diabetic people. That is what they were designed for and taking them if you're not in that category is going to cause problems down the line I think.

I often wonder where people come across all these WLI users who only ever had a stone to lose in the first place. In fact as someone who’s used them for 18 months I’ve only come across 2 other people in real life who have also use them so goodness knows where people are finding the one stone to lose folks who must be as rare as hens teeth in the first place.

CreamolaFoam26 · 03/03/2026 10:54

@FurForksSake how are you? I was on the Auggie thread with you. I never intended to get to even the top of what’s referred to as a healthy BMI as I knew I’d be too thin. I’m currently about 4kgs away from it and I’m maintaining now but once I reached my initial target of 85kgs I went down another 5 to 80 and that’s where I’m staying.

I hope youre well.

20bloodypounds · 03/03/2026 10:58

CreamolaFoam26 · 03/03/2026 10:50

I often wonder where people come across all these WLI users who only ever had a stone to lose in the first place. In fact as someone who’s used them for 18 months I’ve only come across 2 other people in real life who have also use them so goodness knows where people are finding the one stone to lose folks who must be as rare as hens teeth in the first place.

I was wondering the exact same. I only know of 1 person taking WLI, and she is doing fantastically well and looking great. I certainly don't know / work with any non-overweight people who are miracualously getting thinner or looking skeletal and 10 years older - must mix with a different demographic!

FurForksSake · 03/03/2026 10:59

@CreamolaFoam26 waves!! Hello, I’m well (relatively speaking 🤣) hope you are doing well. It’s so hard to decide on an end point and it sounds like you’ve made a really good choice. I dropped my end weight several times and I’m now definitely at a point where I wouldn’t want to go lower. I like being a size 6 in jeans so I’ll stay here for a while, but know it’s not forever.

Blueskiesnotgrey · 03/03/2026 11:02

CreamolaFoam26 · 03/03/2026 10:50

I often wonder where people come across all these WLI users who only ever had a stone to lose in the first place. In fact as someone who’s used them for 18 months I’ve only come across 2 other people in real life who have also use them so goodness knows where people are finding the one stone to lose folks who must be as rare as hens teeth in the first place.

Interesting. I could name 7 off the top of my head from my immediate circle of fellow parents from school and kids clubs. If I thought about people I work with, probably another 4 or 5. Oh there's a guy in my poker club as well plus the school secretary at one of my kids schools, she was overweight to start with though. The others weren't but some were slightly chubby. None of these people were obese. The ones from school swap pens and get each other pens from their online source, which I think means they are not under medical supervision, which sounds incredibly foolish to me, as someone that understands how the endocrine system works.

Im not against this medication at all, as I've said, for obese and diabetic people. I do think it is being incredibly abused on the grey market though and it will inevitably lead to unintended side effects in those people.

GnomeDePlume · 03/03/2026 11:02

@Notsosweetcaroline another one for the potential benefits list:

There is anecdotal data suggesting that mounjaro helps with PCOS related infertility. Not simply as a result of weightloss.

Calliopespa · 03/03/2026 11:04

CreamolaFoam26 · 03/03/2026 10:50

I often wonder where people come across all these WLI users who only ever had a stone to lose in the first place. In fact as someone who’s used them for 18 months I’ve only come across 2 other people in real life who have also use them so goodness knows where people are finding the one stone to lose folks who must be as rare as hens teeth in the first place.

Try the Royal Borough of K and C! It's a hotbed of people who pay to get whatever they want to be as competitive on every front as they can!

Honestly, the ones I know look skeletal.

Notsosweetcaroline · 03/03/2026 11:05

FrothyCothy · 03/03/2026 10:37

I’m only a couple of months into WLI but I can see the point some are making here - it is very easy to abuse and for those with existing eating disorders there is a huge risk factor in using them. In an ideal world they would be prescribed as part of a holistic diet and exercise programme so people are maintaining their lean muscle mass and then shown how to eat well at maintenance, and their overall health and wellbeing was being monitored. Instead it’s a bit of a Wild West out there.

I’ve used several pharmacies, and all provide info on health eating and dieting. Most people can access the internet. Nearly every fat person has tried every diet going before using wli. The injections are last resort not first resort.

being fat doesn’t make people uneducated , it doesn’t mean they don’t know how to eat properly, in fact look at any thread on here or Reddit and you’d see the overwhelming majority eat healthy balanced diets. Protein prioritisation is well publicised.

the information is there, it isn’t a Wild West with thick fat people needing to be told how to eat properly. If people have eating disorders they’d have to lie to get the drug, as they are not prescribable to anyone who has an eating disorder. An eating disorder is a known mental illness, it is not why people in the main are fat.

so yes some people lie to get the drugs, about their weight, their mental health etc, but with so many obese people out there, it is a small minority and it is far from the Wild West for anyone legitimately on the drug.

Notsosweetcaroline · 03/03/2026 11:06

Blueskiesnotgrey · 03/03/2026 11:02

Interesting. I could name 7 off the top of my head from my immediate circle of fellow parents from school and kids clubs. If I thought about people I work with, probably another 4 or 5. Oh there's a guy in my poker club as well plus the school secretary at one of my kids schools, she was overweight to start with though. The others weren't but some were slightly chubby. None of these people were obese. The ones from school swap pens and get each other pens from their online source, which I think means they are not under medical supervision, which sounds incredibly foolish to me, as someone that understands how the endocrine system works.

Im not against this medication at all, as I've said, for obese and diabetic people. I do think it is being incredibly abused on the grey market though and it will inevitably lead to unintended side effects in those people.

That’s unusual considering if we look at the overweight population 90 percent of people are not on them. Yet you know about a dozen,

Calliopespa · 03/03/2026 11:08

Notsosweetcaroline · 03/03/2026 11:05

I’ve used several pharmacies, and all provide info on health eating and dieting. Most people can access the internet. Nearly every fat person has tried every diet going before using wli. The injections are last resort not first resort.

being fat doesn’t make people uneducated , it doesn’t mean they don’t know how to eat properly, in fact look at any thread on here or Reddit and you’d see the overwhelming majority eat healthy balanced diets. Protein prioritisation is well publicised.

the information is there, it isn’t a Wild West with thick fat people needing to be told how to eat properly. If people have eating disorders they’d have to lie to get the drug, as they are not prescribable to anyone who has an eating disorder. An eating disorder is a known mental illness, it is not why people in the main are fat.

so yes some people lie to get the drugs, about their weight, their mental health etc, but with so many obese people out there, it is a small minority and it is far from the Wild West for anyone legitimately on the drug.

the information is there, it isn’t a Wild West with thick fat people needing to be told how to eat properly.

I don't think these are the people the pp was referring to...

She said most were, at most, chubby. Chubby isn't actually much of a health risk - and in fact some studies suggest it is healthier past a certain age. As a society we would do well to leave space for that in our attitudes.

Calliopespa · 03/03/2026 11:08

Notsosweetcaroline · 03/03/2026 11:06

That’s unusual considering if we look at the overweight population 90 percent of people are not on them. Yet you know about a dozen,

I don't think she is lying. Demographic variation is real.

TheEgg2 · 03/03/2026 11:08

I’m on WLI having tried every other intervention via GP although self-funded. I was 4 stone over a “normal” BMI and have v high Blood pressure, cholesterol and teetering on pre-diabetes. I am pretty fit and have a good resting heart rate rate. I am losing weight to reduce my health co-morbidities and hopefully I can reverse them and come off medication. If that happens before I hit a “normal” BMI then I shall stop the jabs. I’m in WLI groups and at least half of the people are using WLI for health reasons. I also think that the media bash women for every reason known to man, too fat, too thin, too fertile, not fertile enough, not pretty enough, etc. It’s horrible and I totally understand that the other half of people on WLI feel the pressure of other people’s judgements badly.
Being a woman isn’t easy, is it, eh?!

Imdunfer · 03/03/2026 11:09

JHound · 03/03/2026 09:56

Did you bother to read the link?

It has nothing to do with surgeons observations on operating on humans internal organs and everything to do with GLPs increasing intestinal length in rats and mice.

Something which has NOT been observed in humans.

Not yet, no.

Are you aware of how much medical research for humans is done on rodents because they're a good match?

The letter ends with an explicit warning to doctors to watch out for problems with the small intestine in humans.

Blueskiesnotgrey · 03/03/2026 11:11

Notsosweetcaroline · 03/03/2026 11:06

That’s unusual considering if we look at the overweight population 90 percent of people are not on them. Yet you know about a dozen,

Indeed, and only one of whom was actually overweight. Maybe its a regional thing. They are certainly being used 'for the last stone' where I live outside London. People are very up front about it too, which I initially found strange.

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