What do we REALLY think about the weight loss jabs?

[Newbabynewhouse]

I've put this on AIBU rather than weight loss jab because I want a neutral audience rather than people who are all using the jab.
What are peoples thoughts on the jab? I'd love to hear from someone educated in the medical field about whether these are actually safe for people without diabetes.
I'm obese and I have lost a stone so far by dieting although it's taking me a long time! I know if I keep trying hard I can lose what I need to. Lots of people I know have started dropping weight from using the jabs and I am tempted however, can't shake a feeling that there's something not quite right.
What I mean by this is... these jabs have been around for years for diabetic people, so why have they only just been 'released' to people despite obesity effecting the NHS for years?
I know a woman who fainted in work the other day with gallbladder issues, she's on the jab.
Also, I'm going to sound a little conspiracy theorist now, but, isn't it odd these jabs became popular straight after people starting refusing to have more covid jabs..?.. I'd love to hear from people with a bit of background info or medical professionals to tell me whether I'm overthinking or if I'm onto something?

I think most people get them in the post - it doesn’t mean you don’t have to have a consultation with a doctor to get them. Plus (and I have used a few providers, jumping around for the best price) they alll write to your GP with details, dosage changes etc. I’ve never told my GP myself, but I had a chat with him about it last time I was there for something else. It was all there on my NHS record.

What alarms me most is people who are either not overweight or only slightly overweight using them to lose a stone or half a stone that could have been done with small diet and exercise changes. To me, the risk doesn’t outweigh the benefit at all in these circumstances and I find it all rather sad (not in a judgemental way, just sad that’s what has become acceptable in society).

For someone who is very obese and it is impacting their life, I can of course see the benefits but I don’t think the jabs should be done in isolation of therapy/counselling to understand why they have reached that point in the first place. Extreme ends of the spectrum, be it thinness or obesity, are rarely just because someone is “greedy” or otherwise, there are often deeper psychological reasons that need to be acknowledged and explored for true healing.

@CoffeeAndACroissant

”Also, it grates on me a bit when I hear people say that they still had to work hard to lose the weight. If that's true then why take the medication in the first place? As someone who has battled with the same stone over and over again, I think it's disingenuous to suggest that having something suppress your appetite isn't most of the battle.”

100% this! I am the same. I wish I could suppress my appetite as that’s the only thing that is now controlling me and tries to sabotage my efforts constantly 🥲

I am very happy to have a "lazy" and "less healthy option" that's enabled me to go from a BMI of 50 to a BMI of 25, after a lifetime of obesity that began in childhood.

I'd love to know why that's less healthy than trying to lose weight for the umpteenth time as in the past, eventually failing and regaining the weight plus a bit more for good measure as has been the case every other time I've lost weight without medication?

We know that very very few people manage to move from obese to a healthy weight and stay there long term. All the evidence shows this. It doesn't mean that everyone who is obese is lazy. In fact there are hoards of "lazy" obese women dealing with daily life, working, caring for children or other people, volunteering, running clubs etc etc. None of that is lazy. It is great that there is an effective tool that they can use to lose weight and get healthier.

Gall bladder issues and pancreatic emergencies are a thing with fat jabs. But equally they do work. Overall its a good thing for the morbidly obese. It shouldn't be used by people who are just chubby and too lazy to change lifestyle though.

I had just under 2 stone to lose and I was prescribed the tablet by Voy. I answered all questions truthfully and had an online appointment to check my height and weight before being prescribed. I opted for this as no matter what I was doing, weight was increasing. I can’t exercise anymore than I do due to an accident. I was calorie counting (yes, every grain of rice) via team RH. Having arguments with my husband about weighing boiled eggs. Menopause has not helped with the weight and neither has my thyroid medication.

I have lost a stone in 8 weeks which I am thrilled about. I am now at the stage where I am not sure my weight was fat related. I am going to look into bloating and water retention but at least I am getting results.

You’re right! If I had the money and I could take a tiny dose for life that would give me my holy grail of the “I’m full” signal I most certainly would. Without a doubt!

I do however think that you cannot deny that it is easier- I mean if it wasn’t, why would you? Especially as most yo yo dieters know how hard it is to maintain. That it’s just fact surely to say it is easier, but say so factually without judgement (which I agree is usually there).

edit for typos

Totally ridiculous how so many of the ones jabbing themselves thin and vaping, and the same ones who refuse Flu/Covid jabs.

Covid jabs are offered to over 75 year olds, this is not the demographic of weight loss injection users!

Try WLI? They turn off good noise! Wonderful things.

You know they’re the same people?

*food

I wouldn't personally use them as they run the risk of sarcopenia (muscles wasting away). Most people taking them eat nowhere near enough protein to maintain their muscles and they're still going to waste even if you do.

According to someone I work with who has written a dissertation in the area, 50% of weight loss can be muscle.

As a woman nearly in their 40s, muscle is the one thing I can't afford to lose as it's a metabolic sink and maintains my metabolic rate. I don't know the long-term effects of losing that muscle either in terms of falls/longevity in later life.

I have fully quietened food noise through diet -I minimise carbs and eat them at the end rather than beginning of a meal and I've lost 1.5stone (currently BMI 25.1) without feeling hungry at all.
I'm also continuing to lose weight at a rate of 0.45lbs /week without dieting. I also carry several kilograms MORE muscle as I'm doing a lot of zone 2 exercise and using weight machines at the gym (the more muscle I carry, the higher my basal metabolic rate).

I'd recommend the glucose revolution by Jessie inchauspe and reading about longevity medicine principles if you really want to hack your metabolism without using the drugs. Some people also take berberine 2 months out of 3 and take safe amounts vitamin d and Inositol for metabolic support.

@Fatasawalrus of course it's "easier" in the same way that it's easier to control my high blood pressure with tablets than it is to do it through diet and lifestyle alone. In my case, actually impossible, as my BP is still high even with a healthy weight, exercise and good diet. It's "easier" because we know that the very large majority of obese people cannot lose weight to the point of being in the healthy weight range and then stay there long term. If that were possible, people would be doing it successfully. It's a tool that you can use, why would you not want to use an effective tool if it's available to you?

And yes, the description of WLI as "easier" usually come with a side order of serious negative judgement. The "lazy", "cheating", "unhealthy" thought processes. It's clear that so many people tie weight up with moral failure or success.

Being obese is the ‘less healthy option’.

It’s a matter of licensing. Mounjaro, for example, was engineered and developed as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. In the UK clinical trials and the reporting of their findings focused entirely on diabetes management - the control of blood sugar levels via stimulating insulin production.

Mounjaro was first authorised for type 2 diabetes management in September 2022, after which there were clinical trials confirming its significant weight-loss benefits. This led to the licensing being expanded to weight loss treatment within specific parameters in November 2023, so the timeline for release for weight management was only twelve months.

And It’s not weight loss drugs which cause gallbladder problems. It’s the weight loss itself. If you have been very overweight, losing a lot of weight can cause gallstones - women over forty tend to be more prone that any other demographic.

And as regards the covid jabs - yes you’re coming across as more than a ‘little’ conspiracy theorist. The two are not connected. At all.

I haven’t used any but I think they’re a game changer and well done to the countries who are doing well from them.

As long as you're having regular DEXA scans to monitor your body composition, this shouldn't be an issue.

I agree - I haven't used them either but I think they're fantastic.

I’ve been on the jabs for a year. Yes, it’s easier. There’s no doubt about that. But if you want to maintain the weight loss and remain in good health you have to use the opportunity to develop good eating and exercise habits. So you do have to put the work in.

If it didn’t make it easier no-one would be on them, they’re an expensive choice. But you do still have to put some work in.

But why does someone using it to use a small amount of weight alarm you?

The risks are fairly minimal, its unlikely that someone losing a stone or two is going to cause significant harm to themselves anymore than if they lost the weight naturally. Its their body and their decision as to what risks they wish to take. Crash dieting comes with risks, running a marathon comes with risks. Why does one method cause alarm in you?

Who’s going to cover the cost? I cannot afford it full stop. I wish! And no I wouldn’t save what it costs on food I buy. People have told me that. Not true. I already eat well, it’s just a constant battle against not eating in excess to maintenance calories ☹️

Oh well if you can’t afford it that’s not an option, but for many it is and choose to spend their money on that.

Wise choice in my opinion!

I only wish I could go back on them. I only had 4 doses and although I felt a bit unwell, almost like I was recovering from a vomiting bug but I could deal with that. Unfortunately I got pancreatitis. This could have been from losing weight quickly (about 10lbs over 4 weeks), it could have been from the Mounjaro, it could have been from a virus. Obviously now I can't go on any of them due to the risk of pancreatitis - well that's my assumption, GP not interested.

Had I been able to continue I would probably have lost 2-2.1/2 stone. I would be ecstatic at that.

I am very envious of anyone who can use them and I wish you all well

I have managed to keep the paltry 10lbs off, which I suppose is something but not what I had hoped for😥

I also think it really doesnt matter if it is the easy way out, I dont think it matters if its "lazy". I actually dont even think it matters if its a deep medical need to lose weight or just a desire to be a slimmer. Someone else losing weight isnt really any of my business

Not everything has to be hard or difficult. Weight isnt an achievement our bodies arent in competition with each other. I think for so many years people have used thinness as an indication they are better than others, and they can't cope with the idea that its now more achievable.