Page 8 | AIBU not to lend my sister money for weight loss injections?

ListenToHer · 2026-09-29T20:08:15+00:00

My sister has been overweight on and off for about 15 years. She has had times where she eats healthily, exercises and loses weight but then gives up and puts it all back on and more. She would like to try weight loss injections which I was supportive of when she mentioned, but she has asked if I can lend her some money for them. Looking online this seems to be about £100-£300 per month. She says she could afford about £50 per month but no more. My husband and I have always said we wouldn’t lend money to anyone again after it causing problems previously and we’d rather not lend her this. My husband thinks she should either save up for a while so she can pay for it or go back to healthy eating and exercise. I also worry that if she has to stay on it for life that we’ll be stuck paying. AIBU not to help her? eta, to anyone who has used it, are you staying on it for life? If so, is that a lowere dose so therefore would cost on the lower side?

YetAnotherAlias62 · Yesterday 13:14

MadMAGA · 29/09/2026 22:51

YANBU. The Wegovy pills are about £60. Steer her in that direction instead of the injections.

The first dose might be that, probably including an introductory discount (1.5mg), but most people won't lose much weight on that and will need the higher doses (4mg, 9mg or 25mg) which are all more expensive.
There's a comparison website here to help people find the cheapest dose: https://ogovy.co.uk/wegovy-pill-discount-price-list/

SeedsOfReason · Yesterday 13:17

Don't lend her money, for this or any other purpose - it always leads to trouble.

Giving money is OK if you can afford to, but not lending.

JT1999 · Yesterday 13:28

SilenceInside · Yesterday 13:10

@JT1999 GLP1 medications are not a quick fix though. The weight doesn’t drop off you in a couple of weeks. Although some people see a large drop in the first week or two, the rate of loss is like any other calorie controlled diet. The major difference is that you are able to sustain that weight loss week in week out for months. Hence it taking me 2 years and 3 months to lose 11 stone or so, and I am still losing albeit at a very slow rate now.

I appreciate there is no quick fix for an 11 stone weight loss, but when I say quick I mean in a relative sense, GLP1s in combination with diet/exercise are generally quicker than diet & exercise alone.

RedFatball · Yesterday 15:38

JT1999 · Yesterday 13:28

I appreciate there is no quick fix for an 11 stone weight loss, but when I say quick I mean in a relative sense, GLP1s in combination with diet/exercise are generally quicker than diet & exercise alone.

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Quicker in that sometimes a lifetime of being ashamed of your weight, exercising, dieting, constant self control in a world which feels designed to trip you up produces zero weight loss and sometimes weight gain.

my experience of 4 months on the jabs is that it has given me headspace to work out what food I actually like to cook and eat, what exercise I actually enjoy (and will therefore continue doing) and how to listen to my body without the overwhelming urge to do no exercise and eat all the food.

Ive lost 20kg, but also reduced my body fat percentage by 10 points, so only around 1.8kg of that is muscle. I'm lifting weights, swimming, running and going on long walks. I have never before managed to find a space where I WANT to do these things, as well as actually doing them. I've only this week gone up to 5mg which is the second dose from the bottom.

while training and exercising is super important, finding the will to actually do it is what I have been given. It's not a quick fix, you still have to put the work in. I am up before work lifting weights at home, getting up early at weekends to swim and the difference now is that I want to do this - so I keep doing it week after week

Everyinch · Yesterday 16:14

JT1999 · Yesterday 13:00

Humans aren't unique to other animals though, our only uniqueness is that food is constantly plentiful and many of the things we eat aren't species-appropriate foods. I'm sure there are many people whose metabolism is so badly damaged that the body cannot easily use stored fat for energy, so conventional diets don't seem to work, at least in the short term. But I don't agree that it is a natural state for some people due to genes apart from in very rare cases, I suspect it is primarily a diseased state caused by environmental factors, most likely diet - food types as well as quantity. We do naturally hold different amounts of bodyfat but I think the natural variance between people is probably far lower than what we see on the street, I doubt anybody's natural weight set point is in the dangerously obese category.

I have seen first hand training people where initial weight loss does not happen easily and progress is painfully slow until persistence pays off and something changes, I get why people in that situation give up. Some people shed weight insanely fast in the beginning too. I imagine there are many people who haven't burned bodyfat for many years and I think the body sometimes needs a drastic change over a significant period of time to get it to make that switch and during that time, you generally feel terrible, weak, low in energy. It is almost as if the body is fighting you. My experiences training people has made me take the opinion that food quality and appropriateness is often more important than overall calories. I've had success with women who have lost large amounts of weight on a diet which is not in anyway calorie restricted, only food types and timing are restricted and quantity is not in any way controlled. Different approaches work for different people, its all about finding what works for the individual.

On a personal level, I found I had all the discipline I needed when I didn't have the pressure of a baby and a really busy life, it is harder now. That has opened my eyes a bit, I can see why people want to turn to quick fixes. There's no shame in that, but there are potential downsides which should be considered. Obviously there are also major downsides to remaining overweight.

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The point the doctor is making (not me) is that once your body has stored too much fat it will fight you tooth and nail to keep it adjusting your biology to make sure it does. If someone has never been fat they won't have the same problem staying that way.

Before the low fat mantra of the 1980s and the movement to more and more women working outside the home most people were of a "normal" weight. That tells us something about the lifestyle change that leads to weight gain for a lot of us.

JT1999 · Yesterday 16:42

Everyinch · Yesterday 16:14

The point the doctor is making (not me) is that once your body has stored too much fat it will fight you tooth and nail to keep it adjusting your biology to make sure it does. If someone has never been fat they won't have the same problem staying that way.

Before the low fat mantra of the 1980s and the movement to more and more women working outside the home most people were of a "normal" weight. That tells us something about the lifestyle change that leads to weight gain for a lot of us.

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The 'empty fat cells' problem. In my experience this is more a problem for keeping weight off than it is a problem for losing weight, but you do get to a point in a weight loss journey where you stall for a while, I have heard from other people in the industry that this is the body filling fat cells with water as they are emptying of fat due to the caloric deficit, so that they can be filled again when the deficit ends. It is well known many formerly fat people struggle more to stay slim than they struggled to get slim in the first place. The body will try its hardest to make you eat to replenish those fat cells because being fat is an evolutional survival mechanism. Hunger hits harder when you're lean too, I've had many clients tell me that. No problem doing one meal a day when they start out, but when they're 4 stone down they are hungry constantly and obsessing over food.

A lot of my experience ends at the point where goals are met, most clients don't keep me on at that point. But I have had returning customers before who have put weight back on. But I wouldn't suggest an overweight person's concerns about putting the weight back on again stop them from trying to lose it in the first place. Not getting fat again is a problem for when you're slim. One solution to that is to get jacked. Build a serious amount of muscle and enjoy it. Get addicted to it if you have to. That way at least you will be able to eat, and if you do see the weight creeping up then you'll have the capacity for serious fat burning.

I'm not generally in favour of low fat diets and I think the current food environment is somewhere between horrible and outright poisonous. There are whole aisles of the supermarket that should have health warnings hanging over them.

JT1999 · Yesterday 16:57

RedFatball · Yesterday 15:38

Quicker in that sometimes a lifetime of being ashamed of your weight, exercising, dieting, constant self control in a world which feels designed to trip you up produces zero weight loss and sometimes weight gain.

my experience of 4 months on the jabs is that it has given me headspace to work out what food I actually like to cook and eat, what exercise I actually enjoy (and will therefore continue doing) and how to listen to my body without the overwhelming urge to do no exercise and eat all the food.

Ive lost 20kg, but also reduced my body fat percentage by 10 points, so only around 1.8kg of that is muscle. I'm lifting weights, swimming, running and going on long walks. I have never before managed to find a space where I WANT to do these things, as well as actually doing them. I've only this week gone up to 5mg which is the second dose from the bottom.

while training and exercising is super important, finding the will to actually do it is what I have been given. It's not a quick fix, you still have to put the work in. I am up before work lifting weights at home, getting up early at weekends to swim and the difference now is that I want to do this - so I keep doing it week after week

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I am genuinely pleased this is working out for you. Keep up the good work.

The headspace thing is important. I think sometimes what I do for my clients works is not because I know some magic tricks that they don't, its just that because they're paying me and I'm telling them what to do, they do as they're told. Most of them have tried similar things before and not stuck to it, then given up. Life gets in the way.

NeverDropYourMooncup · Yesterday 17:40

JT1999 · Yesterday 16:42

The 'empty fat cells' problem. In my experience this is more a problem for keeping weight off than it is a problem for losing weight, but you do get to a point in a weight loss journey where you stall for a while, I have heard from other people in the industry that this is the body filling fat cells with water as they are emptying of fat due to the caloric deficit, so that they can be filled again when the deficit ends. It is well known many formerly fat people struggle more to stay slim than they struggled to get slim in the first place. The body will try its hardest to make you eat to replenish those fat cells because being fat is an evolutional survival mechanism. Hunger hits harder when you're lean too, I've had many clients tell me that. No problem doing one meal a day when they start out, but when they're 4 stone down they are hungry constantly and obsessing over food.

A lot of my experience ends at the point where goals are met, most clients don't keep me on at that point. But I have had returning customers before who have put weight back on. But I wouldn't suggest an overweight person's concerns about putting the weight back on again stop them from trying to lose it in the first place. Not getting fat again is a problem for when you're slim. One solution to that is to get jacked. Build a serious amount of muscle and enjoy it. Get addicted to it if you have to. That way at least you will be able to eat, and if you do see the weight creeping up then you'll have the capacity for serious fat burning.

I'm not generally in favour of low fat diets and I think the current food environment is somewhere between horrible and outright poisonous. There are whole aisles of the supermarket that should have health warnings hanging over them.

Show quote history

That's not how adipose cells behave. They do not fill with water.

Stopbeingsoridiculous · Today 18:42

I lost 9 stone on it 19 months ago and have never been near a gym. I exercise now by riding and kayaking. Two sports that I enjoy I could never have done at Stone overweight. Firstly, because it wouldn’t be fair to the animal and secondly because severe obesity mess with your balance. Now I am a size 8. I’m happy to be seen out in sports gear.

You do not need to go to a gym when you’re on WLI Most people feel so happy with their healthy weight that they want to start exercising to maintain it this is exactly what I do along with a maintenance dose