You shouldn't take weight loss drugs. Learn about healthy eating, eat less and exercise more.

[GapTshirtsAreShitQualityTheseDays]

This is like telling an insomniac "don't take tablets, just get more sleep"

I'm 41.
I have tried.

I KNOW all about healthy eating. Probably more than most slim people.
I don't have an emotional/binge eating disorder, I just have a bigger appetite than most people. I can only control it so long via willpower or low-carb diets. The drive to eat is the most powerful instinct known to man (except maybe breathing)

It's the weight loss medication that takes the edge of said appetite and ALLOWS me the space to make sensible decisions on food.

I've gone from 15 stone to 9 stone (I'm short). If these drugs had been invented 20 years ago, my life would have been much better.

And no, I didn't steal the drugs off a diabetic. I got private prescriptions for Wegovy and then Mounjaro which are only marketed for weightloss.

And yes I am quite prepared to take the drug forever if necessary.

And no, I don't care about the "potential unknown long term side effects" because they can hardly be worse than what I was facing with obesity.

And although exercise is beneficial for many reasons, it is a fairly trivial factor in weightloss.

The chemical imbalance theory has NOT been debunked. That researchers are still trying to find stronger evidence of chemical imbalance being the sole cause of depression [because they put situational depression and genetic depression together, which makes it difficult to talk about just the genetic part] does not equate to it being invalid or 'debunked'. It isn't the sole cause for everyone and shouldn't be looked at that way. Not producing convincing evidence is not the same as producing evidence against.

AD literally balance chemicals in the brain to function normally - if you don't have an imbalance, it wouldn't work for you even while (situationally) depressed.

There's a lot more to depression and how it affects the brain that hasn't been understood or published yet.

People come out with some unpleasant things on MN, but that is probably the worst, not to mention utterly stupid, I’ve seen.

Do you think that someone can be thrown under a bus then when they come out of a coma just be back to normal? Yeah, I was under the wheels of a moving several-ton vehicle! Off for a jog!

What it utterly stupid is thinking exercise is just jogging.

You know nothing about me or my experiences but I can tell you, that any form of exercise - should it be wheelchair/ sofa/ bed based is extremely important. Not only for your body but mentally.

I've gone from not being able to weightbare to walking an ok distance and it's been hard and yes I take many medications that make you gain weight. What I hate is seeing so many people who make excuses and watch as their condition gets much worse. I.e. specific heart / lung condition and they use the excuse, I'm fat because of this- when with this specialist condition has been proven that exercise improves it and your prognosis.

I also agree with that. It's not an ideal solution to the health of humanity, and I also see a sort of sadness in it becoming mainstream rather than us creating a much healthier life for everybody where we are less stressed, have more time, McDonalds doesn't exist, etc.

I feel the same about my anti-depressants. I am working towards a life where I won't need them, because that's the solution I want rather than life-long medication, but right now I need them so I take them despite the side effects and risks.

I think it's clear that this thread has been really triggering for almost everyone on it, but I can see that you have valid concerns and the arguing got in the way a bit! We should remember that this is a very emotive topic for most women and maybe try to have sympathy for each other, even though it's hard. We've been taught from so many angles to hate ourselves and each other. 😔

But that is exactly what this medicine does. How many times do we have to write it down before you finally take it in? Did you struggle at school or something because I don't know how to explain it any more simply to you?

Since being on Mounjaro I have eaten far more healthily than I have in years. The craving for sugar and junk food has pretty much disappeared and so I haven't eaten them in just over 5 weeks now. Zero chocolate too - and I have never gone a day without chocolate since I was probably 12!

By switching off these cravings Mounjaro makes it much easier to disregard fattening food and instead eat far more healthily and frugally.

Do you actually understand that or do I need to break out the crayons and the 'Biff Chip and Kipper Try Mounjaro' books?

I’ve tried pm’g you op but it won’t let me for some reason. I’ve never asked to speak to someone but would someone mind messaging me as I feel so lost about me weight. If that doesn’t tell you how needed these drugs are nothing will.

If it helps, there is a weighloss chat which can answer lots of questions. It's a great place to start. I am 50lbs down, about 7 more to go. This is over the last 6 months. I was obese, but now overweight and getting close to a normal bmi for the first time in 20 years.

Thank you. I’m in a really bad spot. If you could link that thread please

I can't seem too, but there's one called September starters?

So you’re so keen to pass moral judgement that you still haven’t taken a blind bit of notice of what the person you were criticising had actually been through and you’re doubling down.

Her putting weight on after someone tried to murder her by throwing her under a bus is the thing that’s beyond the pale for you. It’s just ‘making excuses.’ What an absolute empathy-free shocker you’re being. Unreal.

Thank you when my tears have dried up I’ll read. Thanks again

@Arraminta lol at the Biff, Chip & Kipper reference. That's the era she's getting her science from.

I was just reading a thread on how frustrating it is to serve with jurors with, ah, modest IQs...put me in mind of someone...

Exactly. If you are a woman, doctors are far less likely to take you seriously. If you are an overweight woman,well, from my extensive experience,there is zero chance of being taken seriously. Several years ago a friend of mine asked her doctor for advice on losing weight. His response? Just stop eating. I kid you not.

You can't take this med and carry on regardless and lose weight. You still have to achieve a calorie deficit.

Therefore the best way to do this is eat low carb and high protein and veg and fruits.

All the support groups I'm
On FB or MN follow this type of diet
We are not still scoffing what we want and loosing weight.

Some people seem to think it melts fat. It doesn't.

Right. So you’ve said. And how long have you been on the drugs exactly?
Why do you have to be so nasty? Do these drugs make you lose your ability to hold a discussion without insults. as well as take away your cravings?

Thank you for your reasonable response. I really appreciate it- feel like it’s a school bullies playground here where a difference opinions isnt allowed

I’m really happy for you that you haven’t been left with loose skin but I have don’t a lot of research and it does come down to genetics. I am ravaged by stretch marks so I don’t hold out much hope.

The only thing giving me hope is that these injections work. This thread is useful as it’s nice to hear of the positives. To make an informed decision on whether it’s right for me you need to hear the good, the bad and the ugly. I can’t see your Face in the after shot but you look like a whole new person.

Highly respected consultants who actually profit from gastric bands are saying these drugs are going to revolutionise obesity. World renowned plastic surgeon Terry dubrow recommends it as the weight loss version of Botox for anti aging. And for all the haters out there I get three lots of botox every year and never suffered any side effects but smooth ass skin.

As for people being lazy and ignorant. I had a serious accident and had spinal surgery and was hospitalised for six months and was bed bound. Was I lazy? And when I got out and was so traumatised by what had happened I had reached 12 stone. I went to my gp hoping for counselling to be put onto mirtazapine. A drug designed for anorexics. Designed to encourage you to eat. So I’ve ballooned to 15st and a shell of a person with not even the confidence to hold eye contact with anyone anymore. People really ought to have more compassion and understanding that not everyone becomes obese through choice and laziness. I was never the chubby kid. Never gave thought to food. But I was robbed of my mobility and food was all I had. I’d like someone to tell me what I should have done differently.

You're hardly covering yourself in glory here. It's no wonder people are getting frustrated with you.

I've had a BMI of 20 or thereabouts my entire adult life. I can still appreciate that every single other person doesn't have the same ease to maintain that kind of weight. I can still empathise with other people when they don't have the exact same life experience as me.

Emotional intelligence is important.

Bit rich to complain about people being catty when you've continually repeated your belief that fat people just need to try harder and not being able to lose weight means you're lazy and not dedicated enough, with no attempt at all to understand the millions of reasons why some people genuinely cannot keep the weight off and why they need to seek alternative methods, despite many people explaining it to you.

Throwing that out page after page and then getting upset because someone said something you didn't like. Well. Isn't that ironic?

I just don’t agree with drugs being used so widely by people who may have not explored other options. Disagreeing with someone doesn’t mean insulting them.
Slinging personal insults about being thick or telling them they are ‘troubled’
just shows that you are highly triggered- possibly, if someone is calling people thick for disagreeing with you then maybe starting / engaging in a thread about this isn’t the best idea.

The only genuine personal insult on this thread was posted by you.

You can ‘explain’ it all you like. I dont share your opinion on this I’m afraid. I haven’t called anyone lazy or mentioned the word lazy so don’t put words into my posts.

So saying someone is thick, low IQ, haven’t been to school

Isn’t a personal insult then. Ok.