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.

Op says she got it in a private prescription.

If someone has type 2 diabetes because they are over weight do yiu ask then who is paying for their medications?

Or high blood pressure? Or depression? Or someone undergoing cancer treatment and they smoked, do you ask them who is paying for it?

Fwiw Mounjaro is also used to treat diabetes.

Im wondering if those who says it’s just the easy way out would say that too to diabetes sufferers….

Also, to those of you worried about loose skin...

I have a little on my lower tummy, a little on my inner thighs and a microscopic loose bit under my chin but honestly no-one but me would notice.

Come on, your bias is showing very clearly here. What's the point in taking all these people off the medication when they reach a certain weight, only to gain it all back because they've already shown that they need the medication for weight loss? Or do you get some sort of pleasure out of obese people existing so you can get all huffy and judgy about them?

@SwiftiesVSLestat quite. Also, I could easily be one of the few people who is actually a "net contributor" in taxes, for all the pp knows, so taking it from the NHS would be even LESS objectionable, esp as I'm saving them money in the long run.

@MountUnpleasant what I don't understand about that post is that they talk about "slim" and "healthy" as if there is not a major overlap between the 2! Bizarre conclusion as well that I don't exercise/don't know anything about exercise. I clearly know more than pp as I know that exercising when seriously overweight can be dangerous and I also know that exercising does fuck all for long term weightloss/maintenance.

When it comes to exercise, it's like that old Scotland Health Board advert - "don't just do it for tomorrow, do it for today". Ie do exercise for better sleep etc. But you can't outrun your fork.

Re Adele/Alison Hammond. I highly doubt any obese celebs who have lost weight recently have done it with diet/exercise alone. Remember Fern Britton's Ryvita adverts and her talking about cycling but failing to mention the gastric band! These jabs originally appeared on the scene about 10 years ago for those with enough money and contacts.

Thanks for your reply.

I accept being short is a definite issue. You can weigh the same as someone tall and yet look bigger for sure.

Regarding AH/A celebs: It wouldn't surprise me, but I do think that would be dishonest of them, only because people like myself may jump to wrong conclusions and then assume things. I find it hard to see either of them as being dishonest by omission, but yeah it wouldn't surprise me.

So essentially, you are saying there has just been something different either hormonal, DNA, or even something in the brain that affects your satiety levels as well as your 'eating urgency' and it makes self control around food virtually impossible. A metabolism barrier.

Genuine question OP, asking as an overweight person who has to invest all my willpower to limit unhealthy sugary treats and do regular exercise in order not to slip into the obese category:

Do you think there is a risk to swap one health problem - obesity - with a variety of others because there is no pressure anymore to exercise, and one also can indulge more in unhealthy treats because the weight will come off easily whether or not one eats this slice of cake?

@JS647 Thanks for your Q. The short answer is: No.

The drug makes fatty/rich foods less appealing. I still have the odd bit of chocolate or cake and enjoy it a bit but I don't CRAVE it. I can take it or leave it. And I definitely don't want to eat MUCH of it. Probably a bit like a "normal" person!

And once you lose the weight you are MORE likely to want/be able to exercise. So it's all a win/win imho.

You've made me think: when I wasn't ill, I used to be that obnoxiously 'blessed by the gods' person who could eat ten slices of cake and not put a shred of weight on.

You've actually made me think. If I could be like that naturally, then the reverse must also be true. Hmm...

*must also be possible

Interesting, thanks for sharing your views!

Think of this:

Fat person CRAVES cake. They use a lot of willpower to avoid eating cake. But they eventually cave and eat 3 slices.

Thin person isn't bothered about cake. They eat it or they don't eat it. 1 slice makes no difference to their weight anyway.

Who is the strong person with lots of willpower?

I fully agree with the headline.

Ohhhhhh dearrrrrrr

My sentiments precisely.

People who haven’t lived with their bodies constantly doing what they can to gain weight and to sabotage any attempt at weight loss have NO CLUE what it’s like. Nobody wants to be obese. We accept that smokers, alcoholics and drug addicts are governed by their addictions yet we think weight loss is just a question of mind over matter.

I will also say that struggling with my weight over the years has, I think, made me a lot more understanding of people who struggle with things like drugs or alcohol.

I also think this struggle has made me a nicer person that I might otherwise have been. For example, I'm otherwise fairly lucky. Good hair, teeth, pretty smart, good job, good family, etc. So I think it was probably good for my sense of humility!

Now I want cake. I'd eat two slices happily. Depending on the size of the slice. Chocolate fudge cake sounds good right now.

@LegoTherapy for me it was usually chips! I still have the odd few but they make me feel a bit bloated and yucky so I don't bother. I prefer to zip up my jeans! The fact I don't CRAVE them means I don't shovel down a huge bag and then regret it. I have the space to make the sensible choice!

There are studies showing that GLP-1 medications could help people with addictions! Which would be great too. We are at the tip of the iceberg with their potential for sure.

@GapTshirtsAreShitQualityTheseDays Well done.

Some people lose sight of the fact that obesity related diseases cost the NHS a huge amount of money, so weight control medication is cost-effective.

I've been on GP prescribed Orlistat/Xenical for a number of years, & it keeps my weight stable.
Occasionally I've seen different GPs at my practice, & the only ones that want me to stop are overweight females.

@willproblem thanks. A lot of GPs are stuck in the dark ages in my experience. They still believe in taking the skin off your chicken and having a baked potato with no butter. And they witter on about cholesterol in eggs. They are more likely to prescribe homeopathy than drugs that fucking work!

But yeah, I take your point that it's female jealousy sometimes!

@Holidays4Ever

The OP didn't say she doesn't exercise. She said that in respect of weight loss it is a fairly trivial factor - and she would be right . Of course there are other benefits to exercise - as most people using the internet are already aware of .

Your post makes you sound a bit of a sanctimonious twat TBH - just like the people who have commented on OP in the past and that she speaks of in her post .

😂😂