Why are we not being vocal about the miracle of weight loss jabs. ?

[AboutVattime]

I started Mountjaro in April at 15 stone 10
I am now 11 stone . Which is my goal weight for my 5'10 frame. I have maintained that for 2 months having started regular exercise that I really enjoy - as well as ZOE healthy eating /cooking which I enjoy equally.

When people say to me 'Wow ! You look amazing (I'm not daft - they mean you don't look fat anymore) .. how have you done it . I am truthful and say 'fat jabs' .. and expand if they don't understand.

However , I have noticed on all the gazillion threads in here about weight loss injections, people are reticent to be honest . .. "my DH knows but haven't told anyone else " .. is a common remark . But WHY ???

Obesity is a life threatening condition. Like Dementia , cancer , liver failure etc etc .. if anyone had one of those conditions and found a drug to help , would they keep quiet or shout it from the bloody roof tops . ?

Or is the old adage true . Fat is a feminist (female) issue ? and we need to pretend it isn't ?

Hormones and genetics affect metabolism yes
Hormones and genetics affect how satiated you feel/types of cravings/compulsions yes

Weight gain is always from eating too much, and the above can affect whether we eat too much or our individual metabolism

The injections, like surgery help us eat less, hence the weight loss.

Its not either or, its both

I think theres a lot of it on other threads to be fair, I completely dismiss it personally, Im not here writing a dissertation, Im here with a cuppa, wasting some time in the day thats all!

Not sure why you have quoted me @soupfiend?

I was asking another PP for their view on the relevance of hormones and genetics in metabolism and weight gain.

What do you mean by "it's not either or, it's both"?

I was being 100% genuine! I’m aware of the link between hormones and weight gain. Where I’m not clear and it’s a genuine question is how to determine if the cause IS hormonal or if it’s a result of choices.

This is something I’ve never investigated at all but have heard been discussed by medics on both sides and have always been directed to sources stating the cause for most, but not all of obesity is a result of lifestyle choices. I’ve always just followed with this narrative.

These sources have genuinely been really interesting, thank you. I fully admit I’ve never been properly invested in committing time into finding out for myself
and have always followed the direction of those (specialists) around me.

"Choices" are not made in a perfect vacuum. Many aspects of your physiology might affect your choices. It's an odd way to think about it, that hormonal influences on your body cannot impact your subsequent choices. Then there's the impact of the society and culture you're in on your choices too, of course.

Absolutely, which is why I said upthread is not either or, its both

Which appears to have caused confusion for some reason

@Silverbook we are determined, in part at least by our genetics and our hormones - how could we not be? I took part in university research about 7 years ago that was looking into 3 specific genes that they believe contribute to the laying down of fat on people's bodies. These genes would have been hugely desirable in times when food was scarce. The study looked at 3 specific genes and how many of those genes each subject had and what their body fat measurement was. I had two of the genes. If you look at scholarly articles for genes that lead to adiposity you will not be short of options to review yourself.

As for hormones, well we are a mass of them. As women, there is significant evidence that estrogen leads to the laying down of fat. Another hugely significant and very well studied hormone that has a huge impact would be Insulin. You can find almost limitless scientific studies about the effects of insulin. You have leptin and ghrelin both hormones that impact appetite and hunger. And so it goes on. Look them all up.

@Silverbook
I think you make an interesting point and I've wondered the same and felt the frustration at not being able to get definitive answers about the state of my own metabolism before starting on MJ. It's an area that the US seem to be streets ahead of us - I see MJ patients there having a team of specialists working with them, access to blood panels, body scans, the whole works.
I do know that many GPs are incredibly ill-informed about the whole subject area and liable to simply repeat the established orthodoxy. My own GP told me menopause had no impact on weight gain - he'd clearly never learned about the link between reduced oestrogen and the body's response to this by laying down fat which itself produces compensatory oestrogen. Or the impact of ghrelin and leptin levels on hunger and satiety. The links between hormones and weight are clear - what's often not clear is the individual's unique biology - but I'm tempted to say, maybe this doesn't matter all that much as we now know that introducing Glp peptides seems to work very effectively, regardless of the factors which contributed to the weight gain.

Ah A good rounded and researched argument to the post and deflection of questions aimed at you! Why even bother reading the post, comments, and then comment if you’re so sick of it?! 👋
OP join one of the Facebook groups for this support it’s so much more friendlier and helpful!

They're not a miracle at all. We don't know the long term effects. Yeah they work but I've been left with more lipoedema than I started with and had such crippling anxiety from them that took a long time to resolve. I'll never touch them again. Had to be hospitalised for extreme nausea so bad no matter how much i was sick it didn't subside at all. I don't trust them at all anymore.

@Mandaxx25 would you mind saying if it was semaglutide or tirzepatide that you were taking?

"My personal experience outweighs the mountain of scientific evidence"

In the US they are very good at blood tests to identify insulin resistance. We generally do not do this, relying on HBA1C. Lowering insulin resistance is one of the functions of Mounjaro, so it's likely to be having a therapeutic effect on non-diabetics using it for weight loss, even if they are undiagnosed by the NHS.

Some people just react badly to them. I think they're fantastic, my partner who developed complications from them also thinks they're a fantastic invention but he can recognise that he's just physiologically predisposed to complications and therefore they're not suitable for him.

It was tirzepatide. Mounjaro

Like any medication, it works for some and doesn't work for some.

Here you go:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2213752/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2681095/

https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJM198601233140401

Sorry to hijack, but how have you found the injections affect your colitis? Has it flared up at all?

Because it is possible to exercise and eat healthy food but still struggle significantly with weight, for a number of reasons.

Gosh, judgmental!!! I know someone who has battled obesity his whole life. His doctors didn't believe he was following his diet, so they put him in hospital, isolated and supervised, gave him a 400 cal a day diet and had him exercising. Over a month he lost.........half a pound. (Before anyone squeals this isn't possible, this was back in the 1960s, when the NHS had a lot more capacity.)
Anyway, my point is, for some people it is VERY difficult, they can starve and exercise for weeks to lose a pound or two, then one "normal" meal will put it straight back on. It's very dispiriting, and I understand entirely why people are taking these jabs.