is taking weight loss medication cheating?

[theweightlossqueen]

i used to be a super sporty child and then life happened. i've put on a few pounds and my food (mainly snacking) choices aren't the best...

i feel like if i just dedicated time to exercising then i'd get fit but i don't want to keep the current relationship that i have with food, you know?

is taking weight loss medication cheating, really?

That's called a strawman argument because nobody actually claimed that

It's impressive that you've had the time to both try and fail on weight loss injections and also lose 4 stone without them in the 18 months or so since they have been widely available for weight loss.

I am sorry you have suffered from a long term complication but as you pointed out you were on a drug with a more severe list of side effect.

I can't argue a possible complication emerging in 30 years as yes it is possible as it is with any drug.

You specifically quoted thyroid cancer so that was observed as a minor risk I the rodent studies with a somewhat mixed bag in humans. It was a link with ozempic so one of the older drugs. However the recent met analysis found no increase risk.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11050669/

Yes it is a newish drug but often when examing drugs we look at the class and invariably if you are targeting the same receptor the drugs will often have the se effect and side effects.

Drugs are constantly being developed. Do you only take a drug if its been on the market for x period of time?
No one is forcing you to take it and if you dont want to you don't have to. I am countering your argument with scientific literature for others who may be u certain so they have accurate facts.

Given that weight loss isn't a competitive sport - no, it isn't.

I would hope anyone considering using WLI, or any medication, makes sure they are fully aware of the risks and potential rewards before taking them.
I have never once seen the bingo card posted when someone asks about genuine fears or concerns about WLI. Where I have seen it posted is goady threads about 'cheating', posts from people who clearly don't want the fatties to get thin without sufficient suffering, posts from people who haven't done any research and throw out nonsense about how Sharon Osbourne looks or faux concerned posts about the weight we'll regain/ diabetics we are stealing meds from/ hypothetical health issues we'll get in 20 years.
I see no critical thinking in the OP that is being shut down.

I don’t have a problem with WL injections for people whose health is an issue, but I agree with you.

I know a couple of women who have dropped 3 stone+ in a short time and they look ill to me. I’ve heard people telling them how amazing and wonderful it is but I don’t agree. I was really shocked as well as they both made very poor food choices when we went out. They don’t seem to be eating healthy or exercising, it’s purely the injections doing the work.

I’ve lost weight over 4 months through diet and exercise and it did irk me a bit, but now I’m glad I’ve not gone down that route.

Well I think it's conclusive given that you've observed two women eating out once.

Come on. If they were obese and dropped 3 stone they aren't ill. They will be a perfectly healthy weight. And do you always make a 'healthy choice' when you go out for dinner? The idea of this medication isn't to be perfect, and on the odd occasional I've gone out for a meal I've had something treaty. So what?

ETA actually after losing 3 stone from being obese there is a good chance they are still overweight and not even in the <25 BMI bracket yet! My BMI when I started was 34 so not far above the minimum to be prescribed it and I was 4 stone over BMI 25.

Yes you’re right, the weight just falls off you when you inject, you don’t need to be healthy and it’s proof positive if you saw them eat out.

Because as I said, do you want to be thin, or healthy?

People take the drugs for all sorts of reasons. If you take them to be thin, of course it’s not cheating.

if you take them to be healthy; it isn’t cheating but it’s certainly fooling yourself. Certain health benefits will exist by nature of being thinner but you haven’t given yourself any holistic overhaul. There’s been no mental growth, no understanding of your body in a real sense, and it creates a dependency on a drug to maintain.

Doing both side by side is the most preferable option.

🥱

Medical need, I was on the first therauputic trial not a paid trial. I would never do a paid trial, I’m medically trained so know the hazards of drug trials. To be honest without the drug my life would have been very different, it would have meant no children no sex life ( condition causes severe loss of libido) and a lot of other problems so I do not regret taking it.
What I’m trying to make clear is that no drug is completely safe and you take a gamble everytime you use it. If you can avoid medication, Tirzepatide is a choice in weight loss not a necessity, you should.

There is no LD50 for tirzetipine, if you overdose there is no antidote, yet. Many drugs are rushed to market for obvious reasons, some because the clinical outcome is a massive advantage such as chemo and the palliative cancer drugs . But WLI are an option not a necessity.

I take Anastrazole for breast cancer, it significantly increases my survival stats but the side effects are awful and affect my quality of life. I keep taking them because I want to live longer without cancer. They have just been licensed for use by women with the BRCA gene mutation. Having taken them for 3 yrs I think I would rather risk breast cancer than put myself through the side effects. Not everyone with BRCA ends up with cancer and even with Anastrazole it’s not a guaranteed preventative drug. But because I have already had breast cancer I know that the stats are in my favour and that I won’t need to take it for the rest of my life.

For the morbidly obese Tirzepatide gives them the opportunity to extend their life, and improve their life. But their risk of dying is pretty high. Someone who is just over the cut off who only needs to lose a couple of stone to reduce their risk would be far better served by normal weight loss measures.

Rapid weight loss brings with it its own downsides. Slow steady weight loss is much less damaging to the body and longterm easier to sustain.

Mounjaro is a short term quick fix for a complex problem.

It's only cheating if you think fat people must be punished through suffering to balance out their greed. Which I think a lot of people secretly do.

But I have, I eat clean and healthy nearly all the time. I have no idea what yours on about. Genuinely. The drugs don’t melt the fat away, you need to be in calorie deficit. But I personally absolutely have given myself an overhaul and looking at all the threads so have most others.

Mounjaro is a short term quick fix for a complex problem.

Exactly this. It treats the symptom, not the cause.

Also hypertension is not confined to the obese.

No, but it is caused by obesity for many people.

Only if you are going to Slimming World or Weight Watchers classes and not declaring it but winning all the awards over people not on the injection. Also not fair on SW WW members who cant afford to pay for injections to have someone on these injections winning all the awards especially the Slimmer of the Year award which is a cash prize!

Lol. Two women eating unhealthy food is conclusive proof that weight loss injections don't work! It's not as if we all indulge from time to time

I lost a significant amount of weight a few years ago. I put it back on. I recently lost it again with the help of Mounjaro. I was never overweight because I was "uneducated" as to what makes me put on weight. Pretty much nobody is

@JenniferBooth I thank you for a new comment to add to the bingo card! We're snatching awards and cash prizes (!) away left right and centre from unsuspecting SW and WW members!

I don’t see how it’s cheating at all. It’s up to the individual how they lose weight and how they do that is not having an effect on the next person. I think quite often this nonsense about it being “cheating” is from people who are too scared to try it, or ones who are solely dedicated to the likes of Slimming World or other programmes that you also pay for. Or the likes of these online fitness/nutrition coaches who might be missing out on customers and money now.

The jags are just a tool for losing weight. You still have to change your mindset and eating habits if you want to keep the weight loss off.

It certainly isn’t a walk in the park for everyone when you hear some the side effects they’ve had.

I'm slim and healthy. I eat a really good diet, exercise and feel good in my mind too. I'd say that's a win. And it's due to WLIs.

Its one of the reasons i wont go back to class. Back in 2013 a SW member admitted she was on slimming pills and the consultant seemed to think this was OK The other members didnt.

@lastminutetrip I'm taking WLI for my health, not to be "slim". I have already experienced significant health benefits from the weight I have lost so far. I don't recognise your characterisation of how you think people on these injections normally eat. I eat a healthy varied diet, I'm not malnourished or unwell. You can believe if you like that after the 12 months or so that I will eventually have been on Mounjaro that I will immediately return to eating poorly if you like. I will do everything in my power to make sure I don't. I'm sure you'll wish me well in that, no doubt.

Exactly the same as any other plan or method of losing weight. Whether it’s SW, calorie counting, VLCD. If you don’t fully change your eating habits and mindset and go back to your old ways, then you will put weight back on. This isn’t unique to weight loss injections.