Would WLI help if I don’t have food noise?

[Catbeebird]

My BMI is 27 but I have a health condition that would allow a prescription. I seem to receive emails and adverts to sign up every day and it’s making me think.

I’m very active and have a high muscle mass but as is commonly said on weight loss threads, BMI is a wide range that allows for higher muscle mass. I’m over it so am considering signing up.

My question is around whether the WLI would help me. I eat a good diet and don’t binge eat or feel out of control. In fact often I forget to eat, particularly lunch if I’ve had a larger breakfast. I don’t snack between meals or in the evening. I do have an under active thyroid and am peri menopausal.

When I eat in a small deficit (and I’m confident my intake is accurate) I don’t lose weight. Strangely if I eat lots more I don’t gain weight either. I seem to be fixed at this weight.

If I drastically cut my calories then I do lose. I did fast 800 and found I started to drop a kilo or two per week. However I felt very weak, couldn’t exercise and started to get pain that I am guessing was early gallbladder type pain. But any less drastic calorie reduction doesn’t seem to work. I need to eat below 1200 a day to see any difference and given I’m very active (I run about 50 miles per week plus strength training) that’s a big deficit.

My question is whether the WLI would help me. Given I don’t feel out of control with food or have food noise and can lose weight if I drastically cut calories, do they work in an additional way other than calorie restriction? Would they help me lose weight in a sensible deficit when the same deficit doesn’t help usually?

It might, but only minimally I suspect. It slows digestion but it sounds like a big expense and potential side effects for little reward if you're able to do it naturally.

I don't think I had what people refer to as food noise, but I just have a very sweet tooth and drank too much wine. MJ has still worked brilliantly for me.

You would need to cut your calories on MJ in order to lose weight. It doesn't work by itself beyond a very small effect. Therefore you would probably feel weak and have exactly the same issues as dieting without taking MJ, with the added complications of possible gastro side effects.

Someone who is physically extremely active with increased muscle mass would normally have a higher BMI than usual. Therefore it seems very likely that your BMI is in fact in the normal range for you. This is something that you could ask about from a personal trainer.

Assuming that you do not have an eating disorder - which on the face of it you do not seem to have - then this leaves only 2 reasons for you to consider taking any form of WLI. One is to do with your thyroid. If your thyroid impacts on your overall health and is one of those conditions that might be improved by MJ then it is worth considering. You would really be best off by asking your GP or consultant about this as it may effect the medication your currently take.

The other is to do with your health overall and whether weight loss might improve that. Tbh nothing in your post suggests that this would be the case, but this is something that only you can decide.

Thank you. I suspected it might not help much. I’m feeling a bit stuck weight wise but maybe that’s where my body is meant to be. Definitely don’t have an eating disorder. Really good point about medication absorption actually thank you.