Colleagues all dissing Mounjaro

[KateERxx]

I'm now officially 2 stone down and work colleagues are starting to notice and asking what's my secret etc. I don't want to lie but also after a conversation in the office a few weeks back, I now feel I can't be honest about taking Mounjaro, so I've just said I've been strict with my calorie counting (which is also true).

I work in an open plan office and someone brought up casually into convo about how everyone is on weight loss injections now and before I knew it, it turned into a frenzied attack on anyone who takes them. Comments such as 'it's the lazy way out', 'they'll put all the weight back on again', 'they don't know what they're putting in their bodies', 'no such thing as food noise', 'they have no self control', 'people have no discipline nowadays', 'that's the easy way', you get my drift. I just sat there, with a quiet smirk on my face I have to say, as these were all the same people who had quite literally said to me not 20 minutes earlier how great I looked 😂These comments were people from all builds as well, not just 'skinny' people.

In hind sight maybe I should have spoken up at that point in time to defend it and made them all embarrassed, but I'll lose another stone and maybe then do it 😜Anyone else had this at all?

But your bmi is 25 - probably something this person would love to achieve?
Your bmi is 25, so you are probably much healthier than this person has ever been?
You want to lose weight, but it is not an urgent medical necessity?
Dislike this person all you like, but don't envy her because she was able to source a medication for a health problem you don't have.

Edited to add - congratulations on your weightloss! Rejoice in the fact you have lost weight.

My 17 yo ds started taking it at 16 - under the supervision of an endocrinologist, dietician and health coach, and with regular consults with the team at Eli Lilly. Lost nearly 5st since August and almost at target. No side effects at all, but is happier, healthier, more confident in himself (6ft 4 and autistic), socialises with new 6th form college friends and old school friends more readily and even has a lovely girlfriend. GP and endo are as proud of him as I am. The medication has been incredible as he has been able just reduce food intake without obsessing about calories, learned to make healthier food choices and understand portion sizes (big lad, so was encouraged to have second servings before) and goes to the gym now too.

He had a fatty liver on a scan at 15 but was too ‘old’ for a paediatric referral to an NHS diet clinic (told he would age out before he would be seen due to length of wait list) and was on the cusp of developing diabetes at 16. All reversed now.

So, yes, I too was actually very happy to encourage my teen down this path. It’s changed his life.

I’m so glad I’m not from a culture that values thinness at all costs. Some of the things I read on here are wild.

I couldn’t imagine having a “miserable” 18 months of weight loss then hating someone who had lost more weight than me using WLI. It’s really not that serious.

I wanted to lose weight as my BMI was 32 and I had aches and pains from it and reduced flexibility and strength. And I hated the fact food controlled me.

I’m now around BMI 26/27 and I know I’ll get down to my goal weight soon which is BMI 24 and my fitness level and strength levels are much better now. No need to be teeny tiny or live in envy of those who are.

@Daybrake I think that poster who only has a 25BMI anyway needs some mental health help rather more than they need WLI .

If I smoked, and there was a jab to stop it, I wouldn’t lie and say I just used will power

What if everybody around you was talking about that anti-smoke jab, how it's for lazy people who simply can't be arsed to use any will power. Cheating. For stupid people only, haven't they considered side effects?? You could just smoke less, what's the issue. And ooh but you will start smoking as soon as you stop the jab, just wait and see! Me, I've never smoked, it's really not that hard. Would you really be that keen to declare that yes, you are that lazy person without any will power, knowing that many people are rubbing their hands gleefully, praying you will fail and start smoking again?

Smoking is a good analogy. Would anyone advise a smoker against using nicotine patches to help them quit? And even with nicotine patches, you still need to put in the work.

For some, MJ apparently does act as an anti-smoking drug! Trials are being conducted in various addictions. I wonder, if in the future it is accepted and prescribed as a treatment for stopping drinking or smoking, people will still be so rude and ignorant? Is it OK to treat people medically for all other health problems, even those that are deemed to have been brought on by their own lifestyle choices, just not obesity?

If I take paracetamol for a headache and the headache goes away I don’t congratulate myself?

Ah so you are OK with some medication. But do you have everyone and their dog discussing how weak you are that you couldn't just naturally get rid of your headache? Have you tried a walk? Or live your life so you don't get headaches? What about side effects, we are all so worried about side effects of paracetamol - you know some of them can be fatal?

You never hear any of those arguments about any other medication and I bet if you did, you would not be so keen to tell everyone you didn't want to deal with your headache the 'proper' way.

This is me too!!
Ive been fit & active all my life. But also a bit fat.
I’ve run marathons, I batch cook, I drink protein shakes. I do all the good stuff and still remain chubby.

MJ has helped me lose nearly a stone with no hardship. It’s miraculous.

Oh FFS can we stop with all this “obesity is a disease” crap. You eat too much, you get fat.

On the basis that I assume you are not on the staff at the W.H.O or the AMA or the BMA (who all recognise obesity as a disease), and likely not a qualified medical practitioner, I’ll dismiss your comment at the stinking pile of 💩 that it is.

I agree. And I was obese myself. Heck I still am even after losing 17kg on mounjaro. It was a moral failing and it's not a disease. It was bad behaviour repeated to the point of becoming almost compulsive. Which is really what almost all addictions are.

Not sure if I’d call it a moral failing but it wasn’t a disease as such either - at least for me.

I’d sooner describe it as the result of my binge eating which was largely a trauma response.

That is partly why my rapid weight gain immediately before and during the pandemic embarrassed me so much.

I’m a private person and like to act as if everything is ok. Gaining weight in such a short space of time felt like my weaknesses were all on show, even though of course the average person didn’t necessarily know why I overate.

ETA: I’m a lot kinder to myself about it all now. I remind myself that past me did what I felt I needed to get through each day.

I was working 60 hour weeks across two jobs, living alone during lockdowns and dealing with family stuff from the past, as well as a childhood friend who trauma dumped over a period of years to the extent I barely had the space to process my own stuff.

Obesity is a complex condition.

I don't think it's a moral failing at all. My weight gain was directly linked to anxiety which I developed after a traumatic experience (along with PTSD and OCD symptoms). But I don't expect everyone to have been through a traumatic experience to escape the finger wagging. It's clearly very complicated.

Not everyone who is fat is clinically obese but those who are clinically obese DO have a recognised disease.

At last, some sanity. We all overeat at times. Most of us are overweight at times in our lives. It’s not easy to be a “normal” weight and life events/situations don’t help. We all seek comfort where we can find it. That doesn’t make it a disease

Overeating is not a disease. The resultant state of being obese is a disease, and contributes to making it more and more difficult to lose weight and maintain weight loss.

Hey if I could get it (I can’t as I have type 1 diabetes) I’d take it in a hot second. Would these same people think having an epidural during labour as cheating? Is using a calculator cheating?
Most people who are overweight have tried to lose using conventional methods and now there’s a wonderful drug that can help them be healthier and why would others feel they need to shame them? Is it that they like that there are fat people around to make themselves feel better?

What would you classify as a disease? Which classification are you using? If obesity is not a disease this would have to mean that it is a normal physical state. You could argue that it very much is, I suppose, in some parts of the world.

But disease or not, it is a state of being that is unquestionably associated with increased morbidity and mortality, creating not only individual suffering but also societal damage. It is therefore a problem, whatever you call it. If it is remediable it should be remedied for both the individual and the communal good. As for many other diseases/problems/whatever you want to call it, there are multiple different potential treatments/mitigations/solutions. Here we have one of them that works, unlike many other purported solutions to various problems (snake oil or primal scream therapy anyone?).

@Shouldntbutdo I would also be interested in your take on whether bariatric surgery is acceptable to treat this "non disease"?

Yes it is complex @usedtobeaylis and the reasons for it are varied.

I had a (now former) childhood friend who would always update me on old friends she seen by starting with how they looked - usually commenting on their weight.

It was so tedious. Lol. She would speak positively of them as a person if they’d lost weight. But if they’d gained weight she would kind of lower her voice and say “ did you see X friend. She’s really piled on the weight” then pull a tortured face .

As if fat= bad person. She’s going downhill etc

From ChatGBT:

Why Obesity Is a Disease — In Context of Today’s World

1. Modern Society Sets the Stage

Today’s environment makes it very easy to gain weight and very hard to lose it. This is known as an “obesogenic environment” — one that promotes obesity:

🔹 Ultra-Processed Foods

Fast food, snacks, and sugary drinks are calorie-dense, low in nutrients, and designed to be addictive.

They often contain added sugars, fats, salt, and chemical flavor enhancers that hijack the brain’s reward system.

This leads to overconsumption, even when you’re not physically hungry.

🔹 Constant Availability & Marketing

Food is available 24/7 — gas stations, apps, vending machines.

Millions are spent marketing junk food, especially to children and low-income communities.

🔹 Sedentary Lifestyle

Most jobs are desk-based.
People use cars instead of walking.
Screens and streaming lead to less physical activity.

🧠 Result: Our bodies evolved to survive scarcity, not abundance. We’re biologically wired to store fat when food is available, but now food is always available — and hard to resist.

What Happens Inside the Body

Once obesity begins, physiological changes occur that make it harder to stop — similar to other chronic diseases:

🔹 Hormonal Disruption
Hormones like leptin (which tells you you’re full) and ghrelin (which tells you you’re hungry) stop functioning properly.

The brain doesn’t “see” that you have enough fat, so it keeps driving hunger.

🔹 Insulin Resistance

Excess fat, especially around the belly, causes inflammation and leads to insulin resistance — a key step in developing type 2 diabetes.

🔹 Chronic Inflammation

Fat tissue isn’t just storage — it releases chemicals that cause low-grade inflammation throughout the body.

This contributes to heart disease, cancer, liver disease, and more.

🔹 Brain Chemistry

Highly processed foods alter dopamine response (the brain’s reward chemical), similar to addictive substances.

Over time, you need more food to get the same satisfaction, leading to a cycle of overeating.

So, Why Is It a Disease?

Because once this process starts:

The body undergoes measurable, progressive dysfunction.

It creates biological dependencies and long-term health consequences.

People often can’t just “choose” their way out — their bodies fight back against weight loss.

That’s what makes it more than just a “lifestyle issue” — it’s a self-sustaining medical condition, like high blood pressure or addiction.

🧠 Final Thought:

Obesity is considered a disease not to place blame on individuals, but to:

Recognise the real biological damage it causes
Promote treatment and prevention
Push for changes in policy and environment, not just personal willpower

There it is.

Have just read through the whole thread and was waiting for this poster to let the mask drop.

To throw in my two pennies:

I never thought it was medical, but medicine made it better. I used to be a normal weight as a teenager and would definitely have cravings, but was able to be reasonable with myself when faced with them. Distraction or logic or willpower or whatever you want to call it meant I was able to overcome them, even if I would gave much rather given in. They would be strong in the moment but then go.

After I became obese, the cravings changed. The intensity was notably, hugely increased. As was the frequency and distraction was no longer possible. Another poster mentioned standing in front of the fridge at 3am. I recognise that. When I gave in, as I always did, it felt almost like it wasn't me, like I was possessed. It was frightening.

Now I'm on Mounjaro, I still experience cravings. I still see doughnuts at work and sometimes I think 'God, I really, really want one of those'. The urge, in the moment, is still strong. But now I'm able to weigh it up, say to myself 'yes, but you've got that meal out tomorrow which will probably be quite heavy so it would probably be sensible not to have a doughnut today'. And, like before I became obese, I can listen to myself, go off and get back to work and CRUCIALLY no longer think about the doughnut, other than a fleeting 'huh, wish I could go back to the kitchen and grab one' thought perhaps once it twice more that afternoon.

I'm a sample of one, so it may not mean anything, but my cravings seem now to be back to pre-obese levels. When I became obese (and then morbidly so), they stopped being cravings and became compulsions. My doctor said this was down to changes in hormones in obese bodies. No idea if he's right.

Either way, I'm pleased that I can now exercise the willpower I always hoped I had. Its like 'oh, there you are. You were there all along.'

For what it's worth, I tell anyone who asks. I'm not ashamed.

that's the thing, isn't it, @PresidentBarklett - no, being tormented by constant, constant food noise is absolutely not the same as 'well everyone gets hungry' and fancying a doughnut.