Not overweight enough

[snowgirl1]

I'm just into the overweight category and a doctor in my BUPA health assessment said I need to lose weight. I'm active (run, cycle), vegetarian, don't drink much. My vice is my sweet tooth and stress eating. I thought Mounjaro might help with the cravings, but I've just done an online consultation and because my BMI isn't 30, I don't meet the criteria... I feel that I've got to get more unhealthy before I can access this tool which might help now. I'm confused as as definitely seen people online who don't have/haven't has a BMI of 30 saying they've used it. How?!

They’ve taken really unflattering pictures and lied about their weight?

Certain ethnicities can access from BMI 27 because they are considered overweight above BMI 23.

Also if you have certain weight related health conditions you can get it with BMI 27.

You can deal with the "sweet tooth". Stop eating cakes, biscuits, chocolate etc altogether. Don't have them in the house. It's hard for a few days/a week but you eventually lose the cravings.

You tend to have to be over bmi 30 when you start , but they’ll prescribe once it’s lower , mines now 24 and still taking it as I Already have a prescription

‘I feel that I’ve to get more unhealthy before I can access this tool’

Your thoughts here are already unhealthy.

Why do you feel you can only lose the weight with an injection?

I started with a BMI of 28 and have managed to reduce that to 23 and have dropped 4 dress sizes - no injections

As a previous poster has said, cut the sugar and the sugar cravings go.

My trigger is white bread, I cant have it in the house. I buy one white bread roll as a treat on a Saturday , that's it. Not in the house I cant eat it

So, certain ethnicities a BMI of 27 or higher is classified as obese, and so would qualify. If you have certain weight related health conditions, then you may qualify from a BMI of 27 or above.

Then, as PP have said, some people are lying and illegally acquiring a prescription only medication that they don't qualify for, or they are acquiring goodness knows what from illegal sources.

The excellent news for you is that you are not obese at all, and only slightly overweight so you don't have any of the risks or issues associated with being substantially overweight or obese. So no need for a prescription only obesity treatment, at your own expense.

I think I would be questioning why the doctor thought it was so important for you to lose weight when you seem to lead a generally healthy life? Was there a specific reason, or was it more a case of ‘x is 3lbs overweight so I must advise them to lose weight’? If your only problem is a sweet tooth, maybe just try to address that. Cut down, rather than cut out, then cut down a bit more. Soon less will seem normal.

When I didn't eat meat for 5 years, my health and body suffered badly, as unfortunately a lot of veggie food is mainly carby options esp, when eating out or at work etc and has low protein. I was also dairy and gluten free due to intolerances. I ended up prediabetic, anaemic, low in many nutrients even when taking vitamins daily.
The best thing i did was taking biokult a probiotic capsule, which resolved my intolerances and going on a high protein, lower carb lifestyle and its really helped to get me back to healthy.

I think the general line is to recommend you have a BMI of 25 or lower to be considered healthy, at least that’s what my menopause Dr used to always say to me.
BMI is a pretty blunt tool though, but I suppose they just trot out this guideline as general advice.

If you’re just over weight then your bmi is what 25? Max 26?

you don’t need to get “more unhealthy “ to get the drugs, simply this is a treatment for obesity, and you’re not obese. Like they won’t give you insulin if you’re not diabetic, and nor should you be popping nurofen or parcetemol if you’re pain free.

like any other prescription medication, you need to suffer from the ailment it is prescribed for to be prescribed it. And no one thinks they need to get sick to get the drugs, weight loss injections are no different, they are a prescription only medication for a specific health issue you don’t suffer from.

If your health assessment had said that your blood pressure was high normal, and that you should be aiming to reduce it to normal or optimal, would you think that you should do things to increase your blood pressure so that you qualify for prescription blood pressure medication?? Or would you rather think of ways you could decrease your blood pressure without medication, via lifestyle changes?

OP, its really frustrating. I do meet criteria, but I was a few pounds above the cut off which would have made me ineligible. I would guess in time the restrictions will change and loosen, but at the moment, they have to draw the line somewhere I guess.

The restrictions are not going “loosen” any time soon so that people without a medical condition can take a prescription only medication. It may be that GLP1s are further licensed to treat other medical conditions in people who are not obese or significantly overweight. But it’s not going to be licensed as a cosmetic only weight loss tool anytime soon.

So surely if you were a few pounds off the cut off tou didn’t meet the criteria

Over. Not under. Could you really not work that out?

Deleted bc I misread the comment

I misread it, that’s all.

They are not restrictions. This is a prescription medication to treat an signficant health issue. Like every other prescription medication. It’s to treat obesity. If you’re not obese than you can’t be medicated for it. Good grief.

No, really, don’t! People who actually need it struggle to get a prescription. People who don’t lying is going to help them how, exactly?

Can’t believe some people.

The private health assessment drs will always ‘advise’ weight loss if you are BMI 25 or above, it’s literally comes up on the screen for them to read and they have to tick to say they told you. They aren’t taking into account muscle mass etc
As for not qualifying for WLI, of course you don’t, you’re not obese…

At the moment these medications are given with very strict criteria. For example, to get it directly from a GP you have to have a BMI of over 40 with 4 health conditions. That will change over time (loosen) and people who are classed as obese but not as obese as this or who dont have health conditions will get them. No one suggested they would be handed out to people who are not obese.

Access to Mounjaro for weight management through the NHS is very tightly controlled, there just isn't enough money available to fund it (and the necessary support) for everyone who might benefit. The restrictions (including BMI) are tighter than the license for the product to try and manage access and costs and use it where health benefits might be greatest.

Access to Mounjaro privately is controlled but to a lesser degree, it is widely sold for use in line with BMI in the manufacturer's licence. This is often a high volume/ not very personalised service (and as people have pointed out, fairly easy to 'cheat' to appear to meet the criteria or to obtain the product and then use it differently to the advice/ license - for example extracting a 5th dose)

Some private clinics knowingly prescribe it outside of the license, for example to people with BMI that are normal to slightly 'overweight' and for non-standard regimens such as microdosing. They take on more legal/ ethical risk doing this and usually charge accordingly!