Would weight loss injections or tablets be appropriate at my weight?

[Allaboutthecat]

I'm wondering if I could/should try weight loss injections or pills. I'm 5'5" and weigh 11 stone 5 lbs. My weight is around my tummy, my legs are quite slim, and I workout so am fairly toned under the fat. Is this something people would do (apart from celebrities!!)

Your BMI is 26.5 so just out of the healthy range. The jabs seem generally to be more expensive but more effective. For a small weight loss you could try the tablets and see how you go I guess.

No, I wouldn’t at your height and weight.

Some people would use prescription obesity treatments at that weight, and there are some legitimate places that will prescribe medication off licence to people in the BMI 25 plus weight range without needing any other medical reasons for losing weight. They would be clear with patients that there is little evidence of any medical benefit but all the risks of taking a prescription medication.

If your waist to height ratio is in the danger range (as per the various calculators you can find online) then that could be a medical reason to consider this sort of medication.

I was the exact same weight at 5'4. Did Wegovy and dropped 2 stone in 2 months. Have kept it off! In fact I'm 9 stone 2 now. There's huge medical benefit. I'm slim and in good shape!

Theres a thread on here for people BMI 25-27 where lots of people have done what you're asking, myself included. For me it was about not waiting until I had medical issues, as I had been gradually gaining year on year for the last 7 or 8 years and nothing that I had tried (healthy eating, calorie tracking, exercise, strength training etc) had resulted in any weight loss. Im mid forties, it felt like it was only going in one direction. I'm short and a petite frame (narrow shoulders and hips, small wrists, and I carry weight more on my stomach rather than bust and hips) so really I should be towards the lower BMI, 25-26 was a lot on me.
Using the jabs helped me to realise why I couldn't seem to lose weight, which is simply that despite my level of exercise or what fitness trainers have told me, the level of calories I need to lose weight is lower than I ever thought possible - and certainly lower than I could maintain with willpower alone.

I'm down to a BMI of 22, I plan to lose a little more to have some wriggle room and gradually taper off and try my best to maintain without them. I think my maintenance will be around 1600 which is doable, to lose weight I need to be consistently 1300 which is just that much harder. I couldn't have done it without the jabs. I've stayed on a low dose to mitigate side effects and lost the weight very gradually.

Thank you so much for your advice. I think I'm a little in denial as i can look, fine with a drapey top and leggings for example, but it would be much better to lose a stone or so. I really struggle to eat less mainly due to snacking during the day. I've been at this weight for 20 years so I can regulate at the same weight (probably by less snacking whenI was working, and lots more exercise now I'm retired).
I put off the idea of weight loss pills etc because I feel weird about not being able to eat nice things at Christmas and on holiday.

Weight loss pills won't stop you eating nice things at Christmas.

Hi OP, I was very similar except slightly shorter and used it to lose a stone. I then lost a further 10lbs myself. Have maintained without jabs for the last 7 months and in the best shape of my life. Like you I work out and everyone keeps saying I looked so toned but it was always there, you just couldn’t see it 🤣

for me the jabs gave me the head space to work out what diet and lifestyle changes I needed to adopt long term to maintain a healthy weight. It’s been life changing for someone who has always yo yo’d