Diet & exercise or wegovy? BMI of 29

[SheWasASkaterGirl]

I am overweight, borderline into creeping into obesity. A mixture of gradually gaining weight since i hit my 40s and general sedentary lifestyle.

I can afford the weight loss injections, OR a personal trainer and gym membership. But I'm almost paralysed with indecision, I know i need to do something about my weight but can't decide which route to take.

How much do you need to loose to get down to a healthy bmi? 29 is not huge bmi, so in my head, it would diet and exercise. I wouldn't want to take medicines/treatment unless I really needed to take them.

I need to lose 12kg, to get into the green BMI zone. Ideally to get back to my pre lockdown weight id lose 17kg.

PT and gym, absolutely no question.

there are so many more benefits for your health as you age from strength training than weight loss, it improves bone density, helps with muscle mass, sleep and mental health.

we don’t really know enough about the long term effects of wegovy yet, personally i wouldn’t touch it though.

If you want to keep the weight off after stopping the injections you will have to change your habits, both around eating and exercise anyway, so I think gym & diet option is the sensible one.

There are also other, huge benefits to exercising. I have been regularly training for three years now, I only skip my training when I’m sick. I’m full of energy, my mood is good, I’m more focused and resistant to stress at work, my skin is glowing. I exercise outside as much as I can, I’m not a fan of going to the gym but I’ve joined a martial arts club and I have a Les Mills subscription which I use a lot. The martial art class is also very empowering and my group is older deadly black belts :-) that are also very supportive and cheering up all the noobs.

If it was me I think I would go for gym & PT personally because I know that I need to change my lifestyle and my thinking around food and I think a PT would be able to help me with this. I think left to my own devices with the injections I could lose a lot of weight but might not work on why I got overweight in the first place and then would probably end up putting it all back on again knowing me

Nutrition is for weight loss.

Exercise is for strength, bones, muscles, mental health, cardiovascular system etc. they are tied together but it’s not a decision between the 2 to lose weight.

you will not lose weight just by working out

you can lose weight walking or doing home work outs for free/little cost while you change your diet

You can also join a gym and get a PT and change your diet

but changing your diet is the only thing to change your weight and anyone who tells you otherwise is not being honest. You cannot possibly work out enough to create enough of a calorie deficit if you eat too much.

If you choose gym and exercise, you will also get healthier and happier - your weight is an indicator of your health, not the focus. You know you have a sedentary lifestyle, so it is clear that changing that will be the best approach.

I'm currently doing both! Wegovy is causing a bit of muscle mass loss which is concerning. Lifting heavy weights is important at this time of life and a PT is invaluable to learn how to do it correctly. If you don't really struggle with food addiction I'd just go for the gym and calorie counting. The injections are an amazing tool but the side effects are difficult

I took Ozempic at that BMI and shifted the weight and did gentle exercise- walking, Pilates videos on YouTube etc. now I’m a BMI of 21 I’m focusing on exercise to be as strong as I can, and it’s far easier in my knees now. Ozempic cut you the food noise and allowed me to change my eating habits and mindset to food- no comfort/boredom eating.

Don't know what to say, you have to save yourself.

Sat holding my friend's hand who is in hospital very ill last night, who has diabetic complications in the fight against sepsis from gangrene in his feet. So sad to see him, he had no chance of the GLP1's. Obesity has been killing him over many years.

I did this too. I stopped ozempic months ago and carried on without it, I am now really into exercise but this came after I sorted out my diet and lost some weight. I just walked more!

Not wegovy at your size it's doable without so why risk side effects of a medication

How did you get on OP? I'm in the same dilemma.
I've a bmi of 29.2. Premenopausal and despite calorie counting nothing is shifting. Since Xmas I've lost 2lbs! It's never been this hard before. I've usually just skipped a few meals and it melts off. I'm not sure where to go with it.

You cannot exercise away a bad diet.
You will only lose weight by being in calorie deficit and unless you run marathons every day, exercise alone will not generate the deficit.
So can you sustain the calorie cutting without the help of one of the GLP drugs?
Also, the drugs won't make you lose weight. You have to eat less. The drug makes this a little easier by supressing apetite to a point and helping with cravings. But it is down to you eating less.

PT! You will benefit from feeling strong, energised, elevated mood, great muscle tone. It impacts so much else in your life. And learning to eatthe right amount of calories in healthy food is a life-long benefit.

I maintained a healthy weight for many years (despite being someone who seems generally prone to weight gain.
the pandemic and subsequent life stresses saw me put on 2.5 stones. Before this, I’d always been able to lose weight by cutting back on treats and being generally strict and ‘good’ for a while, but it just wasn’t happening. Even cutting out all sugar/alcohol and doing low carb for six weeks plus exercising 5 times a week. I actually gained weight!
I tried a PT, again, I gained weight and according to the fancy machine at our gym also lost muscle! I tried hard for theee years. Nothing worked.
I’ve been on wegovy for 5 months now and lost 2,5 stone. Even with wegovy, eating very little, and exercising it’s still been a very slow burn, at least it has actually happened though. I understand now that I have a large appetite and it’s incredibly hard to counteract that all day every day for long enough to lose weight. Once you’re over 40 weight loss can be so flipping slow even when you’re doing all the right things. You need to maintain that willpower of resisting appetite-cues. It’s very very hard without help.

The vast majority of weight loss comes from diet. Exercise is essential for health and does help; but on its on it's unlikely to shift a few stone without some serious dietary help: if you decide against injections then I recommend you look into whole foods low carb paleo or keto style eating. Done properly it gets rid of cravings and is super easy to follow.

Personally I'd spend the money on the injections and go running (free- all you need is a pair of trainers and couch to 5k) and do some online TV workouts (body weight HIIT. I can recommend you some good ones if you like, or head over to the exercise boards on here- this is also free assuming you have a Tv or laptop and a small area of space to exercise at home.) Once you've got the weight off and stop the injections you switch your expenditure to a PT who will help you maintain and build the muscle that your metabolism needs to ensure long term metabolic health and insulin sensitivity.

Those saying just eat less it's all diet etc, yes I completely get that. But I've been using my fitness pal for months. My calorie limit for my weight/height is 1200 a day (I'm tiny) It's miserable - someone larger than me could possibly eat 1600 a day and still lose weight.
I can't cut back any further, I'm already hungry. Realistically what do I do? Switch to low carb/intermittent fasting? My body doesn't need many calories to maintain my weight.

Definitely diet at your weight
These medications should only be used in extreme circumstances, they make people look thin but withered, they can't be right

Here's the big misconception about Wegovy. It's not indicated for weight management on its own.

It's indicated for weight management alongside diet and exercise.

Too many people want the quick fix or the easy option. It's not one or the other.

Diet & exercise. The exercise will make you stronger & healthier. I only know one person who’s taken wegovy. She's lost weight but looks gaunt & weak.

Yes I think you've answered your own question- everyone's base metabolic rate is different and if yours is low then look at low carb and intermittent (or longer) fasting. Dr mindy peltz is excellent with lots of free info for women about how to fast safely and in line with hormones and cycles.

Thank you @CardinalCat I'll take a look