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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Why are you NOT taking a weight loss drug?

203 replies

Carowe · 11/06/2024 14:09

I’ve lost nearly 20 pounds by intermittent fasting and cutting calories right down to 1300. Plus I’ve upped the exercise.

I made the decision not to use a weight loss drug as the side effects of nausea,
abdomen pain, vomiting and diarrhoea sound horrific. I had a friend who said she shot the bed. That is just not something I could tolerate or risk as a germphobe.

Plus there have been a few people who said it made their anxiety worse which is not something I can play around with due to generalised anxiety disorder.

However, I have my weak moments like now where my brain is just obsessing over food (god I want a jam doughnut). And my goal seems so far away.

What are your reasons?

OP posts:
ThursdayLastWeek · 11/06/2024 18:21

I agree with the poster who suggests that they don’t help a person address the why.

overwork · 11/06/2024 18:24

Same as a previous poster, I think with some of these things there is a small risk of long term side effects which we don't yet know about. I'm overweight but not obese (probably wouldn't qualify for it tbh!) and therefore don't want to take the risk when for myself it would be for vanity rather than necessity. I wouldn't bat an eyelid if someone I knew took it - they would have presumably weighed up the pros and cons for themselves and decided it was worthwhile.

EmmaPeele · 11/06/2024 18:25

What does your BMI have to be to be allowed these please?

Menora · 11/06/2024 18:28

ThursdayLastWeek · 11/06/2024 18:21

I agree with the poster who suggests that they don’t help a person address the why.

People get very bothered when you talk about this though I get shot down all the time for bringing it up as relevant.

sugarisbad · 11/06/2024 18:34

Don't think it's a good idea to ingest artificial chemicals as we don't know the long term effects .
I cut out sugar -minimal carbs don't eat before 1pm and have dinner at 8pm .
Really upped protein and veg /salad .
Walk my dog more ,which has also improved my mental health .

Lost 4 stone and feel great !
(That said -I am now halfway through my evening walk having a cold glass of white wine in the riverside pub which is half way round )-naughty !!

sugarisbad · 11/06/2024 18:35

Oh and as others have said -you need to find a way of life that you can maintain going forward ,and that means making changes that work for you (most of the time )-hence the white wine

autumn1610 · 11/06/2024 18:39

family history of thyroid cancer is what’s stopping me. It’s not worth the risk even though I am really struggling to loose weight

user1984778379202 · 11/06/2024 19:02

tobee · 11/06/2024 17:29

It's interesting how people feel like this about weight. Would you feel the same way about having to take meds for depression? I think there's a lot of guilt attached to overeating and the idea we should just control ourselves. I don't know maybe we should? But if it's not working and we are giving ourselves health issues?

If I took meds for depression and came off them there's a real risk I'd succumb again, so yes, for me it's the same. I've never taken meds for my anxiety and have instead had CBT counselling. I'm all about getting to the root cause.

determinedtomakethiswork · 11/06/2024 19:05

Inextremis · 11/06/2024 17:53

Expense. Fear of needles. Being 65 (today, HB to me!) and fairly used to being fat. The existence of elasticated waistbands :)

Edited

You don't feel the need at all. It's been life changing for me already.

usernother · 11/06/2024 19:18

OP I've had a bit of nausea at times but I haven't had any of the other side effects you mentioned and I've been taking saxenda then wegovy for over a year.

usernother · 11/06/2024 19:20

HamBagelNoCheese · 11/06/2024 17:59

I dont eat because I'm hungry so not sure that an appetite suppressant will do the job!

I didn't either but these injections have worked for me. It's very hard to explain but you just don't want to eat as much.

Alainlechat · 11/06/2024 19:27

Honestly I thought it was only for people with a lot of weight to lose. Only realised reading threads on here that I would have qualified as my BMI had got to 30 being 5'7 and 13:12.

As it was I did the Fast 800 and then calorie counting. Lost 30lbs since Feb.

I think I would be concerned that as soon as I stopped the injections I would put the weight back on.

I have cut my own food noise by reducing sugar and upfs.

LemonCitron · 11/06/2024 19:31

I just don't like the idea of taking them and it doesn't feel 'natural'. And yes @tobee I would feel the same way about antidepressants if I needed them. I didn't like being on the pill either.

SauronsArsehole · 11/06/2024 19:34

Like other weight loss fixes it’s not going to solve the real issues of why we overeat or help build the lifelong habits needed.

for some it’s just poor diet.

others it’s PCOS and research into that would be better spent. or trauma or genetics or just plain old not giving a damn.

for me my weight is trauma and stress related. I grew up in poverty, starved and was constantly hungry. Food is a trigger and a big issue. I have a teen who eats everything. This is a stress for me. There’s no quick fix.

I am being patient with myself.

I’ve upped protein intake and reduced carbs.
I eat apples and oranges for breakfast sometimes Greek yoghurt and berries and the majority of my meals are steak, chicken or fish with a side salad and vegetables.

I have a side of pickles with everything. Onions, gherkins or cabbage etc.

basically my plate is a piece of meat. A combo of raw, cooked and pickled veg. Occasionally half a cup of rice or piece of bread/flatbread/roll. Sometimes the just have soup. I do eat well I’m not deprived but I’m being deliberate about my choices.

I drink coffee with sugar in it. I drink water. Squash. I don’t drink alcohol.

I don’t buy uktra processed foods anymore. This is what was every present in childhood and to change my relationship with food and I have to stop eating the crap I was fed that never was enough. Mostly vegetables and meat atm.

I make sure to eat at a table every single time. No drive through. No eating and walking. Picnics are OK. I have to be sat and not distracted.

I’m working on the hungry feeling. Being hungry coming up to a mealtime is normal. Feeling hungry is a stressor but I’m purposefully letting myself be hungry and telling myself I have food to eat later. There’s money and there is food and I’ll be ok. It doesn’t always work but I’m not binging and I am calmer about the hungry feeling. Less panic.

the diet and eating habits are so much more important that exercise. I’ll be doing that soon for health and fitness not weight. I walk atm and that’s better than most things.

tillyandmilly · 11/06/2024 19:40

Long term effects of these drugs - I am doing 16 hour fasting and keeping calories below 1,688 - losing 1lb each week slowly but surely!

Claloulat · 11/06/2024 19:49

I quit them due to side effects. I'd had enough of feeling sick and being sick. I gained back 12lbs shockingly quickly (out of the 1 stone 13lbs I lost on them). I was also worried about gastoparecis (paralysed stomach) issues some people have reported as a serious side effect.

They definitely work and I wish I hadn't been so ill on them. I'm struggling to get this weight off on my own.

zaffa · 11/06/2024 19:53

Carowe · 11/06/2024 14:09

I’ve lost nearly 20 pounds by intermittent fasting and cutting calories right down to 1300. Plus I’ve upped the exercise.

I made the decision not to use a weight loss drug as the side effects of nausea,
abdomen pain, vomiting and diarrhoea sound horrific. I had a friend who said she shot the bed. That is just not something I could tolerate or risk as a germphobe.

Plus there have been a few people who said it made their anxiety worse which is not something I can play around with due to generalised anxiety disorder.

However, I have my weak moments like now where my brain is just obsessing over food (god I want a jam doughnut). And my goal seems so far away.

What are your reasons?

Completely not the point but I do take a med (Mounjaro) and I am so much less anxious than I was before I started.

3luckystars · 11/06/2024 19:53

user1471522343 · 11/06/2024 14:21

My BMI isn’t high enough. If i could get a hold of them I’d be on them like a shot.

Same.

LizzieBennett73 · 11/06/2024 20:01

I'm open mouthed that people are using such drugs without medical supervision. I'm type 2 diabetic and have lost 4 stone the hard way - can't tolerate starchy carbs without blood sugar going through the roof which has helped. I don't have any choice other than to eat "clean" as I do because I value my eyesight and circulation.

I'm off most of my medication and feel a huge sense of achievement having done it.

beesbuzzing · 11/06/2024 20:04

I read they can increase your heart rate. I don't have any heart problems but occasionally get palpitations and I wouldn't want to potentially add to that.

Also, I've always been the ornery person who refuses to jump on a bandwagon. I prefer to wait, see what some of the longer term impacts are.

INeedAMumMoan · 11/06/2024 20:18

Because I have IBS. The chance of shitting myself is daily possibility🤭 without adding another drug into the mix!
im morbidly obese so if I could stay at home I’d probably take it but I have to work…

puik · 11/06/2024 20:25

I am afraid of the side effects. Also my weight is because I was drinking too much beer and didn't do any sport. I stopped drinking beer and started to run. I don't really snack and eat twice a day.
I am on mental health meds that cause weight gain.

So now I will see where I get with running and stopping beer.

StrawPony · 11/06/2024 20:26

It is the cost factor for me. If these drugs were available a decade ago, before I was a single parent, before brexit and the cost of living crisis, I would be trying them. As it is, I am trying my best to stick to a fasting routine, this is free (or actually a cost benefit if you’re not eating 2/3 days per week).

iwasenchanted2meetu · 11/06/2024 20:30

Risk of pancreatitis, side effects, and the kind of relationship it makes people have with food. People unable to enjoy the foods they like because of pain when trying to eat a bigger portion. No good feelings when you do eat a treat ect because your body is trained to drown out the noise of food. I know for many that's the plus but I would feel massively unfulfilled if I couldn't enjoy one large much wanted meal for the rest of my life

User1979289 · 11/06/2024 20:31

DB did and it ruined his sex life and made him depressed.