Why are you NOT taking a weight loss drug?

[Carowe]

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?

I would love to do as I'm quite overweight it but not going to because of digestive system related side effects as already have several problems. Scary things like pancreatitis, gallstones, paralysed stomach, and even low level side effects such as diarrhoea and sulphur burping are not something I want to experience. Also, its expensive and the thought that I will have to pay a lot and, in effect, have a chance to ruin my health puts me off completely.

Sounds like it's been a positive experience for you. Do you mind me asking how much you lost and in what time period, and whether there's been any issue with sagging skin?! (That's my second concern!)

I completely understand why anyone would take these drugs- I am an emotional eater with a history of ED, and the thought of switching off the "food noise" and the constant obsessing about eating/not eating sounds absolutely amazing

But it also sounds terrifying to me! The fact that you inject something that manipulates your brain into thinking differently, and about something so specific... The possibilities of a drug like that is really frightening imo. Don't get me wrong, I've taken antidepressants, but they sort of made sense to me at the time because I'd suffered trauma and needed a general serotonin increase for a short amount of time. But something like this, that literally changes your mind about a certain thing (and a thing that's absolutely key in your survival). It feels so scary to me, literally a mind-altering drug.

It’s not dieting. I didn’t go on a diet. I did everything within my power to become healthy. There’s my achievement. After a run, a hiit class, a gym session, the feeling that I get when my blood pressure is always bang on perfect now.

i did that. Just me. I didn’t buy it. It’s worth so much more to do the work, mentally and emotionally as well as physically. That’s why claims that this drug is for “health” always strike a little hollow to me. It’s the journey; and changing your entire lifestyle through choices - not the size 10 dress, that matters.

I lost 3 stone over 30 weeks.
13st 7.8 to 10st 7.8 and have lost a bit more since stopping. My skin is fine. I guess 3 stone is not quite enough to have sagging issues.

And yep, my skin sags too after natural weight loss. That’s the scar you’ll carry for being overweight to start. I look at it everyday and thank it for reminding me to keep going.

If you’re looking at weight loss through an appearance only lens, there will always be the next imperfection to hyperfixate on. Do the mental health work and the fix the weight you’re carrying emotionally ✔️

I’m morbidly obese but I don’t over eat. In fact I’m regularly told I under eat. It’s just the fact that what I do eat is shit. The injections won’t help with that.

I overeat as a habit. A drug which stops me feeling hungry isn't going to stop me.

I no longer have a gallbladder and had an awful few hours of pain around the pancreas area after taking codeine recently which apparently can be an issue for a few people after gallbladder removal. After having had that I’m not going to risk anything that might irritate my pancreas.

Plus I am not great with meds , my rheumatologist swore current one wouldn’t affect weigh loss but it definitely has. I’m just starting to lose again really slowly , 0.2lb last week so I think I am better off not introducing anything further and do it through reducing intake.

I'm not saying take it, but it would stop you overeating because you would feel incredibly sick if you did and you wouldn't want to, food loses its appeal.

Side effects sound horrendous so I lost weight by intermittent fasting instead - I just needed to tell myself that feeling hungry is ok for years before so many diets are based on ‘and you won’t even feel hungry’ but actually you do need to feel hungry sometimes and that’s what literally worked for me.

The benefits of weight loss long term far outweigh what may or may not happen to your skin, it’s not the right way to look at it

I have an immediate family member who had pancreatic cancer. I know there are no links but having seen what they have been through, I don't think I would ever fuck with my pancreas. Their pancreas stopped working and they became emaciated, still find it very difficult to maintain weight. So my thinking is this drug works by in some way altering your pancreas and how you digest food.

The side effects listed for the drug are the same side effects you get when you first get pancreatic cancer.

I am in no way suggesting that the drug causes cancer - but for me seeing the brutality of health issues involving the pancreas I would never 'disrupt' it intentionally.

Outnumbered only by the posters who've come onto a thread about why we don't use injectibles, to tell us they use injectibles.

Apparently I am not overweight enough for a drug. My BMI is somewhere around 27.5. But it's creeping up so I'll get there in the end. It is ridiculous that I have to damage my health further to get help but so be it

Because I don’t want to? And likely they won’t be prescribed for me anyway. And I prob need something but not prepared for the side effects or the outlay. So will continue as I am. Likely the people who come on to say they aren’t fat are fat haters who just like to make everyone who is aware that they ate disgusting and lazy and it’s our own fault we are fat.

I lost my weight with Slimming World. It was a slow process, no more than a pound a week on average, but really positive experience. I stayed to group each week and made some really good friends. I don’t see food in the same way now. I’ve never counted calories, but work on the basis of half my meal being made up of fruit or veg, a quarter protein and a quarter carbohydrate. I don’t get hungry and don’t really think about food anymore.

No I don't feel light-headed because I'm not starving myself - even though I don't have much appetite I still ensure I eat around 1500 calories a day and a varied, nutritious diet. It's just a lot easier to do that consistently than it is without the drug.

As there is no evidence on long term effects, and it doesn’t necessarily improve your heath. You can still eat utter crap, just less of it.

But it is factor for lots of people and that's okay. Everyone has their reasons for wanting to lose weight. If you are literally not comfortable in your own skin after reaching goal, that could seriously impact your mental health. I know it would mine, not because I'm vain but because I struggle with low self-esteem in the first place.

That's exactly the point I'm making – I think for the vast majority of those using injectables, they're not doing the mental health work. They're just focused on the fast loss.

As you say, this is an issue whatever method of weight loss people use so it's not really specific to me.

People can use whatever method they want - this is working extremely well for me after many other things haven't.

because any intervention I have ever made including medication has been successful for a while then I am back where I started

because the human body is complicated and I suspect the only cure is prevention, once the metabolism is broken I am starting to think that it is permanently broken for most including me

I tried orlistat and that was the only intervention that was drugs and the only one with worse side effects that a ‘diet’ of some sort any sort

because I am out of trust in these diet and drug solutions which cause huge expectations and crashing failures and I think it’s better to aim for a stable
mind and body in terms of overall life experience

Cost
Side effects
Looking old
I've been very big in my life and I'm a binge eater but found a way that works for me and kept weight off for years

BUT I am so glad they exist for people who want to take them, so many health issues prevented by getting the weight off.

I don't think this is actually true.

You can only have this drug if you are prescribed it, and it comes alongside a discussion around lifestyle changes (even if you get it online it comes with advice that you need to change your lifestyle to make long term change).

Weight loss is complicated. Losing a few pounds/ a stone or two, after being unable to do so yourself for many years, can be the spark that is needed to get your body feeling better and get you feeling more positive, more energetic, more able to exercise, and like you actually care about your body more.

Weight and mental health often go hand in hand, and losing weight can be the trigger that empowers people.

Obviously some people regain the weight, but there are studies showing that many people do keep the weight loss off after stopping the drugs.

These drugs aren't for everyone and that's OK, but there's no need to demonise them either - they are really helping a lot of people.

https://www.webmd.com/obesity/news/20240124/many-patients-who-stop-weight-loss-drugs-keep-pounds-off-study