PSA- people losing weight on injectables ARE “doing the work”

[Anonymous]

I….don’t care how people lose weight?

The story above about the brownie is so bizarre. This can’t be how people think can it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think of Wegovy like putting on a pair of glasses. When you take them off, everything is blurry, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear them?? They make life easier for you and for everyone around you. Like how helpful could that brownie woman have been at the event if all she ever thought about were brownies? Now she can actually notice the world around her and make a positive contribution to society instead of just existing to eat more food.

But you are still that brownie woman inside. You haven’t changed any bad habits. What happens if you stop taking the drug?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They’re still spiritually fat.

[Anonymous]

My friend used/uses ozempic. She lost 25lbs because she felt nauseous all the time. She goes off the med - and then when she gains back 5lbs -- takes again -- feels nauseous -- loses the 5 -- over and over.

Just one person's experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I….don’t care how people lose weight?

The story above about the brownie is so bizarre. This can’t be how people think can it?

Yes, this is what people mean when they talk about food noise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I….don’t care how people lose weight?

The story above about the brownie is so bizarre. This can’t be how people think can it?

For some of us, yes. I’ve never related to a story as much as I did that one. It’s exactly what is happening in my head all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think of Wegovy like putting on a pair of glasses. When you take them off, everything is blurry, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear them?? They make life easier for you and for everyone around you. Like how helpful could that brownie woman have been at the event if all she ever thought about were brownies? Now she can actually notice the world around her and make a positive contribution to society instead of just existing to eat more food.

But you are still that brownie woman inside. You haven’t changed any bad habits. What happens if you stop taking the drug?

Plenty of people (including me) are taking the drug in combination with weight loss programs. Anybody who's serious about it is working on other changes; you almost have to in order to get enough nutrition and retain muscle. If people aren't doing this, that's a mistake, imo.

But I think the "what about when you stop" question is a bit disingenuous. The same question applies to stopping IF or keto or WW or smoking cessation programs but somehow those are ok.

[Anonymous]

I really don’t get these “moral” arguments. I was a chronic overeater who “did the hard work” to lose 45 lbs. If someone else is able to take a drug and also lose 45 lbs that’s great for them. It doesn’t negate my work or really have any effect on me.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many calories do you eat, OP? Do you have to track them or does it make you so not hungry that you can just eat intuitively?

I don’t track. But for example if I ordered an avocado toast with salmon, previously I’d devour the entire thing and still want dessert. Now, I will have like 1-2 bites of the bread and just eat the avocado, salmon, and sprouts or whatever is on the toast, and I’m filled up before I finish half. I have no dessert craving, and if I do, I just want a bite.

In one of my FB groups someone once talked about going to an event where brownies were served. She was helping to set up the event, and during the set up, all she could think about was when she could have a brownie. During the event itself, she was thinking about how she could pre-position herself at the table so that she could take another brownie. When the event was ending, she was thinking about how to take a brownie or two with her. I could relate to this and it’s such a relief to not feel this way.

+1

I get full quickly on just a fraction of what I could eat before. Previously I could overeat crazy amounts before feeling full.

And now I don’t think about food…until I’m hungry. Before I constantly thought about meals and snacks. And had various cravings. Now, it’s quiet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I know who’s on them says it’s like having constant low level nausea. No thanks. I’d rather be 20 lbs overweight. I experienced that enough when I was pregnant.

Nausea is a common side effect and I have experienced it as well. I do have a mini arsenal of meds to counter side effects. Zofran for nausea, Pepcid for heartburn, magnesium for regularity etc. For me personally, the side effects have been extremely manageable. I am someone who cannot stand being nauseous. I’ve experienced maybe 3-4 intermittent experiences with nausea in the 6 or so months I’ve been on meds. All of the side effects have been nbd for me, but ymmv. I am someone who despises being nauseous, so daily nausea for me would not be sustainable.

Sounds great! Did your doctor talk to you about the cardiac side effects of long term use of Zofran? Are you taking an SSRI? You could develop serotonin syndrome mixing those drugs.

Then of course there is the increasing risk of drug induced liver injury, especially in middle aged and older women, people with high BMI and disrupted gut biome - a healthy gut biome is fundamental to healthy processing of toxins in the body.

But hey, losing weight without really trying is worth all that, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I know who’s on them says it’s like having constant low level nausea. No thanks. I’d rather be 20 lbs overweight. I experienced that enough when I was pregnant.

Nausea is a common side effect and I have experienced it as well. I do have a mini arsenal of meds to counter side effects. Zofran for nausea, Pepcid for heartburn, magnesium for regularity etc. For me personally, the side effects have been extremely manageable. I am someone who cannot stand being nauseous. I’ve experienced maybe 3-4 intermittent experiences with nausea in the 6 or so months I’ve been on meds. All of the side effects have been nbd for me, but ymmv. I am someone who despises being nauseous, so daily nausea for me would not be sustainable.

Sounds great! Did your doctor talk to you about the cardiac side effects of long term use of Zofran? Are you taking an SSRI? You could develop serotonin syndrome mixing those drugs.

Then of course there is the increasing risk of drug induced liver injury, especially in middle aged and older women, people with high BMI and disrupted gut biome - a healthy gut biome is fundamental to healthy processing of toxins in the body.

But hey, losing weight without really trying is worth all that, right?

Oh sorry, I forgot to include the host of negative effects of taking proton pump inhibitors long term, among them the link to 44% increase in risk of developing dementia: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6372031/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They're doing the easy, lazy "work" to lose weight. You said it yourself that it was easier. Because it is entirely possible for them to lose weight without the meds, but it's harder to overcome that hurdle. And people who do, have done harder work.

What I worry about is that all the people taking these meds will still have a lot of mental/emotional things going on, that they're not dealing with. No one is obese because they just like food - there's something deeper that they need to untangle. And that deeper stuff isn't going to disappear just because you dropped some pants sizes.

2/3 of Americans are overweight or obese. Something else is going on than “deeper emotional stuff.” They can’t all be emotional overeaters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Posting this to dispel the misinformation that people on these meds are somehow cheating the system or taking the easy way out or whatever other rubbish is spouted here.

In order to lose weight, the patient MUST decrease food intake to create a calorie deficit. At a minimum.

To more successfully lose weight, the patient has to eat reasonably clean, hitting a protein goal an eating whole vegetables, meet a cardio goal, and lift weights to prevent muscle loss.

So basically, cutting calories, eating well, and exercise- the same as what a person not taking meds also does.

The medication, fundamentally, suppresses hunger. Yes, there are some other metabolic benefits in play, but basically, appetite suppression is the MAJOR benefit. The food digests more slowly, suppressing the hunger urge.

I don’t know the chemistry of why I personally am always thinking about food, and why I never feel satiety. Without meds, the stats for someone like me to successfully get to a healthy weight are around 1 percent.

With meds, my appetite is finally under control. Now I can make good choices and actually feel full. I can maintain a caloric deficit, and the snowball effect of the weight loss has me motivated to consistently make good choices and exercise too.

I’m “doing the work”. The meds make the work easier.

Unlike others on this board, I think it would be great if people needing to shed 20-30 vanity pounds could get the meds too! It’s hard to lose weight, and it’s great to have a med that can help you be successful.

Just read first few negative comments and want to post a message of support! Please don’t let them get you down. Keep up the good work! Whatever helps you reach the goal, good for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can do all that without the meds.

"I can remove cholesterol from my body without the meds."

"I can make insulin without the meds."

"I can control seizures without the meds."

"I can think my way out of depression without the meds."

Yes, a proper diet and moving one's body is sufficient to control cholesterol in all but a small subset of the population. Furthermore, emerging research brings into question the alleged negative role of elevated cholesterol. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220314120702.htm

Other than Type 1 diabetes, other acquired diabetes can be reversed entirely by proper diet and exercise. This is so commonly acknowledged I won't bother linking the research, you can Google it.

The ketogenic diet was first devised to control seizures in epileptics and is still used to treat the 1/3 of patients who don't respond to antiseizure medications, which by the way have significant side effects which many people might prefer to avoid in favor of the less significant side effects of a keto diet.

The research on the efficacy of diet, sleep and regular exercise and sun exposure to treat depression - equally effective to SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs - is voluminous. Again, feel free to Google that shit. And now there is new research which indicates that exercise is MORE EFFECTIVE than pharmacological and psychotherapeutic approaches: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/is-exercise-more-effective-than-medication-for-depression-and-anxiety