Will Ozempic and other drugs like it eliminate obesity?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:For those who have taken the medication, I'm wondering what it actually does and how it makes you feel and eat differently. Like, did you go from being physically hungry all day every day to having very little appetite whatsoever? Did you formerly crave junk food or were you already eating pretty healthy? If you used to eat unhealthy food, did the medicine take away that craving and make you crave healthy foods, or did it sort of reduce your interest in all foods equally? If you used to eat healthy food but were still overweight, is it because you ate large quantities of food or did you track your intake pretty carefully and gained regardless? Do you forget to eat or have to remind yourself to eat now? Is it like surgery where you can only eat a small quantity at a time now?

I’m answering for a dear friend not me, but what I saw with her was that she was a volume eater. Her diet was quite healthy—her fridge always looked better than mine, and I lived with her for awhile and I know she eats very healthy. But she eats a lot, because she’s never satiated. So for instance we might eat a dinner together of grilled salmon, broccoli, and maybe a side of couscous. But she would eat probably 1/3rd more than me, and also be hungry again an hour later whereas I would still be full. She didn’t tend to eat a lot of sweets, but if she did, she would struggle to stop (which is why she avoided them). Pre-Wegovy she was probably about 70 lbs overweight.

Wegovy changed all of that. She’s simply not hungry. She still eats healthy, but I would say she is consuming less than half of what she ate before. She’s had some minor gastrointestinal side effects according to her but nothing bad. She has lost over 60 lbs. The other thing that is interesting is that she always suffered from joint stiffness and facial flushing, and struggled with skin irritation. That all started to go away almost immediately, before she lost any significant weight. Her theory is that she has suffered for a long time from some sort of systemic inflammation that this drug has controlled.

She had to suddenly go off of it because of supply chain issues for a few months and her desire to eat a lot more came roaring back. She gained weight during that time, which she lost when the supply chain resolved.

The psychological aspects have been intense because she’s had to come to grip with how much of her overeating and weight gain was a physiological issue, not the moral failing she’d always been told it was. She’s dealt with a great deal of anger at people much like the “just have discipline” people in this thread. Turns out weight has nothing to do with discipline. It’s very easy to maintain a healthy weight if your body isn’t driven to consume calories. So, she’s been going through therapy to help her come to grips with the history of shame and self-loathing that she’s realized she’s directed at herself for nothing. (As her friend watching this up close, I am angry myself, having realized what an absolute load of nonsense we’ve been peddled by snake oil salespeople like the trainer who was posting up thread. The diet and wellness industry is such a poisonous blight. But I digress.)

She’s always been an exerciser and has continued that. She’s able to bike up steeper hills now because she isn’t carrying as much weight.

She views this as a lifelong drug.

To say heathy eating and exercise doesn’t require discipline is simple not true though.

There are extremes like your friend, where they impulsively eat and simply cannot help it. And then those at the other end that are are “naturally thin” with little desire for food and eating beyond exactly what their body burns. But the vast majority of people fall somewhere in between and have to exercise discipline, good choices, commitment to health, and set restraint

It sounds like her friend did exercise discipline and commitment to health to the best of her abilities. This medicine gives her more ability. Why are you opposed to making someone else's journey a little easier?

Not opposed at all. Simply stating that implying that everyone that is overweight or obese has a brain disorder making them totally unable to have any control on their eating simply isn’t true- for most. There isn’t enough medication out there to dose out to everyone that is overweight

No one said that. You’re really confused. People’s bodies are telling them to eat more than they should. Their brain/body is directing them to reach and stay at too high a weight. You are making it sound like people are claiming it’s unbridled chaos. No. It’s the same regulation normal weight people have, it’s just regulating to too high a weight.

Please explain more. When I over eat I gain weight. When I need to lose weight my brain tells me I'm hungry. Instead of grabbing a burger and fries I eat whole foods that fill me, but are lower calories. Everytime my brain says eat, I eat, but choose foods that are healthy and lower calories. A result is I lose weight. Couldn't the people whose bodies are regulating high do the same thing and lose? Especially if exercise is a part of their lifestyle.

Why can’t depressed people just choose to be happy? That’s what I do. If my brain is telling me to be sad, I just think about happy things until I’m not sad. Especially people who meditate as part of their lifestyle, like I do. Why do people need antidepressants? I don’t, I just use mental discipline and choose to be happy. Why can’t people do what I do instead of taking antidepressants? Please explain.

(Obviously I don’t actually believe anything this simplistic.)

Nonsense. Every obese person is not obese due to the way their brain works. Before these drugs people lost weight. Look at Jennifer Hudson. She changed they way she ate and has maintained a healthy weight for years.

She had bariatric surgery, my judgmental friend.

But I love how you can’t address the merits of the argument, you are just flailing for random celebrities.

So many on this thread said the surgery doesn't work. If she did have the surgery (I'm not her doctor so I don't know. How do you know?) she has also made lifestyle changes to maintain.

Surgery does work well, I don’t know where you got that. It isn’t perfect, and obesity is a chronic disease that even people who had surgery will need to manage for the rest of their lives. My DH had the sleeve 11 years ago, and in the past 3 years has had to track his calories and do WeightWatchers. It works for him now, whereas before the surgery he was never able to maintain a loss - it was relentless gaining. He’s now a more normal chubby dude who can control his weight through diet.

+1
Literally nobody on this thread said “surgery doesn’t work.” That PP can’t even read. It’s sad.

[Anonymous]

Jennifer Hudson and Weight Watchers “broke up” after WW paid her a ton of money to shill for them. It was supposedly contentious and one of the rumors was that she didn’t tell them she’d had surgery and they were worried about the truth getting out.

[Anonymous]

https://people.com/health/iowa-mom-drops-100-lbs-after-doctor-warns-she-wouldnt-walk-by-60-beyond-the-scale/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who have taken the medication, I'm wondering what it actually does and how it makes you feel and eat differently. Like, did you go from being physically hungry all day every day to having very little appetite whatsoever? Did you formerly crave junk food or were you already eating pretty healthy? If you used to eat unhealthy food, did the medicine take away that craving and make you crave healthy foods, or did it sort of reduce your interest in all foods equally? If you used to eat healthy food but were still overweight, is it because you ate large quantities of food or did you track your intake pretty carefully and gained regardless? Do you forget to eat or have to remind yourself to eat now? Is it like surgery where you can only eat a small quantity at a time now?

I’m answering for a dear friend not me, but what I saw with her was that she was a volume eater. Her diet was quite healthy—her fridge always looked better than mine, and I lived with her for awhile and I know she eats very healthy. But she eats a lot, because she’s never satiated. So for instance we might eat a dinner together of grilled salmon, broccoli, and maybe a side of couscous. But she would eat probably 1/3rd more than me, and also be hungry again an hour later whereas I would still be full. She didn’t tend to eat a lot of sweets, but if she did, she would struggle to stop (which is why she avoided them). Pre-Wegovy she was probably about 70 lbs overweight.

Wegovy changed all of that. She’s simply not hungry. She still eats healthy, but I would say she is consuming less than half of what she ate before. She’s had some minor gastrointestinal side effects according to her but nothing bad. She has lost over 60 lbs. The other thing that is interesting is that she always suffered from joint stiffness and facial flushing, and struggled with skin irritation. That all started to go away almost immediately, before she lost any significant weight. Her theory is that she has suffered for a long time from some sort of systemic inflammation that this drug has controlled.

She had to suddenly go off of it because of supply chain issues for a few months and her desire to eat a lot more came roaring back. She gained weight during that time, which she lost when the supply chain resolved.

The psychological aspects have been intense because she’s had to come to grip with how much of her overeating and weight gain was a physiological issue, not the moral failing she’d always been told it was. She’s dealt with a great deal of anger at people much like the “just have discipline” people in this thread. Turns out weight has nothing to do with discipline. It’s very easy to maintain a healthy weight if your body isn’t driven to consume calories. So, she’s been going through therapy to help her come to grips with the history of shame and self-loathing that she’s realized she’s directed at herself for nothing. (As her friend watching this up close, I am angry myself, having realized what an absolute load of nonsense we’ve been peddled by snake oil salespeople like the trainer who was posting up thread. The diet and wellness industry is such a poisonous blight. But I digress.)

She’s always been an exerciser and has continued that. She’s able to bike up steeper hills now because she isn’t carrying as much weight.

She views this as a lifelong drug.

To say heathy eating and exercise doesn’t require discipline is simple not true though.

There are extremes like your friend, where they impulsively eat and simply cannot help it. And then those at the other end that are are “naturally thin” with little desire for food and eating beyond exactly what their body burns. But the vast majority of people fall somewhere in between and have to exercise discipline, good choices, commitment to health, and set restraint

It sounds like her friend did exercise discipline and commitment to health to the best of her abilities. This medicine gives her more ability. Why are you opposed to making someone else's journey a little easier?

Not opposed at all. Simply stating that implying that everyone that is overweight or obese has a brain disorder making them totally unable to have any control on their eating simply isn’t true- for most. There isn’t enough medication out there to dose out to everyone that is overweight

No one said that. You’re really confused. People’s bodies are telling them to eat more than they should. Their brain/body is directing them to reach and stay at too high a weight. You are making it sound like people are claiming it’s unbridled chaos. No. It’s the same regulation normal weight people have, it’s just regulating to too high a weight.

Please explain more. When I over eat I gain weight. When I need to lose weight my brain tells me I'm hungry. Instead of grabbing a burger and fries I eat whole foods that fill me, but are lower calories. Everytime my brain says eat, I eat, but choose foods that are healthy and lower calories. A result is I lose weight. Couldn't the people whose bodies are regulating high do the same thing and lose? Especially if exercise is a part of their lifestyle.

Why can’t depressed people just choose to be happy? That’s what I do. If my brain is telling me to be sad, I just think about happy things until I’m not sad. Especially people who meditate as part of their lifestyle, like I do. Why do people need antidepressants? I don’t, I just use mental discipline and choose to be happy. Why can’t people do what I do instead of taking antidepressants? Please explain.

(Obviously I don’t actually believe anything this simplistic.)

Nonsense. Every obese person is not obese due to the way their brain works. Before these drugs people lost weight. Look at Jennifer Hudson. She changed they way she ate and has maintained a healthy weight for years.

She had bariatric surgery, my judgmental friend.

But I love how you can’t address the merits of the argument, you are just flailing for random celebrities.

Now do Drew Carey.

Also had surgery. And Al Roker.

Citation about Drew Carey?

Don't worry, there are many people living in an alternate reality on this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know our society is messed up when people popping pills to lose weight are accusing those talking about healthy eating habits of being mentally ill. They are talking like they are actually psychologists. For some reason they are unable to separate a general discussion about obesity with their personal situation.

+1. And they are very rude, nasty and angry. Is that a side effect of the meds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know our society is messed up when people popping pills to lose weight are accusing those talking about healthy eating habits of being mentally ill. They are talking like they are actually psychologists. For some reason they are unable to separate a general discussion about obesity with their personal situation.

+1. And they are very rude, nasty and angry. Is that a side effect of the meds?

The only people I see being rude, nasty, and angry on this thread are the posters enraged that obese people may have a treatment for obesity that finally works. I think people like you have developed a serious victim complex and may have their own mental health struggles to address, but that doesn’t excuse the rudeness you’ve shown.

FWIW I’m in good shape and not obese.

[Anonymous]

I loooove Ozempic. Down 60 pounds. Eat whatever I want. It’s truly a miracle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://people.com/health/iowa-mom-drops-100-lbs-after-doctor-warns-she-wouldnt-walk-by-60-beyond-the-scale/

People magazine? That’s about as useful as the NYT link from 1999 posted further up thread.

I will note the people in favor of use of Ozempic for treatment of obesity in this thread posted a link to a supportive 2023 paper published in Nature.

I will leave it as an exercise for the reader to decide which posters have scientific credibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I loooove Ozempic. Down 60 pounds. Eat whatever I want. It’s truly a miracle.

How are the side effects?

[Anonymous]

How to handle a variety of health issues:

blood pressure: lifestyle changes and/or medication
cholesterol: lifestyle changes and/or medication
anxiety: lifestyle changes and/or medication
erectile dysfunction: lifestyle changes and/or medication
diabetes: lifestyle changes and/or medication
depression: lifestyle changes and/or medication
obesity: lifestyle changes and/or medication

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How to handle a variety of health issues:

blood pressure: lifestyle changes and/or medication
cholesterol: lifestyle changes and/or medication
anxiety: lifestyle changes and/or medication
erectile dysfunction: lifestyle changes and/or medication
diabetes: lifestyle changes and/or medication
depression: lifestyle changes and/or medication
obesity: lifestyle changes and/or medication

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://people.com/health/iowa-mom-drops-100-lbs-after-doctor-warns-she-wouldnt-walk-by-60-beyond-the-scale/

People magazine? That’s about as useful as the NYT link from 1999 posted further up thread.

I will note the people in favor of use of Ozempic for treatment of obesity in this thread posted a link to a supportive 2023 paper published in Nature.

I will leave it as an exercise for the reader to decide which posters have scientific credibility.

Have the scientists determined the cause of obesity? It's a fascinating subject and I love that we have so many bright people working on cracking the code.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loooove Ozempic. Down 60 pounds. Eat whatever I want. It’s truly a miracle.

How are the side effects?

They were a bit worse in the beginning, maybe the first couple months I could get really nauseated and vomit if I ate when I wasn’t hungry. I was also really sensitive to smells so anything could send me gagging which would make me throw up. I had some wicked heartburn a couple times.

Now the only lingering side effect is mildly increased flatulence, majorly increased burping (this is due to the delayed gastric emptying effect, food basically begins to rot before it is digested) but that’s abated a lot too. BMs can be unpredictable. Overall 100% worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know our society is messed up when people popping pills to lose weight are accusing those talking about healthy eating habits of being mentally ill. They are talking like they are actually psychologists. For some reason they are unable to separate a general discussion about obesity with their personal situation.

Yeah…that was super bizarre. I really am confused about talking about heathy eating and lifestyle habits as it relates to obesity get turned into insults about being mentally ill and jealous of people on weight loss drugs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know our society is messed up when people popping pills to lose weight are accusing those talking about healthy eating habits of being mentally ill. They are talking like they are actually psychologists. For some reason they are unable to separate a general discussion about obesity with their personal situation.

+1. And they are very rude, nasty and angry. Is that a side effect of the meds?

The only people I see being rude, nasty, and angry on this thread are the posters enraged that obese people may have a treatment for obesity that finally works. I think people like you have developed a serious victim complex and may have their own mental health struggles to address, but that doesn’t excuse the rudeness you’ve shown.

FWIW I’m in good shape and not obese.

That's some serious projection right there. You have several overweight posters literally doing nothing except calling people names. You are the one who wants to be a victim. Whenever someone talks about diet or exercise at all, they are accused of fat shaming.