Anonymous wrote:OP here. Ok, so it seems like everyone is mad at me.

I didn’t name any snide remarks behind his back - never even said anything to my husband. Just mentioned on an anonymous board that the rapid difference was startling and disturbing.

Also, I’m in Manhattan with a high/nornal BMI - but that’s chubby for my cohort - no reason to lose weight for health reasons. The private practice docs here are just VERY quick to offer it here.

If someone here who is a trainer wants to make a lot of money you should start a program to optimize the health/fitness/wellness of people on wegovy. I think that they may have specific needs that are not being met by a doctors simply writing an Rx every few months.

Your friend’s health indicators like cholesterol, blood pressure and A1C have probably all improved. But you are complaining about his face and that he didn’t drink wine? You don’t seem like a “friend” at all, at least not a very nice one.

Yeah, any significant weight loss, especially if it is fairly quick, makes middle aged people look haggard. This has happened to a couple acquaintances I know. I’m torn between is it cancer or weight loss meds. I don’t ever inquire or bring up their weight loss

I've lost that much, slowly, and my face looks great, "face gains" as they say.
I wasn't on any meds and it took a while, lost 1.2 lbs a week on average.
Hopefully your friends face will bounce back with time.

What you are seeing is not a result of Wegovy. It is a result of rapid weight loss. It would happen no matter how the weight was lost.

And as others said, it isn't about you and you have no idea why your friend chose to lose the weight. Assume they decided it was what was best for their overall health and that their physical appearance is not the driver.

I lost 40 lbs without medication and it was too much weight loss - I looked better after gaining back 15 lbs, even though that put me on the edge of an "overweight" BMI. Increased protein and strength training are important when you're losing weight, but they don't help your face.

I also was no fun when dieting and exercise were my whole life - and they had to be my whole life in order to lose weight and keep it off. I ultimately couldn't keep it up post-kids and gained it all back plus more. I'm on Wegovy now and it's really nice to just not think about food. I never drank a lot but I don’t at all now: don’t want it. I would not have split an entree with you but I would have taken mine home in a doggie bag. It's good that your friend is listening to his hunger cues.

I had a friend lose 40 lbs without these drugs (they weren't out) and she also looked awful. It's the weight loss. They need fillers and sometimes more to make up for the fat loss in their face. It's called "ozempic face"

I think some people lose weight so fast that their skin doesn’t catch up and that’s why you have a haggard and older look. But, it’s one of the give-and-take between weight loss and looking old.

OP here. Ok, so it seems like everyone is mad at me.

I didn’t name any snide remarks behind his back - never even said anything to my husband. Just mentioned on an anonymous board that the rapid difference was startling and disturbing.

Also, I’m in Manhattan with a high/nornal BMI - but that’s chubby for my cohort - no reason to lose weight for health reasons. The private practice docs here are just VERY quick to offer it here.

If someone here who is a trainer wants to make a lot of money you should start a program to optimize the health/fitness/wellness of people on wegovy. I think that they may have specific needs that are not being met by a doctors simply writing an Rx every few months.

Guess what, it wasn’t fun to go to dinner with me when I lost of lot of weight from unmedicated dieting and I looked the same.

He may be dealing with unpleasant side effects that make him throw up or have the runs, which can definitely make someone look rough from dehydration for a few days. But that will pass.

People with weight issues really can’t win. You’re mad at us if we’re overweight. You’re mad at us if we have to be “less fun” to diet, like not going to dinner at the first place. This poor man is losing weight AND going to dinner with you and you’re still giving him a hard time and making snide remarks behind his back about his face.

I'm against these drugs too (for myself), but this post is kind of mean. Everyone knows looking older and weird could be a result of losing weight. We're all trying to do the best we can. I imagine anyone big enough to use these drugs is already quite self conscious.

When you're on Wegovy, you should be increasing your protein intake and exercising. Also, I think the fact that your friend looks old is unrelated to Wegovy...it's just what happens often when people lose a lot of weight. I think Wegovy can make people feel sick at the beginning, but the side effects generally get better with time.

I wouldn’t use your one friend’s experience and your perception of it as your reasoning for not doing your research in bettering your own health.

Since your doctor offered it to you as a solution, then that is who you should talk to about your specific situation. If you don’t trust your doctor, then that is another issue.

If he’s happy, be happy for him. You’ll get used to his new look. It’s not about you.

This sounds a little like seeing what you want to see to stay chubby and avoid trying these meds. It’s true that a fat face does keep people looking younger, but if you are so fat that you look truly different on these meds, you probably did need to lose the weight for health. You can do what you want, but most people I know on these meds don’t feel sick after an initial adjustment and can have a drink at dinner if they want.

I just saw a friend for the first time since he started wegovy 4 months ago - he’s thrilled with the results, but to me he looks terrible! He has lost a lot of weight but his face looks a decade+ older - almost like a different person. He also seems sad - we had to share an entree since eating makes him feel sick, and he wouldn't have a glass of wine. Usually he’s snarky and funny, but he was so subdued - in part because he said he feels low-grade sick to his stomach all the time.

I understand that this is a healthier number on the scale, but my friend has a bigger stockier build and just looks haggard now - in contrast, my husband has a thinner build and is also very thin, but that visually “makes sense.”

Of course I told my friend that he looks great, but I found myself averting my eyes to avoid looking at his face at dinner. He looks sickly. And he says he still wants to lose 8-10 pounds more!

I am chubby, and my doctor asked me if I wanted a prescription for wegovy.

But I don’t really want to look like that or feel sick/sad all the time. Are there some sort of guidelines for protein intake and exercise? Are there specific exercise routines that can mitigate this? My friend says he’s been ramping up his dose over time. If you stay on a low dose rather than ramping up do you still feel so ill?