Those who have weaned off of BP and cholesterol meds after using a GLP1 and losing weight, if you lost the same amount of weight without taking a GLP1 do you think your BP and cholesterol would have come down similarly? Or does the GLP1 help with those conditions independent of weight loss?

I’ve lost 30 lbs without taking a GLP1, but my BP and cholesterol are still high (I take meds for them) and I am still borderline pre-diabetic. I have 10 more lbs to lose and planned to just keep at it via diet and exercise, but if a GLP1 can help reduce my BP, cholesterol and blood sugar, I feel I should try it.

Anonymous wrote:I probably need to lose 50 lbs more. I have been doing it myself. I am not opposed to taking a glp1 but should I if I can do it without it? I don't want to be on it for life. I have many friends who are doing it and look amazing. So it gave me the motivation to just try on my own and it's working. I just started eating less and exercising more. I was eating too many desserts so I just cut those off. I think I can continue it for now. What am I missing in making the decision?

Are all those friends eating healthy and living healthy active lifestyles? Or are they relying on the meds and eating whatever they want? Do you want to spend the additional money on meds the rest of your life?

As one other poster noted, doing it without the meds can be a source of pride and success doing it on your own can be a great motivator to keep at it. You started by cutting desserts. Now you've progressed to eating less and exercising more -- good things....that you might not have done on meds??

Despite all the hoopla and success stories, I personally don't think there's enough long-term scientific information about possible long term effects not yet evident. Weight isn't everything. People can be a proper weight and still have health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, whatever.

I've been stuck at 20# loss for a few years. I'm sure meds would help; but I'm still not ready for two reasons (1) I know I'd feel better about myself doing it without and (2) as noted above, unknown potential negative long-term impacts. With or without, I think a healthy lifestyle and diet is important. Our biggest obstacle, imo, is the food industry. As long as we continue to lack real (and affordable) non-highly processed choices, chemicals and preservatives and whatever else is in our food is going to keep making us sick. Everyone just wants a quick fix to the problem, rather than solving the cause of a problem.

I assume if you have other severe uncontrolled conditions right now, your doctor would be encouraging the weight loss as fast as possible regardless of how. You don't indicate that's the case; so my suggestion is to keep doing it yourself and do as much as you possibly can on your own. There is a degree of satisfaction knowing you did it the hard way v your friends taking the quick and easy way. Just don't feel pressured because so many others around you have done it.

Walk briskly for one hour a day either when you wake up or after dinner. This will help regardless of what you choose with med/no meds

Anonymous wrote:I probably need to lose 50 lbs more. I have been doing it myself. I am not opposed to taking a glp1 but should I if I can do it without it? I don't want to be on it for life. I have many friends who are doing it and look amazing. So it gave me the motivation to just try on my own and it's working. I just started eating less and exercising more. I was eating too many desserts so I just cut those off. I think I can continue it for now. What am I missing in making the decision?

If you don't want to be on a GLP1 for life, then you will want to "do it without it." The research is pretty clear at this point that people gain all of the weight back if they go off it, and that the drug, as a treatment for obesity, is going to be a lifetime medication. Regular diets are the similar of course, in that the weight comes back for most people, but simply reducing calories without the med will perhaps be less likely to wreck your metabolism (although there is still some effect on your metabolism, of course, you can't stay in a calorie deficit for like a year or longer with no effect -- ask me how I know, sigh).

I have lost over 60lbs twice just with diet and exercise, but gained it back within a year or two both times. I finally tried a GLP1, and have lost 75lbs and gotten to a "normal" bmi. I'm glad I did it, and plan to stay on it for life, but it hasn't been a cake walk (lots of side effects). And strength exercise is probably even more important on a GLP1 than on any kind of dieting without it. I spent most of my life quite skinny and gained a lot of weight due to a medication, so YMMV.

Why use a drug if you can get away with not using one?

My friend spends the day puking every week on Wednesday when she takes the shot. She is thin, though, so I suppose it's worth it. I am losing 25lbs the old fashioned way. I'm down 5 in month one and I anticipate it will take until late spring to lose the rest. I gained the weight due to emotional eating and binging. I never had a problem with weight or food. I am working through my depression and losing weight on my own is a source of pride and self confidence.

Anonymous wrote:I get not wanting to be on something forever, but depending on your conditions you might end up on a statin or some other drug forever, so why not a microdose of a GLP1?

Great work with the first 20 - those are generally the easiest. It gets harder and takes longer for the next phase. The formula isn't hard - eat WAY less, no booze, very few carbs, at least 90 minutes of intense exercise daily.

And even with that maybe you'll get 1/2 lb a week. There's a good reason everyone is on some dose of these.

not everyone is the same. i lost 80lbs on my own without GLP (i am the OP of that thread). for me, the first 20 lbs were the hardest. but i also lost them very quickly so that was very motivating. the last 10 lbs were kind of difficult in a sense that they came of much more slowly but by that point i was already looking pretty great so it i wasn't demoralized.

If what you are doing is working, stick with it. For me, I worked hard to watch what I ate and exercised and lost 25 pounds in 2 years. I was on high blood pressure meds, had high cholesterol still and had to take daily meds for severe reflux.

Then came the GLP1 and I’ve lost 45 pounds in less than a year, exercising even more and adding in a nutritionist. I’m no longer on blood pressure meds and no longer need the reflux meds. I still have weight to lose to reach a healthy BMI but I am so much healthier than I was before.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get not wanting to be on something forever, but depending on your conditions you might end up on a statin or some other drug forever, so why not a microdose of a GLP1?

Great work with the first 20 - those are generally the easiest. It gets harder and takes longer for the next phase. The formula isn't hard - eat WAY less, no booze, very few carbs, at least 90 minutes of intense exercise daily.

And even with that maybe you'll get 1/2 lb a week. There's a good reason everyone is on some dose of these.

Thanks for the advice. I get that. It would be a lot easier for me. This is why I am considering it. Does taking a glp1 mean I won't need to take diabetes or blood pressure drugs? The glp1 replaces these drugs?

I am a different poster. 4 months on a glp1 has taken me out of the pre diabetic range and reduced my blood pressure to normal so I am weaning off of bp meds. Ideally, I would love to be healthy weight without using anything, but I have come to accept that I need the help. If I have to stay something forever, I would much rather be on a glp-1.

Anonymous wrote:I get not wanting to be on something forever, but depending on your conditions you might end up on a statin or some other drug forever, so why not a microdose of a GLP1?

Great work with the first 20 - those are generally the easiest. It gets harder and takes longer for the next phase. The formula isn't hard - eat WAY less, no booze, very few carbs, at least 90 minutes of intense exercise daily.

And even with that maybe you'll get 1/2 lb a week. There's a good reason everyone is on some dose of these.

Thanks for the advice. I get that. It would be a lot easier for me. This is why I am considering it. Does taking a glp1 mean I won't need to take diabetes or blood pressure drugs? The glp1 replaces these drugs?

I get not wanting to be on something forever, but depending on your conditions you might end up on a statin or some other drug forever, so why not a microdose of a GLP1?

Great work with the first 20 - those are generally the easiest. It gets harder and takes longer for the next phase. The formula isn't hard - eat WAY less, no booze, very few carbs, at least 90 minutes of intense exercise daily.

And even with that maybe you'll get 1/2 lb a week. There's a good reason everyone is on some dose of these.

Without GLP, I lost 25 pounds over the previous 5 years. With it, I lost the last 25 lbs in 1 year. So I think it depends on your timeline. I was needing blood pressure medicine and decided a GLP was a better tradeoff. No BP meds needed now, my weight lifting is the best it has ever been, and I feel great. Been off the GLP for 2 months with minor weight gain. We'll see what happens.

I probably need to lose 50 lbs more. I have been doing it myself. I am not opposed to taking a glp1 but should I if I can do it without it? I don't want to be on it for life. I have many friends who are doing it and look amazing. So it gave me the motivation to just try on my own and it's working. I just started eating less and exercising more. I was eating too many desserts so I just cut those off. I think I can continue it for now. What am I missing in making the decision?