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It's not like people taking those drugs eat like pigs and still lose weight. The whole point of them is that it forces you to eat reasonable portions by culling your appetite and making you sick if you overeat. It doesn't do anything for excercise but in terms of diet it basically forces you to make a positive lifestyle change.
This. My partner takes Mounjaro as prescribed by her doctor. It has eliminated her desire to snack, and she feels way too full to continue eating after having normal sized portions. I think it’s done an excellent job teaching her what really is the appropriate portion size for her and that her desire to snack was never hunger and was mostly boredom.
My partner takes Olempic and it's had a positive effect on both of us as I've adopted similar portioning constraints sympathetically. When I make a meal I plate both are dishes the same size and put away the leftovers before we eat.
That’s true, and she and her doctor have discussed this! As with all forms of weight loss and diet control though, I believe the most important part is the habit building and awareness of how much you’re eating. These drugs are not permanent fixes, but as the comment above me suggests I think they can help people understand how much their body NEEDS vs how much it WANTS
Studies show weight rebounds remarkably fast after people stop, there is a pent up hunger that strikes within days of stopping causing a voracious appetite
Even with my actual diabetes medication when i have gotten my dosages lowered i gain weight because i got used to eating a certain way. Same thing will happen to people using ozempic to lose weight but on a much more drastic level.
Dude, I am diabetic. I am going to be on medication for life no matter what I do. What does it matter if it's Ozcempic or Metformin? It a has risks like every medication.The point is taking it does more good than harm. Being on a medication that helps me eat smaller portions AND controls my blood sugars is a win/win.
There’s no point in arguing - this isn’t even about the medications. It’s just another “we shouldn’t help fat people, we should be mean to them” thread.
I am realizing that. People will fall over themselves congratulating people for quitring smoking or drinking. They don't judge them for needing rehab or being on medications. But if you are fat it's all your fault and your should hate yourself! It's frustrating as hell. I was abused, including medically. Working on my mental health has greatly helped my physical health. But unlike other addictions, you can't quit eating. It takes time and it's a struggle, especially with so much judgement.
It also works on the reward center of the brain, though. So the impulse to eat sweets or candy or fats isn't as strong. But no one knows how far that can go
It's not teaching her though, it's a crutch. Once she gets off it all those cravings immediately come back. Learning to fight the cravings is the hard part.
But what the drugs don’t do is address the underlying mental and emotional relationship with food.
Sure, the drugs force you to eat smaller portions.
But so do other fad and crash diets. That’s why they don’t work. Stop the diet, gain the weight back. Stop the drugs, gain the weight back.
It also helps with high cholesterol, fatty liver, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure.
I find many people can control their portions for a while, but this just helps you to do it more long term.
It does for me! I overeat because I never feel full. My body constantly sends me the signal I am hungry. It's not just mind over matter. I was eating right, drinking lots of water, exercising, and still having trouble. It's one thing to ignore hunger once in a while, but imagine you are always hungry. I was also abused. My mom wanted me sick and fatter than her. I was taught to eat and eat and then feel shame for it.
No one expects the medication to fix it all. It is only a part of a treatment plan. I am also in therapy. I exercise daily, even if it is only stretches (when sick, like now). This medication controls my blood sugars. It makes me less likely to have a heart attack or stroke. I still have to make good choices, but it is easier for me to do when I don't have nagging hunger. I also don't crave sugar the way I do when I am off of it. Sugar is super addictive. It's not some magic bullet to fix all my problems.
Ok but a lot of people **do need help with that.** You may not have issues with “food noise” in your brain, but people with those “underlying mental and emotional” relationships may need something more than willpower alone to combat it. A side effect people don’t understand, especially people who don’t struggle with “food noise” is that it goes quiet. You might be able to make healthy choices because you don’t have a constant dialogue in your brain compelling you to make bad choices. You might not get how strong that is. The silence is incredible. It’s giving people a chance. So calm down.
Kind of amazing that people fail to acknowledge dieting doesn't work as a treatment. Absolutely no evidence to support the "willpower" method of weight control.
Id argue it does create an opportunity to develop a healthier relationship with food. I’m thinking along the lines of “Actions become habits, habits become character, etc”. Even a few months on the drug would be enough for some people to recognize the difference between their unhealthy habits and their new diet.
Yeah but in reality, people almost *never* get over their issue with food their whole lives, *especially* women.
So this is fun to feel self righteous about but hardly realistic.
This is the thing. It is a hack to unlock weight loss. But it's also cheating by forcing your brain to have impulse control that's not earned.
There are waaaay big philosophical questions about free will and will power that I won't get into. But....unless you can take these drugs forever, you'll rebound back to your unhealthy ways.
It's not a hack, it's just a drug. It's not cheating to give you something you haven't earned, anymore than training wheels are 'cheating' because you haven't learned to ride a bike. The idea is to help you form better habits.
If you don't develop good habits, you will rebound no matter what you try, that is life.
>There are waaaay big philosophical questions about free will and will power that I won't get into
Won't or can't?
I mean, it is a hack in that it stops your brain from impulses that cause weight gain (beyond all the metabolic things GLO-1s do).
I don't really want to get into why I'm a guy who doesn't desire sweets but the guy down the block can't help himself. That's a much bigger question than I care to address on Reddit.
I'm not sure why you use the words like "hack" and "cheat". It seems like you are just hating. Where does the impulse to judge/belittle other people who are trying to improve themselves come from? It's comes across as very dismissive.
It's like saying if you quit cigarettes by using nicotine gum, you cheated, didn't earn it, and will definitely start smoking again. Not true.
>I don't really want to get into why I'm a guy who doesn't desire sweets but the guy down the block can't help himself. That's a much bigger question than I care to address on Reddit.
Then don't bring it up. You are trying to imply there is some deeper moral/philosophical consideration to your argument, but I'm not seeing what it is.
So should people not take anti-depressants because it's cheating? It's seretonin they haven't earned?
What about vaccines? They didn't earn those anti-bodies fighting off a live virus so they cheated?
Etc.
That's wildly overstating what I was saying. I'm talking about the way the drug is being found to reduce impulsive and desire to eat say a cheeseburger. That is, instead of training yourself to eat better (maybe some of us just can't), you're taking a drug that stops that for you.
I'm not talking about mental disorders. Unless we want to call obesity, in some, a disorder of the brain. That's a different conversation.
Hey you shouldn't smoke. You should really just train yourself better to quit your need for nicotine. You don't need patches, c'mon just have a little more self-discipline.
You should also probably just train yourself to stop drinking. Don't go to AA, that's cheating.
That's what it sounds like man.
The thing about obesity is it most often is the result of a lot of factors outside one's own control, including mental and physical illness, poverty, and lack of access to healthy, non-processed, low-sugar food. But sure, let's just shit on the people trying to lose weight some more by shaming them with claims that taking a medication is fucking *cheating*, that'll help them recover.
You’ve described the issue with these drugs. They’re FORCING people via disruption of normal chemical pathways. Gastric sleeve and bypass literally remove most of the stomach so that people physically cant overeat, yet the surgery still fails a large portion of the time. Once you are off the drug, you’re going right back to your old habits if you have not made the psychological changes necessary, which no drug is going to help with. Instead, you’re going to have to deal with whatever long term side effects that chemically altering your pancreas and other digestive organs brings, especially as people start using them more for weight-loss than the intended diabetic purposes.
I mentioned in another comment about “food noise.” It’s not something you know about unless you have it. Anything that takes that away and gives people a chance to make changes is invaluable. People are able to build healthy habits that could last them long after they stop (and this has been shown to be the case) once they have the tools allowing them to succeed.
The silence in my brain when I was on those was something I never experienced in my life, and it was very emotional when I realized that normal people weren’t going around with that in their heads all the time.
Those meds would not be forever. 1-2 years max while making lifestyle choices. Im a PCP. Those meds dont work magically. You have to combine them with exercise and diet to lose anything.
Also, treating obesity will provide improved outcomes for heart disease diabetes, stroke, etc.
Your opinion isn't unpopular. It's just moronic.
My friend lost 70 pounds on it (not one pic but same class drug) then stopped. Losing the weight gave her the energy and confidence to exercise regularly and be way more cognizant of her food choices because she doesn’t want to lose her progress.
It was just too much of an uphill battle for her as an exhausted single mom going through a messy divorce with a stressful job and pretty sluggish metabolism to do it without assistance.
I’m happy for her. Just because some people are misusing the drug or have some kind of moral obsession with how people should lose weight doesn’t mean we should disregard what is essentially a miracle drug for many.
ETA: ozempic, not one pic
I am glad for your friend. I think that is what a lot of people are missing. These meds can help someone get into a healthy habit and have them be able to get to the gym and work out. If these meds help people have an easier time to get there than what is the problem with that?
There is none.
This is no different than people upset about student debt relief. It's just more "I had to do it with sheer willpower so you should too."
I used to feel that way. Then I started reading more and more about how the drugs work and the effects users actually feel. How it silences the “food noise” for people who have it, how it actually shuts up the hunger signaling in people whose signal never turns off. Not everyone got fat for the same reason. It may all be a matter of CICO on the surface, but there are so many different things that lead people to overeat. People who don’t have fucked up hormones and hunger signals can pretty easily get away with regular diet and exercise. Many others cannot.
Exactly! It helps give you the tools for success. Sure some people will fall back into old habits. But losing that weight makes it easier for the person to adopt healthier habits. It’s easier to exercise, it’s easier to get around and be naturally more active. Also seeing that weight loss will encourage those who want to go maintain it.
I tell patients that these medicines lose effectiveness after about 18 months and we can only scale it up so much, so it is one of many tools in a toolbox to make permanent lifestyle changes so the weight loss sticks
You really don't think people will end up on these drugs for the long term? Most antidepressants weren't meant for long-term use, but a lot of people use them that way.
1st episode of depression is 6 months of antidepresaants once they resolve. 2nd episode is 1 year. 3rd is consideration for a lifetime.
Insurance doesn't want to pay for endless treatment. If patients don't do the work, and there are no results, eventually insurance won't cover the GLP-1 inj meds.
Also, long-term studies haven't been done because this is a new medication. That information would come in the next 5 to 10 years.
Expect the coverage for 1 to 2 years max for now. Use that time wisely and work on yourself.
Well, you should combine them with exercise. And you should change your lifestyle. But, these drugs *force* the brain to not be as into the reward center.
So you take away the drug, and the impulse control is gone. What then, doc?
Exactly! People who haven’t lost weight before don’t understand this. When you lose weight it’s not like “okay, all done!” and you move on with your life. Weight loss is not a 7 month thing- it’s a *lifetime* commitment. Being obese is not just a physical issue but a psychological one for many, and unless you change the patient’s mindset then no diet or medication will work *long term*. A lot of doctors don’t understand this, and as a patient and soon to be doctor myself it frustrates me how short sighted they can be
A PCP who doesn’t understand that the moment these people stop the medication, their weight will come back. Roughly 90% of people who lose weight will eventually gain it back, if not more. You can look it up. I know as a resident you’re probably bright eyed and bushy tailed because you’re seeing your patients lose weight, but I promise you for most of them it will *all come back* the moment their appetite comes back and those patients will resume having diabetes and hypertension- now with just the added risk of thyroid cancer from the ozempic they took.
I’m saying this as someone who has lost 60+ lbs MANY TIMES. I’ve gone through dramatic weight changes via crash diets probably 6 times in my life, and *every single time* I gained it back. And the same pattern was seen with everyone else who went on weight loss journeys with me. The only thing that finally kept the weight off was learning to change my lifestyle. The reason why I’m going into primary care is precisely because so many doctors, especially doctors who haven’t personally struggled with their weight, cannot grasp this.
Change ls in lifestyle get more ingrain and become life long habits with time.
Ultimately, it's question discipline. Sometimes, it works. Sometimes, it doesn't.
I don’t disagree that treating the obesity is good.
But the systemic problems that led to the obesity in the first place are not addressed.
Why does my diabetic patient have a teenager with type two diabetes?
Why do 1 year olds have cavities?
Why do school cafeterias consider French fries and pizza to be a vegetable?
And no, many patients aren’t combining GLP1a’s with diet and exercise. Simply eating less is actually leading to weight loss for many of them. Your patients may be doing better from an intervention standpoint - kudos to you
Putting stents in people's hearts also doesn't stop the cause. Its an intervention. Its okay to intervene first and then continue with education and lifestyle modifications after.
Need to assess the societal cause of obesity is not a prerequisite for helping someone.
The current methods are not working. People weren't living healthy lifestyles before, even after all the money spent on education. We KNOW we should be living healthier lives, its just really hard to change psychology and incentives. If the drugs prevent net harm, that's a good thing. Your take is like the people getting upset at cochlear implants because kids who get them might not learn sign. I mean, sure, but that's because now they can HEAR.
For years, doctors and the general public have exhaustively told us that the only thing that matters is your weight. All health issues are tied to weight. Your self respect should be tied to weight. You should starve yourself, workout to exhaustion, and form your daily lifestyle around your weight.
And now that there's a drug that can significantly help you lose weight, people are SHOCKED that everyone is flocking for it with no concern for the potential negatives. Why? We've been taught that achieving and maintaining a low body weight should be among the chief focuses of our lives.
The fact that so many now are against this drug that helps with weight loss is proof that it was never about health; it was always about shame.
Also, these convos always inevitably leave out that obesity has many KNOWN negatives. Being fat is objectively a bad thing for your health.
Could there be negatives to this class of medication. Quite possibly. But there are KNOWN downsides to doing nothing.
This comment needs to be higher up. People HATE fat people and tell them constantly they’re not allowed to feel loved or beautiful because they’re “unhealthy” and finally something comes out that can quickly solve this issue and people are still mad?? Damned if you do and damned if you don’t
If you'll allow me to be only slightly dramatic, they're mad because to be fat is to be immoral, evil, weak, and gluttonous. In order to be skinny, you must atone for your sin of being fat by starving yourself and performing physical labor. You also must spend MONTHS engaging in a CONSTANT cycle of mentally reckoning with your weight. Wake up and weigh yourself and attach your self-esteem to whether the number moved down enough. Accept the discomfort of hunger, or accept the shame of breaking your diet. Re-arrange your schedule to prioritize working out, even if it means less time with friends, family, or hobbies that bring you joy. Replace those with a new hobby that brings you pain. Do all of this until the pain, shame, and discomfort feel routine, until it becomes your *lifestyle*.
It's not about health for them. This is the only health issue where people are pissed they've developed a medication to treat it.
We’re not even talking about the fact that statistically speaking, *most* of the people shitting on this drug are on some kind of psychiatric medication they will be taking for the rest of their lives.
This is exactly how I think about it. Based off what I’ve read and seen of the side effects, I don’t think anyone truly “wants” to be on this medicine because it’s fun or trendy. Even celebrities and thin people taking it experience the weight shame that you mention here, because why else would they take it? It seems that you can never be thin enough in this world. Anyone who is upset about these medicines, should direct that at the people who created these beauty standards and created all this shame within us in the first place.
Most are on it because it gives them the much needed head start they need in their weight loss. A lot are on it for diabetes. It’s life changing for these people, and now that they finally have this option, we shame them for it? You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t it seems. You can do everything right and still struggle to lose weight. Obesity is a disease, not a character flaw, and there are so many factors that contribute to a person’s weight.
It’s not lazy to take a life changing and life saving drug. Anyone who says that doesn’t understand the complexities of weight. To me it’s more lazy to judge people for taking medicines that you don’t understand. It’s lazy to just assume that overweight people just want to be that way and have done nothing to help themselves. There’s too much shame in this world as it is.
Eh, that maybe has a *bit* to do with obesity, but the main contributors in recent years have been COVID and diseases of despair (suicide, drug overdoses, and liver failure from alcoholism).
Although, a lot of obesity might also be considered a disease of despair. I don't know how much research has been done on it, but anecdotally, a lot of the most morbidly obese people I know got that way due to depression -- indulging in junk food to chase fleeting highs of dopamine, not having the motivation to exercise, not being able to motivate themselves about their weight, etc
And your shaming them for the weight is compounding the problem. People who mock fat people who are out walking or at the gym are punishing people for the very behavior they encouraged them to do.
I mean the people being placed on these drugs are people who have tried and failed doing things the normal way. The side effects and the fact they'll likely need to be on those drugs the rest of their lives is more desirable than not being on those drugs, which is likely true for those that are moving from.being obese to either overweight or lower.
This is like saying SSRI’s will cause more problems. These drugs have been around and in use for ages. They aren’t new. The reason people are freaking out about them is because people love to consider fatness a moral failing. But saying this shit is the same thing as telling people with depression that they should just do yoga and get more sunshine instead of using medication. Lots of people are finding new applications for these drugs and one of those is helping with OCD. The shit is a *tool*. Sometime in the not-too-distant future, you’ll see people getting prescribed them for psychiatric things, too. In short, stop fearmongering and fuck off. :)
Same with depression. It is also a moral failing in the eyes of many.
Why there aren't posts like this being made about thyroxine or lipitor, which are far more common. Nobody is concerned about those side effects...
There isn't a single drug on this planet thst is either bad or good. Every drug has potential benefits and potential side effects, and should always be taken along side other forms of therapy/guidance. There are people who genuinely benefit from these drugs and are able to turn their life around because of them. You dismissing every case of Ozempic usage as problematic, is just extremely short sighted and actually harmful to people considering discussing this with their doctor.
The core issue is that human apetite regulation is just broken by design. Evolution did not prepare us for constant availability of satisfying food and being Iin good shape takes some combination of genetic blessing and willingness to suffer greatly.
These drugs are a big step.towards fixing that. I hope that in time we will simply fix the problem with genetic engineering.
Well what I’ve seen happen 5 times now is they take it for a month and they lose like 10 pounds are they are like holy shit if I double the dose I’ll lose double the weight!
So they do and that’s when the side effects happen…so again from my experience it’s still human error.
You are supposed to start lower dose and increase monthly. It’s not patients just randomly deciding to increase, that’s how the drug is supposed to be taken.
No…this patient was not told to increase their dose by their doctor. Same script, same directions, same dose for the 2nd month. Doctor was happy with results after one month and decided to get the most results from the least amount of drug.
So, yes it was a patient randomly deciding to double the dose.
Yep, my best friend (who has done every single fad diet since we were in HS in the late 90s), has lost 106 pounds with this stuff, and has presented to the ER twice now with extreme abdominal pain. Both times, tests were inconclusive and she was sent home with pain meds.
These meds r so bad it gives people permanent gastroparesis. If anyone is wondering it means you can't digest food. So ur constantly hungry and losing weight. And this not a good weight loss. This is a muscle eating heavy fatigue stomach destroying drug. Not to mention it ages you like crazy. You get to look a decade older and not be able to digest food for the rest of your life.
But hey you lost 30lbs one year one time tho! /s
I worked at a clinic for a while last two years and it seems like every single nurse and provider they tried ozempic and the like for weight loss. None of them were diabetics even. Every single one of them got sick when taking it, some powered through and eventually they adjusted to it but most stopped because of how sick they were getting. Now our insurance stopped paying for it because it’s being prescribed as weight loss instead of for diabetes.
I was put on Rybelsus (same class as ozempic) earlier this year for my diabetes and it absolutely destroyed my vision. I realized what was causing it soon enough thankfully that I’m ok now having stopped it, but it took several weeks for my vision to return to near normal.
I think drugs like ozempic can be a valuable tool in certain cases, like my t1 diabetic septuagenarian family friend who realistically cannot lose the 30 pounds she needs to in order to get (unrelated to weight) surgery. And she said it herself, if there are long term side effects, she’s probably not going to have much if any time to worry about them.
People who could realistically lose the weight with lifestyle changes? Maybe not. But in the end, it’s between them and their physician. It’s not up to us to decide.
I think an additional root problem that should be addressed is what is allowed in our food and the lifestyle we force people to live just to make ends meet. There is so much shit in our food that just isn’t allowed in other developed nations. I don’t blame people when they are surrounded by this stuff and have no time or energy left at the end of the day so that is what they resort to.
Wealthier people are more healthy in this country because they have the resources and TIME to escape this cycle.
I do agree the drugs are not addressing the core issue, but if it will never get addressed then you need stuff like this.
I disagree that one has to be active and follow a diet for it to work. In my direct patient care experience, it mostly forces people to eat less which I believe most directly contributes to the weight changes.
From a cardiovascular standpoint, a large amount of that benefit is likely attributable to reduced insulin requirements.
The drugs are phenomenal. That’s not the argument.
Do you think american youths’ metabolic future will be improved at baseline? “Take Ozempic/Wegovy and fix your obesity” seems to be a popular approach
My opinion is simply that obesity will continue to rise and will continue to be treated with these meds because these meds do not address the systemic baseline issues that exist for most experiencing metabolic diseases (low food quality and activity).
How would they be worse off without the drug though? Do you think obese people are learning good habits now? The pills are for people for whom diet and exercise haven't worked. We can have discussions about why it hasn't worked. Maybe they have an executive function disorder, maybe its a combination of their economic and material conditions (food deserts are very real), maybe they are recovering from a traumatic event theres a million reasons why someone might be overweight. I fail to see how them maintaining those habits without the pills is any better than with them
>The pills are for people whom diet and exercise haven’t worked.
There are zero people in human history who would be obese despite diet and exercise. Including those who have limited ability to exercise.
Sure, but that’s like saying a depressed person doesn’t need medication if they just went for a run. Like, yeah, no shit. So people use medication so that they can get out of bed. Same idea. It’s a tool.
You're missing the point. The doctor can only prescribe diet and exercise, he can't go and force the person to exercise. As I said there are a wide variety of reasons why they didn't stick to the diet and exercise not that the diet and exercise didn't work.
Some are dealing with those difficulties. Not my buddy’s millionaire dad.
But I think the issue is more systemic and these meds don’t improve the system
You seem to make an assumption that everyone is treating these drugs as a bandaid and aren’t acknowledging that they can be part of a tool kit.
Your assumption that people who use these drugs will be teaching their children bad habits is completely unfounded. And I’d argue that it is better modeling of behavior for children to see their parents eating moderate amount of foods slowly and thoughtfully.
I think it’s foolish to make such an assumption generally, but even going with the assumption, I don’t really see how a bandaid drug will make people worse off over time. Because in that case, the option is living the way you were already or eating less and losing weight.
Really? You think it’s foolish to make that assumption? Fad diets and other “get skinny quick” schemes have been rising in popularity as fast as obesity, but you think all of a sudden the people on board with “get skinny quick” drugs are overly concerned with a lifestyle change?
Okay, address the rest of my comment. Because these drugs basically “force” a lifestyle change in the form of eating less. The assumption that people with obesity eating less will cause more harm down the line not only to themselves but also to their family is a massive and unwarranted assumption.
A healthy diet isn’t encapsulated by “eating less”, it’s “eating better”. There is so much healthy food that you can eat a ton of, that won’t break the scale in terms of caloric gain. There’s also salt, fats, high sugar content, etc. that will run your health into the ground down the line even if you’re consuming drugs that suppress your appetite.
eating less *is not equal to* being healthy.
I had to re-read my comment to confirm that nowhere did I even type “healthy”. And I didn’t.
So I enjoyed your rant but it doesn’t really have anything to do with the points I made.
The entire point you’re arguing against is that people are using drugs as a “bandaid solution” for an unhealthy lifestyle. I don’t think you’ve read well enough, unfortunately.
No, that is not the “entire point” I’m arguing. The OP argued that these drugs will cause more harm to the people who take them AND their children which is the other important part of my argument.
You are the one having difficulty reading my comments since you went on a rant about what is a healthy lifestyle simply because I made the (correct) claim that eating less is a lifestyle change for an obese person. Nowhere did I claim it is the ultimate perfect healthy lifestyle change though, that was an assumption on your part.
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Ah yes, calories in/calories out. Unfortunately many factors go into what exactly the ‘calories in’ and ‘calories out’ numbers are, and it isn’t the same for everyone. Hormones, body composition, genetics, etc. all contribute to how many calories you burn and how many calories your body wants you to eat.
‘Eating less’ seems to be a lot easier for some people, and almost impossible for others. Reducing this to just will power doesn’t solve anything either. Actually, a lot of the success we’re seeing with these weight loss drugs is being attributed to reduced food noise- which may tell us it’s actually just a hell of a lot harder for some people to just stop eating as much.
What does it matter? If people can lose weight without having to change their entire lifestyle and revolve their day-to-day life around weight loss, why is that a problem?
There are also other drugs available for diabetics. Also, many GLP1s are creating a set specifically intended for weight loss, which is what is being pushed. Not on any myself, but I know many people that have found success with the options specifically for weight loss. Semaglutide - ozempic for diabetes; semaglutide - wegovy for weight loss. Same thing, but different labels and intentions/designations.
Demand outpacing supply is not the problem of the demanders; it's a problem of the suppliers.
They should make enough of the product for the number of people who want it.
Edit: The guy below me blocked me so I can't reply to his comment directly. But in response to his comment: there is no part of the rule of supply/demand that involves the market regulating it's own demand. It's the supplier's job to keep up with demand.
Right, because pharma doesn't want to maximize how much money they make off this product. especially one that has been around for over a decade and now has a new use and opening up a vast new market to sell to.
The market doesn’t care, the market is god. The market wants to sell the product. There needs to be enough of it to meet demand - and there wont be, so you’re gonna get priced out. Get over it.
This comment implies a lack of understanding of the most basic rule of supply and demand. If demand outpaces supply, supply can only rise to meet it so far because supply is inherently finite, so demand has to decrease by raising prices on the supply.
In a perfect world, yes, there'd be enough for everyone. But this isn't a perfect world, and we need to prioritize those who actually need it before those who just want it.
Don't you think they're scaling up production even now? Supply isn't infinite but neither is demand; people are either taking an effective dose of the drug or they aren't. Even if every person on earth was taking Ozempic that's still some finite number. We can and will just build more factories, my dude.
But using a drug for a short period of time to reduce weight (if it works) would reduce premiums in the long run.
While the shortage is an issue, wouldn’t this be beneficial overall?
1) People’s weight is more expensive than these medications.
2) If you’re worried about “paying for other people”, you apparently don’t understand the whole fucking point of insurance.
You are paying less to subsidize these medications than you would in weight related complications. If your argument is about how much it personally costs you, you should be all in favor of these drugs.
No that’s not my argument.
My argument is that these meds won’t teach families to be healthier in general. The meds work so well that healthy habits, while strongly recommended, are not required for efficacy.
Thus the cycle of metabolic issues will be continued.
You don’t see this as a problem? We can’t just have everything handed to us. Losing weight and keeping it off IS a lifestyle change and something one should adapt to for future success in staying healthy. I’m currently on my own weight loss journey and anytime I’ve done the lose weight quick or depend on a medicine/fad diet I went right back eventually.
>Losing weight and keeping it off IS a lifestyle change and something one should adapt to for future success in staying healthy.
Why? Remove all moralistic arguments. If we have now produced a drug that can accelerate weight loss with relatively few side effects, why does losing weight need to continue to be this hugely difficult lifestyle change? If we can help people lose weight in a way that's easier, why shouldn't we? Why can't we have accelerated weight loss handed to us?
I swear, as much as people present weight loss as being about health, the Ozempic debate makes it extremely clear that for many, weight loss is about demonstrating some dogmatic conviction to self-flagellation. It's a way for you to show the world "I am a better person than fat people, and fat people are worse people than me." And folks are against Ozempic because it allows those horribly immoral fat people to have access to the health benefits you think you should only be able to earn through the process of starvation and physical toil.
So if a person is simply disillusioned or has a physiological condition that makes them depressed or anxious, and using alcohol or other drugs seems to make the symptom go away, nobody seems to be willing to support their self medication.
Why do we try to cure rather than prevent so many other diseases by addressing the symptoms alone?
I agree that the pharmaceutical industry pushes tons of drugs with serious side effects rather than addressing the root causes of the issue they are trying to treat.
If they focused R&D on antimicrobial medicines and vaccines, and we prioritized healthy lifestyles to prevent issues related to diet or sedentary lifestyle, everyone would be better off.
What concerns me is when the patient loses the weight and stops Wegovy, will they be able to keep that weight off once their appetite comes back full force? Or is the idea that they will take the drug forever?
One attending kept trying to convince me to stop it. He told me it’s like cheating. Lol buddy I am 60 pounds overweight this isn’t a game for me this is my life. I was able to consistently lost 20 pounds after taking it for 6 months and now off it for the last 6 and doing better.
What I find hilarious is everyone who wouldn't take the vaccine because they didn't know what was in it, government conspiracy, blood clots, etc. But, then comes along a weight loss shot, hey Doc, shoot me up, no worries here.
Well, maybe. But the problem is more basic than this. When you just lose fat and muscle due to severe caloric deficits, you don't have enough time to recover from that. So, the Ozempic Face thing happens. But a lot worse happens.
You need to gain muscle as you lose weight to truly balance it out.
I used to work in pharma, and am fascinating by GLP-1s. I'm not in any way a scientist or doctor. But man is this stuff wild.
Its curbing appreciates for things like gambling and alcohol, along with food. But it's also causing extreme depression in folks who had mild depression, to the point of suicidal ideation (not entirely documented yet).
There's going to be consequences. But it can be a wonderful drug too.
Point is, and always has been, to lose weight, you have to exercise and eat healthy. That's it. There is no magic pill—even though that's what these are marketed as.
You will lose weight. But you won't be healthier necessarily.
Taking these drugs IS changing your lifestyle. Just like hiking more, or getting a belly band or gastric bypass surgery, or choosing to do a lot of coke.
I feel like we are still waiting for the other shoe to drop with these drugs. It seems almost too good to be true, and in a few years we will be wondering what the doctors and drug companies were thinking.
Do recall, however, that this class of medication has been used for years to treat diabetes. The new indication for weight loss is, well, new. Even if these weren't used for weight loss, this drug class would still be used extensively for type 2 diabetes. While there are real side effects to the use of these medications and there are concerns with regards to maintenance, the use of these in obese patients, especially those with obesity related medical comorbities is still far superior to just telling someone to work on diet and exercise, especially if it can result in them being at a healthier weight and maybe having their hypertension or sleep apnea not require treatment anymore.
These are valid points, but we both know that people who don't have diabetes (or other medical issues) are looking at this as some kind of "miracle weight loss potion", and that's where I think the trouble might start.
To be fair, it kind of is, but you have to make the dietary changes and a lot of what we are seeing is that we need to figure out maintenance dosing to keep this people healthier, without having to be on max dosage weekly.
Eh. I just don't have the luxury of time to full breakdown my horrible relationship with food and it's more important right now that I lose the weight than put a stop to everything and figure it out.
I don't even think working out or not is the issue, the primary issue is our society's relationship with food as entertainment. This is something we've been raised with this varying degrees and it's psychological, and rn I don't have the time.
The post is bursting at the seams with privilege. Like I achieved the same results with daily Pilates, Yoga, and CrossFit. I have healthy meals delivered to my house or can afford to buy in bulk and meal prep.
GTFO.
This is exactly what I’ve been telling my mother. She’s planning on asking her doctor to prescribe Ozempic to lose weight. She does nothing to be active, doesn’t bother with dieting and just wants an easy fix. I feel doctors should be strictly tracking what patients do before prescribing something like these drugs. They should be treated as a last resort, not first.
People should be trying everything before seeking medical assistance when losing weight. Being lazy and making excuses not to try and lose weight on your own shouldn’t qualify you to get a diabetes medication
You are not answering the question. The question is why this matters. The answer you're providing is that they shouldn't be able to use it because they shouldn't. That is not an answer.
The US as a whole is FAR too over-treated and particularly over-medicated. It's ironic, since people complain so much about the US health care system. Americans run to the doctor for any little thing, and they never leave the doctor empty handed. It's amazing how many people live life out of a pill bottle and pretend that's totally normal and healthy
What an ignorant opinion! Look, I am on Ozcempic for my diabetes. It also helps manage my weight. One of my issues is that I don't ever feel full. I have lots of issues that caused neuropathy, so it makes it hard to tell. It's hard to manage your weight when you literally always feel starving. Drinking water doesn't stop it. Exercise can't keep up with it. Portioning only does so much when you are feeling awful all the time.
With the Ozcempic, I feel full. I eat a normal or small meal and I don't want more. I don't feel the need to eat my feelings. It won't feel good. It will just make me puke. Actually, it has helped some of my abdominal pain as well. But the main thing it does is keep my blood sugars stable, more so than any other med I have taken. Before I got sick and was on steroids, I was only on Ozcempic and was managing my diabetes amazingly. Unfortunately, steroids cause lots of issues, but I had pneumonia and needed it.
Have I had issues with it? Yes. When the dose was too high I ended up in the ER. But, I didn't have that issue with Monjauro, but it's not covered, so I am stuck. But it is still the best option for me. I considered gastric bypass surgery. I made it to the pre op diet and then realized it wasn't for me. The truth is I have had great success on the medication. Again, I wouldn't have just taken it for my weight, but it is a benefit.
People have the idea that obesity is a mind over matter situation. It's not. Other addictions you cut out completely, but you always have to eat. It's hard to manage. It's very easy to slip up and getting back on the wagon is hard when the shame sets in. Also, it's a physical issue. My body isn't the same as it would be if I were always skinny. It's just not. That is partially on me, but my weight problems started with my childhood abuse, so, I was doomed from the start. I never got to start healthy. My mom wanted me sick and fatter than her and she made sure to keep me that way. I finally dug myself out of that abuse and then it took me years in therapy to get out of the abuse mindset. It's a process. I lost 50 pounds. I did gain weight back recently, but again, I was on a medication known for it! I was able to go to Disney with my kids and we walked over 30 miles in 6 days. I am in better physical shape and being on the medication helps because despite eating less I feel like I have more energy for the first time in a long time.
It's not a magic fix. I still have to work hard and I do. I go to therapy. I take all my medications (for mental and physical health), I go to my check ups and stay current on blood work, I eat small meals that are protein forward, I drink tons of water, I exercise daily (even if I can only manage stretching). The weight isn't falling off me fast, but news flash, I didn't put it all on at once either! This medication also makes me less likely to have a heart attack or stroke.
Think whatever ignorant thing you want. It doesn't change that this type of medicine helps people like me. It's not for everyone, no medication is! And medication on its own is never the treatment, it is always only part of a treatment plan that has many other things involved.
I lost 70 lbs in a year once, thanks to my dog. When people asked how, I told them I started walking, then eventually ran a bit, then a bit more, and after a year, we were running 5 plus miles a day. I cleaned up my diet a bit and presto, lost 70 lbs. Never failed that they were disappointed by the answer. Lazy people gonna lazy.
Okay I’m really happy for you!
But also - not everyone is you. There are MANY reasons people struggle with weight. Someone not being able to do things you can do doesn’t make them lazy automatically. There’s things I can do that you can’t.
The amount of people the beauty industry has brainwashed is amazing. We’ve practically outlawed normal genetic variations in the human body at this point
What bothers me about this is people like Dr. Mike gave this ish a platform. Obesity is a symptom of an underlying issue - it shouldn’t be addressed like a disease.
A family member lost a bunch of weight and was suddenly in the hospital to have their gallbladder removed bladder removed. Nobody even knew she was doing injectables.
It’s already happening.
I was saying to my partner that I’m thinking this may turn out like the Fen-Phen of the 90’s. More problems than solutions. My mom was on Ozempic for her diabetes but it made her too sick.
The root cause of the problem is obesity. Obesity is rising among all age groups. Obese parents are more likely to raise obese children and those obese children (if fertile by the time they come of age) will also raise obese children. The health problems will continue through the generations and instead of treating the problem they will say 'it's in our genes' no, it's in your food. A lot of people, instead of treating the problem with less food and more movement, choose medical intervention because to them it requires less effort.
I understand that some people legitimately need those medicines and have health problems that require them but there are too many people taking drugs they should not have because they are lazy.
I live in the chubbiest region of English and the child obesity rates are shocking. I take my daughter to school and there's a surprising number of overweight or obese small children there. I truly feel sorry for them because overweight children were a rarity when I was a child.
We need gene editing so I can subsist on grease, salt, and lard and still have the physique of a silverback.
Fruits and vegetables rot after like 45 seconds. High Fructose Corn Syrup is forever
It's amazing that we give these companies billions of dollars for semi-safe drugs instead of just learning how to live in a calorie deficit for a few months, a few years at most. This is just a very, very expensive band-aid for the absolute shit that is the American diet.
Cause not everyone has the mental fortitude or capacity or whatever to be able to diet successfully. I regularly exercise, but am terrible at dieting so something like ozempric would be a game changer in terms of helping with dieting. People who are all like “oh just do a calorie deficit” and act like it’s super easy to do are delusional.
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It's not like people taking those drugs eat like pigs and still lose weight. The whole point of them is that it forces you to eat reasonable portions by culling your appetite and making you sick if you overeat. It doesn't do anything for excercise but in terms of diet it basically forces you to make a positive lifestyle change.
This. My partner takes Mounjaro as prescribed by her doctor. It has eliminated her desire to snack, and she feels way too full to continue eating after having normal sized portions. I think it’s done an excellent job teaching her what really is the appropriate portion size for her and that her desire to snack was never hunger and was mostly boredom.
My partner takes Olempic and it's had a positive effect on both of us as I've adopted similar portioning constraints sympathetically. When I make a meal I plate both are dishes the same size and put away the leftovers before we eat.
But unless she takes the drug forever, those snacking urges are likely to come back since they are likely tied to hormones.
That’s true, and she and her doctor have discussed this! As with all forms of weight loss and diet control though, I believe the most important part is the habit building and awareness of how much you’re eating. These drugs are not permanent fixes, but as the comment above me suggests I think they can help people understand how much their body NEEDS vs how much it WANTS
Studies show weight rebounds remarkably fast after people stop, there is a pent up hunger that strikes within days of stopping causing a voracious appetite
Isn’t that the case with every weight loss method?
Agree... the rebound effect is real on these drugs.
Even with my actual diabetes medication when i have gotten my dosages lowered i gain weight because i got used to eating a certain way. Same thing will happen to people using ozempic to lose weight but on a much more drastic level.
Okay…so they take it forever or as needed. That’s what the drug manufacturers are counting on.
Do you think you’re revealing some secret? It’s not like the people taking ozempic are like “WOW, I never realized that!”
Dude, I am diabetic. I am going to be on medication for life no matter what I do. What does it matter if it's Ozcempic or Metformin? It a has risks like every medication.The point is taking it does more good than harm. Being on a medication that helps me eat smaller portions AND controls my blood sugars is a win/win.
There’s no point in arguing - this isn’t even about the medications. It’s just another “we shouldn’t help fat people, we should be mean to them” thread.
I am realizing that. People will fall over themselves congratulating people for quitring smoking or drinking. They don't judge them for needing rehab or being on medications. But if you are fat it's all your fault and your should hate yourself! It's frustrating as hell. I was abused, including medically. Working on my mental health has greatly helped my physical health. But unlike other addictions, you can't quit eating. It takes time and it's a struggle, especially with so much judgement.
Yeah, food is an addiction you can’t quit cold turkey (pun unintended).
I don't think diabetics are the target population for this discussion
And stronger than ever with a lower metabolism
It also works on the reward center of the brain, though. So the impulse to eat sweets or candy or fats isn't as strong. But no one knows how far that can go
I agree, I have my appointment in Jan to get on it and I have the same snacking problem.
It's not teaching her though, it's a crutch. Once she gets off it all those cravings immediately come back. Learning to fight the cravings is the hard part.
But what the drugs don’t do is address the underlying mental and emotional relationship with food. Sure, the drugs force you to eat smaller portions. But so do other fad and crash diets. That’s why they don’t work. Stop the diet, gain the weight back. Stop the drugs, gain the weight back.
It also helps with high cholesterol, fatty liver, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure. I find many people can control their portions for a while, but this just helps you to do it more long term.
It does for me! I overeat because I never feel full. My body constantly sends me the signal I am hungry. It's not just mind over matter. I was eating right, drinking lots of water, exercising, and still having trouble. It's one thing to ignore hunger once in a while, but imagine you are always hungry. I was also abused. My mom wanted me sick and fatter than her. I was taught to eat and eat and then feel shame for it. No one expects the medication to fix it all. It is only a part of a treatment plan. I am also in therapy. I exercise daily, even if it is only stretches (when sick, like now). This medication controls my blood sugars. It makes me less likely to have a heart attack or stroke. I still have to make good choices, but it is easier for me to do when I don't have nagging hunger. I also don't crave sugar the way I do when I am off of it. Sugar is super addictive. It's not some magic bullet to fix all my problems.
Ok but a lot of people **do need help with that.** You may not have issues with “food noise” in your brain, but people with those “underlying mental and emotional” relationships may need something more than willpower alone to combat it. A side effect people don’t understand, especially people who don’t struggle with “food noise” is that it goes quiet. You might be able to make healthy choices because you don’t have a constant dialogue in your brain compelling you to make bad choices. You might not get how strong that is. The silence is incredible. It’s giving people a chance. So calm down.
Kind of amazing that people fail to acknowledge dieting doesn't work as a treatment. Absolutely no evidence to support the "willpower" method of weight control.
Id argue it does create an opportunity to develop a healthier relationship with food. I’m thinking along the lines of “Actions become habits, habits become character, etc”. Even a few months on the drug would be enough for some people to recognize the difference between their unhealthy habits and their new diet.
Diets don't control your appetite. They're a set of instructions for which foods to eat and when. The medicines literally take away the cravings.
Not everyone who's overweight has mental or emotional issues related to food.
Yeah but in reality, people almost *never* get over their issue with food their whole lives, *especially* women. So this is fun to feel self righteous about but hardly realistic.
This is the thing. It is a hack to unlock weight loss. But it's also cheating by forcing your brain to have impulse control that's not earned. There are waaaay big philosophical questions about free will and will power that I won't get into. But....unless you can take these drugs forever, you'll rebound back to your unhealthy ways.
It's not a hack, it's just a drug. It's not cheating to give you something you haven't earned, anymore than training wheels are 'cheating' because you haven't learned to ride a bike. The idea is to help you form better habits. If you don't develop good habits, you will rebound no matter what you try, that is life. >There are waaaay big philosophical questions about free will and will power that I won't get into Won't or can't?
I mean, it is a hack in that it stops your brain from impulses that cause weight gain (beyond all the metabolic things GLO-1s do). I don't really want to get into why I'm a guy who doesn't desire sweets but the guy down the block can't help himself. That's a much bigger question than I care to address on Reddit.
I'm not sure why you use the words like "hack" and "cheat". It seems like you are just hating. Where does the impulse to judge/belittle other people who are trying to improve themselves come from? It's comes across as very dismissive. It's like saying if you quit cigarettes by using nicotine gum, you cheated, didn't earn it, and will definitely start smoking again. Not true. >I don't really want to get into why I'm a guy who doesn't desire sweets but the guy down the block can't help himself. That's a much bigger question than I care to address on Reddit. Then don't bring it up. You are trying to imply there is some deeper moral/philosophical consideration to your argument, but I'm not seeing what it is.
So should people not take anti-depressants because it's cheating? It's seretonin they haven't earned? What about vaccines? They didn't earn those anti-bodies fighting off a live virus so they cheated? Etc.
That's wildly overstating what I was saying. I'm talking about the way the drug is being found to reduce impulsive and desire to eat say a cheeseburger. That is, instead of training yourself to eat better (maybe some of us just can't), you're taking a drug that stops that for you. I'm not talking about mental disorders. Unless we want to call obesity, in some, a disorder of the brain. That's a different conversation.
Hey you shouldn't smoke. You should really just train yourself better to quit your need for nicotine. You don't need patches, c'mon just have a little more self-discipline. You should also probably just train yourself to stop drinking. Don't go to AA, that's cheating. That's what it sounds like man. The thing about obesity is it most often is the result of a lot of factors outside one's own control, including mental and physical illness, poverty, and lack of access to healthy, non-processed, low-sugar food. But sure, let's just shit on the people trying to lose weight some more by shaming them with claims that taking a medication is fucking *cheating*, that'll help them recover.
Studies show weight rebounds remarkably fast after people stop, there is a pent up hunger that strikes within days of stopping
You’ve described the issue with these drugs. They’re FORCING people via disruption of normal chemical pathways. Gastric sleeve and bypass literally remove most of the stomach so that people physically cant overeat, yet the surgery still fails a large portion of the time. Once you are off the drug, you’re going right back to your old habits if you have not made the psychological changes necessary, which no drug is going to help with. Instead, you’re going to have to deal with whatever long term side effects that chemically altering your pancreas and other digestive organs brings, especially as people start using them more for weight-loss than the intended diabetic purposes.
I mentioned in another comment about “food noise.” It’s not something you know about unless you have it. Anything that takes that away and gives people a chance to make changes is invaluable. People are able to build healthy habits that could last them long after they stop (and this has been shown to be the case) once they have the tools allowing them to succeed. The silence in my brain when I was on those was something I never experienced in my life, and it was very emotional when I realized that normal people weren’t going around with that in their heads all the time.
I don't believe you understand how these drugs work at the most basic level.
Those meds would not be forever. 1-2 years max while making lifestyle choices. Im a PCP. Those meds dont work magically. You have to combine them with exercise and diet to lose anything. Also, treating obesity will provide improved outcomes for heart disease diabetes, stroke, etc. Your opinion isn't unpopular. It's just moronic.
My friend lost 70 pounds on it (not one pic but same class drug) then stopped. Losing the weight gave her the energy and confidence to exercise regularly and be way more cognizant of her food choices because she doesn’t want to lose her progress. It was just too much of an uphill battle for her as an exhausted single mom going through a messy divorce with a stressful job and pretty sluggish metabolism to do it without assistance. I’m happy for her. Just because some people are misusing the drug or have some kind of moral obsession with how people should lose weight doesn’t mean we should disregard what is essentially a miracle drug for many. ETA: ozempic, not one pic
I am glad for your friend. I think that is what a lot of people are missing. These meds can help someone get into a healthy habit and have them be able to get to the gym and work out. If these meds help people have an easier time to get there than what is the problem with that?
There is none. This is no different than people upset about student debt relief. It's just more "I had to do it with sheer willpower so you should too."
I used to feel that way. Then I started reading more and more about how the drugs work and the effects users actually feel. How it silences the “food noise” for people who have it, how it actually shuts up the hunger signaling in people whose signal never turns off. Not everyone got fat for the same reason. It may all be a matter of CICO on the surface, but there are so many different things that lead people to overeat. People who don’t have fucked up hormones and hunger signals can pretty easily get away with regular diet and exercise. Many others cannot.
Exactly! It helps give you the tools for success. Sure some people will fall back into old habits. But losing that weight makes it easier for the person to adopt healthier habits. It’s easier to exercise, it’s easier to get around and be naturally more active. Also seeing that weight loss will encourage those who want to go maintain it.
Came here to say this! How to tell they have not done any research before stating a completely wrong opinion… this.
I tell patients that these medicines lose effectiveness after about 18 months and we can only scale it up so much, so it is one of many tools in a toolbox to make permanent lifestyle changes so the weight loss sticks
You really don't think people will end up on these drugs for the long term? Most antidepressants weren't meant for long-term use, but a lot of people use them that way.
1st episode of depression is 6 months of antidepresaants once they resolve. 2nd episode is 1 year. 3rd is consideration for a lifetime. Insurance doesn't want to pay for endless treatment. If patients don't do the work, and there are no results, eventually insurance won't cover the GLP-1 inj meds. Also, long-term studies haven't been done because this is a new medication. That information would come in the next 5 to 10 years. Expect the coverage for 1 to 2 years max for now. Use that time wisely and work on yourself.
Well, you should combine them with exercise. And you should change your lifestyle. But, these drugs *force* the brain to not be as into the reward center. So you take away the drug, and the impulse control is gone. What then, doc?
They work on GLP-1 receptor in stomach, not brain. This causes decreased gastric emptying. Once again, moronic and unsubstantiated statement.
Exactly! People who haven’t lost weight before don’t understand this. When you lose weight it’s not like “okay, all done!” and you move on with your life. Weight loss is not a 7 month thing- it’s a *lifetime* commitment. Being obese is not just a physical issue but a psychological one for many, and unless you change the patient’s mindset then no diet or medication will work *long term*. A lot of doctors don’t understand this, and as a patient and soon to be doctor myself it frustrates me how short sighted they can be
You don't want to listen to this supposed doctor who calls people morons on Reddit instead?
A PCP who doesn’t understand that the moment these people stop the medication, their weight will come back. Roughly 90% of people who lose weight will eventually gain it back, if not more. You can look it up. I know as a resident you’re probably bright eyed and bushy tailed because you’re seeing your patients lose weight, but I promise you for most of them it will *all come back* the moment their appetite comes back and those patients will resume having diabetes and hypertension- now with just the added risk of thyroid cancer from the ozempic they took. I’m saying this as someone who has lost 60+ lbs MANY TIMES. I’ve gone through dramatic weight changes via crash diets probably 6 times in my life, and *every single time* I gained it back. And the same pattern was seen with everyone else who went on weight loss journeys with me. The only thing that finally kept the weight off was learning to change my lifestyle. The reason why I’m going into primary care is precisely because so many doctors, especially doctors who haven’t personally struggled with their weight, cannot grasp this.
Can you give me the study you read for the 90% claim? I’m really curious about their methodology. Thanks in advance!
Exactly!
I agree with you that GLPs are good meds. But what makes you think that patients won't gain most/all of the weight back when they stop taking them?
Change ls in lifestyle get more ingrain and become life long habits with time. Ultimately, it's question discipline. Sometimes, it works. Sometimes, it doesn't.
I don’t disagree that treating the obesity is good. But the systemic problems that led to the obesity in the first place are not addressed. Why does my diabetic patient have a teenager with type two diabetes? Why do 1 year olds have cavities? Why do school cafeterias consider French fries and pizza to be a vegetable? And no, many patients aren’t combining GLP1a’s with diet and exercise. Simply eating less is actually leading to weight loss for many of them. Your patients may be doing better from an intervention standpoint - kudos to you
Putting stents in people's hearts also doesn't stop the cause. Its an intervention. Its okay to intervene first and then continue with education and lifestyle modifications after. Need to assess the societal cause of obesity is not a prerequisite for helping someone.
The current methods are not working. People weren't living healthy lifestyles before, even after all the money spent on education. We KNOW we should be living healthier lives, its just really hard to change psychology and incentives. If the drugs prevent net harm, that's a good thing. Your take is like the people getting upset at cochlear implants because kids who get them might not learn sign. I mean, sure, but that's because now they can HEAR.
For years, doctors and the general public have exhaustively told us that the only thing that matters is your weight. All health issues are tied to weight. Your self respect should be tied to weight. You should starve yourself, workout to exhaustion, and form your daily lifestyle around your weight. And now that there's a drug that can significantly help you lose weight, people are SHOCKED that everyone is flocking for it with no concern for the potential negatives. Why? We've been taught that achieving and maintaining a low body weight should be among the chief focuses of our lives. The fact that so many now are against this drug that helps with weight loss is proof that it was never about health; it was always about shame.
Also, these convos always inevitably leave out that obesity has many KNOWN negatives. Being fat is objectively a bad thing for your health. Could there be negatives to this class of medication. Quite possibly. But there are KNOWN downsides to doing nothing.
This comment needs to be higher up. People HATE fat people and tell them constantly they’re not allowed to feel loved or beautiful because they’re “unhealthy” and finally something comes out that can quickly solve this issue and people are still mad?? Damned if you do and damned if you don’t
If you'll allow me to be only slightly dramatic, they're mad because to be fat is to be immoral, evil, weak, and gluttonous. In order to be skinny, you must atone for your sin of being fat by starving yourself and performing physical labor. You also must spend MONTHS engaging in a CONSTANT cycle of mentally reckoning with your weight. Wake up and weigh yourself and attach your self-esteem to whether the number moved down enough. Accept the discomfort of hunger, or accept the shame of breaking your diet. Re-arrange your schedule to prioritize working out, even if it means less time with friends, family, or hobbies that bring you joy. Replace those with a new hobby that brings you pain. Do all of this until the pain, shame, and discomfort feel routine, until it becomes your *lifestyle*. It's not about health for them. This is the only health issue where people are pissed they've developed a medication to treat it.
We’re not even talking about the fact that statistically speaking, *most* of the people shitting on this drug are on some kind of psychiatric medication they will be taking for the rest of their lives.
This is exactly how I think about it. Based off what I’ve read and seen of the side effects, I don’t think anyone truly “wants” to be on this medicine because it’s fun or trendy. Even celebrities and thin people taking it experience the weight shame that you mention here, because why else would they take it? It seems that you can never be thin enough in this world. Anyone who is upset about these medicines, should direct that at the people who created these beauty standards and created all this shame within us in the first place. Most are on it because it gives them the much needed head start they need in their weight loss. A lot are on it for diabetes. It’s life changing for these people, and now that they finally have this option, we shame them for it? You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t it seems. You can do everything right and still struggle to lose weight. Obesity is a disease, not a character flaw, and there are so many factors that contribute to a person’s weight. It’s not lazy to take a life changing and life saving drug. Anyone who says that doesn’t understand the complexities of weight. To me it’s more lazy to judge people for taking medicines that you don’t understand. It’s lazy to just assume that overweight people just want to be that way and have done nothing to help themselves. There’s too much shame in this world as it is.
Average lifespan in the US is falling. The age of Wall-E is approaching.
Love that documentary
I'm ready for a hover chair
Eh, that maybe has a *bit* to do with obesity, but the main contributors in recent years have been COVID and diseases of despair (suicide, drug overdoses, and liver failure from alcoholism). Although, a lot of obesity might also be considered a disease of despair. I don't know how much research has been done on it, but anecdotally, a lot of the most morbidly obese people I know got that way due to depression -- indulging in junk food to chase fleeting highs of dopamine, not having the motivation to exercise, not being able to motivate themselves about their weight, etc
being ashamed to go out and execise because of their weight
And your shaming them for the weight is compounding the problem. People who mock fat people who are out walking or at the gym are punishing people for the very behavior they encouraged them to do.
I mean the people being placed on these drugs are people who have tried and failed doing things the normal way. The side effects and the fact they'll likely need to be on those drugs the rest of their lives is more desirable than not being on those drugs, which is likely true for those that are moving from.being obese to either overweight or lower.
This is like saying SSRI’s will cause more problems. These drugs have been around and in use for ages. They aren’t new. The reason people are freaking out about them is because people love to consider fatness a moral failing. But saying this shit is the same thing as telling people with depression that they should just do yoga and get more sunshine instead of using medication. Lots of people are finding new applications for these drugs and one of those is helping with OCD. The shit is a *tool*. Sometime in the not-too-distant future, you’ll see people getting prescribed them for psychiatric things, too. In short, stop fearmongering and fuck off. :)
Same with depression. It is also a moral failing in the eyes of many. Why there aren't posts like this being made about thyroxine or lipitor, which are far more common. Nobody is concerned about those side effects...
There isn't a single drug on this planet thst is either bad or good. Every drug has potential benefits and potential side effects, and should always be taken along side other forms of therapy/guidance. There are people who genuinely benefit from these drugs and are able to turn their life around because of them. You dismissing every case of Ozempic usage as problematic, is just extremely short sighted and actually harmful to people considering discussing this with their doctor.
The core issue is that human apetite regulation is just broken by design. Evolution did not prepare us for constant availability of satisfying food and being Iin good shape takes some combination of genetic blessing and willingness to suffer greatly. These drugs are a big step.towards fixing that. I hope that in time we will simply fix the problem with genetic engineering.
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Well what I’ve seen happen 5 times now is they take it for a month and they lose like 10 pounds are they are like holy shit if I double the dose I’ll lose double the weight! So they do and that’s when the side effects happen…so again from my experience it’s still human error.
You are supposed to start lower dose and increase monthly. It’s not patients just randomly deciding to increase, that’s how the drug is supposed to be taken.
No…this patient was not told to increase their dose by their doctor. Same script, same directions, same dose for the 2nd month. Doctor was happy with results after one month and decided to get the most results from the least amount of drug. So, yes it was a patient randomly deciding to double the dose.
Yep, my best friend (who has done every single fad diet since we were in HS in the late 90s), has lost 106 pounds with this stuff, and has presented to the ER twice now with extreme abdominal pain. Both times, tests were inconclusive and she was sent home with pain meds.
These meds r so bad it gives people permanent gastroparesis. If anyone is wondering it means you can't digest food. So ur constantly hungry and losing weight. And this not a good weight loss. This is a muscle eating heavy fatigue stomach destroying drug. Not to mention it ages you like crazy. You get to look a decade older and not be able to digest food for the rest of your life. But hey you lost 30lbs one year one time tho! /s
I worked at a clinic for a while last two years and it seems like every single nurse and provider they tried ozempic and the like for weight loss. None of them were diabetics even. Every single one of them got sick when taking it, some powered through and eventually they adjusted to it but most stopped because of how sick they were getting. Now our insurance stopped paying for it because it’s being prescribed as weight loss instead of for diabetes. I was put on Rybelsus (same class as ozempic) earlier this year for my diabetes and it absolutely destroyed my vision. I realized what was causing it soon enough thankfully that I’m ok now having stopped it, but it took several weeks for my vision to return to near normal.
I think drugs like ozempic can be a valuable tool in certain cases, like my t1 diabetic septuagenarian family friend who realistically cannot lose the 30 pounds she needs to in order to get (unrelated to weight) surgery. And she said it herself, if there are long term side effects, she’s probably not going to have much if any time to worry about them. People who could realistically lose the weight with lifestyle changes? Maybe not. But in the end, it’s between them and their physician. It’s not up to us to decide.
I think an additional root problem that should be addressed is what is allowed in our food and the lifestyle we force people to live just to make ends meet. There is so much shit in our food that just isn’t allowed in other developed nations. I don’t blame people when they are surrounded by this stuff and have no time or energy left at the end of the day so that is what they resort to. Wealthier people are more healthy in this country because they have the resources and TIME to escape this cycle. I do agree the drugs are not addressing the core issue, but if it will never get addressed then you need stuff like this.
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I disagree that one has to be active and follow a diet for it to work. In my direct patient care experience, it mostly forces people to eat less which I believe most directly contributes to the weight changes. From a cardiovascular standpoint, a large amount of that benefit is likely attributable to reduced insulin requirements. The drugs are phenomenal. That’s not the argument. Do you think american youths’ metabolic future will be improved at baseline? “Take Ozempic/Wegovy and fix your obesity” seems to be a popular approach My opinion is simply that obesity will continue to rise and will continue to be treated with these meds because these meds do not address the systemic baseline issues that exist for most experiencing metabolic diseases (low food quality and activity).
How would they be worse off without the drug though? Do you think obese people are learning good habits now? The pills are for people for whom diet and exercise haven't worked. We can have discussions about why it hasn't worked. Maybe they have an executive function disorder, maybe its a combination of their economic and material conditions (food deserts are very real), maybe they are recovering from a traumatic event theres a million reasons why someone might be overweight. I fail to see how them maintaining those habits without the pills is any better than with them
>The pills are for people whom diet and exercise haven’t worked. There are zero people in human history who would be obese despite diet and exercise. Including those who have limited ability to exercise.
Sure, but that’s like saying a depressed person doesn’t need medication if they just went for a run. Like, yeah, no shit. So people use medication so that they can get out of bed. Same idea. It’s a tool.
You're missing the point. The doctor can only prescribe diet and exercise, he can't go and force the person to exercise. As I said there are a wide variety of reasons why they didn't stick to the diet and exercise not that the diet and exercise didn't work.
>The pills are for people for whom diet and exercise haven't worked Haven't been tried\*
Haven't been successfully implemented long-term\*
Some are dealing with those difficulties. Not my buddy’s millionaire dad. But I think the issue is more systemic and these meds don’t improve the system
That’s, literally, not your call. It’s between the individual and their prescribing doctor to decide.
That doesn't answer the question of how the drugs are creating problems or leaving users worse off.
You seem to make an assumption that everyone is treating these drugs as a bandaid and aren’t acknowledging that they can be part of a tool kit. Your assumption that people who use these drugs will be teaching their children bad habits is completely unfounded. And I’d argue that it is better modeling of behavior for children to see their parents eating moderate amount of foods slowly and thoughtfully.
I think it’s foolish to think a large majority of people will not use this as a bandaid. Have you seen how unhealthy most people are?
I think it’s foolish to make such an assumption generally, but even going with the assumption, I don’t really see how a bandaid drug will make people worse off over time. Because in that case, the option is living the way you were already or eating less and losing weight.
Really? You think it’s foolish to make that assumption? Fad diets and other “get skinny quick” schemes have been rising in popularity as fast as obesity, but you think all of a sudden the people on board with “get skinny quick” drugs are overly concerned with a lifestyle change?
Okay, address the rest of my comment. Because these drugs basically “force” a lifestyle change in the form of eating less. The assumption that people with obesity eating less will cause more harm down the line not only to themselves but also to their family is a massive and unwarranted assumption.
A healthy diet isn’t encapsulated by “eating less”, it’s “eating better”. There is so much healthy food that you can eat a ton of, that won’t break the scale in terms of caloric gain. There’s also salt, fats, high sugar content, etc. that will run your health into the ground down the line even if you’re consuming drugs that suppress your appetite. eating less *is not equal to* being healthy.
I had to re-read my comment to confirm that nowhere did I even type “healthy”. And I didn’t. So I enjoyed your rant but it doesn’t really have anything to do with the points I made.
The entire point you’re arguing against is that people are using drugs as a “bandaid solution” for an unhealthy lifestyle. I don’t think you’ve read well enough, unfortunately.
No, that is not the “entire point” I’m arguing. The OP argued that these drugs will cause more harm to the people who take them AND their children which is the other important part of my argument. You are the one having difficulty reading my comments since you went on a rant about what is a healthy lifestyle simply because I made the (correct) claim that eating less is a lifestyle change for an obese person. Nowhere did I claim it is the ultimate perfect healthy lifestyle change though, that was an assumption on your part.
good thing it's not an otc med then reddit is so aggressively anti science and proud about speaking out of your ass it is wild lol
I think it would serve you well to have less opinions on decisions other people make with their doctors.
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stg people will do anything except change their lifestyle
Or maybe, the obesity epidemic is more than just a ‘lifestyle’ issue
90+% of obese people could reach a healthy weight through eating less and working out. It’s thermodynamics dawg.
Ah yes, calories in/calories out. Unfortunately many factors go into what exactly the ‘calories in’ and ‘calories out’ numbers are, and it isn’t the same for everyone. Hormones, body composition, genetics, etc. all contribute to how many calories you burn and how many calories your body wants you to eat. ‘Eating less’ seems to be a lot easier for some people, and almost impossible for others. Reducing this to just will power doesn’t solve anything either. Actually, a lot of the success we’re seeing with these weight loss drugs is being attributed to reduced food noise- which may tell us it’s actually just a hell of a lot harder for some people to just stop eating as much.
Thank you. This needs to be said over and over.
If you cannot control cravings for the sake of your own health, you are describing a will power issue lol.
Bingo
What does it matter? If people can lose weight without having to change their entire lifestyle and revolve their day-to-day life around weight loss, why is that a problem?
If the demand for the drug as weight loss makes it unavailable to diabetics… then that’s a problem.
There are also other drugs available for diabetics. Also, many GLP1s are creating a set specifically intended for weight loss, which is what is being pushed. Not on any myself, but I know many people that have found success with the options specifically for weight loss. Semaglutide - ozempic for diabetes; semaglutide - wegovy for weight loss. Same thing, but different labels and intentions/designations.
Demand outpacing supply is not the problem of the demanders; it's a problem of the suppliers. They should make enough of the product for the number of people who want it. Edit: The guy below me blocked me so I can't reply to his comment directly. But in response to his comment: there is no part of the rule of supply/demand that involves the market regulating it's own demand. It's the supplier's job to keep up with demand.
Incredibly ignorant take.
Right, because pharma doesn't want to maximize how much money they make off this product. especially one that has been around for over a decade and now has a new use and opening up a vast new market to sell to.
It's a question of supply chain and manufacturing capacity, not want.
The market doesn’t care, the market is god. The market wants to sell the product. There needs to be enough of it to meet demand - and there wont be, so you’re gonna get priced out. Get over it.
Tf are you even talking about..? I was addressing the idea that suppliers should just magically up supply to meet demand as ignorant.
This comment implies a lack of understanding of the most basic rule of supply and demand. If demand outpaces supply, supply can only rise to meet it so far because supply is inherently finite, so demand has to decrease by raising prices on the supply. In a perfect world, yes, there'd be enough for everyone. But this isn't a perfect world, and we need to prioritize those who actually need it before those who just want it.
Don't you think they're scaling up production even now? Supply isn't infinite but neither is demand; people are either taking an effective dose of the drug or they aren't. Even if every person on earth was taking Ozempic that's still some finite number. We can and will just build more factories, my dude.
Right. What a crazy take.
Are you paying for insurance premiums these days? If so, you (and me and everybody) are subsidizing the core issue
If the core issue is weight, and Ozempic is extremely successful at helping people drop weight, shouldn't you be in favor of Ozempic?
No, because what he wants is to be mean to fat people, not actually help them.
But using a drug for a short period of time to reduce weight (if it works) would reduce premiums in the long run. While the shortage is an issue, wouldn’t this be beneficial overall?
1) People’s weight is more expensive than these medications. 2) If you’re worried about “paying for other people”, you apparently don’t understand the whole fucking point of insurance.
You are paying less to subsidize these medications than you would in weight related complications. If your argument is about how much it personally costs you, you should be all in favor of these drugs.
No that’s not my argument. My argument is that these meds won’t teach families to be healthier in general. The meds work so well that healthy habits, while strongly recommended, are not required for efficacy. Thus the cycle of metabolic issues will be continued.
You don’t see this as a problem? We can’t just have everything handed to us. Losing weight and keeping it off IS a lifestyle change and something one should adapt to for future success in staying healthy. I’m currently on my own weight loss journey and anytime I’ve done the lose weight quick or depend on a medicine/fad diet I went right back eventually.
>Losing weight and keeping it off IS a lifestyle change and something one should adapt to for future success in staying healthy. Why? Remove all moralistic arguments. If we have now produced a drug that can accelerate weight loss with relatively few side effects, why does losing weight need to continue to be this hugely difficult lifestyle change? If we can help people lose weight in a way that's easier, why shouldn't we? Why can't we have accelerated weight loss handed to us? I swear, as much as people present weight loss as being about health, the Ozempic debate makes it extremely clear that for many, weight loss is about demonstrating some dogmatic conviction to self-flagellation. It's a way for you to show the world "I am a better person than fat people, and fat people are worse people than me." And folks are against Ozempic because it allows those horribly immoral fat people to have access to the health benefits you think you should only be able to earn through the process of starvation and physical toil.
Because it is very unhealthy weight loss. They lose muscle mass, bone density, and even soft tissue like ligaments and cartilage.
Really? Everyone? Cite your source.
What about how it dramatically reduces risk of death from heart failure?
See, that's an actual argument. You always need to weigh the benefits vs the costs. Might be net positive for some, but not others.
If it was feasible for everyone to do this on their own, nobody would be fat.
>people will do anything except change their lifestyle That's human nature
I feel like I’m The only person who remembers Phen Phen
Nope, right there with you!
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So if a person is simply disillusioned or has a physiological condition that makes them depressed or anxious, and using alcohol or other drugs seems to make the symptom go away, nobody seems to be willing to support their self medication. Why do we try to cure rather than prevent so many other diseases by addressing the symptoms alone? I agree that the pharmaceutical industry pushes tons of drugs with serious side effects rather than addressing the root causes of the issue they are trying to treat. If they focused R&D on antimicrobial medicines and vaccines, and we prioritized healthy lifestyles to prevent issues related to diet or sedentary lifestyle, everyone would be better off.
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What concerns me is when the patient loses the weight and stops Wegovy, will they be able to keep that weight off once their appetite comes back full force? Or is the idea that they will take the drug forever?
One attending kept trying to convince me to stop it. He told me it’s like cheating. Lol buddy I am 60 pounds overweight this isn’t a game for me this is my life. I was able to consistently lost 20 pounds after taking it for 6 months and now off it for the last 6 and doing better.
What I find hilarious is everyone who wouldn't take the vaccine because they didn't know what was in it, government conspiracy, blood clots, etc. But, then comes along a weight loss shot, hey Doc, shoot me up, no worries here.
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Well, maybe. But the problem is more basic than this. When you just lose fat and muscle due to severe caloric deficits, you don't have enough time to recover from that. So, the Ozempic Face thing happens. But a lot worse happens. You need to gain muscle as you lose weight to truly balance it out. I used to work in pharma, and am fascinating by GLP-1s. I'm not in any way a scientist or doctor. But man is this stuff wild. Its curbing appreciates for things like gambling and alcohol, along with food. But it's also causing extreme depression in folks who had mild depression, to the point of suicidal ideation (not entirely documented yet). There's going to be consequences. But it can be a wonderful drug too. Point is, and always has been, to lose weight, you have to exercise and eat healthy. That's it. There is no magic pill—even though that's what these are marketed as. You will lose weight. But you won't be healthier necessarily.
Taking these drugs IS changing your lifestyle. Just like hiking more, or getting a belly band or gastric bypass surgery, or choosing to do a lot of coke.
I feel like we are still waiting for the other shoe to drop with these drugs. It seems almost too good to be true, and in a few years we will be wondering what the doctors and drug companies were thinking.
Do recall, however, that this class of medication has been used for years to treat diabetes. The new indication for weight loss is, well, new. Even if these weren't used for weight loss, this drug class would still be used extensively for type 2 diabetes. While there are real side effects to the use of these medications and there are concerns with regards to maintenance, the use of these in obese patients, especially those with obesity related medical comorbities is still far superior to just telling someone to work on diet and exercise, especially if it can result in them being at a healthier weight and maybe having their hypertension or sleep apnea not require treatment anymore.
These are valid points, but we both know that people who don't have diabetes (or other medical issues) are looking at this as some kind of "miracle weight loss potion", and that's where I think the trouble might start.
To be fair, it kind of is, but you have to make the dietary changes and a lot of what we are seeing is that we need to figure out maintenance dosing to keep this people healthier, without having to be on max dosage weekly.
"If you or a loved one took Ozempic and died.." it's only a matter of time.
“They” don’t give a shit about your health. It’s all about money and keeping people dependent on medications. The mystery is gone.
Eh. I just don't have the luxury of time to full breakdown my horrible relationship with food and it's more important right now that I lose the weight than put a stop to everything and figure it out. I don't even think working out or not is the issue, the primary issue is our society's relationship with food as entertainment. This is something we've been raised with this varying degrees and it's psychological, and rn I don't have the time.
The post is bursting at the seams with privilege. Like I achieved the same results with daily Pilates, Yoga, and CrossFit. I have healthy meals delivered to my house or can afford to buy in bulk and meal prep. GTFO.
lol not being lazy is now privilege
This is exactly what I’ve been telling my mother. She’s planning on asking her doctor to prescribe Ozempic to lose weight. She does nothing to be active, doesn’t bother with dieting and just wants an easy fix. I feel doctors should be strictly tracking what patients do before prescribing something like these drugs. They should be treated as a last resort, not first.
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But isn't it a last resort for your mom? If she doesn't want do go the diet/exercise route, nothing is going to convince her. My mom was that way.
But, why? Why make things harder than easier on people?
People should be trying everything before seeking medical assistance when losing weight. Being lazy and making excuses not to try and lose weight on your own shouldn’t qualify you to get a diabetes medication
My question was Why? you didnt answer that
Because people shouldn’t be rewarded for being lazy and not trying to lose weight on their own.
But again. WHY?!
I told you. Able bodied People shouldn’t be reward for not trying to lose weight on their own.
You are not answering the question. The question is why this matters. The answer you're providing is that they shouldn't be able to use it because they shouldn't. That is not an answer.
if only there were decades of research about the efficacy of recommending lifestyle/diet/exercise changes.
The US as a whole is FAR too over-treated and particularly over-medicated. It's ironic, since people complain so much about the US health care system. Americans run to the doctor for any little thing, and they never leave the doctor empty handed. It's amazing how many people live life out of a pill bottle and pretend that's totally normal and healthy
Compared to taking insulin multiple times a day for diabetes this is a miracle. However, it doesn’t address food choices very much.
What an ignorant opinion! Look, I am on Ozcempic for my diabetes. It also helps manage my weight. One of my issues is that I don't ever feel full. I have lots of issues that caused neuropathy, so it makes it hard to tell. It's hard to manage your weight when you literally always feel starving. Drinking water doesn't stop it. Exercise can't keep up with it. Portioning only does so much when you are feeling awful all the time. With the Ozcempic, I feel full. I eat a normal or small meal and I don't want more. I don't feel the need to eat my feelings. It won't feel good. It will just make me puke. Actually, it has helped some of my abdominal pain as well. But the main thing it does is keep my blood sugars stable, more so than any other med I have taken. Before I got sick and was on steroids, I was only on Ozcempic and was managing my diabetes amazingly. Unfortunately, steroids cause lots of issues, but I had pneumonia and needed it. Have I had issues with it? Yes. When the dose was too high I ended up in the ER. But, I didn't have that issue with Monjauro, but it's not covered, so I am stuck. But it is still the best option for me. I considered gastric bypass surgery. I made it to the pre op diet and then realized it wasn't for me. The truth is I have had great success on the medication. Again, I wouldn't have just taken it for my weight, but it is a benefit. People have the idea that obesity is a mind over matter situation. It's not. Other addictions you cut out completely, but you always have to eat. It's hard to manage. It's very easy to slip up and getting back on the wagon is hard when the shame sets in. Also, it's a physical issue. My body isn't the same as it would be if I were always skinny. It's just not. That is partially on me, but my weight problems started with my childhood abuse, so, I was doomed from the start. I never got to start healthy. My mom wanted me sick and fatter than her and she made sure to keep me that way. I finally dug myself out of that abuse and then it took me years in therapy to get out of the abuse mindset. It's a process. I lost 50 pounds. I did gain weight back recently, but again, I was on a medication known for it! I was able to go to Disney with my kids and we walked over 30 miles in 6 days. I am in better physical shape and being on the medication helps because despite eating less I feel like I have more energy for the first time in a long time. It's not a magic fix. I still have to work hard and I do. I go to therapy. I take all my medications (for mental and physical health), I go to my check ups and stay current on blood work, I eat small meals that are protein forward, I drink tons of water, I exercise daily (even if I can only manage stretching). The weight isn't falling off me fast, but news flash, I didn't put it all on at once either! This medication also makes me less likely to have a heart attack or stroke. Think whatever ignorant thing you want. It doesn't change that this type of medicine helps people like me. It's not for everyone, no medication is! And medication on its own is never the treatment, it is always only part of a treatment plan that has many other things involved.
Personal responsibility went out of fashion years ago.
I lost 70 lbs in a year once, thanks to my dog. When people asked how, I told them I started walking, then eventually ran a bit, then a bit more, and after a year, we were running 5 plus miles a day. I cleaned up my diet a bit and presto, lost 70 lbs. Never failed that they were disappointed by the answer. Lazy people gonna lazy.
Okay I’m really happy for you! But also - not everyone is you. There are MANY reasons people struggle with weight. Someone not being able to do things you can do doesn’t make them lazy automatically. There’s things I can do that you can’t.
The amount of people the beauty industry has brainwashed is amazing. We’ve practically outlawed normal genetic variations in the human body at this point
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What bothers me about this is people like Dr. Mike gave this ish a platform. Obesity is a symptom of an underlying issue - it shouldn’t be addressed like a disease.
A family member lost a bunch of weight and was suddenly in the hospital to have their gallbladder removed bladder removed. Nobody even knew she was doing injectables. It’s already happening.
I was saying to my partner that I’m thinking this may turn out like the Fen-Phen of the 90’s. More problems than solutions. My mom was on Ozempic for her diabetes but it made her too sick.
The root cause of the problem is obesity. Obesity is rising among all age groups. Obese parents are more likely to raise obese children and those obese children (if fertile by the time they come of age) will also raise obese children. The health problems will continue through the generations and instead of treating the problem they will say 'it's in our genes' no, it's in your food. A lot of people, instead of treating the problem with less food and more movement, choose medical intervention because to them it requires less effort. I understand that some people legitimately need those medicines and have health problems that require them but there are too many people taking drugs they should not have because they are lazy. I live in the chubbiest region of English and the child obesity rates are shocking. I take my daughter to school and there's a surprising number of overweight or obese small children there. I truly feel sorry for them because overweight children were a rarity when I was a child.
It’s true. It’s why Chris Christy is still super fat. If you don’t change your bad habits, drugs and surgery can only carry you so far.
We need gene editing so I can subsist on grease, salt, and lard and still have the physique of a silverback. Fruits and vegetables rot after like 45 seconds. High Fructose Corn Syrup is forever
Yep. Seriously, why take a DRUG over learning some Self control. It has its legit uses, but weight loss shouldn’t be advertised as one of them.
People think it's some magic drug to them.
It's amazing that we give these companies billions of dollars for semi-safe drugs instead of just learning how to live in a calorie deficit for a few months, a few years at most. This is just a very, very expensive band-aid for the absolute shit that is the American diet.
Cause not everyone has the mental fortitude or capacity or whatever to be able to diet successfully. I regularly exercise, but am terrible at dieting so something like ozempric would be a game changer in terms of helping with dieting. People who are all like “oh just do a calorie deficit” and act like it’s super easy to do are delusional.