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Health

Obesity jabs

(174 Posts)
faringdon59 Tue 14-Jan-25 11:03:50

I realise that what I'm going to say is controversial. But I saw on the news yesterday about the cost to the NHS of giving patients lifelong medication for their obesity.
Sorry, I think Dr's should be being more proactive about people getting the weight off by diet and exercise.
Think this situation has become so bad due to political correctness, people being afraid of raising the issue of weight.
Maybe people should be having to meet weight targets prior to being referred for their operations on the NHS.
Smoking has been made into an anti-social habit over the years because there has been a big anti smoking campaign.

Boz Thu 16-Jan-25 10:38:09

I believe these drugs make you feel full so you do not eat. How does this play out with people who comfort eat? Deprived of comfort might make them depressed.
A neighbour of mine (67) was on a weight loss drug and lost weight but lost her looks. She went from a round faced plump cheerful woman to a shrivelled miserable old lady. Be careful.

growstuff Thu 16-Jan-25 10:17:19

We are surrounded by it and chocolate, cake and biscuits are still a popular gift regardless of how bad they might be!

I agree - and somehow or other that needs to change or people need to ignore it, which is much easier said than done.

Grammaretto Thu 16-Jan-25 09:54:28

A big problem about food addiction is that we all have to eat!
If it's smoking or alcohol addiction you can keep away from it at least in theory but not food.
We are surrounded by it and chocolate, cake and biscuits are still a popular gift regardless of how bad they might be!

Definitely easier to pile weight on than to lose it.

Doodledog Thu 16-Jan-25 09:31:06

Do the advice-givers tell people with acne to drink more water and cut out chocolate? Or people with spinal problems to stand up straight?

The overweight seem to be singled out for this sort of thing, and people wonder why we don’t like it. Isn’t it blindingly obvious how awful it is? Or are fatties so far down the social hierarchy that it just washes over people.

ViceVersa Thu 16-Jan-25 09:24:50

Well said, Doodledog. I'm glad it's so black and white for some people. Would that it were so simple for everyone.

Doodledog Thu 16-Jan-25 09:22:33

mumstheword86

If you want to loose weight you will Its all about Will power just don’t over eat Smaller portions more fruit veg You have to shrink your stomach You have to feel hungry Make soups with veg only one slice of bread You can have roast diners just be sensible and nice food but not big puddings eat a piece of fruit and a square of chocolate It’s possible if you want to loose weight
I have looked in shopping baskets
in supermarket recently full of to many carbs and wrong foods in bigger peoples baskets All to sad No will power If you want to loose you will It’s hard …..to easy these days to reward your self if you feel sad with something tasty !!!

Thank you so much! If only I’d realised. Where did you qualify as a dietitian? I could go there for help. Or do you give lessons in willpower at all? I could trade you for ones in grammar, since we are passing on unnecessary and potentially hurtful advice.

It’s all about paying attention at school and just sticking to the rules. All you need is a dictionary and a book about the rules of the English language. Easy.

LtEve Thu 16-Jan-25 09:10:38

There is so much unscientific and erroneous information around about both the causes of obesity and the weight loss injections.
www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-comments-on-the-risks-and-benefits-of-tirzepatide-following-following-the-death-of-susan-mcgowan/
This is what the experts say following the death of the nurse. People unfortunately die after any drug but it is rare.
The drug is not unregulated if bought from a reputable pharmacy, mine is reviewed and prescribed by a doctor who is in touch with my GP.
Lots of studies are now showing that the obesity crisis coincides with the huge rise in ultra processed food which started in the 1980s, food marketed as healthy low fat etc contains chemicals which cause you to want more. No big food company is interested in your health, they just want to make money and to do that they have to sell more.

mumstheword86 Thu 16-Jan-25 09:03:52

If you want to loose weight you will Its all about Will power just don’t over eat Smaller portions more fruit veg You have to shrink your stomach You have to feel hungry Make soups with veg only one slice of bread You can have roast diners just be sensible and nice food but not big puddings eat a piece of fruit and a square of chocolate It’s possible if you want to loose weight
I have looked in shopping baskets
in supermarket recently full of to many carbs and wrong foods in bigger peoples baskets All to sad No will power If you want to loose you will It’s hard …..to easy these days to reward your self if you feel sad with something tasty !!!

Doodledog Thu 16-Jan-25 00:31:57

Ok, then I am not sorry for being angry grin. Can't you see how condescending it is to point out that a vegetarian diet can be unhealthy? If not, there's not a lot I can say, really.

growstuff Thu 16-Jan-25 00:29:43

But you have mentioned your hypothyroidism and respiratory details and what you eat in general terms. I am aware of the impact of hypothyroidism on the metabolism.

Doodledog Wed 15-Jan-25 23:52:15

growstuff

Doodledog

Well, I'm sorry, but if you're eating too many calories for your own body, it's not going to be healthy, whether it's the best quality organic home-cooked food or not.
I'm so pleased there are so many people on hand to tell people like me about diet grin. Can you help with exercise too, please, given that I have idiopathic desaturation on exertion?

Nope, sorry.

No, nobody can (including medical professionals). Yet so many people want to tell me what to eat, and make assumptions about what I do eat.

I realise that I can be defensive about it, and if I have overreacted I apologise, but when people who have no idea what my medical conditions are, or the impact they have on my metabolism talk patronisingly about calories and healthy eating I'm sure you can understand that it is infuriating.

123kitty Wed 15-Jan-25 23:42:53

For those people who seriously wish to lose weight these drugs sounds a brilliant solution. Helping towards solving the huge and costly obesity problem suffered by such a huge proportion of the population of our county. No axe to grind as thanks to genetics I don’t have a weight problem.

foxie48 Wed 15-Jan-25 18:44:36

I have to take beta blockers and they are known to cause weight gain unless you cut back your calories. I was careful with my diet before, did lots of exercise too but now I cut back the calories but because they also cause tiredness I can't do as much exercise so it's a double whammy! I've put half a stone on despite eating smaller portions and following the Zoe diet but at 76 I need protein to maintain muscle mass. I'm lucky as I'm an ectomorph and even with the extra pounds I'm still pretty slim but I really sympathise with anyone who has struggled with their weight most of their lives. Wouldn't it be nice if in 2025 we could all show more understanding of the problems that others face. The person who feeds themselves on chips, crisps or chocolate might eat like that because it's the best thing that happens in their day. Who knows? I certainly don't and I won't judge them.

Grammaretto Wed 15-Jan-25 18:11:19

A thin woman I know had cancer and was put on steroids as part of her treatment. She ballooned and was so distraught.
Nothing whatsoever to do with what she ate.
Now she's recovered and has come off the drugs she is thin again but with a healthy appreciation of the fact that obesity is not necessarily something you can control.

jennilin Wed 15-Jan-25 18:02:06

I can easily maintain my weight with a 1200 calorie diet . I can slowly lose weight with a 1000 calorie intake. Neither of these are sustainable long term. My very skinny friend eats what she likes and remains skinny. I agree some people over indulge and that's why they are obese but others seem to have a tendency to be heavier inspite of lifestyle. I would love to know why !

Maggieanne Wed 15-Jan-25 17:13:11

I haven't managed to read many of the comments but I do know someone who "cannot lose weight". I wonder if it's anything to do with the trays and trays of Pepsi and the BOXES, not bags of crisps all over the house, biscuits too, more like a corner shop than a home! Just noticed her partner swigging from a large bottle of coke outside the house, now that is what I call greed and no control. Oh yes, and her partner was using Weight-Watchers meals two at a time.

growstuff Wed 15-Jan-25 16:26:49

Shizam

Someone with high cholesterol isn’t denied statins if they fail to give up the foods and lifestyle that raises levels because of costs. Or any other condition. Ozempic etc must also save money in long run in terms of preventing other ailments brought on by obesity.

Statins are very cheap.

Cambia Wed 15-Jan-25 16:13:57

There have always been thin and fat people but if you read Chris Van Tullikens book you will see that obesity really rocketed with the introduction of UPF. These foods contain chemicals that make you want to eat more until you become addicted to eating them.
Genetics also play their place and of course medication but these can’t be to blame for the huge surge in obesity. If the obesity jabs only work whilst taking them and don’t retrain people’s eating habits then they are not sustainable.
We do really come back to calories in and calories out. I too have always been slim but then I eat tiny portions, no UPF and exercise. I can of course put weight on when I stop exercising and eat more sugar so that suggests that you do have a choice in the matter of whether you are slim or overweight.

I always get quite cross when people call me skinny, I wouldn’t dream of calling people fat but apparently it doesn’t cut both ways!!!

Judge me all you like….gransnet does seem to be coming a bit judgemental lately.

Shizam Wed 15-Jan-25 15:48:58

Someone with high cholesterol isn’t denied statins if they fail to give up the foods and lifestyle that raises levels because of costs. Or any other condition. Ozempic etc must also save money in long run in terms of preventing other ailments brought on by obesity.

jocork Wed 15-Jan-25 15:44:25

I have type 2 diabetes and despite losing over 4 stones by diet and exercise I was still significantly overweight and couldn't shift any more weight or get my blood sugar low enough. I was put on Ozempic 2 years ago. It has enabled me to lose a further 2 stones and get my blood sugar readings down. I'm still overweight according to my BMI but not by much. If I was being given the injections for weight loss I'm no longer overweight enough! The diabetic nurse has agreed that I don't need to lose more weight and I'm now on maintenance.

However these drugs are not simply a miracle cure. I feel a similar queasiness that I suffered in early pregnancy and the weight loss has come because I struggle to eat some days as I feel sick. I've gone off many foods I used to enjoy and have to force my self to eat some days. But I worry that if I give up the injections I may put back the weight. It's a difficult dilemma! Diet and exercise doesn't work for everyone and being told that it will is very upsetting for those of us who have struggled with our weight for a lifetime.

silverlining48 Wed 15-Jan-25 15:17:31

Other than fish and chip shops there wasnt any junk / ultra processed food then. People prepared and cooked fresh food. Meat and two veg etc.
Now there’s food abailable everywhere, every third shop along most high streets and it’s Tempting for many.

jennilin Wed 15-Jan-25 15:08:11

I'm not sure how many people die from the complications of being obese but I'm sure you will find it will be many more than one !!

Bazza Wed 15-Jan-25 15:03:47

I have a morbidly obese friend who once said to me that every addiction other than food isn’t immediately obvious, and I had never before thought of overeating as an addiction. It seems that drug addicts, smokers, gamblers and alcoholics have far more help to overcome their demons than people addicted to food.

It also made me think that in my co-ed boarding school of 500 children in the late fifties didn’t have a single overweight child.

Daffydilly Wed 15-Jan-25 14:56:37

Doodledog

I wonder whether people who need the jabs for their ongoing health could be made to suffer in some way to atone for being overweight? I mean, clearly they must all be idle gluttonous sloths with no willpower, and they are using 'wokery' to prevent anyone calling them the fatties they are. Perhaps an example could be made of them by making them take part in bootcamps on public land? That would stop them asking for potentially life-changing treatment, wouldn't it? After all, they obviously don't feel bad enough already despite being shamed on a daily basis by those fortunate enough not to have medical issues that cause weight gain, and the sort of genes that make staying slim easy for them.

Whilst we're at it, should we campaign to stop the NHS from treating people who have smoking-related illness? Cut services to those who drink more than 2 units of alcohol at a time? What about those who injure themselves playing sport? These things all cost the NHS a fortune, and it's time it stopped.

🤣🤣🤣 Nicely put.

MayBee70 Wed 15-Jan-25 14:20:56

I think our relationship starts very early in life and I’m sure I trashed my metabolism by crash dieting. But I don’t think this injection is the magic bullet that will solve everything for everybody, it’s far too complex an issue for that. What happens to the excess skin that is a problem for many people who lose a great deal of weight quickly?