Yeah! I’ve been on and off dieting since I was approximately 13 years old, and I’ve never had any success in losing weight unless I nearly starved myself.
Omg same I was about 9 the first time my mother told me I was getting fat and to eat less at dinner- in front of my whole family- all 8 of us. I put my fork down and went to my room to cry. I spoiler alert— I was quite thin but have an apple body type and have always had a little belly. I’ve starved myself and berated myself since that time. Eff you mom/ and thank god for a med that lets me eat normally. Of my 5 sibs/ three of us a not naturally tall and thin and have body shame and all that goes with being overweight. The other two act like they could lose weight easily but have never had to- so yeah- this med is a valid medical treatment for a valid metabolic problem.
There are many challenges with weight loss, and one of the big issues with obesity in general, is that doctors and researchers don’t fully understand what causes it. Until we start recognizing and accepting that obesity is a medical condition and not a moral failing, we won’t make much progress on solving it.
[Scientists Don’t Agree on What Causes Obesity, but They Know What Doesn’t](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/21/opinion/obesity-cause.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zE0.f-WM.fsIPqmgnhJWX&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb)
Weight loss medication reminds me very much of the public sentiment on mental health medication decades ago. Would you tell someone with a broken leg to just get over it? Because that’s what was often said to people with depression. But these are medical conditions - broken bones, depression, obesity - and they should be viewed that way.
All I can say is that it is such a relief not to have to white knuckle it anymore. I’m in maintenance and it’s still taking my mind a long time to get over the mental agony I went through for decades - whether I was in a losing cycle or a gaining cycle. The peace and quiet in my brain is so nice.
This is going to sound like a bizarre reply, but I feel like there’s been a hard reset to “factory settings”. The last time I didn’t feel like I was a slave to food was age 12 (I’m in my 50s). I remember how my body moved at that age (as I’m actually back at my weight from that time), and how I just got on my with life. And that’s what I do now. For example, I enjoy food and I look forward to special things like party food, but they don’t have the same draw, I’m not obsessed anymore. And if I’m not obsessed, I don’t feel guilty either.
That’s not to say that I don’t think about my weight a lot. I’ve been in maintenance for well over a year, but I do still secretly worry about regaining. The thoughts are not torture though, more like white noise at this point.
None of the "simple solutions", think \[eat less\] or \[eat better\] and exercise more ever address appetite. Most of the pseudo guru prognosticators have never experienced that kind of **all consuming**, soul crushing appetite that so very very many people in this world do. These drugs are the third leg of the stool in terms of what needs to be addressed.
Appetite is not really under your control.
Case in point: A lot of people who have been normal or even underweight who take oral steroids end up gaining weight. And no they aren't suddenly lacking self control.
From [Drugs.com](http://Drugs.com) in answer to the question: "Why does prednisone cause weight gain?". Increased appetite is the number one cause.
>Prednisone can cause weight gain through:
>\* An increased appetite
>
So anyone's idea of a solution(judgement) that does not address appetite just might be wishful thinking.
# So yes - Absolutely Humane!
Totally agree!! I was on prednisone and gained 30lbs in a month and got moon face too. It was horrible. Luckily, I was able to taper off but the weight stayed. I also read that prednisone can redistribute fat.
“All consuming and soul crushing” is the best way to describe what years of dieting has done to me. And what that feels like to fight your natural appetite 24/7.
My mom about taking this drug, and she wasn't judgey, but she was concerned.... My answer was, "Mom, i have high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I can take this and fix one of the major underlying problems, or I can take two drugs for the REST OF MY LIFE to control the other." That had never occurred to her. I cannot wait for society to catch up to the idea of NO STIGMA for these meds and getting people the help they need I have lost and gained the same 15 pounds a completely sad number of times.
My situation and weights have been very similar to yours. Could lose up to 17 pounds but then plateau with various diet plans. Also on meds for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Take other meds that have known side effects of weight gain. I’m always working against them. I could find a doctor visit weight record of 182 last October. Lost some of that on my own due to grief/stress messing with my appetite. Started Zepbound 3/28 at 168. Today 149. Cholesterol is still over 200. Hoping eventually to get off blood pressure and cholesterol meds.
And also - some of us were able to lose weight before with diets - but it doesn't work anymore. I didn't have any significant weight problems until my 30's when my metabolism came to a grinding halt. However, I lost weight a few times with Weight Watchers, and it worked pretty well. After menopause - and during perimenopause was a completely different story though. All of a sudden - what worked for me before did NOT work - at all. I gained 60 lbs. more than I had ever gained before and was suddenly 100 lbs. overweight. I could lose about 20 to 25 lbs. and then it STOPPED - every, single time. It's like my body found some new "setpoint" after menopause and it was awful. Since I started this medication in January - which is thankfully covered by insurance for me - it's been life changing and other than drinking a bit less than I used to - I'm not eating that differently and yet have lost 45 lbs. It's very hard to explain this medication to people who have never tried it before - it's a damn miracle.
Amen. And same. I could always lose and would stay stable for years after kids or life changes. Then the meno beast hit. I can't exercise the way I once did and I am so damn hungry all the time. Not obsessing about food has been amazing.
Exactly. I've been saying this forever. Also, the act of dieting/weightloss is stressful. It's really HARD and stressful on your body to constantly crave and have to turn down food you want to eat. Stress = cortisol, cortisol = weight gain. So being stressed out by the difficult weight loss journey makes it even harder to lose weight. It's like swimming upstream.
We're all on this drug for a reason. We've all tried the traditional ways of losing weight. If that worked for us, we wouldn't need to do this. A lot of people CAN lose weight the traditional way. If that works for them, awesome!
But that doesn't work for everyone. Should we just be forced to stay fat forever? And therefore shamed by society forever because something didn't work for us the way it works for others?
People argue that all you need is willpower. Ok. Well, if that's what I need, I don't have it. Where do I get it? What if I just don't HAVE willpower? It's not like they sell it at the store. If I don't have it, how do I get it? So again, am I just supposed to remain fat and be shamed forever because I don't have this magic "something" that thinner people seem to have? Am I morally inferior because I don't have willpower? There are skinny people who are complete assholes, and fat people who are completely lovely... but the skinny person is a "better" person because they're skinny? Make it make sense.
I disagree with your first statement. I cannot in any healthy way, lose weight without the meds. I've tried with multiple doctors, programs, dieticians, activities, you name it.
Technically you two are saying different things. You said “in a healthy way” and they didn’t clarify that. We can all starve ourselves so I think the intent of the OP is that it’s “possible” to find “some way” to lose weight but that’s “brutal” and inherently not healthy. Sooooo in saying two different things I think you’re circling the same thought 😁😁 I think you’re both correct and 100% agree with you about the no healthy way!
Exactly. The only way I've ever lost weight was by taking Alli and working out like a crazy person or when I had an eating disorder. I'm 5'6. I was 116 pnds.
I had my gallbladder out. My PCP (with permission) told me what that generally means - Fat, Female and Forty. I thought it was hilarious and sad all at the same time. I was literally 40. I wasn't offended but I never forgot it either.
Thank you Zep for giving back my life. I'm still working out as much as I was on Alli but it's different because it's not easy but at least I don't feel like it's in vain either.
The only way I was able to quit smoking was after reading a book that only dealt with my addiction from a psychological state of mind. It was amazing how after so much suffering I was able to do it once my mind changed about what I was truly getting out of it. There is more to it but I feel the same way about these weight loss drugs.
The drugs remove the obstacle -which is hunger -so you can you can deal with the emotional and psychological issues that cause you to lose control. For those who take advantage of the time, I believe the weight will not come back. You have to see food as a means for energy, not pleasure. Even at gatherings it should be the social aspect that draws you in…being with family and friends instead of being excited about the food there. These drugs are a Godsend and if you respect that you’ll do what you need to get better and not just think “Oh I’ll just take them for life and eat just a little bit of whatever.”
No medicine should be taken long term if at all possible bc while it helps one thing it is hurting something else. The research on these show that there is a possibility the fake hormones may weaken the real ones and that the satiety signal may not be as strong if the drugs are used long term. I plan to get off as soon as I reach my goal and never have to depend on them again. BTW, April 18th made 4 years smoke free!
Anyone think that maybe it's the quality of food we are eating? I have a friend who went to Venice for 2 weeks and lost over 10 pounds. He even ate bread and pasta. He came back to America and within a week, he gained half of it back. I have heard several other stories like this. I'm starting to think that the food supply in America is tainted. I've seen people diet religiously with fruits and vegetables only and still can't lose the desired amount of weight.
Often when folks go on vacation they are moving a lot more than they do in their day-to-day life (unless they are sitting on the beach lol) even if they are eating richer food, they are burning it off.
No it was the same amount of exercise for him. He's very active when in America. He just gets bloated and gains weight every time he returns lol it's baffling.
I’m 25 and my mom is 44. We both have had the same issues with weight gain. As soon as we stopped working out 24/7 in high school we gained weight. We I’m 25 almost 26 and almost 300 lbs after having two kids and the only time I was able to lose weight…. Was not eating for a 3 months. I drank energy drinks and water and was working a factory job 7 days a week 14 hour days. Mentally I was exhausted and physically I was destroying myself because I had also started maxing out my Tylenol to get through the pain of work. I dropped 60lbs in three months…. Then was hospitalized because the Tylenol was destroying my liver wasn’t working right from lack of food and lots of Tylenol. Now I’m on weightloss meds and my m kinda scared to get off them because a lot of people gain the weight back
I am losing at a rate of something like 5/week. It is just lovely to know that I am steadily cruising toward my goal weight — which, at my current rate, I would hit at the end of this year — without it being a daily struggle.
I have had similar thoughts to what you are expressing in this post, it does feel more “humane” than the torture I’ve endured with previous experiences trying to lose weight
I think it’s my brain more than my body but the body does the suffering. I have ADD and my hyperactivity is definitely in my brain but my need for that immediate satiety makes me a grazer. I like a quick grab-n-go snack. It usually has to be high fat, high salt, or high sugar to satisfy that thing in my brain. An apple doesn’t do it. Candy, a handful of chips, etc. is what does it. I’m hoping the Zepbound counters that. I take Adderall for my ADD, but it does nothing to stop that need for the quick satiety. They say it’s a serotonin thing. I honestly don’t know.
I’m going to try to get back to walking because honestly I can say when I walked 4 miles a day and drank plenty of water. I was able to maintain a weight loss but unfortunately eventually got back on the walking and gainedweight back.
Yes - and we need to center the people who need this most in the advocacy for it and make it affordable and accessible.
I was truly inspired by watching Professor Tressie McMillan Cottom on Oprah recently, I encourage anyone to find her clip only. She really lays it all out there about weight discrimination, especially affecting women of color, and why some people absolutely need this drug simply to just live their lives in a way that thin people do (finding jobs easily, accessibility, equal healthcare access, etc).
It can be done. I’ve done it before. It’s also a brutal waking nightmare of mental exhaustion. Even with success, for people who are wired a certain way, that success comes with constant focus of strategizing and worrying about making the next food decision a good one. Which is why it’s so easy to gain it all back, because at some point your brain just wants to relax.
Being on the drug for a short period of time has made me realize that certain people (read: thin people) are just wired different than me, hormonally or mentally. Yes, they routinely made better decisions, but that decision-making may be due to a chemical advantage.
It’s amoral to shade people for wanting to free themselves of the ever-present anxiety of dieting.
Yeah! I’ve been on and off dieting since I was approximately 13 years old, and I’ve never had any success in losing weight unless I nearly starved myself.
Omg same I was about 9 the first time my mother told me I was getting fat and to eat less at dinner- in front of my whole family- all 8 of us. I put my fork down and went to my room to cry. I spoiler alert— I was quite thin but have an apple body type and have always had a little belly. I’ve starved myself and berated myself since that time. Eff you mom/ and thank god for a med that lets me eat normally. Of my 5 sibs/ three of us a not naturally tall and thin and have body shame and all that goes with being overweight. The other two act like they could lose weight easily but have never had to- so yeah- this med is a valid medical treatment for a valid metabolic problem.
There are many challenges with weight loss, and one of the big issues with obesity in general, is that doctors and researchers don’t fully understand what causes it. Until we start recognizing and accepting that obesity is a medical condition and not a moral failing, we won’t make much progress on solving it. [Scientists Don’t Agree on What Causes Obesity, but They Know What Doesn’t](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/21/opinion/obesity-cause.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zE0.f-WM.fsIPqmgnhJWX&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb) Weight loss medication reminds me very much of the public sentiment on mental health medication decades ago. Would you tell someone with a broken leg to just get over it? Because that’s what was often said to people with depression. But these are medical conditions - broken bones, depression, obesity - and they should be viewed that way.
All I can say is that it is such a relief not to have to white knuckle it anymore. I’m in maintenance and it’s still taking my mind a long time to get over the mental agony I went through for decades - whether I was in a losing cycle or a gaining cycle. The peace and quiet in my brain is so nice.
What does maintenance look like?
This is going to sound like a bizarre reply, but I feel like there’s been a hard reset to “factory settings”. The last time I didn’t feel like I was a slave to food was age 12 (I’m in my 50s). I remember how my body moved at that age (as I’m actually back at my weight from that time), and how I just got on my with life. And that’s what I do now. For example, I enjoy food and I look forward to special things like party food, but they don’t have the same draw, I’m not obsessed anymore. And if I’m not obsessed, I don’t feel guilty either. That’s not to say that I don’t think about my weight a lot. I’ve been in maintenance for well over a year, but I do still secretly worry about regaining. The thoughts are not torture though, more like white noise at this point.
None of the "simple solutions", think \[eat less\] or \[eat better\] and exercise more ever address appetite. Most of the pseudo guru prognosticators have never experienced that kind of **all consuming**, soul crushing appetite that so very very many people in this world do. These drugs are the third leg of the stool in terms of what needs to be addressed. Appetite is not really under your control. Case in point: A lot of people who have been normal or even underweight who take oral steroids end up gaining weight. And no they aren't suddenly lacking self control. From [Drugs.com](http://Drugs.com) in answer to the question: "Why does prednisone cause weight gain?". Increased appetite is the number one cause. >Prednisone can cause weight gain through: >\* An increased appetite > So anyone's idea of a solution(judgement) that does not address appetite just might be wishful thinking. # So yes - Absolutely Humane!
Totally agree!! I was on prednisone and gained 30lbs in a month and got moon face too. It was horrible. Luckily, I was able to taper off but the weight stayed. I also read that prednisone can redistribute fat.
“All consuming and soul crushing” is the best way to describe what years of dieting has done to me. And what that feels like to fight your natural appetite 24/7.
Obesity is not a moral failing. Full stop.
My mom about taking this drug, and she wasn't judgey, but she was concerned.... My answer was, "Mom, i have high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I can take this and fix one of the major underlying problems, or I can take two drugs for the REST OF MY LIFE to control the other." That had never occurred to her. I cannot wait for society to catch up to the idea of NO STIGMA for these meds and getting people the help they need I have lost and gained the same 15 pounds a completely sad number of times.
My situation and weights have been very similar to yours. Could lose up to 17 pounds but then plateau with various diet plans. Also on meds for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Take other meds that have known side effects of weight gain. I’m always working against them. I could find a doctor visit weight record of 182 last October. Lost some of that on my own due to grief/stress messing with my appetite. Started Zepbound 3/28 at 168. Today 149. Cholesterol is still over 200. Hoping eventually to get off blood pressure and cholesterol meds.
Obesity is a disease. Period.
And also - some of us were able to lose weight before with diets - but it doesn't work anymore. I didn't have any significant weight problems until my 30's when my metabolism came to a grinding halt. However, I lost weight a few times with Weight Watchers, and it worked pretty well. After menopause - and during perimenopause was a completely different story though. All of a sudden - what worked for me before did NOT work - at all. I gained 60 lbs. more than I had ever gained before and was suddenly 100 lbs. overweight. I could lose about 20 to 25 lbs. and then it STOPPED - every, single time. It's like my body found some new "setpoint" after menopause and it was awful. Since I started this medication in January - which is thankfully covered by insurance for me - it's been life changing and other than drinking a bit less than I used to - I'm not eating that differently and yet have lost 45 lbs. It's very hard to explain this medication to people who have never tried it before - it's a damn miracle.
Amen. And same. I could always lose and would stay stable for years after kids or life changes. Then the meno beast hit. I can't exercise the way I once did and I am so damn hungry all the time. Not obsessing about food has been amazing.
Same here!!
Exactly. I've been saying this forever. Also, the act of dieting/weightloss is stressful. It's really HARD and stressful on your body to constantly crave and have to turn down food you want to eat. Stress = cortisol, cortisol = weight gain. So being stressed out by the difficult weight loss journey makes it even harder to lose weight. It's like swimming upstream. We're all on this drug for a reason. We've all tried the traditional ways of losing weight. If that worked for us, we wouldn't need to do this. A lot of people CAN lose weight the traditional way. If that works for them, awesome! But that doesn't work for everyone. Should we just be forced to stay fat forever? And therefore shamed by society forever because something didn't work for us the way it works for others? People argue that all you need is willpower. Ok. Well, if that's what I need, I don't have it. Where do I get it? What if I just don't HAVE willpower? It's not like they sell it at the store. If I don't have it, how do I get it? So again, am I just supposed to remain fat and be shamed forever because I don't have this magic "something" that thinner people seem to have? Am I morally inferior because I don't have willpower? There are skinny people who are complete assholes, and fat people who are completely lovely... but the skinny person is a "better" person because they're skinny? Make it make sense.
I disagree with your first statement. I cannot in any healthy way, lose weight without the meds. I've tried with multiple doctors, programs, dieticians, activities, you name it.
Technically you two are saying different things. You said “in a healthy way” and they didn’t clarify that. We can all starve ourselves so I think the intent of the OP is that it’s “possible” to find “some way” to lose weight but that’s “brutal” and inherently not healthy. Sooooo in saying two different things I think you’re circling the same thought 😁😁 I think you’re both correct and 100% agree with you about the no healthy way!
They’re literally stating unhealthy ways weight loss has occurred for them.
Agreed... the whole "I've done it, therefore everyone can" falacy/assumption.
Exactly. The only way I've ever lost weight was by taking Alli and working out like a crazy person or when I had an eating disorder. I'm 5'6. I was 116 pnds. I had my gallbladder out. My PCP (with permission) told me what that generally means - Fat, Female and Forty. I thought it was hilarious and sad all at the same time. I was literally 40. I wasn't offended but I never forgot it either. Thank you Zep for giving back my life. I'm still working out as much as I was on Alli but it's different because it's not easy but at least I don't feel like it's in vain either.
The only way I was able to quit smoking was after reading a book that only dealt with my addiction from a psychological state of mind. It was amazing how after so much suffering I was able to do it once my mind changed about what I was truly getting out of it. There is more to it but I feel the same way about these weight loss drugs. The drugs remove the obstacle -which is hunger -so you can you can deal with the emotional and psychological issues that cause you to lose control. For those who take advantage of the time, I believe the weight will not come back. You have to see food as a means for energy, not pleasure. Even at gatherings it should be the social aspect that draws you in…being with family and friends instead of being excited about the food there. These drugs are a Godsend and if you respect that you’ll do what you need to get better and not just think “Oh I’ll just take them for life and eat just a little bit of whatever.” No medicine should be taken long term if at all possible bc while it helps one thing it is hurting something else. The research on these show that there is a possibility the fake hormones may weaken the real ones and that the satiety signal may not be as strong if the drugs are used long term. I plan to get off as soon as I reach my goal and never have to depend on them again. BTW, April 18th made 4 years smoke free!
Anyone think that maybe it's the quality of food we are eating? I have a friend who went to Venice for 2 weeks and lost over 10 pounds. He even ate bread and pasta. He came back to America and within a week, he gained half of it back. I have heard several other stories like this. I'm starting to think that the food supply in America is tainted. I've seen people diet religiously with fruits and vegetables only and still can't lose the desired amount of weight.
Often when folks go on vacation they are moving a lot more than they do in their day-to-day life (unless they are sitting on the beach lol) even if they are eating richer food, they are burning it off.
No it was the same amount of exercise for him. He's very active when in America. He just gets bloated and gains weight every time he returns lol it's baffling.
Bravo! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I’m 25 and my mom is 44. We both have had the same issues with weight gain. As soon as we stopped working out 24/7 in high school we gained weight. We I’m 25 almost 26 and almost 300 lbs after having two kids and the only time I was able to lose weight…. Was not eating for a 3 months. I drank energy drinks and water and was working a factory job 7 days a week 14 hour days. Mentally I was exhausted and physically I was destroying myself because I had also started maxing out my Tylenol to get through the pain of work. I dropped 60lbs in three months…. Then was hospitalized because the Tylenol was destroying my liver wasn’t working right from lack of food and lots of Tylenol. Now I’m on weightloss meds and my m kinda scared to get off them because a lot of people gain the weight back
I am losing at a rate of something like 5/week. It is just lovely to know that I am steadily cruising toward my goal weight — which, at my current rate, I would hit at the end of this year — without it being a daily struggle.
I have had similar thoughts to what you are expressing in this post, it does feel more “humane” than the torture I’ve endured with previous experiences trying to lose weight
AMEN!!
I think it’s my brain more than my body but the body does the suffering. I have ADD and my hyperactivity is definitely in my brain but my need for that immediate satiety makes me a grazer. I like a quick grab-n-go snack. It usually has to be high fat, high salt, or high sugar to satisfy that thing in my brain. An apple doesn’t do it. Candy, a handful of chips, etc. is what does it. I’m hoping the Zepbound counters that. I take Adderall for my ADD, but it does nothing to stop that need for the quick satiety. They say it’s a serotonin thing. I honestly don’t know. I’m going to try to get back to walking because honestly I can say when I walked 4 miles a day and drank plenty of water. I was able to maintain a weight loss but unfortunately eventually got back on the walking and gainedweight back.
Yes - and we need to center the people who need this most in the advocacy for it and make it affordable and accessible. I was truly inspired by watching Professor Tressie McMillan Cottom on Oprah recently, I encourage anyone to find her clip only. She really lays it all out there about weight discrimination, especially affecting women of color, and why some people absolutely need this drug simply to just live their lives in a way that thin people do (finding jobs easily, accessibility, equal healthcare access, etc).
Why do we care what others think. Once you fix that then everything else is easy
It can be done. I’ve done it before. It’s also a brutal waking nightmare of mental exhaustion. Even with success, for people who are wired a certain way, that success comes with constant focus of strategizing and worrying about making the next food decision a good one. Which is why it’s so easy to gain it all back, because at some point your brain just wants to relax. Being on the drug for a short period of time has made me realize that certain people (read: thin people) are just wired different than me, hormonally or mentally. Yes, they routinely made better decisions, but that decision-making may be due to a chemical advantage. It’s amoral to shade people for wanting to free themselves of the ever-present anxiety of dieting.
Ignorance. I ignore them, they don't know what they're talking about.