thoughts on ozempic and the like

dydn11402
dydn11402 Posts: 103 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
what are everyones thoughts on using a weight loss shot if one is moderately overweight (30lb or less)?
in my mind, the risks of the weight need to outweigh (pun intended) the risks and possible side effects of the shot. however, i know many people who are taking it even though they are not very overweight and i really do see the temptation.

is there a reason not to take it if one has access?
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Replies

  • SweatLikeDog
    SweatLikeDog Posts: 320 Member
    Ozempic aka Semaglutide will make you lose weight faster even if you did the same calorie restrictions without it. You won't want to eat as much though because you'll feel full. The hard part is keeping the weight off afterwards if you return to bad eating habits. It's your call.
  • dydn11402
    dydn11402 Posts: 103 Member
    I'm more concerned with the effects that will become known years from now. Putting something in my body that messes with my natural hormones...we don't really know what that can do longterm. Plus all the risks that we do know about already.
    The point about needing to change eating habits etc when one comes off is obvious. It's like any diet, if you stop the weight comes back.
    I'm coming at this as someone who has 20lbs to lose and just cannot seem to lose it (I'll lose 10 with extreme effort and put it back on in 2 seconds). I am healthy, eat healthy, exercise regularly and in general have a healthy lifestyle. So is it better for me to just keep plugging away even if I stay at this weight or use the shot mostly for vanity reasons? Is there a downside to using it?
  • shirleyshr
    shirleyshr Posts: 5 Member
    I'm using this. I've been a yoyo dieter for 45 years. About 18 months ago, I lost most of the weight again and changed my diet to whole food plant based, no junk, no ultra processed foods. Despite this I still could not get beyond 'just about healthy range' with blood sugar borderline I decided to try it. It's working, loosing about a pound a week and my blood sugar has normalised. Still eating healthy so I'm hoping that i'll be able to maintain a lower weight in the future.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,780 Member
    SweatLikeDog wrote: »
    Ozempic aka Semaglutide will make you lose weight faster even if you did the same calorie restrictions without it. You won't want to eat as much though because you'll feel full. The hard part is keeping the weight off afterwards if you return to bad eating habits. It's your call.

    It helps people maintain a calorie deficit. The studies I've seen show that it is the same, or less, as with intentional calorie restrictions. Studies show about 1 pound per month weight loss (which is very, very slow, and rather minimal). The average total was about 10% of body weight (ie if you weighed 200 pounds you could expect to lose around 20 pounds). This was maintained for about 4 years, at which point weight began to slowly be regained. It can undoubtedly be a helpful tool, and I'm all for it for people who want it, but it does not appear to make people lose weight faster, it just makes it a bit easier (which is great).
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,453 Member
    20 pounds - especially that LAST 20 pounds isn't that easy in general.

    I lost 80 pounds years ago but that last 15 pounds was really hard to do for me.

    I was logging food here, I was pretty good at it after having lost 60 pounds using this site and logging. I had a digital food scale that I used for everything. I prepared nearly every meal myself so I tightly controlled how many calories were in my food. I exercised in a moderate way five days per week.

    It took me nine diligent vigilant months to lose that last 15. It was really a grind...and I was hungry for most of that time.

    You can do it without spending $1000 a month on a drug.

    Is it easy? Not for me it wasn't.

    Now I know how to eat and how much.

    I still log calories.

    When I was in my twenties I used to take an OTC pill, Dexatrim. I was skin and bones! I was working in a high energy environment and living on caffeine, sugar, and alcohol.

    I do not recommend. I don't think I have long-term health issues because of it, but I don't know that to be a fact and that pill is no longer on the market because it was found to be unsafe - but it took 25 years for that decision to come down to pull it off the market.

    Looking back at pictures of myself, I would say, "Eat, woman!!!" I was so delusional.

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,247 Member
    shirleyshr wrote: »
    I'm using this. I've been a yoyo dieter for 45 years. About 18 months ago, I lost most of the weight again and changed my diet to whole food plant based, no junk, no ultra processed foods. Despite this I still could not get beyond 'just about healthy range' with blood sugar borderline I decided to try it. It's working, loosing about a pound a week and my blood sugar has normalised. Still eating healthy so I'm hoping that i'll be able to maintain a lower weight in the future.
    eating “healthy” will not automatically allow you to keep the weight off, it helps but doesn’t guarantee it.

    You need to be cognizant of your overall weekly calories so my suggestion would be if you’re losing weight right now on whatever drug you’re taking start keeping track of your calories whatever these calories are that are allowing you to lose weight that will be your baseline amount knowing where to take those calories once all the weight comes off.

    When you meet your goal weight if you’re weight has stopped coming off that is going to be most likely the calorie amount you’re gonna need to be sticking with in order to keep that weight off, if you’re still losing weight, you’ll be able to add a little bit back in to get your new maintenance calories and then you’ll need to stay there in order to keep the weight off

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,584 Member
    dydn11402 wrote: »
    I'm more concerned with the effects that will become known years from now. Putting something in my body that messes with my natural hormones...we don't really know what that can do longterm. Plus all the risks that we do know about already.
    The point about needing to change eating habits etc when one comes off is obvious. It's like any diet, if you stop the weight comes back.
    I'm coming at this as someone who has 20lbs to lose and just cannot seem to lose it (I'll lose 10 with extreme effort and put it back on in 2 seconds). I am healthy, eat healthy, exercise regularly and in general have a healthy lifestyle. So is it better for me to just keep plugging away even if I stay at this weight or use the shot mostly for vanity reasons? Is there a downside to using it?

    This is going to sound kind of dumb, but have you tried losing 10 pounds with the most minimal effort it takes, over whatever period of time it takes, instead of "extreme effort"? That kind of approach, IMO, is more likely to stick, because it relies more on learning sustainable habits.

    Everyone (me included) wants to lose weight fast, so they go hard. That may not be the best route, especially when down to a reasonably healthy weight, i.e., weight itself is no longer a significant health threat or causing risky health conditions.

    The desire to lose weight faster (plus internet marketers' trendy nonsense) drives many people toward eating restrictions they can't sustain (cue the periodic overeating at social events, or even out of cumulative sense of deprivation), or toward tiring levels of exercise (cue the under-recovery that hinders fitness development and the cumulative fatigue that bleeds calorie burn out of daily life activity because we're dragging) . . . or both. Maybe that's not it for you, but at least consider the possibility and implications.

    I'd let my weight creep up over about the first 4 years of maintenance, maybe 10-12 pounds or so. I was still in a healthy range, still in the same jeans size, but with more body fat than I prefer (because of OA among other things) and the jeans were getting snug (I hate to clothes shop with a fiery passion).

    By that time - several years of logging - I had reasonably reliable logging skills and a clear estimate of my calorie needs. Instead of going into a serious deficit, I set base calories for maybe half a pound a week loss, but let myself eat up to maintenance now and then, even over on the rare occasion. It was almost completely painless. Yes, it took over a year to lose down to the weight I preferred, but no "extreme effort" at any point, just dogged (pretty painless) persistence.

    That is not a solution for someone with lots of weight to lose, generally. But it might be for people with smaller amounts, and some patience. (Even with more weight to lose, I'd argue for a "make X loss rate as relatively easy as possible" vs. "go hard by revolutionizing eating and exercising from day 1".) From the start (only class 1 obese), I decided I wasn't going to do anything to lose weight I wasn't willing to continue long term to stay at a healthy weight, except for a moderate calorie deficit to cause the weight loss. What does that mean? Calorie-appropriate foods I like eating (plus occasional treats, within reason), fun ways of moving (daily life and exercise) that mostly were fun, but at minimum tolerable and practical.

    I understand and respect it when people like Riverside above say the last pounds are inherently hard. I'm not arguing otherwise. I know that some people struggle throughout much more than I did, too, for reasons both psychological and physical. I'd still say "don't make it harder than you must". (For some, medications may be part of that solution. I'm not judging.)

    One last thing: It's starting to be more publicized, but for those who haven't seen it, note that it's being found that some foods increase natural GLP-1 production in the body, slow digestion, and generally have some of the effects as the drugs. The natural GLP-1 isn't as persistent in the body as the medication, among other issues. But it might be worth considering taking a look at those types of foods, seeing whether there are some you like (or haven't tried and might like, given a fair chance), and working them into your rotation to see if it helps you. (Yup, there will be some overlap with that "eat more whole foods" thing that quite a few people here suggest as part of a reasonable solution, but the overlap isn't total.)

    I'm mostly suggesting this last to the "not so many pounds to lose" group, who might be borderline as to the suitability of drug interventions, as part of a solution. It's rational for those more overweight/obese to consider as one tool in a toolkit, but it likely has less potential to create a tipping point.

    Repeating, if the drugs help people, that's great. If the people using the drugs focus on new habits while on the drugs, that's even better.

  • dydn11402
    dydn11402 Posts: 103 Member
    ann, thank you for commenting. i always appreciate your insight.
    i wish that "going hard" would mean losing fast. if i dont go hard, i wont lose anything and may even gain. i have to work hard and be hungry to lose anything at all. i would be happy with any amount of loss at all if i could do that consistently. usually, i can lose 5-6 lbs and then it stops no matter what i do. i dont know whats wrong with me and i should probably see a doctor. thats a story for another day but thank you for trying to help.
    but for now, i was just wondering what people think about trying ozempic in this kind of situation.
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 885 Member
    edited November 9
    I relate to what you’re saying. Losing 20 lbs is insanely challenging. For me personally, my tdee is low (short lady problems), so my deficit is minuscule, at maximum 250 calories. There’s zero room for tracking error, and I need to be diligent and consistent. It’s my life now to know what I eat, when I eat, saying no to things I want every day (because I’m out of calories), to feel some hunger, with no mental days off. The alternative is joint pain, gaining weight, feeling exhausted, moody, and reclusive. They’re both less than ideal.

    So, I completely understand wanting to:
    1. Remove hunger pains
    2. Remove food noise
    3. Take a break from the mental load of dieting

    For these reasons, I get why a shot seems really enticing.

    Many people think, because I’m at my goal now, that it’s different/easier for me than them. My issues are invisible to most people, but still very real. Personally, I don’t think it matters if you’re using medication to help you lose weight, or maintain, if it’s alleviating some of the extreme challenges some of us have.

    Your experience is personal, but your decision shouldn’t be taken lightly. The side effects can be severe, and like others noted, we don’t have long term studies yet, so it’s important to know what you’re willing to gamble. But, honestly, no judgement from me, and I hope whatever you decide, you don’t feel the need to explain it to anyone.

  • dydn11402
    dydn11402 Posts: 103 Member
    @ddsb1111 yes! you sound like me with the "short lady problems" as you call it :). i feel like im constantly spinning my wheels and it is exhausting. i wish i didnt care so much.
    for now, im just too worried about possible long term effects that may come out later because at the end of the day, its not worth possibly jeopardizing my health if i dont have a real need to take that gamble.
    i appreciate your comment. good luck to you!
  • SweatLikeDog
    SweatLikeDog Posts: 320 Member
    sollyn23l2 wrote: »
    SweatLikeDog wrote: »
    Ozempic aka Semaglutide will make you lose weight faster even if you did the same calorie restrictions without it. You won't want to eat as much though because you'll feel full. The hard part is keeping the weight off afterwards if you return to bad eating habits. It's your call.

    It helps people maintain a calorie deficit. The studies I've seen show that it is the same, or less, as with intentional calorie restrictions. Studies show about 1 pound per month weight loss (which is very, very slow, and rather minimal). The average total was about 10% of body weight (ie if you weighed 200 pounds you could expect to lose around 20 pounds). This was maintained for about 4 years, at which point weight began to slowly be regained. It can undoubtedly be a helpful tool, and I'm all for it for people who want it, but it does not appear to make people lose weight faster, it just makes it a bit easier (which is great).

  • SweatLikeDog
    SweatLikeDog Posts: 320 Member
    I took a deep dive into the GLP-1s because they're very interesting. You WILL get a metabolic boost on these drugs because they make your body more sensitive to insulin. In other words, your body makes less insulin. Less insulin means less fat accumulation. Dieting alone can do the same thing, but not to the same degree because it doesn't slow down digestion - the sugar spike isn't blunted. As for the studies, the people that regained weight were those that were most obese highlighting the difficulty of changing eating habits and they didn't really focus on the "20-pounds-to-lose" crowd.

    Another poster was concerned about long term unknown effects. The GLP-1's came out in 2005 and became popular for type 2 diabetes over 10 years ago, so there's a pretty extensive experience out there and most of the issues are simply side effects of rapid weight loss and extreme calorie deficits.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,780 Member
    edited November 11
    SweatLikeDog wrote: »
    I took a deep dive into the GLP-1s because they're very interesting. You WILL get a metabolic boost on these drugs because they make your body more sensitive to insulin. In other words, your body makes less insulin. Less insulin means less fat accumulation. Dieting alone can do the same thing, but not to the same degree because it doesn't slow down digestion - the sugar spike isn't blunted. As for the studies, the people that regained weight were those that were most obese highlighting the difficulty of changing eating habits and they didn't really focus on the "20-pounds-to-lose" crowd.

    Another poster was concerned about long term unknown effects. The GLP-1's came out in 2005 and became popular for type 2 diabetes over 10 years ago, so there's a pretty extensive experience out there and most of the issues are simply side effects of rapid weight loss and extreme calorie deficits.

    If you did a deep dive, I assume you saw that GLP-1 drugs increase insulin production. Though it does appear that there is a possibility it slightly increases insulin sensitivity as well. Either way, the insulin model of obesity was disproven, so I'm not going to discuss that point. And yes, slowing digestion means you are less hungry, which makes it easier to maintain a calorie deficit, which is great. I'm not against glp-1 drugs for people that want them. I say if you want to, go for it.
  • Siren2024
    Siren2024 Posts: 57 Member
    I’m doing my best to avoid trying this and recently seeing a woman in the uk has died from using is a deterrent.. thing is I know I can lose any weight through healthy eating and prioritising a little time to focus on myself every day.
  • rosasanders7741
    rosasanders7741 Posts: 1 Member
    So funny you ask because I literally was talking to doctor at my job last night about this. He said that this is a temporary fix meaning that once you loose the weight, if you don't manage to keep a healthy eating lifestyle, you could gain all that weight again !! He said a few of his patients complaints have been nausea. I decided not to move forward with it and just count my calories and really am going to start walking everyday.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,260 Member
    shirleyshr wrote: »
    I'm using this. I've been a yoyo dieter for 45 years. About 18 months ago, I lost most of the weight again and changed my diet to whole food plant based, no junk, no ultra processed foods. Despite this I still could not get beyond 'just about healthy range' with blood sugar borderline I decided to try it. It's working, loosing about a pound a week and my blood sugar has normalised. Still eating healthy so I'm hoping that i'll be able to maintain a lower weight in the future.

    The glaring admission that your blood sugar is borderline, and I suspect that to mean it's too high is telling. This means your diet is front end loaded with carbohydrates. Remove carbs blood sugars normalize and this doesn't mean you have to remove all carbs or get down to a ketogenic diet, it means that the other 2 macros protein and fat are not engaging the digestive tract to facilitate insulin release in a more steady fashion that allows for that spike to be minimized which then results in less insulin being used for any particular meal and increased blood sugar or high blood sugar is basically hyperinsulinemia, which is just the fact that there is an abnormally high level of insulin in the blood. If you go back to consuming the same foods in the same manner your blood sugar will revert back. You may want to look at your diet to help correct this situation, imo.
  • xbowhunter
    xbowhunter Posts: 1,309 Member
    I personally wouldn't take it to lose weight.

    I did it the old fashion way with calorie deficit and time. Currently maintaining and not struggling to maintain because my appetite has now adjusted to my new body weight. :)

  • patriciafoley1
    patriciafoley1 Posts: 165 Member
    dydn11402 wrote: »
    @ddsb1111 yes! you sound like me with the "short lady problems" as you call it :). i feel like im constantly spinning my wheels and it is exhausting. i wish i didnt care so much.
    for now, im just too worried about possible long term effects that may come out later because at the end of the day, its not worth possibly jeopardizing my health if i dont have a real need to take that gamble.
    i appreciate your comment. good luck to you!

    I have seen some report that these drugs can permanently paralyze the stomach, and some people have died. Or they are made unwell even after they have stopped taking the drug. So i would try anything else.

    I'm short (5.3-4) and post menopause and i've lost a lot of weight the past month on a low carb low salt diet. About 2 pounds a week. Lots of walking, and about 1200 calories a day.

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,337 Member
    rosasanders7741 wrote: »
    So funny you ask because I literally was talking to doctor at my job last night about this. He said that this is a temporary fix meaning that once you loose the weight, if you don't manage to keep a healthy eating lifestyle, you could gain all that weight again !! He said a few of his patients complaints have been nausea. I decided not to move forward with it and just count my calories and really am going to start walking everyday.

    This is true of any way of losing weight.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,780 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    rosasanders7741 wrote: »
    So funny you ask because I literally was talking to doctor at my job last night about this. He said that this is a temporary fix meaning that once you loose the weight, if you don't manage to keep a healthy eating lifestyle, you could gain all that weight again !! He said a few of his patients complaints have been nausea. I decided not to move forward with it and just count my calories and really am going to start walking everyday.

    This is true of any way of losing weight.

    It is true of any way of losing weight. Unfortunately, with wegovy and ozempic it's really been sold as this magic elixir that just makes the weight effortlessly drop away with no thought and you'll never have to worry about it again. I'm absolutely all for these drugs for people that want to use them, it's also important that they go in with eyes open so they're prepared.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,260 Member
    I suspect it gets tiring seeing most of your patients not getting any better after years of advice, enter GLP-1's. At least it puts a temporary smile on your patients which is better than nothing.
  • Adventurista
    Adventurista Posts: 2,088 Member
    edited November 27
    It's legal, and new 'benefits' seem to be announced now and then. I find it difficult to sort the benefits and negatives to weigh my personal risk... A little leary because of the ads for lawsuits - has me in the 'wait and see' mode. I'm not opposed to beneficial medicine for important medical ilness, I just really don't know enough on this, yet.
  • Hobartlemagne
    Hobartlemagne Posts: 603 Member
    Do what it takes. No judgement from me.
  • Pandapotato
    Pandapotato Posts: 69 Member
    Lady_Magenta wrote: »
    It's the sad reality in America that we always look for the easy way out and seem to have a problem with reality, even though most of us like the staged reality shows we get offered every day.

    The sad reality is, I got so big on my own. Yes, some meds (steroids) made me more hungry and others made me gain weight, but the majority of the weight was my doing.

    I look at celebrities like Kelly Clarkson and Oprah Winfrey and I feel sorry for them. They look good I suppose, but how sad that they could not do it. I look at them the same way I look at an older person who tries to stay young and look younger with cosmetic surgery and too much Botox. I feel sorry for them because aging gracefully is wonderful. These wrinkles are earned and the white hair is a good canvas to try purple and pink strands. :lol:

    Why do we opt for the easy way out? I am not sure. Nothing in real life comes easy. Most of us pay 30 years for a house until it's our own. We pay a car off for years, we fight for our kids, our marriages, our friendship, our families. None of this comes easy or is served on a silver platter.

    When people say I cannot, they mean thy don't want to continue trying because it's hard.

    I think this is a rather judgmental take on it.

    I lost weight rather accidentally (stress/wasn't eating well) after being overweight for some time. As soon as I was down 10-20 pounds, moving became easier, I started to feel better about myself, and I kicked into gear. I bought new clothes for the first time in years, stuff that actually fit me, and started really enjoying it. Now everyone keeps asking me how I did it (literally-- even the lady at the gas station!!). I did it the old fashioned way, calories in, calories out, but I needed that kick start and lightbulb moment. Some might use Ozempic as a short cut or "the easy way" but there is no judgment in trying something new to help you get the rock rolling down the hill. Tired of the assumption that it's not helpful to people who DO put in the work but are discouraged. It's HARD to want to walk in the gym knowing you might be the biggest person there. It's HARD to make good choices consistently, day after day, when it seems like it's not working.

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