Ozempic users are losing friends over weight loss

At the University of Michigan clinic there are those like Isotalo whose reluctance to admit to taking Wegovy stems from her conviction that those who take it are often thought to be cheating.

Another patient, though, Katarra Ewing of Detroit, readily tells anyone who asks that she takes the drug. She tried diets, but it was Wegovy that allowed her to lose 90 pounds.

She came to the weight management clinic after her all-night shift at a Ford factory, ebullient and vibrant, wearing a vivid green sweater. She has more energy now that she lost the weight, her mood is brighter, her high blood pressure gone.

But she discovered an unintended social consequence to weight loss, as many longtime friends fell away.

“Only my genuine friends are left and that’s a very small number,” Ewing said.

Obesity medicine specialists say they are not surprised — they see the same thing after people lose weight with bariatric surgery.

Relationships shift because obesity is such a defining condition. People of normal weight may feel superior to a friend with obesity and that helps define a relationship — until the friend loses weight. Other friends who themselves have obesity may use the condition as a bonding factor in the relationship. Now that is gone.

Another issue is the drugs’ reputation as vanity medications, which has been amplified by comedians’ punchlines at the Oscars and in other high-profile settings.

But when Samuel Simpson came to the weight management clinic, he considered losing weight to be a matter of life or death.

Simpson was terrified he’d face the fate of his mother, brother and sister, all of whom had obesity and diabetes. They all developed kidney failure that ultimately killed them, each dying at the age of 59.

His first appointment with Dr. Amy Rothberg at the clinic was nearly two years ago, when he was 58. He had obesity and diabetes. Although he was taking high doses of insulin to lower his blood sugar, his kidneys were starting to fail.

“I was so afraid,” he said. “Was I going to end up on dialysis like everyone else? I’d be history.”

He began with a diet and then Rothberg added Mounjaro, a drug by Eli Lilly that appears to be even more powerful than Wegovy in eliciting weight loss, but is, so far, only approved for people with diabetes.

Now he’s lost 44 pounds, 20% of his original weight, and his diabetes is in remission. The weight loss, he said, “turned my life around.”

He will tell those who ask how he lost the weight,

“I’m not like the roadside preacher but when someone asks me how I did this I will tell them,” he said.

Art Regner had a different issue. A garrulous color commentator for the Detroit Red Wings hockey team, he said he was not ready to resort to medication. But when he came to Rothberg’s clinic he was chagrined. He’d regained 22 of the 76 pounds he lost by dieting.

Rothberg, who is also the medical director of Rewind, a company that counsels diabetic patients, suggested Wegovy or Mounjaro. But Regner felt he should have enough willpower to do it on his own. He knows his blood sugar is high and is aware of the consequences of diabetes.

Rothberg gently explained to him that it was not his fault he kept regaining weight every time he lost some.

“I think biology is conspiring against you,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a matter of willpower.”

Regner was not swayed. “I believe in myself,” he said. “I wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and say, ‘Are you going to do it or aren’t you?’”

Ozempic users are losing friends because they're cheaters and they're lazy.

It's just gross how these lazy bums are always looking for the easy way out.

The fact that the NYT wrote an entire article about this subject, just proves that most people agree with this.

I don't care if it's the easy way out, the result is what matters. People for whom these drugs work are losing weight, they are healthier and happier. That's the whole point of all other dieting programs, so why should this one be any different? It's a bit like saying people are cheating for using the elevator instead of the stairs back when the first elevators were installed. We use science to make our lives better and we only have one life to live.

I know we joke about fat whores, but I'm so happy and inspired whenever I hear an Ozempic/Wegovy success story. Everyone benefits from lower obesity rates.

[quote] People for whom these drugs work are losing weight, they are healthier and happier. That's the whole point of all other dieting programs

Except, this isn't a "dieting program."

It's a drug that was made to treat Type 2 diabetes.

But once the fat fucks found out that it also causes weight loss, they started hoarding it and gobbling it down, like the true addictive fat whores that they are.

I mean, why bother with actual diet and exercise, when they can get instant gratification like they've done their entire lives.

In the other ozempic thread, the op isn't sure if he can exercise on it and doesn't like to exercise anyhow. I don't get it, you can't exercise on it? Why?

[quote]But there is still the taint.

Pics please?

[quote]Ozempic users are losing friends because they're cheaters and they're lazy.

"I would rather my friends die of obesity-related complications than take advantage of a medical breakthrough!"

Read the article r4.

[Quote] Wegovy and a similar but less effective medication, Saxenda, are the only ones in their class of drugs so far to be approved for the treatment of obesity — others like Ozempic and Mounjaro are diabetes drugs but also spur weight loss.

I don't see anything different than taking medication like Chantix to quit smoking. If it works, and is going to make people healthier, why not?

I agree R8, but why bitch about it? Jfc, does anyone fucking "suffer" in silence anymore? So people are pissed you used a weight loss drug, move the fuck on, don't do an interview about it. Buck wouuld never do that.

What's with all the Ozempic posts? Do you work for Novo Nordisk?

[quote] Another issue is the drugs’ reputation as vanity medications

That's exactly what it is. A VANITY drug.

Look who uses it. Real Housewives, Hollywood celebs, etc.

It's not only a vanity drug for people looking for easy weight loss, but it's also mainly for rich people.

[quote] But when Samuel Simpson came to the weight management clinic, he considered losing weight to be a matter of life or death.

He didn't seem to concerned about "life or death" before the drug cam along.

He was still stuffing his fat face with food.

this is why people need to check out Overeaters Anonymous. I think most people here can agree, this is the profile of a compulsive eater. Now she lost weight with a great tool (which didnt involve removing most of her stomach). And new issues are coming up. And this is a person who's entire adult life, for 50 years, has been as an obese woman who has comforted herself with food to deal with all emotions and issues. And now she can't use food for that.

There are all sorts of issues people face when they lose large amounts of weight after a lifetime of obesity. OA is free.

Most seriously overweight people would rather cut out their stomachs than go to an OA meeting. Weird to think about. And just to be clear a lot of people in OA are there because they need to lose weight before a bariatric procedure or after to control their eating. Its not an either or. But I do know of a few people who went to OA prior to a bariatric procedure, lost weight and then cancelled the procedure because they were continuing to lose weight without it.

I wonder what the popularity of Ozempic, etc., will do to the Fat Pride people? Will we discover they secretly wanted to be thin all along?

Where wegovy one, wegovy all.

Fat pride people are few and far between. The media highlights them because its so hard for most people, even fat people, to wrap their heads around. And usually, they are highlighted not just for fat pride but because an issue has come up (like bigger seats on planes).

R13 Well this chick thinks it will kill the FA movement. No one has really bought into it anyhow, though, if they did, we wouldn't have drugs like this.

I wonder if Roxanne Gay will try Ozempic

Good thing I have no friends to begin with

This subject is really bringing out the stupid judgmental DL prickishness.

Anyone who loses a massive amount of weight will also lose friends. This article from 2005 discusses how women who had gastric bypass lost friends and even partners. The woman pictured at the top actually committed suicide a few years after this was published.

[quote] Well this chick thinks it will kill the FA movement

Is that short for "Fat Ass" Movement?

I'm about to try Ozempic. My BMI is 21.3 when it's been sitting pretty at 18.6 for most of my life. The pandemic turned me into a blimp. Almost none of my clothes fit, anymore. :(

I've been fat since I was a teen. I'm now in my late 50s. I've tried every diet in the book. I once lost 7 stone (by eating 1 small piece of chicken a day and walking 7 miles) I won slimmer of the year. I was incredibly unhealthy and all my hair fell out. Of course once I started living "normally" again it all went back on and then some. Whatever I did my body just wanted to get back to it's fattest state and even going to groups, trying shakes only, working with a dietian etc nothing worked. My specialist said that basically my brain had become hardwired to believe I was going to starve it so it was constantly seeing food and the minute I ate anything it would do it's best to convert it straight into fat stores rather than using the food to give me energy. It was my bodies survival mechanism which is why I constantly felt both hungry and exhausted. I've been taking first Saxenda and then Ozempic for a year now. I haven't changed the way I eat but I am three stone lighter. It's like it's switched the switch in my brain telling it to immediately store food as fat. When I eat, I actually feel satisfied and feel the energy from the food. It's been amazing. He's warned me that I will probably need to take it for life but that is a small price to pay compared to how my life was before.

The way people have reacted has been strange. All my life I've felt invisible. It's like people just don't see fat people at all. Suddenly people in the street look at me. I can get served in a bar (before I could stand at the bar forever and it was like I was wearing an invisibility cloak). It's difficult to deal with.

Friends and family wise has been more challenging. I have a PhD, so I'm not thick, but I've always been treated as if I am stupid. I've always been the "fat friend" who comes along to watch people try on clothes and hold the coats etc. I think they are struggling with me being different. I'm still wearing my old clothes which I think to some extent minimise the difference. I honestly think they don't like it. The had me down as one thing and now I'm emerging as something else entirely.

I am your typical fat, middle aged lesbian. Single mother of gay sons. Totally written off by the world and I am beginning to think I can have a future as something more. That I could be a wise elder one day and a a person seen with respect (rather than ridicule). What these injections have given me is a sense of self worth and hope for the future. That my life could be something more than just being "fat". I'm just hoping I can continue to get hold of it all right.

I've decided to start signing things. I've noticed a few of the other lesbians here do that too. I just think it's fair to be clear that there are lesbians here too.

I have heard it makes you nauseous. I have a job that I cannot call in sick so I don’t know if I could handle that even though I need to lose weight.

Decades ago, in the absolute throes of active meth addiction, I’d come to work five lbs. lighter every single week, and got extremely skinny- I would hide in oversized clothing. But I wore a black apron and you could see the difference in my silhouette when I went to put in on pulled the strings tight.

Let’s just say I got a LOT of hate from all the chubby women that worked with me!

R24 you start slowly and if it makes you nauseous you can reduce the dose. The needles are also tiny and you don't feel it at all. I think Ozempic is way better than Saxenda as you only have to remember to take it once a week.

R5, I am not the OP, but I was unable to exercise on generic Wegovy. I had tolerable nausea that was only intermittent and didn’t affect my ability to do my office job at all. But when I tried to exercise I felt really sick. If I pushed to the point of breathing heavy, vomiting was imminent. I only actually vomited once because the association was so obvious and immediate that the rest of the time I could curtail the exercise soon enough. Even weight lifting made me very uncomfortable. I haven’t seen other, similar accounts so maybe it was a fairly rare experience. I’ve posted it her a few times.

That article at r16 is good.

[quote] Almost none of my clothes fit, anymore. :(

You could always try getting off your fat ass once in a while, and actually getting some exercise, rather than stuffing another Twinkie down your blubbery gullet.

But why bother with a common sense weight loss program, when you can just take a magic drug?

Instant gratification to solve your mental issues.

What's not to love about that?

Lazy fucks.

R24 not meaning to be rude by questioning you, but if you can’t call in sick are you expected to go in and, say, vomit on them or spread COVID?

I hope this country runs out of Ozempic.

That would be hilarious.

r29 Go look up the a BMI chart, plug in those numbers I put in at r22, and then come back to this thread to hang your head in shame for the time you just wasted typing all of this, lol.

Is it just a few people repeatedly posting about how weight loss drugs are cheating and/or people should stop shoving food down their throats?

Because I don’t even know that many people who are at their ideal weight. I’m in my 50’s and can’t think of a single contemporary. There are some younger people at work, but most are Asian. And I live in Manhattan, not Alabama.

Most of the people I see may be in the range defined as normal weight medically, but they are not their “perfect” size. So I don’t get where this arbitrary line is drawn, past which you are a disgusting glutton.

I have a strong hereditary disposition to be beefy to fat but, largely die to being an athlete when I was young and training 2 to 4+ hours a day and not hitting obesity early, it didn’t get out of control for me until the last few years. I was always at least “normal” and often really at an ideal weight (that could range at most ten pounds based on how much muscle I was carrying and a little give or take). In my experience, if you’ve been truly fit you know when you aren’t and it’s way before you hit overweight in terms of normal ranges or BMI. So at what point does someone become a pathetic glutton who is even worse if they take Ozempic? And why are they magically Ok again is they manage to get a little fatter and tip themselves into diabetes? And , BTW, if there are bad effects yet to be identified, having diabetes isn’t going to make people immune from them. Most likely diabetic people will be more affected because their health is already more compromised.

And, while it didn’t work out for me, these drugs ARE a way to help people stop shoving foods down their throats. So why object when people do this? Not only are they improving their health, they are reducing their use of resources. Not just food, but energy due to A/C usage and transporting larger, heavier bodies. Medical resources. If you are fat enough, you can even wear out the driver’s seat of a car.

If I buy a book about nutrition, am I cheating? Is the line drawn when it’s a substance? If I drink skim milk, is that cheating ? what about whole milk? Is it only OK to consume dairy if I suck it straight out of a cow? Do I have to be vegan? But what about genetically modified crops? Should I only eat heirloom vegetables I grow? I dunno, those have been cultivated for centuries. Should I only forage for my food?

I’d like to hear about the body compositions and lifestyles of the people who are so against these drugs.

R8 I had to use Chantix to quit smoking but after 3 weeks I was done with it and haven’t smoked for yrs

What happens when you stop with any sort of diet pills or shots? Generally you gain all the weight back and more. There is nothing wrong with help to curb an out of control appetite but you still need to learn how to eat normally. Lots of psych help to understand the drive to over eat?

The biggest asshole on this thread types really hangry. Coincidence? Maybe try Ozempic, hon. You won't feel the deprivation you impose on yourself and you might be able to masquerade as less unhinged and personality disordered. Just a thought. It's cheaper than therapy

The country will not run out of Ozempic/Weygovy, but we may start dying from not producing penicillin.

R30 Covid may excuse you but anything else too bad you cannot miss work and I live in a fire at will state. I was 5 minutes late due to the expressway being backed up because of an accident and I got wrote up and received a warning that next time I would be fired.

Respect to R23.

Whatever works. There are people that can go the traditional way...less food/calories and exercise, and lose the weight. Then there are others that no matter what they do, they can't lose weight. I see a very obsese woman by me, every day, out there walking. Of course, I don't know what she's eating or her diet, but it looks like she making the effort. I hope she loses weight, but if not...there's the other alternative with these injections. Obesity doesn't seem to be that simple, as it's being found out.

*obese ^^

[quote] Ozempic users are losing friends over weight loss

Did they even have friends in the first place?

Not real ones, apparently.

[quote] The pandemic turned me into a blimp.

During the pandemic you grew lax with regard to diet and exercise and let yourself go.

[quote] The pandemic turned me into a blimp.

This is the problem with Ozempic fatty whores.

Always blaming others for their lard asses, rather than the fact that they're shoveling food into their gaping mouths 24/7, and then they want the wonder drug to fix it all for them.

Because it's soooooooooooooooo harrrrrrrd to lose weight! *chomping sounds in the background*

Pathetic.

r33, it's just one or two gay men who are posting those comments. What's funny to me is they are likely the guys at the clubs every weekend downing drink after drink and fucking whatever dirty dick slips into their mouths.

I had been obese my entire life and my theory is that whenever there is someone who is morbidly obese, there is significant trauma in their backgrounds. I had a lot of trauma...dad tried to murder my mom and also has attempted suicide four times, including this past Christmas. I turned to food for comfort at a young age because my mother would use food as comfort as opposed to affection. I realized this recently when a friend died and I was telling her about it and I was grieving and my mother actually said to me, "Well, go get some ice cream to feel better!" I'm mid 50s and it was an eye opening moment for me.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and my weight was 284 at the time. I've been in the 300's as an adult and lost 80 lbs in 2013 but regained after a break up. Yes, I'm a lesbian. This time, the cancer was the impetus to wake the fuck up and lose it. I've lost 70 lbs as of today on my own, with simple eating less/moving more as I did in the past. But I also did EMDR therapy and feel mostly free of my childhood trauma for the first time in my life. I'm also doing a lot of "self parenting" where I have to tell that hurt little girl inside me that she doesn't need the huge bowl of ice cream and just a little is ok. I don't drink or smoke, always played sports including earning a Red Belt in martial arts. So even when I was overweight, I was active. The self parenting and having conversations with the little girl that wants all the sweets and seconds, etc, has been the key for me. I urge anyone who struggles with food addiction to try this method.

I have about 35 more lbs to lose and I'm working against the estrogen blockers I'm on which are notorious for weight gain. But I'm doing it and this is the last time. I went to see my oncologist recently and the girls in the front office freaked out when they saw how much weight I'd lost. One of them even asked if I was doing Ozempic which was slightly annoying. I guess this will be the default thought when people see me now but no, I've done it all on my own.

I have a friend on Ozempic and she's lost a lot of weight on it, but she does not want to exercise...which makes no sense to me because my view is that as I grow older, the exercise just isn't for weight loss...it's also about keeping my body in shape for being able to live well into my older age (if I make it).

Funny story, a few years ago I was walking my bike across a cross walk in the city and I suddenly heard yelling from behind me. A gay guy was screaming out of his window, "Get out of the way, you FAT BITCH!" He was trying to make a left turn, so I walked slower on purpose which enraged him. He kept screaming and clapping, "You fat bitch! You fat bitch!" Finally he turned left and then I got on my bike, caught up to him at the next light and pulled up next to him and told him to get out of the car because I'm sure he had no clue that I could kick his tiny ass with my martial arts background. Of course he just continued to scream and clap, "You fat bitch!" and I just kept saying, Get out of the car. There was another dude on a bike behind me and he could not believe what was happening. I did not give a fuck at that point and would have pummeled the dude had he had the balls enough to get out. But of course, like the poster above, they simply find it amusing to abuse people who have fat and well, I feel sorry for them really. One day though, they will get the shit kicked out of them and I hope to god it's from a fat lesbian with martial arts skills.

And my point with that post above is, yes, some Ozempic users don't want to do the work, but I also know the struggle. I personally don't want to have to shoot myself up with a drug every day for the rest of my life, but I totally understand why some would choose that. Being overweight isn't fun for anyone and every single person who has struggled with obesity has major self loathing. So if Ozempic can help them feel better about themselves, may it be the impetus for them to finally give themselves the love they deserve.

This happens with all people that lose weight, no matter how they do it. The fat person is no longer playing their prescribed friend "role" and it leads to others becoming insecure.

I've also seen it happen when people got a promotion, earned an advanced degree, or got married.

I'm happy for them. Fat people are treated like shit in real life and I don't believe their size is 100% their fault-- the medical community knows now that a lot of it is genetics and endocrine issues (which have risen a lot in the past fifty years).

I don't understand the irrational anger people who don't have weight problems have with people who are fat and find an effective way to lose weight and live a normal life.

Did the nonsmoking public eviscerate smokers like this when Nicorette and Chantix came out on the market and those smokers were able to quit for the first time? Were they all lazy bums for wearing a patch instead of quitting cold turkey like grandma lied and said she did?

What about alcoholics? When they use a prescription to try to quit drinking, are they lazy pieces of shit for not drying out on their own?

Do people post comments like “maybe if you drank less alcohol and drank more water you wouldn’t be alcoholic!”?

[quote] the medical community knows now that a lot of it is genetics and endocrine issues

We also know that food in America is processed, loaded with sugar, and full of preservatives. That's why, say, Italians can eat multi course meals regularly and not gain weight while the average American can just walk though a supermarket and gain 5 pounds.

[Quote]he just continued to scream and clap, "You fat bitch!" and I just kept saying, Get out of the car..

Wow r45, that's crazy. He's lucky you didn't key his car. I hope someone does kick his ass down the line. He's an awful person and it will catch up to him.

Sorry about your breast cancer and your new reality with the estrogen blockers. Good on you for all you've done weight wise and mentally. I wish you continued good health and keep up the exercise routine. Go girl (I know it sounds trite) but go girl anyway!

While it's true, weight loss is harder for some, still every single episode of Dr. Now when they go on the diet, they lose weight.

Cool story, R45.

I hate queens who clap.

They need to be knocked on their asses.

You're fat.

You're lazy.

And you're stupid.

You don't need Ozempic. You need to stop eating for the next month!

Thank you, r51.

And I hate queens who clap, too!

R50, one of the biggest things I changed to lose weight was to stop eating frozen meals. I now cook for myself and often I will cook in my crock pot and then freeze the rest so that, on those nights I don't want to cook, I still have something homemade to eat. It made a HUGE difference in my weight loss. I'm also eating a salad with just balsamic vinegar and oil with every meal. I haven't really cut out most foods (except frozen foods). I just eat a lot less of what I like and do the self parenting thing to stop myself from eating more than I need. I'm telling you, it's the key. Have actual conversations with your younger self inside your head. You'd be surprised at how it works. Do it in a loving way though. Do not berate yourself. Simply say, "I know you want more food because it tastes good, but let's save some for tomorrow and then we can have it again!" That little kid inside us all just wants stuff and it's up to us to be the parent we never really had. Some parents were just too permissive and others, like mine, just didn't know how to love.

People on bariatric diets are eating, what, 500-700 calories a day?

Anyone would lose weight. Try it. You'll lose weight.

Now try to do it for two years.

You can't.

The success rate for substantial, long-term weight loss is fairly close to zero, but, by all means, let’s continue preaching diet and exercise to the severely obese in the hope that maybe one of them will be among the vanishingly small number to achieve significant, sustainable weight loss. Because using medication to achieve weight loss is just, well, too self-Indulgent.

While it’s true that if you never start overeating, you will not be overweight, once you have been severely obese for a significant period of tome, your body will effectively resist long-term weight reduction. The kind of natural weight loss stories R12 finds heartwarming, I find depressing because you know virtually all of those people will eventually regain the weight. Similar, inspirational weight loss stories like those featured in the Biggest Loser almost inevitably end in substantial. weight gain.

What's wrong with frozen meals, R56?

Lost over 25 lbs on Mounjaro in less than 2 months. Drug eliminated by cravings for sugar. Even 2 cookies a day caused a previous weight gain. Also eliminated my carb cravings and constant extreme hunger. Friends said I had appeared to be starving to death all of the time.

Doctor said something was very wrong either hypoglycemia or another digestive issue. My 1st colonoscopy will hopefully sort that out.

Now live on Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and walnuts,, poke with avocado, huge salads with minimal dressing. Perhaps 1/4 C rice or 1 slice of whole grain bread daily. Able to eat very small meals and feel completely full. As always only drink black dark roast coffee and herb tea.

Also increased my normal daily routine of intense physical activity as my stomach feels so much better and I'm not constantly hungry. Found out even my 1 alcoholic drink per month would make me gain weight, no more.

R59, they are packed with sodium and preservatives! Really bad for you! As a single person, I know I relied a lot on them on the nights I didn't want to cook. Frozen pizzas, Stoufers meals, Lean Cuisine. ALL are horrible for your body. Cut them out and assure you will lose weight. Get a crock pot. Learn to cook in it. Or pick up a rotisserie chicken, some tortillas, a can of black beans, diced tomatoes and maybe some corn (not the greatest but I like it). Take the meat from the chicken. Throw all those items in a pan and heat it. Then make burritos that can be frozen (wrap in foil, then in a bag). When I do that, I eat one of those a night and I kid you not, I have 16 meals from that. I do eat a small amount of blue corn chips (blue corn chips don't raise your blood sugar as much as regular ones) and salsa with it and a salad. It's a great meal on the nights I don't want to cook. Heats up in the microwave in 3 minutes.

Also cut out canned soups. I do buy white chicken meat in cans and add to a can of diced tomatoes, some oregano, some olive oil and pepper and salt. Serve over angel hair pasta. If you want to go fancy, bake some ricotta cheese and add it to the dish (be careful as it is high in calories and fat). Small slice of garlic bread on the side with a salad. That's two meals, maybe three.

I've been poor in my life so I know some tricks.

I'm sure this has been addressed on one of the other 9238 Ozempic threads, but what happens when you stop taking it? I assume these people don't want to be on this drug the rest of their lives. (Or maybe they do, who knows.)

The weight comes back immediately, r63. A friend of mine had this happen. When you start taking it, it's for life. I also know someone who was taking it who had their hair start falling out. It can also cause thyroid cancer.

One of my sisters lost a bunch of weight eating frozen meals and has kept it off. She went on a strict calorie counting diet and ate a lot of frozen food, because she was (in her words) "too lazy to measure stuff."

And what was her blood work on her last check up? Sure, you can lose weight with frozen foods, but they are still horrible for your body!

R57 Yeah maybe it's not feasible forever but if you cut calories, you will lose weight, and it's annoying to hear people say that cutting calories doesn't work for them, of course it does, it's silly to say otherwise, just say you don't want to cut calories and eat better. R61 is right too, frozen meals are not that great for you, but I'm lazy too. Every week I buy a pound of turkey and that 70 calorie grain bread and make a sandwich a day, light mayo, and eat like a clif bar or even real candy, walk a lot, and I'm good.

A guy ate only convenience store junk food for a year and lost weight.

So it really is only about calorie counting.

Which is a bad way to lose weight, because another huge part of weight loss is nutrition and exercise.

[quote] Professor's Weight Loss Secret: Junk Food

Little Debbie Snacks, Oreos, Doritos and Diet Mountain Dew sure don't sound like diet food. But a nutrition professor at Kansas State University ate only convenience store snacks for two months and lost 27 pounds.

The key? Moderation.

Mark Haub kept his food intake below 1,800 calories a day -- no extra exercise required.

"I avoided whole grains, I avoided fruits. I did eat some raw carrots and celery at dinner ... [and] I tried to pick foods that most people would consider unhealthy," Haub tells NPR's Scott Simon.

He ate about four convenience store/vending machine items a day, along with milk, a protein shake and one or two servings of vegetables.

At the end of the two months, his cholesterol levels dropped from 214 to 184.

Haub says the effort was an experiment.

"I kind of took the stance that ... let's say we reduce obesity, reduce body weight, move somebody -- me -- from overweight to healthy weight, but we do that with foods that aren't recommended," he says. "Is that healthy?"

Given a choice between Twinkies and a Ding Dong on a desert island, he says, he'd pick half of each.

⬆️ ⬆️ ⬆️ ⬆️

Link for above article...

Whatever, R66– it’s all a crapshoot. Frozen foods aren’t going to hurt R65’s sister. They’re not THEE healthiest thing but they’re not “horrible.”

We’ve all seen people cycle through diets and other kicks and get all evangelical about it, tut-tutting everyone else’s life choices— then they fall off the wagon and go radio silent until next time. You’re on the upswing right now, but you too will be humbled soon enough. Then you’ll probably be back on frozen dinner, too.

I don't think he would R70, crock pots are soooo easy and you can make and freeze healthy soups and roasts and veggies, I don't think frozen food is easier and it's not cheaper.

For those predisposed to being overweight, which includes being overweight as a kid or pretty much at any point in your life, there are so many times in adulthood where backsliding can occur. There are hormone cliffs that men and women hit, injuries, illnesses, surgeries, and even stuff like sleep apnea, which is sometimes the result of weight gain but can also just be relaxed muscles in throat.

Lol. This is absurd. If my friend lost weight via drugs, I'd be totally fine with it - even as someone who goes up and down with weight and it's an "issue."

All the really hateful comments were posted by the OP. They posted this simply to troll and make fun of fat people and tell them to stop shoving Twinkies in their mouths.

Don’t worry, OP. This will never happen to you. You can’t lose friends if you don’t have any.

R71, where even to begin with you?

TAINT from exercise!

I think frozen vegetables are fine. It's just the vegetable and nothing else.

R67. after my breast cancer diagnoses, the ONE thing they told me to never eat again is deli meat and processed meats. So be careful, especially if you're a woman.

[quote]“People really believe that people with obesity just need to summon their willpower and they think that taking a medicine is the easy way out.”

[quote]Unlike other chronic diseases, obesity is on full public display, Yanovski said. “No one looks at you and knows you have high cholesterol of high blood pressure,” she said.

True, but the number of people who think you can also cure yourself of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, not to mention any and all addictions and emotional or mental disorders, is very high. You see it on DL all the time, as evidenced by this thread. I remember when my mom was terminally ill with cancer, that a supervisor tried to get me fired because "your mom can just take megadoses of Vitamin C and cure herself, if she won't do that, it's not our fault, you shouldn't be allowed to get FMLA to take care of her."

You just have to cut idiots out of your life. If someone is upset because medication is helping you lose weight, dump them and move on. Life's too short to deal with that kind of stupid.

[quote]Frozen foods aren’t going to hurt [R65]’s sister. They’re not THEE healthiest thing but they’re not “horrible.”

If you have high blood pressure, or you're predisposed to high blood pressure, frozen foods are indeed horrible.

R64, I’ve been off it for two months and have not gained any weight. I didn’t lose much on it, though.

R74 makes a great point and I’ve found it to be very true for me. Stuff comes up in life and you take your eye off the ball and before you know it you’ve gained weight. As you age, if you lose fitness it becomes harder to re-gain because your starting point is so much lower and you have to be much more careful about injuries. You can’t just “run it off.”

I find that the setbacks also happen on a smaller scale. It only takes a moment to make a bad choice and then you can’t unmake it. Which is why dieting can be even harder than avoiding a substance you are addicted to. “No alcohol” is not always easy to adhere to, but it’s pretty easy to interpret. You can’t avoid eating altogether and when you have to start making choices, some are bad. I’m going to work harder on always making sure good choices are available.

R79 I don't think it's really comparable, your co worker was a dumb twat, you can't cure cancer with vitamins. But you can cure obesity with dieting. So it's not really the same. R78 Oh really? I am a woman, good to know. I get the kosher Boar's head, I figured that's healthy.

R82. That isn’t exactly the question. Yes, many., many people have lost weight through dieting. How many people, however, have maintained significant long-standing weight loss through dieting after being lomg-term basis? Virtually none. This is true both anecdotally and as substantiated in medical research.

Although it’s not quite as absurd and hopeless as expecting someone to cure himself of cancer, it comes pretty close. Once a human body has spent an extended period in a severely obese state, it fights very hard to remain in that state.

They would maintain the weight loss if they would continue to eat like that though. They don't eat like that forever so they gain the weight back. I'm just speaking to the whole "diets and exercise don't work for me" narrative that is so prevalent. It's simply not true. The laws of mathematics aren't suspended in your kitchen, calories in can't exceed calories out, period.

R84. Whom are you attempting to enlighten? Of course, if you eat a low enough amount of calories you will remain thin. Overweight people who think they aren’t putting on the weight through consuming excess calories are fooling themselves.

The relevant fact is that people who have been long-term overweight are not capable of restricting their calorie consumption. The body works very hard to return to its obese stare. The statistical evidence that dieting is essentially hopeless for the long-term severely obese is overwhelming. Anecdotally, how many severely obese people have you known to maintain significant weight loss for even a decade, much less a lifetime?

No one is saying you have to abandon your personal belief that weight loss can be achieved through willpower alone You can continue to derive personal comfort and wellbeing from it, but doctors and health policy makers have to work on the basis ouf date that show it just virtually never happens.

R85 I'm just saying the starting point for all these meds is that this person is a special kind of fat where diet and exercise don't work, it's fucking aggravating because of course it does. Just fucking say you don't like to diet and exercise, weight loss commercials, the reason people think that it's a cheat is because that's always what these commercials tout.

But if you are long term severely fat, you are the special kind of fat that requires this treatment. Are you denying that the success rate of life-long weight through dieting for the significantly obese is tiny?

Solving the obesity crisis will involve 1) ensuring people never become obese in the first place or 2) using medications such as these. If there is evidence diet works permanently for the severely long-term obese, I would be very interested in seeing it

I addition, when discussing non-medical solutions to obesity, you should really talk about diet alone. The amount of exercise required to burn significant calories is so significant that it really isn’t a major component of a serious weight loss plan for most people

Ok it’s way back at r2, but seriously? Food is an essential thing for life, some people develop unhealthy obsessions with it, probably because they fear being without. The point is how do we as a society help these people? To deny these people drugs that could help with that is so narrow minded. Would you deny anti-depressants to depressed person? Sure it’s mental, but it’s like you’re saying just put your mind to it and you’ll be cured.

There’s a lot of reasons obesity is a problem (and it’s also happening in Europe). And our insurance rates are increasing because of it. Let’s try and help and not tell people they’re on their own.

r86, I agree with you. When I told people I'd lost 70 lbs, most assumed I was taking ozempic or had gastric bypass. People who claim they can't lose weight with diet and exercise don't like to hear that that is exactly what I did. It really is just basic math. One I learned how to calculate my BMR, I realized how easy it was just doing simple math. Of course, I've now hit a point where my body is refusing to move past that 70 lbs further but I know I need to make some adjustments in my calories. It really wasn't as hard to lose as I thought it was going to be. But then again, I was never someone who ate fast food or drank sodas. I can't remember the last time I had a soda. And it helps that I don't drink alcohol. Maybe once every 3 months I'll have a glass of red wine but most days I drink water and green tea on ice. For me the key really is the exercise...I sit on my butt all day for work so now I make sure to head out every week night for an hour bike ride after work. It's an hour out of my life and it's made a HUGE difference. I also play VR games which have me moving as opposed to just sitting around watching TV.

R89. How long have you sustained the weight loss?

A year and a half now. Still losing though. 35 more to go!

Congratulations. But I don’t think most people —-your friends except—-find it mystifying or puzzling that people can lose weight through diet and exercise alone What most people have not witnessed is sustained decades-lomg weight loss. I think that is why people are so interested in these medical solutions.

I agree, r92. I am thinking that if this time I cannot keep it off, I will consider Ozempic. But not until then. Like I said, I lost 80 in the past and gained it back within 2 years but that was totally on me. I was depressed and hadn't done EMDR to address my trauma. This time I have faith that I now have done the work to heal myself. I am determined to not gain it back. I will never again sacrifice my body and health to my mental illness. I feel like this is the first time in my life when I know my worth.

A friend of mine had a partner that was going through cancer and he was terminal. I kept telling her to make sure she took care of herself too while she was taking care of him. She didn't and told her therapist that food was her coping mechanism. She gained about 80 lbs and is now diabetic and she injured herself while trying to lift him when he fell once. NEVER sacrifice your health for someone else. She's always had a martyr complex so I think she thought it was nobel to do this to herself. She called me the other day and started mentioning Ozempic and I asked her if she'd tried exercise and she said no. Said she can't get "motivated like you." Truth is, I am never motivated. Most people don't enjoy exercise but they do it because they know it is something your older self will be grateful for. And the thing is, you have to find something you enjoy. For me it was biking, martial arts, softball and VR games. I play a game called "Smash Drums" on my Oculus and burn 400-500 calories each time I play it. It's SO much fun that I want to keep going even when my body doesn't want to!

R66 I have no idea, but being overweight wasn't good for her health either.

[quote]During the pandemic you grew lax with regard to diet and exercise and let yourself go.

r43 I was being facetious. The BMI I had previously was borderline underweight (anything under 18.5 is considered underweight). I fluctuated between a BMI of 18.3 - 18.7 and struggled to actually [bold]gain[/bold] weight. So, for my entire life, I've always had the opposite of this problem and was constantly teased for being "too skinny." Names like "Skeletor" and "Anna Rexia" were thrown about often.

I managed to gain healthy weight (muscle) during the pandemic because I was cooking for myself more (I'm vegan) and not eating out at lunch as often, making me consume empty calories and had more opportunities to walk my (then alive) dog during breaks since I was already home. A BMI of 21.3 is normal/healthy. I do now have trouble fitting into old clothes because of this. If anything, I got healthier by being home more often during the pandemic.

[quote]A BMI of 21.3 is normal/healthy

This is the Datalounge. Any BMI over 13=“you type fat”.