I don't think it's really about willpower. Ultra processed food is deliberately engineered to make us overeat. It's soft, goes down easily and is packed with calories. It also tricks the body into expecting nutrition it doesn't actually get, which just triggers more hunger. That's why I can demolish two Big Macs from McDonald's without breathing, but I struggle to finish a single homemade version. Anyone who has ever made homemade bread can attest the difference between eating a slice of that vs a slice of Hovis. The structure and texture are so different.
In the UK, more than half of what we eat is ultra processed. We're 2nd in the world for that, only behind the US.
These products are designed to be cheap, easy to eat quickly and keep us coming back for more. Hunger is basically built into the system.
So I don't feel like it's as easy as saying: 'Well just eat healthy, change your lifestyle, etc.' because if you're on the high street and you're hungry, your options are incredibly limited. The food supply is stacked against us.
It's not that difficult to reduce the amount of ultra-processed food. Challenging to replace it totally, but cook the right food from fresh some, ideally most of the time.
I don't think it's really about willpower. Ultra processed food is deliberately engineered to make us overeat. It's soft, goes down easily and is packed with calories. It also tricks the body into expecting nutrition it doesn't actually get, which just triggers more hunger. That's why I can demolish two Big Macs from McDonald's without breathing, but I struggle to finish a single homemade version. Anyone who has ever made homemade bread can attest the difference between eating a slice of that vs a slice of Hovis. The structure and texture are so different.
In the UK, more than half of what we eat is ultra processed. We're 2nd in the world for that, only behind the US.
These products are designed to be cheap, easy to eat quickly and keep us coming back for more. Hunger is basically built into the system.
So I don't feel like it's as easy as saying: 'Well just eat healthy, change your lifestyle, etc.' because if you're on the high street and you're hungry, your options are incredibly limited. The food supply is stacked against us.
It's not that difficult to reduce the amount of ultra-processed food. Challenging to replace it totally, but cook the right food from fresh some, ideally most of the time.
I think you mean that it's not difficult for you! And for me, either, to be honest. But I have time and the inclination to cook. And that 'easiness' disappears the moment I leave the house.
But I also grew up on turkey burgers, chips and beans – along with a plethora of other ready meals – because my parents were not thus inclined, and it was fast, easy and cheap. I'm sure a lot of people on here had the same experience, and half the country is still living that.
After a series of diets and exercising I’ve given up as the needle of the scales only seems to waver. I think I eat healthily and not excessively and rarely eat fast foods. My only sin is drinking alcohol mainly wine which I’m sure is the root cause of my failure to reduce weight. But my main concern is diabetes any my last blood count showed that I’ve tip toed over to diabetes 2. And so enough is enough, I’m starting my course of fat jabbing on Mounjaro from Sunday (after a good piss up after the match on Saturday).
Has anybody else considered or undertaking this course of action to reduce weight?
My sister in law was taking the jobs. She lost a few stones but as soon as she came off them the weight piled back on again. She’s now going to start taking them again 🤷♂️
I had a routine blood test a few months ago and it showed that I was pre-diabetic. The doctor gave me a choice. Jabs or going on a weight loss programme. I chose the latter.
The programme is called second nature. It’s all done through an app. You get a dietician and a coach. As part of the deal they send you a sooper-dooper set of weighing scales which tracks absolutely everything.
The menus they give you, I think, are not achievable to the large proportion of the population. They have ingredients that are either far too expensive or you can’t get in your local supermarket - the cost of living crisis hasn’t reached the NHS yet.
What I’ve learnt is it’s all about the carbs (complex, simple and fibrous) and at what point in the day you eat them to stop putting on weight. I have a friend who’s a PT and he’s given me a diet guideline to follow. And it’s working .. in 10 weeks, I have lost 11kg without breaking too much sweat. If you follow the following diet and add in daily walks (10,000 steps 🙄), you should lose weight.
Forget the jabs, it’s a short term solution
I like the look of most of that. I was told I was type 2 2 years ago. Got it down to pre diabetic in 3 months by behaving myself. Since then I’ve gone bad. I really need to sort it out but it’s hard. I could give your diet a go apart from the fruit. I hate fruit. Do t eat it. Never have done. Oh. And the weekend beer might be hard but not impossible.
I work from home so it’s easy to have a late breakfast. But what I do is have Porridge at about 9:30 with a handful of almonds and Walnuts. At lunchtime, I have a fruit smoothie with Banana and strawberry or blue berries or frozen cherries. I stick a load of Greek yogurt and a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter.
I find not eating between meals is easy because I’m full and rarely hungry. I then have fish or chicken with vegetables or Chilli or spaghetti bolognaise or salad or stir fry in the evening. Treat meal is fish and chips and curry or Chinese.
It’s important to watch the sugar intake and there are apps that help with that .. MyFitnessPal or Yuka
Anyone thinking of doing this or not, I know a bloke, cant pretend we are close friends. In fact he has always disgusted me. We went to school together and he was a fat bastard then as well like a cow chewing the cud, always eating something and it was always shit, I doubt he has even touched a vegetable if you don't include chips
He has lost 8 stone in a year on one of the jabs and whilst I couldn't care less about people posting workout shit or sharing diet tips on social media his journey has intrigued me. Mostly about how honest he has been about using these injections and being told by a medical professional enough times that if he didn't lose weight he woukd die in the next couple of years. Amazingly he has stopped smoking too.
Don't get me wrong he is still a physically disgusting specimen, so brutally ugly with a massive square head but he probably shits his pants a bit less now.
So do it. All the comments about the amount of processed food we are forced towards. I agree, if I don't make a lunch to bring in to work the options are very limited unless you want some processed shit full of sugar, saturated fat and nitrates its go hungry. Best option a lot of the time is a shawarma wrap and they aren't great for weight loss as delicious as a good one of them is.
If people are yo-yoing on and off these jabs they absolutely must make time to learn about nutrition, get tested for food intolerances if they are serious about not dying as a fat bastard. And I say this as someone who needs to drop timber. Only way I've found of doing it is to not eat from Monday morning through to Wednesday evening just drink loads of water, coffee, green tea. Then spend the rest of the week gradually eating more until Monday morning where no solid food passes my lips for 48 hours or so
With reference to the BP thread we had going about 4-5 months ago, I cant begin to tell you how good I feel for eating (reasonably) clean.
For years, I'd eaten the same old processed crap. A nurse came to visit from the insurance company (getting life insurance sorted out before moving house) and she gave me an absolute bollocking about my BP and said more water and less processed food to get my salt intake down. I'd done regular exercise over the last 16 years but had used that an excuse for eating whatever I liked to a point. Not now.
I drink 2-3 litres of water a day, keeping processed foods to a minimum. I prepare my own salad for lunch each day which I really like, we always prepare dinner from scratch for the most part and probably the biggest thing for me was (almost) giving up bread.
I'd previously have 2 slices of toast for breakfast, 3 sometimes 4 slices for lunch (1.5-2 sandwiches), then 2 slices of toast watching tv in the evening. Now, I just have 2 slices of granary toast with scrambled eggs for my breakfast in the cafe on a Saturday morning while we wait for the kids to come out of their kickboxing class around the corner. That's my only bread intake all week now.
5 slices a day was working out at just under half my daily salt allowance for the bread alone. Having a bacon sandwich in the cafe on a Sat morning would literally blow that daily salt allowance out of the window without taking into account the rest of the day.
Anyway, I'm comfortably somewhere between 13st 3lbs-7lbs now. Between a 34-36" waist as opposed to anything between 14st - 14st 7lbs and a 36-38" waist. Granted I walk a ridiculous amount on average each day (20k steps) but I used to always plateau at 14st or there abouts when I was just counting calories without eating clean.
Drink water. Water fills you up. Sounds ridiculous, I was a cynic at the thought of it for years but it really does work.
Since I've been doing the above, my BP has dropped like a stone and with daily monitoring twice a day, the GP has dropped my Ramipril dose from 10mg to 2.5mg.
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Re: the jabs. I considered it to lose the weight but knew it wouldn't fix my blood pressure so opted for the best course of action for me. Know at least half a dozen people on it, they've had differing levels of success. But like others have said, its not a long term fix because as soon as you stop taking it, it piles back on again.
With reference to the BP thread we had going about 4-5 months ago, I cant begin to tell you how good I feel for eating (reasonably) clean.
For years, I'd eaten the same old processed crap. A nurse came to visit from the insurance company (getting life insurance sorted out before moving house) and she gave me an absolute bollocking about my BP and said more water and less processed food to get my salt intake down. I'd done regular exercise over the last 16 years but had used that an excuse for eating whatever I liked to a point. Not now.
I drink 2-3 litres of water a day, keeping processed foods to a minimum. I prepare my own salad for lunch each day which I really like, we always prepare dinner from scratch for the most part and probably the biggest thing for me was (almost) giving up bread.
I'd previously have 2 slices of toast for breakfast, 3 sometimes 4 slices for lunch (1.5-2 sandwiches), then 2 slices of toast watching tv in the evening. Now, I just have 2 slices of granary toast with scrambled eggs for my breakfast in the cafe on a Saturday morning while we wait for the kids to come out of their kickboxing class around the corner. That's my only bread intake all week now.
5 slices a day was working out at just under half my daily salt allowance for the bread alone. Having a bacon sandwich in the cafe on a Sat morning would literally blow that daily salt allowance out of the window without taking into account the rest of the day.
Anyway, I'm comfortably somewhere between 13st 3lbs-7lbs now. Between a 34-36" waist as opposed to anything between 14st - 14st 7lbs and a 36-38" waist. Granted I walk a ridiculous amount on average each day (20k steps) but I used to always plateau at 14st or there abouts when I was just counting calories without eating clean.
Drink water. Water fills you up. Sounds ridiculous, I was a cynic at the thought of it for years but it really does work.
Since I've been doing the above, my BP has dropped like a stone and with daily monitoring twice a day, the GP has dropped my Ramipril dose from 10mg to 2.5mg.
--
Re: the jabs. I considered it to lose the weight but knew it wouldn't fix my blood pressure so opted for the best course of action for me. Know at least half a dozen people on it, they've had differing levels of success. But like others have said, its not a long term fix because as soon as you stop taking it, it piles back on again.
Christ i've never known a man eat so much toast
If you were eating 8 slices of toast a day, that equates to 56 slices a week, and 2,912 a year.
Seen a few people saying that it's not a resolution for people's long term health (which is absolutely true), and those who come off if they haven't changed diet will just yo-yo back up. But that is exactly what the companies who produce these jabs will want!
There will be plenty of people who can't be bothered to sort their own diet/nutrition out to keep them in a healthy range after coming off the jab so will end up on them for life which will make the pharmaceutical company serious long-term £££.
I don't think it's really about willpower. Ultra processed food is deliberately engineered to make us overeat. It's soft, goes down easily and is packed with calories. It also tricks the body into expecting nutrition it doesn't actually get, which just triggers more hunger. That's why I can demolish two Big Macs from McDonald's without breathing, but I struggle to finish a single homemade version. Anyone who has ever made homemade bread can attest the difference between eating a slice of that vs a slice of Hovis. The structure and texture are so different.
In the UK, more than half of what we eat is ultra processed. We're 2nd in the world for that, only behind the US.
These products are designed to be cheap, easy to eat quickly and keep us coming back for more. Hunger is basically built into the system.
So I don't feel like it's as easy as saying: 'Well just eat healthy, change your lifestyle, etc.' because if you're on the high street and you're hungry, your options are incredibly limited. The food supply is stacked against us.
It's not that difficult to reduce the amount of ultra-processed food. Challenging to replace it totally, but cook the right food from fresh some, ideally most of the time.
I think you mean that it's not difficult for you! And for me, either, to be honest. But I have time and the inclination to cook. And that 'easiness' disappears the moment I leave the house.
But I also grew up on turkey burgers, chips and beans – along with a plethora of other ready meals – because my parents were not thus inclined, and it was fast, easy and cheap. I'm sure a lot of people on here had the same experience, and half the country is still living that.
I don't think it's really about willpower. Ultra processed food is deliberately engineered to make us overeat. It's soft, goes down easily and is packed with calories. It also tricks the body into expecting nutrition it doesn't actually get, which just triggers more hunger. That's why I can demolish two Big Macs from McDonald's without breathing, but I struggle to finish a single homemade version. Anyone who has ever made homemade bread can attest the difference between eating a slice of that vs a slice of Hovis. The structure and texture are so different.
In the UK, more than half of what we eat is ultra processed. We're 2nd in the world for that, only behind the US.
These products are designed to be cheap, easy to eat quickly and keep us coming back for more. Hunger is basically built into the system.
So I don't feel like it's as easy as saying: 'Well just eat healthy, change your lifestyle, etc.' because if you're on the high street and you're hungry, your options are incredibly limited. The food supply is stacked against us.
It's not that difficult to reduce the amount of ultra-processed food. Challenging to replace it totally, but cook the right food from fresh some, ideally most of the time.
I think you mean that it's not difficult for you! And for me, either, to be honest. But I have time and the inclination to cook. And that 'easiness' disappears the moment I leave the house.
But I also grew up on turkey burgers, chips and beans – along with a plethora of other ready meals – because my parents were not thus inclined, and it was fast, easy and cheap. I'm sure a lot of people on here had the same experience, and half the country is still living that.
People aren't overweight because they're lazy and uneducated, I think that's a little simplistic. Education obviously has its place but that's been going on for decades. There needs to be a multi-pronged approach and industry regulation needs to happen, much like it did with tobacco.
The benefits far, far out weight the disbenefits. From a purely mercenary standpoint, obesity and associated complications (heart disease, diabetes and everything associated with being overweight) are an enormous burden on the NHS and cost a huge amount of money every year. Even given the potential side effects of semaglutide, the financial benefits alone provide much more benefit to society as a whole - not to mention an upset stomach and having the shits vs developing type 2 diabetes or coronary heart disease being a pretty good tradeoff.
I say that as somebody who has never had the jab and doesn't need to - I do a huge amount of exercise and eat reasonably well, after making the decision to stop being a lazy fat bastard over ten years ago.
I don't think it's really about willpower. Ultra processed food is deliberately engineered to make us overeat. It's soft, goes down easily and is packed with calories. It also tricks the body into expecting nutrition it doesn't actually get, which just triggers more hunger. That's why I can demolish two Big Macs from McDonald's without breathing, but I struggle to finish a single homemade version. Anyone who has ever made homemade bread can attest the difference between eating a slice of that vs a slice of Hovis. The structure and texture are so different.
In the UK, more than half of what we eat is ultra processed. We're 2nd in the world for that, only behind the US.
These products are designed to be cheap, easy to eat quickly and keep us coming back for more. Hunger is basically built into the system.
So I don't feel like it's as easy as saying: 'Well just eat healthy, change your lifestyle, etc.' because if you're on the high street and you're hungry, your options are incredibly limited. The food supply is stacked against us.
It's not that difficult to reduce the amount of ultra-processed food. Challenging to replace it totally, but cook the right food from fresh some, ideally most of the time.
I think you mean that it's not difficult for you! And for me, either, to be honest. But I have time and the inclination to cook. And that 'easiness' disappears the moment I leave the house.
But I also grew up on turkey burgers, chips and beans – along with a plethora of other ready meals – because my parents were not thus inclined, and it was fast, easy and cheap. I'm sure a lot of people on here had the same experience, and half the country is still living that.
People aren't overweight because they're lazy and uneducated, I think that's a little simplistic. Education obviously has its place but that's been going on for decades. There needs to be a multi-pronged approach and industry regulation needs to happen, much like it did with tobacco.
Agree, they are factors though
One that gets me is the volume of sugar in things that have no business having sugar in. Look at the side of any jar of curry/pasta sauce and the maniacs have added sugar to it! Loads of online recipes want sugar added to recipes and it speaks to me of an abject lack of awareness of the unnecessary damage that does.
Jamie Oliver got me onside with his argument about honest sugar in things like ice cream, sweets, desserts. Then that fat-tongued clown goes and demands spoons of sugar in curries, chillies, whatever and he loses me. Which is a shame as otherwise he has some banging recipes. Still does, just don't add the totally unnecessary spoons of sugar
The trouble is unless a person changes their lifestyle ie what they eat and how much they move/exercise most people pile it all back on when they stop taking the jabs.
So to my mind it's pointless taking the jabs unless you are going to permanently change your lifestyle.
Although I’d agree mostly, I think it’s better to be someone weighing 12 stone gaining a few pounds a year than being someone weighing 18 stone gaining a few pounds a year. If the ‘jab’ can get you from 18 to 12 stone when nothing has worked before, that’s got to be a positive, even if you start to regain weight when you stop. It could lead to a, at least temporary, drop in blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, etc and if you do regain the weight to a dangerous level, go back on the Wegovy / Mounjaro again.
I know this sounds flippant and that there’s an expense involved here but there is an expense in treating someone with metformin, statins, blood pressure drugs, etc and ultimately increasing the likelihood of dying prematurely.
I also think it might well change someone’s relationship with food whilst on it that has a lasting effect when they stop. I have friends who order nearly the whole menu, when they go for a curry - maybe a year of not being able to do that, might change their attitude in future / rest of their life, that it is not necessary.
I don't think it's really about willpower. Ultra processed food is deliberately engineered to make us overeat. It's soft, goes down easily and is packed with calories. It also tricks the body into expecting nutrition it doesn't actually get, which just triggers more hunger. That's why I can demolish two Big Macs from McDonald's without breathing, but I struggle to finish a single homemade version. Anyone who has ever made homemade bread can attest the difference between eating a slice of that vs a slice of Hovis. The structure and texture are so different.
In the UK, more than half of what we eat is ultra processed. We're 2nd in the world for that, only behind the US.
These products are designed to be cheap, easy to eat quickly and keep us coming back for more. Hunger is basically built into the system.
So I don't feel like it's as easy as saying: 'Well just eat healthy, change your lifestyle, etc.' because if you're on the high street and you're hungry, your options are incredibly limited. The food supply is stacked against us.
It's not that difficult to reduce the amount of ultra-processed food. Challenging to replace it totally, but cook the right food from fresh some, ideally most of the time.
I think you mean that it's not difficult for you! And for me, either, to be honest. But I have time and the inclination to cook. And that 'easiness' disappears the moment I leave the house.
But I also grew up on turkey burgers, chips and beans – along with a plethora of other ready meals – because my parents were not thus inclined, and it was fast, easy and cheap. I'm sure a lot of people on here had the same experience, and half the country is still living that.
People aren't overweight because they're lazy and uneducated, I think that's a little simplistic. Education obviously has its place but that's been going on for decades. There needs to be a multi-pronged approach and industry regulation needs to happen, much like it did with tobacco.
Some people are. Of course not everyone is, and I never said they are
Just to weigh in on the unhealthy point. I am not massively overweight and ran the London marathon this year. 8 months of training, 5 months of zero alcohol and I lost 11lbs. I have already lost 8lbs in a week on the jab. I am not here to preach to people as we are all grown ups who can make our own decisions, but I disagree with this viewpoint that it is easy, just eat less / clean. Ultra Processed goods are a drug comparable to alcohol and nicotine and people need help giving it up.
I've struggled with my weight all.my life, it's so easy to put it on, but s0o difficult to take it off.
I decided that counting calories is probably best and have lost 2 stones since the beginning of the year. I was using an app called Noom, but that is American and doesn't have every UK food in its database.
I've recently changed to Nutracheck which costs me £5.99 a month. You can scan bar codes to find calorific value and I now weigh everything I eat and record it. You can earn extra calories each day by adding exercise. I've connected my Fitbit to record my steps. The food database is huge and covers most restaurants and pub chains.
I don't think it's really about willpower. Ultra processed food is deliberately engineered to make us overeat. It's soft, goes down easily and is packed with calories. It also tricks the body into expecting nutrition it doesn't actually get, which just triggers more hunger. That's why I can demolish two Big Macs from McDonald's without breathing, but I struggle to finish a single homemade version. Anyone who has ever made homemade bread can attest the difference between eating a slice of that vs a slice of Hovis. The structure and texture are so different.
In the UK, more than half of what we eat is ultra processed. We're 2nd in the world for that, only behind the US.
These products are designed to be cheap, easy to eat quickly and keep us coming back for more. Hunger is basically built into the system.
So I don't feel like it's as easy as saying: 'Well just eat healthy, change your lifestyle, etc.' because if you're on the high street and you're hungry, your options are incredibly limited. The food supply is stacked against us.
It's not that difficult to reduce the amount of ultra-processed food. Challenging to replace it totally, but cook the right food from fresh some, ideally most of the time.
I think you mean that it's not difficult for you! And for me, either, to be honest. But I have time and the inclination to cook. And that 'easiness' disappears the moment I leave the house.
But I also grew up on turkey burgers, chips and beans – along with a plethora of other ready meals – because my parents were not thus inclined, and it was fast, easy and cheap. I'm sure a lot of people on here had the same experience, and half the country is still living that.
People aren't overweight because they're lazy and uneducated, I think that's a little simplistic. Education obviously has its place but that's been going on for decades. There needs to be a multi-pronged approach and industry regulation needs to happen, much like it did with tobacco.
There is a Sainsbury's local very close to me. First isle is fruit and veg. Next 6 isles are pretty much just crisps, chocolate, biscuits, bread, snacks, ice cream etc. it is like a school tuck shop. As someone who has eaten far too much junk food in their life it is depressing how little healthy options there is in the shop, and depressing at how many of the local school kids are queuing to get into it every day. Definitely needs some form of regulation imo.
At the start of the year I was 45, 5'9" and a little under 15st (206-210 pounds). I had calorie controlled a number of times and gotten down to 14st. but always ended up back up above it. So I got onto Wegovy/ Ozempic and started losing weight quite comfortably. The side effects, however, were horrendous. Heartburn, burping, general malaise. Part of the problem is that I didn't pay enough attention to how to use it with a balanced diet. After a while I stopped and waited a couple of months. Started again but this time with Mounjaro/ Tirzepatide. And this time I was much more disciplined about losing weight. Calorie counting and eating whole foods. My intention wasn't just to lose weight, but to change habits. I didn't go up at regular intervals either. I stayed on the lowest dose for 2-3 months. The Mounjaro was a part of the process but not the entirety of it. It really helped me improve my diet and habits. And for much of the last three months I've felt better than I have in years, certainly since I first got Covid.
I'm down to roughly 13st currently (182 pounds), with one stone to go. I'm losing it fairly slowly but I think what's more important is that it's consistent and should be longterm as I don't have the same bad habits I had a year ago. When I went up to the bigger dose last month I found the side effects to be quite unpleasant, and a couple of times I had a bout of depression that lasted 24 hours, which is something you really have to look out for. I went straight back down to the lower dose and felt fine again.
It's not something that will work for everyone, and I do understand why people have reservations. All I can say is that it has helped me improve my life and my long term health outlook. It's so easy to be dismissive of people with lines like "It's easy eat less and move more". but for anyone who has been in my position, working relentless hours and dealing with habits formed over 10-20 years, getting a little help to break free of that is something that should be welcomed, not dismissed.
@ME14addick - I combine the Yuka app and Lose It! which have really helped.
The trouble is unless a person changes their lifestyle ie what they eat and how much they move/exercise most people pile it all back on when they stop taking the jabs.
So to my mind it's pointless taking the jabs unless you are going to permanently change your lifestyle.
I don't know but I wonder if that's true. A lot of overeating is about habits and what your body is conditioned to expect (e.g. a bar of chocolate after lunch). Perhaps those habits can be broken through these drugs.
Like all 50 somethings I do have to watch my weight. I'm not too bad - about 81 kg and 5'10. A couple of years ago I was 85kg and lost 5kg mainly though fasting for a few months between 8p.m. and noon
Yes, I agree that the bad habits can be broken through these drugs. Some people succeed but the majority do not. My point was the jabs are relatively pointless if you don't break your bad habits and simply continue eating unhealthily and don't move/exercise more.
The trouble is unless a person changes their lifestyle ie what they eat and how much they move/exercise most people pile it all back on when they stop taking the jabs.
So to my mind it's pointless taking the jabs unless you are going to permanently change your lifestyle.
I have 4 friends here that all used semaglutade and saw remarkable results and their behaviour changed as a result of the jabs, so I’m not sure what you say is entirely true due to how the jabs chemically change your appetite.
I said a person needs to change what they eat and how much they move/exercise. You say their behaviour changed as a result of the jabs. So we are in agreement.
The trouble is unless a person changes their lifestyle ie what they eat and how much they move/exercise most people pile it all back on when they stop taking the jabs.
So to my mind it's pointless taking the jabs unless you are going to permanently change your lifestyle.
Although I’d agree mostly, I think it’s better to be someone weighing 12 stone gaining a few pounds a year than being someone weighing 18 stone gaining a few pounds a year. If the ‘jab’ can get you from 18 to 12 stone when nothing has worked before, that’s got to be a positive, even if you start to regain weight when you stop. It could lead to a, at least temporary, drop in blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, etc and if you do regain the weight to a dangerous level, go back on the Wegovy / Mounjaro again.
I know this sounds flippant and that there’s an expense involved here but there is an expense in treating someone with metformin, statins, blood pressure drugs, etc and ultimately increasing the likelihood of dying prematurely.
I also think it might well change someone’s relationship with food whilst on it that has a lasting effect when they stop. I have friends who order nearly the whole menu, when they go for a curry - maybe a year of not being able to do that, might change their attitude in future / rest of their life, that it is not necessary.
But once again the solution is to change to healthier eating and moving more.
Yes there is a temporary but expensive benefit, but if you're going to pile all the weight back on again and then take the jabs again and then pile the weight on and then take the jabs ......
At the start of the year I was 45, 5'9" and a little under 15st (206-210 pounds). I had calorie controlled a number of times and gotten down to 14st. but always ended up back up above it. So I got onto Wegovy/ Ozempic and started losing weight quite comfortably. The side effects, however, were horrendous. Heartburn, burping, general malaise. Part of the problem is that I didn't pay enough attention to how to use it with a balanced diet. After a while I stopped and waited a couple of months. Started again but this time with Mounjaro/ Tirzepatide. And this time I was much more disciplined about losing weight. Calorie counting and eating whole foods. My intention wasn't just to lose weight, but to change habits. I didn't go up at regular intervals either. I stayed on the lowest dose for 2-3 months. The Mounjaro was a part of the process but not the entirety of it. It really helped me improve my diet and habits. And for much of the last three months I've felt better than I have in years, certainly since I first got Covid.
I'm down to roughly 13st currently (182 pounds), with one stone to go. I'm losing it fairly slowly but I think what's more important is that it's consistent and should be longterm as I don't have the same bad habits I had a year ago. When I went up to the bigger dose last month I found the side effects to be quite unpleasant, and a couple of times I had a bout of depression that lasted 24 hours, which is something you really have to look out for. I went straight back down to the lower dose and felt fine again.
It's not something that will work for everyone, and I do understand why people have reservations. All I can say is that it has helped me improve my life and my long term health outlook. It's so easy to be dismissive of people with lines like "It's easy eat less and move more". but for anyone who has been in my position, working relentless hours and dealing with habits formed over 10-20 years, getting a little help to break free of that is something that should be welcomed, not dismissed.
@ME14addick - I combine the Yuka app and Lose It! which have really helped.
It sounds like you are doing it the right way. Congratulations.
Comments
But I also grew up on turkey burgers, chips and beans – along with a plethora of other ready meals – because my parents were not thus inclined, and it was fast, easy and cheap. I'm sure a lot of people on here had the same experience, and half the country is still living that.
good luck
He has lost 8 stone in a year on one of the jabs and whilst I couldn't care less about people posting workout shit or sharing diet tips on social media his journey has intrigued me. Mostly about how honest he has been about using these injections and being told by a medical professional enough times that if he didn't lose weight he woukd die in the next couple of years. Amazingly he has stopped smoking too.
Don't get me wrong he is still a physically disgusting specimen, so brutally ugly with a massive square head but he probably shits his pants a bit less now.
So do it. All the comments about the amount of processed food we are forced towards. I agree, if I don't make a lunch to bring in to work the options are very limited unless you want some processed shit full of sugar, saturated fat and nitrates its go hungry. Best option a lot of the time is a shawarma wrap and they aren't great for weight loss as delicious as a good one of them is.
If people are yo-yoing on and off these jabs they absolutely must make time to learn about nutrition, get tested for food intolerances if they are serious about not dying as a fat bastard. And I say this as someone who needs to drop timber. Only way I've found of doing it is to not eat from Monday morning through to Wednesday evening just drink loads of water, coffee, green tea. Then spend the rest of the week gradually eating more until Monday morning where no solid food passes my lips for 48 hours or so
For years, I'd eaten the same old processed crap. A nurse came to visit from the insurance company (getting life insurance sorted out before moving house) and she gave me an absolute bollocking about my BP and said more water and less processed food to get my salt intake down. I'd done regular exercise over the last 16 years but had used that an excuse for eating whatever I liked to a point. Not now.
I drink 2-3 litres of water a day, keeping processed foods to a minimum. I prepare my own salad for lunch each day which I really like, we always prepare dinner from scratch for the most part and probably the biggest thing for me was (almost) giving up bread.
I'd previously have 2 slices of toast for breakfast, 3 sometimes 4 slices for lunch (1.5-2 sandwiches), then 2 slices of toast watching tv in the evening.
Now, I just have 2 slices of granary toast with scrambled eggs for my breakfast in the cafe on a Saturday morning while we wait for the kids to come out of their kickboxing class around the corner. That's my only bread intake all week now.
5 slices a day was working out at just under half my daily salt allowance for the bread alone. Having a bacon sandwich in the cafe on a Sat morning would literally blow that daily salt allowance out of the window without taking into account the rest of the day.
Anyway, I'm comfortably somewhere between 13st 3lbs-7lbs now. Between a 34-36" waist as opposed to anything between 14st - 14st 7lbs and a 36-38" waist.
Granted I walk a ridiculous amount on average each day (20k steps) but I used to always plateau at 14st or there abouts when I was just counting calories without eating clean.
Drink water. Water fills you up. Sounds ridiculous, I was a cynic at the thought of it for years but it really does work.
Since I've been doing the above, my BP has dropped like a stone and with daily monitoring twice a day, the GP has dropped my Ramipril dose from 10mg to 2.5mg.
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Re: the jabs. I considered it to lose the weight but knew it wouldn't fix my blood pressure so opted for the best course of action for me.
Know at least half a dozen people on it, they've had differing levels of success. But like others have said, its not a long term fix because as soon as you stop taking it, it piles back on again.
If you were eating 8 slices of toast a day, that equates to 56 slices a week, and 2,912 a year.
There will be plenty of people who can't be bothered to sort their own diet/nutrition out to keep them in a healthy range after coming off the jab so will end up on them for life which will make the pharmaceutical company serious long-term £££.
And more in schools
Education and empowerment is the way forward
Main side effects are diarrhoea (or very slimey stools) and flatulence. Not good ime.
I say that as somebody who has never had the jab and doesn't need to - I do a huge amount of exercise and eat reasonably well, after making the decision to stop being a lazy fat bastard over ten years ago.
One that gets me is the volume of sugar in things that have no business having sugar in. Look at the side of any jar of curry/pasta sauce and the maniacs have added sugar to it! Loads of online recipes want sugar added to recipes and it speaks to me of an abject lack of awareness of the unnecessary damage that does.
Jamie Oliver got me onside with his argument about honest sugar in things like ice cream, sweets, desserts. Then that fat-tongued clown goes and demands spoons of sugar in curries, chillies, whatever and he loses me. Which is a shame as otherwise he has some banging recipes. Still does, just don't add the totally unnecessary spoons of sugar
I also think it might well change someone’s relationship with food whilst on it that has a lasting effect when they stop. I have friends who order nearly the whole menu, when they go for a curry - maybe a year of not being able to do that, might change their attitude in future / rest of their life, that it is not necessary.
I decided that counting calories is probably best and have lost 2 stones since the beginning of the year. I was using an app called Noom, but that is American and doesn't have every UK food in its database.
I've recently changed to Nutracheck which costs me £5.99 a month. You can scan bar codes to find calorific value and I now weigh everything I eat and record it. You can earn extra calories each day by adding exercise. I've connected my Fitbit to record my steps. The food database is huge and covers most restaurants and pub chains.
I'm down to roughly 13st currently (182 pounds), with one stone to go. I'm losing it fairly slowly but I think what's more important is that it's consistent and should be longterm as I don't have the same bad habits I had a year ago. When I went up to the bigger dose last month I found the side effects to be quite unpleasant, and a couple of times I had a bout of depression that lasted 24 hours, which is something you really have to look out for. I went straight back down to the lower dose and felt fine again.
It's not something that will work for everyone, and I do understand why people have reservations. All I can say is that it has helped me improve my life and my long term health outlook. It's so easy to be dismissive of people with lines like "It's easy eat less and move more". but for anyone who has been in my position, working relentless hours and dealing with habits formed over 10-20 years, getting a little help to break free of that is something that should be welcomed, not dismissed.
@ME14addick - I combine the Yuka app and Lose It! which have really helped.
Some people succeed but the majority do not.
My point was the jabs are relatively pointless if you don't break your bad habits and simply continue eating unhealthily and don't move/exercise more.
You say their behaviour changed as a result of the jabs.
So we are in agreement.
Yes there is a temporary but expensive benefit, but if you're going to pile all the weight back on again and then take the jabs again and then pile the weight on and then take the jabs ......
Congratulations.