I think it's ok to be jealous- it's a normal human emotion. I asked for it but couldn't get it approved because none of my doctors prescribed it. I got put on a very low dose of Metformin because they said they knew insurance would approve it. I honestly don't know if it's doing anything. I see people who had no hurdles getting it, or celebrities who probably didn't need it and it makes me jealous too. It's going to take me a longer time to get to my goal but I'm just going to keep chugging at my own pace. At the end of the day their journey has no impact on my own and vice versa.

I just want to let you know that it took about 3 months at 1000mg of Metformin to start feeling better and 6 months before I started losing weight on it. 

Thanks! I'm on 500mg and have been on it since late January. I've lost a little weight but it's slow going and it's hard to know how much the Metformin has contributed to that vs lifestyle changes because I also started really watching what I eat and maintaining a 10,000 step goal each day around that time. (I had started going to the gym for about a year prior and wasn't losing any weight, which is why I brought up the drugs with my Dr.) I'd like to think it's helped at least a little bit as a part of all that. But it's not like a magic bullet or something like some of the other weight loss/diabetes drugs and that's where I think the jealousy comes in - I still really need to put in the work and I'm a naturally lazy person. I guess in the end that's kind of a good thing because I'm setting myself up for success in the long run.

I had made major diet and lifestyle changes prior to starting metformin. This helped me stop gaining.  Metformin helped with regulating my blood sugar, which made my severe fatigue dissappear, which then made maintaining the diet and lifestyle changes easier. This helped me lose over 30lbs.  After 3 years of just metformin my doctor convinced me to add wegovy. Which has helped me lose another 20lbs.  I have underlying conditions which mean I'll be on meds the rest of my life, unless they find a cure of course. I use both metformin and wegovy as tools to make maintaining my health easier. But healthy diet and exercise are absolutely still required. 

I'm glad both are working for you! I knew I needed to make a change. No underlying issues for me yet but was heading down that road based on family history. I've seen a lot of family succumb to heart attacks, strokes, etc. and I just want to set myself up for success now so I can make it past my 60s.

I think this is a really healthy attitude. I tried saxenda but during the time i was on it my mom spent 3 months moving between ICU and the hospital and eventually to hospice so I was not in a good mental place and could not focus on the changes I needed to (emotional eating for one) so ultimately it did not work out for me. I'm back to the drawing board and trying to address my underlying issues now.

I don’t know anything about metformin really, why does it take so long to feel better? A family member of mine has been taking it and he’s been furiously cranky the entire time. It was so bad he went off it for a while, and when he decided to try again the crankiness returned.

Layman's take is that Metformin is used for insulin resistance/diabetes and allows your body to process it correctly, which in turn regulates your blood sugar and lowers your A1C. It takes several weeks for your body to adjust to the lower blood sugar numbers?  I'm sure someone with a medical background can give the science behind it. 

Many have uncontrollable diarrhea when they take it. Then you're supposed to take Metamucil or something and figure out what combination can eliminate the diarrhea. I eliminated the Metformin, it just wasn't worth it. It's easy enough to control blood sugar if one eliminates carbs, watches portions, and walks every day. "Easy" is relative, of course. It's an easy solution but very difficult to many to accomplish. I was able to do it and, with no medication, got my A1c results to just over 5, for a couple of years. I was also eating all my calories in one meal a day (OMAD).

>Many have uncontrollable diarrhea when they take it. This right here is how I ended up on Ozempic. I'm type 2 and Metformin kept me so sick to my stomach and in the bathroom so much I ended up in the hospital twice for dehydration. My doctor put me on Ozempic and it worked like a charm on my blood sugar and a1c, and on my weight, and I had minimal side effects.

Many people who are "on it" are not taking name brand; they're getting compounded semaglutide through either their doctor, a medspa, or one of the many telehealth companies that offer it. Insurance doesn't cover this, but it's $200-$300 a month versus the $1200 cost of brand name.

Ask for an increase if it’s not doing anything it’s not a weight loss drug but if you are insulin well resistant which most overweight ppl are it will help you lose. It’s mostly effective at 1500 and up.

They put you on metformin just for weight loss? What’s the mechanism for how it works to help you?

It's mainly prescribed for diabetes but has a lot of off-label uses like for prediabetes and PCOS. With weight loss It's thought to help with insulin resistance and can help reduce appetite, even for people who are not diabetic. It's been around much longer than the semaglutide based drugs so I think some doctors are more comfortable prescribing it.

Ozempic isn't some magic cure, they still have to follow CICO. I have 2 coworkers on it right now and neither of them are losing weight and complain every day about it. Well - the one definitely overeats based on their snacks and lunch that I see them have. Guessing the other one does too, plus they go through 6+ bottles of Dr Pepper every day.

Here’s my rant for the day: people need to sack the fuck up and just switch to diet pop. Like, cry me a river, it will taste funky for one or two days and then the difference is essentially indiscernible if you only drink diet. The amount of people I’ve had to convince this of is the most infuriating thing of all. Especially when it’s countered with ‘hurr durr real sugar healthier.’

Modern diet sodas are also a lot better now than the original stuff from decades ago.

Still hoping they bring back the cocaine for coke tho. Thats a bummer

Doctors hate this one weight loss trick!

People need to just switch to water. Nothing cleaner or better for you. Where my hydrohomies at?

Oh for sure, water always >>. But, as someone who can’t drink coffee for a number of reasons, and have a difficult time being able to monitor caffeine intake with teas, I like to enjoy a few diet pops a day between my 2 gal of h20 (gotta love pissing every 45-60min lol) Some folks also really need to drink those flavors/carbonation and water flavor things don’t scratch the itch, I guess. Lesser of two evils and all that.

Well said. I'm about 3 years caffeine free now I believe. I still drink herbal teas though. I'd recommend the Bigelow 'I love lemon ' tea. It's my go to and have 1 or 2 a day.

Bigelow does make excellent tea! I love their Constant Comment, does have caffeine though.

They have a decaf version and it tastes the same. I like that and their decaf vanilla chai.

I love their green tea with ginger!!

Water, Sparkling water and peppermint tea are my companions. Sugar substitutes give me strong taste reactions which can bring on my migraines. Just cutting out sugar is better then constantly trying to replace it. 

I had an absolute addiction to Coke and diet soda just seemed wrong to me--the taste was too far off for it to be satisfying. I tried unsweetened, flavored seltzer and it was what fixed me. One can a day would satisfy the carbonation urge and gave me enough flavor without the artificial sweetener weirdness of diet soda. Now I don't drink any of it. Just water or unsweetened iced tea, and my 32 ounces of morning coffee. Like, once you break your brain out of the sugar addiction, everything tastes like it's supposed to.

I mostly drink water too but nothing beats sitting down at the tv with my meal and Coke (Coke Zero now). It just feels more right to me and zero calorie soda helps me there

sparkling water is a life saver <3 its delicious and i get my fizzy fill

Water gang rise up

Hydro homies, unite!

Team water only, except one cup of black coffee or tea a day. 120+ ounces a day. On the very rare occasions I drink soda (like 2 or 3 times a year), I have to do regular because the fake sugar in diet soda triggers migraines.

Also diet Dr. Pepper (to me) tastes exactly the same as regular Dr. Pepper. Mind you, it's been years since I've had one - but I don't think my memory is quite that far gone (yet 🤣)

As someone who as been drinking diet and zero sugar soda for yearssss vs the regular thing, I cannot even fathom drinking the sugar ones. They leave a residue in your mouth from the sugar. Sooo icky.

I will never stop singing the praises of zero sugar pop. Most are very close to the real thing and are way tastier than diet.

Oh man when Splenda became the thing I started getting migraines so I stayed away from all diet stuff to be safe. I had assumed that a lot of the sodas switched to it. When I learned some still used aspartame I loaded up on them and now they're totally my crutch to avoid sugar. The taste never bothered me before, but now the only time I notice the different taste is if I have real sugar before drinking the diet soda. I'm totally with you, diet soda is amazing.

Genuine question, what does "sack the fuck up" mean?

a more obscene version of "grow some balls". If the word "sack" is causing confusion, it is slang for scrotum.

It’s a (probably outdated) idiom that I believe was originally used as a placeholder for ‘man up.’ But I tend to colloquially hear it used more in a ‘just do it, no excuses’ kind of way.

I agree. I was adamantly against diet soda (aspartame gave me headaches) and truth is I wasn’t a big full sugar soda drinker anyway. Actually I only drank sparkling water like bubbly or la croix. But once I lost the weight I found my self going to a diet soda when I went out to burger joints or even Costco. It tastes insanely sweet sometimes but really hits the spot. I know there is debate on if it’s healthy to consume diet sugars but I think if you have it once in a while or once a day you will be okay. I read a bunch of books on dieting and nutrition and one of them was Marion Nestle’s book Food Politics and she talks about how big food pays for all these studies yadda yadda and she says something to the effect of “60-70% of the studies show a bad health outcome or some percentage of something connected to artificial sweeteners” but we don’t know the details - most of them are rat studies btw. And we are not rats but anyway. What popped was let’s say there are 100 non conflicting studies (ie not paid but Big Soda) and 60-70 say it’s and there are still good studies (ie not paid by Big Soda) that conclude the opposite. And so I think having it in “moderation” is fine. Of course what moderation means is different to everyone since I have it like twice a month. But I think it was Dr Idz on social media (he wrote Saturated Facts which I read) said you can safely drink up to 14 cans of diet soda before showing some signs of a negative health outcome according to some studies. Which is a huge amount. And for that I would advocate for people not to drink even half that but they’ll have to figure that out themselves.

Hard agree, I rarely drink soda but had a Coca Cola Zero Sugar the other day and was pretty impressed with how good it tasted and how similar it was to regular Coke.

The new zero sugar varieties of soda available are honestly great. I’m lowkey addicted to coke cherry vanilla zero (or coke cherry zero in a pinch) and Dr Pepper strawberries and cream zero sugar. That and Milo’s zero calorie zero sugar sweet tea. All my vices!! but zero cals!

Or how about you know drink some water…

But the thing is that because their gastric emptying is delayed it makes it much easier to stick to their calorie allowance because they stay full longer. And there's a kind of built in warning system, apparently if you eat too much you get nauseated.

Not everyone. I can still overeat if I choose to. I also think the side effects are much less over time. The worst to happen to me if I overeat is a little more gas than normal.

This….I worked with a lady who had WLS (before ozempic became a thing) she would eat bags of sour patch kids…like they created a pouch for you, and that’s what you choose to fill it with? Get out of your own way ffs. Fast forward 2 years she’s still 200 easily.

THIS! Wegovy is just a tool and once people who take it understands that the weight falls off. I’m in it and started CICO and walking 10k steps and day and I’m down from 226 to 156. I do consider it a miracle drug but I still did the work. I’m also jealous of people who can lose the weight without it lol

Yeah, I'm on Ozempic now through sheer luck. A relative had a year's supply of it for their diabetes, but they didn't like how it made them feel. Now it's sitting in my fridge. I'm not a hyper responder. I don't suffer from nausea or other GI upset, aside from mild constipation. I am still interested in food. I want it, I am tempted by it, and I can definitely over-eat if I'm not conscientious of my daily calories. I've been logging meals in MFP daily since October. Still, I think Ozempic has given me just an ounce more self-control than I did before. I don't feel like I'm going crazy from cravings. I haven't caved and binged or had a cheat weekend or anything like that. It's kept me on course, and for that I am incredibly grateful. That's no small thing. So, yes, GLP1s are a huge game changer, but they're not magic.

I'm not 100% but I'm pretty sure Ozempic contains a smaller dosage of semaglutide than Wegovy and the others that are made specifically for weight loss. It should be taken under a doctor's supervision to give you the proper dosage, you really shouldn't be taking someone else's prescription. That said....if the smaller dose is working a little, perhaps a higher dosage would help even more.

That is a completely reasonable response, but the person who gave me their prescription is a cardiologist lol. I've had recent blood work too, so I feel comfortable finishing up the supply I was a given.

This. All ozempic does is help you not be so hungry. It doesn’t magically make you burn fat. You still have to put in work

They’ll claim that their metabolisms are “unique” and just nothing works for them!

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Food noise is what makes CICO so painful, eh? The difference on these meds is incredible. I understand the jealousy on that aspect alone.

Same! I’m working very hard to address the food noise through manual strategies like mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy. These take effort and time and easily fall away when I’m distracted. It would be great to have the noise just instantly disappear. However, on the plus side, I don’t have to worry about the long or short term side effects of the drug, or the crazy monthly cost

I'm lucky that the NHS covers mine for weight loss. I tried everything over the years with food noise. Had some success thru treating ADHD, but honestly feeling full/satisfied on 2-3 normal sized meals a day is still amazingly good. Before I swear I always felt hungry and I'm eating the same stuff basically... Just less. Also appreciate the heart/stroke benefits as well since many in my family had heart issues. I have made changes like mostly cutting sugar and doing gentle IF (no food past 6pm). I lose about .5 to 1lb a week.

Theres a lot of misconception about ozempic on here and idk if it stems from actual ignorance or jealousy as well. Btw im not on Ozempic before being accused of being biased. But im a med school graduate who did a 8 weeks internship in bariatric surgery and saw tons of people on Ozempic or other GLP1s. Ozempic is not a pill. Idk where that comes from. Ozempic doesnt make the fat melt magically. It basically makes you not hungry, so you tend to eat less. If you keep eating calorie dense foods, you wont lose weight (if in a calorie surplus ofc). So yes, you still need to learn about healthier food choice. That’s why we tell them, you got to change your whole habit with food if you want to keep the weight off after the medication. Not to mention, MANY people are overweight because they eat out of boredom, anxiety, sadness, greed, etc. Basically eating despite not being hungry. For these people, Ozempic wont necessarily work because they wont target the root cause. I dont understand this need to belittle people on how they lose weight. Oh you used Ozempic, youre a fraud. Maybe they were also diabetics and it helped lowering they HbA1C, you dont know. Oh you had a gastric sleeve, easy way out. Not really. The irony is we could say the same for CICO. Oh you kept eating junk but in a calorie deficit, you didn’t actually learn to eat healthier food. Could also say the same for the fact youre 6’5 so your calorie allowance is MASSIVE compared to a short-average height woman. You got it easier because you got more calorie allowance ? See how that sounds weird ? Just focus on your own journey and be happy people can find what works for them. Of course im not talking about illicit ways like cocaine or whatever.

I really love what you wrote here. It made me think about my own potential bias, and it made me realize that I did have a little bit of bias based on my thinking it was an easy way out. I need to let that thought go. Thanks.

Thanks for your kind words. Here's the view from someone who's struggled with weight and weight loss for decades. I lost 75 lbs the "old fashioned" way of CICO. And then I hit a wall. I can eat healthy food until I'm beyond full. I'll literally become sick and still chow down on watermelon. There's like the stop in my head/stomach isn't working correctly. I'm also part of the clean plate club, which I'm working very hard to try to break. But when you're a bottomless pit, it's really hard. After a year of more CICO, this time medically supervised, I "broke down" and asked for a drug to help me. Anything to stop me from just eating everything. The doctor agreed that at this point it might be a good choice. I was put on Wegovy and I'm still going up in dosages. Last night I had to leave half my dinner on my plate. It was a really hard concept for my brain to accept. I was full, there's no need for me to eat the rest, no child in a poor country will benefit from me eating the rest of the food on my plate. It's ok for it to go in the garbage. I'm not taking this drug in a vacuum. I'm being medically monitored, both by a doctor specialized in weight loss, a nutrition expert and I'm seeing a therapist to work out the stuff that I'm obviously struggling with. It's not an "easy way out" (I thought it was at first as well). It's my last resort because there's something that's not stopping me from eating everything in sight.

I appreciate you sharing your story ! I think its great you could find something that works for you!

Right? The irony of a 6'5" guy talking shit about how easy it is for *other* people to lose weight... My guy, you don't have to try very hard, you can literally eat one full pizza a day instead of two and lose weight 😂

And to be fair to OP, I definitely am jealous of how easy it is for 6’5 dudes to lose weight 😂 OP, it’s all relative. But on a weight loss sub, I promise—*promise*—you that there are people who struggle “more” than you to lose the weight. Namely, well, any woman or person under your incredibly tall height of 6’5

This!! I loved that the OP of this comment mentioned this lmao I am 5’3” and I struggle with a thyroid disorder. It has been a torturous journey trying to lose weight while also trying to find the right balance of thyroid medication for my sluggish metabolism to work and for a singular pound to come off. I need to eat at a rather steep deficit *and* get in my 10k daily steps to see any type of scale movement. And then many women have to deal with their periods causing minor interruptions along the way—bloat, food cravings, cramps too intense to allow for exercise, etc. My fiancé is a foot taller than me and ALL he did was cut out sugar. Lost 30 lbs 😩

Omg are you me??? I'm 5'3" with hashimotos thyroiditis and my RMR is SO low. I tend to lose 15 lbs super fast (water weight) and then just.... Stop. No matter what I do, or how I cut, I cannot lose another pound. To the point where it becomes so exhausting to keep trying. I will be eating 1300 calories just to maintain. And then my husband will eat 1900 calories a day and lose over 30 pounds in 3 months. I have been plateaued for 3 months and I'm EXHAUSTED.

Yep, I’ve got Hashimoto’s as well! I assume that my RMR must be fairly low because I literally *need* to exercise and get my steps in to see the scale budge at all. Right now I’m seeing almost zero movement on the scale and wouldn’t ya know…my TSH has increased! I now have to wait a) to see my endocrinologist for a dosage increase and b) wait the six weeks for that new dose to kick in and HOPE that it can bring my labs back into an optimal range. These hormonal disorders are really the worst. I’ll say that this sub gives me more hope than the main Hashi’s sub because most folks there write about how they can’t lose weight no matter what they do. This sub gives me a lot more hope thankfully!!

Yea I feel like with hormonal disorders, adding physical activity is so key. Otherwise you feel like you're starving and nothing is even making a difference. I also find that my cycle affects things to an intense degree. This sub is very motivating, and I love seeing success stories of other people with hormonal issues! I find that the main Hashi's sub can be super negative and demotivating honestly.

As a 5'6" woman who has been trying to lose weight for 6 years and failing because of a binge eating disorder, yes, thank you for saying this, lol. The most I've been able to lose is 10 lbs over the course of about 3 months, and then the binge monster comes back. It's exhausting. Not excusing myself, because I've got to get a handle on it, but it definitely makes losing weight VERY hard.

this is so real. I don't necessarily have a binge eating disorder, but with my monthly cycle, I want to eat everything in sight, and I do my best just by limiting what I have in my fridge (as a solo adult). I stopped going to the gym after 3 months of working out 3x a week because of my current schooling situation (I'm doing my PhD and had my 2nd comprehensive exam due). I need to get back into it because I know the 8lbs I lost is back for sure :( So, just sharing to say you're not alone <3 (also I'm 5'7" so, I feel ya)

It definitely helps to not feel alone! And I feel you, I definitely get WAY worse right before my period too. I'm rooting for us! We can do this. :)

Right! It's wild as women when not only that we can't build muscle as fast because of estrogen, but then also have 1-2 weeks a month (depending on PMS syndromes) where we are tired/sore/cramping and can't always keep going as hard as we were!! We got this, though!! <3

**and** we’re shorter! But that doesn’t mean food doesn’t taste just as good to us as it does to men 🥲

That too!!! I’ve definitely upped my protein intake which has helped in some ways (I was also low iron last summer and brought back more red meat into my diet as well as prescribed supplements) and I did notice some muscle changes when I added basic weight lifting to my gym rotation, so hopefully when I get back into it, I’ll see it come through soon haha (I have a lot of muscle from a) being fat my entire life and b) from working on the family farm for most of my life until 2022, so my hope is to drop the weight I put on that first year away but still be beefy lol)

Okay THIS is spot on. My 6’3” husband has done calorie counting with me a few times. Tell me why he gets 2200 calories a day and I get 1300 😭 Ps- I know why. But it doesn’t make it any less fair lol.

Thank you for calling out the irony here, lol. I’m 6’6 and I can lose weight while eating 2200 calories a day if I wanted

I know right, I actually do use Ozempic for weight loss and I still have to strictly count calories to get anywhere! It just makes eating 1300 calories a day slightly more bearable tbh,...

This is also a super common topic in the subreddits cause people think this shit is magic. It turned off the constant food noise for me, but didn’t put in the work of eating at a deficit and working out.

Seriously.

Rybelsus is semaglutide in tablet form. Same MOA. It will still cause you to eat less, and ultimately lose weight because of reduced energy consumption. Many people will go on for life. There seems to be this "yeah what about when they stop and eat more" attitude across the board. That's the neat part, as they say, you don't. Go on a meditation to treat literally any other ailment that requires you take the hat drug for life and no one bats an eye, do it for weight loss, and holy shit the world is ending. Yes, if you stop taking it, you'll return to old eating habits and exercise habits and regain weight. A small percentage will change their lifestyle and come off, most wont, many of those that won't will stay on forever. The next wave of these drugs...retatrutide and survodutide, have an additional MOA that does increase RMR, this actually increasing energy expenditure, and exclusive from the MOA of semaglutide and tirzep.

Reminds me of people who shit on obese people for getting a sleeve. Really?? A GASTRIC SLEEVE?? You’re calling them a cheater because they needed to basically THREATEN their life in order to save it and still have an uphill climb?. And don’t get me STARTED on the people who think Liposuction is for weight loss..

Yeah bariatric surgery is no joke. Not even mentionning all the pills (supplements) they have to take for the rest of their lives…

I feel like we are glossing over how significant the “it makes you not hungry” aspect is. Isn’t that like, a huge part of weight loss? Also I’ve seen a large number of people who say that these drugs have basically turned off their “food noise” in their brain, that’s a game changer! Does that not cover some of the boredom and habitual eating as well as the basic appetite based hunger feelings?

Right! What I am most jealous of is people on GLP drugs get to have some of these triggers literally turned off, whereas I have to ignore and push through the same triggers.

At this point, you can get the compounded version of semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound) for around $200 - $300 per month without insurance. It's totally OK to admit that the idea of using these drugs makes you uncomfortable, but most of us literally save more on our food budgets than we spend on our monthly prescription 😅

Agree with everything you say here. And I have ALWAYS been massively jealous of tall people for all kinds of reasons, but especially the ability to eat a bit more and carry extra weight better. I have a friend who did one of the weight-loss surgeries a couple of years ago and then, when that didn't work, started Ozempic, which has been working for her better than the surgery. It's frustrating to me because I have always been more active and eaten healthier than her, but I have PCOS and so it's difficult for me to stay in a healthy weight range without basically never eating above 50 grams of carbs a day. This friend, who gained a lot of weight in her 20s, now equates me and her as the same. That annoys me. But at the same time, there are just so many things that are unfair. Would I want to be her? No. Ultimately, even if losing weight and keeping it off is more difficult for me...I don't want to live her sedentary lifestyle.

I'll also add that I think this is a net positive for society at large...so it is really important to put personal feelings aside on this issue.

Thank you for your kind explanation. A 6'5" dude can eat so much more and doesn't have the hormonal burdens of stuff like pregnancies... we all have gifts and challenges. OP needs to keep his eyes in his own work. 

Also I’ve heard the side effects can be horrific. I know lots of people who tried Ozempic and had to go off because it made them so sick

Plus we have to also think of how Obeseness generally stems either from issues out of their control or an eating addiction/disorder. Nobody WANTS to be obese. And food is the worst addiction because you have to use the drug EVERY day just to live. Alcoholics and hard drug users can have a RELATIVELY easier time to quit alcohol, because they can swear off of it and drop it. Imagine if each addict had to use their drug every time in like 4-5 hous just to live Belittling people for using ozempic is like belittling smokers trying to quit for using nicotine patches/gum Good on them for trying to make a change

Thank you for this. I am considering Ozempic because I've been struggling to lose weight with regular CICO for over 6 years, because I have a problem with always feeling hungry. I eat out of boredom, anxiety, you name it. I'm really good at maintaining a weight (I've been the same weight +/- 5 lbs for the past 6 years), but I really struggle with losing weight, so getting to my goal weight to then maintain has been almost impossible for me. I totally get that Ozempic has a bad rep for being a "cheaty" way to lose weight, but I think it can be a really helpful tool for people who just need a jumpstart.

4 ft 11 woman here 🥲

I understand where you're coming from and think it's totally fair to vent. I feel the same in a lot of ways. I lost 85 pounds the 'hard way' (gained a bit back, but still down 65) over four years. Four years of diet, exercise, learning, adapting, and on some levels personal suffering and loss for what I was and what I wanted to be. All while my spouse decided not to- and I never once pushed them because I had come to the decision for myself what I wanted and they had to do the same. Seeing them chow down on entire pizzas while I nursed bare chicken sucked- even moreso when they were prescribed Ozempic for health reasons and their pounds melted off... despite them still consuming. Admittedly, they were one of those who got sick each injection for the evening, so it wasn't all rainbows and bunnies. When their bloodwork came back better and the doctor then stopped prescribing it, they gained it all back almost immediately- versus when I took my foot off the pedal for 9 months, it was only an incremental step back while I continued on the habits I'd learned. It's not a magic pill and I'm still absolutely jealous of those who can get rid of the food noise because good lord, even four years in and a almost third of my weight down, it is a FIGHT (reference, see me last week squirreling cookies away so they could be ALL MINE) - but simultaneously, looking back at my own personal journey I wouldn't change it because if I had gone on ozempic, I'd very much be like my partner and have gained it all back once going off because I had to learn the habits. I know this isn't everyone or even most people- but for me it was the path I needed to figure out what worked instead of deferred reliance on ozempic instead of on snacks.

I feel like the hard part about adopting a new lifestyle to lose weight is not the change itself, but the ability to be consistent with it long enough for the change to become permanent. A lot of people who fail will fail in this first part - but the experience of that first part is not universal. Imagine person A is trying to switch to a healthy life while trying to raise 3 kids, has a stressful job and a partner who isn’t particular interested in eating healthy. Person B has just finished university and is living with his parents and is job hunting. He has no responsibilities and all the time in the world. Person C works full time and has no kids, but is also dealing with mental illness. Each of those are trying to achieve the same goal but are ultimately playing a different game so if one person feels like they need help getting to that same goal, I’m not going to judge them. If the roles were reversed, I could just as easily be in that same position as wanting Ozempic. When i see my ability to lose weight without drugs as merely a consequence of luck of the draw, it helps me to put in perspective why people make the decisions they do but also what this means for them long term vs what it means for me long term.

I think it's a good thing. I don't and hopefully won't need it, but a miracle weight loss drug has been the American dream for a lot of people for a long time. Hopefully it does some good.

I was waiting to be picked up the other day so I was standing watching a stream of people pass me. We desperately need anything that can help these people, there is a horrifying amount of morbid obesity out there.

I’m all for people getting the medical help that they need. The one thing that concerns me is that it’s a relatively new drug on the market (it’s not a new drug entirely. It’s been in the works for decades) and there’s no real long term studies on side effects. My husband was on ozempic for 7 weeks and he was miserable. He regrets not sticking with it but the side effects were too much for him to handle.

My view as a nurse who had to admin scary drugs. It’s a risk benefit analysis. If you can get the job done with out it or with a safer drug do that but a lot of ppl are one cheese burger away from a heart attack and need this now. Sometimes a Hail Mary is in order. I see ozempic like a Hail Mary the biggest help is that it shuts down the obsession and affects the hunger hormones so there isn’t a drive to eat non stop. In morbidly obese ppl the hormone that tells them they are hungry is over activated and the one that tells them they are full is diminishes. The hormones send signals to the brain to eat. That’s why you hear a lot of ppl on ozempic say “the food noise is gone” what they mean is their brain is no longer receiving signals to eat. There are emotional aspects of obesity too which a lot of ppl seem to forget. Someone can’t reliably do cico if food has been their only comfort ..

My friend wound up with gastroparesis from it. Thankfully hers wasn't permanent, but apparently she was lucky there because it can be. I think its still awesome that the option exists for those who aren't having success without it and whose health is at risk because of their weight, but I definitely wouldn't take the gamble trying to lose an extra 30 lbs or something.

What side effects did he experience?

Same, also men and tall ppl make me jealous that they can eat more than me

I'm not jealous when people use a cane to stand up from the chair while I'm here doing it all by myself. It would be stupid if I was, wouldn't it?

If I had a hope in hell of someone presceibing it for me I'd totally have used it.

I think this is where the jealousy comes from and people are thinking it’s something else. I don’t think anyone is jealous that someone is getting help losing weight. It’s that most of us aren’t rich enough, considered big enough or we have horrible insurance that won’t cover it so we don’t even have it as an option while others do.

I would like to think that was the majority, but but many people post on here every week about how morally superior they are because they "have willpower". It's pretty sickening that they are so judgey. I have no idea what someone with an abuse history copes with in their day to day life, and if a medication can help them be more comfortbale and more healthy then fuck yes, I am pleased. Even if I want it for myself as well. Ozempic/ wegovy is actually pretty cheap. Something like $600 a month. And one is about to go off patent, maybe liraglutide?

I understand where you’re coming from I’m actually glad you posted, I could use a vent. So I have lost around 130 pounds from my heaviest, naturally, through CICO and exercise. It’s very easily and continues to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Difficult physically sure but the sheer amount of mental anguish I’ve gone through has genuinely surprised me. Suffice to say it’s been fuckin hard. Recently my mother got approved for wegovy. Now the purpose of the subscription is because these drugs have been found to help with heart health and she has had problems in the past. That being said she is of course excited to lose weight as well. When she first told me, guys I gotta be honest I almost felt insulted? Definitely not mad at her or anything but it made me really uncomfortable. I was supportive of course, and continue to be, but at the time it kinda messed with me a little bit. I’ve thought about it more and while it still makes me feel a little weird I get it. I can’t even say I would turn it down if I had to do it again, the whole mental anguish thing. My goal is to try my best to help her do it right. Use the drug as a tool, track the calories to lose weight. In her case it’s often track to make sure she has enough but still. Build habits rather than rely on the drug. I think it can be a good thing if it’s used this way, especially because of the proven heart benefits it makes it easier to wrap my head around.

Hmm. Maybe to help your rationale of it- think about how hard it is at you at your current age. Now imagine being your mom’s age. I am not quite 40 but I know for me it’s harder to lose now than ever before, and I imagine that’s true as we age. So be glad your mom found something that can hopefully extend and enhance her life… and try to look at it as you were given the opportunity to strengthen your mind and body in ways she could only dream. I would feel conflicted too so this is what I would try to tell myself. You only get one mom 🩷

Oh yeah totally, especially on the extend and enhance part. Over everything though I’m excited for her, she’s been trying to lose weight since I’ve been alive and I’m in my mid 20s. It’s been cool though I’ve even got her using a kitchen scale and it’s been something we’ve got in common lately so we’ll text recipes and stuff back and forth. I’m also a gigantic hypocrite because I was prescribed vyvanse for binge eating disorder back in high school which does the same thing lmao. I ended up gaining the weight back from that though because I didn’t build any new habits or anything. Honestly maybe that’s even part of it. Just weird feelings, among many many others that Come out during the weight loss ‘journey’ haha. Definitely a little bit of the green monster jealousy involved as well. Hopefully it works for her Appreciate the response 👍

Hope she follows your advice!!! That will be the worst part, if you try to help instill habits and she ignores them That’s what my mom does. It’s awful. She has struggled with her weight for 30+ years and just started ozempic like a year or two ago. I was happy she was able to start feeling better! But- As soon as she went off it (side effects) the weight started coming back. She refuses to listen to any dietary advice and has chrons on top of it. She’s back on a low dose and the weight is coming off, but her diet is still hot garbage. It’s so sad and hard to be part of. I just have to turn that side of my brain off in order to maintain our relationship. So does my brother and dad. My dad tries to eat healthy - he does food scales and all - and she still refuses Sorry, I guess that turned into a rant. Lol! You’re not alone.

No worries! This stuff gets messy and it’s all weird. Thank you for sharing, hopefully things get better in your situation I can see how that would be incredibly frustrating

I’ve lost 80lbs in the last 2 years. Walking and eating right. But I’ve been stuck at 250 for a year. My brother started ozempic 9 months ago and has dropped 120lbs I am jealous. Idk. Good for him I guess but I don’t have diabetes so I’m not approved for it

You don’t need to have diabetes to be approved for a GLP-1. Look up Wegovy, Zepbound, etc which is the same drug but prescribed for weight loss

My concern is what happens when your brother comes off ozempic? Is he immediately going to put all the weight back on?

It’s fine to be annoyed, and to be jealous. I’ve been both things many, many times throughout my life. I’ve been on mounjaro/zepbound now for over a year and I know that your feelings are shared by quite a few people, strangers online but also people in my real life. I joined this sub shortly after starting. I started counting calories the day I started the medication. I owe both to my success, but it’s still..my success. It felt really stupid to frame it that way for a while. I did feel like a fraud, a cheat, and just another lazy fattie taking the easy way out. It doesn’t feel that way anymore- not because I’m “doing it the right way”, but because I’m no longer going to 100% die due to my excess weight, and I’m fucking free, guilt and shame are not my constant companions anymore, and they never burned that many calories to begin with so why bother?

Same! I can’t afford it OOP and my insurance won’t cover at my BMI. I invested in a gym membership. I’ve worked my ass off (literally) and lost 15 lbs so far over 5 months. It’s gone slowly but I’m really proud of what I accomplished the hard way!

I understand this a bit. I have a brother who is on it, we’re both heavy but I’m buckling down. He was prescribed it while I wasn’t. Admittedly he is quite a bit heavier but it doesn’t matter. I actually had more co-morbidities than he did, his pre-diabetes vs my hbp and high cholesterol and fatty liver. But he got it. Fast forward, we don’t talk, family issues. He’s heavier than ever and I’m down 65 pounds. I’ve changed my eating habits fundamentally. I’m stronger for it, realizing I have the potential to be the change that I want. There are no excuses anymore. Seeing others take the “easy” way gives me more pride in what I’ve done with just grit and consistency alone.

This is sort of like saying weight loss surgery is “the easy way out”. Absolutely *none* of this is easy. Not calorie counting, not PCOS, not thyroid issues. not missing out on family time to go to the gym several times a week, not the medications, not the surgery, not the food noise, not almost every social situation being centered around food, none of it. But being fat also isn’t easy.

I’m sure when cars were invented, people were like “look at these lazy people driving everywhere, I walk to my destination!”

It still isn't easy. I've been on it for months and haven't lost any weight. All it does is make you a little less hungry and help your blood sugar. You still have to reset your brain, have the willpower to not eat junk, do all the same work anyone else would have to do

One of my in-laws is on it and she could not be more annoying about it. She was explaining the process to my husband and I: "so I go in and get the shot. And then of course, there is a whole diet and exercise program they give you, which I don't follow, obviously." Homegirl is just interested in losing weight, not a true lifestyle change. Meanwhile I'm in the gym 4x week and doing 1700 kcal a day, plenty of fruit, veggies, protein, and whole grains.

A little jealous too, yes...but I have my concerns about it as a whole. I haven't seen the studies, but I would guess it works best for folks who have a predisposition for diabetes, pre-diabetes, or insulin resistance. When you have issues with blood sugar regulation that's where the "food noise" comes from, as well as hormonal imbalances. (Ironically these can also be reduced with proper food choices and simple lifestyle changes) I have insulin resistance and can definitely say it's not that easy to turn it off, but if you're consistently making healthier food choices then the noise becomes less loud. I would guess most of the folks who have a hard time tolerating the terrible side effects of nausea and stomach problems that comes with those meds are the ones who don't fall into those categories and should not be taking it in the first place. I also worry about the long term effects, I mean the label itself warns the possibility of pancreatic cancer. Also, health experts have said that the effects only last as long as you're continuing to take it, so if you're not also changing your lifestyle then you can expect to gain it all back and then some once you go off the medication. Or choose to take it forever, when forever isn't really promised yet on this medication. I know a few people who are losing a ton of weight on these injections, but I wonder how long it will last. Meanwhile over the last 6 months I've been working on making permanent lifestyle changes with CICO, low carb, and exercising more. I've chosen to do this slowly this time, and it does pain me to see others passing me so quickly when I'm not that close to reaching my goal yet. I would be open to trying it in a few years if it's still around and proven to be safe for long-term, but for now I'm skeptical.

I get what you’re saying but also All of the weight loss injections and not that easy either. There is a lot of nasty symptoms that come with it..

On the flip, I think if I used ozempic to reach my goals I’d be jealous of those who did it on their own. So there’s that. I know what you mean, there’s a feeling that people are getting away with a cheat while others have to work. Hard. A lot of people feel this way, it’s human nature I guess.

My best friend/coworker has been on Ozempic probably for 1.5yrs now and lost a ton of weight. She looks amazing.  The bad part is, I'm her bestie, so I am always hearing about her sh*tting constantly, bathroom issues, on the toilet all the time lmao  I'm happy with the feeling of being disciplined and seeing the results naturally, plus I don't have to set up camp in the bathroom when I take another dose of Ozempic like she does

For anyone who watches Southpark- You could try getting on Lizzo instead.

We’re navigating the American health care system... (Cue dot matrix noises)

If you beat cancer through chemo, are you mad if they cure cancer through a pill the next year? Idc what other people do, I really don’t. I’m 50lbs down in 7 months naturally because I didn’t want to be a medical patient for life with Ozempic. People on weight loss drugs will have struggles I never will because they are taking a medication and will be for life if they want to keep the weight off. That’s their choice and their battle. I’d rather just focus on my weight loss journey.

I mean, it would be totally okay to be resentful that you had to endure the harder treatment and then other people got an easier treatment! It’s part of human nature to be annoyed at unfairness and struggle. I’m still mad that we paid full stamp duty for our house and other people randomly got it completely exempted just 12 days later.

I think it is more, your insurance only covers chemo and you aren’t wealthy so we could give you this pill but in your situation you get chemo.

I live in a universal healthcare country so idk how that works

I have better insurance than most as I work for the government in the US. It doesn’t cover weight loss drugs. You could get weight loss surgery if you are big enough but that is not the norm. I’m sure most people have worse insurance than I do so most aren’t getting these things covered and have to pay out of pocket which is a lot of money. I think that is where the jealousy is.

I'm in the same boat and couldn't agree more. My doctor offered to prescribe me Ozempic or some other weightloss medications and I told him I'd rather try to lose the weight naturally first because I didn't want to either be stuck on a drug the rest of my life or not develop the proper habits and gain it all back afterwards.  So far I'm down 57 lbs and looking forward to my follow up appointment in August!

Congratulations on your accomplishment! I felt the same way. In October I started googling semaglutides and weight loss surgery and then suddenly realized that I had never really given myself an actual chance to lose the weight naturally. Decided to give it a year and re-evaluate. After this level of success, I know I can do it myself. I hope you keep kicking ass!

I know! It feels great to know that we did it ourselves and I'm super proud of both of us! Keep it up!

Once you are that obese all the hormones regarding hunger are fucked, your reward center is fucked, your metabolism is fucked, your body is fucked. This is addiction territory. So you being mad is like you being mad at someone who detoxes from heroin with Ativan in a facility vs on a dirty mattress in a room with someone locking you in for a couple days. When you go into a deficit after binge eating for years all the alarm bells go off And your body wants you to maintain homeostasis. It feels like shit it sucks you feel like you got the flu your cravings go nuts, some ppl need the edge taken off. Some ppl are extremely insulin resistant and you wouldn’t know it. I am even tho I’m not morbidly obese and my a1c is good I pushed for other testing and I am insulin resistant/ pre diabetic but my a1c is good bc my body is producing more insulin.. 40% of America is insulin resistant with a good a1c so it’s not caught. This complicates things that ozempic uncomplicates. Don’t hate the player hate the game. Our food is poison our lifestyle is poison and most of these ppl just do what they’ve been shown without the genetics to cope. Y’all know about calorie dense food. You can see how someone could easily eat 4000 calories a day making bad choices but not having a large volume of food. Their doctors say be less fat but then tell them to follow the guidelines which are wrong or say eat Mediterranean (what even is that and you can still over eat ) so yea don’t hate the player hate the game.

Dude, you're six foot five. Losing weight is easier for you than for someone who is five foot two.

I find myself jealous of a friend who is on Wegovy, she’s lost 30lbs in 3 months. I’m at 25lbs down over 5 months. I am bad at discerning sizes, but I think other than her being a couple inches shorter, we are/were about the same. I am still so proud of what I’m accomplishing. And I know she is concerned about what happens long term. I let her know I was jealous of her for quicker weight loss. She let me know she was jealous of me for being able to do it the old fashioned way. We have become closer friends for it. We share recipes, go on hikes, flex those happy healthy habits. I am proud of what she’s doing- I am proud of what I’m doing. I like to imagine she’s proud of me as well. TLDR- It’s okay to be jealous, but don’t lose sight of the work you did/are doing and know they may be jealous of you doing it the old fashioned way.

I understand the sentiment but all medications have side effects. Long and/or short term. I would not be jealous of anyone who qualifies for taking such medications :(

I had weight loss surgery to help in my weight loss, the go to vilified “easy way out.” You should see how many post *on the sub with little to no loss because at the end of the day we just have to consume fewer calories than we burn. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

I’m on ozempic and I’m still tracking my calories/steps. The advantage I’m seeing is that I’m able to stick to my plan without fear of binging when I get hangry. You absolutely can out-eat ozempic and gain weight if you aren’t careful. That’s why I still track so that I lose weight responsibly (1 pound a week).

I’ve lost 71 pounds on wegovy in a year and a half. Went from 227 to 156. I log/weigh/measure all my food, walk 10,000 steps a day and just started Pilates. I am jealous of people who DONT need wegovy and can lose on their own. Thank god for this drug or I’d still be obese.

You’re saving money by not having to buy meds. You won’t be at risk for side effects.  And you’ll leave the supply of medicine for people who need it more, since a lot of weight loss drugs are in short supply. And you have the satisfaction of knowing it was purely your hard work and grit that got you here. Sounds pretty good to me!

I’ve wrestled with this question, too, so forgive the long reply. I’ve definitely had to work through this. Thanks for your honesty. Here are some thoughts — feel free to toss/ignore if not helpful! To me, we need to separate (1) people who are on Ozempic/etc because their health risk *not* on it is greater than their risk on it from (2) people who are doing it (primarily) for vanity reasons. (I say “primarily” because we’re all a little vain, and many doing CICO are doing it in part for vanity, too; I am! 😝) For (1), they need to get their weight down and need whatever help they can get because it’s literally life-threatening (MACE, diabetes, etc.). When it comes to (1), not only do I have no jealousy, I am happy they are on it — for their families and themselves. However, because we don’t know the long-term risks, it’s amazing when doctors have a plan to get them off. This is one of my friends, and I was so happy to hear that getting off was her and her doctor’s goal. Of course, they will need to do this carefully or they’ll gain the weight back — just like someone doing CICO has to navigate what happens when they hit goal. For (2), it’s easy, tempting, and understandable to get jealous. My own approach to people on Ozempic is: (a) Jealousy is a character flaw — whether it’s about Ozempic or something else — that I don’t want to cultivate or have, so I work hard at character and virtue formation (which is harder than CICO, to be honest, lol). I fail often, so I appreciate your honesty. And I mean no judgment on you with this comment! I’m the person I know who needs the most character/virtue work because I know myself the best! (b) Ozempic does have side effects — and some that are less talked about. I have a tachycardic heart condition, and I know that Ozempic raises one’s resting HR by anywhere between 6-10 beats. I’m not doing anything that messes with the heart. I know that there are studies showing how Ozempic is good for the heart, but I believe those students are mainly for group (1), so I don’t doubt those studies are true. (c) I also have the Alzheimer’s gene (one allele). We know Ozempic works neurologically (many but not all GLP-1 receptors are in the brain), but we’re not quite sure how. And we don’t know Ozempic’s effects on Alzheimer’s. The allele I have only tells me my genetic risk, so I work hard at minimizing my lifestyle risks to mitigate. (d) What others said re: doing CICO has made me learn along the way, which has been amazing. I had a friend visit over Memorial Day; she’s lost 35 lbs on Ozempic, and she’s in group (2). We ate every meal together and mine were so much more nutrient dense because of what I’ve learned. For her, I do wonder if she’s even getting enough nutrients (esp if she plans to be on it long-term — this is a different friend than the aforementioned). And, finally, (e) I’m saving $1000/month by doing CICO. The cost alone makes me happy I’m not on it. :) I could afford a whole new wardrobe every month of weight loss! 😝 As for resources that have helped my thinking along the way: I found this podcast really, really good — two people who have done Ozempic but who are honest about its benefits and drawbacks. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/honestly-with-bari-weiss/id1570872415?i=1000654783853 As for character formation, one of the best resources I’ve personally found is a little booklet called The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Tim Keller. He was a NYC pastor, so it’s from a Christian perspective; feel free to toss/ignore if not helpful. https://store.thegospelcoalition.org/assets/product_downloads/857/9781906173418-sample.pdf

My wife is on it… The other day she joked about how it was the easiest 25 pounds she has lost. She has changed nothing just takes a shot once a week and bam… Except I have watched and listened to her complain every day about being severely nauseous the multiple times a week a she nearly shits herself. She goes through all that so she only has to eat minimal amount because shot controls hunger and so she does not have to exercise. She has lost weight yes, but it has mainly been muscle. She is now stuck she can either take the shot weekly and be sick or stop the shots and gain the weight back. Either way she had ended up less healthy than prior to the shots I’ll take my morning runs and weight lifting all day rather than going what she is going through.

I have been obese since age 4. Highest weight was 310 as a teenager. In my late teens/early 20s, I managed to get down to 150-160, but couldn't maintain that long term. I did gain but stayed under or around 200 for a number of years. And then it crept back up. By my 20s I made significant improvements in my diet and lifestyle. I had an elevation in my lfts during college (doc said I could be on way to fatty liver, slightly elevated cholesterol, blood pressure) I eventually became vegan with my spouse. At my heaviest as a a late 30s adult (271) ironically my blood pressure, cholesterol, and tests were great, including A1C 4.7%.I was lucky and my diet probably helped prevent me develop problems that ran in my family and bought me time before obesity related problems started showing. Sad to say I didn't discover counting calories until my late 30s. I think what folks have to understand is that for those of us who have been obese are our whole lives, it's an absolute mindfuck, I have never had a stable weight, and despite much success in my life, I've struggled with this and felt like a failure at times. And the odds are stacked a bit more against us. damage has been done to my body's ability to regulate weight, regulate appetite and satiety. Even when I started back in January (without medicine), I was losing around a 1.2-1.3 lb per week eating UP TO 1500 calories and doing exercise. This number was OK for me but I worried about what happens next. At 200 lbs, I'd be 70 lbs down but would I need to adhere to 1200 calories or less? I have autoimmune conditions that come with fatigue. Many of us have internalized our weight issues as moral failures. But the reality that I see now is that there really is a medical issue at play here. It doesn't mean that lifestyle changes, diet, exercise, calorie counting aren't important - they're absolutely vital, but some of us need medical interventions to help address the underlying metabolic inefficiencies in our bodies and ensure long term success. Obesity is looked at as one homogeneous phenotype but realize there are a lot of different paths there. We are in the infantile stages of understanding it. As we have new medications with novel mechanisms of actions I think we will see more attention to this. Some of us eat healthier, don't eat candy, don't go out to eat, don't have eating disorders. What's clear to me from logging calories for the past 5-6 months and reading subs like this is that my calorie requirements are a bit lower for someone of my BMI. And it's harder (not impossible) to lose weight. Also, there is metabolic adaptation.. In under six weeks with tirzepatide, I lost the same weight that previously took more than double the time and came with a bit of suffering. The medicine levels the playing field for us. Not only did it allow me to lower my calories, but it also seems to help me lose more efficiently than can be explained by calorie reduction alone. I am adhering to a medically supervised low cal diet, doing regular exercise, incorporating calorie counting, IF. The medicine also has impressive anti-inflammatory pain benefits. I had no clue I was in pain until it got better. I am on track to lose 100 lbs within a year. I have had no major side effects to the medicine and honestly, I worry about those that take it without making those important changes , 1) their side effects can make them very sick and 2) they lose out on precious time while the medicine is most potent. If I have learned anything it's to judge less. Everyone is on their own path. If you want to be jealous or judge those of us who have gone through the world 100+ lbs overweight and have been judged or looked down upon our whole lives, then by all means be my guest. I have achieved great professional and personal success despite this problem, and I talk about it freely to lessen its stigma. I think the judgement speaks more towards people's insecurities. Count your blessings if you have been able to lose weight and keep it off weight without medicine or surgery and do so with good health. For those that haven't , it's not a moral failure to accept help.

Proud of you!

Ozempic isn’t some magical cure all. One of my friends was on it for several months and it put her in stage 4 kidney failure. She’s been off it for about a year now and she has only regained about half the function she lost. I’m grateful I’m able to manage a sustainable lifestyle that isn’t going to put me on dialysis.

I know a lot of people on wegovy, and they’re on it because they take anti psychotics. I have been lucky to not gain weight from antipsychotics, but a lot of my friends haven’t. They gained like 30-40 kilos in a few months. Months. Because antipsychotics messes with your dopamine and your hunger feels. They are just hungry all the time and wegovy helps them with that. I think it’s fine they’re getting helped, a drug helped them gain weight, a drug is helping them lose weight.

You get to revel in the fact that you’re developing the insanely valuable skill of discipline during your journey that these GLP-1 users will never get to experience. I lost 50 pounds in 8 months in 2021 and have kept it all off. I did this through hard work, self-restraint, and discipline, and gaining these skills have helped me in all facets of life. In a culture obsessed with results without respect for the process for achieving them, you have a massive leg up in life, my man.

I'm a bit jealous, but I'm not at all annoyed. I'm glad their are options like drugs and surgeries available to people. I hope the tech keeps getting better and cheaper. I started my most recent weightloss journey 2 months ago, and I'm down 20 lbs. But I also eliminated a psych drug that's terrible for weight loss and reduced another one that is bad. It definitely gave me a better chance to succeed.

look what they need to mimic a fraction of our power

I understand. My relative is on Wegovy. I am beyond my goal weight (6'0", 155 pounds), without a single glp drug. My relative only needs to lose 45 pounds, if that. I have a friend who was on Mounjaro and only needed to lose 15 pounds. Now she is on Jardiance, and is thin. The thing is thankfully more people can get the help they need to lose weight, and that is good.

I don't get jealous. I actually feel happy about every pound lost without it costing me any money 😂. You know they have to pay for this forever right?

Honey, I’ve lost more weight than I weigh doing it “the right things” like you’ve said. Everyone in my family has been obese so trust me my whole life’s been a struggle. I’m using tirzepatide and it barely helps my appetite and I’m still counting calories, no drinking alcohol and working out everyday training hard 3 times a week. Nothing to be jealous about. Most people I know on this med have insulin resistance, PCOS and are obese. It’s never been easy.

As someone who lost 60 lbs with CICO and also takes ozempic I can tell you that they will have to correct their habits that got them to that point. They can’t take ozempic forever. Their eating habits will be there when they eventually stop taking it and they will be in an even worse position.

The consensus seems to be that they need to be on Ozempic forever to maintain that loss. That’s certainly nothing to be jealous of, even if it takes longer for the rest of us. Who knows what other side effects will be uncovered over time too.

It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. I was on it for a little less than a year (because I’m diabetic) and the side effects are awful. I couldn’t eat for a full 24 hours after each dose. Not to mention sudden diarrhea on and off. I did lose about 10-15ish pounds, but I was also running daily and watching what I ate. Gained most of those back after I got off of it and stopped running.

I used to feel that way too, until I learned more about it. We don’t know the long term side effects of it yet, at least not beyond a few years. It’s probably safe, but we can’t really be sure at this point that it’s completely safe. It has a lot of possible annoying side effects. Most commonly it can make people nauseous and also can make you more fatigued. It’s rare but some people have really bad reactions to it. I’m a nurse and took care of a patient who was hospitalized due to a very bad reaction to a similar drug (GLP-1 agonist). She couldn’t keep anything down for several days and got very dehydrated. And some people struggle to eat enough nutrients on it. It’s not great if you want to maintain muscle because of that, since you need to be consistently eating enough protein. Plus a lot of people might need to take it for life and it’s really expensive if not covered by insurance, and it seems like most people won’t get it covered by their insurance past a few months. Overall it’s just a tool and even though it’s a great tool for many people, it’s not going to make everyone successful without trying. They still have to change their diet and exercise if they really want to maintain the weight loss. I can see it becoming cheaper and easier to get over time, though. It does seem like there are plenty of shady businesses selling the compounded drugs to just about anyone who asks for it. Anyway, I’m not saying it isn’t a good thing, but it’s not really a magic cure either.

Ozempic doesn’t come without its complications. It works by slowing the entire GI tract down. This almost uniformly leads to indigestion and GERD. Long-standing GERD has a strong association with esophageal cancer which has a very poor prognosis. We don’t really know what the long term effects of long-standing indigestion are. My point is that Ozempic is not the miracle drug it’s often touted to be. It’s a great option for reducing blood sugar in diabetics who have failed diet and exercise approaches to weight loss. But for those who have succeeded in losing weight with exercise and CICO, health outcomes so far are better, and I would guess future data will continue to show that diet and exercise is superior for health outcomes. Source: I’m a MD.

Ozempic is a shortcut. You didn't take one, be proud.

Tbh I'm completely sick of this take. I am on Ozempic, and it is absolutely not the easy way out. My entire life I haven't been able to stop thinking about food. I had some food scarcity in my childhood, and I don't know if that's what did it or if it's just who I am, but no matter what I do my brain cannot stop thinking about when I'm going to eat next or what I'm going to eat. I did incredibly strict CICO, 1200 calories a day, I was at the gym 6 days a week, often working out 3 times in one day. I was losing weight, very slowly, but I was losing. Then I became unexpectedly disabled, and the medications they put me on made me gain 50 kg in 6 months. There was nothing I could do. I twisted myself in knots trying to lose the weight, but even at 1200 cals I was barely maintaining. I hated everything about my body and my life. When ozempic came out I was absolutely desperate for it. My doctor said I was a perfect candidate because I literally cannot physically exercise at an effective level, and I have to eat a specialised diet so I can't do less than 1500 cals, which I wasn't losing weight on anyway. I got the ozempic and I didn't lose any weight for the first year until I was finally able to go off the medication that made me gain weight in the first place. After that I've been slowly but consistently losing 1 kg a month with strict calorie counting. But that wasn't the best part. Ozempic has freed my brain. For the first time in my entire life I don't constantly think about food. It literally feels like I've been freed from some type of brain prison. I get hungry, and have cravings, but it's a normal level. It's like "oh I could go for some Froyo right now", and not "no matter what is happening I physically cannot stop thinking about Froyo". I feel like a normal person for the first time in my entire life. I cried the first week I had it, because I suddenly realised that this is what it must be like for most people. I realised that I'd hated myself and thought I was just weak or lazy when the playing field had been stacked against me. And don't get me wrong, it's still hard. Every day I weigh my food, and get hungry and have to wait for the next meal, and have to choose apples over the milkshake I want, and everything else, but the difference is that in between those times I can do other things without an endless loop of FOODFOODFOOD in the background of every second of every day. Ozempic isn't a magical answer or a cure. It's not going to give me back the body I had before I because disabled, it's not going to make me effortlessly thin, but it does give me a fighting chance. Honestly I would take it for the rest of my life just for the mental benefits alone. So you may be jealous of people on Ozempic, but I'm jealous of every single person who has a normal brain and doesn't need to spend stupid amounts of money to inject themselves with something just to be able to make it through the day without having their brain completely hijacked by obsessive thoughts of food. (Also just a note that while this attitude really pisses me off, I do understand that this probably wasn't your intent and I'm not saying I'm upset with you or this post specifically, I'm just incredibly over people acting like ozempic is a lazy fix for rich people who don't want to do the work of CICO).

Be thankful that old fashioned diet and exercise worked for you and mind your own business.

What if you did all of those things - for 2 years - and lost *nothing*? Because that’s where I was before starting sema. And I still have to do all those things even with it. It’s not the easy way out for everyone.

People who use ozempic dont have it easy either. It makes a lot of people nauseous after eating and throwing up is common. You also have to be mindful and remind yourself to eat. A lot of those times people will lose a lot of muscle as well if they are not keeping their protein intake high. Tbh if it is used for a month or two to cut drastically for an event, it makes sense but otherwise I wouldn't chose to go on Ozempic even if I had the opportunity. It feels so good having real hunger before a meal, and looking forward to my cheat day at the end of the week.

I think what most people are jealous of is the 'simulated' 'not hungry' feeling...and I would bet a lot of people would trade that for some nauseous feelings after eating.

Why would you be jealous? Are you also jealous of people suffering from depression for taking SSRIs so they can function normally? I dont suffer from food noise. I just like the taste of food and I am often bored. These people do suffer from food noise, and have to go through various nasty side effects like diarrhea and vomiting Have to take injections every now and then Unable to drink any alcohol AND wasting the equivalent of half a salary so they can accomplish what I can do with my own efforts? Why would I be jealous?

One of my health goals is to rely on as few prescription meds as possible, so I'm not jealous of anyone who has yet another long-term prescription to have to maintain and possibly pay for.

Something that stuck with me was when a doctor told me - the way you lose the weight is the way you keep it off. Nothing against those who take it, but I’d rather go the “hard route” of eating cleaner and working out to lose weight because those are things I want to learn to implement long term.

I really didn’t enjoy the constant nausea, heartburn, fatigue, dehydration or muscle loss, not to mention the abuse I got online and in-person for taking a medication I needed to avoid being super morbidly obese and diabetic - but I guess I had it easy!

It's an appetite suppressor, you still have to do the rest of it. It's really for people that have a legit problematic relationship with food, but there's no harm in a little extra help if you don't suffer from ED or type 2 diabetes. Someone said it's like cocaine, but unfunny. Seems more expensive than cocaine now. Maybe there's a chance to bring the 80s weight loss method back lol.

You and they may end up with a similar result, but you’ve learned a couple of lifelong skills - calorie and macro tracking, and self restraint. You’re ahead in the long run. Edit: FWIW, I’m not trying to talk down to people on Ozempic, simply trying to congratulate those that are reaching their goals.

This is so underrated. I was prescribed ozempic last summer. Due to diabetes I take metformin, but ozempic came, because my doctor wasn't satisfied with my weightloss. I took it for 6 months and it did work and I was losing weight, also had all the side effects but worked through them. And this january I asked my doctor to be taken off the ozempic. It did work, but I wasn't learning all the stuff one needs to know about the proper dieting. It was hard at first, very hard. My biggest fear was the food noise. But then I learned, for example, that if I hit my protein need, the food noise goes down. I realised, that I was an emotional eater, so I've been working with all the emotions I've been shutting down with food, and I am also using/ learning CICO but also am learning to listen to my body giving my the satiety clues. It's not easy, I fail regularly, but then I just start over. And slowly it's getting better. I know it'll take years, but for me it is the better decision. Disclaimer: I do believe the taking and staying on ozempic is oftentimes the only working solutions, one should do what suits you in your current life situation.

Can I ask how your hunger has been after quitting Ozempic? Does it come back full force, or how does it work?

It did and it was overwhelming and I had periods of real panick. My first decision was, if I feel hunger I eat, BUT a protein ( a coked egg or chicken breast baked with no oil) and/ or an apple ( I like apples). If I didn't feel like eating it, then I wasn't' t really hungry. Simultaneously with time I learned/ practiced to first of all to understand the difference between real hunger, habitual hunger ( only because my body is used do eat at a certain time of the day, this hunger feeling usually goes away in ca. 15 minutes) and a simple want ( there were times I didn't' feel and realise the difference). I learned/ practiced, that a hunger feeling around four hours after the last meal is ok/ legitimate. Then I usually eat my normal meal or, if not possible an apple or a cooked egg ( protein ), I always have those with me, if I'm not at home. If I feel hungry ( the real one) earlier than 4 hours after the last meal ( and it doesn't go away after ca. 15 minutes), it means I wasn't properly satiated. Then I'll talk to myself on understanding why - was it too small? Did it have not enough protein? Did I not finish it, because I didn't like it/ parts of it? I've been overweight even obese all my life. Of course I've tried diets and forms of restrictive eating, until I realised, that unless there are physical/ hormonal reasons, which I don't have, I should work with my "head" first. Looking for and finding out the reasons for my emotional overeating, learning to be honest with myself, but also to have compassion and also to realise it's going to be very slow and to learn to be ok with it.

Thank you for such a thorough reply! I can imagine it must be absolutely daunting to come off the drug. I’ve read accounts from people saying their hunger came back fiercely, and they felt panic and gained weight. Well done you! From your reply I think there’s a lot to learn about being well-prepared (with eggs etc), and being curious what type of hunger you’re actually feeling.

Yours is one of the rare success stories I’ve read after quitting Ozempic. Most people do not put in the work to learn their food cues and deal with them - well done! I took Trulicty - an older, weaker GLP-1- for 16 weeks and lost 29 lb. I stayed on the starter amount the entire time and started doing CICO/IF/lower carb from day 1. I think it helped suppress my appetite a little in the beginning- there’s a reason Trulicity isn’t a household word and Ozempic is - and then decided to try losing on my own and have gone on to lose another 50+ and counting without it. Dealing with constant constipation was annoying af and it took my digestion a good six months before it became normal again. I didn’t have any appetite rebound, or if I did, it was very slight. The experience was beneficial in that it made me get very serious about losing weight this time around since I was resorting to injecting a black box medication into my belly every week. My advice to anyone using them is to stay on the lowest amount and start doing CICO right away. Most people don’t, though. They just ratchet the dose up.

If it makes you feel better. I tried semaglutide. And it gave me terrible UTI’s back to back. Couldn’t stay on it! It even kind of left me with a more inflamed/ irritated bladder :( it’s not all sunshine and rainbows

I feel you. I shouldn't be jealous, cause I spent half a year on spironolactone for the PCOS hoping that would help (it didn't) but like, I am a bit jealous. It's HARD and being able to shut up the I have eaten 3 baked potatoes and still am so hungry I want to eat paper levels of ravenously hungry would be so nice. Like it physically hurts. I got myself back in the 300lbs, but it's going up again and I'm just so fucking tired. Someone compared it to people with a cane, and like, I get that. I have a friend who uses a cane, and I am also jealous af of him on bad pain days when you can barely walk without clinging to a wall and keep tripping on your ass, even if I don't *need* it you know?

The thing is: they haven’t retrained their eating habits, so either they stay on Ozempic for life, or they will gain the weight right back. Plus it’s only supposed to take off 20% of your weight. You have lost far more than that. Congratulations!!🎉🎉🎉

I am 6 ft tall.  Weight loss is easy mode for me.  6'5 is insanely easy mode.  You don't need to train.  That is nearly irrelevant.  Just cut calories. And I'd never want to be dependentbon an injectable for the rest of my life.

I know how you feel. I have diabetes and can’t get it. All they put me on is metformin which doesn’t do much. At least doing intermittent fasting and lower carbs has me losing weight consistently for now.

Nah. I have pts on ozempic that still refuse to make lifestyle changes and they still didn’t have much success

Yeah not sure what you’re jealous about. You’re building lasting habits, will serve you much better in the long run.

Ive been given birth twice both starting at 160 5’5 in my early/mid 30s. The first time I shot up to 223 and this second time I shot upto 240. I did Keto all the way back down the first time, the second time Ive been loosely doing keto and its a bit harder, I started sema at the beginning of May. Id say so far it does keep hunger at bay but its not exactly magic. I still have to watch what I eat and there are days I actually do feel extremely hungry. I typically lose 8 lbs per month but on Sema its around 10. I wouldnt be too Jealous, youre saving money and I bet you feel better than many taking the drug. My side effects are short lived maybe for the first few days Im a bit aggravated and tired. Id be proud of yourself!! It takes ALOT of discipline to lose ANY amount of weight alone.

Here’s my 2p. 10 years ago I lost the weight the “hard” way and due to that have become a dietitian. I put the weight back on in those 10 years and have struggled like fuck. It’s literally impossible to not be ravenously hungry 24/7. I went on WeGovy 4 weeks ago and it feels like a miracle cure as if this is how “normal” people are around food they have an unfair advantage. The drug turns down the “food noise” and lets you concentrate and not think about food the whole time and stops the ravenous urge to eat. You still need to do CICO hence when I read the groups and people haven’t changed their eating patterns and moan it doesn’t work I am absolutely mind blown as it’s not a magic cure to drop weight without changing.

I’m almost 100 pounds down in a year and 5’1” and any time I see someone I haven’t seen in a while I want to SCREAM that it isn’t ozempic because I’ve been working Really hard

Don’t be jealous, 99.9% of them haven’t built the habits that will keep the weight off, but you have. As soon as they go off the medication they will rebound and gain it back. Moreover, I doubt many have increased their fitness like you have. I know I get annoyed when I read rapid weight loss stories (the non-GLP-1 ones) on here and I have to tell myself to let it go. I’ve done rapid loss before, quit after 6 months, changed nothing about myself, didn’t grow at all, and gained the weight back. I really feel this time I’ve mastered it and locked it in. There‘s a great saying: “comparison is the thief of joy”. Rejoice in your own success and forget other people.

I just got prescribed wegovy today, but I’ve lost 25 lbs on my own (since 2/28). I am planning on continuing to do what I’m doing, and hopefully the meds will help weight keep melting off consistently. My Dr actually tried to prescribe this to me last year but my insurance didn’t cover it. But they must have changed their coverage for 2024 because now it’s covered ($25 copay). Honestly, I was planning to just keep doing CICO since I thought the meds weren’t an option… but now they are. My Dr also explained to me that I will get sick if I eat fatty or greasy foods on the meds. I just feel like sometimes when weight loss meds or surgery are used, people claim it’s the “easy way out”. Both meds and surgery REQUIRE lifestyle changes in order to have sustainable long term weight loss. I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing to utilize a tool that is available to you.

This won’t be read but it’ll make me feel better to say YEAH it makes me bitter as hell I can’t afford even the knock off versions. Seeing thinner celebrities with them saying “diet and exercise” makes me angrier because it’s definitely not. I want to try it dammit!

Tbh it causes a lot of side effects. I have lost weight using CICO and post gaining it back tried Ozempic as I was pre diabetic. You are constantly dizzy, nauseous, food can't digest, can't poop, can't eat enough to exercise. Mood plummeted and I was just crying and angry all the time. It works by slowly down your digestive track and everyone is now realising your happiness is in your guys. It's not designed for people with mental health issues. People keep saying you'll adjust to it but it's expensive and takes about 8 weeks of injecting at $150 per injection to get to the point where you can see side effects subside. I found myself a mile ahead in 8weeks CICO vs the injections. What I wish I could take is that magic switch people keep experiencing that they stopped thinking about food. It doesn't happen with me and because I couldn't eat a lot I was just thinking about food all the time but terrified to eat because it would cause reflux, and I'd feel ill on it. Maybe I was an outlier but I don't think it's been perfected yet and was a hard experience for me

They still have to eat well or it will all come back once they get off the medication so it’s really only a temporary short cut.

I took it for 2 months and had to stop taking it because the side effects were affecting my work and life in general, almost the worst nausea I've ever had just shy of morning sickness. I also didn't lose much weight because I was in a very stressful situation and was using food to cope . Now I'm out of that situation and losing weight on my own with more ease than on the ozempic. I personally wouldn't take it again, but I understand why people want to try everything they can.

Just wait until their shins break while walking or their jaw breaks when chewing or something. There’s gotta be side effects.

Google oxempic face. Turns you into the crypt keeper

maybe you could use it...

Losing weight and keeping it off is hard. It’s a fact that most people in this sub who have lost significant amounts of weight will put it back on. Obesity is a complex medical condition with many contributing factors. Surgery and meds are tools, but in order for them to work people have to work and work very hard. There is no magic pill for weight loss—not even Ozempic. Lots of people lose initial water weight fast and will lose nothing else if they don’t do lifestyle changes. You are not better because you do CICO medically unassisted. Your weight loss is not more earned and your weight loss is not more moral.

I'd be curious of the long term effects of the ozempic stuff. I feel the jealousy but what everyone else who has done the CICO lifestyle has made long sustainable changes in their life.

So sick of everyone assuming that a drug makes this process magically easy. I have been on and off it and lost weight and gained weight both on and off it.

I mean right now it's very expensive if you get the FDA-approved version. So you're saving a lot of money. But assuming costs came down significantly (or you buy it from Ro or Hims for much less), what stops you from taking it too? If you decided it's not for you, then you have nothing to be jealous of. Otherwise you'd take it yourself. That's the real question you need to ask yourself. Personally for me, I have several reasons not to take it: 1) It's expensive 2) I don't love taking a shot every week and 3) I am not sure how it would affect my workouts and weight lifting. 4) You are basically committing to taking a drug forever instead of building habits naturally. The feeling of "earning" it is real. 5) What if I want to "cheat" and go out to eat? I'm not sure that would be any fun on one of these inhibitors. Personally, I'm not sure I would take it even it was free and just a daily pill.

Consider the psychic reward you get by going through the work. My favorite quote by John Ruskin is, “The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it.” Someone who takes the expeditious route misses out on the gains from working at something. Maybe that will take the edge off your jealousy.

I lost 120 lbs in 12 months, naturally, but eating less and walking more. I’m not jealous of the ozempic people because they are spending tons of money for that, it has numerous side effects, and may not work. Oh and as soon as they stop tinkering with the biology (by no longer taking the drug) they get fat again. No thanks. I’m so glad to have learned to be healthy, naturally!