Am I being stupid?

amother

OP ↓

Fri, Sep 06 2024, 9:39 am

I have struggled with my weight my whole life, tried all the diets, programs etc.
Recently I decided I'm just making small changes very slowly to improve my health. Every diet backfires so I had this idea that if my brain doesn't feel like it's a diet, it won't fight back as much (mini habits for weight loss style).
I am losing weight, very slowly and not perfectly consistently.
The thing is everyone around me is dropping tons of weight super fast with the shots. Like literally, all the people who were obese like me are now thin. They look amazing and they go on and on about how this has been a lifesaver, so easy etc.
I can get a prescription for the shots but insurance won't pay, and honestly I'm really very nervous about the side effects, short term and long term.
I just don't know if I'm being stupid. I kind of feel stupid losing weight so slowly, making changes, dealing with the cravings, sometimes overeating and needing to re lose that weight, when there is an easy simple solution out there that eliminates cravings and effort and is fast.
I'm also feeling self conscious, everyone around me is thin these days, even those who weren't are now thin. People that I dieted with or lamented the struggles of obesity with, everyone is on the shots and now thin.
I just need chizzuk.

essie14

Fri, Sep 06 2024, 9:43 am

Everyone on those shots is going to gain back the weight the second they stop the shots. And for sure there are side effects.
I know more than one person who was hospitalized from effects of Ozempic and Mounjaro. Bowel obstructions, digestive issues, etc.

What you're doing is far smarter and much more likely to stick long term.

amother

Crocus

Fri, Sep 06 2024, 10:07 am

I’m doing the same thing. I think in the long term we are better off:
A. We don’t have to deal with the side effects
B. We are making better habits and learning how to keep the weight off.
I look at it as an investment, you don’t see the returns now, but long term you will see them.

I know a lot of people who stopped the shots and are back to square one. I know a person who is in kidney failure because of the shots, and another who got thyroid cancer after the shots. My health is more precious than being thin.

amother

DarkYellow

Fri, Sep 06 2024, 10:23 am

After saying for the past year that I will not do the shots, I finally did it and my only regret is not doing it earlier.
I was super consistent with my eating and working out and intermittent fasting for 6 months and I lost maybe 6-7 lbs. it was so frustrating.
I'm not losing quickly at all. And I have to work very hard even on the shots but going on the scale every week and seeing a 1 to 1.5 pound loss every week is very motivating to me.
In 4 months I've lost 25 lbs which is not ridiculously fast but for my body it's fast. My metabolism is shot from years of gaining and losing. Plus I'm in my 40s. The weight was just not budging.

amother

Jean

Fri, Sep 06 2024, 10:32 am

amother DarkYellow wrote:

Same.

I'm on a very high dose of mounjaro after being on a high dose of ozempic.

I do not lose fast at all!

I work out 4 days a week, I'm careful with my food intake, and I still lose slowly.

I've been on and off for about 15 months and lost about 50 lbs. That is very slow and I still have another 50 to go.

If I were doing this on my own I would not lose. My body is just not designed that way.

I also have very little side effects. A stomach ache once in a while. Really manageable.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Fri, Sep 06 2024, 11:28 am

I lose very slowly but I do lose. I'm also not eating perfectly so some weeks I'm not losing. I don't need the shots because my body can't lose the weight. The shots would eliminate the effort and the cravings and it would be consistent weight loss. It definitely would be faster than what I'm doing now. I was 220 last year after regaining plus some after overeaters anonymous. I tried going off sugar and flour and lost to 200 but then regained back to 220. After that I said enough diets, enough cutting things out until I crash, and I started the slow process of small changes. I now weigh 190. I still need to lose at least 40-50 lbs. I'm also in my 40s so this is going to be a long journey, probably another year at least. I'm just hoping this way I won't burn out.
It's just a lot of effort, craving management, a lot of time, and it feels like everyone is rolling their eyes at me, why don't you just take the shots. Like why you making this hard on yourself.

zaq

Fri, Sep 06 2024, 12:34 pm

You are being sensible and wise, not stupid. True weight-loss success comes from changing one's lifestyle, exactly as you are doing, and losing gradually, as you are doing. Rapid weight loss is unhealthy and ultimately unsustainable. Healthy weight loss is never going to be perfectly consistent because your activities are never perfectly consistent. Sometimes you're more active, sometimes less. Your hormones fluctuate, as does your eating and your digestion. As long as you are seeing a downward trend over time, there's no need to worry about inconsistencies. There are natural plateaus as the body adjusts to a new system.

agreer

Fri, Sep 06 2024, 12:42 pm

Stop thinking the shots are magic and you'll feel much better about your slow weight loss.

The people who lose weight "effortlessly" on the shots probably didn't need to lose that much. The seriously obese don't lose quickly even with the shots, and they need to watch what they eat and exercise, too.

The shots are not magic. They are tools. And if they are misused, the people will gain the weight back, just like most people who diet, in general.

amother

Glitter

Fri, Sep 06 2024, 12:46 pm

zaq wrote:

Yep this. You are making sustainable small changes & losing sustainable small increments of weight. That's the healthy way to lose for the long term. The new drugs are a gamble on your life, who knows what we'll know in 20 years from now & you may need to be on for life.

amother

Mauve ↓

Fri, Sep 06 2024, 2:22 pm

Op, I have been unable to lose weight forever. I've been very obese and miserable. At risk for diabetes.

I finally went on ozempic.
About 10 weeks in and I'm down less than 8 lbs. I mean, I'm happy I'm down but I can't help but be dissapointed.
I feel pretty bad for about 3 out of 7 days. On those days I feel like the shell of a person. Tired, headaches, nauseous, a bit depressed. I'm still hoping my body will adjust and I will feel better.
I'm also out $1200 so far.
I just don't know.

amother

Anemone

Fri, Sep 06 2024, 3:09 pm

amother Mauve wrote:

This is normal progress for ozempic. You couldn't lose weight forever and now you are losing 3/4 lb per week? Hello...that's fabulous!!! Especially on a starter dose.

Aren't 8 lb better than 0 lbs lost in 10 weeks, which has been the case for most of your life?

I feel bad about the headaches, nausea, and depression; however, you were miserable before, too. You said so in your second sentence. Talk to your doctor and find support groups. I've heard hydration and protein are key. (I am doing tons of research as I plan to start Ozempic after sukkos IYH.)

But recognize that slow weight loss is much, much better than no weight loss, and slow weight loss is much better than fast weight loss.

amother

Caramel

Fri, Sep 06 2024, 3:16 pm

I am obese and miserable. I did the gastric bypass and lost a ton of weight but it all came back after five years. I wish I could be that thin again. My doctor gave me a sample box of ozempic. I tried it for four weeks on the starter dose and definitely felt the effects of the shot. I was fuller and eating less. But my insurance doesn’t cover it and there is no way I can afford it now. Your way is for sure better. I wish it worked for me 😭

amother

DarkMagenta

Fri, Sep 06 2024, 3:19 pm

I hate saying this after so many people are doing the shots, but I have a feeling that in a couple of years we'll be looking at headlines that cancer rates are higher in people who have been on these drugs, or that the chances of vision loss or Alzheimer's or I don't know what...

Someone like you, OP is a lot smarter. You're taking care of your health the right way.

amother

↑ Mauve

Fri, Sep 06 2024, 3:34 pm

amother Anemone wrote:

Thank you for your chizzuk.
I gmhave been dissapointed because I was under the impression that my slow weightless is not typical. Your saying that it's normal progress...and it's true, that I lbs is better than none. And without ozempic , I possibly would be up a few lbs by now. .

My words are being written as I'm in bed with a dull headache, my weekly companion the day after I take the shot.
My husband even suggested that I get a pregnancy test because of how I feel, but I know it's not that- it's been going on ever since I started Ozempic.

And he also reminded me that I need to drink- something that I don't do often enough.

OP, I do t have advice for you. But if you are actually losing weight wifhiut the shot, I would be content with that. Even if it's very slow.

exhausted

Fri, Sep 06 2024, 6:00 pm

I'm on the second to highest dose of mounjaro and am losing very slowly. I'm not going up to the highest because I can't handle the side effects, the nausea, constipation, gas. I do eat less but still have some cravings. It's no easy fix. But I'm also diabetic and have high blood pressure so I had to do something. I've dieted on and off for years unsuccessfully so finally this is working, but very slowly.

amother

Cobalt ↓

Sat, Sep 07 2024, 9:48 pm

I think there is a huge difference between someone who is obese and someone who wants to lose for vanity (and there’s a wide spectrum in between). If someone is obese then there is a chance that as they age they can suffer knock on health problems. It’s not for sure but it could happen. Even mobility like knees for example.

So, a good place to start would be at a doctor’s office. A doctor that you trust, for example one that you are already seeing and think is well balanced and intelligent. And then ask him or her.

I’m not on these medicines (tried Ozempic and had side effects that were too severe for my liking). I disagree with everyone that said weight loss medicine is going to go away. I think that nowadays it’s a multibillion dollar business (like Viagra was years ago) and there will be many products that come out over the next decade, including pills and products tailored to specific kinds of people.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sat, Sep 07 2024, 10:03 pm

I am obese, which is why I'm wondering if I'm just wasting my time. In theory doing things without meds is better but will I really be able to do this long term? Am I just bidding my time? Will I end up needing the meds next year and I'm just chicken?