Weight Loss Drugs

[ShootsManyBullets]

Like the last shot big pharma pushed on us we really don't know the long term affects so I'll pass. If you're taking it to lose weight and are barfing in the trash can it might be a sign...

Now the old "Show em' your o-face" line has a whole new meaning

 

[MTGomer]

I saw Kelly Clarkson walking around Philipsburg a few months ago. Looks like it worked for her.

 

[Dubz337]

My opinion is the obesity crisis around the entire world is caused by the constant pussification of society. It's too hard for people to practice self-control or discipline, and too hard to enact the change they want by dedicating themselves to physical activity and a healthy diet. It is now on par to being a racist, sexist, etc. to make any statement about someone else's weight being unhealthy, you will even get called a bigot if your preference in a partner is someone who stays in shape. And I'm not talking the guys who have NO FATTIES stickers on their truck, just someone who prefers a partner that is physically active. Society's general wokeness has led to a collapse of healthcare as all these morbidly obese people clog it up with the countless health issues they cause themselves. As for the weight loss drugs? If it works for them, great, but using it strictly as weight loss drug because you lack the willpower or content of character to make changes for yourself, thereby reducing the amount of the drugs available to those who actually need it, is pretty deplorable to me.

 

[JEL]

Like the last shot big pharma pushed on us we really don't know the long term affects so I'll pass. If you're taking it to lose weight and are barfing in the trash can it might be a sign...

Now the old "Show em' your o-face" line has a whole new meaning

View attachment 330982

Ozempic face is a real thing.

 

[wolfpup]

Here is my .02... My wife can and does prescribe these medications through her business so I am fairly familiar with the drugs, background, side affects... etc. For the record, labs must be drawn and medical consultation done prior to patients being able to receive them. I say this because not everybody does this and they will give it to those people looking to lose 10 pounds so it is definitely abused. My wife tells me all kinds of stories. I will say this... each persons body reacts differently to different drugs. So there are different drugs with different side affects for certain people.
My personal experience happened like this. The medication delivery for Tirzepatide was supposed to be delivered to my wifes office on a Thursday. It was not and no way to contact FedEx on the Friday. This medication is required to stay cold so its cold packed. The product was not delivered until Monday. So 4 days later and go figure... not cold. Contacted the company and they agreed and filed a claim as the FedEx agreed to the error. So my wife got a replacement but she can't sell the warm delivered drug. So since she can't sell it, she can waste it or give it away. Cue her overweight husband. I am 6'2" and have been at a fairly stable 250 pounds for several years. Beer belly but not fat. I work out some and could lose weight if I need to or wanted to eat less. I have no troubles hunting and doing the things I want so overall am ok with that weight. My cholesterol is borderline to almost need meds. So since we couldn't sell I thought what the hell... .I personally won't pay for any after this is gone but I am 5 weeks in and am seeing results. Down 10 pounds. The reason I am down is the change in diet and the amount of excercise in those 5 weeks. This drug is great for appetite control which is the purpose. Those losing muscle mass are just not eating and sitting on their ass. It works but that's a fundamental issues. You have to excercise and focus your diet on Proteins, etc. Only works long term if you understand that concept that you change your lifestyle. To the OP.... I think this drug should be used situationally for people like me that are willing to pay for it. If your diabetic and all that, its great. Maybe there will be long term affects but cellophane also does too theoretically.. Face it... we are groups of hunters and fisherman that are doing far more questionable things than worrying about the side affects here. My opinion is they are great situationally. No blanket fix, but for me and a few friends that are on it.... I like them and the affects. My only side affects was the first 2 weeks I had a lot of reflux / indigestion but that went away. Be more happy to share more if interested.

 

[mdhunter]

I finally tried the Noom app five years ago and it worked for me. My relationship with food and portioning completely changed when I started recording everything I ate. I lost 30lbs and never put it back on.
While I think weight loss is a numbers game (meaning calories), I don’t shame or disagree with anyone who finds their own successful results.

 

[FairWeather]

I asked my doc about them out of curiosity, having always packed around a few extra pounds and a family history of heart disease. He told me while they reduce craving and therefore cause you to use fat (therefore shrinking the cells), they also cause your fat cells to divide. So, once you do stop using them you now have more fat cells that can and will enlarge.

That’s why they say once you’re in it, it’s for life or else the results will be undone in short fashion.

The troubling thing is people prescribing these to adolescent children. They’re now going to be on these drugs for life before they ever fully matured. No way to know for sure if they actually would
have needed these interventions through adulthood.

It is tempting when even at my most fit rucking across Afghanistan, spending hours a day in the gym, and eating next to nothing, I still couldn’t shake the spare tire around my middle. But it just seems like too much of deal with the devil to go on these meds.

 

[mtmiller]

From what I understand....

Pause.

A) take two minutes to research on the comment I am about to make
B) just throw out a baseless claim

 

[WapitiBob]

I'm 6'3, my fat weight was 254 with BMI of 32 (obese), had A1C of 7.4 and Glucose of 166. Metformin hasn't done much and adding Glipizide hasn't changed that. DR put me on Ozempic a cpl months ago and I weighed 225 yesterday. Weight comes off slow but steady and I have zero side affects. Because OZ was approved for diabetes, it's cheap when going thru insurance. When asked about the drug I always recall a statement I saw an actor make who was on the Oz, "I out ate Ozempic and gained 40 pounds", and he's right. It's not a cure all. What happens early on is you still tend to order or make the same size meals you did prior, but the OZ will kill your appetite after a 1/4 or less of that meal. You still have to have the discipline to push back from the table, Ozempic won't do that for you.

 

[The_Jim]

It is tempting when even at my most fit rucking across Afghanistan, spending hours a day in the gym, and eating next to nothing, I still couldn’t shake the spare tire around my middle. But it just seems like too much of deal with the devil to go on these meds.

This makes sense to me. The human metabolism is really adaptable. Muscle is expensive tissue so if your calories are too low and activity is too high, you’ll store body fat and actually lose muscle. Endurance training also isn’t great for the physique for this reason, your body will generally pair down muscle to be more efficient.

You likely actually ended up at a higher body fat percentage not because you gained fat but because you lost muscle from over training and under eating.

 

[cgasner1]

My opinion is the obesity crisis around the entire world is caused by the constant pussification of society. It's too hard for people to practice self-control or discipline, and too hard to enact the change they want by dedicating themselves to physical activity and a healthy diet. It is now on par to being a racist, sexist, etc. to make any statement about someone else's weight being unhealthy, you will even get called a bigot if your preference in a partner is someone who stays in shape. And I'm not talking the guys who have NO FATTIES stickers on their truck, just someone who prefers a partner that is physically active. Society's general wokeness has led to a collapse of healthcare as all these morbidly obese people clog it up with the countless health issues they cause themselves. As for the weight loss drugs? If it works for them, great, but using it strictly as weight loss drug because you lack the willpower or content of character to make changes for yourself, thereby reducing the amount of the drugs available to those who actually need it, is pretty deplorable to me.

Nobody cares work harder

 

[Borny1]

Address the cause instead of medicating the symptoms. The collusion between Healthcare and pharmaceuticals has got to stop.

 

[Jamen]

My two cents and my own weight loss journey. I have always been a bigger guy. Started going on and off to the gym for several years. Gained a good amount of muscle but still was always bigger. I'd try fad diets lose some weight but then gain it back. Heaviest i ever weighed myself at was 278. I could maintain 235-250 very easily with a bad diet.

This winter i finally told myself let's do the damn thing. A close friend of mine his wife is super smart in this field and gets all scientific and is a head of nutrition for a pro sports team decided to help me out. I listened to the plan with the goal to drop weight and retain my muscle mass. Currently weigh 206. Have not weighed this since 10th grade i will be 33 in a month. Did not really lose much muscle or strength can still bench over 315 and all my other lifts are at or above where i was. I lost 25lbs in the first 4 weeks. It was hard and challenging but that was the goal. Then we shifted to a much more gradual loss now. I have about 15 more to go.

There is IMO no magic pill or diet. You will never be able to out train a bad diet. I have food cravings. I have a giant sweet tooth. i Curb that by making protein ice cream getting over 40g of protein in at night and tastes just like ice cream. I am not starving myself, i often find i am eating more now than i was before. I cut out drinking was never big on it anyway, so it was easy.

Buy a food scale really take the time to see how much we eat. I encourage you to take a normal portion you would normally eat weigh it and see how many servings it actually is. There are people who really need a kick start and maybe these drugs can do that. I encourage anyone to talk to a professional and gain their input and guidance. If you are not losing weight its a pretty simple but yet complex problem to fix. Too many calories are being taken in. Reduce intake and increase activity you'd be surprised how much food you can intake and be at Maintenace.

My only regret is investing in a few thousand dollars of hunting clothes over the past few years that are too big now lol

My friend who is a personal trainer told me and many others will repeat as i am now. You can not out train a bad diet. Its 90% or more made in diet and 10% or less in the gym.

Stay the course weather the storms. Find a "diet" that you enjoy and dont view it as a diet. I enjoy all my meals and do not get burnt out and have found a long term solution.

 

[LousyResident]

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

A NYT article today on GLP-1s (Ozympic, Zepbound, Mounjaro, Wegovy, etc) has me curious what the HT community thinks about these new, extremely expensive, weight loss drugs. The thrust of the article was that obesity doctors would like to be able to prescribe these drugs, but without a diagnosis of diabetes, people who are pre-diabetic or right on the line are unable to afford these drugs. Basically, in order to get access to them, people need to be even less healthy. In classic American fashion, it would seem that we'd rather fix the problem when it is too late than try to prevent it from happening in the first place.

I'm close personally with someone with Type 2 Diabetes, so their insurance has been able to cover a Mounjaro prescription. From what they've told me, the real miracle of these drugs is that they reduce appetite, cravings, and seem to alter the mental health piece of eating disorders. Basically, this person reports that they aren't thinking about food all the time.

As someone whose weight fluctuates dramatically (50-60 lbs a year), I keep coming back to how nice that must be. Every diet/exercise plan I've tried has worked for about 6 months, but after elk season, the weight always piles back on. When I am on those plans, it starts to feel like every waking moment of my life is spent thinking about calories and food, and I'm hungry all the time. It's not a fun way to live.

I reached out to a friend of mine who runs a clinic, and he told me I fall into that magical zone of not-quite-unhealthy enough to require GLP-1s. The other kicker: is it sounds like once someone starts on those drugs, they are stuck for life. I don't really want that.

I'd rather be carrying 50lbs of elk meat out on my back up and down the mountains than 50 lbs of excess body weight. And even more so, I'd like something consistent that lasts year round, that doesn't require me to spend every waking moment feeling hungry and thinking about food. Anyone else in the same boat or know anything more about these drugs?

For clarity, I'm not looking for a miracle or easy way out; I've sweat plenty in gyms, dieted hard, and lost 50+ lbs about 10 times already. I know what that takes and will do it again. But I am curious to learn about others' thoughts and experiences in this regard.

If you’re asking for a friend, compounding pharmacies are cheaper.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

I have said it before and I'll say it again...you can't out exercise a bad diet . Once you stop the drug, you will eat again so really this is pointless unless you can stop the drug and stop eating or whatever is does for you.

 

[MaddH]

I have type 2 diabetes and can personally tell you that people that use these drugs for weight loss freaking suck. Many times I needed to get a prescription filled and can't get it because a shortage of the drugs. When I asked the pharmacist I was told to many people are using it for weight loss.

Same here. I’ve been having to drive 2 1/2 hrs to get my medicine now

 

[gburk]

If you’re asking for a friend, compounding pharmacies are cheaper.

True. This is an interesting loophole in drug patents enforcement that seems ripe for closing now that bigger compounding pharmacies than just neighborhood stores are making a lot of money off it. Hers/his stock has gone nuts.

 

[Wild Bill]

Sub foods with simple carbs for foods with complex carbs, eat whole foods, educate yourself on portions (they're different for everyone), completely eliminate soda, don't keep unhealthy foods in the house, etc., etc.

Learn to live slightly uncomfortably. You might spend a good portion of your day "hungry" but alas, you will survive. Mind over matter. I have a hard time believing folks that have the mental make up to head into the woods and live out of a backpack for 5-10 days can't apply some of those same disciplines in their every day life.

Genetics play a role, but you can do a lot to manipulate your body.

I'm not a health freak or claim to be an expert in any of this, but self control goes a long way.

Our lifestyles and society has made it more difficult by flooding our grocery stores with cheap, mass produced foods that contain chemicals and "ingredients" that didn't even exist 70 years ago.

Not to go down a political rabbit hole, but subsidized farming practices even play a huge role in the issue.

All that being said, these drugs have their time and place for certain folks, but in the end, it's amazing what eating clean, exercise, and drinking water can do for a fellla.

End of rant.

 

[WVmike]

If only exercise was the answer, but for me, diet is 90% of it. I played college football and even when I'm in peak fitness, my BMI says I am overweight/bordline obese. Plenty of muscle still there.

Based on this comment, it doesn't sound like you have the issues with food cravings?

I agree with you. I'm in the same boat. I have always been active and muscular and my BMI says I'm obese. I'm 5'11 and 230 but it is hard for me to lose weight due to being active and the workouts that I do don't necessarily target burning fat but increasing cardiovascular/muscular endurance along with strength. I usually run/ruck once or twice a week and do a mtn tough workout on the other 2-3 days. I work 12 hour shifts as a nurse and my issue is eating once I get home from work around 8 at night since I live an hour from work. Also I have had multiple patients with issues related to ozempic and all that other weight loss stuff. It's usually liver, endocrine related issues that make things worse rather than better had the person just cut down on something or started becoming active.