3 ms·
It is easy to call taking the medication easy, but nothing about it actually is. Eating right, lifting, trying to be active… all of that on top of the nausea c
by borski 2y ago
It is easy to call taking the medication easy, but nothing about it actually is.
Eating right, lifting, trying to be active… all of that on top of the nausea created by the medication itself.
Obesity is such a massive epidemic, and shaming people into feeling bad about it has clearly not worked. And that’s before you consider the genetic factors, environmental factors, food deserts, and the other dozen reasons it’s so hard to stay fit for some people.
I am genetically gifted in some ways; an athlete’s metabolism was not one of them. I can be extremely disciplined, but the constant vigilance creates this “food noise” in your head that’s hard to explain, but extremely stressful, and causes you to constantly be seeking the next meal.
It used to be that every single food I put in my mouth tasted amazing (within reason). Apparently this is not true for everyone, and they have a greater and sharper distinction between “foods that are amazing” and “foods that are just fine”. That distinction exists for me now, and never really did before this medication.
There are so many ways it has helped me. My blood labs are perfect, and my liver was definitely not perfect before. My A1C was just on the cusp of prediabetic, at 5.7%. My triglycerides, ALT, AST… all were wayyyyy higher than they should have been.
A1C at last test a few months ago was 5.0%, and all the other numbers are well within low-mid range of where they should be.
Anyone that looks at someone using GLP-1 medications and thinks they’re “cheating” is a child. You still have to put in the work; you still have to eat right and work out and lift. It just makes it actually possible to do that for the first time in many people’s lives. I don’t know if you’ve ever put on a realistic “fat suit,” but trust me when I say that everything is harder when you’re heavier. A walk around the block is an insane workout if you are 450lbs and haven’t walked in years. It’s not where you should end, but it is a start, and if there is a medication that helps someone start… everyone else can fuck right off. You will never find me shaming someone else or judging them for getting healthy, which is the actual point more than just losing weight.
There is one way to get off the medication in the future (or get on the lowest dose, etc): build significant muscle mass. That’s why it’s so important to lift.
One common argument I’ve heard against GLP-1 meds is the idea that you’ll have to be on the meds forever. And for some people, maybe even most, that may be true. We don’t know yet.
But you know what’s worse than being on a GLP-1 med forever? Being obese forever. We know precisely just how that kills so many of us.
But you’re right, we should just go back to the way it was. That seemed to work just fine. :/
- pclmulqdq 2y agoI don't think the point is that GLP-1 inhibitors are "cheating," but that maybe some therapy for addiction (of all kinds) and a shift in focus toward health is a better idea than being on a drug for the rest of your life. So many people regain all the weight they lost after stopping these drugs, so it doesn't make meaningful progress and just covers the problem. At some point, we may find that these drugs cause long-term health problems of their own, too.
- borski 2y ago> I don't think the point is that GLP-1 inhibitors are "cheating," but that maybe some therapy for addiction (of all kinds) and a shift in focus toward health is a better idea than being on a drug for the rest of your life. There is no guarantee that I’ll have to be on it for the rest of my life. But also, I was not “addicted” to food. I spent 18 months changing my lifestyle, nutrition, and exercise habits, and I lost zero weight. I gained health (hikes were no longer a problem, I was fully capable of working out after enough time doing it, etc.), but no weight loss. Yes, I tracked. Yes, I ate below my expenditure. My body holds onto weight. So yeah, I agree with more help for people with addictions, period. I do not see how it is a “replacement” for a medication that is clearly helping people. A lack of therapy was not my problem. > So many people regain all the weight they lost after stopping these drugs, so it doesn't make meaningful progress and just covers the problem. And so many people don’t. Also, we’re learning. Quit cold turkey and yeah, you’ll gain. Taper, and you likely won’t: https://www.pharmacist.com/Pharmacy-News/coming-off-glp-1s-slowly-could-be-key-to-preventing-weight-regain https://www.pharmacist.com/Pharmacy-News/coming-off-glp-1s-s... > At some point, we may find that these drugs cause long-term health problems of their own, too. Or we may not; these drugs have been around since 2005. They’re not new, despite most people having just heard of them now. But we know for a fact that obesity kills. Again: your contention is that instead of using this medication that helped me get healthier over the last 7 months and will help me get healthier yet over the next 7-8, you would have preferred that I “accept” that I have a problem imbued with negative morals (“addiction”) and try my hardest to break it. The thing is, I had already done that for the entirety of my life, remained obese, and would have died of it eventually. Can I be disciplined? Absolutely. I even lost 55 lbs doing keto for 10 months. I ran a startup, and successfully sold it. Discipline wasn’t my issue. I’m not suggesting you should use a GLP-1 med. I’m suggesting you shouldn’t be the arbiter of whether it is helpful or not; it’s effects should be.