42 percent of all American adults are considered grossly obese

Ozempic should be a RIGHT!

I am on Ozempic, which is Wegovy but for Diabetics. I have to see my Doctor once a month and get my blood panels done every two months. I am not in the 42% company but have lost about 25 pounds. My bp is down, my a1c is now in low to normal range. The drug is no picnic. Stories of magically craving only healthy foods and eating less are a crock of shit. If you eat too much you throw up, If you eat a lot fried greasy food, you throw up. I don't crave healthy foods, I fear bad foods. I eat a lot of fruits and salads now because they are easy to digest. Small amounts of lean protein. Sugar and sweets? Don't even think about it unless you want to sit on the john and explode for 20 minutes in the middle of the night. All my doctor said to prepare me was "you might have a little stomach discomfort in the beginning." Fuckking liar. From what I understand the Wegovy dose for weight loss is 2x what I am taking (I am 1 mg a week). I cannot imagine what the fuck they are going through.

[quote]I don't crave healthy foods, I fear bad foods.

That's good enough. That's the result you need R2.

I can't help but think these drugs are everywhere right now as reaction to the media's failed normalization of obesity. It's been a long time coming.

For the past few years we've been fed mass-media messages about body acceptance, diversity of body types, and how fitness/diet culture is evil/banal/classist, etc. We've seen increasing numbers of large bodies onscreen (particularly in TV advertising) and onstage. Women in particular have been inundated with messaging about how sexy, hot, and healthy their large "curvy" bodies can be (not so much for men, interestingly enough).

It's a failure because no one's buying it, not really. Even overweight people (in my experience) do not enjoy looking at obese bodies on display. No one actually believes the fat girl or boy is every bit as attractive or desirable as their fit, weight-appropriate counterpart.

Obesity is, in fact, everywhere you look in America. But the fact that it's quite common doesn't make it healthy. Or appealing.

PS: I also blame Trump.

Seriously.

Oh for God’s sake, just lose the damn weight by eating small portions, cut out red meat, cook at home and go walking for exercise. You’ll lose the weight slowly. Eat more salads, too.

Totally agree with you R6 - except the red meat part.

But obviously 42% of American adults are completely unable to do this.

42%? Damn! I’m shocked. Seriously.

I guess I don’t get out much. The only thing that really stands out to me is how tall and big kids are nowadays. They’re like giants!

From what I see every day I bet it's higher than 42%.

In flyoverstan, it’s 82%

It seems like everybody is overweight to some extent. Yes, there are obese people but there are other people who could stand to lose 20 pounds.

I can't say it is all 42% but some people do not process carbs correctly. Ozempic helps with that. Normally when you eat carbs they are converted to glucose and used for energy. Some people (me included) that glucose does not get used and remains in your blood. Insulin Resistance. My body does not use Glucose like normal people so my pancreas makes more to normalize my blood sugar. When your body does not use glucose, it stores it as fat. It's how two people can eat the same diet and one gain weight. I never got out of control on my weight because I live a keto life and work out, but even then, I still ended up on Ozempic and Metformin. High blood sugar is no joke. It causes a host of health problems, heart disease, high blood pressure, and neuropathy. I say anything that helps people, even if they have to be drugged to be forced to not eat crap is a benefit.

So Question: when all the folks on Ozempic and Wegovy ( who are presumably being monitored like OP), then successfully reach goal weight, then what? I can't imagine the prescribing doctors involved keep their patients on this medication any longer than medically necessary because of the associated risks and side effects, right? The logical next question would be would these same patients be able to maintain their new goal weight without the prescribed medication? I fully acknowledge I don't know if Ozempic ( the diabetic version) is presumed to be scripted throughout the *Lifespan* of the patient- but with such side effects- at what cost? Oof.

[quote]when all the folks on Ozempic and Wegovy ( who are presumably being monitored like OP),

I'm not on either medication R13. Because I'm not grossly obese.

r13 Ozempic is for diabetics. You really don't go off it unless you are having serious side effects. Not sure about the exit plan for Wegovy.

Those brand name drugs are expensive. Is there a generic version?

OP, the article just says they're obese.

It does not say "grossly obese." That's you, editorializing.

R6 You do realize that the long-term maintenance of significant weight loss is pretty much zero? Once a person is significantly overweight for an extended period, the chances of keeping weight off permanently are vanishingly small. The body fights very hard to return to its habitual weight. That is why I find these massive weight loss stories that everyone seems to find so heart-warming to be extremely depressing. The long-term result is always a return to obesity. Everyone knows this is the case anecdotally and statistically,.

It may be emotionally appealing to preach about salads and exercise, but as a solution to the national obesity problem, it's pretty much a comforting fantasy. The solutions will have to be creating a society in which people don't get fat to begin with (which is a huge undertaking) or developing medical solutions.

Not being overweight is one of the few things I'm proud of. I highly recommend this feeling of superiority.

I've said this on DL many times before. The point of these drugs is that if you're obese you stay on them forever and they DO enable you to maintain weight loss. R18 is right, but only about diets. The reason these drugs are a breakthrough is that it appears that as long as you're on them you WON'T put the weight back on. There is no evidence that staying on them long-term presents any major problem for most people: certainly not a problem worse than obesity. These drugs are the non-invasive equivalent of bariatric surgery, except that the symptoms R2 describes are supposed to subside over time. The Instagrammers who have hogged the drug so they can lose 5-10 lb are crazy. Of course they're not going to stay on it forever, and so they'll just regain the weight.

The point OP makes about the drug being good for heart health appears to be separate from the weight loss, though obviously that's good for the heart too. I heard a doctor talk about it on radio. They think Ozempic is acting on the heart in another (beneficial) way as well: something to do with sympatico receptors.

Watch, in the next few years we'll be closing in on 50%. Pathetic. And this affects the healthcare system which means it affects all of us.

I’m surprised it’s not higher

Gross.

I get that there may be serious side effects of the weight loss drugs, but there's serious side effects of morbid obesity.

R24, exactly. Couldn't agree more.

I'm not using drugs, but I am on a mission to lose weight and I am working with a nutritionist referred to me by my doctor. So far in 3 weeks I have lost 3 pounds. Nothing to brag about? I know. But what's important is that I am gradually changing the way I eat. For example I have a "carb budget." and I am also trying to address portion control and the kind of choices I make. I'm feeling good about it. I am working to make sure I get the right amount...and kind of exercise every week, and drinking water, and I feel confident I can do this. I'm glad I opted for working with a nutritionist. It has made all the difference.

R26, you notice how when you gain a level of control, you just feel better, even if visible results are negligible thus far. Plus, while most people who lose weight probably have some level of "I want to look better" motivation, once you start eating better and avoiding the insulin/sugar highs and lows, you just feel so much better - physically and mentally. Even when you're just starting. You've lost three pounds in three weeks. That's great and seems like a sustainable pace. Might not seem like much now, but, think about it, in 12 weeks that's 12 pounds, 16 weeks that's 16 pounds (I know, you all can add), and that will be a real difference after not that much time.

It's nice of you to encourage R26, R27, but clearly people DON'T feel "so much better physically and mentally", or all successful dieters would keep the weight off, whereas hardly any do, even where the weight loss program has lasted 12 months or more before reaching the goal and you'd think it was now habit. People can get to their goal weight for the reasons you list, but once they are allowed to eat a bit of tasty food again they quickly remember that doing that felt even better. It's because the body is physically programmed to go back to its "set weight", which is the weight you've mostly been, not your goal weight. These drugs, when they work well, prevent that programming from kicking in.

I'm not saying it's a good thing by any means, it just is. And that's why the drugs are needed. I sincerely hope R26 can make it without them, but if so he will be unusual.

Also, losing 3 lb in 3 weeks doesn't mean that in 16 weeks you will have lost 16 lb. People plateau, sometimes for weeks, which is one of the reasons diets often fail mid-way.

What most people don't realize is that your weight fluctuates 1-5 lbs a day due to water weight. You'll weigh the least in the morning, and the most at night.

And there are skinny diabetics- One of my friends was one , but worked hard to get out of it (he still lost weight). I have around 16% body fat (I'm a woman) , 58 years old and been pre-diabetic for years- I really can't lose any more weight.

Diabetes, like most conditions, is influenced by genetics as well as body condition, R29. You drew a short straw. My mother ate chocolate every day of her [long] life and her blood glucose was absolutely fine, while my dad ate a ton of fat and had low cholesterol. By contrast with both of them, an ultra-fit coworker in his 40s who went for a run every day at lunch time failed to return to the office one afternoon because he had dropped dead of a heart attack. You almost never hear about a medical trial that was 100% effective in 100% of cases.

We like to think we can control our health, but it is mostly a case of trying to do what is most likely to help, while knowing it won't always work out.

R28, I am R26 and I eat really tasty food all the time. I think a lot of people gain their weight back or backslide for various reasons.. Some still use food to reward themselves or comfort themselves. I know I do. some people have a tough time breaking old habits, like late night snacks. Some people make bad choices, or maybe they eat good food but too much, so portion control is a problem. And some peopl e eat dinner around 9 PM. I will be really good for maybe two weeks, and then I have to have the poundcake with the strawberries and whipped cream. I could probably lose more than 1 pound a week. But I am realistic. The framework I am using is to drink more water with a specific goal of at least 64-70 ounces daily. To stay within my daily carb budget, to exercise portion control, (eat more vegetables) and to exercise at least 150 minutes a week. i don't always hit my water goals, but I focus on the carbs, the portion sizes, and the exercise. Let me confirm R27, I do feel better and it is empowering. That nutritionist helped me develop a plan, a road map. It makes sense, and being aware of the choices is working for me. If I have a bad day, I just try to do better the next day.

On Ozempic because of diabetes. Blood sugars are back in the normal range and the A1C's are all low 5's, not all 6s and 7s after three months. I have lost ten pounds, could maybe lose five more, and if my labs are stable, the endocrinologist said she'd halve the dose to .25 mg when and if I don't want to lose more weight.

I'm still not sure how it works - I'm just not as hungry and can much more easily resist eating crap food. My brain never used to say, "Close the refrigerator door" much less, "You don't need a cookie at 11 pm." When you don't eat so much, you realize what little you do eat should be good for you. I have had none of the side-effects mentioned, perhaps because the standard dose for blood sugar control with Ozempic is .50 mg. Wegovy's the same med used for weight loss at double the dosage.

R5 is one of those annoying people discussed on The Annoying People of DL thread.

I've been listening to a lot of the podcast Maintenance Phase lately, cohosted by Aubrey Gordon. Some good stuff, but they basically push the idea that fat is ok, it's almost always genetic, accomodations must always be made, and the term obesity itself is a slur.

Obesity is a medical term, it's not a slur. Yes many men will use different slurs relating to weight and no it doesn't help people lose weight but then again nothing seems to help fat people in the US. The numbers grow and grow. Until the food quality in the US takes a drastic turn everywhere, we will see the numbers rise.

Not just in some bodega in NYC or some grocery store in ritzy San Francisco, but all across the country the food has to be overhauled.

Forty-two percent is not enough! RECRUIT! RECRUIT! RECRUIT!

R35 is right. When did Obesity start to become so commonplace? There is no where you can go that you don't see a veritable army of obese people. I used to be startled but now I am inured. Desensitized.

The high fructose corn syrup additive is just one small part of it, but I swear, something bad happened to the way our food is processed that does bad things to our bodies, while the purveyors of drugs are all over TV peddling their wares. I don't recall this happening until maybe the 90's?

We spend millions of years climbing the food chain only to turn to weight loss drugs. Funny aren't we.

Swampy wants a physical fitness test to be a part of college admission. Since the vast majority of health concerns are among people over 18, a physical fitness test should be a requirement for voting. If that were instituted, only 5% of Republican voters would be allowed to cast a ballot.

r39 I think we need a fucking asshole test included in the SAT.

r27- The rise of fast food, which is what most people perceive as inexpensive ($1 taco) and delicious. Full of fat and carbs, meat based, no preparation involved. It costs more to purchase fresh organic than fast food. You go to Europe, and you don't see so many fast food chains there, so many local produce, fishmongers, bakeries, and butchers there.

Exterminate them all

McAllen Texas, the most obese city in the country.

The 70s r37. Cause is related to ultra-processed food, per this paper.