People often eat when they aren’t hungry (not when they are bloated or uncomfortable) due to habit. “It’s time to eat breakfast” or lunch or dinner. Learned behavior patterns are hard for some people to break. People also eat when they are bored, depressed, celebratory, or at a social function even though their appetite isn’t actually stimulated.
4 Likes
Except while on Wegovy, it seems…
Except while on Wegovy…
Except while on Wegovy…
I guess the answer to “habits” comes in a syringe. If so, I’m fine with that.
(ETA: I don’t actually agree with the idea that people really eat when they are bored, depressed, celebratory, or at a social function even though their appetite isn’t actually stimulated. What I think actually happens is that in people prone to obesity, their appetite is almost always stimulated , and they are pretty much constantly resisting this, but it’s almost impossible in certain situations such as when bored, depressed, at parties etc.)
7 Likes
You don’t think those 40% of Americans who are obese have not already tried diet and exercise? That they readily accept obesity and the social stigma and economic consequences? If it were so easy to fix, it would have been by now. In the meantime they are at risk of cardiac arrest, stroke, diabetes, and a host of other expensive and dangerous health conditions. If we can get the weight under control through meds, then hopefully people can work to sustain that effectively.
10 Likes
Why is it possible for people in other countries to do it? I know plenty of people who don’t really try. There are people who have never exercised. I know people who stop at the mailbox in their car instead of walking to get it. People who fill their cabinets with chips and high fat foods. People who eat most meals out - the worst thing you can do. So yes, I think their are plenty of people who haven’t tried.
1 Like
Do you really know they haven’t tried? There is such a stigma of being overweight people are very protective of their emotions and high chance of weight loss failure. When I was trying so hard for those 3 years (to only lose 20 pounds) I pretended to be happy, pretended to be body positive and pretended not to care. But internally I was feeling so defeated and a failure.
I was also under the care of a rheumatologist due to swollen painful joints, all my joint pain disappeared after 2 weeks on Mounjaro. (This couldn’t be due to weight loss, it was improved joint inflamation)
6 Likes
Or maybe they have and they’ve given up.
Maybe they have no other joy in their life except eating (this was my mother).
There are a lot of variables, and while I am fine with judging myself I try really hard to not judge others.
4 Likes
So no one who is overweight or obese is so because they don’t exercise and/or eat right? That is just unrealistic. Again, obviously there are people who need these drugs and will benefit greatly. Obviously there are people who due to genetics etc can’t lose weight no matter how much they diet and exercise - I’m not denying this. But there is no denying there are people who are overweight and obese because they like to eat and don’t like exercising.
1 Like
Why is it judging? Are you saying you don’t think there are people out there who eat whatever they want and don’t exercise who aren’t miserable?
That is true. Just as there are people who smoke. In both cases, I think we as a society should help provide medical support to address the condition or addiction, if only for sheer financial interests. Yes, people should be able to stop smoking, but many can’t, and if medicated nictotine systems help them stop and thus prevent deadly and expensive lung cancer, I am happy to pay for them. Same with weight loss. Obesity costs society billions a year; if this lessens that, all good.
3 Likes
I’m sure some people are like that but I don’t believe most people chose to be obese and all the life restrictions and judgement that come with that. I’m a nurse in a children’s hospital and every week I meet 5 year olds over 150 pounds, I certainly don’t think they chose to not be able to run a play with their peers.
3 Likes
But don’t you put some of the blame on their obesity on their parents?
1 Like
And I’ve said nothing against these drugs! I support these drugs wholeheartedly for people who meet the criteria to use them.
1 Like
What difference does it make, practically speaking? We can’t give them new parents or put them in orphanages. We can address their weight directly.
4 Likes
Not always, some of these kids are already in a nutrition program (they have to be 4)
Tirzepatide (Mounjaro or Zepbound) and semaglutide (Ozempic or Wegovy) do have the effect of causing people to eat less. You can say that they provide assistance for people trying to eat less to lose weight.
If it did not cost as much as it actually does in the US, insurance companies and employers paying for employees’ health care would be less likely to balk at paying for it. Remember also that one of the effects of the US norm of getting medical care through your employer is that considerations of short term costs for long term benefits are tilted against paying for such, since the long term benefits are likely to occur after the employee has changed jobs or retired (and therefore under a different medical insurance plan or Medicare).
2 Likes
You want to put a 5 year old on a weight loss drug instead of trying to educate about healthy life choices? Insanity.
Why are people so fixated on weight, eating and weight loss drugs? People can control diabetics with diet, hypertension can improve with diet, fatty liver can be controlled with diet yet I don’t see people criticizing medications for these conditions that can improve a persons quality of life.
3 Likes
Because people must be looked down on.
Like smokers.
Like drinkers.
People must suffer in trying to improve themselves, otherwise it doesn’t count.
5 Likes
Bingo.
1 Like
We travel internationally. Other countries do not have the “marketing” ours does for fast food. We were recently in Spain I did not see one billboard for McDonalds’s. Not to say they do not have ff, but it is not inundating every aspect of life. Additionally, it is expensive to own a car. Many Europeans walk everywhere. They also seem to prepare many meals using fresh ingredients… not packaged food. And the lifestyle in general is slower. Which I think makes people more intentional about their eating habits.
6 Likes