[LurkandComment]

Ozempic is another quick fix. You're going to be thin, but if you don't put in the work lifting weights and eating protien you're just a younger old person with advanced sarcopenia. One fall and your hip shatters. It won't address any other inactivity related illnesses and comes with its own issues. Ex. Bladder not being able to handle bile etc. I get it for advance stage diabetics who have enough nerve issues to be at risk for sepsis and amputation, I don't think it's great for average joe who just wants an easy way to lose weight.

[volkercraig]

Why are you writing off eliminating obesity as something purely cosmetic? Obesity itself is the most costly affliction by far in the west. It increases all cause mortality, increases healthcare cost, and reduces outcomes for surgeries and rehabilitation after accidents. It reduces work efficiency, reduces lifespan, increases public infrastructure cost by requiring design for things like seatbelt extenders, large corridors for parking mobility scooters etc etc. It promotes food waste, increases energy usage... I could go on and on, but the general idea is that bigger people = bigger costs for everything.

Im not sure why theres such a diataste for just letting fat people take a pill/injection to lose weight. The current advice of telling them "lose weight fatty" is clearly not working on a societal level. When GLPs and naltrexone therapies become ubiquitous we are looking at vastly reduced healthcare costs.

There is also a good possibility that GLPs will kill the fast food industry, which means less fat kids, which means less fat adults.

[ycdeebs]

I wouldn’t say people are writing off “eliminating obesity as something purely cosmetic”. Being obese is way worse than just a cosmetic issue.

But a world where literally millions of people are on a “lifetime drug” to reduce their bodyweight seems to be exactly what the big pharmaceutical companies are hoping for. They will make tens of billions of dollars every year if this is the case. Hell, there are endless commercials where middlemen (e.g., Ro) are hyping these drugs, telling you they can get you prescriptions, etc. If there wasn’t HUGE money in it, this wouldn’t be the case.

Yes, there are some people who have medical conditions that make weight loss very difficult. And these drugs can be a literal lifesaver for them. But for every one of them, there are dozens and dozens (or more) who simply make bad choices about food and exercise. Things that, if changed, would lead to a lifetime of improved health without any of the concerns or side effects of taking a drug forever. Our culture seems to be evolving to where it’s perfectly acceptable to translate “this is not easy” to “I can’t possibly be expected to do this, no matter how good it would be for me."

I’ve been accused of “hating fat people” for this take, but it’s the furthest thing from the truth. I encourage people to actually change their lives in a sustainable, healthy way, because I care about them. It’s not about shaming them.

Can you be “healthi-ER” taking these drugs than if you don’t exercise and eat too much and too many awful foods? Sure. But I’d prefer to see them EVEN healthier by treating their bodies better in every single case where that’s possible.

[readthenotes1]

"Obesity itself is the most costly affliction by far in the west"

But if people stopped killing themselves in their 60s and 70s, we'd have gobs of people living until their 80s and the cost for dementia and Cancer Care would be ginormous.

[LurkandComment]

Where did I say it was cosmetic? At best you'll lose weight on it, but without forming good habits and lifting weights you're a candidate for muscle loss and related injuries (Example. Falling in tub and shattering hip). Once you're off ozempic, if you didn't form good habits, the weight gain is significant. You'll also put back on a lot of weight with a lower muscle mass. Again, I'm not sure where i said it was cosmetic.

[thefz]

The West =/= America

[idopmstuff]

Sure it's not a cure-all, but for the overwhelming majority of people who are obese, being thin and not lifting weights would be an improvement health-wise.

If the alternative to using Ozempic is eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly, then sure, the latter is better, but the target population for it is people who have spent many years not eating healthy or exercising and who are unlikely to start in the near future.

[davey48016]

Even if you're active, body fat is still a contest between food drive and will power, which vary widely between people based on genetics and upbringing. Realistically, people with very high food drive and easy access to junk food are going to struggle to maintain a healthy level of body fat even with an active lifestyle.

I know several people who lift weights three times a week, run for at least thirty minutes three times a week, and were still consistently 20-40 pounds overweight before Ozempic and similar drugs.

[ycdeebs]

You can’t outwork a bad diet.

Exercise all you want, but for most people, if you eat garbage food in large quantities, you will be overweight.

I am exactly the same, btw. Most of my family was overweight when I was growing up. I was a fat kid, all the way through high school. Since then, I have been exercising consistently for 40+ years. Lifting weights, bicycling, walking every day, etc. But I still need to not just eat everything I want or I will gain weight. I try to avoid junk food, fast food, eating out, MOST days. Personally, I do one “cheat day” per week (see Tim Ferris’ Slow Carb diet for roughly the idea, although I’m not militant about the foods he says are ok, etc.).

I’m around 20% bodyfat at 5’10” in my early 60s, so I could use to drop 5-10 pounds of fat. What boggles my mind is that everyone says I’m crazy to think I need to lose ANY weight. I’ve got clearly visible fat around my middle and other areas, even if I’m not “technically obese”. I don’t look great in most clothes. But compared to the typical person (my age or not), people think I’m in great shape.

I wouldn’t say what I do is incredibly hard. But it’s also not just “do whatever you want all the time”.

[asah]

GLP-1s have dramatic impact on diabetes and a number of other life threatening diseases, that wildly outweigh the side effects.

[zingababba]

In general I agree. However I know someone who, since they have gone on GLP-1 burp, hiccup and do this strange 'gasp' with regularity. Probably related to the delayed gastric emptying. Adjusting dose hasn't helped. To them its a good trade because they had always struggled with weight loss. When I observe them sure they look better but now it seems like they are in a different type of constant discomfort.

[watwut]

You dont need to weight lift and eat some kind of huge amount of protein to be healthy. Do not be ridiculous. The bulky aesthetic is just that, men liking when men are bulky. And if your goal is to be thin, you should pick different sport then weight lifting.

[ceejayoz]

There's a valid point buried in there, though; that being skinny won't make you fit / healthy by itself. You don't have to lift weights, but you do have to be a little active in some way.

[reedf1]

you basically do, especially older people and women. it helps significantly with bone density, balance, and other markers for long-term health. the idea that weight lifting is just for men (or that bulking up is something you can do by accident) is an idea that should (and is) dying quickly.

[glanzwulf]

just because you lift weights and eat protein doesn't mean you'll be bulky, do not be ridiculous.

[triceratops]

You've obviously never lifted weights in your life. Or you're naturally gifted and put on muscle as soon as you touch a barbell.

Most people are not like this. They can lift weights and benefit from a stronger body without looking any different.

[aradox66]

Research suggests that aerobic fitness largely compensates for the negative health effects of being overweight. https://www.physiologicallyspeaking.com/p/physiology-friday-...

e.g. being aerobically trained and overweight may be more or less equivalent to being at a healthy weight but not training. obviously the best case scenario is to be at a healthy weight and trained. additionally, aerobic training is much more achievable and sustainable for most people long term than weight loss.

[sschueller]

The most absurd thing I have read regarding this topic is people asking for advice on life style changes they can do in order to reduce the Ozempic side effects...

[ceejayoz]

Are you similarly baffled by marathon runners swapping tips on how to soothe sore feet?

[thefz]

You don't even have to exercise to lose weight. Try to make a sedentary person to sweat 500kcal a day, or not eating them, and see which is easier