Comment on doctors
tormeh@discuss.tchncs.de 2 months ago
Now we have weight loss drugs, though. Those are apparently unbelievably effective
And unbelievably expensive, and unbelievably good at regulating an A1C.
Now if you excuse me, I am gonna go and break down crying to the insurance rep about how Ozempic is way better than metformin at not making me shit my pants. I swear I am not making excuses just to lose weight. (Please someone, stop the madness, if I can get semiglutides that doesn’t make you lose weight but regulates my A1C I would be so happy)
Another option for diabetes are the SGLT-2 inhibitors like Jardiance. They work by making you pee out all the excess sugar. You won’t have the diarrhea issues, but you will be peeing a lot. (It’s basically a special diuretic, so it’s also really good for blood pressure.) Bonus: they’ve also gained approval for slowing the progression of diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease), so if that’s something you have any trouble with, it can help get it covered.
I hope you get the care you deserve.
Until then talk to your doctor about:
They are, changed my life. I was never obese, but almost always overweight since childhood.
As an adult, I used Saxenda (liraglutide) for almost 3 years at the suggestion of my gastro doc, lost 20 kgs with it, out of which only 3 was muscle mass. I only needed half the max dose, and now they even have a newer and more effective formula.
I was afraid I would gain it back after stopping, as I was warned, but I stopped half a year ago, and I lost 10 kg more with only diet since then. And by diet I don’t mean starving myself, just switching to super healthy and natural stuff, and staying away from processes food.
Before this med, I ate too much, and even though I tried to stay away from stuff with added sugar or too much fat, it just added up. The med took away my excessive hunger, and at the beginning I just ate less, but after a few months I also changed my diet to be more fresh and healthy, and the fat just kept melting away.
Now I’m in my mid 30s, and look better then ever, and also got rid of health conditions (like minor high blood pressure) that would cause a mess later. And again, I was never obese, only overweight, so I can’t even imagine the impact this would have on dangerously obese people.
Incredible technology, I think a lot of people will take these in the future. And my case shows that it’s not true that youchave to take it forever: if you can adjust your diet and life over a period of a few years, your body will “heal” and help you to keep the fat down later.
Friend of mine has been on wegovy and has lost almost 40 pounds in 4-5 months. It was almost discouraging to hear that as it has taken me two years to set the correct habits to lose almost 35 pounds (and keep it off).
The side effects of those drugs are real though. My friend says she constantly feels nausea and it’s weird to see her eat so little… When we go out I would be surprised if she even eats half her plate, if that.
It’s been a long journey for me personally to lose weight. I had to teach myself how to use gym equipment, cut out all sodas, and to suppress my cravings. To see people take what looks like “the easy way out” can sting… but in the end, I feel better then ever.
I’d there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my studies, it’s that weight los drugs are shiiiiiit
Not because they don’t work, but because a general effect like “weight loss” usually comes with more than a few downsides
One of the biggest problems with the GLP-1’s (Ozempic, etc) is the fact that people lose weight by just not eating as much, and the things they do eat aren’t likely to be very nutritious. Protein malnutrition and muscle wasting are very common sources of weight loss on Ozempic. That’s why it’s standard of care to get your patient to a licensed dietician before starting them on one of those drugs if at all possible.
themeatbridge@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Sort of. We have drugs that can help you lose weight, but they come with their own challenges and risks, and you still need to eat right and exercise. And even then, it’s prescribed and covered for diagnosed diabetes. If you want it to lose weight, you probably have to pay for it.
Eating right is much more difficult than people pretend it is, and exercise is simply not possible for a lot of overweight people. You might as well say “don’t be poor, and also don’t be poor.”
So when you say on top of that, “we’ve made it easier for you to lose weight with this new drug, as long as you aren’t poor,” that’s not really helpful.
Zetta@mander.xyz 2 months ago
I’m not fat, but that seems simply untrue unless the person is fat due to a serious disability in the first place. Maybe doing intense exercise isn’t possible, but fat people can absolutely start with small, little exercises and work their way up over months or years.
Enkers@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
You’re right, of course, it’s not impossible, but as someone who’s had several significant changes in BMI/body fat in my life, I can tell you exercising when you’re already in decent shape is SO much easier.
Being fat makes a lot of potential options for exercise much more difficult if not outright impossible.
Jarix@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Like going to a pool if there’s is one available near them.
grue@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Speaking of institutional racism…
themeatbridge@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I wasn’t going to get into it, but I think you’ll find disability is far more widespread than you think it is, and the other limiting factor is poverty. Obese people skew poor for the first time in history, and it’s because the working poor are limited in food choice, healthcare, and disposable time. People who say “start small and work your way up over months or years” never worked 80 hours a week for minimum wage and it shows.
hissingmeerkat@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Obesity is almost always caused by other medical conditions, not the other way around.
Zetta@mander.xyz 2 months ago
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ In the sample size of the few fat people I know IRL and their family’s that’s not true, at least for the people I know. Unless we’re counting mental illness as a medical condition, which is fair because they are.
slaacaa@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Now it is also prescribed for obesity, not just diabetes. And I think very much worth it from a societal perspective, as the healthcare costs of obesity are extreme.
erin@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 months ago
My parents and my fiancee have gotten on an equivalent of Ozempic specifically for weight loss and covered by insurance. It seems to be easier now than it was, because if my fiancee wasn’t covered we absolutely couldn’t afford it.
Irelephant@lemm.ee 2 months ago
WeGovy?
erin@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 months ago
Excellent question, but I have no idea. She tears the medicine labels off for some reason so I’ll ask her when she gets home and edit with more info. It’s a capsule and a tiny pill, taken morning and night respectively, if that means anything to you.