Ozempic (Semaglutide) - What's the Geek Consensus?

[KSB2424 3,148]

Prescription medication used to treat type 2 diabetes in adults. It works by mimicking a natural hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).  However people are taking it like candy for weight loss.  I know friends who are not obese but just a bit overweight taking this stuff.  Is it a miracle drug or what's the catch?  There is always a catch....No?

And no, I am not taking it, nor thinking about it.  I am not perfect (unlike most Geeks) and have my own issues but weight loss is not one of them.  I am genuinely concerned for some of my loved ones and friends.  

It's going to come out a few years from now this stuff causes cancer or some disease isn't it? 

[weepaws 3,148]

Oxygen causes cancer

[jerryskids 6,546]

Ozempic is a tough one.  On the plus side, it's been out for a while for diabetes, so it has been shown to at least have no major medium-term effects.  And obesity causes so many health problems, it's hard to believe that it isn't a net positive.

On the negative side, it doesn't make you eat healthier food, just eat less of the shiot food you were already eating.  So if you used to eat a double quarter pounder, now you only eat a single.  So you aren't getting the other health benefits of eating healthy food.

 

[thegeneral 2,877]

These drugs just curb desire to eat so calorie intake drops significantly, right? I don’t like the sound of that. 

Personally wouldn’t take it unless had a serious problem related to weight, high blood sugar, etc. would consider if those issues were caused by years of adding weight and nothing else has worked. 

From a vanity standpoint when people lose weight really quickly by just cutting calories (as opposed to exercise, eating well, taking care of yourself) past a certain age it makes you look sickly IMO. Losing weight is more important than that I suppose tho so there’s that.

 

[Voltaire 5,181]

Sorry, can't help. I don't speak that language. Good luck on learning more.

 

[kilroy69 1,215]

I weigh 190lbs at 5 ft 9. I am not a crapper busting fatty but I am 49 and my metabolism is just not what it used to be. I can walk and exercise but I always seem to stay at 190. I plan on taking ozempic or one of the WLDs as soon as my insurance kicks in next month. I would ideally like to get down to 150. 

 

[Cdub100 3,824]

They make it for weight loss now. It's called wygovy and there are a few others. 

I don't take it but I know a few people who have. 

I think it's great. Obesity is a huge problem right now. Losing weight will solve a lot of issues people have. So IMO it will solve more problems than it makes. 

As for the side effects most of them are the same fasting or calorie restriction.

I think it's great. Hopefully there are no long term issues.

[HB Localboy 121]

 

POISON! 

[BiffTannen 866]

7 minutes ago, kilroy69 said:

I weigh 190lbs at 5 ft 9. I am not a crapper busting fatty but I am 49 and my metabolism is just not what it used to be. I can walk and exercise but I always seem to stay at 190. I plan on taking ozempic or one of the WLDs as soon as my insurance kicks in next month. I would ideally like to get down to 150. 

 

Calorie deficit  

google TDEE calculator. Plug in your height, weight, age, and activity level. It will spit out a caloric number for you to stay where you are. Consume 500 calories less than that number per day and you will lose 1lb a week. 

[Reality 3,092]

9 minutes ago, BiffTannen said:

Calorie deficit  

google TDEE calculator. Plug in your height, weight, age, and activity level. It will spit out a caloric number for you to stay where you are. Consume 500 calories less than that number per day and you will lose 1lb a week. 

I believe this was the science decade ago but, with every synthetic additive that's being used these days, these rules no longer apply.

We are a fat, grotesque society, it's not this simple anymore.

[thegeneral 2,877]

3 minutes ago, Reality said:

15 minutes ago, BiffTannen said:

Calorie deficit  

google TDEE calculator. Plug in your height, weight, age, and activity level. It will spit out a caloric number for you to stay where you are. Consume 500 calories less than that number per day and you will lose 1lb a week. 

I believe this was the science decade ago but, with every synthetic additive that's being used these days, these rules no longer apply.

We are a fat, grotesque society, it's not this simple anymore.

This has always worked for me. Am currently doing this and as long as I enter stuff correctly (use some app) it’s pretty much like clockwork.

[BiffTannen 866]

1 minute ago, Reality said:

I believe this was the science decade ago but, with every synthetic additive that's being used these days, these rules no longer apply.

We are a fat, grotesque society, it's not this simple anymore.

It worked for me. I got lazy and hungry the past few years. I’m 5’10 and on December 1st I weighed 183. I got rid of empty and liquid calories and made my self weight train every other day. I weighed in this morning at 164

[CaptainObvious1 319]

Go see a nutrition expert and learn how to eat the right way before popping pills.  Fix your diet and exercise including garbage like diet coke first.

[Gepetto 1,285]

I was maybe 7 pounds heavier at my last Doctor appt and my doctor brings up how great Ozempic works and how so many of his patients and family members take it. It suppresses appetite. I can eat less and/or better without Ozempic. It's an injection once a week and expensive. I'm thinking the makers of Ozempic hire really good Pharmaceutical reps who are pushing doctors hard to prescribe it.

[KSB2424 3,148]

51 minutes ago, kilroy69 said:

I weigh 190lbs at 5 ft 9. I am not a crapper busting fatty but I am 49 and my metabolism is just not what it used to be. I can walk and exercise but I always seem to stay at 190. I plan on taking ozempic or one of the WLDs as soon as my insurance kicks in next month. I would ideally like to get down to 150. 

 

Kilroy you are exactly who I am asking about.  You are not 'obese' but need to shed 25 or 30 pounds.  I have family members and friends just in this scenario taking Semaglutide.  Pharmaceuticals have a cost vs benefit ratio, by ingesting said drug does the benefit outweigh any side effect?  That is the metric right?  If obese, with heart disease and diabetes then yes....but normal vitals and blood sugar but want to lose the extra 15-20 lbs?  That seems wild to me. 

[KSB2424 3,148]

I guess what I am getting at is that while I understand the upside to this pharmaceutical drug, I fear it is being over-prescribed and in 5 to 10 years time we will all agree.  

[Voltaire 5,181]

I'm learning more from this thread than I realized.... one surprise is how many people heard of this and know WTF they're talking about.

I could stand to lose about 80 pounds. Since I'm always behind the times in all things anyways, I'll give you guys five years to see how much cancer you get and maybe look into this myself.

[HB Localboy 121]

24 minutes ago, Voltaire said:

I'm learning more from this thread than I realized.... one surprise is how many people heard of this and know WTF they're talking about.

I could stand to lose about 80 pounds. Since I'm always behind the times in all things anyways, I'll give you guys five years to see how much cancer you get and maybe look into this myself.

YEP!

 

IT'S POISON!  

[shorepatrol 1,870]

2 hours ago, jerryskids said:

Ozempic is a tough one. 

No it's not. It's poison 

[shorepatrol 1,870]

1 hour ago, Reality said:

it's not this simple anymore.

My man, it's very simple. Fat lazy pukes always look for the easy way out of being fat lazy pukes. If you make excuses or look for an easy way out of being a fat POS you will always be a fat, lazy POS. This topic is insane to me. None of this was an issue 60 years ago for a reason

[easilyscan 855]

1 hour ago, Gepetto said:

I was maybe 7 pounds heavier at my last Doctor appt and my doctor brings up how great Ozempic works and how so many of his patients and family members take it. It suppresses appetite. I can eat less and/or better without Ozempic. It's an injection once a week and expensive. I'm thinking the makers of Ozempic hire really good Pharmaceutical reps who are pushing doctors hard to prescribe it.

[BeenHereBefore 1,447]

2 hours ago, KSB2424 said:

Kilroy you are exactly who I am asking about.  You are not 'obese' but need to shed 25 or 30 pounds.  I have family members and friends just in this scenario taking Semaglutide.  Pharmaceuticals have a cost vs benefit ratio, by ingesting said drug does the benefit outweigh any side effect?  That is the metric right?  If obese, with heart disease and diabetes then yes....but normal vitals and blood sugar but want to lose the extra 15-20 lbs?  That seems wild to me. 

You Don't need that crap to ;lose weight, When I put on a few pounds I just cut don't of some of that bad food I eat and fast a about 4 hours when I get up, after a few weeks the pounds are gone. Of course I workout with weights 3 or 4 days a week hard. 25 to 30 lbs can easily be lost in 3 months or less the right way. I wouldn't trust that drug.

[seafoam1 2,797]

51 minutes ago, BeenHereBefore said:

You Don't need that crap to ;lose weight, When I put on a few pounds I just cut don't of some of that bad food I eat and fast a about 4 hours when I get up, after a few weeks the pounds are gone. Of course I workout with weights 3 or 4 days a week hard. 25 to 30 lbs can easily be lost in 3 months or less the right way. I wouldn't trust that drug.

Losing weight is mostly about being boring. Eat a good amount but earlier in the day and eat healthy as hell. Oatmeal, maybe some toast with olive oil, salads, lean meats. Avocados, berries, etc...

Work out cardio for an hour or two a day at least 5 days a week. Not just one type of cardio like walking only. But get on a stationary bike and or a rower and do 20-30 minutes of interval training each day. 

That's the easiest way in the world to do it for me. Once you get into a routine, set it and forget it.

I have to do double though. Because I like beer.  

[MLCKAA 540]

10 hours ago, jerryskids said:

On the negative side, it doesn't make you eat healthier food, just eat less of the shiot food you were already eating.  So if you used to eat a double quarter pounder, now you only eat a single.  So you aren't getting the other health benefits of eating healthy food.

 

Probably true for a lot of people, but not all.  Mrs. MLCKAA has let herself go and started taking Wegovy 8 weeks ago.  She’s lost 15 lbs so far.  For her it’s def not like going from a double cheeseburger to a single.  She has no appetite at all and that’s with telling her doc she wants to stay at a low dose to lose slowly.

I’d say she’s eating 20% less food than her 5’6” frame requires.  There have been days when she’s come home from work and reported eating nothing all day and I have to insist she eat dinner.  Certainly a weird medication.

[MLCKAA 540]

8 hours ago, Voltaire said:

I'm learning more from this thread than I realized.... one surprise is how many people heard of this and know WTF they're talking about.

I could stand to lose about 80 pounds. Since I'm always behind the times in all things anyways, I'll give you guys five years to see how much cancer you get and maybe look into this myself.

Always pictured you as thin.  

[Maximum Overkill 1,738]

I wouldn't put that crap in my body. Don't be lazy, do it the right way. Eat well, exercise and take care of yourself. 

Americans are lazy though, they want a quick hit. 

[listen2me 23 1,825]

Eat less.  Eat better.  

HTH

[MTSkiBum 1,620]

Amazing drug, I think it will be prescribed much more in the future than now.

 

The side effects are well known and glp-1's have been on the market for 20 years for diabetes. The only thing that is new is using them for weight loss.

There is a slight cancer risk they are studying but it is difficult because being overweight is also a cancer risk. The studies performed so far have been inconclusive.

Practically all drugs have side effects it is just the pros outweigh the cons.

 

[avoiding injuries 1,505]

I’ve seen more than a few women who are taking it become anorexic. They look terrible. All the tissue in their cheeks has been reduced making them look skeletal. Same with the arms and legs, their elbows and knees just gives them a funny, unattractive look. 
I read somewhere that bone density is compromised by long term use which can lead to osteoporosis later in life. 
It has its advantages for some people, but definitely overused and abused by the mass. 

[Mike Hunt 261]

My aunt lives in Austin and is a somewhat attractive woman for her age but has always been 30-40 lbs overweight.

 

I only see her 1-2 times a year, had not seen her in maybe 8 months when we went to her home, when I walked in, I was shocked. Did not look like the same person as she had lost at least 40 lbs. if not more, she looked great.

We stayed with her for 2 days and in those 2 days she barely ate.  First night we she wanted to take us to a steakhouse, she did not order an entree, got a side salad and a baked potato, ate most of the salad and maybe 1/4 of the potato.

Next morning we went out for breakfast and while everyone was eating, she had coffee and an order of toast that she ate 1 piece.  That night at her home she made a great spread for us and a couple others, lots of apps.  I watched her and she just nibbled. Then had a couple vodka and sodas and was pretty loaded.

I talked to her and asked if she was OK and she told me she had never been able to lose weight and was on Ozempic, and rotating it with another of the same type.  When she is on it, she said she has no desire at all for food.  Has to force herself to eat.  Put filet and lobster in front of her and said she can`t eat it. 

She loves the way she looks not but not sure this is a long term healthy solution. 

[Mike Honcho 5,080]

11 hours ago, KSB2424 said:

Kilroy you are exactly who I am asking about.  You are not 'obese' but need to shed 25 or 30 pounds.  I have family members and friends just in this scenario taking Semaglutide.  Pharmaceuticals have a cost vs benefit ratio, by ingesting said drug does the benefit outweigh any side effect?  That is the metric right?  If obese, with heart disease and diabetes then yes....but normal vitals and blood sugar but want to lose the extra 15-20 lbs?  That seems wild to me. 

Schmuck

[Hawkeye21 2,379]

I love food but I also have no issues fasting.  Food is not my problem, it's the drinking.  If I quit drinking and got some more exercise I bet I could lose 30lbs pretty quickly.

[patweisers44 815]

Its also provides heart and cardiovascular benefits.

[Cdub100 3,824]

We eat way too much as is. The food we eat is also calorie rich. 

Mike's aunt is a good example. We can live good lives on way less calories. But we don't. 

Eating releases dopamine. Food taste good. Our bodies naturally want to over eat and put on fat. Eating is a social and fun thing to do. 

i see pictures from the 70s and look around now and we have a big problem. 

I think this drug is safe (been around for decades) and we are just scratching the surface when it comes to peptides. 

I take BPC157 for injuries and it's like a wonder drug. 

[Strike 5,182]

A guy at my work lost like 140 pounds in about a year on one of those drugs, not sure if it was Ozempic.   He was extremely obese  He hadn't been in the office in months so one day when he was there and i saw him I was like "holy fock" because he looked so good.  He was ecstatic about the changes/benefits.  He retired about a month ago so he's gonna have a better retirement as a result of one of these drugs.  Another coworker started on one recently and is already seeing some benefit.  So yeah I think these drugs have a place, especially for the extremely obese, but hopefully those who take them will also start some sort of exercise program and/or healthier diet.  Regardless, after seeing the pep in the step of the guy who retired after losing so much weight I am sold.

[kilroy69 1,215]

Everyone has different ways to lose weight. some of you are saying caloric deficit. That is what these WLDs do. They put you into a caloric deficit by suppressing your appetite.  I do not care if you call me lazy or not. I am ok with taking an injection and just losing the fat because I forget to eat for 3 months. Then working on a healthy eating plan in the meantime. 

 

There will be a time when being fat shows you have no insurance. These WLDs will be covered as preventive care. 

[HB Localboy 121]

Don't trust anything made in a laboratory!!!

Big Pharma 

 

God put everything we need on this planet in his grand design.  Trust Nature!

The Devil made BIG PHARMA!

 

Surprised how many people put poison made in a lab from the devils hand in their body.  

[TBayXXXVII 2,480]

14 hours ago, KSB2424 said:

Prescription medication used to treat type 2 diabetes in adults. It works by mimicking a natural hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).  However people are taking it like candy for weight loss.  I know friends who are not obese but just a bit overweight taking this stuff.  Is it a miracle drug or what's the catch?  There is always a catch....No?

And no, I am not taking it, nor thinking about it.  I am not perfect (unlike most Geeks) and have my own issues but weight loss is not one of them.  I am genuinely concerned for some of my loved ones and friends.  

It's going to come out a few years from now this stuff causes cancer or some disease isn't it? 

You should never take chemicals for what normal habits could accomplish.

[TheNewGirl 1,339]

It basically forces you to go into a massive caloric deficit. Turns off food "noise," slows gastric emptying. So...you just don't eat because you're not hungry. Side effects include constipation because your stomach is emptying slower, but also lots of nausea. Depending on how much nausea you can take, some times you vomit. You're losing muscle mass if you aren't exercising/lifting. Our bodies don't "burn fat" easily, it goes after muscle first. 

I was on it for 9 weeks and lost nothing. I felt sick the entire time. I was tired, and my hair started to feel thinner. 

My husband has been on Tirzepitide and lost over 40 pounds in about 12 weeks. His face looks drawn, and his hair also looks thinner. He's 6'8" and started around 320, he's probably around 290 or 280 now, I don't ask. 

it's expensive and in order to keep the weight off, you have to stay on it; normal dose or micro dose. Forever. Unless you also learn to change food habits. 

Going off of it *should* bring back the appetite and food noise. Not to mention, if you aren't exercising, mainly strength training to build muscle, you will gain more weight back. I didn't lose anything, so I didn't really notice any more gain when I went off of it, but I also maintained my exercise routine during those 9 weeks. I just couldn't take feeling so sick all the time. 

[TBayXXXVII 2,480]

You should ALWAYS look for ways to lose weight in a healthy, metered, productive way.  If you eat healthy (and no, not just vegetables), but have the proper diet of quality protein, carbs, and fats, while exercising, you WILL lose weight AND add muscle.  Both of those are the ideal outcomes you want.  If you are very heavy and do stuff like medication or crash diets and what not, odds are the act isn't going to stick.  There WILL be side affects that make you quit.  The rebound will be worse than your starting point.  A healthier lifestyle WILL make you feel better and keeping up with that process WILL be desired.

The added perk is your appearance in the form of skin.  When you lose large amounts of weight in short period of time, your skin doesn't tighten.  You get saggy skin.  If you do it slowly, your body adjusts and tightens.

Other perks are a healthier body, lower medicals bills, no chemical dependency, and no other chemicals will need to be added to counterman side affects.

 

You want better national healthcare, have everyone take care of their bodies and be prudent in diet and exercise.  Watch how fast everyone's and the nations medical costs plummet.