Ozempic is Reshaping the Fast Food Industry (philippdubach.com) 112
New research from Cornell University has tracked how households change their spending after someone starts taking GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, and the numbers are material enough to explain why food industry earnings calls keep blaming everything except the obvious culprit.
The study analyzed transaction data from 150,000 households linked to survey responses on medication adoption. Households cut grocery spending by 5.3% within six months of a member starting GLP-1s; high-income households cut by 8.2%. Fast food spending fell 8.0%. Savory snacks took the biggest hit at 10.1%, followed by sweets and baked goods. Yogurt was the only category to see a statistically significant increase.
As of July 2024, 16.3% of U.S. households had at least one GLP-1 user. Nearly half of adopters reported taking the medication specifically for weight loss rather than diabetes management. About 34% of users discontinue within the sample period, and when they stop, candy and chocolate purchases rise 11.4% above pre-adoption levels.
Further reading: Weighing the Cost of Smaller Appetites.
The study analyzed transaction data from 150,000 households linked to survey responses on medication adoption. Households cut grocery spending by 5.3% within six months of a member starting GLP-1s; high-income households cut by 8.2%. Fast food spending fell 8.0%. Savory snacks took the biggest hit at 10.1%, followed by sweets and baked goods. Yogurt was the only category to see a statistically significant increase.
As of July 2024, 16.3% of U.S. households had at least one GLP-1 user. Nearly half of adopters reported taking the medication specifically for weight loss rather than diabetes management. About 34% of users discontinue within the sample period, and when they stop, candy and chocolate purchases rise 11.4% above pre-adoption levels.
Further reading: Weighing the Cost of Smaller Appetites.
Kraft to aquire Novo-Nordsk (Score:5, Funny)
They could offer one-size-fits all subscription, each month you could choose how much Ozempic you wanted vs. plastic-wrapped sugar and salted potatoes.
Recognizing Greatness. (Score:1)
Nearly half of adopters reported taking the medication specifically for weight loss rather than diabetes management.
* wide eye *
* side eye *
* snort *
In the category of Most Laughable Statistic, the reported results of "Do you masturbate?" was just dethroned.
In other news, diabetes statistics around the 90210 area code have oddly spiked 7,327% in one year..
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Technically obesity is causal to type 2 diabetes.
So GLP-1 is prophylaxis for diabetes.
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Correct. And diabetes can be reversed.
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Unfortunately only to an extent. A lot of tissue damage it causes is permanent.
And of course it does nothing to type 1, which is an autoimmune disease, not a lifestyle caused one.
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How many weeks of fasting or keto? Asking not for a friend, but for non-general data.
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Technically, both are caused by the same underlying metabolic disorder, which is in turn caused by overconsumption of carbohydrates.
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Weight loss IS diabetes management.
The statistic is a side effect of terminology combined with general stupidity. The drug, even though identical, has different names for different medical justifications.
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They have somewhat different titration schedules despite the same active ingredient, due to addressing different-but-tightly-related conditions.
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Are you saying diabetes and obesity are fake? Self-inflicted? Both? What is the point of your comment?
I'd say it's more accurate that you resent other people receiving benefits that you aren't. We are talking about a serious health problem impacting a huge portion of society here, you're talking about conspiracy theories.
Re: Recognizing Greatness. (Score:1)
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Of course, major food conglomerates will fight that tooth and nail as it would reduce profits.
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I'm sure you thought that was funny but that's not how GLP-1 works - as someone who has used it specifically for weight loss.
You only loose weight by increasing the dosage there are obvious plateaus to the dosages with the highest giving the smallest weight decrease.
Holding at a dosage only helps with diabetes (shocking the primary effect is an increase of insulin that can be maintained over time).
Micro dosses or the lowest level prescribed does not cause weight loss it only increases insulin marginally and
It is treating the underlying cause (Score:3)
In as much as it can. An out of control appetite is the underlying cause. Them forcing themselves into what their body considers a starvation diet is only treating a surface symptom, and it is not effective, causing debilitating side effects like extreme hunger and lethargy.
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In as much as it can. An out of control appetite is the underlying cause. Them forcing themselves into what their body considers a starvation diet is only treating a surface symptom, and it is not effective, causing debilitating side effects like extreme hunger and lethargy.
Exercise and regular fasting partially or fully reverses diabetes for many people, and significantly decreases mortality rates for almost all causes across all populations.
Best of all, exercise and regular fasting are free, environmentally sustainable, and personally empowering.
Hunger and lethargy are normal side effects during the adaptation period, just like when you start exercising, the first several weeks your muscles will be sore, you'll feel very sweaty, will feel short of breath and rapid of pulse,
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I thought I'd seen some recent studies, maybe even posted here in Slashdot...that they were finding intermittent fasting to be harmful to people....decreasing life spans, etc?
It was kinda shocking to me as that I'd done it in the past with some success....I don't have the articles at hand but I do recall recently seeing studies like that....have you seen those?
Thoughts?
The medical research on fasting is overwhelmingly positive. Not just as some new health trend that will be retracted 5 years later, but studies done in multiple different populations, conducted at different times for the past few decades. It's not some maybe-sorta thing based on one experiment that hasn't been replicated. Fasting shows consistent empirical benefit across a broad swath of life forms, from simple worms to rats to humans.
It ameliorates obesity and decreases diabetic insulin resistance. In fa
Re:It is treating the underlying cause (Score:5, Insightful)
Tell me you haven't used GLP-1 drugs without telling me you haven't used them. You probably also don't need them. I use one for control of diabetes. I'm also a big fat-ass. When I started using Mounjaro, I weighed 440 lbs. A year later, I weigh 370 lbs. A year from now, I'll likely weigh something like 300 lbs. If I stopped taking Mounjaro, would I gain back some weight? Sure, probably. Do I give a rat's ass? No. Absolutely not. I have never found any way to successfully lose significant amounts of weight. I've been able to occasionally take off 20 or 30 lbs, but it always came back and then some. With this, the underlying cause IS addressed, which is the unending appetite. GLP-1's work great at suppressing appetite, which is exactly what I need. I don't need someone trying to shame me into being hungry all the time. If I had the ability to walk around hungry to lose weight, I wouldn't weigh more than 300 lbs.
As far as having side effects like extreme hunger and lethargy, that's bullshit. First, you don't get extreme hunger. Your hunger is suppressed. If you don't eat anything for a few days, then, yes, you'll get extreme hunger, but that's pretty easy to prevent. Just make sure to eat once in a while. You also won't get lethargy because you still have plenty of energy stored in your fat cells. Your body will start to burn them readily, which is nice. And, you do have eat something. You'll get low blood sugar and get nauseated if you don't eat the occasional carb a few times a day. That's sort of the minimum. And, of course, you'll want to eat a bunch of protein and fiber because they fill you up, keep you regular (very important when you're eating so much less), and the protein keeps you from losing too much muscle.
As far as this not being a cure, in the sense that I'll likely have to keep using it for life goes: I do not give even the slightest hint of the tiniest fuck imaginable. It sure beats the Hell out of being fat. I mean, honestly, I'll take a weekly injection for life and lots of weight loss over having full-blown diabetes, extremely high blood pressure, pain, suffering, and all the other problems with weighing over 400 lbs. any day of the week.
If you're curious, I do get a few side effects. The main one is that I get a bit nauseated for about 20 hours or so starting about 12 hours after the injection. I sleep through like half of it. I'll take that over the alternative. And, after I've gotten the weight down and gotten the diabetes under full control (the latter has already happened), I'll be able to go down to a lower maintenance dose and likely even that side effect will disappear. The other side effect is that every few months, I'll hit a nerve or something with the needle and my leg'll be sore for a few days. It's pretty rare, though, and I don't care. I have pain killers for chronic pain that I can take if I need to. No big deal at all.
Also, what's with people thinking that there's some kind of nobility in losing the weight through diet and exercise alone? Why does that make you better? Oh wait, it doesn't. And, honestly, unless you have, at some point in your life, weighed over 400 lbs., your opinions on how to lose weight are worth less than nothing. You just don't know what you're talking about at all. No amount of willpower is permanent, which is why diet and exercise so rarely work. If that really was the answer, then no one would need any help to lose weight. We'd all know how to do it and then do it. It'd be easy. There'd be step by step guides that you could just follow and it'd work for everyone.
There are such guides, you say. Nonsense. I've followed those guides and they're bullshit. They might work for you, but not for me and not for most people like me. For people like me, the feeling of hunger is enough to move mountains. I've literally never gone to bed hungry. Not because I'm rich or a pussy or anything like that, but because I cannot fall asleep hungry. I will be forced awake all night long. I know. I've tried. It's that kind of shit that makes willpow
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Glad it's working for you mate. This is a "new" drug so I'd keep an eye on the medical news as a subject of a continuing experiment that all drugs are.
I need something similar for alcohol. Cravings suck. Physical and psychological. I notice I reach for alcohol out of habit and in times of stress. Answer to stress is learning to relax, I have to practice relaxing as my ADHD brain prefers stimulation. For habit, I am trying to make healthier habits.
Hope you are getting exercise too, that will help loads. The
I think you are reading my comment backwards. (Score:2)
The "extreme hunger and lethargy" I mentioned are side effects of dieting. My comment was that GLP-1 drugs ARE treating the underlying cause of obesity - that underlying cause is hunger, which GP-1 treats.
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"Are you saying diabetes and obesity are fake? Self-inflicted?"
Neither are fake. Type 2 diabetes is often (but not always) due to obesity. Bring down the weight and the diabetes goes away or is much reproduced and easier to keep under control.
As for self-inflicted, the great debate is how much control do you have over what you eat. In theory unless confined to an institution you have complete control. But the food industry has had great success with various Advanced Food Substitutes that short circuit the b
what about later discontinuance? (Score:2)
"About 34% of users discontinue within the sample period, and when they stop, candy and chocolate purchases rise 11.4% above pre-adoption levels."
Ok, but what about the people who discontinue use later? Most of them gain most of the weight back, some gain back more, most of these are probably also eating fast food.
I have an alternate theory, it's the economy stupid. After people go broke with Rx copay they and as costs increase they can't afford to go back to their old habits, except the higher income house
And a new Sport (Score:2)
An Ozempic Assleet.
On a more serious note I use small bouts of fasting, like skipping a meal, which helps in keeping both under control. You also get mental clarity. This helped me avoid the diabetes my siblings acquired.
Kewl story, you're also cancer free without chemo (Score:5, Insightful)
An Ozempic Assleet.
On a more serious note I use small bouts of fasting, like skipping a meal, which helps in keeping both under control. You also get mental clarity. This helped me avoid the diabetes my siblings acquired.
Happy for you, but fuck off. If it were that simple, we'd have a lot less fatties. It's easier to quit smoking/heroin/cocaine/opiates than to lose weight and keep it off. Biology is non deterministic. For me, to get above 6' tall, I just had to eat right...does that mean everyone shorter than me is a fuckup?
/. feel better about themselves to shit on the fat. In fairness, I'll concede, a huge portion of the fat community are reckless and make bad choices. This is very much true for those who were skinny as kids and got fat as adults. But if you remember from school, there were quite a few fat kids....
Look the narrative is fat people are fuckups who can't control themselves. I know it certainly makes most of
Most fat people are not stupid...especially those who have been fat all their lives. Being fat sucks. Most would rather give up cake and beer and carbs than look like that. Eventually fatties hit 40 and the health issues go from a theoretical concern to a realistic one. Most gave up the happy horseshit long before then. They do everything right and they're thinner than before, but nowhere near where they need to be...because genetics are a bitch. The same forces that made them fat kids, despite eating less than their peers, is making them fat throughout their lives. It runs in my family. Even cousins I never see are all mega fat to chubby....no obvious cause. Most obsess about diets and most workout. I eat and workout like a psycho and am chubby....I assure you I fast longer than you and workout nearly daily....but it's a lot harder for me to look mediocre than for most and presumably you.
GLP-1 meds are a lifesaver for people with fucked up genetics. My hunger signaling is completely fucked and always has been. My metabolism is greedy in retaining fat. For most, losing weight simply is a matter of fasting and working out. I lost 50 lbs in the pandemic doing so...then it started creeping back up. I fasted longer, worked out harder, ate more precisely and carefully, but what made for a deficit in 2021 led to the scale creeping up in 2025. Most people who are fat all their life have similar effects. Again...I might not even qualify as fat. I can see my toes and my dick and have no ED/diabetes. I look mostly normal with my shirt on, but my bodyfat is high.
Many have it worse than me. I have friend and family who are just as diligent as I am and moreso and fatter. Most have it better. Drugs suck. GLP meds have a lot of side effects. They're expensive AF, need to refrigerated, and NO ONE WANTS to inject themselves with needles. If people could just cut the carbs and skip breakfast and maintain a healthy weight, everyone would do that, especially those over 40 who are getting told daily by their doctor and family that they're at risk of death if they don't fix it. As nice as food and beer are, most of us prefer getting laid...sleeping better....having less body and joint pain....leaving the Dr's office without a feeling of deep shame.
Remember, if you're willing to deal with the shittiness of GLP meds, you've tried everything else. If you're too fat and lazy to cut the beer and ice cream, you're probably not willing to pay a fortune to stick yourself with needles.
Telling the GLP-1 patients you're not fat because you skip breakfast is like bragging to people in a cancer ward that you're cancer-free without chemo.
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It is that simple. Stop stuffing your face to exploding at every opportunity. I know society makes it hard, but don't shovel in the portions they sell you.
I quit opiates, it really is as simple as stopping. The hard part comes before that: Deciding you're really done with the behavior.
Re:Kewl story, you're also cancer free without che (Score:4, Funny)
Wow, if only overweight people had an appetite as big as your level of reading comprehension, no one would be overweight.
Re:Kewl story, you're also cancer free without che (Score:4, Insightful)
It is that simple. Stop stuffing your face to exploding at every opportunity. I know society makes it hard, but don't shovel in the portions they sell you.
I quit opiates, it really is as simple as stopping. The hard part comes before that: Deciding you're really done with the behavior.
BS
You can quit dope completely; I did almost 40 years ago.
You can't quit food completely.
Losing weight and keeping it off is a hell of a lot harder than getting clean and sober.
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It is that simple. Stop stuffing your face to exploding at every opportunity. I know society makes it hard, but don't shovel in the portions they sell you.
Everything in life sounds simple when you're a complete ignorant moron. We have ample scientific evidence to show what you said is not true. I'd link it but let's face it, that you still come up with that line on this forum means not only are you not interested in how things work, but you've actively ignored being corrected the many times this has been discussed in the past.
At least obese people are nice, you're just an arsehole hiding your arseholishness behind your own ignorance. Try and be a better perso
More quit opiates than lose weight. (Score:2)
It is that simple. Stop stuffing your face to exploding at every opportunity. I know society makes it hard, but don't shovel in the portions they sell you.
I quit opiates, it really is as simple as stopping. The hard part comes before that: Deciding you're really done with the behavior.
If it were that simple, losing weight would be easier than quitting a fucking addictive drug, like opiates. More people quit smoking than lose weight. Doesn't that strike you as odd? I'm happy for you that you quit opiates, but that was your secret, like most drug addictions. Only those close to you knew you abusing. If. you're fat?...well, EVERY FUCKING PERSON can see you're fat. Are you really that dense? It's not behavior for a huge portion of the population, ESPECIALLY those who need GLP-1.
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three quarters of Americans are overweight or obese, so apparently not getting fat requires exceptional willpower, if it is all down to that.
In reality I think it's largely down to a lot of low quality food that is designed to be addictive, and once your body gets used to it, it very much doesn't want the calories to go away because not that long ago starvation was a real threat to most humans.
The food industry needs to adapt. Make food for people on GLP meds, focusing on the health benefits like nutrition.
I'd wager stress is stronger (Score:2)
three quarters of Americans are overweight or obese, so apparently not getting fat requires exceptional willpower, if it is all down to that.
In reality I think it's largely down to a lot of low quality food that is designed to be addictive, and once your body gets used to it, it very much doesn't want the calories to go away because not that long ago starvation was a real threat to most humans.
The food industry needs to adapt. Make food for people on GLP meds, focusing on the health benefits like nutrition.
Your assertion is reasonable. However, I don't think there's anything unique about American food. Also, obesity rates seem to be rising, so I don't think any changes to American food are recent. The corn syrup switch happened long before most of us were born. But...if you were right, you'd be able to see trends increase based on specific changes in food supply. Also, while countries like France allegedly eat high quality food, on average, I refuse to believe the entire world does. If you were right, w
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US food is quite different to European food. There are different standards for what is acceptable, with the US seeing more cases of food poisoning as a result. The types of food are quite different too though.
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An Ozempic Assleet.
On a more serious note I use small bouts of fasting, like skipping a meal, which helps in keeping both under control. You also get mental clarity. This helped me avoid the diabetes my siblings acquired.
Happy for you, but fuck off. If it were that simple, we'd have a lot less fatties. It's easier to quit smoking/heroin/cocaine/opiates than to lose weight and keep it off. Biology is non deterministic. For me, to get above 6' tall, I just had to eat right...does that mean everyone shorter than me is a fuckup?
/. feel better about themselves to shit on the fat. In fairness, I'll concede, a huge portion of the fat community are reckless and make bad choices. This is very much true for those who were skinny as kids and got fat as adults. But if you remember from school, there were quite a few fat kids....
Look the narrative is fat people are fuckups who can't control themselves. I know it certainly makes most of
Most fat people are not stupid...especially those who have been fat all their lives. Being fat sucks. Most would rather give up cake and beer and carbs than look like that. Eventually fatties hit 40 and the health issues go from a theoretical concern to a realistic one. Most gave up the happy horseshit long before then. They do everything right and they're thinner than before, but nowhere near where they need to be...because genetics are a bitch. The same forces that made them fat kids, despite eating less than their peers, is making them fat throughout their lives. It runs in my family. Even cousins I never see are all mega fat to chubby....no obvious cause. Most obsess about diets and most workout. I eat and workout like a psycho and am chubby....I assure you I fast longer than you and workout nearly daily....but it's a lot harder for me to look mediocre than for most and presumably you.
GLP-1 meds are a lifesaver for people with fucked up genetics. My hunger signaling is completely fucked and always has been. My metabolism is greedy in retaining fat. For most, losing weight simply is a matter of fasting and working out. I lost 50 lbs in the pandemic doing so...then it started creeping back up. I fasted longer, worked out harder, ate more precisely and carefully, but what made for a deficit in 2021 led to the scale creeping up in 2025. Most people who are fat all their life have similar effects. Again...I might not even qualify as fat. I can see my toes and my dick and have no ED/diabetes. I look mostly normal with my shirt on, but my bodyfat is high.
Many have it worse than me. I have friend and family who are just as diligent as I am and moreso and fatter. Most have it better. Drugs suck. GLP meds have a lot of side effects. They're expensive AF, need to refrigerated, and NO ONE WANTS to inject themselves with needles. If people could just cut the carbs and skip breakfast and maintain a healthy weight, everyone would do that, especially those over 40 who are getting told daily by their doctor and family that they're at risk of death if they don't fix it. As nice as food and beer are, most of us prefer getting laid...sleeping better....having less body and joint pain....leaving the Dr's office without a feeling of deep shame.
Remember, if you're willing to deal with the shittiness of GLP meds, you've tried everything else. If you're too fat and lazy to cut the beer and ice cream, you're probably not willing to pay a fortune to stick yourself with needles.
Telling the GLP-1 patients you're not fat because you skip breakfast is like bragging to people in a cancer ward that you're cancer-free without chemo.
This.
GLP-1s are most beneficial for people who don't produce the hormones that normal people produce (or at least not enough of them). People with type 2 Diabetes are more often than not constantly hungry because their body literally doesn't produce the hormones that tell them they're not hungry. Hence one of the reaons GLP-1s are so effective at reducing HBA1C results (your long term blood sugar). They're the medications that are finally helping diabetics make and keep lifestyle changes.
There are a
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It's easier to quit smoking/heroin/cocaine/opiates than to lose weight and keep it off.
That is not entirely true. Long story short, remove sugars and carbohydrates from your diet and excess weight is shed at about 5 pounds per week.
The "trick" is to choose foods that you can eat rather than trying to stop yourself from eating random foods. I like chicken breasts and eggs and they do not have excess sugars or carbohydrates so, I planned my meals around those. The first week ended in extreme misery as I went into sugar withdrawals (yes, sugar is effectively a drug). The second week ended with m
Tell that to cancer patients (Score:3)
It's easier to quit smoking/heroin/cocaine/opiates than to lose weight and keep it off.
That is not entirely true. Long story short, remove sugars and carbohydrates from your diet and excess weight is shed at about 5 pounds per week.
The "trick" is to choose foods that you can eat rather than trying to stop yourself from eating random foods. I like chicken breasts and eggs and they do not have excess sugars or carbohydrates so, I planned my meals around those. The first week ended in extreme misery as I went into sugar withdrawals (yes, sugar is effectively a drug). The second week ended with me feeling more alert and aware than ever before and 5 pounds lost. Every week thereafter, I lost 5 pounds until I relaxed my dietary restrictions on sugars and carbohydrates.
At no point did I restrict the amount I ate, just the type of foods. I never felt hungry or anything. Still lost 5 pounds a week.
It is simple, but hard.
My original assertion is statistically true. More people smoke and quit than the current US obesity rate. The vast majority of smokers quit permanently in their lifetime...same with cocaine, alcohol and heroin. If you're over 30, you've known dozens of friends who partied way too hard in college and everyone was worried about them. They grow up and clean up their act, especially from drinking. Only a small percentage remain long-term addicts.
However, the bigger point is you're talking about yourse
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Is everything ok at home? I was making a joke about how "Ozempic" sounds like "Olympic" FFS and then pointing out what worked for me. My Achilles tendon has ruptured four times this year and I CAN'T work out right now even though I want to, I have to fast to control my weight.
Happy for you, but fuck off. If it were that simple, we'd have a lot less fatties.
Junk food companies pour billions of dollars into marketing and employ teams of psychologist to get people to eat. If we had less advertising, we'd have a lot less fatties is probably a more reasonable argument.
It's easier to quit smoking/heroin/cocaine/opiates than to lose weight and keep it off
Having withdrawn fro
It's not hoplessness, it's correct treatment (Score:2)
No it isn't. Being fat isn't cancer, it's being fat. Some people have excuses and others have reasons but to compare being fat to cancer is a lie designed to draw people into your hopelessness by telling them there is nothing they can do.
Obesity has a behavioral and genetic component, just like cancer. Some heavy smokers thrive past their 80s, most don't. However, cancer is better understood because it is more fatal and people take it seriously. Most assholes think every fat person is just a slob. And a lot of assholes on /. thing "well, I lost 30lbs by cutting beer and switching to diet soda"..."If I can do it, all the fatties can." And a few assholes do that whole "well there were no lardos in the concentration camps."
Am I hopeless
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Look the narrative is fat people are fuckups who can't control themselves.
And that narrative wouldn't survive if there weren't a grain of truth to it.
I've gone through rather hard times, and gained weight. For my standards, a LOT of weight. But I still fit in a regular-size seat and some of my old clothes still fit. In order to become the double-width, door-blocking behemoth that too many have become takes a lot more than not eating healthy enough. And no, it's not explained away by genetics. ALL of our bodies are programmed to look for and store excess calories for bad times. So
But you're also not a GLP-1 patient (Score:2)
Uh, no. Most people are unwilling to change their habits beyond token measures.
Myself included. I should use that gym membership a lot more than I do. But I don't blame it on genetics, I blame it on my (temporarily) shit life and inability to get my lazy ass up and just go.
The major difference is you're not on GLP-1 drugs. People who don't give a fuck, don't bother. If you're spending the money and going through the hassle of Ozempic, you care more than most. I do agree that if someone is 500lbs, there's a greater behavioral component than someone who's 50lbs overweight. However, people who are 500lbs overweight know they are causing the issue.
There are lazy, fat fucks out here. However, there are also lots of medically overweight individuals who are doing everything
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However, there are also lots of medically overweight individuals who are doing everything you aspire to do.
I doubt that. I think "genetics" or "medical issues" are a useful excuse more often than they are the actual reason. The known genetics that cause serious obesity are all in the range of "one in thousands", if not ten-thousands.
I'm not saying it's all the fault of the fat people. There is a HUGE part of the blame going to the food industry that creates and promotes stuff that is outright hostile to our health. There is another big share going to fast food and cinemas and other food establishments claiming o
but is that due to bad science/medicine? (Score:2)
I doubt that. I think "genetics" or "medical issues" are a useful excuse more often than they are the actual reason. The known genetics that cause serious obesity are all in the range of "one in thousands", if not ten-thousands.
Well, I'll repeat my argument. Overeating, smoking, and alcoholism are all legal vices. Anything you'd say about smoking applies to overeating. Why don't we similar patterns? There's a lot more shame to being fat than a drunk for most. Everyone can see you're fat. Every other vice is easier to hide. You would assume similar patterns for quitting one bad behavior vs another. Obviously some drugs are harder to kick than others, but the patterns are similar from the data I've seen. Most addictions are
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Anything you'd say about smoking applies to overeating. Why don't we similar patterns?
Oh, we couldn't agree more. I think smoking should be outright illegal and all tabaco companies need to be dissolved and nicotin added to the list of drugs right next to heroin and cocaine. And while I don't feel so strongly about alcohol, I do think that getting drunk should be shameful, not somehow "cool".
Why aren't they going through the same cycle? Recurring addicts are a rarity. Perpetually dieting fat people are the norm.
Because there's a whole industry built on diets, which all intentionally do not work because if you just withhold nutrition from the body, the thing your body learns is: "Food isn't always available. The
I 'll bite this hook (Score:2)
Why is the obesity rate so much higher in the USA than pretty much anywhere else?
So many victims...
Drill into the stats for the answer, we barely are (Score:2)
Why is the obesity rate so much higher in the USA than pretty much anywhere else? So many victims...
Why?...because it's a misleading stat. First of all, we're not the highest. However, a huge factor is our diversity. Depending on the study you look at, Caucasians in the USA would end up right in the middle of European obesity stats. Higher than Italy & Greece and lower than Eastern Europe. Look at Chinese immigrants. I found out recently that people in mainland china are very slightly more overweight than Chinese Americans and Chinese Americans have 1/3 the obesity rate of white Americans.
Does that include Tacos? (Score:2)
I only ask because about 80% of the Ozempic used in the USA is made in...
Denmark.
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TACO
I see what you did there.
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If tirzapetide is better by all measures, why are they taking the other one?
This pairs with why people gain weight off it. (Score:2)
Ignoring the cost aspect, if you're not hungry, and you don't have
I take Ozempic (Score:5, Interesting)
I take Ozempic for diabetes. It costs me $5 a month with my coverage. It absolutely cratered my appetite.
Fast food was indeed one of the casualties from that. I can't even count on finishing a cheeseburger, one of the small ones, much less a double, big Mac, with fries and soda.
A couple slices of ham or turkey does it these days.
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Re: I take Ozempic (Score:2)
If you're in Canada, isn't your universal health care supposed to pay for that? Or do they just prescribe Lizzo?
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Re: I take Ozempic (Score:2)
Cheese...so what does somebody like me with a kidney transplant do there? The meds aren't cheap to make due to only niche demand, even though they're generic and long off-patent. I've been through three different insurance companies and not one has ever made me pay more than $10 per month, which is over 60 pills. Right now I'm only paying that much because my doctor didn't give me a 90 day script even though that was the intent. As soon as I get that again, it's $15 for three months.
The transplant itself di
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“Why wouldn't it be required?” I'm using that wording because of how things are covered, it's not clean, clear, or obvious. Canadian health care is a mess, and the governme
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It might be $6 now. Looking, might be $11-12. Mom's on Medicare though, and she's getting the $700/month treatment. Ozempic alone satisfys her catastrophic drug coverage limits every year, IE she pays $0 starting Nov-Dec.
The profiteering is real and enourmous.
I'm just fortunate my coverage is with the VA, which has the power to negotiate those rates lower.
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Well Cheeto's "GENEROUS act" (yeah it's literally called that) is supposed to cut that in half later this year, right? heh heh
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$5? That's insane, I don't know anyone paying that little, even with insurance. The cheapest I know of, from the people taking it, is just over $200 / month, and I really do know someone paying over $700 / month.
I'm in the UK and on Trulicity for type 2 diabetes and it costs me nothing as it's an essential medication on the NHS.
It costs the NHS £74 per month for the same dose that is £200 in a pharmacy in the UK off the NHS and nearly US$900 in the states. There's wholesale and then there's NHS wholesale folks.
For the NHS it's a no brainier to give this to diabetics for free as it's a long term cost saver in diabetic complications (expensive complications).
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"Semaglutide isn't good for you..."
Citations please.
"Fast food industry created obesity epidemic..."
It did not.
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So, going to the study you cite, the background statement:
Previous studies have indicated that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) may enhance bone formation and have neutral or beneficial effects on fracture risk. We evaluated the effect of the GLP-1RA semaglutide on the bone formation marker Procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (PINP) in adults with increased fracture risk.
Translation: GLP-1 drugs might improve bone formation and reduce fracture risk.
Findings: GLP-1 drugs do not improve bone formation, in a research sample of 64 people, most of them women, which I find highly unusual. It says that increased bone resorption (good) was likely due to weight loss. Indeed, the bone loss noted in the semiglutide group can be attributed to lower stress levels (which tends to build bone) from lower weight.
I mean, Ozempic isn
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"Fast food industry created obesity epidemic..."
It did not.
Perhaps. It's multi-causal and multi-generational. But one could say that it feeds into the problem.
Ozympic is into the problem (Score:5, Insightful)
Fast food is low quality quick food that you buy when you're either in the mood for some shitty comfort food because you grew up with it or because you're too tired to cook for the kids.
As people had less and less kids fast food switched to targeting overworked young people who would get stuck doing an extra couple of shifts and by fast food because they were too exhausted after a 60 or 70 hour work week.
That's fine when the food is cheap but it doesn't work when a combo meal is $20. You're at the point where there aren't enough leftover wages from the 6th or 7th shift this week to cover it never mind that rent keeps going up.
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Imagine being obsessed with a user so much that you waste your time trying to smear them and never address any points being made... at least without being anonymous -- also rarely ever being modded up, so you know almost nobody is reading the always off topic rants against rsilvergun.
Only people acting like this are former jilted lovers...or heavily offended Trumptards or maybe a paid Russian troll farm. Perhaps bots are good and cheap enough to do this now? (meaning AI, not human "robots".)
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I predate him. Ok, I admit it, I didn't take my meds and posted this anonymous troll comment because I get all conspiratorial fascist when I'm off my meds and then start to call everybody a spy for the CCP. Then I take my meds and for much of the day I'm posting as rsilvergun... except for blips where I just have to troll myself...
I'm really Cowboy Neal trying to keep up the forum postings with a ton of accounts all by myself.
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The thing is, when you take Ozempic or other GLP-1 drugs, things happen. Things that are scary to the food industry because one of the huge side effects is the stuff that makes food "good" and "cravable" suddenly stops working.
You can want potato chips, but after taking GLP-1, one chip will make you feel very sick like you ate poison. Several people I know report that they no longer crave their favorite foods because it just tastes bad, makes they sick, and other things. Healthy foods like vegetables and su
Re: Ozympic is into the problem (Score:2)
Rich people get ozempic, rsilvergun gets Lizzo.
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People must really fuckin' hate Wendy's for some reason. They've got combo meals under ten bucks. You can get a breakfast for $3. Is it because the mascot is a ginger?
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I mean it might not be helping but the problem is $9 cheeseburgers don't fly. That dog don't hunt.
They absolutely do fly. Cheeseburgers have been expensive long before GPL-1 was used for weight loss. Cheeseburgers are also more expensive in other countries where GPL-1 isn't used as much and McD's doesn't have any indication of a drop in profit there.
Yeah correlation is not causation, but the absence of correlation very much disproves the causation.
The food got worse AND more expensive (Score:2)
When I was a kid, I used to love Taco Bell, but I've noticed in the last 20 years it's gone from OK to downright shitty. I still have that reflex that when I am hungry and see one...oh, I can stop in....but then I have to remind myself...what did it taste like last
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Fast food is low quality quick food that you buy when you're either in the mood for some shitty comfort food because you grew up with it or because you're too tired to cook for the kids.
Actually, no. (Most) Fast food is mediocre but reliable quality food that you buy when you want to eat but don't really care what. If you cared, you would easily find something better, but if you don't care then the occasional fast food at least gives you something that is somewhat tasty and unlikely to land you in the hospital.
There is a place in the market for the "I just want to eat something" segment.
Stomach size decreases (Score:3)
Sometimes I could work on diet and my stomach would shrink. I couldn't eat as much. But I was always hungry and ate the same portions. My stomach size increased
With these meds, I no longer have the constant hunger. Before, couldn't really tell when I was full. Now I can hear the signal.
I'm changing habits, switching portion size tracking what I eat and keeping within a calorie budget. Its been a game changer. I hope I can continue it when I'm off.
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It permanently changed how I eat. Weight permanently down. I dont use it anymore
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I'm changing habits, switching portion size tracking what I eat and keeping within a calorie budget. Its been a game changer. I hope I can continue it when I'm off.
Good luck! Before I started Oz I was losing a couple of pounds a month, largely by limiting fast food. People who saw me once a year mentioned the loss. I was happy enough with it, but had a lot more to go.
Oz changed that. People who see me every month are noticing a change each time.
I'm melting.
Everything is more expensive now. (Score:2)
Its not the weight loss drugs- it's the prices. Are they really this stupid?
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You do understand how it works?
It curbs the desire to overeat.
So people on ozempic eat what they need, and that's it.
And that's why it works. Generally the ONLY reason people are overweight is because they're overeating.
There's lots of BS and nonsense about other factors, but despite the dopes saying otherwise, it's thermodynamics. Calories in vs calories out.
So when people stop overeating, they lose weight. The drug basically replaces willpower.
The relative kicker here is that people eating less food spend
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Calories in vs. calories out is an overly simplistic model that reflects nothing about how the digestive and metabolic systems actually work.
You do know that the gut is an extremely complex ecosystem, and different configurations of bacteria extract different levels of energy from the same food? You do know that metabolic response can dramatically alter how the body conserves and expends energy, right? You do realize that two different people on the same exact diet can have significant differences in weig
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Yes, different people have slightly different numbers for "calories in" for the same food
Yes, different people have different metabolic burn rates
Nothing in what you said alters the laws of thermodynamics, and you should stop pretending it does. If you know your body's burn rate and your body's general ca
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Oh yes, some people get 90 calories from a piece of bread, while others get 100, or even 110, and then some get 95734903949 calories.
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You don't understand biology very well (Score:2)
You do understand how it works?
It curbs the desire to overeat.
So people on ozempic eat what they need, and that's it.
And that's why it works. Generally the ONLY reason people are overweight is because they're overeating.
There's lots of BS and nonsense about other factors, but despite the dopes saying otherwise, it's thermodynamics. Calories in vs calories out.
So when people stop overeating, they lose weight. The drug basically replaces willpower.
The relative kicker here is that people eating less food spend less on food.
But that leaves me wondering: are *you* really that stupid?
Ask doctors who treat this. They lack your confidence that it's simple thermodynamics. They coach patients to lose weight and what works for one doesn't for another. So before you go around calling people stupid, you should learn what you're talking about. Genetics really play a huge role, especially when someone is fat all throughout their childhood without an obvious behavior explanation. Metabolism is a very complex multi-variable equation.
If you ever actually talked to someone who has been obese
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Sure champ. The reason fast food joints are seeing a drop in revenue as they 2-3x their prices is.... the drugs people are on.
Chipotle Protein Menu (Score:2)
Notice that Chipotle has introduced a "Protein Menu" of smaller, protein-focused portions. I'm confident this is 100% because of GLPs, which not only reduce appetite but require people to be sure to get enough protein.
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It's just another scam where the portion size to price ratio results in absurd pricing.
"Great deal" on protein! Yay. Portion sizes for ants. Boo!
Curious (Score:2)
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Not taking it for weight loss, but did drop 20 pounds and 2" of waist on it. I'm diabetic, so taking it for that.
Nearly a year later and my biggest problem is that I still can't properly assess my appetite. No other real side effects. I'm just not hungry anymore.
Though keep in mind that it still counts as dieting, so making sure you still get enough nutrition and exercise can be a factor to keep up bone density and muscle.
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I’m on Mounjaro, and there have basically been zero significant side effects. I had a couple of bouts of loose stools after eating too much high fat food, there’s been a couple of times when I’ve been light headed from not paying attention to low blood sugar because I’ve not felt hungry, and one time my leg felt weird after I’d injected, but that’s been the sum total. I started at 82kg, I’m now at 74kg despite being unable to do my normal exercise due to eye surgery
This won't end well (Score:2)
It's a drug. It has side effects. Probably many unknown to us now.
Don't people learn anything from history? Or even read?
CAN they even read? If they can read, but do not, then ...
No, let's just live without discipline, and trust Big Pharma to save us.
What could possibly go wrong?
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Exactly. There are times they, Big Pharma, fuck up, but on the whole, it's been pretty great.
The fact that everything reverts back to pre-ozempic fairly quick actually make me think it's ok. Nothing permanent looks like it's getting changed, good or bad.
Discipline has nothing to do with it. Some people's body's are just different. Willpower isn't the same, even the cravings aren't the same. I'm not going to come down on anyone anymore for losing to it. It's possible that the lucky who don't ne
Another Way (Score:2)
Another way to avoid overconsumption would be for the snack food industry to not package snacks up to such high calorie content. Someone buys a snack like a bag of peanuts will likely eat the whole thing. When the bag is over 800 calories, fatty mischief is afoot. King size Payday candy bar, 450 calories, is always easier to find than the standard size at 250 calories. For many who were taught as kids that to waste is sinful will eat the entire snack even when it feels excessive because it feels "right."
I hate to tell the user of GLP-1s... (Score:2)
It's like a Blood Pressure medication or any lifelong pill/shot.
I'm more eager for the pill version of Zepbound, since I already take daily meds, adding 1 isn't a big deal. The shot is easy, mostly painless, so it's not an issue. Just different from my standard procedure.
Seems like everyone reverts rather quickly. So the internal systems haven't changed; we are treating symptoms at this point. Once they can figure out the mechanism to lock in the change, that will be the most impressive part. However,
Documentated since 2014 (Score:2)
The food industry has been fighting what was revealed by the book "The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet"
It details how bad science rose and so did obesity.
Finance is now looking at it... They're trimmed all the other fat.