Who's On GLP-1?

[What Would Jesus Do?]

My morning WSJ podcast cites JP Morgan saying that half of Americans will be on GLP-1 drugs in a few years. Among the correlated hits - to the tune of billions in lost revenue - will be the snacks and beverages industries.

Are you taking these drugs? Thinking about it? Waiting for better or cheaper versions?

WSJ says some industry leaders are already working on new products moving away from snacks with lots of salt, sugar and fat, on the theory that people taking GLP-1 drugs are less attracted to these usual (and bad for us) additives. Is that true?

 

[Palmerhawk]

I am diabetic and took ozempic to control blood sugar. That's what this drug was designed to do.
It helped. I also found a good crosstrainer nu- step machine that works for amputees.
I worked out on average 2 60 minute sessions a day for 9 months along with the drug.
In total over 1.5 year I went from 237 to 162.
I was phasing off ozempic the last 3 months
My A1C came down from a peak of 12 to 5.4.
My blood pressure came down to 120/80.

My specialist said I no longer had the profile of a diabetic and discharged me.

Rest of story:
I was on ozempic for 9 months. Been off since.
That was 1.5 years ago.
Continued to work out but metabolism seemed slow.
Winter weight came on and my dessert discipline waned.
Then crosstrainer elliptical mechanism broke.
Took 2 months to fix it
Gained back weight to 216.
Doc says my ideal weight is 190.
Cost of ozempic on my Medicare advantage plan has skyrocketed from 57/ month to 450/ month.

I bit the bullet and did one months worth as prescribed by my primary physician
Next fill will be 215..deductible caused the big cost initially.

Curious how my body reacts 2nd time thru.
It could help with alcohol abuse also as it affects those pleasure parts of brain.
I am not a drinker but they are studying it for dependency.

 

[Chick Huggins]

There is a lot of people on GLP-1’s and a lot of them don’t need to be. I was hanging out with a girl who is by all accounts a beautiful person. Tall, thin, well proportioned, etc. She’s on a GLP-1 to quiet her food noise and has lost way too much weight in my opinion. She still looks good but she’s quickly moving into Kate Beckinsale territory. GLP-1’s will become as destructive as they are a positive for people who actually benefit from them.

 

[Gibbs_dontbanmetom]

I am diabetic and took ozempic to control blood sugar. That's what this drug was designed to do.
It helped. I also found a good crosstrainer nu- step machine that works for amputees.
I worked out on average 2 60 minute sessions a day for 9 months along with the drug.
In total over 1.5 year I went from 237 to 162.
I was phasing off ozempic the last 3 months
My A1C came down from a peak of 12 to 5.4.
My blood pressure came down to 120/80.

My specialist said I no longer had the profile of a diabetic and discharged me.

Rest of story:
I was on ozempic for 9 months. Been off since.
That was 1.5 years ago.
Continued to work out but metabolism seemed slow.
Winter weight came on and my dessert discipline waned.
Then crosstrainer elliptical mechanism broke.
Took 2 months to fix it
Gained back weight to 216.
Doc says my ideal weight is 190.
Cost of ozempic on my Medicare advantage plan has skyrocketed from 57/ month to 450/ month.

I bit the bullet and did one months worth as prescribed by my primary physician
Next fill will be 215..deductible caused the big cost initially.

Curious how my body reacts 2nd time thru.
It could help with alcohol abuse also as it affects those pleasure parts of brain.
I am not a drinker but they are studying it for dependency.

I’ve wondered what happens when someone gets off of it. Seems like the weight will come right back, especially if they aren’t working out. Seems like you wanted to continue working out but your machine broke.
Appears that these people taking it to lose weight but don’t want to exercise will be stuck on this drug forever. Sucks for the people actually needing the drug like yourself because it is costing you lots more as a result.

 

[alaskanseminole]

My morning WSJ podcast cites JP Morgan saying that half of Americans will be on GLP-1 drugs in a few years. Among the correlated hits - to the tune of billions in lost revenue - will be the snacks and beverages industries.

Are you taking these drugs? Thinking about it? Waiting for better or cheaper versions?

WSJ says some industry leaders are already working on new products moving away from snacks with lots of salt, sugar and fat, on the theory that people taking GLP-1 drugs are less attracted to these usual (and bad for us) additives. Is that true?

Mrs. Alaska just started it (Zepbound). But honestly, weight loss isn't the primary reason. Sure, she'd like to lose around 20-25 lbs but she also has Sjögren's disease, along with prediabetes and high cholesterol.

She has had tarsal tunnel syndrome (both feet) since 2009 and even had major foot surgery on her left foot by one of the Spurs' top surgeons (he removed the Baxter nerve & a few others). Unfortunately, she never got any real relief. Fascinating fun fact...during her pregnancy with our son, her foot pain completely disappeared, but came back pretty shortly after.

So we're hopeful Zepbound might help on a metabolic/inflammatory level, while losing some weight takes pressure off her feet. No idea if it'll work, but after 17 years of foot pain, we're certainly willing to see what happens.

She's also been researching like crazy and working with her PA to get enough protein, exercise properly and minimize muscle loss. She doesn't want to stay on it long-term...her goal is to use it as a tool to improve her health and learn habits she can maintain afterward. And if the bonus is that her feet finally stop hurting we'll happily accept the weird magic. Two of her friends who are in menopause are no longer on hormone treatment and the hot flashes have ended...so there's definitely some weird voodoo magic in that thing.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

I am diabetic and took ozempic to control blood sugar. That's what this drug was designed to do.
It helped. I also found a good crosstrainer nu- step machine that works for amputees.
I worked out on average 2 60 minute sessions a day for 9 months along with the drug.
In total over 1.5 year I went from 237 to 162.
I was phasing off ozempic the last 3 months
My A1C came down from a peak of 12 to 5.4.
My blood pressure came down to 120/80.

My specialist said I no longer had the profile of a diabetic and discharged me.

Rest of story:
I was on ozempic for 9 months. Been off since.
That was 1.5 years ago.
Continued to work out but metabolism seemed slow.
Winter weight came on and my dessert discipline waned.
Then crosstrainer elliptical mechanism broke.
Took 2 months to fix it
Gained back weight to 216.
Doc says my ideal weight is 190.
Cost of ozempic on my Medicare advantage plan has skyrocketed from 57/ month to 450/ month.

I bit the bullet and did one months worth as prescribed by my primary physician
Next fill will be 215..deductible caused the big cost initially.

Curious how my body reacts 2nd time thru.
It could help with alcohol abuse also as it affects those pleasure parts of brain.
I am not a drinker but they are studying it for dependency.

Great success story. I hope you can get back to the better weight and A1C range.

My doc wrote me a script for Ozempic but I didn't get it because it was $435 per month, wasn't expected to show results for the first month or 2, and was said to be likely to cause GI distress (which I don't tolerate well at all).

As you say, it's now said to be good for other things, including dementia. So I may have to revisit it.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

There is a lot of people on GLP-1’s and a lot of them don’t need to be. I was hanging out with a girl who is by all accounts a beautiful person. Tall, thin, well proportioned, etc. She’s on a GLP-1 to quiet her food noise and has lost way too much weight in my opinion. She still looks good but she’s quickly moving into Kate Beckinsale territory. GLP-1’s will become as destructive as they are a positive for people who actually benefit from them.

A reasonable concern, although Kate Beckinsale territory definitely floats my boat.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

I’ve wondered what happens when someone gets off of it. Seems like the weight will come right back, especially if they aren’t working out. Seems like you wanted to continue working out but your machine broke.
Appears that these people taking it to lose weight but don’t want to exercise will be stuck on this drug forever. Sucks for the people actually needing the drug like yourself because it is costing you lots more as a result.

I would hope more demand would raise production and bring the price down. We'll see.

If insurance will pay inflated prices, will prices stay inflated?

 

[hopefultiger13]

I’ve wondered what happens when someone gets off of it. Seems like the weight will come right back, especially if they aren’t working out. Seems like you wanted to continue working out but your machine broke.
Appears that these people taking it to lose weight but don’t want to exercise will be stuck on this drug forever. Sucks for the people actually needing the drug like yourself because it is costing you lots more as a result.

Just like anything else IMHO. There's a ton of tricks to lose weight... like the <insert word of the week here> diet. GLP-1s are just the latest version of that. Just like anything most folks can be diciplined for a while and lose some weight... maybe a LOT of weight. But all tricks aside, there's the cold hard facts of biology that simply aren't going to change:

Calories ingestied <=> Calories Burned.

If there's a < in the above equation, you are going to lose weight. If it's > you are going to gain. And = is where you stay the same.

So if you are overweight, whatever trick you use can probably help you out. Eating certain things, working out, GLP-1s, or whatever. BUT in the end, you've got to get that equation to the = part to stay at a healthy weight. The way I'd think about it is use the GLP-1s if you want. Nothing wrong with that. It's a tool that can help. BUT you need to develop the healthy habits to make that equation above = WHILE you are losing weight. Otherwise, the minute you stop whatever trick, you are going to start gaining again.

 

[Gibbs_dontbanmetom]

Just like anything else IMHO. There's a ton of tricks to lose weight... like the <insert word of the week here> diet. GLP-1s are just the latest version of that. Just like anything most folks can be diciplined for a while and lose some weight... maybe a LOT of weight. But all tricks aside, there's the cold hard facts of biology that simply aren't going to change:

Calories ingestied <=> Calories Burned.

If there's a < in the above equation, you are going to lose weight. If it's > you are going to gain. And = is where you stay the same.

So if you are overweight, whatever trick you use can probably help you out. Eating certain things, working out, GLP-1s, or whatever. BUT in the end, you've got to get that equation to the = part to stay at a healthy weight. The way I'd think about it is use the GLP-1s if you want. Nothing wrong with that. It's a tool that can help. BUT you need to develop the healthy habits to make that equation above = WHILE you are losing weight. Otherwise, the minute you stop whatever trick, you are going to start gaining again.

I totally agree. Although I will say that some things on the market may help you burn some extra calories. Not that I am overweight by any means (6’2 208lbs) but I could afford to lose around 20 lbs. my issue is I just don’t have the energy I used to have to burn those calories. A person still needs to eat. Maybe it’s just the boost to get a person going and once they get into that routine they keep going and the energy stays.

 

[hopefultiger13]

I totally agree. Although I will say that some things on the market may help you burn some extra calories. Not that I am overweight by any means (6’2 208lbs) but I could afford to lose around 20 lbs. my issue is I just don’t have the energy I used to have to burn those calories. A person still needs to eat. Maybe it’s just the boost to get a person going and once they get into that routine they keep going and the energy stays.

Yep, it happens to all of us as we age. We have a certain amount energy we can use pretty much instantly, but as we continue to exert ourselves we switch to burning the carbs/fats stored in our body to produce that energy. That effort of switching energy sources gets harder and harder as we get older. The more we do it, the easier it gets, sure, but man it gets tougher every year.