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GLP-1 pills are coming, and they could revolutionize weight-loss treatment

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Re: GLP-1 pills are coming, and they could revolutionize weight-loss treatment

#111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It patches a reward center in your brain, reducing appetite, but also patching addiction reward center activity. https://recursiveadaptation.com/p/the-growing-scientific-cas... > The consistency that I'm hearing from all across patient groups is gain of control, whereas previously, there was a loss of control… All of a sudden they're able to step back and say, 'oh, well I had this shopping phenomenon that was going o…

Sidenote, my SO recently started a generic GLP-1 shot. It has far more side effects, at least during ramp up - than just reward center. Notably a wide array of food either make them sick to their stomach or have colon related issues (diarrhea or constipation). I suspect i do observe reward changes as well, but especially in the first few weeks it felt like i was observing weight loss strictly because they struggled t…

Taking GLP-1 meds without a program around them is like taking psychedelics without support/setting.

Before I started taking mine, I had to spend a whole month living the diet I'd be on (I lost 10lbs just with that diet change alone) to prepare. Lots of water, lots more fiber. Avoiding certain foods.

When I started taking the meds, my weight started to drop further and it was a minimal change to eat smaller portions (I felt full earlier). No side effects at starting dose.

Usually the 2nd/3rd tier of dose increases are where people get worse symptoms so your SO may be in for a more difficult time.

Some people don't tolerate the meds. Hopefully your SO is giving feedback to the doctor to course correct.

Re: GLP-1 pills are coming, and they could revolutionize weight-loss treatment

#112
post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please don't take HN threads on generic flamewar tangents with nationalistic rhetoric. It leads to hell and we'd rather not go there. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html Edit: we've had to ask you this before.

I’m commenting on what I’ve actually seen in the US. The portions served when eating out were bigger on average than in most of Europe, and the bread you’re supposed to make savory sandwiches of is somehow sweet in taste. This has nothing to do with being nationalistic or not. It’s a statement of fact. It just looks like at least in the US, if you go to the nearest grocery store to buy food or you eat out, and your g…

It becomes nationalistic, in the HN moderation sense of the word, when a comment talks about a country in a pejorative way using snark internet rhetoric.

If you had posted something more like what you wrote here, I don't think I would have referred to it that way or posted a moderation response. (Btw this is a not-uncommon phenomenon: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu...)

Re: GLP-1 pills are coming, and they could revolutionize weight-loss treatment

#113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plastic surgeons and cosmetic companies are rushing to convince people that the same effects you see from any weight loss are worse with GLP-1 agonists, to court a market with demonstrated willingness to spend money on (among other things) their looks. Plastic surgeons, I expect, are especially concerned about a large reduction in volume of lipo & related procedures, and are eager to get the message out that “no, you…

Yeah, a number of independent plastic surgeons are just coming to the same conclusion then, for people who are still going to see them for excess skin removal. OK, sure. There was a large amount of skepticism in the original HN thread, but it strikes me as weird and dangerous, along the same lines of COVID-19 deniers.

Trade groups and publications exist. Getting this kind of thing into the air is a big part of their job.

Re: GLP-1 pills are coming, and they could revolutionize weight-loss treatment

#114
post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is sold as Contrave / MySimba, albeit adding metformin to the mix is a little unusual https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naltrexone/bupropion

Some people who come off the GLP-1 meds (acheiving goal weight) are recommended by their docs to take metformin as a maintenance drug to stabilize weight.

I had an endo suggest that to me. In addition there's been a flurry of Peter Thiel types mentioning it as a life-extension wonderdrug.

Re: GLP-1 pills are coming, and they could revolutionize weight-loss treatment

#115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Diet and exercise don't have negative side effects and they are free. Exercise is social too and has lots of side effect benefits beyond the obvious fitness ones

> Diet and exercise don't have negative side effects and they are free They're absolutely not free. They fail at a high rate, which incurs medical costs. And when they work, they require--in practice--a lot of follow-up and coaching. It's fairy-tale level mindblowing that we can look at the status quo where nearly half of the industrialised world is obese and get haughty about a drug that medically, demonstrably impr…

Obesity is primarily a US problem. It's not the same in Europe, where people walk a lot more, and where portion sizes are normal. A ham and cheese sandwich in the UK would have a slice of ham and of cheese. In the US a deli sandwich is a monstrosity with about 1/4 pound of meat in it.

Re: GLP-1 pills are coming, and they could revolutionize weight-loss treatment

#116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tell me how much does it cost to do push ups? How much does it cost to do squats? Failing at doing any of these does not incur medical costs. And yes, it takes effort and willpower (like anything worthwile in this life). But none of those cost money. It's fairy-tale level mindblowing that we can look at the status quo where nearly half of the industrialised world is obese and get haughty about a free method (see phys…

It takes time and induces brain fog for at least some time after exercise. There are other side effects too.

> It takes time and induces brain fog for at least some time after exercise

Are you serious? How is "taking time" meaning that is not free? And you can't possible use that as a side effect. Brain fog is not even a common side effect. In fact, doing exercise is actually one of the recommended ways to tackle brain fog.

Re: GLP-1 pills are coming, and they could revolutionize weight-loss treatment

#117
post #19
post #3

I'm curious: is the appetite suppressant effect of GLP-1 different from the one from amphetamines?

Yes. Having used both I can say indeed it is. Not only does GLP-1 slow digestion which limits what you can eat and when it also is being study for its effects on alcoholism etc reducing cravings. I and many people I know noticed the difference in cravings were not limited to food.

Interesting, thank you.

Re: GLP-1 pills are coming, and they could revolutionize weight-loss treatment

#118
post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Sounds worrying to me as it means this is essentially a lifetime drug. As soon as you stop taking it, your appetite returns and so does your old weight. I see this said all the time about GLP-1 agonists, and it's a mischaracterization. It is true that when you stop taking the drug, your appetite is no longer suppressed, but you can still keep the weight off by eating a sustainable amount of calories. Usually, the b…

> you can still keep the weight off by eating a sustainable amount of calories. This was always true and we know this is not the reason why people are overweight

It's true that the solution is more complicated than "just eat fewer calories", but it's also true that some people just need their baseline to be reset.

I'm perfectly capable of maintaining my weight at ~160 lbs, but losing a large amount of weight to get there was difficult enough that I didn't try. A friend did pretty much everything to lose weight after she had children but couldn't, went on GLP-1 agonist for a few months, lost it all and kept it off since.

People always lament that, like most drugs, the effects of a GLP-1 agonist stop when you stop taking it. What I'm saying is it doesn't necessarily matter. Some people will need continued support, some won't. Taking the drug isn't a "life sentence" and you aren't guaranteed to re-gain the weight after you stop.

Re: GLP-1 pills are coming, and they could revolutionize weight-loss treatment

#119
post #6

How does it work? Does it reduce the calorie intake by decreasing the appetite? Your body burns more calories because the drug sets the thermostat higher?! Or something else? I don't know how to feel about the idea that we need treatment for being overweight in general.

It patches a reward center in your brain, reducing appetite, but also patching addiction reward center activity. https://recursiveadaptation.com/p/the-growing-scientific-cas... > The consistency that I'm hearing from all across patient groups is gain of control, whereas previously, there was a loss of control… All of a sudden they're able to step back and say, 'oh, well I had this shopping phenomenon that was going o…

> It patches a reward center in your brain

Notably it also slows digestion though, so you feel full earlier and for longer.

Re: GLP-1 pills are coming, and they could revolutionize weight-loss treatment

#120
post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sidenote, my SO recently started a generic GLP-1 shot. It has far more side effects, at least during ramp up - than just reward center. Notably a wide array of food either make them sick to their stomach or have colon related issues (diarrhea or constipation). I suspect i do observe reward changes as well, but especially in the first few weeks it felt like i was observing weight loss strictly because they struggled t…

Taking GLP-1 meds without a program around them is like taking psychedelics without support/setting. Before I started taking mine, I had to spend a whole month living the diet I'd be on (I lost 10lbs just with that diet change alone) to prepare. Lots of water, lots more fiber. Avoiding certain foods. When I started taking the meds, my weight started to drop further and it was a minimal change to eat smaller portions…

> Taking GLP-1 meds without a program around them is like taking psychedelics without support/setting.

That's not really my experience. For myself, and the ten or so people I've persuaded to start taking them, nobody has really done much different other than listening to their body. I'd strongly encourage people to count calories to make sure they're eating enough, but I'd strongly encourage that of anyone who can't trust the hunger signals their body is throwing out in either direction.

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