3 weeks in, 1 stone down (from 17 - 16), no side affects. Mounjaro is a game changer for tackling obesity (just a shame about the price hikes which means many will have to exit).
Think Boots took a bit of a hit themselves to keep the price down. You can also get the points on your Boots card so save that way too (If anyone is interested).
thanks for the advice. Boots are on the higher end of cost, but a reputable name, so good to weigh up choices. I use https://monj.co.uk/mounjaro-price-comparison-by-monj/ to look for best price and move between pharamcies to try and keep the costs down, but they have at least doubled in the last month, which is shame. We are now more in line price wise with the rest of Europe and still many times cheaper than the US
What are the long term side effects of these things ?.
And I wonder how many people using them refused to take the Covid vaccine because of the unknown long term side effects.
Side effects from what i've read ain't nice. Same as giving up booze, fags losing weight is a life style choice and committment to eat healthy, exercise and right food. Not easy but it can be done gave up fags 35yrs ago and booze 7 yrs ago and never touched either again
Side affects vary widlly by person and by strength of dose. I am on the lowest dose, had appetitie suppression from day 1 and on very minor side affects so far (initial smell of sulphur from pores, some sulphur burps), but it is so so different per person and I have been warned gets worse the higher the dose. I am trying to stay on lowest dosage for as a long as possible (my plan is to do this for 12 months to enable supportive lifestyle changes) and in the grand scheme of things, only aim to lose than 20% of my weight (17 - 14.5).
I have tried a lot. Dieting, extreme excercise (ran a marathon x3) but the habits were ingrained and psycolgoical as much as habitual. This process teaches me that my behvaiours are not a given and can be broken, which, along with an improved excercise regime, will deliver lasting change for my body.
the NHS has limited supplies so a lot of folk are buying privately. It seems to be around £300-400 a month at top dose. So that could be offset by a reduction in takeaways, booze and snacks.
My point is that some folk are saying that they can’t afford it but maybe aren’t looking at the long term. Apart from the obvious health benefits.
However, I have always found that with this the easiest thing is to lose the weight but the hardest thing is to avoid putting it back on.
IMO everything in moderation is a good view to follow. Regular exercise and avoiding alcohol is also a good idea to get yourself in good shape.
I can follow the advice of eating sensibly and exercising okay but the alcohol part is my Achilles heel (hic!
TOOTING RED ARMY I haven't missed alcohol one bit after a lifetime of enjoy a pint or more. I only ever had a drink socially never on my own in a pub or at home. Great thing is non alcohol beers are really good, as I can't stand soft fizzy drinks. I enjoy being clear headed and also not the day after...Life is better now and cheaper.
The criteria for getting it prescribed on The NHS seems backward looking to me. To be eligible for Mounjaro on the NHS for weight loss, you need a BMI of 40 or over, or 37.5 or over if you are from a South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African, or African-Caribbean ethnic background, and have at least four of the following five health conditions: diagnosed hypertension, obstructive sleep apnoea, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, or dyslipidaemia (high cholesterol/fat levels). Surely it’s best not to allow a significant proportion of the population eventually reach the current criteria and become more of a burden on the NHS than providing the drug as a prophylactic and help keep the number of individuals becoming morbidly obese along with the associated health problems down. A false economy?
The criteria for getting it prescribed on The NHS seems backward looking to me. To be eligible for Mounjaro on the NHS for weight loss, you need a BMI of 40 or over, or 37.5 or over if you are from a South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African, or African-Caribbean ethnic background, and have at least four of the following five health conditions: diagnosed hypertension, obstructive sleep apnoea, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, or dyslipidaemia (high cholesterol/fat levels). Surely it’s best not to allow a significant proportion of the population eventually reach the current criteria and become more of a burden on the NHS than providing the drug as a prophylactic and help keep the number of individuals becoming morbidly obese along with the associated health problems down. A false economy?
However, I have always found that with this the easiest thing is to lose the weight but the hardest thing is to avoid putting it back on.
IMO everything in moderation is a good view to follow. Regular exercise and avoiding alcohol is also a good idea to get yourself in good shape.
I can follow the advice of eating sensibly and exercising okay but the alcohol part is my Achilles heel (hic!
TOOTING RED ARMY I haven't missed alcohol one bit after a lifetime of enjoy a pint or more. I only ever had a drink socially never on my own in a pub or at home. Great thing is non alcohol beers are really good, as I can't stand soft fizzy drinks. I enjoy being clear headed and also not the day after...Life is better now and cheaper.
The criteria for getting it prescribed on The NHS seems backward looking to me. To be eligible for Mounjaro on the NHS for weight loss, you need a BMI of 40 or over, or 37.5 or over if you are from a South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African, or African-Caribbean ethnic background, and have at least four of the following five health conditions: diagnosed hypertension, obstructive sleep apnoea, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, or dyslipidaemia (high cholesterol/fat levels). Surely it’s best not to allow a significant proportion of the population eventually reach the current criteria and become more of a burden on the NHS than providing the drug as a prophylactic and help keep the number of individuals becoming morbidly obese along with the associated health problems down. A false economy?
I presume the logic might also be if you’ve been diagnosed with one of these already you are on sone sort of advice or program to try and address it?
I assume it must be better to try and treat with alternate approaches than the most expensive drugs first.
The criteria for getting it prescribed on The NHS seems backward looking to me. To be eligible for Mounjaro on the NHS for weight loss, you need a BMI of 40 or over, or 37.5 or over if you are from a South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African, or African-Caribbean ethnic background, and have at least four of the following five health conditions: diagnosed hypertension, obstructive sleep apnoea, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, or dyslipidaemia (high cholesterol/fat levels). Surely it’s best not to allow a significant proportion of the population eventually reach the current criteria and become more of a burden on the NHS than providing the drug as a prophylactic and help keep the number of individuals becoming morbidly obese along with the associated health problems down. A false economy?
I agree with you, but I believe that this is "phase one" and that over the next few years it will be under review and eventually will be much more accessible on the NHS.
The amount of things that GLP-1 is being looked at to potentially treat is fascinating. Although people are playing up side effects, it seems like there have been some very positive ones too...
The criteria for getting it prescribed on The NHS seems backward looking to me. To be eligible for Mounjaro on the NHS for weight loss, you need a BMI of 40 or over, or 37.5 or over if you are from a South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African, or African-Caribbean ethnic background, and have at least four of the following five health conditions: diagnosed hypertension, obstructive sleep apnoea, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, or dyslipidaemia (high cholesterol/fat levels). Surely it’s best not to allow a significant proportion of the population eventually reach the current criteria and become more of a burden on the NHS than providing the drug as a prophylactic and help keep the number of individuals becoming morbidly obese along with the associated health problems down. A false economy?
You have to have a cutoff point though.
In the long run I’d suggest that preventing people from becoming morbidly obese and having to seek interventions for diabetes, heart conditions, hypertension, mobility issues, raised blood cholesterol is a better option. Cheaper to provide Mounjaro or similar than the alternative. Cut off point for what exactly ?
The criteria for getting it prescribed on The NHS seems backward looking to me. To be eligible for Mounjaro on the NHS for weight loss, you need a BMI of 40 or over, or 37.5 or over if you are from a South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African, or African-Caribbean ethnic background, and have at least four of the following five health conditions: diagnosed hypertension, obstructive sleep apnoea, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, or dyslipidaemia (high cholesterol/fat levels). Surely it’s best not to allow a significant proportion of the population eventually reach the current criteria and become more of a burden on the NHS than providing the drug as a prophylactic and help keep the number of individuals becoming morbidly obese along with the associated health problems down. A false economy?
You have to have a cutoff point though.
In the long run I’d suggest that preventing people from becoming morbidly obese and having to seek interventions for diabetes, heart conditions, hypertension, mobility issues, raised blood cholesterol is a better option. Cheaper to provide Mounjaro or similar than the alternative. Cut off point for what exactly ?
There needs to be a criteria, apologies for using the wrong word, Or do you think just anyone who wants to try Mounjaro etc should be able to ? You make it sound like these medications are the only way for people to not be obese.
Not a theory at all. I work in the Health sector and when this first got UK approval plenty of health leaders were saying this has the potential to be the biggest factor influenced cing public health. Could be huge.
We could end up in an odd situation where the largest people in society are the ones that have been judged to not need the jab.
Seen a few people saying that it's not a resolution for people's long term health (which is absolutely true), and those who come off if they haven't changed diet will just yo-yo back up. But that is exactly what the companies who produce these jabs will want!
There will be plenty of people who can't be bothered to sort their own diet/nutrition out to keep them in a healthy range after coming off the jab so will end up on them for life which will make the pharmaceutical company serious long-term £££.
Your first paragraph is absolutely true in almost all cases of drugs that need to be taken regularly. Hay-fever for example it's very scientifically viable to have drugs that last a whole season or longer. But the pharma companies would make less money. There are literally hundreds of examples of this. It's a problem with our system and the version of capitalism that now infects the west.
However in this case it might actually be an exception. There is a bit of a race in pharmacy companies to develop the long lasting/lifetime version of this. Partly because there are a number of short term options already in existence and the sheer scale of the market means the first one to crack this will make unimaginable cash across the world.
But the convenience isn't down to laziness. Today's society is incredibly time poor. For me when i have a busy week with work and othwr things going onnthe first things that get dropped are exercise and cooking from scratch you have to go for the convenience option. My wife and I both work in the Health sector so we know the importance of those things. We don't have kids or too many other responsibilities. Imagine a family with both parents working full time to pay the bills and young kids. Those convenience choices become more frequent and often the only options to get the kids fed in time. The system demands it. Is designed for it as it keeps you buying more
It's called convenience food for a reason, making a meal from scratch can be put into your routine though if you manage your time. I have massive sympathy for lots of those who suffer from obesity and food related issues, but its definitely one of the only addictions where people do show lots of empathy for those that are suffering.
If this thread was about recreational drugs, I do wonder if the tone would be so supportive.
It's called convenience food for a reason, making a meal from scratch can be put into your routine though if you manage your time. I have massive sympathy for lots of those who suffer from obesity and food related issues, but its definitely one of the only addictions where people do show lots of empathy for those that are suffering.
If this thread was about recreational drugs, I do wonder if the tone would be so supportive.
Yeah because it's about medicine not recreational drugs...
And I would say it's one of the most judged addictions in society, not one of the ones with the most empathy. Look at how fat people are portrayed in society and popular media.
It's called convenience food for a reason, making a meal from scratch can be put into your routine though if you manage your time. I have massive sympathy for lots of those who suffer from obesity and food related issues, but its definitely one of the only addictions where people do show lots of empathy for those that are suffering.
If this thread was about recreational drugs, I do wonder if the tone would be so supportive.
Yeah because it's about medicine not recreational drugs...
And I would say it's one of the most judged addictions in society, not one of the ones with the most empathy. Look at how fat people are portrayed in society and popular media.
Did you miss the bit about food addiction and recreational drugs or just ignore it deliberately?
The criteria for getting it prescribed on The NHS seems backward looking to me. To be eligible for Mounjaro on the NHS for weight loss, you need a BMI of 40 or over, or 37.5 or over if you are from a South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African, or African-Caribbean ethnic background, and have at least four of the following five health conditions: diagnosed hypertension, obstructive sleep apnoea, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, or dyslipidaemia (high cholesterol/fat levels). Surely it’s best not to allow a significant proportion of the population eventually reach the current criteria and become more of a burden on the NHS than providing the drug as a prophylactic and help keep the number of individuals becoming morbidly obese along with the associated health problems down. A false economy?
You have to have a cutoff point though.
In the long run I’d suggest that preventing people from becoming morbidly obese and having to seek interventions for diabetes, heart conditions, hypertension, mobility issues, raised blood cholesterol is a better option. Cheaper to provide Mounjaro or similar than the alternative. Cut off point for what exactly ?
There needs to be a criteria, apologies for using the wrong word, Or do you think just anyone who wants to try Mounjaro etc should be able to ?
What would your criteria be out of interest?
I think you’re correct in that it shouldn’t be available for just anyone who want to drop a bit of weight but I think the current criteria are too restrictive. One of the biggest drains on The NHS is through having to treat conditions that are preventable. Obesity requires ongoing medical intervention for many many people. There is generally considered to be three levels of obesity. Stage 1 is a BMI over 30, stage 2 30 - 34.9 and Stage 3 is severe or Morbidly Obese at BMI 35 - 40+. That’s the point at which The NHS will intervene with Mounjaro provided you have other listed conditions as well. In my opinion that’s too late. We’re allowing people to reach a BMI of 40+ where we can expect other health and social issues to manifest. To get classified as Morbidly Obese you must pass through stage 1 & 2. Surely that’s the time to intervene, not when it’s already a massive problem with associated health issues. If I was being cynical I might think that the expense of Mounjaro being prescribed on The NHS is considered to be better spent elsewhere in the system. Short sighted because those people being ignored will eventually have a far greater impact on health services by being excluded from a proven prophylactic treatment.
If we become too reliant on 'fat' jabs then we're basically giving up on health prevention strategies around healthy eating. We need to be more focused on improving diet and exercise.
People do have some degree of choice over what they eat and whether or not they exercise. There are plenty of parents out there who make bad food choices for their kids and set them up for an unhealthy life - some of this is down to laziness.
If we become too reliant on 'fat' jabs then we're basically giving up on health prevention strategies around healthy eating. We need to be more focused on improving diet and exercise.
People do have some degree of choice over what they eat and whether or not they exercise. There are plenty of parents out there who make bad food choices for their kids and set them up for an unhealthy life - some of this is down to laziness.
I hear you but if only it was as simple as that. Eating disorders are not a lifestyle choice. Yes, in Theory everyone could eat healthily and watch their calorific intake and exercise more but that’s not ever going to happen or even realistic. Most eating disorders are related to mental health issues and not laziness.
If we become too reliant on 'fat' jabs then we're basically giving up on health prevention strategies around healthy eating. We need to be more focused on improving diet and exercise.
People do have some degree of choice over what they eat and whether or not they exercise. There are plenty of parents out there who make bad food choices for their kids and set them up for an unhealthy life - some of this is down to laziness.
I hear you but if only it was as simple as that. Eating disorders are not a lifestyle choice. Yes, in Theory everyone could eat healthily and watch their calorific intake and exercise more but that’s not ever going to happen or even realistic. Most eating disorders are related to mental health issues and not laziness.
Too simple to label everyone as having an eating disorder- some do but in some cases it's down to laziness. We attribute far too much to mental health rather than personal choice.
If we become too reliant on 'fat' jabs then we're basically giving up on health prevention strategies around healthy eating. We need to be more focused on improving diet and exercise.
People do have some degree of choice over what they eat and whether or not they exercise. There are plenty of parents out there who make bad food choices for their kids and set them up for an unhealthy life - some of this is down to laziness.
I hear you but if only it was as simple as that. Eating disorders are not a lifestyle choice. Yes, in Theory everyone could eat healthily and watch their calorific intake and exercise more but that’s not ever going to happen or even realistic. Most eating disorders are related to mental health issues and not laziness.
Too simple to label everyone as having an eating disorder- some do but in some cases it's down to laziness. We attribute far too much to mental health rather than personal choice.
Not according to the medical profession we don’t. Obesity stems from a multifactorial combination of genetic, environmental, societal, and behavioral factors.
From Chat GTP
How Obesity Is Currently Viewed in Medicine
1.
As a Chronic Disease
Major health organizations (e.g., World Health Organization, American Medical Association, NICE in the UK) define obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease, not just a lifestyle issue.
It’s recognised as the result of complex interactions: genetics, hormones, brain signaling, environment, psychology, and lifestyle.
Like high blood pressure or diabetes, it often requires long-term management, not just short-term dieting.
Medications: GLP-1 receptor agonists (like semaglutide/Wegovy, tirzepatide/Mounjaro), bupropion/naltrexone, orlistat, etc.
Surgery: Bariatric surgery for severe cases (BMI ≥40, or ≥35 with comorbidities).
Long-term support: Because relapse is common, obesity treatment is viewed as ongoing, not a “one-time fix.”
5.
Individualized Care
Medicine now emphasizes that not every person with obesity is automatically unhealthy, and treatment should focus on:
Improving metabolic health (blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol)
Enhancing quality of life and mobility
Reducing complications, not just weight loss for its own sake.
In summary: The medical profession now recognises obesity as a chronic, multifactorial disease requiring respectful, long-term management. The old view of it being purely a matter of “willpower” is being replaced with a more compassionate, scientific approach.
Would you like me to also explain why some doctors call obesity a “relapsing disease” — and what that means in real-world treatment
If we become too reliant on 'fat' jabs then we're basically giving up on health prevention strategies around healthy eating. We need to be more focused on improving diet and exercise.
People do have some degree of choice over what they eat and whether or not they exercise. There are plenty of parents out there who make bad food choices for their kids and set them up for an unhealthy life - some of this is down to laziness.
I hear you but if only it was as simple as that. Eating disorders are not a lifestyle choice. Yes, in Theory everyone could eat healthily and watch their calorific intake and exercise more but that’s not ever going to happen or even realistic. Most eating disorders are related to mental health issues and not laziness.
Too simple to label everyone as having an eating disorder- some do but in some cases it's down to laziness. We attribute far too much to mental health rather than personal choice.
Not according to the medical profession we don’t. Obesity stems from a multifactorial combination of genetic, environmental, societal, and behavioral factors
The medical profession that will profit massively from drugs based solutions rather than societal lifestyle changes and proper education about nutrition and cooking, hardly surprising.
If we become too reliant on 'fat' jabs then we're basically giving up on health prevention strategies around healthy eating. We need to be more focused on improving diet and exercise.
People do have some degree of choice over what they eat and whether or not they exercise. There are plenty of parents out there who make bad food choices for their kids and set them up for an unhealthy life - some of this is down to laziness.
I hear you but if only it was as simple as that. Eating disorders are not a lifestyle choice. Yes, in Theory everyone could eat healthily and watch their calorific intake and exercise more but that’s not ever going to happen or even realistic. Most eating disorders are related to mental health issues and not laziness.
Too simple to label everyone as having an eating disorder- some do but in some cases it's down to laziness. We attribute far too much to mental health rather than personal choice.
Not according to the medical profession we don’t. Obesity stems from a multifactorial combination of genetic, environmental, societal, and behavioral factors
The medical profession that will profit massively from drugs based solutions rather than societal lifestyle changes and proper education about nutrition and cooking, hardly surprising.
Rubbish. The drug companies will benefit but how on earth you see that also affecting medics is certainly in the UK a non argument.
If we become too reliant on 'fat' jabs then we're basically giving up on health prevention strategies around healthy eating. We need to be more focused on improving diet and exercise.
People do have some degree of choice over what they eat and whether or not they exercise. There are plenty of parents out there who make bad food choices for their kids and set them up for an unhealthy life - some of this is down to laziness.
The two can go hand in hand. We need prevention but we also need to tackle the existing problem.
Prevention has always been underfunded and then has been cut to the absolute bone and beyond since 2010. Unfortunately it will also be so until our system of government changes. Persuading a government to invest in prevention where the benefits are spread over the next 20-60 years when the government only thinks in election cycles max 5 years. They dont care about taking the steps that may only benefit some future government.
That is the major problem the health system in the UK faces right now. If we are serious about moving from treatment to prevention then we need to essentially run 2 health systems side by side. One to tackle all the existing problems from a historic lack of prevention and a whole another system to carry out prevention for the next generation and interventions to prevent existing problems from escalating. Unfortunately that quite expensive.
If we become too reliant on 'fat' jabs then we're basically giving up on health prevention strategies around healthy eating. We need to be more focused on improving diet and exercise.
People do have some degree of choice over what they eat and whether or not they exercise. There are plenty of parents out there who make bad food choices for their kids and set them up for an unhealthy life - some of this is down to laziness.
I hear you but if only it was as simple as that. Eating disorders are not a lifestyle choice. Yes, in Theory everyone could eat healthily and watch their calorific intake and exercise more but that’s not ever going to happen or even realistic. Most eating disorders are related to mental health issues and not laziness.
Too simple to label everyone as having an eating disorder- some do but in some cases it's down to laziness. We attribute far too much to mental health rather than personal choice.
Not according to the medical profession we don’t. Obesity stems from a multifactorial combination of genetic, environmental, societal, and behavioral factors
The medical profession that will profit massively from drugs based solutions rather than societal lifestyle changes and proper education about nutrition and cooking, hardly surprising.
Rubbish. The drug companies will benefit but how on earth you see that also affecting medics is certainly in the UK a non argument.
Have you heard of OxyCotton? Have a read a read about The Sackler Family, it will quite clearly show how doctors, charities and advisory groups can all be manipulated in the name of money, if you think what happens elsewhere (mostly America) doesn’t impact the UK and the rest of the world, you’re loopy.
If we become too reliant on 'fat' jabs then we're basically giving up on health prevention strategies around healthy eating. We need to be more focused on improving diet and exercise.
People do have some degree of choice over what they eat and whether or not they exercise. There are plenty of parents out there who make bad food choices for their kids and set them up for an unhealthy life - some of this is down to laziness.
I hear you but if only it was as simple as that. Eating disorders are not a lifestyle choice. Yes, in Theory everyone could eat healthily and watch their calorific intake and exercise more but that’s not ever going to happen or even realistic. Most eating disorders are related to mental health issues and not laziness.
Too simple to label everyone as having an eating disorder- some do but in some cases it's down to laziness. We attribute far too much to mental health rather than personal choice.
Not according to the medical profession we don’t. Obesity stems from a multifactorial combination of genetic, environmental, societal, and behavioral factors
The medical profession that will profit massively from drugs based solutions rather than societal lifestyle changes and proper education about nutrition and cooking, hardly surprising.
As opposed to the sugar industry, which profits massively from lobbying politicians rather than willingly reducing sugar content in food?
If we become too reliant on 'fat' jabs then we're basically giving up on health prevention strategies around healthy eating. We need to be more focused on improving diet and exercise.
People do have some degree of choice over what they eat and whether or not they exercise. There are plenty of parents out there who make bad food choices for their kids and set them up for an unhealthy life - some of this is down to laziness.
I hear you but if only it was as simple as that. Eating disorders are not a lifestyle choice. Yes, in Theory everyone could eat healthily and watch their calorific intake and exercise more but that’s not ever going to happen or even realistic. Most eating disorders are related to mental health issues and not laziness.
Too simple to label everyone as having an eating disorder- some do but in some cases it's down to laziness. We attribute far too much to mental health rather than personal choice.
Not according to the medical profession we don’t. Obesity stems from a multifactorial combination of genetic, environmental, societal, and behavioral factors
The medical profession that will profit massively from drugs based solutions rather than societal lifestyle changes and proper education about nutrition and cooking, hardly surprising.
Rubbish. The drug companies will benefit but how on earth you see that also affecting medics is certainly in the UK a non argument.
Have you heard of OxyCotton? Have a read a read about The Sackler Family, it will quite clearly show how doctors, charities and advisory groups can all be manipulated in the name of money, if you think what happens elsewhere (mostly America) doesn’t impact the UK and the rest of the world, you’re loopy.
I think your view of how doctors are allowed to prescribe is 20 years out of date as far as the UK is concerned. Presumably you mean OxyContin ?
Comments
I have tried a lot. Dieting, extreme excercise (ran a marathon x3) but the habits were ingrained and psycolgoical as much as habitual. This process teaches me that my behvaiours are not a given and can be broken, which, along with an improved excercise regime, will deliver lasting change for my body.
I assume it must be better to try and treat with alternate approaches than the most expensive drugs first.
The amount of things that GLP-1 is being looked at to potentially treat is fascinating. Although people are playing up side effects, it seems like there have been some very positive ones too...
What would your criteria be out of interest?
We could end up in an odd situation where the largest people in society are the ones that have been judged to not need the jab.
However in this case it might actually be an exception. There is a bit of a race in pharmacy companies to develop the long lasting/lifetime version of this. Partly because there are a number of short term options already in existence and the sheer scale of the market means the first one to crack this will make unimaginable cash across the world.
If this thread was about recreational drugs, I do wonder if the tone would be so supportive.
And I would say it's one of the most judged addictions in society, not one of the ones with the most empathy. Look at how fat people are portrayed in society and popular media.
Did you miss the bit about food addiction and recreational drugs or just ignore it deliberately?
Sugar is definitely a drug
People do have some degree of choice over what they eat and whether or not they exercise. There are plenty of parents out there who make bad food choices for their kids and set them up for an unhealthy life - some of this is down to laziness.
From Chat GTP
How Obesity Is Currently Viewed in Medicine
1.
As a Chronic Disease
2.
A Risk Factor for Other Conditions
Obesity increases the risk of:
Doctors view it as both a disease in itself and a driver of other diseases.
3.
A Condition Often Stigmatized
4.
Treatment Approaches
Lifestyle interventions: Nutrition, physical activity, behavioral therapy.
5.
Individualized Care
In summary: The medical profession now recognises obesity as a chronic, multifactorial disease requiring respectful, long-term management. The old view of it being purely a matter of “willpower” is being replaced with a more compassionate, scientific approach.
Would you like me to also explain why some doctors call obesity a “relapsing disease” — and what that means in real-world treatment
Prevention has always been underfunded and then has been cut to the absolute bone and beyond since 2010. Unfortunately it will also be so until our system of government changes. Persuading a government to invest in prevention where the benefits are spread over the next 20-60 years when the government only thinks in election cycles max 5 years. They dont care about taking the steps that may only benefit some future government.
That is the major problem the health system in the UK faces right now. If we are serious about moving from treatment to prevention then we need to essentially run 2 health systems side by side. One to tackle all the existing problems from a historic lack of prevention and a whole another system to carry out prevention for the next generation and interventions to prevent existing problems from escalating. Unfortunately that quite expensive.