People judge weight loss more harshly when GLP-1 drugs are involved, study finds

[MadisonB]

This is the mindset I wish we could have more of. Props to you!

It is something I have to really focus on! "What somebody else thinks of you is none of your business" is also one I am working on. But it is hard when I got skinny shamed from a client the other day

There is no win. Over-weight? Face fat phobia! Lose weight? Are you "cheating", are you sick?

 

[CharlieBrown]

It's that phucking Rugged Individualism all over again. That bitch rears her ugly head at every turn.

GLP/GIP medications are not an easier, softer way. Anyone who has used them knows this is true.

I work my ass off at the gym. If my diet was any cleaner it would include bleach !

And BTW, add my ex-wife to the list !!!

She thinks I'm only able to do what I do because of "chemicals" (she calls it).....the m#%#^F

 

[CNCCurrency]

What people don't understand about trying to lose weight is how hard your body fights back against you. They think that if you ate the same amount as them, you would feel the same as them and that all the extra food you eat is for extra pleasure on top of what you already need to feel satisfied. They can't wrap their heads around the idea that how you physically feel on 2000 calories a day is what they would feel eating 1000 calories a day. Most people are not very smart and cannot easily understand that their experience doesn't also apply to everyone else. A lot of people are also desperately insecure and need to cling onto the thought that they are better than another group of people.

What's even more weird is how people on GLP meds can act the same way toward other people on GLP meds who aren't having as much success as them. You don't see it much on this forum but I see it a lot on other platforms. Someone will post "I'm on X.X mg of Tirzep and not losing weight" and everybody will mock them for not dieting or exercising enough and roll their eyes at another lazy glutton expecting an "easy fix". Like...........did the GLP shots make you lose your memory of your entire life before GLP meds???

my thoughts

 

[HereKittyKitty]

What people don't understand about trying to lose weight is how hard your body fights back against you. They think that if you ate the same amount as them, you would feel the same as them and that all the extra food you eat is for extra pleasure on top of what you already need to feel satisfied. They can't wrap their heads around the idea that how you physically feel on 2000 calories a day is what they would feel eating 1000 calories a day. Most people are not very smart and cannot easily understand that their experience doesn't also apply to everyone else. A lot of people are also desperately insecure and need to cling onto the thought that they are better than another group of people.

What's even more weird is how people on GLP meds can act the same way toward other people on GLP meds who aren't having as much success as them. You don't see it much on this forum but I see it a lot on other platforms. Someone will post "I'm on X.X mg of Tirzep and not losing weight" and everybody will mock them for not dieting or exercising enough and roll their eyes at another lazy glutton expecting an "easy fix". Like...........did the GLP shots make you lose your memory of your entire life before GLP meds???

You're so right.

 

[deleted.user.16]

You're so right.

Lol reading that back I sounded like I was pretty hangry that day

 

[HereKittyKitty]

Lol reading that back I sounded like I was pretty hangry that day

Didn't read that way to me.

 

[Smiter]

This is one of the most insightful threads I have seen here. I agree with a lot of the claims about how stupid some people are. That said, there's nothing wrong in being judgmental. It's vital to ensure functioning justice. As long as folks have the right IQ to base their judgements on, that is. Most of the r3t@rds who malign people for using short-cuts are intellectually challenged. As others said here, they could be internalizing whatever. Either way, the opinion of sheep should never matter. I was just saying this elsewhere. The most optimal way to deal with such pests is with one of the most profound two-word phrases in the English language: "Fvck It".

That said, it would be incorrect to deny that it is definitely a partial failing of character if someone became obese AFTER becoming an adult. Of course, there is the societal villainy promoting widespread obesity. Nevertheless, one has to be held responsible for their choices. I certainly have no issues accepting the reality that even though my obesity began due to faulty parenting from when I was 6 months old, I made poor decisions that exacerbated the problem. If obesity ought to be treated as the negative it is, then there is justification for vilifying it. But, there is no valid justification for demeaning those who use GLPs or surgery. That's analogous to m0r0ns blaming folks for using antipyretics to treat a fever. Obesity is a disease. Its cause is irrelevant. You counter a disease with the best medicine you can obtain.

Once again, others have clarified that Envy, that true mother of all sins, is certainly a big determinant in this situation, along with their brainwashed existence. Work hard is paltry alternative to work smart. Time is the most invaluable resource for any human being. Logically, one must use the best solution for a problem. Someone mentioned the 7 deadly sins. But the general world is unaware that the Christian version is a b@stardized copy of the original Greek virtues and vices. Amongst the 4 virtues, Temperance is ranked 4th on the list, which is why, I wholeheartedly accept personal responsibility in remaining obese after I turned 18. However, the second highest virtue in that list is Prudence, though I rate Phronesis better myself. Prudence mandates using the best tool for the job. Today those might be GLPs and surgery. Tomorrow it may be something else. Any fool who thinks that's cheating can take a long walk on a short pier or alternatively take a jump off their ego on to their IQ.

Anecdotally, when I was in college, once a drunk bully voiced his brilliance by telling me that "if you weren't 6"3, 295lbs, I would kick your a$$. (Fortunately, India was not as an@l about violence as the West. The bully never vocalized such thoughts to me ever again, inebriated or otherwise.)

The same people said you must lose weight, and two weeks later, taking creatine was cheating. Of course, since I was younger, my personal motto of "Fvck it", was slightly different back then. I used "Off" instead of "It", backed up by a delectable threat of violence. Nowadays, when those evolution-discarded Neanderthals profess such stupidity, I merely pull out my Triple 9 Society credentials and tell them to take their polluting imbecility out of my presence.

Therefore, at the end of all that, my point is this. Do not waste precious time considering r3t@rds and their idiocy. Of course, I have a congenital allergy for the intellectually challenged, but an overriding antipathy for the morally deprived vermin as well.

Cheating on taxes takes money from public services

Taxation is theft. Progressive taxation is a murder of justice.

It's that phucking Rugged Individualism all over again. That bitch rears her ugly head at every turn.

Hey! Rugged Individualism rocks. Entitled collectivism is the rotten skank responsible for this travesty. The same anti-merit, anti-hierarchy vermin with single digit IQs who think that "work hard" is a synonym for work smart.

The terms were(are) gluttony and sloth, two of the Seven Deadly Sins. Gluttony (excessive eating/induglence) and sloth (lack of discipline, laziness, failure to exercise) have been so engrained in western culture that a heavy body is seen as a morally compromised body.

I can assure you, it has nothing to do with Western culture. It's universal. In India and China, too, obesity is viewed as a failing/sin. A lack of self-control and discipline, is automatically stamped on the offender. They're not always wrong either.

I'm all for free speech. As long as they don't try to hinder me, the mouth breathers can continue breathing.

 

[Smiter]

What's even more weird is how people on GLP meds can act the same way toward other people on GLP meds who aren't having as much success as them. You don't see it much on this forum but I see it a lot on other platforms. Someone will post "I'm on X.X mg of Tirzep and not losing weight" and everybody will mock them for not dieting or exercising enough and roll their eyes at another lazy glutton expecting an "easy fix". Like...........did the GLP shots make you lose your memory of your entire life before GLP meds???

Yup. This is also why giving credence to such jabronis is futile. It's human nature. The vast majority of them are logically challenged. And the inherent psychological need to bolster their self-esteem [Maslow'a hierarchy of needs] to reach their self-actualization means that they will look to feeling superior in whatever way they can, regardless of how absurd or fallacious it is.

 

[Smiter]

It is elitism. Ever since the majority of americans started sitting or staying still for work

thinness became elite

It sure is elitism. But that is also a part of the human condition. It's even driven by evolution. Folks want to fulfill their esteem needs, absent which self-actualization is impossible. But low-IQ denizens try to acquire their dose of superiority where none exists. That's the cause here, too.

When good-looking people, or naturally fit folks try to rib me, I always find their communistic thinking quaint and r3t@rded. They're literally proud of something they had no merit in achieving while people who lose weight with GLPs or surgeries are doing it on their own. Bizzaro-world ludicrous thinking. People who are proud of what they haven't earned are trying to shame those who have earned their achievements.

I see the same thing afflicting those miniscule-brained m0r0ns who have problems with AAS users when their claim to fame is based on relying on their genetic advantage in muscle-building.

 

[HereKittyKitty]

..... But it is hard when I got skinny shamed from a client the other day

**I'm so sorry that happened to you.

 

[Smiter]

in general oppose drugs being illegal as , as far as I am concerned their illegality usually causes more problems than the drugs themselves.

I think it is partly as having a serious lifelong problem with weight , and I see these drugs as lifesaving treatments, it does seem just a bit too easy to take some reta to get body fat from 16% to 12%, when I have never been that thin ever. So maybe it is just jealosy .

And I do genuinely think that often those with very minor weight issues or body builders may not have thought through the risk to benefit equations of taking GLP's long term, especially as the long term risks in those populations have never really been studied , so are effectively unknown. And presumably rare and unlikely but severe risks like pancreatitis or NAION are just as likely in those people , but not counterbalanced by dramatic reductions in weight and other health consequences of obesity fixed by GLP's. A slightly thinner bodybuilder who suddenly loses vision in an eye is in some ways a worse outcome than someone with severe obesity who lost 30% of their weight and their diabetes was reversed, and did not have a heart attack, who loses an eye. At least their diabetes was fixed and they missed out on the heart attack, as some sort of compensation.

This is a magnificent post. I totally disagree about the illegality of certain drugs. If something impairs cognition, then it absolutely must be illegal. Already, stupid people are in the majority. Cognitive impairment with drugs would exacerbate that problem. Rights cannot exist unless there is a ubiquitous acceptance in the populace which mandates the need for vigilant cognition.

And for sure, many people do use stuff without having assessed the risk-to-benefit of that compound. I have no problem with that. It's their body, their choice. As long as another life is not being harmed, I have no issues. Stupid people are allowed to exist, so stupidity will exist too.

But my biggest disagreement there is the reliance inherent in the "risks haven't been studied" verbiage. Most people use scientific studies as "arguments from authority". While Ethos claims are utilized everywhere, it doesn't change the fact that they are logical fallacies. 99% of the scientific community once considered "continental drift" hypothesis as hogwash. Worse, for our own obesity topic- Ancel Keys and the 7 countries Study is one of the most heinous scams perpetrated on humanity. Published in 1979, followed by the US dietary recommendation charts based on it. Since the 1980's, there has been this fad for low-fat, zero-fat products in the mainstream with an impetus on it being necessary for good health. Yet, the obesity pandemic started in 1980's as well. And for some reason, the low-fat craze has been accompanied by a worsening of obesity in society. I have heard about how some cereal food manufacturers funded some of the people in the countries study and they also try to suppress or discredit the Israeli paradox and French paradox.

They also malign red meat, saturated fat, and promote plant/vegan/vegetarian diets. And I look at the 4 places in the Blue Zone. Okinawa, Ikaria, Sardinia, Costa Rica. Guess how many of those 4 places' traditional cuisines avoid red meat, sat fat, and are vegan? Zero!

Ergo, argument from authority is a fallacy while empirical evidence is not.

That said, it obviously is risky for bodybuilders to use GLp's to cut weight, but then, Stanozolol and other AAS's are risky too.

 

[yerffejytnac]

I don't understand how this is any different from someone using TRT to gain muscle mass, just a double standard and excuse for bitchy people to bitch about something.

 

[lessthanhalf]

This is a magnificent post. I totally disagree about the illegality of certain drugs. If something impairs cognition, then it absolutely must be illegal. Already, stupid people are in the majority. Cognitive impairment with drugs would exacerbate that problem. Rights cannot exist unless there is a ubiquitous acceptance in the populace which mandates the need for vigilant cognition.

And for sure, many people do use stuff without having assessed the risk-to-benefit of that compound. I have no problem with that. It's their body, their choice. As long as another life is not being harmed, I have no issues. Stupid people are allowed to exist, so stupidity will exist too.

But my biggest disagreement there is the reliance inherent in the "risks haven't been studied" verbiage. Most people use scientific studies as "arguments from authority". While Ethos claims are utilized everywhere, it doesn't change the fact that they are logical fallacies. 99% of the scientific community once considered "continental drift" hypothesis as hogwash. Worse, for our own obesity topic- Ancel Keys and the 7 countries Study is one of the most heinous scams perpetrated on humanity. Published in 1979, followed by the US dietary recommendation charts based on it. Since the 1980's, there has been this fad for low-fat, zero-fat products in the mainstream with an impetus on it being necessary for good health. Yet, the obesity pandemic started in 1980's as well. And for some reason, the low-fat craze has been accompanied by a worsening of obesity in society. I have heard about how some cereal food manufacturers funded some of the people in the countries study and they also try to suppress or discredit the Israeli paradox and French paradox.

They also malign red meat, saturated fat, and promote plant/vegan/vegetarian diets. And I look at the 4 places in the Blue Zone. Okinawa, Ikaria, Sardinia, Costa Rica. Guess how many of those 4 places' traditional cuisines avoid red meat, sat fat, and are vegan? Zero!

Ergo, argument from authority is a fallacy while empirical evidence is not.

That said, it obviously is risky for bodybuilders to use GLp's to cut weight, but then, Stanozolol and other AAS's are risky too.

Despite thinking that in general drugs being illegal causes more harm than benefits , I do not really believe freely available cheap meth and fentanyl would be a net benefit to society, some drugs are just super addictive. And would cause plenty of harm were they more readily available.

And GLP's are probably the most healthy drug bodybuilders are taking, at least it probably has net health benefits, even if not proven for healthy populations. You really cannot make that argument for high dose AAS or HGH.

And I agree there have been some pretty terrible beliefs about healthy diets at various points, The old food pyramid is pretty bad and the recent US one is possibly even worse, but these were not purely scientific decisions and were heavily influenced by large corporations promoting their foods. The good thing about the science is it is a self correcting system over time, and is prepared to throw out old beliefs if the evidence says they were wrong, not always , not quickly , but a lot of errors get corrected over time as new studies generate new knowledge.

 

[Smiter]

You really cannot make that argument for high dose AAS or HGH.

Of course, but that holds true for just about anything. high dose is excessive, only the symptomatic effects vary.

but these were not purely scientific decisions and were heavily influenced by large corporations promoting their foods

Yeah, the problem is that some of the 'scientific' decisions were influenced by large corporations, and were thus unscientific. See, I am not denying that all studies aren't valid, but people forget that scientists work for money too. Most research labs are funded by mega corporations or their elite. Independent verification can become compromised as well. Arguments from authority are fallacious for a reason. I don't deny that it is hard to obtain the truth because of it.

The good thing about the science is it is a self correcting system over time, and is prepared to throw out old beliefs if the evidence says they were wrong, not always , not quickly , but a lot of errors get corrected over time as new studies generate new knowledge.

No doubt. The only problem with that is, as long as the human element is involved, the reverse can hold true as well. Errors can distort what was factual once. Therefore, multifarious evidence should be sought, and imo, reliance on mere scientific studies, that lack empirical evidence, should always be looked at first with a skeptical lens, understanding that it isn't anything else but an argument from authority.

I don't know if you're familiar with this, but do you know about those dudes who wrote utter hogwash about some sociological/feminazi rubbish and got it peer-reviewed, and published in several scientific journals, just as an experiment to prove how rotten the academic/scientific community is? I forgot the specifics. I think it was around 2018 or something when it happened.

 

[Smiter]

And GLP's are probably the most healthy drug bodybuilders are taking, at least it probably has net health benefits, even if not proven for healthy populations. You really cannot make that argument for high dose AAS or HGH

Non sequitur/False equivalency fallacy, I think. Sorry, didn't do it in the previous response. High dose GLP should be compared to high dose AAS and GH. And if you compare optimal dose on each, I submit that Testosterone would be far healthier than GLP's simply due to the systemic effects on quality of life. It depends on what can be considered health benefits. A muscular, stronger, more masculine body is imho, healthier than an average, normal BMI body.

 

[TeresaHip]

I've noticed that people who are unhealthy and severely overweight are mainly the ones who say GLP's are "cheating". I've been using Reta since Oct 2025 and have lost 30lb. My bloodwork is now significantly better than before I started. It's also the severely overweight people who say they are worried about the unknown long term side effects. My scale results and my bloodwork results make me believe that my long term health has only improved.

I think I would be more worried about being obese does to your body. Definitely more than taking a glp.

The thing I'm loving is all the money I'm saving being on them.

I don't have to pay extra for airplane accommodations for my weight.

My grocery bill is cut in half or more.

I don't pay as much for prescriptions because since losing weight I've went off some.

We don't go out to eat much now.

I can now take those vacations and buy a few things I want now.

 

[Ruckus4519]

That it's not healthy to do it with "drugs"

Had a friend who I confided to about doing this, and they started expressing their concern. I had to gently cut them off. I still remember the shit they've said about fat people to really accept their concern.

my favorite weight loss drug used to be clenbuterol

Ohhh shittt I've only heard about that one because of that UK lady that died from taking it. Couldn't really judge. I probably would've tried it myself

hidradenitis suppurativa

Do/Have you used Hibiclens at all? That's the brand name, I think. It's supposed to help with that condition. I was looking it up earlier because I've heard good things about it, but it might not be for me.

 

[lessthanhalf]

Non sequitur/False equivalency fallacy, I think. Sorry, didn't do it in the previous response. High dose GLP should be compared to high dose AAS and GH. And if you compare optimal dose on each, I submit that Testosterone would be far healthier than GLP's simply due to the systemic effects on quality of life. It depends on what can be considered health benefits. A muscular, stronger, more masculine body is imho, healthier than an average, normal BMI body.

Both tirzepatide and semaglutide have been shown to reduce overall mortality, or death from all causes, and rates of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and development of diabetes , cancer is a bit more complicated but almost certainly risks of many obesity related cancers as well. This is proven in both diabetics and those with pre-existing cardiovascular disease. It is not proven at this point in lower risk general populations simply because they get sick less often so it takes much larger studies over long periods of time to detect these effects. They have also been shown to be more effective at producing those health benefits at full doses, than they are at lower doses.

Proving this happens in low risk groups is not likely to happen anytime soon given the scale of the studies required, but it is reasonable to extrapolate from existing knowledge and from reductions in known cardiovascular risk factors like obesity ,blood sugars, lipids and blood pressure by GLP drugs that these drugs are likely to reduce risks in the general population. There is no evidence that higher doses of GLP drugs are more likely to cause serious adverse effects, other than the usual well known issues like gastrointestinal side effects.

Replacement dose TRT is in general thought to be safe, there are some studies showing increased cardiovascular risk and some showing reduced risk, the current consensus is they are likely to be safe, but there is no evidence of long term health benefits. The changes in muscle mass from replacement dose TRT are small. Higher doses of androgenic hormones do have high rates of adverse effects, especially the ones not often discussed at Meso, psychiatric and mood related issues. At higher doses excessive anger and irritability is common ( >10% ), and depression is also common especially when levels of hormones drop. It is unlikely that doses above physiological are harmless in terms of cardiovascular risk or of increased risks of androgen dependent cancers, such as prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men.

Studies of higher dose androgen therapy do not exist as it is not regarded as a useful therapy, so long term risks cannot be known. There are a few small scale observational or self reported studies in bodybuilders which is where the data on mental adverse effects come from.

The long term safety of hgh therapy is essentially unknown, there have not been long term studies of its use outside the context of brain damage related growth hormone deficiency or short stature in children due to gh deficiency. A few small short studies have been done in older people, but no where near enough data to say anything about long term safety . And in general in animal studies, blocking gh or igf-1 increases lifespan, which suggests increasing them could do the opposite.

 

[Calm Logic]

And the award for best post in the field of bro science goes to...

High dose GLP should be compared to high dose AAS and GH. And if you compare optimal dose on each, I submit that Testosterone would be far healthier than GLP's simply due to the systemic effects on quality of life. It depends on what can be considered health benefits. A muscular, stronger, more masculine body is imho, healthier than an average, normal BMI body.

Generally speaking, it is estrogen, not testosterone, that leads to longevity. That's one reason women outlive men, including their cardiovascular system aging about ten years less.

Quality of life arguments by guys on TRT or at least TRT+ tend to verge on YOLO rather than health span per se.

At some point, more muscle overworks and stiffens the heart, which has to continuously pump blood to all that mass, lean or not.

And, of course, no cancer researcher in the world thinks GH peptides are a good idea for recreational use. Some of them don't even like milk, since it can raise IGF-1.

 

[Smiter]

Generally speaking, it is estrogen, not testosterone, that leads to longevity. That's one reason women outlive men, including their cardiovascular system aging about ten years less.

Quality of life arguments by guys on TRT or at least TRT+ tend to verge on YOLO rather than health span per se. And, of course, no cancer researcher in the world thinks GH peptides are a good idea for recreational use. Some of them don't even like milk, since it can raise IGF-1.

Longevity is not a synonym for health, healthspan, nor does it imply a higher quality of life. Oh and everybody lives only once. And recreational use is not the same as optimal dose. TRT to stave off sarcopenia and maintain masculinity is akin to a prudent dose. Steroids can be misused, overused, and abused. Logically, these scenarios were outside the scope, relevance of my argument's frame. But since you brought it up, it's an interesting hypothetical. I wonder what a majority of men might choose: a full life with their vim, vitality, and vigor lasting longer, or a decade-longer lifespan with the usual senescence?

P.S: Interesting display name.