That's nice. On the other hand, I'm fat because I eat too much. It makes me unhealthy and less attractive. I welcome GLP-1s and think they definitely should be prescribed for cosmetic weight loss. Others can use whatever psychological coping strategies they deem fit—I'll have the pharmaceuticals.
Is there actually such a thing as cosmetic weight loss, given the incredible health benefits of being in an optimal weight range?
Excess weight is tied to pretty much every major cause of mortality and morbidity in the west. The UK's plan to offer Wegovy to unemployed people with complex health problems etc is, leaving aside its many political problems, a great illustration of how this is the case.
It may just be that tackling obesity lowers the strain on public health systems to such an extent that it is worth it financially, for those countries that have such systems coexisting with high rates of obesity.
I think the big thing the skeptics miss is that they believe it's only good for wealth loss. But studies is showing that it has massive health benefits that you don't get from dieting alone. Yes, losing weight by workout/dieting improves blood pressure, reduces sugar, and reduces heart disease. But GLP-1 has massive and better effects towards these things. If you just need to lose a few lbs and don't have health issues, go natural.
...then it's not cosmetic weight loss? I don't think we disagree. If we prescribed these medications the same way we prescribe, say, blood pressure medication, I think I would be less worried. When you have high blood pressure, they of course put you on a medication immediately to get your blood pressure down, but the goal is to reduce the medication over time by helping you work on the underlying cause of the high blood pressure. Some people just have naturally high blood pressure and will need the medication support forever, and that's OK, but many people can engage in lifestyle changes that will give them most of the improvement they need. If we were approaching GLP-1's with the same mindset I think I would be much less worried about the future of our society with these medications.
And for what it's worth, the above isn't a "coping strategy". It's body acceptance, which has made me a hell of a lot healthier than all the attempts I made at losing weight I didn't really need to lose in order to be healthy and happy.
I am well aware of the evidence and discussed it with my doctor. People WILL gain the weight back if they revert to their old eating and exercise habits.
