Over the years I’ve worked with hundreds of clients who’s goal is to lose weight. People struggle with their weight for a whole host of different reasons, and really I’ve heard it all. Some people struggle with weight loss for emotional reasons, others as a response to childhood trauma, others due to their hormonal dysregulation, for some it’s stress related and for some they simply have no idea why. One this is for sure and what we all know by now is that weight loss isn’t just a simple case of eat less and more more.

The issues surrounding weight in the UK are pretty vast. According to the NHS around 63% of adults in the UK are either overweight or obese. What’s more the children of our population are also at significant risk of overweight and obesity. According to the NHS in 2022, 15% of our children aged between 2-5 were obese. We know that obesity can increase the risk of a wide range of health issues such as heart diseases, musculo-skeletal issues, cancers and diabetes to name a few.

With the combination of the health risks along with the struggles to lose weight and stay a healthy weight (maintenance is often more difficult than weight loss), it’s no surprise that people have coined these weight loss drugs as the holy grail. There are many people who have lost a lot of weight and have ‘re-found’ themselves as a result of taking these drugs. Before we explore the pros and the cons, I just want to explain how they work.

The drugs are GLP-1 Agonists, which means they increase the amount of GLP-1 in the body. GLP-1 is a hormone which makes you feel full. As a result, you require less food to leave you feeling full. Consequently, you’re not eating as much and so you lose weight.

The Pros:
Let’s start with the positives, there have been many people who I’ve spoken to and heard speak who anecdotally say that they feel much better having lost the weight. For most people, weight loss is pretty rapid and it can prevent people from thinking about food as much as they may have previously.

For some people they’ve reported making healthier choices and have been able to exercise more comfortably due to having lost some weight. (Personally, I think it’s important to add, that these individuals would have had to have some knowledge around healthy eating and exercise prior to taking these drugs).

The Cons:
As much as these drugs have been made out to be the magic answer to weight loss, as you know by now, such thing doesn’t exist. The distribution of weight lost on these drugs is vital to understanding the long-term health implications. These drugs cause weight loss but they don’t prioritise fat mass over muscle mass. Unfortunately, lots of the research shows that much of the weight which is lost comes from muscle mass which means that overtime (particularly for those who end up on these for a long-period of time) there could be a risk of sarcopenia - a gradual loss of muscle mass.

I also really want to highlight that these drugs don’t cause everyone to eat healthier foods so if you’re eating much smaller intakes of food and your choices aren’t particularly healthy then there’s a big risk of nutritional deficiencies. When we’re deficient in certain nutrients we’re unable to function optimally and in some cases properly. Over time this may have implications to our health.

Finally, I just want to remind you that we don’t know the long-term implications of taking these drugs so please be careful and consider your decision really thoroughly before jumping on the band-waggon just because your friend told you too.

Ok, one more point… If you weigh up the pros and cons and you do decide to go down this route, please remember that these drugs are not well regulated in the private market and there have been cases of people selling products which have not been approved for use so please check your supplier.

Lastly, if you’re interested in improving your health or working on your weight please feel free to get in touch, I’d love to discuss working with you on a 1-1 basis.