I've been on Mounjaro for a couple of years. Unfortunately this effect seems to plateau somewhat and you have to bump your dose. I've changed doses 3 times now, so I'm pretty familiar with how long each increase lasts. It still provides some appetite control, but those initial gains, or the honeymoon phase, definitely tapers. Still, I'm better off being on it versus not and I think it allows me to maintain a healthy weight easier. Plus reap all the other benefits we're learning more about.

Exactly my experience.

I went on them because I started boomeranging back after a long and very successful diet. It was pretty much the plan - I wanted to get as far as I could "naturally" and then use GLP-1's to bring me the rest of the way and keep me there, but I was surprised at just how rapidly I started adding weight again.

It stopped me cold and has gotten me almost back down at the lowest I was at after my diet so far and I keep losing at a slower pace but basically without effort.

In terms of pleasure, I'd say mostly no with some caveats. I have fewer snacks, and drink less coke, and I enjoyed both. I don't find chocolate or baked goods as enticing any more, but it's not stopped me from enjoying them on occasion.

It's more that it's stopped me from wanting them as often. I find it easier to tell myself not to grab a snack when I'm already full in particular. Before I might overeat to the point of discomfort.

So when I now actively choose to enjoy those things, I'm more likely to actually enjoy the whole experience.

I'd say the exception is probably coke, which I do find less enjoyable.

I definitely used to use food as a source of joy, so I had try to and find things to replace that. I got really into getting my nails done, nail art and perfume/fragrances to help fill the joy gap. Also exercise and audiobooks.

I had to conscientiously try and find new "fun" things in my life to replace food, which used to be my treat/highlight of my life lol.

I notice a little less joy, pizza used to make me soooo happy lol. Now even if I have pizza- which I still totally can, I just accommodate for it, but it's just like... okay, whatever here's some pizza, cool. I can have 1 or 2 slices and feel fine and not go hog on the entire thing and have it be this amazing fantastic binge.

First, I eat...but seem to get full fast. Its like before, my body would really delay sending me the "you're full now" signal while eating, but now it starts to come half way through my plate. But did I enjoy the food? Hell yeah. It might even taste better. And because I get full quicker, I eat slower so I can enjoy it more.

Outside of eating, I drink less, but do have occasional beers. I enjoy them.

And my relationships are not less fulfilling, and I don't find my life and work less interesting. All in all, the only thing I don't like is the occasional "egg" burps I get from it.

It's more like...you just don't want them? It's kind of wild. The first week I took them, I discovered there was a loop in my brain that was constantly thinking about food, and I never realized until it got switched off.

That's the best way I can describe it. I could basically always eat before and now I just...don't feel like it lol.

I will say, they are rough when you first start out on them. During the 1st 6-8 weeks I had several instances of maaaaaybe five seconds of warning between feeling nauseated and vomiting.

It settles down after a couple months and it was never bad enough to be a dealbreaker, but it's a fun time.

It definitely has downsides- it's $$, you have to take a shot every single week, I need to make sure to eat enough fiber now or I will not be regular. But that's a positive lifestyle change anyways- essentially am diligent now to ensure I get fiber every single day!

For me the pros outweigh the cons, I don't obsess over food constantly, my belt size went down and my watch band closed a few notches and even my dental hygienist mentioned last week my face was thinner. Overall it's a huge win.

I pay out of pocket $450 a month for it and it's worth it. The money I saw from no more online shopping habit and no more doordashing or drinking probably breaks even.

All drugs have side effects and downsides. The question should be if the benefits outweigh the costs, not if the drug is pure magic. Obviously its not pure magic, nothing is, but its still a useful drug.

Antibiotics are pretty much a free lunch but they exist. Completely stops deadly disease without causing any long term damage. They exist it's just rare

The point of modern mefivine is that we have drugs that have benefits that outweigh risks and downsides.

We already know the downsides (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5397288/). The family of drugs has been in use since 2005 for controlling glucose with diabetes. The only new thing is the mass-market use when it turned out to also reduce the physio-mental effects of cravings (food but also apparently other things) in general.

Why is this a hard rule?

I know people who have had miraculous benefits from psych meds. No downside. Using them for years. Or if there is a downside it’s massively outweighed by the upside.

> Do you honestly believe in the so called “free lunch”?

Yes. Why not? A body is a complex biomechanical system, that can be influenced by certain chemicals. Some of them can solve the underlying problem.

Why everything has to be a morality play?

> Why should we believe GLP-1 class drugs are any different?

Why are they any different from, say, antiretroviral drugs? Or from something like statins?

I started the GLP-1 drugs with liraglutide, a predecessor of Ozempic. It works similarly but its half-life is just several hours, so you had to get a daily injection. It has been in use for two decades by now with great results.