The truth about weight loss injections
What you need to know

Weight loss injections can be effective, but they are not a magic bullet. They work only while you’re taking them and come with side effects, high costs, and long-term reliance. For many, intuitive eating and a weight-inclusive approach may be a healthier and more sustainable alternative. Before starting any weight loss injection, ask yourself: Do I want to rely on this long-term, or do I want to build a healthier relationship with food that lasts for life?

This is a personal decision. These injections can help with weight loss, but they: ❌ Do not work long-term without lifestyle changes ❌ Can have side effects ❌ Do not guarantee better health If you’re considering them, speak to a healthcare provider and explore whether a sustainable, non-restrictive approach (such as intuitive eating) might be a better long-term solution. Appetite Club says, “You guessed it. It’s a NO from us! You are just delaying the inevitable - tackling the appetite once and for all - only this time it will bounce back bigger and more aggressive than ever.”

Yes, but NHS access is very limited. Most people will need to go private to get a prescription. 💊 NHS prescription criteria: ✔️ Wegovy – Available through specialist NHS weight management services, but only for those with a BMI of 35+and weight-related conditions. ✔️ Saxenda – Occasionally prescribed, but access is limited. If you don’t qualify for an NHS prescription, you’ll need to see a private doctor or order from an online UK pharmacy. Appetite Club says, “Diabetics need this medication as a matter of life and death. The stress of the worry about your eating is likely to be worse for your health than your actual weight, so come and find out how to get rid of the stress and the weight will follow.”

No. While they help reduce calorie intake, they do not improve fitness, strength, or overall well-being. Exercise remains important for: 💪 Muscle retention 🫀 Heart health 🧠 Mental well-being A balanced approach that includes movement you enjoy is key. Appetite Club says, “If you haven’t got the energy to exercise now, you will have even less when you come off the injections. It will take all your head-space and energy to just cope with the flood of food chatter returning in spades.”

They may be more effective than traditional dieting, as they suppress appetite biologically rather than relying on willpower. However, they still: ⚠️ Do not address emotional eating habits ⚠️ Do not teach intuitive eating skills ⚠️ Only work while you take them For long-term success, weight loss injections should be part of a bigger approach to health, not a standalone solution. Appetite Club says, “The bigger approach to health” has to be normalising your appetite natrually through ditching all forms of restriction and evoking the power of your body to eat normally. Weight loss injections have not part in a permenent solution to overeating.”

For some people, yes. Suppressing appetite artificially can lead to food avoidance, anxiety around eating, and difficulty recognising natural hunger cues. Some people report losing interest in food altogether, which can feel unsettling and create an unhealthy relationship with eating. If you have a history of disordered eating, these injections may not be suitable. Appetite Club says, “If you have gained weight which is due to a large appetite as opposed to the effects of a medical condition, medication or genetics, you already have disordered eating. The companies selling theese meds are meant to be screening out for disordered eating, but it they were no-one would be eligible.”

Because these injections reduce appetite, people often find they can only eat small portions before feeling full. Some even experience aversion to certain foods. However, it’s important to: ✅ Eat nutrient-dense meals to avoid deficiencies ✅ Get enough protein to prevent muscle loss ✅ Stay hydrated, as dehydration is a common issue Appetite Club says, “There will be nothing “normal” about your eating when you are taking the injections. Just like there is nothing normal about your eating now. Currently you are “driven” to overeat and when you are injecting you will be diven to undereat. Intuitive eating which delivers actual normal eating.”

The most common side effects include: 🤢 Nausea and vomiting 💩 Diarrhoea or constipation ⚡ Fatigue and headaches 😰 Dizziness or low blood sugar 🫀 Heartburn or stomach pain More serious risks include gallbladder disease, pancreatitis, and potential thyroid issues, though these are rare. Appetite Club says, “people who consider taking these injections for weight loss are so desperate to lose weight. many of them have the belief that they will feel so good when the weight is lost that the lifestyle changes will be easy to maintain.”

Most people will regain the weight if they stop taking the injections. Studies show that after stopping Wegovy, many people put weight back on within a year, which suggests the drug does not "fix" metabolism—it only suppresses appetite while being used. For weight maintenance, long-term habit changes are essential. Appetite Club says, “Weight is not the problem, the appetite is, so taking a drug to achieve weight loss will not solve the problem to hand. In fact, it will make it a whole lot worse.”

In the UK, weight loss injections are only recommended for people who: •Have a BMI of 30 or above (classed as obese), or •Have a BMI of 27+ with weight-related health conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes. They are not suitable for: 🚫 People with a history of thyroid cancer or pancreatitis 🚫 Pregnant or breastfeeding women 🚫 Those with certain digestive conditions You should always speak to a GP before considering weight loss injections. The New Rules on Private Prescriptions People wanting to buy weight loss jabs online are to face stricter checks after some with eating disorders were given prescriptions. A patient questionnaire will no longer be enough, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has told online pharmacies. Nor will an email chat or people sending in photos of themselves. Instead, checks on someone seeking jabs such as Wegovy or Mounjaro will include verifying the person's body mass index (BMI) in a video consultation, in person, or via GP or medical records. A phone call is no longer enough. In addition, the prescriber should "actively" share all relevant information about the prescription with their GP. If the person does not have a regular prescriber, such as a GP, or if there is no consent to share information, the prescriber should then decide whether it is safe to prescribe,” the guidelines say. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) is among those which called for more stringent rules after it became aware of people being prescribed the drugs when their weight was already low or they had an eating disorder. Appetite Club says, “Anyone can ditch all forms of dieting – extreme diets, the “healthy-eating” diet or these weight loss injections – and be reborn into the support of intuitive eating.”

Prices depend on whether you get them privately or through the NHS: 💰 Privately: •Wegovy: Around £199–£299 per month •Saxenda: Around £150–£250 per month •Ozempic (off-label use for weight loss): Around £75–£200 per month 💰 NHS Availability: •Wegovy is now available on the NHS but only for those with a BMI of 35+ and weight-related health conditions. •Saxenda may be prescribed on the NHS in certain cases, but access is limited. Most people in the UK will have to pay privately for weight loss injections unless they meet the strict NHS criteria. Appetite Club says, “Companies selling this as a new solution to weight loss are preying on those who have been unfortunate emough to develop a large appetute from dieting. Paying the money for these injections is the like this is the “hard work” done. It’s a high price in £, loss of vital connection to your body and side-effects for yet another temporary solution which you could do just like you have many times before.”

Clinical trials suggest that semaglutide can lead to an average weight loss of 10-15% of body weight over a year. However, results vary, and many people regain the weight once they stop using the medication. For long-term success, it’s recommended to combine these injections with lifestyle changes such as balanced eating and movement. The Appetite Club says, “it’s all very well saying combine these drugs with lifestyle changes but while you’re on them you are so exhilarated with not wanting to eat you don’t make lifestyle changes. You also don’t have to make lifestyle changes to lose weight. When you stop injecting, you will so overwhelmed by the urge to eat you won’t be able to maintain any changes you did make.”

Yes. Drugs like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and liraglutide (Saxenda) were originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes by helping regulate blood sugar. However, they were later approved for weight management after studies showed they could lead to significant weight loss. This means some weight loss injections, like Ozempic, are only licensed for diabetes in the UK but are sometimes prescribed unofficially for weight loss. The Appetite Club says, “these drugs were developed for diabetics who need it to regulate their blood glucose as a matter of life and death. The human body is perfectly capable of doing the same however it takes a relatively long time to achieve it. Having said that, the results are permanent and you will never go back to yo-yo eating.”

Weight loss injections such as semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic) and liraglutide (Saxenda) work by mimicking a hormone called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1). This hormone helps regulate appetite, slows digestion, and keeps you feeling fuller for longer—leading to a natural reduction in food intake. Mounjaro / Zepbound (Tirzepatide) also mimicks the GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) hormone. Essentially, these injections act as an appetite suppressant, which can help people eat less without feeling excessively hungry. The Appetite Club says, “artificially supressing the appetite disconnects the body from the eating even more than a lifetime of dieting has done.”