There are a lot of people who are not obese that are taking these drugs. That might be where the fear is coming from.

Something like 70% of the US is overweight, so there actually aren't as many people who aren't experiencing negative health effects from being overweight or obese as you think

Most of them likely are obese. Obesity is so normal that what most people call “overweight” is actually obese and the people they think are obese are morbidly obese.

Nothing wrong about wanting to look hot if the danger level is not high. I haven't heard about people trying to use them to aid an eating disorder, like diabetics do with insulin.

I realize obesity a major issue for a lot of people.

But is it worth giving up your impulses? I mean all of them.

I have no proof that's how it works long term, but I do feel the question should be asked before we dive in head first.

Anecdotally, it isn’t really giving up impulses. It blunts the desire for a lot of the ones that are related to consumption.

I can still get a wild idea at 9 pm and lose myself in code. I still see flowers and buy them form my wife without planning. I still have a bowl of ice cream before bed sometimes.

The best way to describe it is that you still have the impulse, but you are able to rationally consider it.

But how does the drug differentiate between consumption and other impulses?

If that's where your most powerful impulses are, that's where you're going to notice the difference.

I personally can't believe humanity is in such a state of decay that the two options allowed to be discussed are "50% of the population is morbidly obese, has 0 impulse control and will literally eat themselves to the grave" and "ozempic for life for 50% of the population"

Are we just a bunch of NPCs waiting for the orders? One day it's McDonald's selling you the disease the next it's Novo Nordisk selling you the cure, and you apparently have to clap at that "miracle"?

I'm not sure what you mean by "allowed". It's common and quite popular to discuss other strategies for controlling obesity. If someone invented a diet or exercise plan that works as well as Ozempic, it would be huge. But nobody's yet been able to do so, which I suspect is because diet and exercise are fundamentally not effective anti-obesity strategies.

As it happens, in the elderly, a BMI at the lower range of "obesity" is better than having higher or lower weight.

Of course, with the shortage of geriatricians, most seniors are unlikely to find this out.

This probably isn't true. What's more likely to be true is that it's hard to be overweight when your dying from cancer or whatever.

Breaking news, being obese is good for your health. And wait to learn about smoking!