Patients on powerful fat loss jabs must get Medicare-funded gym sessions and diet advice to ensure they don’t cause irreversible damage to their bodies, health leaders warn.
It comes as fitness experts say they’re seeing a surge in “skinny fat” clients – people who have dropped kilos rapidly on the drugs, but lost vital muscle instead of just body fat.
In a landmark white paper, more than 150 top medical bodies – including the peak GP group,
Diabetes Australia, and the Heart Foundation – are demanding the Albanese Government deliver complete “wraparound care” for people fighting chronic diseases like obesity.
It follows a News Corp investigation, which this week revealed doctors were not reporting severe side effects because the paperwork is too taxing – and that patients were microdosing to make prescriptions last longer.
AUSactive boss Dr Ken Griffin said prescribing weight loss drugs without proper lifestyle support is a failure of care.
“The government cannot treat weight loss jabs as a quick fix or a stand-alone cure,” Dr Griffin said.
“GLP-1 medications can be incredibly effective, but if governments are going to fund the prescription, they must also fund the support around it.
“Patients may need a combination of co-ordinated clinical oversight, mental health monitoring, nutrition advice, and structured exercise to protect their physical and psychological wellbeing.”
Under the proposed ‘GP to Gym’ model, patients wouldn’t get a “free gym membership for life”, but rather an eight-to-12-week targeted course run by personal trainers or exercise physiologists.
Programs would run everywhere from local commercial gyms and council halls to community centres, ensuring everyday Aussies get the hands-on help they need to transform their health for good.
“We know that one of the big challenges of GLP-1s is loss of lean muscle mass,” Dr Griffin said. “And that means you’re losing skeletal muscle as well as actual lean muscle, rather than just fat.
“We know that we need to prevent that otherwise later in life and that can lead to other issues.”
Fit Mumma founder Patsy Tierney, who was the World Sport Aerobics Champion in 1998, has seen different health trends come and go over the decades but said the impact of GLP-1s had been most dramatic.
She has clients who come to her because they have no energy.
“They are almost that ‘skinny fat’ because they’ve lost so much muscle,” Ms Tierney said.
“I tell my clients what we are doing now is training for our old lady’s body. It’s so important to maintain strength as you get older. Anything you can do to get people in the gym is brilliant, because some people don’t know where to start.”
Dr Jack Mosley – son of the late Michael Mosley, famous for starting the fasting trend – said the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, already runs a similar program, covering some gym costs if the patient is eligible.
He said he was a supporter of the idea, even though most weight loss begins in the kitchen.
For help with an eating disorder, call the Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673, Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or Headspace on 1800 650 890