The Loose Women panel clashed on Tuesday’s show during a discussion on the weight loss injection that could soon be offered to adults struggling with their size.
The treatment, which is in trials and aims to make people feel fuller so they eat less, reportedly helped obese people lose an average of two stone, or 13kg.
The Loose Women panel of Ruth Langsford, Coleen Nolan, Janet Street-Porter and Brenda Edwards debated the jab today, as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is recommending it should be made available on the NHS.
Janet, 75, opened the discussion by labelling the treatment “ridiculous" and compared it to rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic.
She said: “I think that the only way to lose weight in the long term is to change your attitude to food to realise that what goes in will affect the size of your backside.
“That requires investing in education, teaching kids how to cook.”
She added: “It will work for some people but as a nation, we have got this disconnect with food where we don’t realise we actually eat all the time.”
But host Ruth Langsford, 61, weighed in to say that the jab could be a godsend for those that have “tried everything” and just can’t shed unhealthy body fat.
Janet replied: “That ties them to this regime as well. Can you honestly tell me when the injections stop, they’ll continue to lose weight?”
Fellow panellist Coleen, 56, disagreed with Janet, saying the injection could be a “great idea for some”.
She added: “For people that do use food for other mental health issues, they need a different kind of treatment - therapy, counselling to find out what the issue is.”
She continued: “It’s funny because we all know that when you’re sitting there eating chocolate crisps and pizza, you’re going to put weight on.”
Coleen then noted that many people have not experienced struggling with food portion control or avoiding ultra-processed foods - and included herself in that group.
She said: “I think for people who have never experienced what it’s like to look at a chocolate bar and put weight on - which is me - it’s hard for them to understand.”
She added: “Janet, to me, you’re never been overweight,” but Janet came back insisting: “I have been overweight!”
Coleen interjected saying she has never seen a picture of Janet overweight.
Janet replied: “I once had my doctor tell me I’d gone over the magic amount you’re supposed to weigh for your age and height.”
Coleen responded laughing: “I’ve gone weeks over that line - not a day. I’ve gone months ahead.”
Janet admitted that she can break off two pieces of a chocolate bar while watching TV and eat them 20 minutes apart, with Ruth telling her she’s “very disciplined”.
Coleen replied: “She could sit and equally eat the whole bar. It’s hard to just stop sometimes.”
Several Loose Women viewers similarly disagreed with Ruth’s take and took to Twitter to push back against the panellist’s comments.
One wrote: “#LooseWomen Janet try researching Under Active Thyroid before you judge.”
Another wrote: “I despair. #LooseWomen are discussing the "weight-loss jab" as if it was a cosmetic option for dieters when it is for those who are dangerously obese and/or have type 2 diabetes.”
A third tweeted: “#LooseWomen Those that say "being fat is because you eat too much" are very ignorant of medical conditions that cause metabolism issues. It's not all about eating too much.”
Loose Women airs weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV
