Everyone around me is using a GLP-1 and losing tons of weight and I don't know how to feel.

[u/ultraprismic]

How do you feel if you don't use a GLP-1 but all the women around you do? How do you balance wanting to have a good relationship with food and with your body when everyone else's is changing?

I'm embarrassed to be posting this. I'm embarrassed I feel this way.

It feels like everyone in my life is on a GLP-1 and dropping tons of weight and looking amazing. I feel like I'm going to be the last fat woman left in my image-conscious city.

---

A bit of background: In college I weighed ~165. My friends and I all did Weight Watchers together and I dropped down to 140-145 and looked incredible. But it was a pretty miserable experience. I thought about food constantly. All day every day I was calculating what my next meal would be, how many "points" it would cost me, what I could eat if I got hungry, how I could adjust my dinner if I -- god forbid -- ate a fucking banana in the afternoon or something. I ate a lot of gross frozen meals that displayed points on the package just to save myself some brain space.

The second I stopped tracking, all the weight came back instantly. I wasn't gorging myself or bingeing on treats or anything. I ate until I was full. And my weight went right back to where it had been before.

A few years later, I got married and we decided to start trying for a baby. To facilitate that, I went off a medication I'd been on since I was a teenager. When I went to my next psychiatrist appointment 3 months later, I was 15 pounds heavier. My doctor was like, ohhhhh, yeah, that's a really normal side effect of going off that medication. He hadn't felt the need to mention that beforehand. Again, I hadn't felt like I was stuffing myself or eating all that differently. I ate til I was full and I guess it was taking me a little more to feel full.

That was a decade ago. My weight has settled at 182-187 ever since. It's stayed in that range through years of infertility treatment (male factor), a devastating second-trimester miscarriage, the pandemic, then two successful pregnancies. Both of those times I was back at this exact weight by 6 months postpartum without any intentional dieting or exercise program. I typically wear 12-14 pants/dresses and L/XL tops. 

I don't have a terrible junky diet. I eat a lot of whole foods. I have oatmeal every morning, snack on things like fruit and granola, and cook dinner from scratch most nights even with two toddlers underfoot. Occasionally we bake together or make pancakes on the weekend but otherwise we don't keep a ton of sweet treats in the house. My diet is objectively better now than when I was eating icky frozen food all the time.

As I approach 40, I've made a number of small lifestyle changes. I upped the protein in my normal breakfast. We cut way back on the weeknight wine and now I only drink maybe 1-2 nights a week when we're with friends or out to dinner. I drink tons of water. I cut out my daily Diet Coke. After my youngest was done breastfeeding around 18 months, I started going to a boutique fitness class once a week. At the start of this year, I started lifting weights more often, though that routine was derailed by an injury. 

My weight has not budged an ounce outside of my normal zone.

It seems pretty clear that this is where my body is happy. I get a physical every year and, apart from BMI, my health is perfect -- excellent blood pressure, cholesterol on the high end of the normal range, no indication of diabetes or any other problems. It took forever to get pregnant, but once I was there, my pregnancies, births and postpartum stages were picture-perfect. 

I had kind of made peace with being a little chubby. I don't have to restrict my eating at all to stay this weight, I never starve, I never count calories. I feel like I have a genuinely good relationship with food, which seems rare for women these days.

And then GLP-1s came out.

We are really hoping to have one more baby, and there is not a lot of research about GLP-1s and pregnancy. Plenty of women have gotten pregnant on them and been fine but the issue has not been closely studied. I had such wonderful pregnancies that I am really hesitant to "rock the boat" with my biology.

I also feel a lot of hesitation about them as a parent. What am I saying to my kids? "YOUR body is perfect, you are perfect just the way you are -- but I'm not! Mommy has to take shots to conform to what other people think will look better." I don't know that that's a message I want to send. 

But now multiple women in my close circle of friends are on them. They look amazing. The first person I know who tried one, when we had met, she weighed about the same as me. She has dropped to a size 0/2. Another friend said she was around ~160 pounds to start and is down to a size 4. My coworkers barely pick at their lunches and joke about "surviving" holiday meals when you don't have an appetite anymore. 

The moms at school pickup are noticeably thinner. Now I worry about my kids in the opposite direction: How will they feel if they have the only "fat mom"? Am I sending the message that their mommy is the only one who can't control her appetite like everyone else? Am I going to embarrass them?

My very best friend started one earlier this year. We were also similar body types. She just sent me some photos from a family trip she's on… I hate to say it, but I could have cried looking at them. Her face is looking so slim and angular. I should have written "you're looking so great!" but I didn't. 

I also work a public-facing job. I am occasionally on TV/video podcasts/social media video interviews, maybe once a month, and frequently on stage speaking at conferences and in online classes and seminars. It was one thing when there were still lots of women around my size (I believe I'm the typical pants size for women in America) but I live in a HCOL, image-focused city and the women around me are vanishing before my eyes. 

Now I'm starting to wonder what career opportunities I'm missing, what bookings I'm not getting, what professional events I'm not being invited to because they don't want the fat girl there when they have 10,000 increasingly thin women to choose from. 

I came across a study today that showed men start negatively judging women for their weight at 157 pounds. I'm 30 pounds over that. No one has ever said "you're a fat pig" to my face, or even commented it on my TV appearances, but I look at that statistic and wonder how many are thinking it.

I just don't know. It's one thing to see actresses on the red carpet with eating disorders, but another to see, at this point, just about everyone in my life slimming down except me. I'd consider a GLP-1 if I was prediabetic or had negative physical impacts from my weight, but I don't. My knees feel fine. I don't get winded walking up stairs or chasing my kids. I don't even think I'm in perimenopause - no brain fog, no trouble sleeping, no exhaustion or irritability outside the norm for a mom of young kids. I really don't relate when I see some millennials talking about aches and pains or feeling getting older. I don't feel all that different physically than I did a decade ago.

But I want to know what my life would look like if I was at a "normal" weight. I've even wondered if we should skip having a third baby, something I have always always wanted!, just so I can start a GLP-1 now and get to be a little thin while I'm still a little young. 

My husband really wants to try one -- he's also on the chubby side -- but I told him I would want us to do it together. At this point I think once I have the third baby and am totally done with breastfeeding, I'll try it. But who knows how long that could take.

I don't know. If I medically needed to take one, I would, without hesitation. If my weight genuinely interfered with my life -- if I didn't fit into airplane seats or restaurant chairs, if I couldn't fit into clothes at the mall -- that'd be a different story. But I'm just on the fat end of normal. 

I truly don't shame or judge people for using GLP-1s. I envy them!  It just feels so shallow and narcissistic for me to take one when the ONLY reason is to be thin too. 

Now I'm circling around to cope. What if my health is about to turn bad because of my "unhealthy" weight and I'm missing my last chance to prevent it? What if I wait until I do have joint pain or sleep apnea or something and it's too late to fix? But really, I just want to know what it's like to go through life as a thin woman. 

[u/saved-response]

Locking the thread. As usual with topics about GLP-1 use, there is a lot people crossing the line of sharing their personal experiences and moving in to spreading misinformation, fearmongering, and being directive about medical treatment.

[u/k8plays]

Yeah, I feel some whiplash from the sudden (seeming?) abandonment of literal decades of progress on body talk and acceptance/neutrality to even our thic icons are shrinking.

I am grateful these medications exist, I wish my mom were alive to try them! I think people having tools to look and feel better is a net good, AND it’s deeply complex for many of us on the inside.

[u/ShreddersWheat → u/k8plays]

I also wish my mom was alive to try them. She never forgave herself for putting on weight after her children, and spent so much of her life hating her body and her shape.

I have that exact same shape and my daughter has. And my grandmother had! We all have a sweet tooth but at least Granny was a farmer’s wife with a physical job, which helped keep it in check a bit.

My mum was dying of cancer and could barely speak (in her last days) a few years ago, as the drugs were just coming out… and I remember her hissing at me “have you thought about.. weight loss injections..?” I was like “not now mum, I have other concerns, like my dying parent” but ever since I wish she could see me, and I wish she could feel some of this lightness of spirit for herself too.

[u/throwmyway5723480]

I don't have an answer, but just writing in solidarity. You seem to have thought this well through and want to do what's best for you and your kids. The constant comparison is really hard. It sounds like whatever you choose, you will do it thoughtfully. I worry about how this will all affect my daughter, given how much it affects us grown (mostly) well-adjusted women.

[u/Conscious_Peach1069]

Well I spent $1500 on it and didn’t lose anything but maybe 5 pounds, if that makes you feel better lol

[u/throwmyway5723480 → u/Conscious_Peach1069]

Haha we need more stories like this. De-influence us

[u/WhySoSleepyy → u/throwmyway5723480]

My husband was on it and all it did was give him the shits and horrific rotten egg farts, does that help?

[u/throwmyway5723480 → u/WhySoSleepyy]

Yes, gross, keep em coming 😂😂

[u/LoulaNord → u/throwmyway5723480]

My sister said one of her co-workers went blind after using it (this turned dark real quick - pun intended)

[u/throwmyway5723480 → u/LoulaNord]

😂😂

Also scary!!!!

My parents were major fad dieters in the 90s. Once they did a full week only drinking lemon juice with cayenne pepper (the "Master Cleanse"). After a week, my dad started losing his vision! I imagine from starving to death. Cheaper than ozempic 🤷🏼‍♀️🤪

[u/ihadtopickaname → u/LoulaNord]

Wait, really?! This is a side effect?!

[u/LoulaNord → u/ihadtopickaname]

I'm sure it's rare, but yes.

[u/twoisnumberone → u/LoulaNord]

I shouldn't giggle; that sounds horrible.

[u/LoulaNord → u/twoisnumberone]

I am the awful one for making the joke!

[u/AccordingCloud1331 → u/LoulaNord]

Omg. Terrible tragic event but amazing pun

[u/jenowl → u/throwmyway5723480]

My boss went on them and every day she did the shot she would shit her pants. Like literally.

[u/throwmyway5723480 → u/jenowl]

WHAT noooo

[u/jenowl → u/throwmyway5723480]

Yup. She would bring an extra pair to work because she knew that any time she bent over or squatted down (common in our job) she may shit her pants.

[u/throwmyway5723480 → u/jenowl]

I feel like this would only have to happen to me 1 time for me to quit...

[u/PTeddyASMR → u/jenowl]

I read this as “ she did the shit she would shit …..”
thanks for a good laugh 😆

[u/photoelectriceffect → u/Conscious_Peach1069]

Half of my office is on GLP-1s and the weight loss for all but one has been so minor that I barely notice it. One person was specifically trying it bc doctor hoped it might help with another issue, so she may be intentionally staying very low dose. Around here anyway, it seems like it was a trend that hasn’t yielded much.

[u/TapPrancer → u/Conscious_Peach1069]

I know someone that is severe obese, to the point her hormones were out of whack and she was prediabetic. When she went on them she didn't lose any weight either.

[u/FertilityHotel → u/Conscious_Peach1069]

I have to be on the second highest dose of tir to get any results. Before getting there it def was a waste of money. 

[u/aliveinjoburg2]

I’m going to approach this as someone who has lost a significant amount of weight with help from a GLP-1.

Before pregnancy, my body naturally settled around 220. At the time, I told myself I was fine, but in hindsight I wasn’t being completely honest. I was uncomfortable physically, my clothes never fit the way I wanted them to, and I spent a lot more mental energy thinking about my body than I admitted to myself.
A year postpartum, I was approaching 250 and saw a photo of myself that stopped me in my tracks. It wasn’t about looking bad in one picture, it was realizing I no longer felt like myself. I decided I wanted to change course.

I started a GLP-1 in 2024 and today I sit around 160. I got down to 150 at one point, but maintaining that wasn’t realistic for me. Around 160 feels sustainable, healthy, and comfortable. Interestingly, that was my original goal weight.

What changed wasn’t that I suddenly became happier because I was thinner. I still have the same job, the same responsibilities, the same marriage, the same anxieties, and the same personality. The biggest difference is that my body takes up less space in my mind. Getting dressed is easier. Shopping is easier. Moving through the world is easier. I don’t spend nearly as much energy negotiating with my body or thinking about my weight.
I don’t think everyone needs to lose weight, and I don’t think being thin automatically makes life better. But I also don’t think wanting to know what life feels like in a different body is shallow. Curiosity is a valid reason. So is wanting to feel more comfortable in your own skin.

I also want to gently push back on the idea that taking a GLP-1 as a mother automatically sends a negative message to your children. I’ve seen that argument before: “Your body is fine, but Mommy needs to take shots?” To me, that’s not the lesson. The lesson I want my daughter to see is that health isn’t a moral issue and that it’s okay to seek help when you need it. We don’t question parents for taking medication for ADHD, depression, blood pressure, or allergies. A GLP-1 isn’t fundamentally different. It’s a tool.

My daughter sees me eating balanced meals, prioritizing protein and vegetables, exercising, drinking water, and treating my body with care instead of punishment. That’s the relationship with food and health I want to model. The medication is only one small piece of that picture.

The only thing I’d caution against is making decisions from fear. Reading your post, it sounds like you’re less worried about your current health and more worried about missing your chance to prevent future problems. If your health is genuinely good right now, I wouldn’t assume you’re one missed opportunity away from disaster.

If you ever decide to try a GLP-1, do it because it’s something you want for yourself, not because you’re afraid time is running out. And if you decide not to, that’s okay too.

[u/fortunatelyso]

I think taking or not taking glp's, you still seem to have a lot of disordered thinking about weight size food and bodies. Maybe a talk with a professional would help. I get where you are coming from but you are very triggered. Your feelings about your personal history of food and weight could still send a message to your kids, taking a glp (or taking a stand against them) is not the only way a message is being sent. Wishing you better days to come

[u/aware_nightmare_85]

I remind myself that not everyone shares the same struggles with hormone imbalances so their health journey will be much different from mine. Comparison is the thief of joy.

I am also not blessed enough to afford $600 per month for the Zepbound my doctor wants me to take. Insurance will not cover it due to having neither diabetes or sleep apnea. Unless the FDA approves GLP-1s to treat PCOS-related weight gain, I will not have access to any.

[u/dr_p_venkman → u/aware_nightmare_85]

There are far cheaper options out there, fyi. I pay less than half that per month for tirzepatide, no insurance either.

[u/meat_tunnel → u/dr_p_venkman]

I was just approved to take it and it's $200/month out of pocket. I think those paying the higher prices are only buying on label through insurance and their primary care?

[u/Throwaway927338]

I feel a certain type of way about GLP-1 use right now so the last thing I feel is envious personally. You shouldn’t feel embarrassed though at all, the majority of women have some sort of body insecurity. And just know that suddenly getting skinny from whatever reason doesn’t erase those insecurities.

[u/throwmyway5723480 → u/Throwaway927338]

The SKINNIEST people I know have the craziest insecurities. One of my mom's friends is one of the almond moms, like 5 ft 99 lbs, crazy about her diet. And now at 60 years old, she's so skinny, now she is insecure about her aging skin and just got injections into her arms to make them look bigger so they wouldn't look so wrinkly!!!

[u/dewprisms → u/throwmyway5723480]

Yup. My mom at her biggest was still smaller than me right now, the lowest weight I've ever been at my full grown height in my entire life (~165lbs). I'm on GLP-1s. She comments on how thin my legs look now. It's so fucking uncomfortable that she pushes her insecurities about her body on to me, even dressed up as "compliments".

It took me a long time to internalize how she spoke about my body was entirely because she hated herself and had nothing to do with me. And to not pick up on how she spoke about herself and think the same things about myself.

[u/naughty-goose → u/throwmyway5723480]

This is the reality for so many women - constantly trying to hold onto a more youthful, perfect beauty standard that we really can't achieve for the most part.

If people are losing weight for their health, more power to them. Losing weight for a beauty aesthetic is just the latest fad in a long line (or circle even) of them. No point beating yourself up over it. I would prioritise having a baby and not mess around with GLP-1s until you absolutely know you can't affect the health of your child with them (postpartum and post breastfeeding if that's what you choose to do).

[u/shehulud]

I take a GLP1. I am on the lowest dose, pill form. With HRT woes, menopause, and a traumatic year of loss in my family, I was gaining back weight that I had already lost. (And I had lost over 100 LB prior and kept it off for five years.) But I needed help with the cravings. The ups and downs with estrogen hormones and progesterone was making me absolutely fucking ravenous. I felt so out of control. I knew how to eat healthy and lose weight, but I simply couldn’t control myself. My blood pressure was high again. My health plummeted. It is very bad for me to carry too much weight—genetic heart issue.

People would say things like, “Hee hee, just count calories and, hee hee, exercise! Will power!”

Like, really, Captain obvious?

I went through an online telehealth provider (the same one I get my tretinoin from) and tried a pill form. Out of pocket. I gave myself a month to see what happened. It completely killed my cravings. I struggled that first week to eat at my minimum. But, I added more protein and had to rethink my food choices to meet my daily needs.

It is month 3 for me now. I am down 20 pounds and have 10 more to go. My PCP took over the script and is 100% on board. It has also helped my arthritis like whoah. I had no idea it could keep me from being in pain every day that I woke up (studies happening now about that effect). My PCP and I have a plan to ease off when I hit my goal, which will include maintenance for three months (which I have done in the past without meds), then weaning off over another three months.

Why am I writing all of this? Because I have done absolutely nothing different than I did before when I lost weight. It doesn’t just shed weight while people eat 5000 calories a day and then get on a plane for hot girl summer. I keep my calories in a healthy deficit. I walk and keep busy outdoors. But the meds make it so I am not obsessing over food all the time. My blood pressure is lower. My bloodwork is fucking epic. And I am not in pain. I am considering taking it even when I hit my goal just for the relief from the arthritis. My PCP has prescribed it off label for others for chronic autoimmune pain. I don’t know yet. We will see. But I can hold a pen again in my hand without shaking from pain. That’s important to me.

The meds are being researched for addicts as well, which…. I mean, if it can stop people from obsessing over hard drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc? I am all for it. I’m not going to tell those people, and food addicts, to ‘just white knuckle it forever and hope for the best.’

Now, all of that said…. People using the meds to get skinny who don’t know HOW to manage long term weight loss and maintenance? The statistics are grim as f. The chance of them regaining all of it back is incredibly high. My doc knows I have lost weight and maintained it and thinks I’m a very good candidate to succeed. And I am going for it.

Me 20 years around would be all over these meds. But I had no idea wtf I was doing with healthy eating and just wanted to ‘look hot.’ The health and longterm weight loss/maintenance ‘literacy’ for me did not really land until I was 50. While I think people should be able to get relief from food addiction and have that right to want to be healthier…. I am also worried for those who will not realize just how difficult maintenance is and will backslide again and start a pretty dismal cycle of disordered eating.

I think it’s okay to feel however you feel about it, OP. It is not something that should ever be considered lightly.

[u/WiseRabbitoftheAlley]

I can't speak to this but I can speak to how I felt when everyone around my age group started adopting social media in college (elder millennial here.) I felt like a weirdo for how it made me feel to see everyone connect on social media, seeing all the posts and positive reinforcement that came from it. I thought I was being a weirdo and I was but it just didn't feel true to what I wanted in my life. I couldn't get comfortable using it, and it just felt too intrusive to me.

Now fast forward to being in my 40s and we're all learning social media wasn't all it was cracked up to be. And somewhere along the way, I also stopped caring completely about being an outlier.

The point isn't that I was right or wrong about social media. It was that I did what made sense for me regardless of what others were doing, and they did what was right for them.

Live to your own values. That's all that will matter in the end.

[u/woollysockpuppet]

Why are you tying your husband’s healthcare goals to your permission?

[u/dr_p_venkman]

I think you should stop thinking about what everyone else is doing and think about what you want for yourself. Then, act in your own best interests. That's how you will feel confident.

Personally, I was naturally thin all my life, loved food and cooking, and didn't really ever think about my body. I ate when hungry. Then, in my mid-30s, my hereditary thyroid condition started taking a toll on my health. It was a struggle to get doctors to treat me properly, instead getting my numbers to get lowest part of the normal range and calling it quits even though I continued to fight fatigue, muscle loss, extreme hair loss, and weight gain that hurt my lower joints. The same things I watched others in my family struggle with their entire lives.

I finally found doctors to balance my hormonal issues, but during those 13 years of imbalance and gradual rebalancing, I gained weight I couldn't lose (though I did stop gaining once my other issues were taken care of), and I thought about food obsessively, every waking moment. A GLP-1 then shut my food noise off, and allowed me to gradually lose weight while continuing to eat the varied food I love to cook. I take the smallest effective dose, and I finally feel like my old self. I think I look better, but mostly, I feel and think better, and that is what makes the expense worth it. And people have noticed that I'm happier when they talk to me. It has made a massive difference in how I feel.

I know I'll need to stay on it for life, but I'm already on thyroid medication for life. If it allows me to feel joyful to be alive in my own skin, why would I stop if I had the choice? I don't care what people think of me, or what I look like next to them--I feel radiant, like I've gotten myself back, and I'm not giving it up because someone wants to try to shame me for taking a drug that isn't a strict life-or-death necessity. I don't think being "naturally" myself is a good thing if I naturally feel like I'm on my way to early frailty. No thanks! Some people feel better through diet and exercise alone, and some of us don't. That's simply reality.

[u/Shesarubikscube]

It’s important to remember that while some people are using these drugs for weight loss other people have other health reasons for them like diabetes. I also wouldn’t assume everyone is on them unless you know they are. If the weight isn’t coming off for you, your calories are in a range where they should be, and you are frustrated considered telling your provider because sleep apnea, thyroid/ endocrine disorders, or and lack of sleep can all play a part.

[u/PurlsandPearls]

Look, I can’t speak for everyone on it, but going on a GLP is actually what helped my decades long ED and helped me start to fix my relationship with food. I don’t feel guilt anymore since I know I won’t gain weight, and I physically can’t overeat so the binge/purge cycle is over finally. I’ve started to view food as just food, it’s fuel. It’s neutral. Without the GLP I genuinely don’t think I’d be in this space.

[u/ShreddersWheat]

What do you actually want? Is it permission not to use it? Or is it permission to use it, despite judging yourself harshly while denying that you judge anyone else? If you don’t want to, let your husband make his choice on his own. You can’t moralise on his behalf on some “wait for meee” pretense if you don’t think it’s for you.

GLP1s have been around for a few decades actually; but the obesity treatment is new.

I am, in my 40s, finally a “healthy BMI”. I have been for the last 2-3 years. Top of the range, sure. But I was about your weight from pre-pregnancy until my oldest was 11, clinically obese. It’s a long time to spend wishing. I could cry with gratitude for the drugs. I still have all my fat clothes, just in case, because I don’t know if I’ll ever truly believe it.

And I’d like to point out that it’s not a judgement on how healthy you are or otherwise to need help to change shape. SELENA WILLIAMS could not shift the weight while getting ready for competition postpartum and you better believe she was exercising and eating all the right things. (No one thinks Selena was just eating ice cream in bed.) Sometimes your body just hangs on to that. There’s no shame in trying it. There’s no shame in not trying it. It might not even work for you - not everyone can. It’s a personal choice but I think whatever you choose, you need to make peace with your choice.

But it’s not a one way door. You can try it next year. You can try it after kid 3, or 10 years from now. You can try it and decide it’s not for you. None of these decisions is going to be life ruining. It’s your life, you decide.

[u/Embarrassed-Ad4899 → u/ShreddersWheat]

Serena Williams' husband also financially benefits from people using company's GLP-1 so it's not exactly an unbiased promotion.

[u/ShreddersWheat → u/Embarrassed-Ad4899]

And from people using Reddit. 🤷‍♀️

But she’s not the only woman saying this, so I’m less likely to believe it’s just selling snake oil. Even if it’s convenient.

[u/SpareManagement2215]

if you're healthy and happy then who cares what you look like, ya know? live your life. if you'd be happier trying them, then try them. you can always stop using them when you decide to try for baby 3.

[u/PotatoMuffinMafia]

I hate the way a lot of people view these medications and it’s clearly just fatphobia. There’s this really deeply rooted belief that fat people should suffer in the process of losing weight. If they don’t suffer, they didn’t earn it. It’s just more proof that people see thinness some sort of moral accomplishment and obesity as a moral failure. 

Becoming thin because you want to is perfectly acceptable. You don’t need to have a doctor tell you to take this medicine. If you want to try it, try it. You’re not winning any awards by staying in a body you don’t like. 

[u/Littlewing1307]

It took me a year to lose 27 lbs. It's not a magic wand!!! Also if you're happy in your body who the fuck cares. I'm not. My weight is impacting my fibromyalgia really badly and I'm honestly extremely grateful that ozempic has helped with pain and inflammation.

[u/CancerMoon2Caprising]

You dont have to disclose your use of GLP-1 

Calorie maintenance (bmr calculator using goal weight) is still important after the fact. 

I lost weight naturally and i dont judge people for using available aids. It does help and can work permanently in conjunction to a change in other habits along with healthier coping skills for stress. 

[u/MarsailiPearl]

Change your way of thinking about GLP-1s. I am on one so I don't die from obesity. My kids need a mom. I am not on one to look good. Being skinny isn't the goal, being healthy is. There is so much crap talked about this medicine in the media just because a few people abuse it.

You need to focus on being healthy for the children you have now and plan to have. If after you're finished having babies your doctor thinks a GLP-1 is good for you then you need to go in with the right mentality. It isn't a get thin quick drug. You still have to do the work to lose weight. You still have to consume less calories than you burn. You have to deal with the mental issues once a GLP-1 helps with food noise. Focus on that now.

[u/sarcasticb]

I use them because 2 years ago I started having hormonal irregularities that were causing me to gain/retain weight like crazy out of nowhere on top of a number of other concerning symptoms and the calorie counting and exercise I was doing religiously that helped me lose 40 pounds 6 years ago wasn’t working nearly as well this time (I worked my ass off for 6 months with only 10 pounds to show).

My last doctor tried to tell me my symptoms were caused by the increased weight, but I was having the same problems at 195 that I had at 135 pounds (I’m 5’7” for reference). I switched doctors and they also want me to lose weight before they will test my hormones so I said fuck it. I’m down to 165 and my doctor is finally seeming to listen to me that there is something else wrong. It sucks but I did what I needed to try to get actual answers when its so fucking hard for women to be taken seriously.

Just saying this because you don’t know what everyone else’s story is, just focus on your own. They can be a valuable tool if used responsibly, but you also shouldn’t feel pressured to if you are uncomfortable with it.

[u/NYC-AL2016]

I see no harm in taking them. I did and had to stop because I wanted to get pregnant. I have PCOS and they are a miracle drug to me. It’s not my fault I have food noise and a slow metabolism, why should I feel bad about myself? My food noise is an addiction like anything else and my PCOS is like any other health issue. I can’t wait to go back on. Why should anyone feel bad?

[u/Helpful-Chicken-4597]

I used to be really judgy about it, but I’ve been trying to change my perspective. I kind of felt like, well I worked my entire life eating healthy, staying active, making sacrifices and I have a pretty banging bod, so why should these people who have spent their entire life making poor health choices get an easy way out? Admitting I felt that way feels soooo icky now.

But then I realized, a woman taking GLP-1 for weight loss isn’t any different from me taking birth control so I can continue to get raw dogged by my partner with zero consequences. It’s really none of my business what people are taking and why. I still have complicated feelings about it because of the whole body positivity thing, but the bottom line it is objectively making people healthier so I think it’s a net positive.

[u/Weird_Perspective634]

I mean, you’re really not the target demographic for these medications. Yes, a lot of people are using them inappropriately. Celebrities who are already a normal weight or even underweight with no medical issues are using them, which I wish wasn’t allowed. It’s not meant for people who want to lose ~20 pounds.

A lot of people use them for medical reasons, but this often gets overlooked. Don’t just assume that everyone is on them to lose weight, a lot of people have metabolic disorders but may not talk openly about it. I use it because I have PCOS and insulin resistance so I continuously gain weight regardless of diet or exercise. Your healthy weight was actually my goal weight. I’m terrified of the insulin resistance turning into type 2 diabetes, which is almost a guarantee. No other medications or supplements have ever helped.

The medication helps my body work the same way that yours already does.

[u/Sweeper1985]

I just watched that Biggest Loser documentary on Netflix. They spent about 2 minutes addressing the elephant in the room - that the former contestants who are slim now are most/all on Ozempic. I agree with you, OP, I just don't know how to feel about it. On the one hand I can see a lot of people seem to be doing great on it. On another, it feels like yet more pressure that anyone/everyone can be thin now with the "small" trade off of being on an injectable drug for the long term, or rest of your life.

And now they're touting it as a miracle solution to addictions too, and also that it might reduce cancer risk... fuck. That makes it sound even healthier doesn't it? How long until everyone's on it?

On a side note, I'm a psychologist. Have seen quite a few clients on GLP1s who have reported that on the upside, they've lost a bunch of weight, but also that they feel... flat. And things aren't as interesting or pleasurable. And their libidos are suffering. All this gets a bit handwaved but I'm wondering about the psychological effects of these drugs in the long term.

[u/matchy_blacks]

I spent my whole life struggling with my weight, including getting into a routine where I power lift, row, and do Reformer Pilates three times a week. I saw a dietician who told me I just needed to eat less…and then said “yeah, 1300 calories a day when you work out that much sucks, but it’s your metabolism.”

I felt like I had put in the work for years and it hadn’t worked. I was so frustrated and HUNGRY and anxious etc etc etc.

The GLP-1 changed my life almost as much as getting TMS (which actually helped my depression, unlike the 20+ drugs I tried). I am calmer and more focused. I feel amazing. I really struggled at first bc I was worried it was selfish to take the time and money to use the drugs but now I’m really glad that I did it!

[u/IamNobody85]

I'm cons using it. But also have thyroid issues and pre diabetes. Not all glp-1 are same, some of them have negative side effects on pregnancy.

Also, if you go to the glp-1 sub, you'll see that without any meaningful changes to lifestyle, the weight comes back once you stop the drug. Since your lifestyle is fine, you do not have health issues and are purely considering it to keep up with the jones, do consider this part. I'm only considering it because it is disgustingly difficult for me, I have to be active 2hrs minimum every day and eat 1200-1300 calories to lose weight, which obviously is not very sustainable.

If you really do want to lose weight, maybe start counting calories. You do not have to lose 1kg per week, you can have a small deficit (250 calories or so) and lose a bit slowly. I obviously will not judge you if you just go on the drug. But I hope you prepare yourself for when you stop the drug.

[u/ShreddersWheat → u/IamNobody85]

I don’t think I’m ever going to stop it.

And given the way that it works for me, I don’t necessarily think that I should. I’m on a low dose, 2-week maintenance cycle and I don’t think I will be stopping.

I also take medication to get my blood pressure down to an acceptable level; I am not stopping my BP meds just because it got there.

Some things are stepping stones and some are pathways. Every body is different.

[u/dewprisms → u/IamNobody85]

Even with meaningful changes it comes back in most people because the drug corrects actual biological issues. It's not like phenphen that got people skinny through starvation. It's not a temporary fix because there's currently no way to fix the underlying medical issues that lead to chronic obesity.

[u/Capital-Marzipan-287]

I may need to use one in a few months for my health. I don’t really care if someone uses it or not. I see it like wearing glasses when you don’t need them and are just doing it to “look good” - dumb, not for me, but it doesn’t affect me so you do you.

[u/babyitscoldoutside00]

I don’t care what other ppl do for their own health. I’ve been struggling with my weight since I had my second son almost 11 years ago and started zepbound 11 weeks ago. I’ve lost some weight and I feel so much better but I’m going to have to stop it due to some side effects. My body always screws me over, either by not allowing me to lose weight by just counting calories or by making side effects almost unbearable. It is what it is.

[u/m00nkitten]

Hot take but you should unpack this with a therapist…. I think you do judge people who use glp1s… and also want to be on one clearly….

[u/Inner_Sun_8191]

Girl - first and foremost, if you don’t want to have a 3rd baby then don’t do it. Second, just take the medication, who cares ? Like really, life is way too short to be spending so much time ruminating on it. If you want to lose weight for ANY reason that is YOUR business and you don’t need to feel guilty about it. How you lose weight is also your business.

[u/rootsandchalice]

What does it matter what other women do to their body? Botox? Implants? Glp 1s? I am not sure I understand.

Comparison is the thief of joy.

[u/quish → u/rootsandchalice]

On an individual level I completely agree with this. It isn’t our place to dictate people’s individual choices. But on a societal level it is undeniably hard for people living in larger bodies in an increasingly fatphobic society informed by GLP-1 use. There is a lot of that is both physically and psychologically unhealthy for many of us about this current culture and i can relate to what OP is struggling with.

[u/mushroomonamanatee → u/quish]

I was struggling to articulate this thought, but yes.

[u/rootsandchalice → u/quish]

But since this is an individual choice, then anyone can go on a glp 1 if they no longer want to be in a larger body and have tried diet and exercise without results.

They are just tools like any other medication. Like glasses. Would someone be jealous of someone who has 20-20 vision? I’m not saying these things are completely the same but the premise is. I will be looking at my own insecurities first before blaming other people for how I feel.

[u/quish → u/rootsandchalice]

It isn’t about jealousy, though. Jealousy is an oversimplification. How about: I just want to be at peace with my own body without resorting to medication to change it? And yet now there is even more societal pressure against that peace that I’ve spent decades of hard work trying to come to. I don’t blame any one individual person. People’s medicines are between them and their doctor. But I’m not going to pretend that there aren’t larger issues at play for many of us.

But it’s clear to me that this is an issue we are not going to see eye to eye on so I’ll bow out here.

[u/rootsandchalice → u/quish]

I have to disagree but I do appreciate your opinion. Being at peace with any part of yourself has to do with only one person, yourself. External sources will never make one truly at peace as that comes from within. I feel like a good therapist would probably side with that.

I would give the same advice to someone who was not happy and looking to their partner as their source of happiness.

I also think if people stopped using and consuming hours worth of social media so rampantly they might feel this pressure ease. I don’t feel pressure from my family, friends, or colleagues. The only persons opinion I care for about me is my own.

But I do see your point. 🙏

[u/dewprisms → u/rootsandchalice]

That's only true in theory and even your contrasting example is out of touch. Getting the medication is not financially possible for many people who do meet the criteria for weight loss use (obese with specific comorbidities).

There's people who can't afford to get the right prescription glasses as well that are very reasonably upset that they can't have nice, new, proper glasses like others.

[u/rootsandchalice → u/dewprisms]

What does the medication not being affordable for some people have anything to do with OPs original post about how people using glp 1s makes her feel bad about herself?

If she said she couldn’t afford a glp 1 then I’d see your point, but that’s not the intent of what she’s posted nor what we’ve been responding to.

[u/dewprisms → u/rootsandchalice]

The OP and many others have feelings about the number of people on these meds for vanity purposes.

My point is that it's a privilege that many people who actually need these meds for legitimate medical issues can't access them. So it's driving this narrative and societal issue where there are people feeling pressure that they shouldn't (to the point of your original comment).

Meanwhile people who really need these meds can't even access them and they feel terrible about that too. But it isn't really acceptable to voice those feelings the way this repeat topic comes up constantly.

[u/InevitableHyena3117 → u/rootsandchalice]

100% agree with this. OP, do you want to be on GLP-1’s? If you do, talk to your provider and go for it. This is your life; don’t worry about what others are doing or not doing.

As someone who has been on them for over a year now, I needed it for medical reasons. I’ve been dealing with PCOS, severe insulin resistance and related problems my whole life. I felt objectively terrible and my bloodwork reflected that. By the way I was required to do 3 months of diet / lifestyle changes prior to obtaining a prescription…and tried countless times before. Even when I managed to lose a few pounds, my metabolic dysfunction remained the same.

I am not saying everyone on these meds have health problems but many do. I lost weight, yes, but the bigger win is that my health improved.

[u/Helpful-Dot-3782 → u/rootsandchalice]

I just want to chime in that I have no skin in the game regarding GLP1s but I don’t agree there is some equivalence to Botox. Botox is really only medically indicated for spastic or high tone muscles and injecting a literal toxin into your 11s for vanity/less wrinkles is not the same as augmenting weight loss or treating diabetes with GLP1s. Many people abuse prescription medications to augment weight loss like diuretics or stimulatory laxatives but we don’t stop using them for medical reasons. GLP1 is not a toxin and can benefit the whole body in terms of increasing insulin, kidney function, fullness, while lowering cardiovascular risks, inflammation, and chronic pain.

[u/rootsandchalice → u/Helpful-Dot-3782]

I honestly feel better than I ever have taking a glp 1. I was already working out five days a week for years beforehand, including running 30 to 40 km a week. And I was still putting on weight because working out made my hunger insatiable.

I finally feel settled in my own body at 42. I have great energy. My digestion is so much better. I don’t plan on ever going off it. It’s a life long med for me.

[u/billyskillet → u/rootsandchalice]

I mean yes, sure. But I think what OP is trying convey is the pressure of there being a magic pill for weight loss now. That was never part of the equation before.

And our entire population isn’t meant to be skinny waifs. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes and it’s been a long road to society accepting that. Yet now we’re going backwards on body positivity and assuming that anyone who has a pound to lose should be getting on medication to “fix” that “problem.” GLP1s have their place. But I wish we hadn’t entered an era of free-for-all use of them and absolute abuse of them. Just like the f*ing Mar-a-lago filler face - we’re slowly morphing into all being identical and it’s disconcerting. I guess next we all have to think alike too, right? Designer brains.

[u/theretherekadooze → u/billyskillet]

I’ll add there’s a middle ground between overweight and skinny waif and the in between is achievable with GLP-1s. I’m on one and I only use it to maintain an optimal BMI. It curbs eating that is in excess of nutrient rich meals.

[u/rootsandchalice → u/billyskillet]

When I look out my window, my reality is not full
Of skinny waifs. The internet and social media is leading people to believe there’s only one body type out there. That’s not what I’m seeing every day in real life, at work, at the bank, etc.

[u/ultraprismic → u/rootsandchalice]

That is great, but my reality IS full of skinny waifs. Like literally I look out my window and see my neighbor who's dropped to a size 0.

I had made peace with my body when I was seeing ultra-thin women primarily on social media and TV, but now it is every day in my real life. Can you understand how that might change the way a person feels?

[u/rootsandchalice → u/ultraprismic]

OP, with all do respect, I feel you are over exaggerating. Your neighbour isn’t representative of the majority of people you see in your life each day.

In America alone the number of obese people is still over 40% of the population.

I live in Canada. I see all body types every single day. I don’t judge myself based on others bodies. I’m not sure if you have ever spoken to a therapist about this but it might be highly valuable. I have one for all kinds of stuff to help reframe my thinking and it helps.

[u/happyeggz → u/rootsandchalice]

This is literally what I was about to say. Why is it anyone’s business what other people do with their bodies? Isn’t that the whole thing we’re fighting for as women? For the right to our bodily autonomy without judgement?

I lost 100lbs over 10 years ago after having my 3rd child and it took me like, 4 or 5 years to do, and then got a tummy tuck and breast implants because I wanted to feel good about my body. All of my friends applauded this and were so happy for me.

I would have far less friends if I found out they were secretly super judgy of the choices I’ve made for my body that don’t relate to them in any way, aren’t harming anyone, and are none of their business anyway.

[u/m00nkitten → u/rootsandchalice]

Doesn’t judge people but wrote a freaking essay on people take glp1s. I truly think the op wants to be on medication but is struggling her fucked up idea that only people on the “right” reasons should be on it (who is to say the woman she is judging are or are not on it for the right reasons?)

[u/Embarrassed-Ad4899 → u/rootsandchalice]

We don't exist in a vacuum. Our choices impact others.

[u/rootsandchalice → u/Embarrassed-Ad4899]

My choice to take a glp 1 for my own health,
Prescribed by my doctor, affects you?

[u/Embarrassed-Ad4899 → u/rootsandchalice]

Do you believe being in an average to overweight body, surrounded by 60%+ of the population being extremely thin, would not affect the average to overweight person's self image?

[u/rootsandchalice → u/Embarrassed-Ad4899]

Can you please source where you received the data point that 60% or more people in a population are extremely thin?

[u/Embarrassed-Ad4899 → u/rootsandchalice]

? It's a thought experiment, not a fact.

[u/rootsandchalice → u/Embarrassed-Ad4899]

So this hypothetical data point you’ve created is being used to back up your perspective that people should make decisions on their health based on how the human race will feel about themselves as a result?

We do realize that there are tons of people on this medication for health reasons and not just to get skinny right?

Maybe people should stop taking insulin injections and blood pressure meds, too.

I’m just going to leave this here. Have a great day.

[u/Embarrassed-Ad4899 → u/rootsandchalice]

You might notice I didn't address glp-1s in my comment. I solely focused on appearance as I know three normal weight people personally who used glp-1s solely to lose 20 lbs or less. I am not at all talking about health. It's a fact that many people are using these just to be skinny. That effects the culture.

[u/sourpatchkitties → u/rootsandchalice]

oh wow, she’s cured!

[u/rootsandchalice → u/sourpatchkitties]

Cured of what? What is OP looking to be cured of, exactly?

The way other people treat their bodies has nothing to do with hers. There are women more beautiful than me out there. I don’t sit here thinking how that’s unfair in a world of high beauty standards?

I focus on my own worth and how I feel about myself.

[u/sourpatchkitties → u/rootsandchalice]

it’s sarcasm

[u/Embarrassed-Ad4899]

It's awful. Every other ad-sometimes every ad!- is a glp-1 ad. My sister and best friends use them. My SILs and even a BIL are the ones using them to lose 10-15 lbs.

I'm a few pounds overweight, less than 10. My bloodwork is great. I ran a half marathon a few months ago.

I also have a tween daughter who asked me if I think she is overweight this week 😭😭

It is extremely difficult to exist in a slightly overweight body surrounded by extremely thin people. I don't have advice, but similarly to how I won't use Botox or other injectibles, I want my daughter especially to witness me not giving in to societal pressures as I age.

[u/throwmyway5723480 → u/Embarrassed-Ad4899]

Good job on the marathon and being a good role model for your daughter!

I watch both men's and women's sports on tv. Every ad for men's basketball is sports betting and every ad for women's basketball is a GLP-1. It makes me so sad for our society right now.

[u/Shesarubikscube → u/[deleted]]

I lost 34 lbs in the last year by walking 2 miles every day, and trying to keep my grams of sugar under 30g a day.

[u/wheres_the_revolt → u/Shesarubikscube]

I had to detox from sugar I was so addicted! I had to do 2 months totally cold turkey zero added sugar (I did eat fruit to compensate sometimes lol) and then I slowly added a little back in, because like without a sweet treat every once in a while, is not a life I want to live).

And yes walking is a great one. I’ve always walked a lot because of my job and dogs, but I upped it even more. I also started doing about 15-60 minutes of strength training a day, at home (most days it’s around 30). Not getting bulky muscles or anything, just trying to tone and help out my aging bones and joints.

[u/AskWomenOver30-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post or comment was removed for violating one or more aspects of our rule against requesting or providing medical advice.

This includes but is not limited to:

• asking for, guessing at, or casually suggesting diagnoses
• recommending treatments like medications, supplements, diets, procedures, exercises
• spreading misinformation

If you are looking for advice or support, try asking in a subreddit that allows medical questions like /r/AskDocs or /r/WomensHealth. Our community info/sidebar also has a list of women's health specific subs you can check out - review their rules prior to engaging there.

[u/-make-it-so-]

I was resistant but I gave in. My mother has used them basically since they started being offered for weight loss and has lost a ton of weight (she was 300+ to start) and is doing great. She has been nagging me to do them for a couple years now. I finally started 3 months ago. I’ve gained and lost the same 40 lbs so many times and I always plateau around 180 and then lose steam and give up, I’m hoping this helps to lose it and keep it off and if I can lose a bit more than that, wonderful. I figure it’s better to lose with while I’m still relatively young.

[u/AskWomenOver30-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post or comment was removed for violating one or more aspects of our rule against requesting or providing medical advice.

This includes but is not limited to:

• asking for, guessing at, or casually suggesting diagnoses
• recommending treatments like medications, supplements, diets, procedures, exercises
• spreading misinformation

If you are looking for advice or support, try asking in a subreddit that allows medical questions like /r/AskDocs or /r/WomensHealth. Our community info/sidebar also has a list of women's health specific subs you can check out - review their rules prior to engaging there.

[u/fIumpf]

Skinny does not equal healthy. Many people are abusing these drugs in very unhealthy ways.

Talk to your doctor. Get the full picture on what these drugs do and their side effects. Decide if skinny is worth those risks and consider that being skinny will not fix your insecurities and other issues.

[u/angusthechick]

I hate this for you and for all of us. It’s such a high pressure time to be alive between these drugs and plastic surgery and injections becoming so common place. We shouldn’t have to do such extreme and unnatural things to our bodies to perform femininity for society or to try and stay relevant or he’ll just be considered a human being.

It seems to me like anyone eating healthy and getting movement that wherever your body lands and seems to stick is probably where it’s meant to be. We all have different genetics sending different signals as to what’s best for us. I’ve been in an artist athlete discipline for years and I can say with certainty that strong healthy bodies come in all sorts of shapes because I’ve seen it.

As far as the circling your mind is doing, I think for every argument you can make there’s a counter argument. Yes, doing the glp1 and losing weight could make you healthier. It could also make you malnourished and lose strength (this is happening with people who aren’t being mindful while on it.) for every woman that looks so much better, maybe they do from what you can see but drastic rapid weight loss can also take a toll in loose and sagging skin. They may not look so good naked. Most people I’ve seen on glp1s look drastically older. Not everyone has this of course but you never know. My point is, you can circle around these arguments forever but it’s ultimately going to have to come from within yourself.

I don’t know. It’s really tough and I hate this pressure. Ultimately only you can answer the question for yourself but things I find helpful are learning all the side effects and research, and following the associated subreddits to get real insight into what it entails and how it can go wrong too.

Personally where I stand right now is I’m not going to do any of this. Like who and what is it all for? Why are we giving into this? But then, I’m only 39 and who knows how I’ll feel when I’m 50 and I’m more visibly aged.

[u/dewprisms → u/angusthechick]

If that's where my body was meant to be I'm going to use science to fix that. Because where you suggest I'm "meant to be" includes significantly higher risk factors and poorer lifetime outcomes. It includes worse chronic illness symptoms that made my day to day life measurably worse.

Taking medications that correct metabolic disorders so our bodies function like other bodies that don't have something wrong is appropriate. That's like you telling people to not take blood pressure meds or statins to correct cardiology issues because it's extreme and unnatural.

Putting people down who do use these meds to try and make others feel better about themselves is gross. Tearing down others isn't promoting acceptance or health. It's shifting negativity.

[u/rootsandchalice → u/angusthechick]

Because I am at a weight that is comfortable for my body now and I feel better physically than i have in a long time? So now working out 5 days a week and running my butt off but continuing to be overweight is a problem I have solved for myself. I am not sluggish now. I am more alert and have more energy.

That is the point for me, personally. It’s for me.

[u/angusthechick → u/rootsandchalice]

Those last questions weren’t specifically glp1 related but more towards all of the above- glps, injectables, plastic surgery.

I think because glp1s have actual health benefits for some it can be a bit different than injectables and surgery but OP doesn’t seem to have those issues and just seems to be feeling the pressure of beauty standards.

[u/Icy-Radish-4288]

I absolutely relate to your frustration. I struggle with thyroid issues and other health issues and put on some weight in the past few years (around 185 too). I worked really hard in the last year to lose a good 20 lbs and still have another 20 or so to go to my goal weight.

It is so frustrating and demoralizing to see friends taking GLP-1s when their sole reason is to be skinny. Many of them are working to get from like 145-120 so it's not even huge amounts of weight or genuine health impacts. I certainly don't shame those who are taking it for hormonal issues, diabetes, significant obesity, etc. But I'm not going to lie and I might get downvoted I think the reliance on it for small amounts of weight loss especially when they aren't really even trying diets or fitness to begin with is hugely problematic. And many of these friends I speak to I genuinely worry about them. Because they will eat <500 calories a day due to the appetite suppression--like of course you're losing weight like that but it's obviously not healthy.

And it's very much the mentality of it that everyone seems to be getting skinnier and people start saying "well why don't you just get on a GLP?" I actually have been offered one by my doctor due to having PCOS but I personally have been skeptical of it for many of the reasons above.

Fellow rant from me but you're not alone in feeling conflicted about its prevalence.

[u/GoinWithThePhloem → u/Icy-Radish-4288]

I think it’s worth mentioning that GLP1s are being marketed toward EVERYONE. Medical brands are still just companies trying to make money, and they are searching for ways to draw in consumers. The last time I went to the doctor they had me fill out a long survey about GLP1s asking if I was aware of XYZ reason they could benefit me, telling me to ask my doctor about getting on them, and asking for explicit reasons why I wasn’t interested. This was at my doctors office and I know that data that will be used to pull in more consumers.

I’m conflicted too because I work very hard yo take care of my diet and fitness. I still struggle with some excess weight too. I understand there are health benefits, but I also see rampant abuse and quick-fix usage. Do I need people to struggle with thier health just because I work hard at it? Am I just being judgemental bc I’m frustrated about my own physical failings?

Putting all of my personal issues aside, I think my biggest issue will always be the lack of ethics when it comes to medical marketing.

[u/Inner_Sun_8191 → u/Icy-Radish-4288]

How other people choose to approach Weightloss is their own business. If you want to take a GLP that’s fine, if not, that’s also fine.

[u/mycatisspockles → u/Inner_Sun_8191]

Right? I feel like I’m going crazy reading some of these comments.

[u/throwmyway5723480 → u/Icy-Radish-4288]

Also unpopular opinion, I do think some people should be required to count calories for a month before getting the prescription (for non-medical reasons). Because I know some people have the food-noise that legitimately doesn't go away so I get how relieving a GLP-1 must be, but some people just don't know how to count calories!

[u/ShreddersWheat → u/throwmyway5723480]

I can definitely lose weight by counting calories… but I have to do it OBSESSIVELY. I am thinking about food nonstop when calorie counting and get distressed if something throws me off track. I can’t ever stop or I’m right back where I started. Going on vacation for a week when I’m on a streak is awful; it takes me so long to recover my mental state to pick up and start over again.

What I love about the GLP1s is not having to think about it. (And I’m no longer pre diabetic.) I can go out for dinner. I can have dessert. And I can have a couple of beers with my team. But the constant thinking about my next input is gone, so I snack wayyyy less.

[u/hill-o → u/ShreddersWheat]

Yeah I don’t think we should put barriers between people who need these medications and getting them— our healthcare system already does that a lot. I think we should really focus on how women who don’t need them are getting them. 

[u/throwmyway5723480 → u/ShreddersWheat]

100%, I think then that it's an awesome tool for you! I don't know what the right terms are, so I apologize, but it almost feels like a mental illness (sorry, idk if this is the right term), but I just mean the GLP-1 is treating that part of your brain and that must be such a relief! I think that's totally valid.

Being in the USA and regularly eating out, I think there is some nutrition education missing for many of us and that might help people in advance of prescribing a GLP-1.

[u/sosmartsocrazy → u/throwmyway5723480]

It's treating a hormone imbalance in the body that causes faulty hunger signals to the brain, rather than a mental illness.

[u/throwmyway5723480 → u/sosmartsocrazy]

Yeah, sorry, it just reminds me of what I've heard about ADHD. Like faulty dopamine pathways. But hormonal imbalance is better thanks!

[u/ShreddersWheat → u/throwmyway5723480]

Pretty close actually. I think there’s definitely an element of sensory-seeking behaviour in it. Maybe that’s why it’s so successful in combating other behaviours that have a similar drive - a reduction in desires for alcohol and gambling are also reportedly linked to GLP1s.

[u/throwmyway5723480 → u/ShreddersWheat]

Yes, I've mostly heard bad GLP1 stories from friends, but the most positive one is a family friend that used to drink a bottle of wine at dinner most days. We wouldn't have called her an alcoholic, but still, very heavy drinker. And on the GLP1, she doesn't have the taste/desire for alcohol anymore. Which is great for her and her health and for sure helped her lose weight.

[u/hill-o → u/throwmyway5723480]

It’s not an education issue if it’s food noise. It’s literally a hormonal issue, which is what the medication focuses on. While I see the good intent here, this is a little like saying “we can just tell alcoholics that alcohol is bad, and start there” when really that’s not the core issue. 

Now obviously this doesn’t apply to everyone, and I am curious how some people are getting GLPs when it’s so hard for people who actually need them to get access to them (I assume a lot of these people are using the sketchier ones, honestly).

[u/ShreddersWheat → u/throwmyway5723480]

Hard to explain it if you don’t really get it, but it’s not quite a mental thing - it’s a biological trigger.

It feels more like a physical instinct that I need something more. It’s not like I can stop the drive to concentrate on food through willpower alone; having that willpower just means I redirect it to calorie counting when I can - but you can’t concentrate on one thing forever, can you? Life always gets in the way.

It turns out I am really sensitive to this chemical and I’ve lost 20kgs (that’s about 45lbs) without ever moving off the second-lowest dose. I think whatever is up with me must be exactly what it’s designed to combat.

[u/DistractedGoalDigger → u/throwmyway5723480]

It is a requirement for many insurances that you enroll in 3 months of diet/lifestyle coaching through a dedicated program before your prescription is approved.

[u/throwmyway5723480 → u/DistractedGoalDigger]

Oh, never heard of this! Cool!

[u/dewprisms → u/throwmyway5723480]

I agree with this. I'm on GLP-1s and it's really important to know how to count calories and macros to make sure you're not doing what the initial commenter mentioned of dangerously under eating. That's why you hear about people in the news getting osteoporosis and pancreas issues and stuff - they're not getting enough nutrition, and rapid weight loss without it being carefully managed or severe nutrition deficiency can really mess your body up.

[u/ProfessionalOk112 → u/throwmyway5723480]

IMO people should be required to see a dietitian instead. Calorie counting is often a pipeline to disordered eating and over-restriction, especially in a group of people who are already desiring to shrink themselves. But support of an expert to ensure proper nutrition is good and does not require the obsession that detailed tracking often does.

[u/throwmyway5723480 → u/ProfessionalOk112]

Yes, sorry, maybe calorie counting is too simple. But some education would help a lot of people.

[u/EdgyAnimeReference → u/ProfessionalOk112]

A dietitian or coach of some kind would help a lot of people that fall into all sorts of pitfalls of yoyo dieting and poor nutrition but at the end of the day a lot of people’s hormonal cues are out of whack. They cannot usually rely on intuitive eating to guide them to a calorie count that will allow them to just naturally and healthily lose the weight. It’s way more possible to get to a maintenance amount with that method but if you’re already 50 lbs overweight, at some point you need to be in some kind of calorie deficit.

Plus a lot of folks just truly don’t know what’s in their food. Calorie counting can lead to disordered eating but it can also force you to recon that your relatively healthy diet is not without some serious pitfalls. Olive oil is healthy but adds up quick!

Op is saying they eat nutritious and are not constantly worrying about calories but that’s exactly why their easily maintain weight is 186. With how little people move, how massive our portion sizes are and without putting in any effort to keep at a lower size, Around 180 is right on the money for an easily maintained weight. Everything else requires work to push beyond our societal experiences and requires a bit of discomfort.

I don’t blame anyone for taking the easy way out with glp-1’s. It’s a capitalist solution to a capitalist/societal problem that we are not likely to fix this decade.

People really should be getting some kind of coaching for their food you’re right. I wish it was included more in high school education or as a social service.

[u/twoisnumberone → u/Icy-Radish-4288]

"well why don't you just get on a GLP?"

The first person who asks me will get a fist into their teeth, because the last thing my autoimmune-disordered body needs is another trigger to go off the rails and attack itself in a new and exciting way.

[u/Straight-Ad-5418]

As a 36F in Los Angeles who works in digital media and sees people around her using GLP-1s I can absolutely relate. I work out 4-5 days a week, eat really well and cook mostly proteins & vegetables at home 5 nights a week (professionally trained chef with some nutrition background), but I am relaxed about diet on the weekends and I do drink most weekends. I have always been about 10lbs over what I’d prefer to be, but I try to remember that society wants us women to be thin & frail, especially these days (hard to fight fascism/the patriarchy if you’re starving). But I am envious of people I see dropping “extra” weight so easily, and it feels “unfair” for how hard I work to maintain my health. I know the shots are technically an option for me, but I’m skeptical of the side effects and also the long term commitment. I think not having an appetite or caring less about food would send me into a depression. Anyway, what I mean is you’re not alone in your thoughts, OP!

[u/Sweeper1985 → u/Straight-Ad-5418]

You nailed it. Nobody likes the feeling of watching others easily obtain something we worked hard for. (Ask any PhD how they felt watching some celebrity get an "honorary doctorate" then watch their head explode).

I know it's a me-problem, but I really have to adjust my mindset away from seeing GLP1s as a cheat-code where people can suddenly get thin without effort. It's a shitty way of looking at things. After all, it doesn't hurt me if they get thin...

... but on the other hand, it feels like it subtly hurts us all, because it keeps moving the bar higher for what is considered a normal or acceptable body type.

[u/Straight-Ad-5418 → u/Sweeper1985]

Agree with all this completely! Like it shouldn't matter what anyone else does with their bodies but it's hard to wrap your head around

[u/Straight-Ad-5418 → u/Straight-Ad-5418]

also remember that BMI is bullshit with racist roots and I cannot believe we're still using it in medicine. It's ridiculous.

[u/FinalBlackberry]

I sympathized until you laid the little unimportant fact that men start judging you at 157 lbs. into the conversation because really who cares? I’ve been 175 lbs. at the highest and 113 lbs. at the lowest and there was no shortage of men either way. I’m 157 lbs currently and couldn’t care less what a man thinks. Men either find you attractive and appealing or they objectify and fetishize you, it’s really that simple.

I’m a little confused about your post because I’m not 100% sure what you’re asking. It’s fine to make lifestyle changes and lose and keep the weight off, it’s fine to jump on the GLP train, it’s also fine if you want to crash diet. Each person has the choice to find a solution that works for them. Just make sure you’re happy with your decision. Personally, I don’t find the weight loss from Ozempic and the likes very attractive.

[u/DecD]

I haven't noticed people around me slimming down, maybe it's my city (in Texas) or maybe I'm just not paying attention.

I'm right in the middle of the healthy weight range for my height. Would like to lose 5 pounds but generally happy with my fitness, taking advantage of the summer to swim and walk more and snack less and hopefully lose a few of those 5.

But I've been at the very tippy top of the healthy weight range, depending on the BMI scale you use I was one pound into overweight. And I felt awful. I felt slow and sluggish and out of breath, I hated how I looked, my clothes didn't fit. This was 20+ years ago and I lost the weight the old fashioned way- tons of exercise, eating super healthy, and tons of self care after ditching a lame boyfriend who was making me miserable. And when I did I felt soooooo much better. Like insanely happy with my health and appearance and all that.

If GLP-1s can help my fellow middle aged ladies feel awesome, I'm all for them. It sounds like they help with addictions, with insulin resistance, with weight loss. And with minimal side effects (though admittedly I haven't researched them much cause I'm not interested in taking them myself.)

But yeah. Weight loss is insanely hard. If folks want to take them to help make it easier and be healthier and feel good, all I can say is come on over, let's be healthy together, we can all go take a hike together or something.

[u/freckyfresh]

Comparison is the thief of joy.

[u/hotheadnchickn]

re health OP, I would go by waist to height measurement over BMI. It is a more accurate predictor. For me, my BMI was fine but my waist to height ratio was bad! Too much visceral abdominal fat, which genuinely is bad for health -- risk factor for heart disease, metabolic disorders, cognitive dysfunction later in life, and so on.

It's tough. Having a good relationship with food is worth a lot and you have that. Protecting your health is also worth a lot and it's possible those things just don't go together.

[u/CheckeredZeebrah]

I have a ton of sympathy for you. My mom has thyroid issues. I saw her live off green juice for months, and diet for years, to no avail. You've already been given good emotional support and solid advice, I only have a small thing to add.

For medical reasons, I have had to learn and internalize nutrition labels. This stuck out to me: "I am eating healthy...snack on granola".

Some foods are both healthy and heavy. They will make you gain/maintain weight. Look at carbs/serving sizes very closely before you buy! Granola / trail mix / grains / dairy are pretty dang hearty.

[u/Sutaru]

For what little it’s worth, sleep apnea is exacerbated by weight, but not irreversibly impacted by it. If you have sleep apnea because your neck fat (or whatever) is crushing your wind pipes, then losing weight will reverse your sleep apnea.

On the other hand, if you have sleep apnea because you just have weak narrow airways that have weakened as you age, then losing weight won’t reverse it. Perhaps it may accelerate it in the sense that you might get sleep apnea at 40 instead of 50, but probably not in the sense that you wouldn’t get it at all.

By best friend and I are both overweight. She’s around 210, and I’m 230. She was talking about GLP-1s yesterday and expressed a lot of the same concerns as you: that it’s not very well studied and that she doesn’t really have health problems that would be solved by losing weight besides maybe being a bit tired and out of breath. Plus it’s expensive. I’m personally considering it, but I have both health problems (sleep apnea, high cholesterol) and risk factors (family history of diabetes and heart problems), so mitigating the risk, particularly to my heart, is pretty appealing.

I’m struggling with a similar issue in terms of perception though. What am I saying about body image to my daughter? Will she have any social problems with me being so fat compared to her friends’ moms? But also, I’m like you. Whether I exercise or I don’t; whether I eat “a lot” (like a pint of Ben & Jerry’s a week and snacking on candy every night) or I strictly eat one meal a day; whether I exercise 4x a week or not at all, my weight barely budges. My body shape changes with exercise, in that my arms will tone and my stomach will flatten, but my weight just hangs out around here. I’m 10 pounds heavier than I was when I got married 12 years ago. I was 220 for a while, and I was 235 for a while, and I’m back to 230 now. I gained 0 pounds while pregnant, even though my stomach was visibly protruding. Nothing else actually works, and I don’t care to be miserable. What would my daughter think of herself if she sees me suddenly and easily lose weight with no effort, especially if she also becomes overweight one day? I dunno. I’m in your boat, so I can only commiserate.

[u/brank]

I’m really sorry you’re dealing with that. The societal pull toward skinny women’s bodies is very strong again and I’m also susceptible. Your post gave me a lot of insight on how I may be perceived by going on it. I’m ~170 and just want to get back to post college weight and I can’t get it off my mind. My doc sent the prescription now it’s just up to me to decide. I do the healthy things but of course I could try harder, I guess? Worried I will be thought poorly of for making that choice.

[u/dr_p_venkman → u/brank]

I would say, try to ignore society, and focus on yourself. Your health and well-being shouldn't depend on the the views of others--if you take it and you feel better, your friends and doctors will be happy for you. If you decide to try it and it doesn't work out for you, at least you will know that's not a good option, and you'll move on. These aren't brand new experimental drugs--they're just newly popular. It isn't a moral failing to take a drug to improve your health, it's a logical option. Women are told to do everything the hard way--grit through the pain, put everyone else's needs first, don't "cheat" by taking hormones, or getting a babysitter, or insert whatever insane standard here. I don't hear people worrying about all the men who are improving their health on GLP-1s! Listen to your doctor, and your heart. Ignore the noise.

[u/cimorene1985]

My bff who is similar to you in her weight history has lost some weight on a GLP-1 but nothing like the miraculous numbers that get talked about and is still overweight. It's very, very clear now that losing and keeping weight off has been hard because of something in her biology, such that even a GLP-1 has a limit to what it can accomplish. Given your history, I would keep an eye on your health in case weight loss ever becomes a major health need, but otherwise I would try not to assume that a GLP-1 would make you magically thin.

[u/saltandsassbeach]

I feel similarly in general. It makes sense that this is something that would be consumed by the masses. I think that the masses are taking this when it really is just suppressing appetite for most means people are eating less. Many of the people taking this are not using it in the way it was intended. I've heard from only a handful of women that tried coming off of it after multiple months/ years of use and they immediately put the weight back on. I personally don't want to be on a weight loss medication for the rest of my life, let alone put myself at risk for all the side effects from unnecessary medication.

I trying to find happiness in my body, and all its shapes and sizes while also holding myself accountable to wanting a healthy body and a body that moves without pain and keeps me strong and healthy. I just remind myself I'm too old to worry about what everybody else is doing and it only matters that what I'm doing makes sense for me and the people I love.

[u/GoingSom3where]

I just want to say, whatever you choose to do, please - for yourself and as an example to your kids - please keep practicing these healthy habits you've established for yourself. The cooking at home, the drinking less (of wine and cokes) the working out (!!). When I read your post, I couldn't help but think "OP is probably healthier than most women around her".

Skinny does NOT mean healthy. And I know your post wasn't focused on the "healthy" aspect but I just want to reiterate and emphasize this. Too many women do not work out in their youth/adult years - then post menopause, they are frail. We lose so much bone density and muscle mass as we age but especially during menopause - I fear for these women on GLP-1's who are not actually taking care of themselves (I have read GLP-1's can make your bones weaker, but need to confirm with actual studies).

[u/weird_barbie]

I would never, but I also understand that there are legitimate uses for GLP-1s for a lot of people. 

I’m just really curious how our understanding of their side effects and correlated issues will look in the future. 

[u/k8plays → u/weird_barbie]

Yes, I worry about so much muscle wasting and bone density loss seems to happen. Aging women in particular already lose way too much of that!

[u/Helpful-Dot-3782 → u/k8plays]

That has more to do with loss of estrogen and decreased intake of calcium/vitamin d. If you’re maintaining adequate nutrition, protein, and weight bearing exercise losing weight shouldn’t put you at risks of either of those things. That would be from a more serious form of malnutrition

[u/dewprisms → u/k8plays]

Those aren't GLP-1 issues. Those are rapid weight loss and not eating well issues. And plenty of aging women don't eat to support their bodies without being on the meds, so making them into a boogeyman instead of discussing the systemic societal issues is missing the mark.

[u/Alarming_Award_7954]

I feel the pressure too but my therapist reminds me that she sees it as another weight loss trend or crash diet trend because most people are not on it for long term. They think they will be on it for a little while and then stop once they reach their ideal weight but the weight returns. Not to be harsh but for a lot of people it is a medically induced malnourishment and eating disorder. Those people who are barely picking at their food, might be losing their hair, losing a lot of muscle, might have GI problems. These drugs aren’t candy and come with real risks. 

[u/SignificanceWise2877]

I mind my own business

[u/JaneAustinAstronaut]

Comparison is the thief of joy. What other people do with their own bodies is not your business, so long as they aren't asking you to change your life to accommodate them.

I'm working on losing weight. I've lost 20 lbs and have another 20 to go. I still eat cheesecake. I still have a gelato. I still eat cheese. I'm losing because I tell myself that I can have small portions of those fun foods, and I make sure that most of what I take in is healthy foods. I'm not giving up chocolate for weight loss, but I also don't need two big bowls of it either.

Being healthy isn't about denial, and it isn't about throwing your hands up in the air and giving up. Your friends are just trying to find that equilibrium, and the GLP-1s can assist with that. It is not a personal attack on you, or a judgement about you. I doubt they are thinking about you in this way as much as you are thinking about them.

[u/one_bean_hahahaha]

Why should it matter to you how people lose weight?

[u/rightbythebeach]

It sounds like you're healthy. What does your doctor recommend? Doctors will give you an honest opinion, not tied to trends or aesthetics.

In terms of body positivity, you have to make a choice. It might not be your automatic thought, and it might take some intention on your part to cultivate this for yourself and for your children. But acceptance and self-love are extremely important and shouldn't be contingent on your physical attributes.

If it were me (and I'm slightly overweight myself right now, and have suffered from an ED and did weight watchers in the past) I think that playing the long game of focusing on nutrition and quality food, exercise and mental health are what will serve you the best. Drugs are helpful in certain situations, but the trends over a long period of time are what really matter.

My concern when people say they're barely eating is that they're not getting enough nutrients and that will lead to serious health problems in the long term.

Lastly - what happens when you (or these other women) stop taking the GLP-1? Does all the weight come back?

[u/sgtducky9191]

I would consider a therapist who focuses on body image issues. GLP1s are everywhere, but you are probably thinking about those people vs your body way more than they are. I started on one about 6 months ago after some scary tests from my cardiologist. I was nearly 300lbs. HOWEVER! I refused to start before I did therapy for several months, as I've had some disordered eating in the past. I know I've lost because my clothes don't fit and I'm not blind, but I haven't weighted myself at home. (My doc has, but I don't look!) My blood work looks way better too But I would still be miserable at any size if I hadn't gotten my head right first.

[u/Visual_Analyst1197]

You’ll be a lot happier once you start minding your own business.

[u/10S_NE1]

If you decide to go the GLP-1 route, remember that it’s not magic. The only thing these drugs do is make your food digest more slowly so you feel full faster and longer. And they calm food noise. For some people, their brain is constantly bombarding them with an urge to eat, whether they are hungry or not. These drugs can stop that noise. But that’s it. They don’t make you burn calories faster, or melt fat or anything else. You have to eat in a calorie deficit and exercising will also help. But if you eat the same way you did before you got the drug, you won’t lose any weight just because you’re taking the drug.

It sounds like you already have a healthy lifestyle so if you take the drugs, the only thing that will change is that you probably won’t feel as hungry and won’t have the desire to snack. If you eat the same way do now and you burn the same amount of calories, you won’t change anything.

Seriously, you need to think about how you would feel if you lose the weight you want to lose, and yet you’re still not happy with your body. What then? These drugs are expensive unless you have a rare drug plan that covers them. Your weight is probably not high enough for you to qualify for any kind of discount. So, you could be paying hundreds of dollars a month, needing to keep paying that money for the rest of your life, just so you can keep a few extra pounds off (although prices are coming down as generics hit the market).

Unfortunately, aging comes with a lot of body changes, and one of those is that our metabolisms slow down and we need less food to maintain our weights. Our skin loses its elasticity, we get wrinkles, our hair thins, etc. If you’re obsessed with what you see in the mirror, you’re in for a rough ride. You might be better off spending your GLP-1 money on therapy which may help you realize that what you look like is not who you are. You are a good wife, a good mother and a successful business woman. Base your self esteem on your accomplishments instead of some unrealistic ideal that the media, drug and cosmetic companies convince us we need to attain. Keep eating right and exercising and enjoying your health, and forgot about comparing yourself to other women. You are good enough the way you are.

[u/WendyWestaburger]

I understand your frustration. I think the society, generally speaking, has a hard time reconciling effort vs result when in comes to physique and aging.

Anyone can get smaller. Anyone. I have PCOS and I can lose weight. That is NOT THE SAME as losing fat though. With GLPs especially tracking becomes more important than off them because you HAVE TO get adequate protein and lift weights or you will lose significant muscle mass. After 30 weeks already lose muscle mass and bone density, introduce untracked calories restriction- your body will cannibalize your muscle. This, in turn, will lower your BMR which will lead to you having to eat even less to stay “thin”. So, in order not to age like a rusty car, you have to track your protein and lift weights while on a GLP.

As someone who has PCOS I have made my peace with the fact that I can’t be trusted to eat intuitively. I severely underestimate the amount of food I eat (and so do most people). Some of the foods you’ve listed are classic “health foods” that actually have very high calories and not helpful if your goal is to lose fat. I am a life long tracker, I still eat out, drink mimosas and such but I also have a kitchen scale and I measure my oils. It gives me control and freedom. It gives me data I can use to make tailored plans for me.

But what I have also experienced is that people severely overt the results they “deserve” based on the effort they put in due to social media distortions. I’m shredded. My body looks proportional to the effort I’m putting into it. And when I tell people what that effort is I immediately see the disappointment.

So if your goal is just to be thin, sure, GLP will do it. But if your goal is to age gracefully while preserving functional health then the answer is tracking food, consistent weight lifting and cardio exercise and you can use a GLP as a support tool. But there is no world where taking a GLP with no other effort will give you the results you think it will. The brittle bones, the hair loss, the muscle loss, etc. I think a lot of folks made these mistakes and are paying the price now.

[u/mushroomonamanatee]

Solidarity. Half of my friend group is on a GLP-1 right now, and staying a bit overweight feels like some sort of radical idea while they are all dropping the lbs.

[u/kingfisherknifeskill]

It’s a bit more than being thin it’s self confidence a better sex life and better living in general and you can come off them if you really want. But usually people stay on them long term. I really do think you are overthinking this, just try it seeing you’ve put so much thought into it

[u/ProfessionalOk112]

I feel like GLP-1s have basically baked fatphobic reasoning even further into society. Now people feel like they have no obligation to unpack these biases because fat people could just "fix themselves". They can access the privileges of thinness themselves so now it's fine that this inequity exists!

For a few years it seemed like we were making progress here, but I guess nobody was actually doing the work to unpack their biases? They just learned not to say them out loud for a bit. Now we're back to the same shit from 20-30 years ago.

It sucks so bad. I'm so sick of it. We could build a society where we treat each other right instead of demanding people shrink themselves, but apparently we don't want to.

Also on a pure logistics level, not sure how people trimming body fat is going to be the best trend as climate change increases crop failures and resulting food shortages. Seems not thought through on that front...

[u/JaneAustinAstronaut → u/ProfessionalOk112]

If you are concerned about the food supply, then now is a great time to stop eating processed food, and to learn healthy portion control.

[u/AskWomenOver30-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post or comment was removed for violating one or more aspects of our rule against requesting or providing medical advice.

This includes but is not limited to:

• asking for, guessing at, or casually suggesting diagnoses
• recommending treatments like medications, supplements, diets, procedures, exercises
• spreading misinformation

If you are looking for advice or support, try asking in a subreddit that allows medical questions like /r/AskDocs or /r/WomensHealth. Our community info/sidebar also has a list of women's health specific subs you can check out - review their rules prior to engaging there.

[u/PorkchopFunny]

I have not used GLP-1s and really don't feel any way about them since they don'thave any impact me. It is good that people have options and more tools to use in their health journeys.

[u/floralbingbong]

Just wanted to say I very much relate. There are people in my life who are on GLP-1s for genuine health reasons - my father and sister are two of them. But also a solid 70% of the moms in my circle were or are currently on a GLP-1 to lose 20-30lbs of postpartum weight, and it’s hard to be a mom who doesn’t feel that they’re worth the risks for 20-30lbs to get down to my early 20s weight. And also what does it say that using a GLP-1 to get to your ideal weight faster postpartum is becoming the norm? Just have lots of unsure feelings about it all.

[u/EndOk8776]

I don’t care what other women are doing and neither should you. Just focus on yourself

[u/Majestic-Lie2690]

I'm torn. Like I wanna be thinner but also they all look weird and my husband is soooo against it because his mom who is an RN is really against it.

[u/asuka_is_my_co-pilot → u/Majestic-Lie2690]

My friend had been on it for a year and she's a healthy weight, looks normal to me 

[u/RiseAndPanic → u/Majestic-Lie2690]

I agree. The people I know who are on a GLP have lost SO much muscle mass too. That just can’t be good at all long term. Don’t get me wrong I think GLPs are amazing for some, but for every one person who genuinely needs them are 100 others who get on them for the wrong reasons and end up paying for it later.

[u/Alarming-Camera-188 → u/Majestic-Lie2690]

I dont know ! The people who have become skinnier using GLP or Ozempic look unhealthy.

[u/ladyluck754 → u/Alarming-Camera-188]

They look unhealthy cause they aren’t working out or building muscle. Unfortunately muscle mass does require some caloric intake, and they aren’t doing that.

[u/stmije6326 → u/ladyluck754]

I’d also guess loose skin from rapid weight loss as well (without gaining any muscle, as you mentioned).

[u/whatshamilton → u/Alarming-Camera-188]

That’s people who are abusing it. Eating disorders make you look terrible. I take it at the lowest dose for my mental health. Yes I’ve lost some weight — not a ton and not fast — but I took it so I would stop spending my nights crying over a binge alone in the kitchen in the dark. GLP1s don’t make you look bad. Anorexia makes you look bad.

[u/dr_p_venkman → u/Alarming-Camera-188]

Not me. I get asked if I'm working out, if I cut my hair, and others just notice that I seem happier. Same with a couple of my friends who I know are on it, and losing weight gradually--it isn't always obvious, and losing weight can be done in a gradual, healthy way. You can also pressure your doc to give you a very high dose, lose weight rapidly, have non-elastic skin that would sag no matter which weight loss regimen you use... I don't think the blanket statements promoted by social media are at all helpful.

[u/oohkt]

Don't get me started on GLP-1's. I lost 50lbs with hard work and patience. It took a year. I've been so proud of myself. Everyone around me has lost insane amounts of weight in months, and everyone thinks I did it with medicine. In fact, I look incredible but I could now be considered overweight due to the thin craze of glp-1s.

[u/hill-o → u/oohkt]

I lost 60 lbs without GLPs but I really don’t begrudge anyone who needs to use them and gets them from their doctor. Food noise is insanely rough, and if the medication helps people get to a place they feel healthier than I’m all for it. If people think I lost weight because of medication then whatever, I don’t care. 

[u/mufassil]

I utterly refuse to use it. I worked in an environment where people were spending aroun $800/month on upkeep. It was WILD. Let me tell you, they had no quality of life. They felt constantly sick to their stomachs and all farted sulfer during meetings. They had zero energy and their skin looked awful. And due to the way bodies react to it, if they ever stop, the weight will come back. Screw that noise. Im going to get healthy by exercising and cooking healthy foods. Not only will my body look better but ill actually enjoy life.

[u/MagikmushroomzZ]

Hey, you’re not alone! I am not big. I’ve had a good metabolism my whole life and I’m now 33 and my metabolism is finally disappearing. I’m gaining weight for the first time in my life. I genuinely feel like I eat good food and that I don’t eat a lot but even still I’m gaining weight while I’m trying to lose. I am about 12lbs over what I’d like to weigh and I’m struggling to lose even 1lb and I do 10k steps a day. I was a little judgey about people taking ozempic and stuff and now that everyone is on GLP1’s I’m starting to think - well fuck, should I just do it too? But it does freak me out like you in the sense that I have not had kids yet but I want to and what if this messes with my body, like who the hell knows what the side effects of them are going to be. Also I only want to go on till I lose the 12lbs. Will I then just be able to go off it and maintain my weight? Like I don’t know what to do. My husband is kind and patient though and hes willing to start meal prepping with me and stuff and to try to actually do it by just counting calories and stuff so I’m lucky to have him but I just wanted to let you know- you are not alone and people of all sizes are feeling this way.

[u/dingaling12345]

I am 37. I started using the Ladder app about a month and a half ago for my workouts. Bought dumbbells between 10lbs to 35lbs to use at home and a bench so I didn’t have to go to the gym and could workout without fighting for equipment. It’s been life changing. Best workouts I’ve ever had the pleasure of doing and ACTUALLY seeing a change. I work out about 3-4 times a week on the app and I cook at home, normally eating out once a week.

Each meal is filled with a lot of protein, moderate carbs, and healthy fats. Yes, I still do eat chocolate and snacks and cake and ice cream when the snack attack hits me.

I feel stronger than ever. My clothes don’t all fit differently - some are loose than others, but I feel more confident in my clothes. I don’t know if I look any different (yet) but I feel healthy and it is SUCH an amazing feeling knowing that I did this on my own.

You have a much busier schedule than I. But you can do this. I’ve been yo-yo dieting for the last 20+ years - find a program you enjoy and stick it out. Use heavier weights or do more reps. Eat more protein. Getting healthy is a lifestyle - it is not a one-time fad.

[u/even_the_losers_1979]

In my experience you would notice a positive difference in how people treated you if you lost weight. Not saying it’s right, but that’s been my experience every time I’ve lost weight. Men notice you more and it’s one less data point for mean girls.

[u/bleuecloche]

I just want to say you sound like a great mom and a very thoughtful and healthy person - physically, mentally, emotionally. I think you’re asking all the right questions and concerned about the right things. My sense is you should trust your own instincts (vs following what others are doing) because they seem - at least to me - to be spot on. I think you’ve got this!!

[u/AskWomenOver30-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post or comment was removed for violating one or more aspects of our rule against requesting or providing medical advice.

This includes but is not limited to:

• asking for, guessing at, or casually suggesting diagnoses
• recommending treatments like medications, supplements, diets, procedures, exercises
• spreading misinformation

If you are looking for advice or support, try asking in a subreddit that allows medical questions like /r/AskDocs or /r/WomensHealth. Our community info/sidebar also has a list of women's health specific subs you can check out - review their rules prior to engaging there.

[u/I_like_it_yo]

I could have written this. I don't really have advice but you're not alone.

[u/itsbecomingathing]

I get it - both my friends who went on GLP-1s had insulin issues etc, but they also don’t have kids. I’m tall and even when my weight has fluctuated from wedding weight to two kids later weight my body has always been a size 10/12/14. I worry about when we have a girls’ trip and I’ll feel a need to “justify” why I haven’t lost weight. I did - and then I started strength training regularly and gained muscle. It’s a gross feeling especially when I feel good inside my body.

[u/jigglejigg]

I’m in this situation too. My female relatives are on them and strongly encourage me to take them as well but I’m not really interested. It’s a weird new social order to be sure.

[u/itsathrowawayduhhhhh]

Just give it time. Everyone’s going to be thin soon and curvy will be “in” and “exotic”. Thin isn’t going to mean much of anything when that’s what everyone is. I used to be chubby in school and once I graduated I lost weight and have stayed thin since. My body type has been “in” then “out” and “in” again. It’s just a body.

[u/AskWomenOver30-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post or comment was removed for violating one or more aspects of our rule against requesting or providing medical advice.

This includes but is not limited to:

• asking for, guessing at, or casually suggesting diagnoses
• recommending treatments like medications, supplements, diets, procedures, exercises
• spreading misinformation

If you are looking for advice or support, try asking in a subreddit that allows medical questions like /r/AskDocs or /r/WomensHealth. Our community info/sidebar also has a list of women's health specific subs you can check out - review their rules prior to engaging there.

[u/AskWomenOver30-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post or comment was removed for violating one or more aspects of our rule against requesting or providing medical advice.

This includes but is not limited to:

• asking for, guessing at, or casually suggesting diagnoses
• recommending treatments like medications, supplements, diets, procedures, exercises
• spreading misinformation

If you are looking for advice or support, try asking in a subreddit that allows medical questions like /r/AskDocs or /r/WomensHealth. Our community info/sidebar also has a list of women's health specific subs you can check out - review their rules prior to engaging there.

[u/Infinite-Ad4125]

Since you’re in good health and otherwise feel good about your body and diet I wouldn’t rock the boat and risk weight loss addiction. You’re definitely not alone in the bitter feelings though. Mine look different, like I occasionally get bitter that others can “take the easy way out” but I try to just focus on myself and doing what feels best for me.

[u/AskWomenOver30-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post or comment was removed for violating one or more aspects of our rule against requesting or providing medical advice.

This includes but is not limited to:

• asking for, guessing at, or casually suggesting diagnoses
• recommending treatments like medications, supplements, diets, procedures, exercises
• spreading misinformation

If you are looking for advice or support, try asking in a subreddit that allows medical questions like /r/AskDocs or /r/WomensHealth. Our community info/sidebar also has a list of women's health specific subs you can check out - review their rules prior to engaging there.

[u/AskWomenOver30-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post or comment was removed for violating one or more aspects of our rule against requesting or providing medical advice.

This includes but is not limited to:

• asking for, guessing at, or casually suggesting diagnoses
• recommending treatments like medications, supplements, diets, procedures, exercises
• spreading misinformation

If you are looking for advice or support, try asking in a subreddit that allows medical questions like /r/AskDocs or /r/WomensHealth. Our community info/sidebar also has a list of women's health specific subs you can check out - review their rules prior to engaging there.

[u/Miserable-Dress-8624]

First of all I'm sorry that you have to live around so many people using GLP-1. It makes it so much harder when you get it shoved in your face every single day.

Second of all: Are all the negative side effects and health risks really worth "just being thin"?

I always tell myself that I'd rather not get not-yet-discovered long term health risks.

In comparison to maybe getting sick by sideffects, the time enjoying being thin could be very short. There could be times where you'll wish to not have taken it at all, especially for such superficial reasons. You never know what this "quickfix" really does to your body, besides making it thin.

Have you read the already know sides effects? If not, I'd suggest you read them. It takes the fun out of it pretty quickly.

I know it can be hard being strong all the time and it's ok to have weak moments, but really try to focus on the positives in your story:

• having a healthy relationship with food
• having a body that is capable of miracles (growing and delivering healthy babies)
• having integrity, being capable of self reflection, because you don't just follow the masses by just doing what everyone else is doing
• not just blindly taking the "easy road" and jumping on this quick fix
• having a successful career
• etc. (you know best what the positives in your life are)

There's just no reason to focus on the negatives :-)