To not tell friend about weight loss jab

[Arrivals4lucky]

For the past 6 months I’ve been on a health ‘journey’ - had a lot of weight to lose and decided to do it with the help of a weight loss medication. It’s been transformative for me because I didn’t realise ‘food noise’ was a thing until it was taken away by the medication. I’m under medical supervision & paying for the jab privately. I’m going slow and steady but at the point where the loss is becoming noticeable to others.

one of our circle, someone I see weekly cos of kids is VERY judgy about people’s weight, about obese people etc and has vocally said that overweight people need to do something about it while simultaneously saying jabs are cheating etc.This has never been aimed at me, BTW. and usually someone else changes the subject.

She can be really lovely and obvs this is to do with her own food issues etc so while it’s the one thing I don’t like about her, I don’t let it get to me.

I think my health is my own business. I don’t want to tell people what I’m doing etc. DP says, they’ll notice and they’ll ask so just tell them you’re taking meds and it’s helped. Why be embarrassed?

YABU - tell your friends.

YANBU - keep it private. People
will judge.

It's none of anyone's business

It's medication and therefore private. So of course you don't need to tell anyone. Tbh if it was me and someone outwardly asked if was on it, I wouldn't lie. But it's up to you to share it or not. There's no shame in it though.

It’s a strange thing, as in - someone wouldn’t suddenly ask you if you were on antidepressants depressants or other medication or even contraception , out of the blue. But for some reason ‘lying’ about taking WL meds is considered by many to be sneaky in some way

I think it’s because in reality, a lot of people - particularly in the UK - do not like seeing people do well or succeed. It becomes something to talk negatively about rather than something to celebrate.

And I think sadly weightloss, particularly for someone who has struggled to the extent they have a health condition and benefit from the support of a GLP1 drug, is falling into that same category.

Society deems weightloss as a success. To the extent that if someone says they’ve had an horrendous stomach bug and can’t keep food down, the response is often - ‘think of the weight you’ll lose’. 🤯
And we want to see people ‘work hard’ and ‘suffer’ for their success.

And people hear that someone’s taking a medicine, but they don’t see the other parts that come with it (because followed correctly it’s an accompaniment to a lifestyle change), and they assume it’s easy.
It’s the same with promotions in work environments when people perceive others as undeserving, but have no real clue of the work they’ve done behind the scenes.

I think it's obvious. If somebody starts suddenly loose lots of weight they are either ill or using WLJs.

I think people should be honest about this -- lying and saying that it's natural weight loss creates false perceptions of what it is/isnt realistic to expect to achieve from unassisted weight loss. If someone is considering injections and sees her friends suddenly lose lots of weight while claiming to be injection-free, then the false reality might have an impact on her choices.

From what I know, the) bodybuilding communities had this issue for decades, where bodybuilders (both male and female) would always lie and deny taking steroids, and the result was the public having completely distorted impressions about what it is actually possible to achieve without steroids.

This is nonsense though, people often manage to lose weight without taking drugs (or being ill).

If someone had been noticably depressed for years and then suddenly stopped being depressed, then it would be absolutely reasonable for other depressed people to ask what they done to make themselves better.

It’s never, ever reasonable to ask someone to divulge private, medical information.

"Calories in/calories out eat less move more" is just basic scientific fact, not "noise"

Weight loss injections work because they reduce your appetite and cause you to each fewer calories, they arent some kind of magic.

Nonsense, you can ask people whatever you like. They can choose or choose not to tell you.

Honestly it’s going to be quite obvious don’t you think?

I wouldn’t ask anyone outright but I’d assume for sure!

I have an acquaintance who exercises a lot, watches her diet and then tells people she does neither, that she can eat what she likes and that she's just naturally slim. She also denies having dyed hair and having skin treatments. She is incandescent about weight loss jabs, I'm guessing because she doesn't want lots of other people to become slim like her. She goes on and on about cheating, dangerous side effects, causing shortages for diabetics and how all these 'suddenly skinny' people will put it all back on on and serve them right. Her vocal fury amuses me no end. Good luck to everyone losing weight, however they do it. 💐

Absolutely this

It's still a calories in and out thing.

The jab doesn't melt fat away, it helps reduce cravings/hunger so it's much easier to eat fewer calories.

But you still have to 'diet' it just doesn't feel like dieting, it is easier because your body isn't fighting against you and demanding you to eat more.

Just like those people who have their stomachs stapled/reduced. They still have to diet the weight away. If they eat/drink high calorie food they won't lose weight.

Yesterday I was told by a doctor from my local NHS obesity clinic (if I heard the numbers correctly over the phone) that about 800 people in the country (England? UK?) are currently being given Wegovy for weight loss.

I was referred to the Tier 3 service about 4 years ago, and all through the programme they were saying that this drug was coming, but they weren’t yet allowed to prescribe it / couldn’t get supplies. Initially I timed out of the service (after 3 years?) without ever getting it.

A friend of mine is on Mounjaro, she plays it as if someone asks, she tells them. She otherwise keeps it quiet. She’s lost 6 stone so it’s very noticeable and she just felt too weird to pretend she’d done it without the support of the jabs when people asked about the weight loss. She looks and feels amazing! Good luck, OP.

I think the people calling it "private medical information" are being a bit silly.

I mean yeah, technically you are being prescribed it by your GP but its hardly chemotherapy lol. I dont think its fundamentally any different from (e.g) people taking off-label ephedrine back in the 2000s to lose weight. Weight loss drugs have been around for a long time; literally the only difference between ozempic/mounjaro and older drugs like ephedrine/clenbuterol/etc are that the side-effects of the newer ones are small enough that the NHS is willing to prescribe them and you dont need to source them yourself. Claiming that makes it "private medical information" feels a bit disingenous.

You don't owe her an explanation, it's your body, not hers 🤷‍♂️

Just tell her you're eating healthier and leave it at that.

If she doesn't accept it, that's her problem.

To add to my post at 17:16:

I don’t know if it’s purely for weight loss, you might have to have another condition as well which would be expected to improve if you lost weight. I have at least two!

I suppose you can ask people what you like. People may think you’re incredibly rude though.

That's a weird take.

But still you are 'allowed' not to tell anyone anything about your life, medical or not.

I decided to tell my closest friends. Only one has been judgy (and I expected it from her) the rest are totally supportive.

I am very breezy about it, like it’s no big deal, why would anyone be remotely interested. I knew they would comment on my weight loss (22 pounds in seven weeks) and I didn’t want to be deceitful.

It’s entirely up to you what you do and don’t tell people. It’s not anyone else’s business really. I do think that people who’ve been very overweight/ obese for years and suddenly lose 4+ stone in a matter of months are obviously on the injections, so your friend will probably suspect anyway.

I saw a friend recently and thought she looked fab. We’d previously discussed injections, but I didn’t know that she’d made any decision. Anyway she told me she’d been taking it for last couple of months. Clearly it’s working for her…. Kudos. But her decision to tell me or anyone else. I’m not judging! Thought about it myself but I’m not eligible.