Telling people/ not telling people?

[ToriMJ]

Wondering what others are doing?
Part of me wants to be open about it bevause I don't think it's shameful to medicate a health problem. But the other part of me thinks it opens a can of worms- judgement/gossip, all the health warnings and the incessant "well it will all go back in when you stop", I just can't be arsed with that either.
Wondering what others have done?
I'm not talking about immediate family, they know, more extended family/colleagues/friends.

I am not telling anyone apart from my partner and the HCP that need to know. I don't usually tell anyone other than my partner about my health and medical issues, so this is just another thing that is part of that and so not something I would usually share. I have not had anyone directly ask me about my weight loss as yet, but if anyone does then I will not mention the injections as I am not interested in opening up a conversation with anyone in real life about them.

I haven’t told a soul, and I don’t intend to tell anyone, not even my partner. My GP has been informed by the pharmacy, but tbh I don’t even know who my GP is!

I have let people know that I’m on a ‘diet’ and cutting back on alcohol, but that’s already been met with people preaching about what I should/shouldn’t be eating. I find so many people get very militant about weight loss, that if you don’t use their approach they become very dismissive and borderline rude (the ‘you’ll pile it all back on!’ Crew.)

I'd love to tell people. Some would be warm and receptive and others would be rude and judgemental and because I don't want to deal with the latter, I'll tell no-one.

It's a really difficult situation isn't it.
I sat at a work thing recently where they discussed a colleague who has lost a considerable amount of weight. It was very much "well it'll all go back in when she stops" and whether the jabs are safe and all that.
But I know at some point someone is going to ask how I'm losing weight. It's coming off quite quickly.

Personally I wouldn’t. Nobody else’s business.

What do you say if you're losing weight fast and people ask why?
Because I now assume people are on the jab.

I’ve not told a soul, not even my DH, he’d only mention it to PIL and I can’t be doing with their scorn!
It’s my business and not up for discussion.

Only my dh knows because it relates to my health and if I have an adverse reaction for example, he can advocate for me as he knows what I’m taking, etc. Besides that, no one else knows. My friends know I’m counting calories more religiously now and I’m exercising which are all true so when we go out, it’s not met with funny looks when I’m not eating much. Honestly, they’re all skinny so I used to be the one who eats more before, lol so it’s all just normal now. I don’t drink alcohol before so there’s no change in that.

I’ve not told anyone except my GP. I’m not losing quickly-max 2lb per week so although people have noticed now it’s not a given that I’m on it.
2 people at work were on it about 18 months ago and list around five stone each. They stopped it nearly a year ago and haven’t put any weight back on.

I think you can be honest about how you’re losing weight while omitting the mention of WLI. So what is the difference about your diet now from previously? For me, I’ve cut right down on sugar, carbs and alcohol, so I’m happy to say that when/if people ask me how I’m losing. If someone asked about mj I would just chuckle and say I wish I could bloody afford it!

WLI alone doesn’t mean you lose weight, it’s a change in your diet. It’s an amazing tool, but you will be making different choices now which is what is making you lose weight.

I agree. What MJ does for me is stop me binging and has allowed me to reset my eating habits. I now eat more fibre and virtually no ultra processed food which is fairly obvious to people around me. I still go out and still drink, just not as much.

I just tell people I'm on a low carb high protein diet 🤷‍♀️

This is a good idea

Only my husband and some friends I spotted in the FB support group

I don't think anyone suspects anyway as they will have doubted I was over the 32 BMI required - I'm tall!

I haven’t told anyone apart from DH. I’m not sure if my GP knows. I get mine from Asda, do they tell your GP?

I am not planning on telling anyone. Fear of judgement I suppose. If anyone asks, I am going to say I’ve cut out alcohol, decreased my portion sizes and increased my protein intake (all true).

Tell them you've made lifestyle changes, which will be true if you don't want the weight going back on. Better diet, more physical activity, earlier nights etc.

Personally I don't volunteer any personal information at work, if I want to talk about stuff like that it's "I had a friend / have a relative that....." It was something recommended to me by an experienced teacher when I first started teaching so as not to give personal information to students, and it works well in other scenarios too.

I've told my (adult) children. I haven't told my siblings as not knowing anything about a subject never stops them from telling you all about it.

I have been asked (three stone down in nearly six months) and have said nothing to eat before noon or after six pm. Nothing sweet between those hours. I reckon I'd lose two pounds a week anyway if I could stick to that.

Having said that if someone was very overweight and if I thought they could afford it and if I thought they'd stick to it despite the side effects, I would definitely tell them.

Told my husband and daughter, I trust them implicitly, and told my gp before I started to get her recommendation. No one else. My husband and I discussed it, but he’s of the same opinion as me, some will be judgey, and it’s a risk

I have told my DH as we have combined finances so me making this decision wasn't just mine. We talked through the pros and cons.

I would happily talk about it at work but I work in a medical school with a bunch of scientists and clinicians. Many of these have done research into things like the obesity epidemic so I don't fear stigma there. A colleague actually gave a talk today on the use of these drugs and the stigma associated with them. The general idea being the stigma around them and obesity was really damaging.

I would never tell my mother as she believes that obesity has no impact on health despite being obese and suffering from obesity related disorders. She is also an anti vaxer and in general believes all drug companies are evil. The lecture about injecting myself with poison while she flatly refuses to listen to a reasoned argument is not one I can be arsed dealing with. Oh and I am actually a scientist who has read the clinical trial data and have a decade experience in the neuroscience behind feeding behaviour so I do know alot but she would still just scream over me about how I'm wrong.

My husband knows because he is non-judgemental and I feel it's wise for him to know in case of any medical issues.

I'm not telling anyone else, as I'm not interested in discussing it. Best case scenario is people pepper you with questions, which is boring to keep discussing. Worst case is they insist on sharing their uneducated and judgmental opinions, which is also boring. I might tell a very close friend if it comes up, but I wouldn't broach the topic or talk to anyone less close about it.

I work from home and rarely go into the office. I have found out through gossip that 3 people who work at the office are on the jabs. I wasn’t planning on telling anyone at work and the gossip going around has reinforced that decision. I haven’t been in the office since starting MJ and it will be a bit awkward possibly congratulating others on their weight loss and they in turn mentioning something to me!

I've not told anyone I'm even trying to lose weight. I'm 2 stone down now and waiting to see who will notice first and whether they'll feel the need to say anything 😂

I was at a conference last week and told everyone I knew there that I was on GLP1s. They were all totally supportive, but they are all surgeons and so see the benefits of it from a clinical perspective.

Nope. Only DH, mum, sister and BF know.

I’ve only told DH and my close friend. Don’t plan on telling anyone else. I met up with another friend recently and she was fishing! Afterwards she sent me a news report on MJ and a long spiel about the risks etc etc. I just said ‘well everyone has to make their own choices’. Not going there!