Judgement from others...

[AlwaysTimeForWine]

I had an interesting experience at work today. Eating lunch with my colleagues, one of whom commented on my recent weight loss - they know I have been 'dieting' as I've been losing weight since September. They don't know I have been on Mounjaro since November (8 weeks) - I have lost 16 lbs on MJ, and an additional 7 lbs before I started. But they see me eating healthily at lunch and know I pay sport.

Two of the colleagues are very slim and probably always have been - I only mention this because weight-loss injections and the associated information isn't really on their radar.

One of them suddenly said "OMG, one of my friends has started taking Ozempic, I don't know how I feel about that". I asked in what way, and she said she was worried about the side effects, and what would happen when she comes off it. At this stage I should have just got my bingo card out and kept silent.....

Obviously that wasn't going to happen. So I ended up in a situation of trying to defend weight-loss injections, putting them straight on some misconceptions, all the while still pretending that I wasn't on them and didn't really know much. 😂

I asked whether she had ever expressed worry about the side effects of her friend being over-weight? Like increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure etc.. because no one had ever worried about that with me. And that you can put weight on after any diet, but no one seems to worry about that if they go to Weight Watchers, or lose weight another way. You would have all been very proud of me!!

She said that she had seen an awful documentary where people were dying from taking them, and that people are getting them on the black market etc.

I was so surprised that this is still the perception out there. I had to explain that they are fully approved for use for weight-loss in the country, it's just that the NHS can only prescribe over a certain weight, and the majority of people aren't getting them on the black market.

Luckily I have a friend also on them so I used her as an example and said that she had 'told' me stuff about them etc. But it was so tricky and I am sure I outed myself - well I will have done if any of them read this!!

They just think I am losing weight without help as it has been quite slow and steady, and actually there's only been a few people who have noticed. I keep saying that I've been losing weight for 4 months and it's just that no one has noticed yet!

I find myself wondering if I should have just told them, as it will only come up again as I lose more weight. But I don't want to. As there was still a quite high level of judgement and lack of understanding from them all which I wasn't expecting. They just kept quoting the news headlines and awful stuff they hear about, and didn't have many positive things to say about them at all.

Has anyone else found this and still managed to keep quiet?!

While I'm not shouting it from the rooftops to everyone I meet, if anyone asks about my weightloss I'm being open about being on Mounjaro.

For a few reasons

1. I'm not embarrassed or ashamed about using it, it's a valuable tool and I'm using it correctly as prescribed, for its designated purpose
2. I can't be arsed to keep up a lie or be careful about what I say to who. As Judge Judy always say, you don't need a good memory if you just tell the truth.
3. I would feel bad if I convinced someone to go on a diet through my success and led them to believe it was solely my willpower that was causing the weightloss, I have a big advantage at the moment because of the Mounjaro.

It is really bloody annoying feeling like we have to justify and argue the use though. Like you say OP, none of my friends or acquaintances ever felt the need to have a kind and concerned conversations with me about the risks of being fat all my life, but now feel like they have reasonable cause to highlight the risks of the medication my GP has prescribed to help me not be fat. It's very hard to remain civil and not point out their hypocrisy and judgemental twattishness in this regard.

Thin privilege.

Unfortunately although it's getting better than when I was a (fat) child it's still not socially acceptable to be overweight or obese

It's seen as a personality flaw rather than a medical problem

People think obese people have to earn the right to be thin and earn it by dieting and mounjaro is cheating.

The references to how safe it is are criticisms thinly veiled as concern.

Oh my. Case in point.

If a friend actually asked me directly about how I have lost weight, and they were obese themselves and I felt that it was a genuine enquiry because they wanted to lose weight themselves, then I would probably tell them exactly what I've been using. But, I don't have any friends in that situation so it's unlikely. Plus, only one friend has directly commented on my weight loss to date, even though I have lost 6.5st and it's very very obvious.

I’ve asked for the comment to be deleted. Didn’t realise you had to be taking the drug to comment.

Number 3 is valid point and I would also hate for that to happen. If I have a friend who shows a massive increase in interest about how I've lost weight then I will probably be honest with them. If someone I knew well asked me outright if I was on it, then I would possibly tell them - it would really depend who it was, and what I thought their motives were.

I am not opposed to sharing it with key people. I just don't want it to be common knowledge and to be gossiped about.

The second friend I have who knows I am on it told me I should go on it. She noticed I was eating a healthy lunch after a sports match (we play on the same team), and that I had complained previously about my weight coming off really slowly (pre-MJ). She is currently a PE teacher and wants to move into Health and Fitness and specialise in nutrition support in the future. She asked if I had considered the new weight-loss injections as they "seem to be brilliant and really helpful, although I'm not on it myself". She was the first positive person I had heard and so I shared with her that I had just started. She's been so lovely ever since and asks me every week how I'm getting on, and made some really great nutrition recommendations like adding something to my homemade protein shake to make it more nutritionally dense.

But in the same group of people (my sports team mates) when I joked months ago about trying the new jabs as nothing else was working, one was horrified and said "you can't do that, they are so dangerous". Funnily enough she is someone who is very slim, verging on an ED I would suspect.

So I do know one person who has educated herself about them and the health benefits, who is not on them herself. So there is hope yet!!

Congratulations!

You are the first recipient on this thread for the award for showing faux concern while trotting out poorly evidenced arguments of long term risks,

Please take a bow and collect your trophy on the way out.

If you are interested this study looks at 8 years data for a over 3.5 million GLP-1 users taking the medication for obesity - pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39171569/

And the conclusion is

"Results: After propensity score matching, the study included 12,123 individuals in each group. GLP-1 RA treatment was associated with a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 0.23; 95% confidence interval 0.15-0.34) and several cardiovascular complications, including ischaemic heart disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, hypertension, stroke and atrial fibrillation (all p < 0.05). GLP-1 RAs were also associated with a lower risk of acute kidney injury and allergic reactions. These protective effects were consistent across various subgroups and regions."

"In this large observational study, GLP-1 RAs showed long-term protective effects on cardiovascular health, renal outcomes and adverse events in individuals with obesity and without T2D. Our findings suggest that GLP-1 RAs may offer a comprehensive approach to managing obesity and its related comorbidities, potentially improving overall health and survival in this population."

Shall you produce the Bingo card or shall I?! This is a prime example of people being 'worried about the side effects' and trotting out the same thing about long term health effects, pancreas and what happens when you come off them. I wonder why these always seem to be the main areas of concern for people??

No one ever asked me if I was concerned that long term obesity might give me diabetes. Or heart disease. Or damage to my joints. Ever. Also - no one ever asked me I was worried that being on the pill would give me a blood clot. It was just on the list of side effects that we all accepted for the benefits of what the drug would bring us.

Even on this thread I have to justify why I am keeping it quiet. In real life I would have to justify my choice to go on MJ so many times. Frankly it would be quite boring.

Agree, I find it ludicrous, if you were that concerned you’d spend some time reading up, not posting shite on line.

im on blood pressure meds, no one said, oh really, have they enough data and are you not worried about your kidneys. My friend is on hrt. No one said you worried you will get breast cancer, not enough long term data,

but take a drug to make you slim; and every resentful envious person is coming out with the same stuff,,pancreas, Sharone psbourne, etc etc, and my fave.,the spiteful and ever hopeful “ you will pile it back on when you stop.”

eh no, no I won’t, as I’m not going to stop quite frankly, I will stay on a low dose. And go back up in the unlikely event I regain weight.

I have told my best friend, husband, daughter and discussed with gp. I have an obese relative, I haven’t told her, because she’s hugely judgey . She’s already being mean as I’ve lost weight. There is no way I’m fronting up and explaining I’m on the meds,

I’d take it if I wanted to and felt the benefits outweighed the risks.

History of pancreatic cancer in the family - I’ve looked at the NHS guidance it literally states it there.
I also won’t take HRT because of breast cancer links and family history.
I also don’t have Botox or fillers, doesn’t appeal.

Not everyone is jealous of you - trust me. If your friends judge you because you’ve lost weight, you need new friends!

Agree with this

I reckon my friend and hairdresser have clocked I took the injections.

I used to be slim, then gained weight in a short period of time, then quickly lost the weight. The majority of people I know remember me when I was slim - so when I lost the weight, they didn’t really notice. I wasn’t actively being social when I was fat so they likely didn’t realise I looked different.

However my hairdresser was the only person who met me when I was fat and who I regularly saw… she noticed my weight loss straight away. I think because she’s in the beauty industry she’s likely aware of weight loss injections.

I have been out for dinner with my friend and haven’t been able to finish even small portions of food which she noticed and was a bit concerned about. Again she’s a nurse, so likely aware of weight loss injections due to her industry too.

She’s right to be concerned though. If you couldn’t finish even a small portion of food, either you’re on too high a dose or shouldn’t be on it, as you should be able to eat a healthy portion of food.

The media is waiting for the makers of them to become advertisers, otherwise speaking positively ‘for them’ will piss off the advertisers who would essentially be affected by a huge swathe of the country suddenly taking them up.

‘Ozempic face’ as a casual slur and the associated snarky press around celebrities who are rumoured to use it are again low key subtle deterrents for the masses by companies potentially at risk if there’s a popularity surge.

I wouldn't get evangelical to your brother until you have sustained the weightloss for a while. It's a bit like Amazon reviews, I only trust the ones who come back a year later, not the ones that say 'i bought this for my grandchild and they were so happy". My sister has been losing weight on mounjaro and it is very effective, but she can hardly eat anything and I just can't see how you don't go back to original weight the minute you come off it, that's literally my only concern. I am not slim by the way, I have a BMI of 26 and know how hard it is to lose weight. I am hoping this drug delivers long term.

As someone who is overweight but not enough to qualify for injections, I think we’re just secretly envious that you’re not going through the nightmare that is unsuccessful dieting. I’m at the age where the scales are stubbornly not shifting and it’s miserable. I’m so envious of the weight loss I can see online as a result of the injections.

Nail on the head right there Thedownsideisup! 👏

It's the same faux, unqualified assumptions based on media shite, and similar to the same "concern" that gets trotted out when people go vegan or raise vegan or plant based kids. "Where will they get their protein?" as if all meat eaters are concerned about the quality of the protein they themselves eat. 🧐

But because it's in the media so much, idiots feel qualified to comment.

You don't need to be their learning tool if you don't want to, it's nobody's business at all.

But yes, there are most definitely slim people who are envious because they feel it's "cheating" and hold the mindset that being thin is a virtue and shows their immense restraint and self control. How will they feel superior if everyone is thin?

Tongue in cheek but true, and I say that as a slim person (who doesn't hold this opinion obviously!)

Don't you think it's a bit weird to be envious of people who are obese and who have had the exact same battle of unsuccessful dieting but lost out much worse than someone who is just overweight/heavier side of healthy @BigCarMistake ? You have the wonderful advantage of not being obese and all the health risks and other social issues that come with it.

I can assure you that I have endured the trials of unsuccessful dieting time and time again over the decades, starting a child, sadly. I think the vast majority of obese people have.

Ah, your concern, what will happen, will she pile it back on..,I’m sure no relish there at all.

you do know mounjaro you can stay on for life, right? Taking doses even in alternate months, so you never regain?

Miaow.

no they likely don’t know.

Don’t be so completely ridiculous. People have lost weight before the introduction of WLIs. Looking back at my past results I lost 15lbs in 8 weeks so similar before the injections were a thing. That loss and that of the OP’s is exactly what is recommended for sensible weight loss ie 1 to 2lbs a week.

I have decided to try Mounjaro the last 2 weeks as some people have found it to help the symptoms of autoimmune inflammatory arthritis and I would like to see it it helps mine rather than switch to something for that which has more potential side effects than Mounjaro, I am doing it on the advice of my rheumatologist.

Shouldn’t be surprised about comments like these. I lost over 100lbs about 8 years ago but sadly after maintaining for some time my weight shot up 33lbs in 11 weeks with a medication despite no change in diet and exercise which was carefully monitored to lose 107lbs and then a further 21lbs gain with HRT.

Some people got really strange about the weight loss, for some reason it brings out the worst in some people which can be seen time and time again on here. It’s their problem not the person losing weight though and in my view they need to be pitied for whatever insecurity it is they have that lead to be nasty and put someone down who is trying to improve their health. The problem is you can’t do it quietly like giving up smoking or drinking because the results are visible and that makes some people feel they have the right to be be judgmental.