Who do you regret telling that you're taking the injections?

[HolyCowrie]

Just that really.

I'll be starting in October. I'm probably going to keep it to myself and DH at first. I'm interested in your experiences of telling people and especially if you've kind of regretted it, please.

Just one friend, who spent the first few weeks sending me links to articles where people had been ill or died, and then since I’ve lost a bit of weight, has switched to telling me I’m heading for Ozempic face.

I think a bit of it is that we’re “foodie” friends and now I’m not eating as much as I used to, and am a bit smaller than her, the dynamic has changed a little.

I didn't tell anyone other than DH and our children (adults) for the first 6-8 months then gradually told friends when an appropriate moment came along. Almost everybody has been really positive and supportive.
There's only 2 friends who have been odd about it, not nasty or dismissive but, if anything, rather too positive about my loss and keep going on about it. Both of them are very attractive and glamorous women, about 60 and quite image focussed which makes me wonder what they thought before I lost weight!

I told absolutely no one and don't regret it whatsoever. I shut anyone down who goes on about weight beyond the obvious comments and that's it.

I didn’t tell anyone apart form one friend who is also on them. I think she told her sister who is on them too!

However a LOT of people have hinted around it without asking me directly.

I’ve told no one apart from DP and so have no regrets at all about telling anyone. I have no interest in discussing WLI with anyone else outside of me and DP. I have been directly asked and I am quite happy to lie about it in response as it’s no one else’s business to know my personal medical decisions. I don’t want to have any kind of discussion, either positive or negative, about them.

why not say hey yeah I’m on the injections, they’re so good! I’m really happy they exist.

Nothing to be ashamed of, they’re a brilliant intervention .

Most / all people know that another person is on wli’s, if they’ve been overweight for years and suddenly are slim (or whatever relative weight).

People say oh I’ve been so stressed lately/ I’ve finally found a diet that works for me / I’ve been doing more exercise. But it’s obviously wli’s.

does it matter, no not really each to their own and fck everyone else. It’s just weird to me to lie.

No pile on please I’ve no skin in the game. Either way. Just don’t like lies that’s all.

The first person I told (outside of DP) said "oh, you've cheated then?". I asked at what or whom was I cheating and he said "I just thought you might have spent some time on a treadmill". The odd thing was, I'd just successfully completed a 5k for the first time in my life and was starting training for a 10k, so I HAD been on a treadmill. It was a strange conversation.

I haven't told anyone since. I can't be faffed with it if I'm going to have to have stupid conversations on the back of it.

Only DH and my adult child know. DH then started taking it too when he saw how well I am doing on it.

Other family (parents/ siblings) and friends only know that I've changed my medication. They know I was on potent meds for an autoimmune disease.

I was always previously slim but from my diagnosis 10/15 yrs ago and starting these meds is when my weight started ballooning, so I've said my medication has changed. It's true, in that I've stopped taking those meds as Mounjaro has been a miracle at keeping my symptoms and inflammation at bay.

No-one has specifically asked if I'm on WLI. I probably would admit it, if I thought they were interested and could benefit from them too.

I've lost 7.5 stone in just over a year. BMI 38 to 20.

I’ve only told a couple of people and haven’t had any negative reactions.

Am going to a family wedding soon, with some family who I know will ask questions. I’ll tell them, if they want to be negative I will have responses ready! But I don’t blame people who lie - just as I might demur from telling anyone any other part of my medical history.

I have no issues with lying, in order to avoid the kind of stupid comments about treadmills mentioned above. It is absolutely acceptable to keep personal medical choices to yourself. If someone is prepared to directly ask for details and expect you to respond publicly then I have no issue with telling them that no I am not taking injections. I don’t have any issue if they don’t believe me or if other people guess, as long as they keep it to themselves and don’t try to engage me in conversation about it. I am not at all ashamed about taking them, and yes they are brilliant. I simply don’t want to engage with anyone in any kind of discussion about my medical health, when it isn’t on my terms.

Nobody outside of my trusted circle simply because I wouldn’t discuss my HRT, anti-depressants etc so why would I…there is still a lot of ignorance around them and I don’t wish to be part of small town gossip. Honestly, keep it to yourself is my advice. People are judgemental!

I’ve only told my mum and DH and then a few friends who’ve confided they are taking it too

its private. I don’t feel any need to share.

i take other medications too that i keep
private.

I've told very close family only dh, ds (21), ex-SIL, adult niece and they were interested and non-judgmental. We don't talk about them really, they just say now and again I am doing really well. I haven't told the rest of my family (brothers, sisters, other adult nieces and nephews).

Told my hairdresser, I've been using her for 30+ years so I should have known better what her reaction would be. For years of yoyo dieting she was always the first to notice when I had lost weight and cheered me on so it felt awkward not telling her a few stone in when she was saying she noticed and asking what I was eating, how was I exercising etc.

She herself was severely obese in her late 20s, lost it all 20+ years ago, had a full body lift, does the whole fitness thing, PTs, boot camps etc and although she doesn't say anything directly, I can feel the judgement and wish I hadn't said anything.

The thing is, the perceived "judgement" comes from others being uninformed and not interested enough to learn more (as it is all pretty boring). If I come across someone who appears genuinely interested in obesity as a disease and medicated weight loss I would probably tell them, but otherwise it just a pointless discussion.

I’ve not told anyone and don’t regret it.

A lady I know from school on a night out, just 3 of us. Despite the fact I was only on ozempic for c2 weeks and then gave up because I felt as sick as a dog on a it, a year later and she still asks me how the jabs are going EVERY TIME I see her. I've managed to take control of my diet, give up bread / alcohol etc without jabs so it's doubly frustrating that my gains (losses!) are being viewed through a jab lens.

My advice FWIW? Don't tell anyone but your DH at most.

I told my close family and DP in case anything happened to me and someone needed to know what medication I was on. Physio as well. No one else.

I told everyone (not literally ) when I started in February. Turned out my sister (who at that point had lost 2 stone) had been on Mounjaro for 4 months! She ended up telling people because I'd already told people I was on it. Only her DH knew at the time.

I understand why people keep it secret, but honestly, if you can, you need to stop worrying about what other people think. It's YOUR life, YOUR health and YOUR money!

People judge others for everything anyway. I also told everyone at work, I couldn't give a shiny shite what they think, (thank you, peri!), I'm 2lbs off a 3 stone loss and have 3 stone to go. I'm lighter than I've been in over 20 years!

My dsis. The silent judgement that Im overweight, let alone that I am using medication to help me lose it is ever present

At first I only told my DH. Once I'd lost 6 stone, I started telling close friends/family as and when it came up.

In the whole, the people I've told have been positive and supportive. The only slight negative reaction was from a close friend who clearly thought I should have told her previously.

Don’t tell anyone else and then you won’t have to worry about what they think…..it’s none of their business

I don’t regret telling anyone, everyone I’ve spoken to has been really interested and receptive to my view points. They haven’t all agreed that they would want to take them but they can see how good they’ve been for me and how happy I am on them so have been positive.

On reflection though, people can say daft things whether you've mentioned the jabs or not. I've had two people recently warning me that I need to choose between my arse and my face, and I never said a word about being on jabs to them. Honestly, my body is under enough scrutiny from people without my medical decisions having to be under scrutiny too. Apparently anyone who has lost significant amounts of weight in the last year or two are assumed to be on the jabs anyway; no need for me to underline it and have to engage in conversation.

No one! And that's because the only people I have told are my DD and my DGD. Although they don't disapprove,they don't totally approve either. But that is because they are worried about the side effects I might have,or possible dangerous reactions that they have heard about. I've not told my 2 closest friends, because I know one would vehemently disapprove and would keep on at me to stop them. The other one would go on relentlessly about the cost of them. And I really can't be doing with that.

I have been open about using injections including at work. I didn't say anything at the very start in case they (the drug) didn't agree with me and then I would have stopped them quickly.

Lots of my colleagues are using them. We used to ask each other how we are getting on (in Feb/March) but it's old news now and rarely gets a mention.

A couple of people said they would never take them as we don't know the effects/they are "new". I just said no-one should be pushed into taking them it's personal choice and each person has to weigh up the pros and cons for themselves but I knew if I kept gaining half a stone each year I would not be able to keep doing my (fairly physical) job for many more years. I asked one person if they would refuse to take a blood pressure medication if it was "new".

One colleague was deciding whether they were right for her. I said "I can't tell you to take them because there are rare but serious side effects - you need to decide if the benefits for you outweigh the small risk of serious side effects" - one thing I did was show her the side effect warnings of a common everyday drug I had in my bag (a constipation tablet) - something I'd take as and when without thinking - I was surprised to see the rare but serious side effects included peeling skin and blistering skin - never heard anyone express this drug should be avoided.

I will add that the conversation is cropping up more and more now that I really can’t hide the weight loss. I’m 50% smaller than I was, literally half the woman I started as 😂 and a 9 and a half stone loss from a size 22/24 to a 10/12 is noticeable to even the least observant person in the world. I personally don’t like the idea of answering the ‘how did you do it?’ Question by saying it’s just healthy eating and exercise because while they were obviously a big factor it was the Mounjaro that allowed it to work and me to remain consistent.