What do you say?

[AllTheBlackCoffee]

I'm over 4 stone down and everyone seems to be noticing that I've lost weight all of a sudden.

Only my husband knows I've been on the jabs so I have no intention of telling others how I've done it but I hate lying and feel really awkward when the subject inevitably comes up.

I've even had one friend outright ask if I'm on the jabs and another who has been quite vocal about losing weight on Wegovy almost praising me for doing it 'the hard way' (her words, not mine!).

I'm trotting out the calorie deficit and upped my exercise lines, which are obviously true, but I feel really bad. Does anyone have any advice on what to say in these situations? I'm sure they can tell I'm lying.

I have told everyone except work colleagues. As everyone else is either friend or family. I told my husband and daughter before I started, I then told everyone else when I saw it was working.

my reasoning is I don’t want people to think I suddenly found willpower, especially if they were struggling, but more I wasn’t going to lie to people I love, like or care about, and assume they feel the same way about me. So I was honest. No negativity, and a few of my friends now on them,

I understand why people lie, they don’t want judgment or are embarassed, and it’s a shame their friends and family would treat them like that. But for me, no. I wasn’t going to lie to people I love like or care for.

I also think anyone who now loses weight successfully in a relatively short period of time people assume it is the drugs, and for me it is more embarrassing for people to think you’re on the drugs and lying about it and pretending it’s will power than it is to simply say I’m using wli and explain th3 lifestyle changes.

i think in part that also drove me to be honest, i feel people looking at me and thinking im lying and bigging myself up that i could do it myself, is just too toe curling for me,

I don’t think about it to any level of detail, it’s just simply none of anyone else’s business. I have no compunction about keeping my private medical decision to myself and telling people that it’s down to reduced calories and increased exercise. Which it is. The fact that there is a prescription medication component to that is not something that I want to have any conversation about with anyone. I am not ashamed, embarrassed nor do I fear judgement. I am just not interested in having any kind of discussion with people about my private health issues.

I just say lifestyle changes which is true because I’ve also changed my diet and joined a Gym.

I've never worried about saying I'm on Mounjaro, I don't care who knows. It's certainly nothing to be ashamed of. I've always been straight with Slimming World and I'm proud of the fact that I lost 1st 10lbs on SW before I even touched a needle!

When I used to compete and came first and there were only two or three in the class I'd always admit it when I came home with a ribbon. I'd never lie, I'd be too worried about being caught out. Same for mounjaro.

However, its your body and your business x

I've never worried about saying I'm on Mounjaro, I don't care who knows. It's certainly nothing to be ashamed of. I've always been straight with Slimming World and I'm proud of the fact that I lost 1st 10lbs on SW before I even touched a needle!

When I used to compete and came first and there were only two or three in the class I'd always admit it when I came home with a ribbon. I'd never lie, I'd be too worried about being caught out. Same for mounjaro.

However, its your body and your business x

I am open about it with anyone who is curious enough to ask. I can see why you might not want to disclose this though. The drugs force you to eat less and eat healthier so by telling others you are eating smaller portions and are in a calorie deficit, that’s the truth! You have nothing to feel bad about.

I tell everyone who asks. It's obvious as I've gone from a size 14-16 to a 10 though its take a year as i was prediabetic. I always think it might help someone else too and a few have also started on it after I've shared my experience. I work in the nhs and have always been an open, honest person so it's easier for me to just say it than have that uneasiness or guilt.

I am the opposite; I tell anyone and everyone how I have lost weight and yes, that’s by using weight loss medication. I am so much happier and healthier now and that includes my mental health. I’ve lost seven and a half stones and it has changed my life. There should be no stigma or shame attached to any health conditions or help needed for physical or mental health. Nobody has told me I’m ‘cheating’ etc and I’ve only had positive comments and enthusiasm. Ultimately it is your body and your choice what you tell people.

1 in 20 people are on these jabs now. Everyone knows you are lying and probably judging you for that.

I don't think you escape judgment this way. However, it is your private medical information so just say "that's private" and don't say any more. But lying is probably a mistake.

BTW nobody has said anything negative to me at all about WLI, only asked questions with normal curiosity.

I also don’t think you escape judgement by lying, I think you get worse judgement by doing that, as folks think you’re on them and lying about it, so if they were going to judge you for the meds they will still do that, just they now also judge you for lying and pretending you could do it yourself, thats a double whammy and so much worse.

you also need to remember anyone who judges or is negative is doing so due to their own personal issues about weight, it says everything about them, and nothing about you or the drugs.

i also strongly feel there is nothing shameful about it, im proud of the educated decision i took, proud of what I have achieved, and proud I can afford them due to my salary, proud of the lifestyle changes I have made and now keep to, proud of my results, you just need to look at me to see how much healthier I am, and I did this. Me.

i don’t really see it as the same as private medical information that should be kept hush hush, but then when I had high blood pressure I wouldn’t have lied to People and said it was healthy blood pressure when I was on bp meds to make it so.

but yes for me, if someone has struggled with their weight for a long time, and now suddenly loses it all in quick order ie a year or less, I assume the drugs, I think everyone does, so pretending and lying to people you like, love or care for you have suddenly developed this tremendous willpower and did it alone, is really cringeworthy.

It really isn’t anyone else’s business!

I don’t lie. If anybody upfront asked then I would probably say yes but I would really judge them for asking as it has absolutely nothing to do with them. I wouldn’t ask anyone else.

I do think a PP is correct in saying that anyone who has lost a large amount is likely to be assumed to be taking them. I know some friends of mine were speculating about me at one point but nobody actually asked as they were aware it has nothing to do with them.

It’s entirely up to you what/ how much you want others to know about your own medical treatment.

Close family know, but I've not told anyone else because the first person I did tell outside of close family made twattish comments and a debate ensued. I'm just not interested in that, it's an irritating waste of time.

So I tell people I started with Weight Watchers to lose the first two of the five stone, followed the Zoe plan, did couch to 5K over MANY months and started lifting, do intermittent fasting, made a few changes in medication and started prioritising protein and fibre. All of this is true, I just don't specify that one of the several medication changes I've made include WLIs. I haven't lost weight in a short amount of time, it's taken over 18 months. I'm a low-paid sector so people are likely to assume WLIs are out of my reach. And if they do conclude I'm on jabs, I don't particularly care. It's not a secret, I just don't want to enter into discussions about them.

I haven't lost super quickly, 3 stone nearly in 10 months. I just say I'm eating less and hitting the gym, which is true.

I've just started a new job so they've never known me bigger so I'm hoping the final 1.5 stone is less of a thing.

Understandably, anyone seeing someone who has lost a load of weight in a short time will assume its weight loss injections,( unless it’s known that they are seriously ill) I certainly do. Why be coy? Is it embarrassing that people may assume that the person hasn’t got the self discipline to control their weight, by eating less and exercising more? Just say yes, weight loss injections have really helped me to change my lifestyle. It’s so obvious that it would be hard to keep it private. If I used injections I would be happy to admit the reason for my success!

Would you rather be presumed a liar or known as WLI user? I know which I would prefer.

You haven’t really said why you don’t want to tell anyone

Well I’m not coy. It’s just tedious and I generally don’t want to talk about the weight loss at all. But when you lose 10st plus it seems that people can’t avoid mentioning it. I am so totally uninterested in talking about the weight loss in general or WLI or my personal medical decisions around that. I don’t care what people assume or what they judge me as. They can think I’m a liar or that I’m ashamed or whatever they’d like to imagine. As long as they don’t ask me about it.

I've told my close family members and a friend. If anyone does ask (and its going the be obvious pretty soon I've lost a significant amount of weight) I will have no problem telling them its with the help of wli's, which have helped change my whole approach to food and eating. I dont think its anything to be ashamed of or be embarrassed about but I recognise that everyone is different in how they feel about things.

For me it is would you rather be known as a liar pretending not to use wli, or an honest person using them.

As either way they will assume you’ve used them.

saying oh well I lost it slow so maybe they won’t guess, nope. They will still think it, the drugs are so prevalent now, which is hard I guess for anyone not using them. But if you are, then, you can’t really complain,

Fine if you don’t give a shit what they think but for many people it’s friends or family and they do care about these people and what they think, and that’s deep down why they don’t want to say.

as said. I really feel it’s something to be proud of. So I don’t really get it.

It is the exact same as someone saying I’ve got really high blood pressure, and me saying ( when mine was high) oh that’s a shame mines totally healthy but I exercise a lot, whuch I think helps. Factually I did exercise a lot but in fact I was medicated up to the eyeballs to make it healthy. Sure I could argue it’s my private medical info, but it’s not like I’m talking about having hemaroids or something embarrassing,. And any one who takes issue they are the problem not me, or the drugs. I get it is something to envy for many, and that causes a big issue for some. But again. Not my problem.

I tell people who ask , it’s not a secret….

the only person I have not responded to was a “friend” who wrote on a facebook picture of me “are you using the injections?”

that felt really weird and I didn’t want to share that with the world - if she had asked in real life I probably would have told her.

Only my husband knows and people are noticing now, not many have commented as it's not the British way of doing things. But if they say something I just thank them and say I'm proud of how I'm doing and have really focused on what and how much I'm eating and exercising more.

Someone has said 'you're not on those fat jabs are you ' in a typical scathing daily mail reader kind of tone and I just didn't say anything and witter on about protein 😆