Has anyone else become more critical of others' eating on Mounjaro?

[appn8]

Iv been on MJ a while and Im still on it now maintaining. I haven't always been big, I gained weight as I had some health issues that are now sorted.

This will sound hypocritical but I find other people so greedy now, constantly talking about food even though they have just eaten or ordering massive portions when out.
Always trying to arrange to go out for food and every outing has to have food included.

Does anyone else feel like this?

Sure. Except you don't say that in OP. But even obese people can eat what they want. None of your business. Don't be too nosy, will you?

Definitely not a genuine thread.

I keep thinking about this thread and I'm going to add another thought, because it has really saddened me.

I had hoped that GLP1s would be an important first step in recognising that obesity is a health condition which can now be treated, and that they might eventually lead to a gradual change towards more compassionate attitudes towards obesity in the way that we might think about other addictions. Clearly, that won't be the case. Instead, even former obese people instead fall into the thin=morally superior, fat=morally inferior attitudes which pervade our society, even if they are only now themselves a healthy weight because they accessed a drug which treated their obesity.

I’m on Mounjaro and I’ve become hugely aware of my own greed. Not other people’s. I’m ashamed of how much I used to eat.

Please try to practise compassion towards your former self. I'm very far along this process and I promise you it's so much easier if you can think of your fatter self with kindness. You weren't making moral judgements - your eating served a purpose.

This is so obviously a classic case of hating a specific trait in others because it reflects one of your own insecurities. You feel so strongly about it because it’s actually yourself you’re disgusted in, for being a gluttonous oaf and piling your plate like a mountain, pre-Mounjaro. And you’re projecting that self-loathing onto others cos you’re not self-aware enough to understand the reasons behind it.

Ex-smokers are the same, way more judgmental of smokers than someone who’s never smoked. As I said in my PP, it’s actually very common to feel strong dislike towards a specific trait in others, for seemingly no real reason. It’s because many traits we dislike in others actually reflect our own insecurities about our own traits we dislike/are ashamed of. That’s why an ex fattie is likely to judge a fat person way more harshly than someone who’s never been overweight. It’s internalised disgust, and it manifests as contempt for fat people, ‘greedy’ people, people eating large portions etc. OP is clearly not wise enough or self-aware enough to recognise this though 😬

Why would I?!

I knew someone (school friend) who had a gastric band fitted and went from a size 20 to a size 10. She was constantly criticising other people’s eating and their weight. I’ve distanced myself from her now after she criticised someone in a pub and put it on FB. We did used to see each other sometimes.

No because I know that without the mounjaro I’d be eating big portions, constantly craving snacks and just generally over eating. Food noise is a thing. Some people have larger appetites than others. Not my place to judge.

If you had suffered from an under active thyroid and it was now working better because you accessed medication to treat it would you be embarrassed about your previously inadequate thyroid? If you previously had depression but accessed medication that supported your body and improved your mental health would you be embarrassed about your previous struggles with your mental health? I could go on and on with examples to show how we have brain washed to see obesity as a choice and not a chronic disease/metabolic disorder. Hopefully greater awareness and time will change this but in the meantime I hope you will take the time to do more research and understand your body and the symptoms of this disease so that you can have more empathy for yourself and others because you deserve it. Life is hard enough just existing but existing with a chronic disease that is misunderstood is very difficult - especially when we are having to make difficult choices about how to afford an extremely expensive medication that will support our health and reduce risk of mortality.

I don’t think OP is being judgemental out loud, more judgemental in her head - I defy most of us to be saints and not comment discreetly to your H about thevguy on holiday who has 3 trips to the breakfast buffet , with literally plates and plates all to himself - often at the end leaving stuff too - my H always comments ‘look at that greedy bugger’ and neither of us are exactly skinny . Thing is OP, it’s a viscious circle , lose weight and you tend to eat less naturally unless massively exercising - I know I do several stone down ( not WLI but I did try for 6 weeks) my son at 27 is losing a few stone and I’ve noticed he literally cannot eat nearly as much ( although still a fair bit)

I think the link between WLI and eating disorders is yet to be truly understood. I have a work colleague who is on WLI and she now looks anorexic. As someone who has ‘dabbled’ with disordered eating in my time, I find this very triggering. I would never take WLI because (a) I am slim so wouldn’t qualify; and (b) while I would love to lose the few extra kilos I put on since hitting my mid-40s, I know I would spiral quickly with the WLI into a full blown eating disorder. I also hate the idea that the weight loss is unsustainable because it isn’t through controlled means of exercise and nutrition. The minute you stop taking the drugs the weight will return. And this just isn’t sustainable. You need to be able to manage your calorie intake and exercise without medication so you can be a normal weight. I know that won’t be a popular view on this Board but it’s my view. We all have to manage hunger and not eat whatever we want. Plus we all have to exercise to stay at a healthy weight. It’s just life (other than those very few people who can truly eat whatever they want and these people are few and far between). I constantly battle hunger and cravings for junk food or not feeling like exercising. But it’s just sheer will power to not eat the junk and to just get on the treadmill and pick up the weights and exercise. Day in and day out. But at least I know it’s sustainable and keeps my weight at a healthy level.

Exactly, I dont say it out loud and anyone on here acting like they dont judge people are just hypocrites as we all judge people for different reasons. I'm just judging the greedy gits with plates piled high.

I actually agree in some part, but I also look it as a criticism of my old habits. I was 156kg, I'm now almost half that.

There is a friend of mine that is really greedy and I'm sorry to sat that I do judge him, but I would never, ever voice that to him. Like ordering the biggest burger on the menu, with a starter, and a side, then dessert. He orders takeaway at lunchtime to be delivered when he's working from home. He's very big and has type 2 diabetes, but he knows he's not healthy and expresses a desire to change. I actually feel really sorry for him, as I do remember how hard it is

@appn8 , seriously?
I’ve been on Mounjaro for nearly 18months now, I lost just over 80Lbs and am now coming down the doses to maintain.
I could not possibly agree with you less! That’s like being lucky enough to have a chauffeur to drive you everywhere but being incredulous at the fact others find driving difficult. You have a huge crutch to lean on, others don’t and we are all in a battle with the big food companies who have no compunction ruining our health if it lines their pockets. Unbelievable!

What I would say in defence of the overeaters, and perhaps in support of WLI users, is that changing those habits yourself is hard.

As OP rightly (but harshly) reminded me, I’ve been overweight nearly all of my life. I had a spell between 14-21 where I was bulimic, so was thin then, but have been at least “large” since being around 11 otherwise. I’m now 36.

I’ve been dieting for about 3 weeks, and it’s taken almost that whole length of time to work out that I eat when I’m not hungry, I finish what’s on my plate even when I’m full because that’s what I’ve been told is right to do, I had been eating what I wanted, not what I needed. The transition to stop doing that without the use of WLI has been really difficult.

What you’re looking at with plates piled high is food addiction, people who have habits they’re likely not even aware of, or just don’t yet feel a pressure to eat differently or healthier. I assumed that most people on WLI knew that, because they’d been those people, but maybe not.

Judging that from a place of supported weight loss is still out of order IMO, but maybe have a closer look at the potential reasons before doing so.

Yes OP. I have lost a vast amount of weight on mounjaro and now I have become properly judgy

@appn8 do you think that your judgement is valid and appropriate, that they are greedy gits and therefore somehow morally failing, or are worse people than you, or some other value judgement? Can I ask if you think it's healthy for you to think those things and then not analyse why you're reacting like that and what that means about how you feel around food and food choices?

It's because it suppresses your appetite so much. Your brain finds eating large amounts distasteful, you can no longer identify with that kind of craving and you then project that onto others. It's like ex smokers suddenly finding other people smoking disgusting.

I think we all judge in regards to different matters, even if the folk of MN want to pretend they dont and try to maintain some pretend moral high ground.

I judge lots of things, people who get dogs and then leave them at home all day while they work a 10 hour shift, people who dont parent their kids properly, people who litter, people who post on social media they are at the hospital for attention.... & yes people who are greedy.

I also think you are trying to over analyse. I dont sit there all day once iv seen someone eat 10 roast potatoes in a row, I just think in my head 'you greedy git, that explains why you are overweight etc' and carry on with my day. They are not 'worse' people then me. They are unhealthier people then me and greedier then me yes but I wouldn't class them as 'worse' then me, whatever that means.

I think you’re still entrenched in a difficult relationship with food. Hopefully things will get better for you in time

I will be ok💪

Ha ha - yep I do too - and I’m not thin ( 12 stone 12 and 5ft 4 ) def found it harder to lose at 64 than I did 15 yearsago

Of course everyone judges, internally.

I am interested, and I thought you would be too given you posted about this, in the descriptor that you give people you judge in this way. "Greedy git" is negative and contains what seems like a lot of negative value. As opposed to, "that's a lot of food, I couldn't eat anywhere near that amount now". Which is a judgement, but more neutral.

You've also listed it with a list of clearly negative behaviours, like poor parenting and animal neglect. Which is interesting.

As a PP mentioned, I think you're hyper aware of this kind of thing now that it (food, portion size etc) is an important part of your life. Although I don't notice other people's habits around food in a general sense, there are certain aspects I've noticed or thought more about since I've been losing weight, mostly about portion size. I'm very aware of just how very much smaller my portions need to be now than in the past, in order to either lose or maintain my weight.

When I stay with my PILs, they dish up huge portions of dinner for all of us, regardless of age, sex, size, activity levels etc. So my mil who is very short, over 70, and not very active is eating the same as my dh, rugby player build, in his forties and very active. My own mother, who is similar height and age to my mil would probably eat less than a third of the portion size. There is no judgement in my observations (mil is an amazing cook, and her food is almost impossible to resist!); just I find it all quite fascinating now that I'm immersed in all this for the time being. Give it another year or two, and I'll probably stop noticing it all again.