When I started taking GLP-1 medication almost three months ago I did so out of frustration. My weight had been creeping up since going through the menopause in 2021.
By the time I went for my over-fifties NHS health check aged 55, I was shocked to realise I had put on more than two stone, and was now officially classed as obese, with a BMI over 30. With a family history of type 2 diabetes, I had been trying to lose weight healthily by eating more protein, moving more, and keeping to a calorie deficit, but still the weight would not shift.
I initially kept my decision to take the drugs to myself, only telling my husband and three close friends, partly because it might not work, partly because I don’t particularly like talking about my weight, and partly because of the negative perceptions around weight-loss drugs. We are bombarded with a narrative of the “correct” way to lose weight from health and wellness influencers, and this, apparently, was not it.
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It seems plenty of other people feel reticent about telling people they are using them too. A Mumsnet survey of 1,000 people in July and August found that 75 per cent of GLP-1 users had not told their parents, 80 per cent had not told their colleagues and 41 per cent had not told close friends. Over half of respondents said they kept it a secret because they feared judgement or disapproval.
This was certainly the case when tennis star Serena Williams revealed that her 31lb weight loss was thanks to GLP-1s. Her campaign, with healthcare company Ro, was meant to counter the “shortcut” myth. Instead, she has faced accusations of betrayal. But Williams used GLP-1s because she could not shift the weight gain of two pregnancies and diabetes runs in her family. In many ways, Williams is no different to a lot of women after childbirth or post-menopause. We turn to GLP-1s out of frustration.
Dr Catherine Smith at the Women’s Clinic prescribes GLP-1s as a treatment option for menopausal women. She explains that weight gain during midlife is due to the “metabolic syndrome of menopause”, when cholesterol profiles change, and insulin resistance, or blood sugars, run higher. “That can be hard to improve with just diet and exercise,” she says. “So, we start with the basics of increasing exercise, improving diet, and considering HRT. And then, for some women, who have tried everything, we’ve noticed that GLP-1s can really help,” she says.
She also says some of her patients choose not to tell anyone. “They are embarrassed that they are having to resort to injectables. I think we stigmatise obese people and assume they are not trying hard enough.”
While GLP-1 injections have numerous side effects, and their cost is rising significantly, they continue to grow in popularity. And it’s important to balance any associated risks against the illnesses associated with obesity, which costs the NHS nearly £11.4bn a year.
So, perhaps it’s time to stop stigmatising those who use them to improve their health and wellbeing.
Since starting Mounjaro in June I have lost just over a stone. Despite the price rises, I plan on staying on a lower dose for another few months, so that I can lose at least another stone. I’m now open about my use but not everyone wants to be.
I spoke to four “secret users” to find out why they had decided not to tell anyone.
*Jenny, 46, has two children and lives in London. She has lost five stone using Mounjaro since last summer. She has only told her husband that she is on weight loss medication.
“When I started taking Mounjaro, I wasn’t sure if it was going to work, and if everybody knew I was on it, it would just be another diet that I had failed at, which was pressure I didn’t need. There are so many judgemental comments that you read, about how it’s the easy way out and it’s too risky.
I have always been sensitive about my weight. I was bullied and teased as a child, so I have never really wanted my weight to be the topic of conversation.
My BMI has dropped from 35 to 22 and I weigh just over 9 stone. I can now run 5k three times a week without getting injured.
At the moment, I am titrating down. So, I’ve done the first step down in dose, and I’ll continue like that each month and see how I go. If I get to a point where my weight starts to creep back up, I’ll probably stay on it a bit longer term, because the last thing I want is to regain the weight I’ve lost.”
*Kerry, 54, is married and works in customer services near Bristol. Over the last year and a half she has recently lost nearly five stone.
“Food for me is an addiction. In any situation, whether good or bad, I was always thinking: can I use this as an excuse to eat more? I had a gastric band fitted when I was 24 stone and got down to about 14 stone. I was running half marathons and 10k regularly. I had hypnotherapy and went to a fat camp. I really tried everything. And then I got back up to 16 stone with the gastric band still in place, and I was just in tears.
Diabetes runs in my family, and I have endometriosis. Eight years ago, I had a tumour removed from my womb, and had a complete hysterectomy, which sent me into early menopause. So that was all playing on my mind.
In March 2024, I started seeing adverts for Juniper, and I thought: I’m going to do this. Other than my husband, I only told one friend at work. Partly it was the cost, because I know a lot of people wouldn’t be able to afford it. Partly it’s the stigma. As a fat person, you are always being told you’ve got to lose weight. But when you do lose it, then you’re told: but not like that! If there was an injection that stopped alcohol dependency or heroin addiction, everyone would be so pleased but somehow this is different.
I now weigh 11st 9lb and want to keep going until I reach 10st 7lb. I did think about changing to Wegovy due to the price rises but have decided to stay with Mounjaro because I know it works for me.”
*Leyla, 45, a primary school teacher from South Tyneside has two children. She is in medically induced menopause and can’t take HRT. Since starting Mounjaro in June she has lost two stone.
“I was diagnosed with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in 2014 and started taking Tamoxifen, which gave me all of the symptoms of the menopause including weight gain. Then I had a hysterectomy in 2024, which put me into medical menopause. Despite trying many different diets including Slimming World, I couldn’t shed the weight. I started at 13st 8lb and needed to lose three stone, as I have osteoarthritis and being lighter will help with the pain.
I haven’t told my parents, who would worry about me using a relatively new drug, or any colleagues, some of whom can be quite judgemental. But since losing two stone I feel so much better and I am planning on continuing on Mounjaro despite the price rise. I have two more 5mg pens in my fridge, which should take me down to my goal weight of 10st 8lb. After that I will go down to 2.5mg for a month and then go to fortnightly injections.”
* names have been changed
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