Okay, we need to have a real talk about the stories people are sharing around GLP-1 drugs—Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro. Because on the one hand, you’ve got folks saying these medications have been life-changing, which is valid. But on the other? Some of these personal experiences shine a big, bright light on how diet culture and weight stigma might be pushing us to normalize stuff we’d never tolerate otherwise.
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
Here are some examples of what people are saying that really give you something to think about:
“Know this isn’t what you asked but I had awful GI side effects too, like ended up in the hospital awful. But I stuck with it and my body adjusted and now I’m so glad I did. Not sure how long you’ve been on it, but it’s been a lifesaver for me … once I got used to it. And it took months.”
“I have been on Mounjaro (tirzepatide) since September 2022. When I started using it and with every new dose I would have GI side effects (nausea, heartburn, vomiting, diarrhea). I agree with those above to stick with it as your body adjusts while continuing to talk to your doctor. I also needed to be on the lower doses longer and my maintenance dose is the second lowest dose (5mg). I have lost about 75lbs but the biggest benefits have nothing to do with weight loss. It slows down gastric emptying and decreases inflammation which has almost completely resolved my IBS-D symptoms and has made huge improvements in my chronic pain. Additionally, my depression and anxiety have decreased as well as the fatigue I experience with depression. Literally, the day after my first injection I felt the depression lift (and this is after managing with antidepressants for 10+ years).”
These are powerful stories, filled with nuance. People are seeing improvements beyond weight loss—managing chronic pain, feelings of well-being, even mental health changes. For them, that’s huge. And we should hold space for that truth. But can we also acknowledge that something else is happening here?
What Does It Cost to “Stick With It”?
Look, I’ve got no judgment for anyone who says, “This worked for me.” But when I read these quotes, one word keeps jumping out at me over and over again—adjust. “Stick with it,” they say. “Your body will adjust.”
But… at what point do we stop and ask, why do we need to force our bodies to adjust to extreme nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or hospital-level GI problems? Since when is this the baseline for an acceptable medical intervention? Why do we have such a high tolerance for suffering if weight loss or fitting a specific health narrative is the payoff?
The underlying messaging here—whether people mean it or not—feels a lot like diet culture whispering in your ear, “If you just suffer a little longer, it’ll be worth it.” And it’s not just whispering—it’s shouting at anyone who’s spent their life being told their body isn’t good enough unless it’s smaller.
The Invisible Push of Diet Culture
Think about it. Diet culture has trained so many of us to accept discomfort, restriction, even outright harm, as just “part of the process.” It promises that eventually, you’ll get not just physical results, but an emotional and social reward too—feeling liberated, validated, accepted. And these drugs? They’re sliding right into that space where shame meets hope.
Yes, people are reporting benefits beyond weight loss. But what if some of these benefits—the sense of relief, the lifted depression—aren’t just physiological? What if they’re also emotional responses to finally moving closer to society’s idea of an “acceptable” body?
Like, when someone says their depression lifted the day after their first injection—that’s worth celebration, for sure. But it also makes me wonder—how much of that is tied to the promise that finally, after years of struggle, their body might be on the verge of change? That’s not on them, by the way—it’s on the toxic systems that make people feel like thinner means freer, healthier, happier.
Normalizing the Extreme
Here’s the part that gets me—when did it become normal to treat severe, debilitating side effects as just a hurdle to grin and bear on the way to a better body? Imagine if we treated any other medical intervention the same way.
“No big deal, just months of debilitating nausea and vomiting—your body will adjust!”“Ended up in the hospital, but hey, look at the results!”
Would we say that about a vaccine? A daily medication? Physical therapy? Probably not. But diet culture plays dirty. It’s convinced us that these sacrifices aren’t just acceptable but admirable. That it’s worth it if you’re losing weight, even if you’re also losing your grip on how to nurture and respect your body.
The Complexity of It All
Now, here’s the tricky part. For people managing real, chronic conditions—be it diabetes, IBS, or depression—GLP-1 drugs might be the game-changer they’ve been waiting for. Improvements in inflammation or chronic pain? Those are huge wins. And we need to honor that too.
But at the same time, for the folks taking these meds purely for weight loss, what are we risking to fit into a smaller body that diet culture insists will solve all our problems? Severe GI issues, bone loss, muscle deterioration—all while knowing the weight is likely to return once the medications stop. What’s the long-term plan here?
Choosing Yourself Over the Noise
What these stories reveal is how deeply entrenched weight stigma and diet culture really are. They push people to normalize extreme side effects because the promise of weight loss holds so much power. But here’s the thing—your body is not the problem. The culture that tells you it’s not good enough? That’s the problem.
If we step back for a second, can we imagine a world where our definition of health isn’t shaped by how small we can make ourselves? Where, instead of trying to “adjust” to harm, we adjust how we think about food, health, and bodies?
Because what if the benefits we’re chasing—relief from chronic pain, improved mental health, freedom from food guilt—could come from a place of nourishment and self-acceptance instead of suffering? What if we built strength, joy, and resilience with our bodies instead of breaking them down to fit a mold?
It’s Okay to Question the Narrative
The point here isn’t to dismiss anyone’s personal success story—it’s to hold space for the bigger context. There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to GLP-1 drugs, dieting, and what we’re all really chasing.
If these medications are helping you live your best, healthiest life, that’s amazing. Truly. But if you’re enduring harm or sacrificing well-being just to lose weight, ask yourself—whose voice is telling me this is worth it? Is it yours, or is it diet culture, sneaking its way into your head once again?
At the end of the day, your body deserves love and care—not punishment disguised as progress. And if the process is making you suffer, maybe it’s time to rethink exactly what you’re adjusting to—and why.
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