I can only read so many, “…I’ve never been obese, in fact I’m a fitness expert, but you fatties need to be working on lifestyle changes, not using meds as a crutch and have a plan for when you get off,” posts before I have to off gas. If you have never been obese or above, if you’ve never had food shouting to you from two rooms away (EATMEEATMEEATME), if you’ve never thought about your next meal while eating one, if you’ve never done all the things and lost and found the same 50-100lbs innumerable times? We are not the same. You should listen, learn, and stay in your lane. We have been tormented by people like you for our supposed laziness and moral failing for as long as we can remember. You think we’ve never tried calorie deficits and working out? You think we haven’t tried every single program under the sun? We have and we’ve been damned successful at it. Then the noise wins. So now there’s something that offers help and hope in a way we’ve never experienced. The first time I realized the f-ing siren song of everything in my kitchen, every restaurant, wasn’t blaring in my ears? I cried. I couldn’t believe THIS was how others actually lived, that they moved through their days and nights without that pulling so much focus. As Kendrick Lamar said, “They not like us, they not like us, they not like us.” Remember that, you folks that have never been here, you are not like us, so stop comparing us to you. This isn’t everyone’s story about why they’re on glp-1s, but it’s a lot of us.
I can only read so many, “…I’ve never been obese, in fact I’m a fitness expert, but you fatties need to be working on lifestyle changes, not using meds as a crutch and have a plan for when you get off,” posts before I have to off gas.
If you have never been obese or above, if you’ve never had food shouting to you from two rooms away (EATMEEATMEEATME), if you’ve never thought about your next meal while eating one, if you’ve never done all the things and lost and found the same 50-100lbs innumerable times?
We are not the same. You should listen, learn, and stay in your lane. We have been tormented by people like you for our supposed laziness and moral failing for as long as we can remember.
You think we’ve never tried calorie deficits and working out? You think we haven’t tried every single program under the sun? We have and we’ve been damned successful at it. Then the noise wins.
So now there’s something that offers help and hope in a way we’ve never experienced. The first time I realized the f-ing siren song of everything in my kitchen, every restaurant, wasn’t blaring in my ears? I cried. I couldn’t believe THIS was how others actually lived, that they moved through their days and nights without that pulling so much focus.
As Kendrick Lamar said, “They not like us, they not like us, they not like us.” Remember that, you folks that have never been here, you are not like us, so stop comparing us to you.
This isn’t everyone’s story about why they’re on glp-1s, but it’s a lot of us.
PREACH!! Your post brought tears to my eyes. I too have done everything; portion control, weighed my food, counted my macros, counted micros, cardio, weight training, eliminated processed foods, fasting, eliminated sugars/flours, etc. etc.
I have lost weight many times and longest maintenance period was about a year. I get so damn tired of thinking about food all the time. It is exhausting. I am married to a guy who I tease has “lean male privilege”. He thinks about food all the time too but his body does not show it. He has been the same weight since HS with no effort and his diet was crap when we first met. He eats healthy because I do but he can afford extra indulgences without it showing on the outside. You can look at photos from both sides of our families and see the genetic influences; Thin people on his side, fat people on mine. He has never once hassled me about my weight. He sees how hard I work and how frustrated I’ve gotten in the past and he has always supported me through literal thick and thin. I have learned and kept better habits over the years which has kept me from regaining everything, but I still gained back about half the weight.
The worst part is how we internalize all the blame that society places on us; it’s like an abusive relationship. I have always been interested in nutrition and eat healthier than almost everyone I know yet somehow I just wasn’t doing it right or working at it hard enough. And I am sad to say I have judged others the same way…the abused becomes the abuser. I even had the audacity to feel smug when I achieved my goal weight and think if I can do it so can others.
When these meds first came out I poo-pooed them and judged others for taking the “easy” way out. The internalized fat phobia and media kept me from researching more about these meds sooner. The fear mongering about the rare adverse side effects made me shake my head at the lengths people will go to for a magic pill (or shot in this case).
Fortunately, curiosity got the best of me and I have had my mind opened. It is still early days for me, and the weight is starting to slowly come off once again but the most amazing thing is the change in my brain.
Within 24 hours of the very first injection, something switched in my brain. I had never even heard of the concept of food noise before. I just thought there was something wrong with me that I was always thinking about what to eat next or that I was never quite satisfied with my meals.
My husband has ADHD and he told me the first time he tried adderall that he suddenly had mental clarity and that all the competing chatter in his head just stopped. It’s very similar to what I’ve experienced since starting these meds; a release from constant food thoughts and the emotional connection to food. I don’t care how slow the weight comes off as this unburdening frees my mind to focus on other aspects of my life. Another added bonus is that my blood pressure has improved since the first week.
When Barbra Walters interviewed Oprah, Oprah said the one thing she still wanted to make peace with was her weight. Imagine that, one of the most successful and wealthiest people on earth with access to personal trainers and chefs still felt like a failure in this regard!
Apparently, I had some rage of my own! Thank you for sharing.