Zepbound helped me lose 18% of my body weight. I wish I didn't feel the need to apologize for it.

"You look great! Did you suffer weight?" a friend I hadn't seen successful a fewer weeks asked, hardly a hit aft saying hello.

I grimace arsenic I guiltily admit that I did.

"Zepbound," I say, the one-word mentation slipping retired almost unbidden, for illustration a naughty confession.

It feels unusual to apologize for improving my health. And yet that's precisely what I did.

Now, 8 months aft starting Zepbound, besides known arsenic tirzepatide, I'm still learning not to consciousness blameworthy astir taking attraction of my assemblage successful the measurement that useful champion for me.

My assemblage needed much than fare and exercise

I first approached my superior attraction expert astir prescribing a GLP-1 successful 2025 aft debilitating ft symptom hobbled me. No master straight blamed my weight, but I felt definite that added strain connected my joints had worsened my plantar fasciitis, resulting successful a ganglion cyst.

I won't dishonesty and opportunity the superficial result wasn't besides welcome. My weight had crept up over a decade, and aft I gave commencement successful 2022, it stubbornly wouldn't budge beneath what I assumed was my caller baseline.

Countless diets centered astir the classical "calories in, calories out" proved futile for me. I was simply excessively quiet to support a ample capable shortage to suffer weight, and moving retired conscionable made maine hungrier. I felt wholly disconnected from my body. I was slow, tired, and overwhelmed.

I besides struggled pinch "food noise," though I didn't cognize location was a sanction for it until I started Zepbound and joined online forums for users. The medicine quieted it. I felt afloat sooner and stopped fixating connected what to eat next. And luckily, my security covered it.

It was a awesome success. I mislaid 30 pounds successful six months (about 18% of my assemblage weight), and the symptom successful my feet and knees evaporated. So why did admitting it consciousness for illustration I'd done thing wrong?

The societal stigma against GLP-1s continues to beryllium infuriating

Media sum of weight-loss drugs hasn't precisely been nuanced. Before earnestly considering one, my predominant relation was the infamous viral unsighted item successful 2024 astir Gwyneth Paltrow's Hamptons houseguest having an unfortunate bout of Ozempic-induced diarrhea and past fleeing the scene. It seemed for illustration each I publication astir were the drugs' antagonistic effects (often made the butt of jokes) and nary of the positives.

Then location was the body-positivity issue. I've agelong tried to be, if not body-positive, astatine slightest body-neutral — particularly arsenic the mother of a savvy 3-year-old who picks up connected everything. Yet immoderate body-positive group look to position GLP-1 users arsenic automatically fatphobic aliases personally triggering. One peculiarly upsetting viral essay successful The Cut described a female cutting disconnected a friend for taking Wegovy.

Underneath overmuch of the judgement is the consciousness that GLP-1 users are "cheating" aliases "not doing it the correct way," arsenic though weight nonaccomplishment only counts if it involves a definite magnitude of misery. Because suffering is, I guess, noble?

These weren't conscionable amorphous opinions online. Friends and loved ones made akin comments to maine — aliases successful beforehand of maine — during my early days connected Zepbound, earlier my weight nonaccomplishment became apparent. I hadn't told astir of them yet that I was taking it, truthful they had nary thought they were criticizing a prime I'd already made.

I've been fortunate to acquisition comparatively fewer broadside effects: nary gastrointestinal issues aliases unexpected nutrient reactions. I did person some hairsbreadth loss, a comparatively communal GLP-1 broadside effect apt triggered by losing weight quickly. The supplier wasn't magic aliases without tradeoffs. But it gave maine thing years of white-knuckling hunger ne'er did: the expertise to consciousness astatine location successful my assemblage again.

Taking Zepbound doesn't mean I judge thinner bodies are morally superior, nor does it invalidate anyone else's prime to clasp their assemblage arsenic it is. Body neutrality should time off room for group to alteration their bodies for their ain reasons without turning that determination into a judgement connected everyone else.

When personification asks whether I've mislaid weight, I still consciousness an impulse to apologize. I'm trying to unlearn it. Taking a GLP-1 was 1 of the champion decisions I've ever made. It improved my wellness and regular life, and I'm done treating that for illustration a shameful confession.

This article is not a substitute for master aesculapian advice, diagnosis, aliases treatment. Always consult your qualified expert aliases healthcare provider.