Trigger Warning: This post talks about weight loss and might be triggering for those dealing with eating disorders or disordered eating. Please take care of yourself and skip this if it might be harmful.
Alright y’all, it’s time we have a real conversation about weight, health, and worth. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that society loves to make women feel like no matter what we do, we’re wrong. If you live in a bigger body, you’re shamed. If you lose weight, you’re shamed for not doing it the “right way” or for giving up on body positivity. And if you dare to use GLP-1 meds like I did, well, get ready to be called a cheater.
But here’s the truth: Your body, your choice. How you choose to live in it, love it, and care for it is no one else’s damn business.
My Journey: Letting Go of Diet Culture
I’ve fought my weight for as long as I can remember. I’ve been stuck in that exhausting cycle of dieting, restricting, and hating myself every time I “failed.” For years, food was the enemy, and my worth was tied up in the size of my jeans. Then the pandemic hit, and I finally said, “Screw it.” I gave up the diet culture hamster wheel and decided to make all foods okay.
You know what happened? I gained weight. But I also found a new kind of freedom. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t labeling foods as good or bad. I wasn’t punishing myself for eating a cookie or skipping a workout. And in that freedom, I learned to love myself at my current size. It was incredible to release all the shame and guilt I had carried around for decades. I finally felt like I was making peace with my body after years of waging war on it.
But as much as I loved breaking free from the mental weight of diet culture, there was one problem: I didn’t feel good physically. Carrying the extra weight wasn’t right for my body. My joints hurt, my fibromyalgia flared up constantly, and I just didn’t feel like my best self. And then, as if society’s expectations weren’t enough, when I began to consider losing weight again in hopes to feel better, I started feeling shame for not being a good body positivity “champion or social justice warrior.”
It was like I couldn’t win—if I stayed in my current bigger, I wasn’t “healthy enough” for public opinion, but frankly I was also in a lot of physical pain. But if I wanted to lose weight, I was betraying the body positivity movement. Either way I felt screwed.
Finding What Works for Me: GLP-1 Meds
That’s when I found GLP-1 medications, and everything changed. These meds quieted the food noise that had been screaming in my head since I was 10 years old. They helped me find a way to eat that felt natural, balanced, and free from obsession. And over a year’s time, I lost 45 pounds.
More importantly, my fibromyalgia—something I’ve struggled with for years—improved dramatically. My joints felt better, my pain reduced, and I was finally able to enjoy life without constantly thinking about what I could or couldn’t eat. It was like I found the missing piece of the puzzle that had been eluding me for decades.
But here’s the kicker: as much as I celebrated feeling better, I still had to deal with the judgment that comes with losing weight using medication. I can’t tell you how many people have suggested not necessarily to me but in this broader conversation, that using meds is the “easy way out” or that we should lose weight the “hard way.” As if the only acceptable way to lose weight is through punishing, grueling workouts and deprivation diets. No, thanks.
The Shame Game: You Can’t Win
Let me get this straight—our society punishes you no matter what you do. If you’re fat, you’re shamed for not being “healthy” enough even though health and weight are two different things and there are plenty of healthy people in larger bodies. If you lose weight, and especially if you don’t do it by starving yourself or running marathons, you’re shamed for not “earning it.” The idea that GLP-1 meds (or any other medical assistance) are somehow “cheating” is not only absurd, it’s deeply rooted in the toxic belief that suffering is the only way to success.
Here’s what I have to say to that: bullshit.
These meds weren’t some magic wand that made the weight fall off overnight. They were a tool that helped me heal my body and my relationship with food. They helped me quiet the noise, feel better in my own skin, and live my life with less pain and more joy. And guess what? That’s a win.
And yes I’ve heard all the naysayers rant about the dangers of these medicines. I’ve also heard all the curiosity about what happens when you get off of these drugs. But I have done a lot of research as well and found far more evidence from respected doctors and scientists including some from the renown Cleveland Clinic and other prestigious instititues of health, that have far more positive to say about the impacts of this class of drugs including large reductions in heart disease, hypertension and stroke, reduction in inflammation which leads to alzheimer’s disease among other things, and it’s even being used to help those suffering from addiction.
My own experience is that my fibromyalgia is almost completely controlled by these medications and after getting off of them for a while and having a terrible and painful flare up, before resuming the use of them, I am convinced that if for no other reason, I will likely stay on them for as long as possible to help treat my chronic pain. Living without fibromyalgia pain on the regular is life changing for me.
But in a fat-phobic patriarchy like the one we live in, there’s no wonder that so many are criticizing these drugs that are making life better for many women and people in large bodies.
I also find it interesting that many are obsessed with how to get people off of these drugs once they have lost weight. Like one of the many experts I follow said and I paraphrase, we don’t try to get people off their blood pressure meds or heart meds, why are we so obsessed with getting people off GLP-1s? Obesity is a disease like any other disease and treating chronic diseases with medicines for life is perfectly normal and welcomed by those benefitting from the science of these landmark medications, myself included.
If you’re someone who’s still fighting food noise, trust me, I’ve been there and I’ve benefitted from using GLP-1s to improve my mental health in this area. But everyone’s experience with these medications are different and this journey is personal and unique for each of us. Some people find no benefit at all or that the side-effects far outweigh the positive affects.
Nothing is perfect or a magic pill. I am currently navigating perimenopause and it’s changing the way the drugs are working for me at the moment. So my doctors and I are experimenting with how to keep me feeling my most energetic and pain free. It’s a work in progress and the most important thing I have learned is that we must advocate for our own well being. Only we know if we feel good and many of us allow ourselves to feel bad far too often for far too long.
Whether you choose to embrace your body as it is or use medication, surgery, or anything else to help you feel better, it’s your choice. You don’t owe anyone an explanation for how you choose to care for yourself.
You Are the Decider of What’s Right for You
At the end of the day, we are the ones who get to decide what’s right for us. If staying in a bigger body is where you feel your best, that’s amazing. If losing weight is what makes you feel good, that’s amazing too. There is no wrong way to live in your body as long as you’re doing what feels right for you.
We need to stop policing women’s bodies and choices. The only person who gets to decide how you navigate your health, your size, or your wellness is you. And whether you choose to live loud and proud in your current body–whatever size it is, or you decide to make changes, including opting for medical help, it’s all valid.
The truth is, weight loss doesn’t mean you’ve “sold out” to diet culture or the patriarchy. And loving yourself in a bigger body doesn’t mean you’re rejecting health and wellbeing. Both options are good options if they work for you. The only bad option is living your life based on what someone else thinks you should do with your body.
Health, Worth, and Freedom
Here’s what I’ve learned: your health and your worth are not tied to the size of your body. And the moment you stop letting other people’s opinions dictate how you live, you set yourself free. I chose to use GLP-1 meds because they gave me the freedom to feel better physically and mentally. They helped me heal from years of disordered eating, obsession, and pain. And that was the right choice for me for now. That doesn’t mean it’s the choice I will make forever. We are always allowed to change our minds.
If you’ve ever felt the weight of society’s expectations crushing you—whether it’s about your weight, your health, or how you’re “supposed” to live—let this be your permission slip to let it go. You are the only one who gets to decide what’s right for you. And no matter what path you choose, know this: you are enough.
