Let’s Talk About GLP-1s: Fear, Judgment, and the Reality

Lately, it feels like every conversation around GLP-1 medications comes with strong opinions. People are either afraid of them, or resentful of the people who use them. Very rarely do I see space for nuance, facts, or personal context.

So, I want to talk about it, honestly.

Why GLP-1s Make People Uncomfortable

I think a lot of the fear and resentment surrounding GLP-1s comes from misunderstanding. There is a widespread belief that these medications are a “shortcut” or an “easy way out,” especially when weight loss is involved. But GLP-1s do not magically make weight fall off.

They do not override basic biology. You still have to eat in a calorie deficit. You still have to move your body. Just like any other weight loss approach. What GLP-1s do is help regulate hunger signals and improve how the body processes glucose. They suppress appetite and can boost metabolic efficiency, but the actual weight loss happens for the same reason it always does: calories in versus, calories out.

Why I’m Taking Mounjaro

I’m currently taking Mounjaro, not as a cosmetic choice, but to lower my glucose levels and A1C after being diagnosed with diabetes. Weight loss is a secondary effect, not the primary goal.

For someone like me, with long-standing metabolic and hormonal challenges, GLP-1s provide support my body hasn’t been able to give me on its own. That doesn’t mean the work disappears. It just means the playing field feels a little less stacked against me.

The Side Effects | Yes, They’re Real

GLP-1s aren’t effortless or side-effect free.

For me, the hardest part was stomach pain and not being able to eat. Those first couple of weeks were rough. But the key thing people don’t always talk about is that those side effects passed. After about two weeks, my body adjusted, and things stabilized. That doesn’t mean everyone’s experience will be the same, but it does mean that discomfort isn’t always permanent.

The Fear That Keeps Me Moving

The side effect that scares me the most isn’t nausea or appetite loss, it’s muscle loss.

That fear is exactly what keeps me in the gym.

GLP-1s can contribute to muscle loss if you don’t prioritize strength training and protein intake. Knowing that has made me more committed to movement than ever before. I’m lifting. I’m training. I’m actively protecting my strength, not avoiding the work. In many ways, this medication didn’t replace effort, it motivated consistency.

Why Judgment Misses the Point

What frustrates me most is how quickly people judge something they’ve never needed, researched, or experienced.

• GLP-1s are medical tools, not moral failures.

• They don’t erase effort.

• They don’t bypass discipline.

• They don’t work without intention.

  
  

And most importantly, they aren’t for everyone. But for some of us, they’re life-changing in the most practical sense: helping us manage chronic conditions and finally work with our bodies instead of against them.

Final Thoughts

If you’re scared of GLP-1s, that’s valid.

If you don’t want to take them, that’s valid too.

But resenting or shaming people who do use them ignores the complexity of health, metabolism, and lived experience.

For me, Mounjaro isn’t a shortcut, it’s support.

And the work? I’m still doing that every single day