There is a new type of whip parker increasing in the United States, a person who thinks that it is good to drop “Are you on Ozempic?” to those they barely know. It is probably the reflection of the number of Americans who take this class of drugs called GLP-1 inhibitors. In the United States, twelve percent of adults took them at some point, according to a health monitoring of 2024 kff, and the prescriptions have skyrocketed in the last decade.
This class of drugs includes shooting (Zepbound and Mounjaro brand names) and semaglutide (Wegovy and Ozempic), and I know many friends and colleagues who take one. They have been rescuers for many people with type 2 diabetes or who want to lose weight for medical reasons. As with other drugs, such as Botox, some thorny social dilemmas have followed: is it rude to ask if someone takes one? And what do you say if someone asks you this question?
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(Complete disclosure: I was prescribed a GLP-1 for a group of medical conditions: prediabetes, resistance to insulin and cardiovascular diseases.)
I spoke to two doctors who prescribe the drugs, two well-known advice columnists and two dozen GLP-1 users for their point of view on large label issues on the table. Here’s what I learned.
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Is it normal to ask someone if he takes a GLP-1 inhibitor?
Two years ago, I reconnected with a former colleague who had lost so much weight that I barely recognized him. My first thought was: “Did he have cancer” or “Something is not going?” Fortunately, he defeated me with a punch, confiding that he had used Ozempic. Although some of them on GLP-1 inhibitors say that it doesn’t bother them to wonder, Randy Jones, an author and host of Podcast, who is currently taking one, said to me: “I absolutely do not think that people should be allowed to ask questions about their drugs without invitation to do so.”
Lizzie Post, the great-great-small-gathe of the Guru Emily Post label and co-president of the Institute that bears his name, suits, explaining the drugs we take and the procedures we undergo are deprived. “You are not heading for a friend and you ask if they are on Botox,” she said.
Conclusion: Do not ask, above all. (And it’s probably a good idea to avoid speculating on social media on the mysterious weight loss of celebrities. It is practically a sport for some people, but it does not do so.)
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But I want to show that I care. Isn’t that a good reason?
Not really. The context is important and you may not have all the details to sail in this delicate conversation without being offensive. One of my friends, a pastor who is in front of a large congregation every Sunday, lost 52 pounds in nine months. She said that she was asked about everyone at one time or another, how she lost weight. Although she appreciates the sympathizers who say: “You look great!” Do you feel good? ” She would also prefer that people have not made a big problem. For example, some people seem to comment on their body every time they see it. “Do you buy a whole new wardrobe?” “You have become so little.” It gets under his skin because “I don’t like my body size to be the most interesting thing about me in their eyes.”
David Wiss, a recorded dietitian nutritionist who is based in Los Angeles and advises patients on weight and mental health issues, says he recommends avoiding “bodily speeches” of all kinds. “The sovereignty of the body describes freedom and autonomy to make choices concerning your own body and your health,” he said.
Carolyn Hax, the long -standing columnist for the Washington Post Advice, says that if you are just fammer, there is no good way to ask. But if you have had trouble with yourself or know someone enough to believe that you can ask without offending yourself, supervise your question in this way. Otherwise, Hax suggests: “If people look good, look happy, look great in this color, then say it by all means.” But don’t comment on their bodies.
Conclusion: as I have often said, if it is curiosity that takes you, brake it.
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How should I answer if someone asks me this question?
Matt Hughes, city commissioner in Hillsborough, North Carolina, told me that he was hesitating to disclose the use of a GLP-1 because “it’s almost as if someone worked less hard to lose weight,” he said. Even if it is not your intention, asking people if they take a GLP-1 could be confused with an “ozempic shame”, that is to say that people are criticized or tried to have a drug to lose weight rather than count on the diet and the exercise, even if the lifestyle changes do not work for the vast majority of people.
“The stigma of weight is deeply rooted and almost unconscious,” said Caroline Apovian, co -director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness to Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She reminded me that GLP -1s are treatments for medical conditions – just like those of high blood pressure, cancer or anything else – which can allow those who respond to intrusive queries being direct, humorous or simply deviation of the question.
Some catchy answers that I heard include:
– “It’s not your business.”
– “I like to keep a little mystery.”
– “Who wants to know?”
– And my favorite: “My weight is really not so interesting.”
Conclusion: It is not yours, and you do not need to discuss your prescriptions with someone other than your doctor.
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Are there any new rules for dinners or share a restaurant tab?
People who are starting to take GLP-1 often undergo major changes in appetite or have side effects like nausea, which can limit the quantity they want to eat. Some people find that they are also less interested in drinking alcohol.
This means that in social situations, you may not be able to eat or drink as you have done in the past. If you dine at a friend and you cannot eat as much as before, a simple “no, thank you” should be enough – and a considerate host will not support the problem.
When you dine, there is the secular dilemma of the check division: “I had only one salad. You had a steak.” Or: “I don’t drink alcohol and you have had three cocktails.” When someone has smaller or less lessons portions, the division of a check can be even more difficult. Hax reminds people “to be aware of equity and not to hide behind the opportunity to obtain the” sober plants “to cover their champagne and their lobster”. She also suggests “reading the room”, which means that sometimes you can get separate checks, or take half of your meal at home, and sometimes you just surpass too much for the pleasure of everyone’s company.
Post also has specific strategies, like telling friends that you regularly dine: “Hey guys, I eat much less these days. Is it going if I get my own check?” Or offer to use check sharing applications like Billr or Divvy so that all guests pay what they need.
When I host, I started to ask guests not only if they have allergies or food preferences, but also: “Is there anything else I need to know to prepare dinner?” This allows me to let me know that it is on a GLP-1, just that it can only eat certain quantities or types of food these days. For this reason, I am also inclined to serve the buffet style, allowing everyone to decide how much they want on their plate.
Conclusion: Be ready to communicate your needs in advance and do not start for more details if the eating habits of a friend change. I have faced many well-intentioned but intrusive questions, that’s why I smiled when Hax said to me: “Too bad there is no GLP-1 for ignorance.”
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