:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/health-WIWIK-glp1-allicia-f9318503d06d4182a8c6446909360867.jpg "A woman smiles next to text that says GLP1s for obesity what I wish I knew health and her name")
Credit: Photo courtesy of Allicia Gutierrez
I’ve been overweight for pretty much my entire life. I feel like I was born overweight—and with bangs. I’ve had bangs my whole life, too. The bangs I like. It was the weight that I struggled with.
Growing up, I was the only one in my immediate family who was overweight. I was maybe a sophomore in high school when my mom put me on Nutrisystem. That diet didn’t work. Nothing seemed to work.
I was the biggest one among my friends, too. I was always known as the “fat friend.” Even if not intentionally, some friends judged me. It made me feel very insecure, and it made it hard to trust people.
Being overweight your entire life is a challenge. But after decades of being seen as the "overweight one" wherever I went, I recently finally found something that worked for me—Zepbound (tirzepatide), a type of GLP-1 drug. I just wish I had known how important it would be to have a support system when starting the medication and losing the weight.
Starting the GLP-1—and the Support I Wish I Had
A GLP-1 wasn’t actually my first weight-loss plan. Two or three years ago, I started the process of preparing for bariatric surgery. But I lived about 45 minutes from my doctors and had to rely on others for rides, so it was hard to make my appointments. That dragged out the process to the point that, by the time I'd nearly finished with a preparation cycle for the surgery, I would have to redo most of it.
As I was about to start over with my preparation process for bariatric surgery, I happened to come across an ad on Instagram for a weight loss program that provides GLP-1 medications. At the time, GLP-1s were just starting to get more mainstream recognition. I had heard about the drugs, but I hadn’t really looked into them. And I didn’t know anyone who was on one. But my insurance approved the medication, and it was less invasive than surgery would be, so I thought, Well, I might as well try.
I went in kind of blind. I think Zepbound has been a great choice for me and has helped me immensely, but there are some things I wish I had known before starting the drug, or earlier on in my treatment process.
Mostly, I really wish I had looked more into GLP-1s or had known more people taking them before I started. I could have learned about other people’s experiences beforehand, what they felt while taking the medication, and what helped with their side effects. This could’ve prepared me for the side effects I would soon face.
Losing the Weight—and the Support I Wish I Had
The day after I took my first shot, I woke up and knew something was off. I just felt… different. My blood pressure dropped, and I almost passed out. I didn’t tell my doctor—you get to a point where you just want to lose the weight.
Had I known people taking the medication, I could have asked if low blood pressure was a symptom others had. (Turns out, it is a possible side effect of the medication.) Now—but especially in my early days taking the medicine—I wish I had a support group where I could compare symptoms and openly discuss my experience with other people.
If I had support from other GLP-1 users, maybe I could’ve learned earlier on that drinking lots of water and eating (even if it’s hard to do while on the drug) can help you feel better. Those are things I had to learn on my own.
I also wish I had the support of my family. I’ve had family members make negative comments about the weight I’ve lost. One family member won’t even visit me anymore. I think their negative reactions might be because they are having a hard time losing weight themselves. I can sympathize, but their lack of support is making my obesity treatment journey harder—so hard, in fact, that I’ve considered stopping my medication. But I know I have to carry on with my treatment and do what’s best for me and my health.
So I'm continuing on my weight-loss journey without the support I now realize is so important. I wish I had known how helpful it could be to have support from other people taking a GLP-1 or my own family members. I’m really in it on my own, and I think that when you’re in anything on your own, the experience is hard. I’m trying to figure out and navigate all of this myself, and support really helps. It really makes a difference.
As told to Colleen Murphy
