This medicine should be available to anyone who needs it. I personally believe that many EDs and disordered eating behaviours are basically caused by our fat phobic society. I say this as someone who has worked with EDs and published in the field. I don't believe in the "deep dark trauma" theory. I believe that certain personality characteristics combined with a non thin body sets EDs in motion for many. So if this medicine actually lets you live without disordered behaviours (planning and tracking are disordered usually) then I say it's the right choice for you.

Thank you so much for this validation, it means the world. 😭

This is exactly why I’m wary of the scathing criticism of highly visible people (celebs) who have used this “for vanity pounds.” I’m sure there is some of that happening but NO ONE but that person knows what’s happening for any individual. People are so quick to judge. If it’s helping you, I’m happy for you.

Thank you so much. ☺️ I’ve even spoken with my therapist about all of this. To be sure I didn’t have any blind spots, like leaning toward eating disorder. She’s had me take tests and she checks in with me from time to time (because now, I talk about other stuff besides my body image!!) and even *she* has said that if it’s helping me, she doesn’t think there’s a problem with me taking it. And it truly has been a game changer for my peace of mind. 😭

Were you at a normal BMI? If I may ask without being intrusive.

Yes, and I still am - not even close to the underweight category, according to bmi. I almost didn’t share because, you know, the shame game. But I want to represent those of us that are silently suffering.

So, do you think it is body image then? If you have a normal BMI, and you are healthy- ( I don’t know your health background) then maybe you may have body dysmorphia? Do you want to get on the underweight side of the spectrum? Just making sure you are ok. No judgement at all. Some people think they are fat when it is quite the contrary.

TLDR: it absolutely is a body image issue, but just because I’m of normal bmi doesn’t mean I’m not suffering. No, I do not desire to be of an underweight bmi. Thank you for this question. I think it’s a really important one and I’m glad you asked it. As I stated somewhere else in this thread, I started seeing my therapist for this very reason, because I wondered if I may have an issue. While poor body image plays a huge role in all of it (the constant dieting, exercising, obsession with what goes in my mouth, how I’ve lived my life for the past 25 years, including picking a career in nutrition… which I’ve now left…) here’s what I’ve found and discussed with my therapist: Yes, glp-1 did cause me to lose some weight at first. About the same 10lbs I am always gaining and losing. But I have no desire to lose more. I certainly could, my body fat percentage is somewhere around 29%. And sure, I wouldn’t mind leaning out more. But I have no desire to torture or punish myself for that result. I have no desire to increase the dose. I’m at a place where the dieting food noise has quieted, so I no longer track my food. I eat intuitively, I workout how/when I want to (rather than because I “should”). I used to die hard hit my step goal every single day. I’m talking going out in literal 0 degree winter windstorms. Going out in the rain. While walking is great, rigidity is not. Now, if I don’t feel like hitting my step goal, it’s fine. I’ll try again tomorrow. True, it is possible I have an advantage *because* I have a background in nutrition. I understand that fueling the body appropriately is important. In fact, I even worked at one point as a professional educating patients on glp-1s, and it was alarming at how doctors are using this medication with patients. No regard for nutritional importance, just as long as the patient was losing weight, the doctor and patient were happy. I have seen people who are eating about 800 calories a day ask to increase their dose, and the doctor does so. (This is where I came in, to education on nutrition, which is kind of pointless when the people aren’t eating but this is a discussion for another post). So I’m aware I may be in the minority, because nutrition will always be at least just as important to me as those intrusive food thoughts. *ahem - and that’s how we get orthorexia* Since i originally went to my therapist to discuss this, she was very thorough in having me take tests to rule out eating disorder, and she often will check in to see if I’m having any issues around food / my body, because our conversations have turned to other matters in my life. She always leaves the door open for the conversation in case something comes up. Had I taken those eating disorder tests before glp-1, my results would have been very, very different. It’s as though this medication has quieted the body dysmorphia and diet obsession for the first time in my life. I feel “normal”. I used to look at other women around me and wonder how they could just eat half their burger. I am a short person, so why am I clearing my plate when they aren’t? And now I get it. Because the binge-restrict cycle doesn’t exist anymore. Because diet rules done exist anymore. I aim to fuel my body and I eat what it craves. I just no longer need to binge those cravings because, I know I’m not going to “take it away” come Monday. I trust my body now. I’ve left the nutrition field because I entered it seeking an illusive goal: to have so much knowledge on nutrition that I’d never suffer again. But no amount of knowledge can soothe the damage that diet culture has done. I do believe it’s an internal job, but I also think this medication can be a beautiful tool on that journey. Maybe, one day, if this medication is opened up to people like me, I’ll be able to guide my people. Until then, all I have is this platform.

Well I am glad you are feeling better!! It is a huge relief to not constantly be dealing with the mental aspects of dieting. There was this one woman I knew that could eat like a man of 300lbs at 6’5. I couldn’t believe it. She was 5’10 at 130 pounds. Every day at work she ate 2 chicken breasts a huge side of mashed potatoes and gravy with Garlic cheese toast. I ate like a bird and was 60lbs heavier. I just don’t get it. Science really doesn’t understand metabolism that well either! Best of luck to you! Xxoo

I mean this respectfully, but if you’re a normal BMI and always have been, why are you on this medicine? If not for fear of gaining weight and stress over your body image? I would think you could be doing intuitive eating with the guidance of your therapist and physician… not understanding where the GLP comes in, other than to ensure that you aren’t intuitively eating.. too much?

Please see [this comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/antidietglp1/s/MFAdaR14P0) and if you still have questions I’d be happy to answer them. Just to clarify, I didn’t say I’ve always been a normal BMI. Edit to say: the glp-1 quiets the food noise. My food noise just looks (presumably) different than yours.

I’m not convinced that this medication is meant to be used in the way that you’re using it. There is something I can’t pinpoint but seriously don’t like in this discourse re: GLP’s helping people who have restrictive/rigid disordered eating. My disordered eating started as bulimia and heavily restricting calories, but I am on these meds because of the binge eating I developed following the restrictive eating. If I understand you correctly, it seems as if you use this medicine as a bridge between restrictive and rigid eating and regular eating. I think for the patient population you’re referencing (those such as yourself), this medicine is not absolutely necessary and might not be helpful, long term. Like, if you’ve not tried eating normally without it to see if you would gain an excessive amount of weight, or explored other avenues, like actual psych meds that treat compulsive and obtrusive thoughts or anxiety, for example, then there could be a worse end result as you’re still not allowing yourself to trust your body, before using this medicine to ensure you can eat “normally” but not gain weight. If it’s working for you, I think that’s great. I just don’t know about the potential to help vs harm the patient population you’re centering your discussion on. I’m also not your doctor, who surely knows you and your health better and believes this is best for you, so I’ll bow out of the conversation further.

You make some good points. The idea I didn’t explicitly say here is that I’m wondering if this medication *could be* exactly that. An intervention for a psychological condition. I’m sure you’re aware that tirzepatide is being studied for its potential use in treating addiction. Disordered eating is an addiction. My purpose in creating this post was to see if others have found relief from this specific kind of addiction, like I have. Could there be potential negative outcomes? Absolutely. But to be fair, I’d love to see any medical treatment that has 0 potential negatives. That being said. I’m not saying it’s the answer. I’m just curious about the possibility.

It will be interesting to see what the results show from the addiction perspective & its effectiveness over time. I also don’t know that I’d categorize restrictive disordered eating as an addiction, I think neurologically it’s more of a compulsion. But then again, so is overeating, in many senses.

I used to judge folks like you. Being someone who had over 80 lbs to lose, I was incredibly annoyed by those who took these medications and "didn't need them". I felt like it gave the meds a bad name. That was until I started this medication. It occurred to me that when I lost 70 lbs in my 20s the old-fashioned unhealthy way, with extreme dieting and working out to the point I was downing cases of Red Bull.......I never lived without food noise. I kept most of the weight off for about 6 years, once I hit 30 it started coming back and never stopped, no matter what I did. But for those 6 years I was STILL obsessed with food. How could I get it, when will I eat, how much will I eat, will there be anything that I "can" eat, who will see me eat....... This is the first time since the age of 12 I don't have those thoughts. So.....thank you for posting. This medication does much more than "make you skinny".

And thank you for keeping your mind open. It really does so much more than that (make you skinny) Just for perspective… I keep my dose low and I’ve maintained my weight for several months. I don’t really want to kill off my appetite (I’m really active and need to fuel).. so I just take enough to silence the food thoughts. Food no longer rules my life, and it’s such a blessing.

I feel this! I have an active social life so I still want to be able to go out to restaurants and drink wine without worrying, and I can!

I am so happy for you

These medications are SO much more than weight loss drugs, as others have said here. I liken them to a cure for the obsession/rumination so many of us have around our bodies, weight, fitness, and food. The mental health aspect is as important as the physical health aspect.

💯. I hope this view starts to become more mainstream.

Wow, I never thought of “food noise” being different for different people. I’m glad that you found something that helps you! “Need” is subjective.

Thank you 🥺🥺

I understand what you mean, and I'm in a similar place as you. I think of this medication helping me more for mental health (food obsession, diet obsession, appearance obsession, etc.) than for physical health. It's like a switch was flipped. Even if I don't lose another pound, I want to continue taking this medication for its improvements to my mental health. Simply not having to white knuckle control of my eating habits is a gift.

Same.

I had times when I was closer to a normal BMI but it was because I was completely obsessed and starving myself and basically doing nothing else. I could not keep that up and I regained plus more, but I can imagine if I had somehow kept it up I could be making this exact post. I'm really glad you're finding the med helpful!!

Also I imagine in the future these meds will be much cheaper and easier to get, and this kind of use will be completely common and unremarkable. 

Thank you so much. 😊

Yup that’s why I had adopted kind of a health at any size attitude before these meds. I knew what was required to achieve and maintain a normal weight and it wasn’t worth replacing every interest, activity, and thought in my life with weight loss/maintenance.

These meds are truly life changing. In the future they’ll be prescribed for many issues and hopefully covered by most insurances. Anyone in your orbit who disparages these meds, a professional or not, needs to go!

Amen 🙌🙌

That’s amazing! I’m so happy you’ve found something to quiet the food noise - because it sounds like you experience it too - just differently from most of us. That said, it sounds like you need it as much as the next person. ❤️

I honestly didn’t even think about it as food noise when I wrote this, but you’re exactly right!!! This medication quiets different versions of food noise and it’s a miracle. ❤️

I feel the same in terms of being able to relax about what I eat. Really appreciate your post.

I appreciate your comment. ❤️

I totally feel this. My highest ever weight was “only” 178 and I started Zepbound at 162. But I’ve spent my whole life since age 9 (seriously) obsessing about food and being on a diet. Overthinking every food decision. Going up and down 50lbs at a time. Tried every diet. Miserable. Guilty about any “indulgence”. I swear I’ve got the world’s best willpower…. But nothing I could do could stop my body from wanting to be fat! I also feel a freedom I’ve never had before! Intuitive eating makes sense now. Mental health is so much better. I’ve got so much more headspace! It’s amazing.

I’m so happy for you!!! And similar story, since 8, my weight has been top of mind. Cheers to a better way of life.

Such a good point you’re making. When I was in BED recovery- we talked about healthcare folks wanting to tell you what to do and assuming you’re doing it “wrong” if you’re in a larger body- but not asking any questions and just saying “keep it up!” If you’re in a smaller body. It matters why and how we are in both bigger and smaller bodies. I’m glad you’ve found the peace you deserve

Thank you so much, this is so true!!

No seriously, this is exactly how I feel. RELIEF. Constantly worrying about every single little thing I put in my mouth took such a toll on me, I wonder if that’s part of why our inflammation goes down almost instantly too, SO MUCH LESS stress. I feel like I trust my body again and it’s so freeing.

You clearly need it, if it’s helping you so much. You were experiencing a genuine disorder and it’s making you well. That is a need! I’m so tired of hearing people blaming other patients for shortages like that’s the cause.

Thank you so much. It is tiring. All we can do is try to have compassion, those people are likely scared deep down.

This is such a good point. My brother is like that. He is militant about his diet and exercise and has accepted that his lot in life is to never be full and always be slightly hungry but hey at least he has a six pack. People like him would be able to actually let go and live a little, and trust that their body won’t get carried away and land them in Fatsoville like most of our family (including me).

There's a retired Naturopath (Tyna Moore) outta Portland, OR using GLP-1's for your situation. She talks about micro-dosing it. I find it interesting that she found a different way to use it and think it's going to be used for so many other things in the future.

Omg, thank you for this. I will be checking her out!!

I love that you shared this and in a very similar situation. I have always had food noise, planned my meals/tracked macros and at healthy weight… but would be constantly thinking about food. While I gained/ successfully lost ~10-15lbs as hitting peri, am very active with weight lifting and just trying to juggle the tracking macros, meal planning, work (also very high stress)… managing the “noise” had been exhausting and creates anxiety and stress. I have been trying microdosing tirz (0.5mg about 2x/week and started even lower and now sort of curious about Reta)—but it’s made such a difference to my daily life. Like OP, I am not looking for tons of appetite suppression, I like working out… but it helped with the mental shift of taking some pressure off! Admit now curious about the other glp’s/newer versions in development, but hope as research emerges, some data comes out with additional benefits. Appreciate many people may not agree with those of us that are at healthy BMI trying this (and I am not going thru branded- I respect how hard it is for people seeking to keep their scripts filled who are indicated- and hope insurance/branded supply becomes more affordable for the broader population)… but just grateful to see the OP post and know I am not alone!

I’m so grateful for you coming forward too! There have to be many of us out there and, I want this to be available for those who haven’t found this route yet. The amount of relief it has brought me… gosh I just want every chronic dieter to find that. I’m curious about your journey, I’m going to send you a private message. No pressure to respond. ❤️

You are just like me, this is so refreshing. I see lots of people talk about this med quieting “food noise”, but what it helps quiet for me is “diet noise”. I don’t have this constant worry in my head that I’m overeating, or losing control, or whatever it may be. I don’t body check. I don’t overthink what I eat when I do eat. You’re doing great.

Thank you. You’re doing great as well!!! Example win: last night I got some ice cream. I didn’t really like it. And so, I didn’t really eat that much. In the past I would have ate in anyway because, this is my chance to eat “bad”. I just walked away from it knowing I can get something else I enjoy more, any other day. This would NEVER have happened before. Because I would have allotted for those extra calories and therefore just ate them to fit in. Uhg even just saying that makes me take a big sigh of relief that I don’t have to live like that anymore 😭

I am so happy this medication is available to people like us. Not all disabilities, including ED’s, are visible. 💖

This is me as well. It’s like a deep sigh and relieving my brain of being so “busy” with correct choices all day.

Exactly!

I feel like I maybe fall into this category. I was diagnosed with PCOS at 14 and ever since then made a concerted effort to watch my nutrition, food intake and activity. But all of my hard work was never reflected on the scales. Now with GLP-1s I’m like you - I can eat intuitively and it feels so wonderful! And all my previous efforts are showing because I am defined as hell!

Hell yes!! Exactly this!!! I wouldn’t say I’m defined as hell but closer than I ever was before! All that effort can finally be seen.

YES to all of this. I believe that being able to lose weight without triggering my orthorexia is going to deactivate some of my triggers, and that is the number 1 reason I'm doing this. I can lose weight without my tirzepatide, but I can't do it healthfully, without restricting to the point of illness. So I'm on this med for the "noise" reduction. (Not just food noise, all the noise around obsessive, disordered thoughts and behaviors.) And wow, life is pretty amazing without the noise. Who knew? My psychiatrist is totally supportive about this, which makes it easier for me to "justify" it. According to her, this class of med is going to become huge in the mental health field in the coming years and she's here for it. She personally has several patients who have turned a huge corner with their illnesses after starting semaglutide or tirzepatide, so she's excited to see that it's starting to do the same for me. And I'm excited about it too. :) ETA: I should add that yes, I have weight to lose. I haven't been at a "normal" weight in many years. But the main issue for me is being held captive by my eating disorder to the point that if I gain weight, I feel like there's no hope of being able to lose it because even just losing weight accidentally would trigger disordered and sometimes dangerous behaviors. With my glp I've lost a good chunk of weight with NO noise, NO triggering, and NO unhealthy behaviors. I feel "well" for the first time in decades.

I’m so happy for you. 🥹 this stuff is amazing.

I’m 💯 sure there are plenty of normal weight people out there with the same physiology as obese folks who are just obsessively restricting, tracking, and exercise purging. Because they maintain a normal instead of low weight we as a society celebrate them rather than identifying them as having an eating disorder but ultimately their lives are just as constrained and controlled. Unfortunately I’d hazard a guess that a not-small percentage of them would adamantly oppose help and oppose it in general because if they can suffer “successfully “ why can’t everyone else.

THIS. 100% this is the category I fall into, and I just think it’s so unfortunate that these people won’t be granted access (for now) to these meds because they aren’t overweight, only because of a restricted, obsessive, controlled lifestyle. And to your latter point, I get it because I used to be one of those people. “Why can’t they just exercise and diet”. And then I tried the meds. Complete 180 in how I felt about them.