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When I celebrated my birthday recently, I had dinner with some old colleagues that I hadn’t seen in a while, and I got a glimpse into the future of dinner conversations on the horizon—no thanks to Ozempic.
A woman sitting across the table from me was watching me eat. Halfway through the meal, she remarked that I wasn’t eating very much and asked me if I was on Ozempic.
Ah, no.
Then she continued to say a lot of her friends were on it, and she wanted to lose weight, so she was thinking about joining this modern-day fad.
When you research the side effects of Ozempic, the list is long and scary:
- Nausea
- Constipation
- Dizziness
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Allergic reaction
- Blurred vision
- Hypoglycemia
- Thyroid cancer
- Abdominal pain
- Gallstones
- Headache
- Heartburn
- Rapid heartbeat
- Bloating
- Burping
- Pancreatitis
- Abdominal pain or constipation
- Anxiety
- Confusion
- Drowsiness
- Kidney disease
- Loss of appetite
- Lump
The discussions surrounding Ozempic have become somewhat controversial and have entered the cultural dialogue; however, I didn’t realize how much they would penetrate an entire dinner party.
As I continued to eat, I noticed she kept watching me, and she couldn’t help but continue to comment on my food intake. To be honest, I wasn’t really hungry. I had a late lunch, so I’m not one to eat a huge meal just to appease the masses. Not everyone requires three square meals a day just because it’s socially expected. That’s absurd.
But I was not about to broach the topic and explain myself because that would be playing into a justification for my lifestyle.
She continued to ask me about my exercise regime. I told her about my anaerobic workouts mixed with weights, and she seemed baffled by my routine. She pressed on and said, You do all that?
Well, yeah.
In my opinion, diet, and exercise are authentic lifestyles, whereas Ozempic is a bandaid that perpetuates a temporary phony one.
I’m obviously on the no-Ozempic team, and I felt like I had to tiptow through the conversation. I couldn’t say, get your face out of the feed bag and hit the gym—but I wanted to.
After the third time she mentioned me not eating very much, I felt my annoyance turn into anger.
When my birthday cake arrived, and I had my piece, I didn’t eat the frosting because I don’t like buttercream frosting. I prefer the kind of cream cheese frosting that you get on a carrot cake, but she couldn’t stop herself. She had to comment out loud, once again, in front of everyone at the table about me not eating my entire piece of cake.
At that point, I couldn't wait for the dinner to be over. I wanted to say mind your own cake, but I kept my mouth shut. I just wanted a peaceful birthday dinner, and the entire time was met with a conversation that I hope is a signifier of what is to come down the line as more and more people start taking this medication or contemplate jumping on this bandwagon.
When I got into my Uber later that night I spent the ride talking with the driver about my experience. He listened and was engaged with amusement. He mentioned that he recently lost weight, and his family made comments about it, however, none of them asked if he was taking Ozempic. Currently, I think the Ozempic conversation is more surrounding women versus men. At least for now.
As this conversation continues to evolve, I don’t see it being a smooth ride for those not on it who go through blood, sweat, and tears to stay in shape and eat right. Some people just don’t want to hear that. Regardless, it will be an evolving, delicate, and debatable conversation that I might not tread so lightly if met with it next time.
When my driver pulled up to drop me off, I walked away wondering when this Ozempic phenomenon would become a problem for fine dining. I want to be free from weight-obsessed conversations and unwarranted comments and, more importantly, free from holding back my views on the matter.
Needless to say, if people want to lose weight, do what you want to do. If you are considering it, get all your facts straight first. It’s easy to be swayed by trends, especially when they are advocated by prestigious celebrities and other enthusiasts who might be pushing an agenda to sway human behavior. Not to mention considering the catchphrase, "Follow the money."
I only hope those not on Ozempic can enjoy a piece of birthday cake with no frosting and less relentless analysis and judgment.
