Dear Prudence,
I’ve had a very eventful year. At the beginning of 2025, my long-term relationship ended, and after a few months, I decided to move out of state.
Just before moving, I started a GLP-1 weight loss drug, and I have successfully lost most of the pandemic weight I’d been packing on (yay!). The problem is I’m flying back to my hometown for a visit soon, and I’m quite sure my visible weight loss will be an uncomfortable topic of conversation.
My mom has suffered from undiagnosed eating disorders since I was a child, and my aunt, who I’m very close to, is a bit of a fitness and health nut. My aunt has made negative comments about weight loss drugs, suggesting people should “just get off the couch and exercise.” Because of the way my mom and aunt have always talked about fatness and weight loss, I very much do not want to talk to them about my body or disclose that I lost the weight via a GLP-1 drug. I’m otherwise pretty open about my journey to friends who ask. I think it’s helpful for people to know the drugs do work (at least for me!) and don’t think everyone can lose weight via willpower alone, as I certainly couldn’t. What do you think the best approach will be to talk about it as little as possible with my family? I’m anticipating compliments and questions about how I lost the weight.