This week I posted on Threads that nobody questions your blood pressure meds, and it took off faster than almost anything I've ever written. Women filled the replies listing all the medications nobody has ever had a single opinion about, and then a lot of them said something that stopped me. They've only told a couple of people that they're on a GLP-1, and some of them haven't told anyone at all, because they already know what they'd hear.
And they are not the only ones. A UK survey of more than 3,000 patients released this year found that about two-thirds of people on weight-loss medication hide it from some or all of their friends and family, and women hide it even more than men, at around 70%. Of the people who did get judged, about 8 in 10 were told they were taking the easy way out. Then in April, a Georgetown study found that women who lost weight with a GLP-1 were judged more harshly than women who lost the same amount with diet and exercise, mostly because people think of it as a shortcut.
So if you're keeping it quiet, you're not being dramatic. You're in the majority.
I'm the girl who told everyone
Here's the funny part. I never kept mine a secret, not even for a day. I started talking about it publicly the very same day I started, back in 2023, and I told pretty much everyone in my life. It was just never something that felt like it needed to be hidden for me, and that's probably my personality more than anything (I have plenty of other secrets, trust me, this just wasn't one of them).
I was also so early that most people had no idea what I was even talking about. There was no backlash, because nobody knew enough to have an opinion yet, and most people were just curious. The only ones who were truly worried were my grandparents, who did not love the idea of it at all, and honestly, I understand that now more than I did then. They were worried because they loved me.
And even on social media, where you'd think I'd have heard it all by now, I have gotten surprisingly little negativity. I don't really know why. I've just been lucky that way, and I know that luck is not everyone's experience.
Why so many of us keep it quiet
Just because I told everyone doesn't mean I don't get why you might not. When I read through those replies and that research, the reasons were so clear, and none of them are silly:
You don't want to hear "the easy way out." You've worked on your body for years, and you don't want someone to cancel all of that out with one sentence.
You don't want a food audience. Once people know, some of them start watching your plate, and every lunch turns into a comment.
You don't want a forecast. Telling one person can mean hearing about every side effect, every regain story, and every article they skimmed.
You want something that's just yours. Sometimes you want to see if it works before you hand it over to everyone else's opinions.
You're scared to fail out loud. If it doesn't go the way you hope, you don't want an audience for that, too.
Every single one of those makes sense to me, even though I chose differently.
You don't owe anyone your story
Here's what I want you to hear from someone who has been loud about it since day one: telling everyone is a choice, keeping it private is a choice, and both are completely okay. You can tell your whole family, or one best friend, or your doctor and nobody else. You can tell people later, or never. Being open worked for me, but it's not a requirement for doing this right, and keeping it private doesn't mean you're ashamed. It means you get to decide who has a say in your life.
Private is not the same as ashamed.
The only thing I don't want for you is to feel like you're doing all of it completely alone, because carrying a secret and a hard week at the same time is a lot.
A place where you don't have to explain anything
That's exactly what Girl Code Daily is. Everyone in there is on a GLP-1 or somewhere in this journey, so nobody is asking if you're sure you should be doing this, and nobody is calling it a shortcut. You can say the thing you can't say at the dinner table, and twenty women will answer you who completely get it. Some of them have told the whole world, some of them have told almost no one, and they're all in the same chat.
This month we're doing No Ghosting November, a daily check-in challenge in our challenge chat, and today is the last day it's open to everyone, free subscribers included. Starting tomorrow, it's for paid members only. If you've been reading quietly from the outside, today is a really easy day to come say hi.
I'm curious, did you tell people when you started, or are you keeping it close? You don't have to tell me who knows, but tell me in the comments how you decided. I read every single one.
Always in your corner, whichever way you choose,
Nyk
✨ Why join Girl Code Daily? ✨
Tell everyone or tell no one. In here, you never have to explain.
Every day inside Girl Code Daily we do this together: the Sunday Weigh In, Monday Focus, the Wednesday Check In, Friday Wins, a printable every Saturday, and this month, No Ghosting November, with women who are living the same thing you are. Here's a little of what members have been reading:
And if you join yearly, you get Picky Girl HQ free: meals planned from foods you already like, morning check-ins, workouts, and someone to talk things out with, any hour of the day, no explaining required.
Keep it a secret from everyone else. Just don't keep it from us.
I'm not a doctor. This is my personal experience, not medical advice. Please talk to your prescriber about anything related to your medication or health.