Are GLP-1s a Gateway to Diet Culture—or Freedom From It?
GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro have been hailed by some as a breakthrough in obesity care, and critiqued by others as the latest repackaging of diet culture. As a trainee therapist specialising in eating disorders and body image, I’ve heard both perspectives from clients, colleagues, and the wider media.
Some say, “This is finally helping me stop binge eating.”
Others say, “It feels like I’ve been handed a medicalised eating disorder.”
Most say, “I’m confused. Is this progress… or just another form of control?”
This post is here to sit with that complexity, not to give a moral verdict, but to help you reflect on how GLP-1s interact with diet culture, and how to protect your mental health and autonomy, whichever path you’re on.
1. Let’s Start With the Obvious: GLP-1s Don’t Exist in a Vacuum
It’s not a coincidence that GLP-1s have gained popularity at a time when thinness is still socially rewarded, weight loss is marketed as wellness, and medical fatphobia remains rampant. Even if these medications have legitimate uses, they exist in a world where being thin is seen as a virtue.
So yes, GLP-1s are marketed with the language of diet culture:
✨ “Finally lose the weight!”
✨ “Take back control of your appetite!”
✨ “Be your best self!”
This messaging isn’t just about health, it’s about aesthetics, productivity, and conformity. And it’s worth naming that influence, especially if you’re someone who’s spent years trying to escape the trap of chronic dieting.
2. But For Some, GLP-1s Have Eased Food Obsession
Here’s the part that complicates things.
I’ve worked with clients who feel profoundly relieved by the effects of GLP-1s. They say things like:
“I don’t wake up thinking about food anymore.”
“I feel more in control without having to white-knuckle it.”
“It’s helped me break out of a binge-restrict cycle I’ve been stuck in for years.”
For these clients, the medication has offered a pause—space to breathe, think, and focus on healing their relationship with food without the constant noise of urgency and shame. It’s not about pursuing a smaller body, it’s about reclaiming mental clarity and self-trust.
That doesn’t make it not diet culture. But it does reflect how individual experiences with food and body are never black-and-white.
3. Diet Culture Loves a Rebrand
It’s important to remember that diet culture is shapeshifting.
In the 90s, it was SlimFast and Snackwells. In the 2000s, it was Atkins and “clean eating.” Today, it’s “wellness,” “longevity,” and “glucose management.”
GLP-1s may be prescribed under the banner of metabolic health, but that doesn’t mean they’re free from the same pressures and narratives that have always underpinned diet culture: the belief that smaller is better, and that our bodies need constant fixing.
This is why even if your personal experience of taking a GLP-1 feels empowering, it’s still worth asking:
Who profits from my shame?
What messages am I being sold about weight and worth?
Is this choice rooted in care or in fear?
4. You Can Hold Two Truths at Once
You can feel relief from food noise and be wary of internalised fatphobia.
You can choose medication and reject weight-based moralism.
You can experience benefits and name systemic harm.
None of this makes you a hypocrite. It makes you a human navigating a complex system while trying to take care of yourself.
When it comes to food and body image, the question isn’t, “Is this intuitive eating enough?” or “Am I doing it the right way?”
The question is: “Does this move me closer to peace and connection—or deeper into fear and control?”
5. How to Stay Grounded in Your Values
If you’re taking a GLP-1 and want to protect your mental health from diet culture’s grasp, try anchoring yourself with:
Body neutrality: Your body isn’t good or bad—it just is.
Value-based choices: Ask what supports your long-term wellbeing, not just your short-term appearance.
Community: Talk to others who understand nuance. Social media can be extreme; real conversations offer context.
You’re allowed to seek medical support and still resist diet culture. You’re allowed to change your mind. You’re allowed to prioritise your mental and emotional wellbeing—no matter what anyone else thinks about your body.
Looking for Support as You Navigate All This?
My GLP-1 Coaching Workbook is a resource designed for exactly these in-between spaces.
Inside, you’ll find:
✔️ Tools to explore your values and relationship with food
✔️ Journal prompts to reflect on internalised weight stigma
✔️ Guidance for holding compassion, even when your body is changing
✔️ Space to be honest—without pressure, guilt, or shame
👉 Download the workbook here. Because your healing deserves more than black-and-white thinking.
TL;DR Summary:
GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy can feel like both a tool of diet culture and a path to food peace. This blog explores how to hold both realities, challenge shame-based messaging, and stay connected to your values, even if your journey is complicated.
