Why We Need to Talk Honestly About Weight Loss, Risk, and Stigma - not about the products sorry but a personal insight into me.

Title: Why We Need to Talk Honestly About Weight Loss, Risk, and Stigma

I chose to live.

That might sound dramatic, but it’s the truth. After nearly 40 years of yo-yo dieting, trying every plan, potion, and lifestyle shift out there, I made an informed, deeply personal decision to undergo weight loss surgery. I did my homework. I knew the risks—including the increased chance of gallstones and gallbladder issues. And yes, I faced some of those complications, including cholecystitis and pancreatitis. But I made that decision eyes wide open, choosing a path that gave me a better shot at long-term health and wellbeing.

Now I’m seeing a fresh wave of media stories about the risks of weight loss medications like semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro), particularly linking them to pancreatitis. And once again, it feels like the same tired, unbalanced narrative: scare stories that play into stigma rather than presenting a fair picture.

Here’s what these headlines often ignore:

1. Obesity itself carries serious risks. Heart disease. Type 2 diabetes. Joint damage. Stroke. Gallstones. Even pancreatitis. These aren’t hypotheticals. These are real, daily risks for people living with obesity. The idea that treatment is inherently dangerous while obesity is just a lifestyle choice is both medically inaccurate and morally unfair.

2. Weight loss comes with risks — no matter how it happens. Whether you lose weight through surgery, medication, or diet alone, rapid fat loss can trigger gallstone formation. That’s not specific to injections. It happened to me after surgery. It happens after extreme calorie restriction. It’s a known physiological response. We need to stop pretending that it’s the tool, not the process, that carries risk.

3. Choosing treatment isn’t "cheating." There’s this pervasive myth that surgery or medication is the "easy way out." It’s not. Surgery requires physical recovery, psychological adjustment, lifelong dietary change, and in some cases, permanent supplementation. Medications come with side effects and stigma. But for many, they offer the only chance at reversing decades of damage. Using effective tools isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom.

4. People deserve respect for making informed decisions. If I had died because of my surgery, it would have been a risk I was willing to take. Not because I wanted to be thin, but because I wanted to be well. And I know people who are taking weight loss injections today are doing so for the same reasons: to live longer, healthier lives. That decision deserves support, not judgment.

5. The media profits off our shame. These shock headlines about weight loss drugs causing health crises? They sell. They grab attention. They generate clicks and ad revenue. But they also reinforce harmful stereotypes and push people further into secrecy, shame, or paralysis. And that’s not journalism. That’s exploitation.

We need to start talking about weight, health, and risk like grown-ups. No more moralising. No more shaming people for trying to survive. Every medical choice involves risk. But every person deserves the dignity of making that choice based on facts, not fear-mongering.

I chose to live. So are thousands of others. And they deserve to be seen, not judged.