Member-only story
Are We Judging Ozempians Too Harshly?
A few thoughts from a former personal trainer.
Stephen had always been a bigger guy, ever since I met him in high school. I didn’t know it at the time, but he took enormous flak for at home, with his overbearing father telling him, “You are embarrassingly overweight.”
Stephen did a good job of hiding any insecurity he felt, and even found a way to parlay his size into an advantage on the football team. Unfortunately, his weight grew quite significantly after entering the workforce and having kids — to the point that I worried about his long-term health.
He struggled with little, everyday things. For example, when we got up to walk to my car, or do something trivial, I noticed him breathing hard, which is never a good sign.
Stephen left my home city of Tampa a few years ago to get a better job. He was back in town and I was waiting for him recently in a restaurant lobby (he greenlit me writing this article, albeit with a different name).
Suddenly, I saw a man working his way through the revolving door entrance and felt a slight recognition, but wasn’t sure.
“There’s no way that’s Stephen,” I thought. His face was completely different. The shape and fullness was gone. His cheeks were hollowed out, his jawline sharpened. Even…