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Holiday hosting made easy with this serving utensil checklist<\/p>\n
Make sure you have everything you need for your holiday feast by matching utensils to dishes ahead of time.<\/p>\n
Morgan Williams will fill her Thanksgiving plate this year with green bean<\/a> casserole, her favorite dish \u2013 only to not eat it all.<\/p>\n That’s because Williams’ appetite is diminished and has changed drastically since she started a GLP-1 medication<\/a> in April to manage her polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)<\/a> symptoms. She knows the casserole, for example, won’t be as enjoyable as it used to be.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings,” Williams, 29, says. “So I will just grab the dish and not eat it. It will still be on my plate when I throw everything away.”<\/p>\n The Lincoln, Nebraska, mom has lost about 70 pounds on the drug, which works<\/a> to\u00a0prolong\u00a0feelings of fullness to reduce food intake.<\/p>\n “I get full a lot faster, and big holiday portions feel kind of overwhelming now,” Williams says. “I used to go back for seconds, but now I\u2019m satisfied after just a few bites, so the holiday season will definitely be different than past years.”<\/p>\n Williams feels more confident since starting her GLP-1. Her PCOS symptoms have subsided and her mood is improved. Her family knows about her weight loss and PCOS journey, and while supportive, some haven’t seen her since last Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n “There can still be a bit of a stigma around GLP-1 medications,” she says. “I\u2019m proud of the progress I\u2019ve made, but there\u2019s definitely some anxiety that comes with knowing people might have opinions or make comments.”<\/p>\n Williams is among many Americans with similar dilemmas at Thanksgiving this year: Nearly 12% of Americans have used GLP-1s\u00a0for weight loss, according to an August report<\/a> by RAND. Use among men and women has more than doubled<\/a> in the past year, as the drugs become a preferred method for weight loss<\/a>.<\/p>\n As GLP-1s go mainstream<\/a>, it’s more likely than not someone at your Thanksgiving table will look or eat differently, according to Sabina Hemmi, founder of\u00a0GLP Winner<\/a>, a GLP-1 watchdog.\u00a0And it can be easy for us to feel upset or offended if someone is not eating the day’s special dishes.<\/p>\n “(Food) is it’s own cultural language, so when you have a medication that disrupts people’s relationship with food, it can feel kind of sad,” Hemmi says. “Thanksgiving can be stressful for anyone who has a family that encourages overeating or food as a way of showing love, adding to the pressure. If someone sits down with a smaller plate serving, it’s probably not helpful to make a comment.”<\/p>\n Rather, Hemmi says to treat this Thanksgiving as an opportunity to cherish new memories and provide supportive environments for those who have gone through big changes this year.<\/p>\n “Holidays are still special,” she says. “Those meals just might look a little different.”<\/p>\n How GLP-1s work and why it means a thinner Turkey day<\/p>\n GLP-1 agonists are injectable or pill-form drugs that work by mimicking the natural hormone that makes us feel full<\/a>, delaying hunger. GLP-1s are also known by specific drug names like Ozempic<\/a>, Wegovy <\/a>and Mounjaro<\/a>, to name a few. The drugs affect every person a little differently, Hemmi says, but in general, people can’t eat as much, even if an extra apple pie slice seems appealing.<\/p>\n “It can be difficult to overeat on these medications,” Hemmi says. “It’s far worse than other people overeating … If you overeat, it can cause discomfort and nausea.”<\/p>\n That lasting fullness means GLP-1 users might not get the same enjoyment out of Thanksgiving indulgence.<\/p>\n “It can influence the motivation or rewarding aspects of food,” says Steven Munger<\/a>, who researches the neurobiology of smell and taste at the University of Virginia. “The best thing a host can do is just be aware and accommodating about the fact someone’s preferences and amounts may have changed.”<\/p>\n