If you’ve noticed an uptick in GLP-1 medication ads lately, you’re not imagining it. They’re everywhere…on social media, during TV breaks, and woven into conversations about health, aging, and body change.
For some people, these ads land as neutral information.
For many others, they don’t.
In our work at McDaniel Nutrition Therapy, we’re seeing how this kind of messaging doesn’t just inform decisions—it often activates stress, self-doubt, and long-standing beliefs about body size, control, and worth. And it can “undo” very good work around body image, disordered eating and our relationship with food.
It’s not simply a conversation about medication. It’s a conversation about nervous systems.
Why These Messages Can Feel So Intense
Messages about changing our bodies have been part of the cultural backdrop for decades. From low-fat food marketing in the 90s to celebrity “transformations,” the underlying message has often been the same: smaller is better.
GLP-1 medications are different from diet trends, they are legitimate medical treatments. But the way they’re marketed matters. When transformation is promised quickly and visibly, it can trigger old conditioning, especially for people with histories of dieting, body image distress, or disordered eating.Writer and body-neutral advocate Virgie Tovar recently described what she calls “GLP-1 ad overwhelm,” a pattern of emotional and psychological distress tied to repeated exposure to this type of advertising.
Her research and lived-experience reporting echo what we’re observing clinically:
- Many people notice worsening body image after seeing these ads
- A significant portion report increased anxiety or emotional dysregulation
- Those with eating disorder histories often feel their sense of recovery shaken
When advertising contributes to stress and shame, this becomes a mental and emotional health issue, not just a medical one.
Holding Two Truths at Once
At McDaniel Nutrition Therapy, we are not anti-medication. We value science, options, and individualized care. GLP-1 medications can be appropriate and helpful for some people.
At the same time, we’re concerned about the growing assumption that this is the obvious next step for anyone who has ever felt uncomfortable in their body.
That assumption alone can change how people experience their own progress, especially those choosing a slower, relationship-based approach to health.
We often hear questions like:
- Am I falling behind if I don’t pursue this?
- Can I still trust my path if it looks different from others’?
- Does choosing, or not choosing, this medication determine my long-term health?
Three Ways to Support Yourself Right Now
1. Notice Without Needing to Fix
If an ad triggers tension, urgency, or judgment, pause. These reactions aren’t instructions, they’re conditioned responses. You don’t need to decide anything at that moment. Often, simply returning attention to breath or bodily sensation allows the nervous system to settle.
2. Clarify Your Why
If you’re not pursuing medication right now, your reason doesn’t need to convince anyone else. It might be about long-term sustainability, muscle and bone health, side effects, access, or values. A clear internal “why” can anchor you when outside noise gets loud.
3. Leave Room for “Not Now”
“Not now” is a valid answer. It doesn’t mean never. It means you’re allowing decisions to unfold with time, information, and self-trust—rather than urgency.
How Our Team Helps
At McDaniel Nutrition Therapy, our dietitians support clients across the full spectrum of these decisions. We help people:
- Navigate GLP-1 conversations without shame or pressure
- Protect muscle, bone density, and nutrient intake—with or without medication
- Heal their relationship with food after years of dieting
- Build sustainable habits that support long-term health, not quick fixes
- Explore options collaboratively, without all-or-nothing thinking
There is no single “right” path. There is your path, and it deserves care.