'I've been taking weight loss medication for 2 months. I didn't expect the comments.'

When I posted a photo of myself to Instagram in a bikini, I typed out a quick caption.

"Thanks for the comments about how confident and happy I look," I wrote.

"I've been using weight loss medication for about six weeks now. I think it's important to be honest about weight loss, so I wanted to let you know."

Wearing a cossie was not unusual for me. I am a fan of my bod at any size, and I'm comfortable posting pics of myself. What was important to me was being honest about why I was looking a little different.

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One year before, the rheumatologist I was seeing for my arthritis had suggested I'd need a hip replacement reasonably soon, but that I could probably delay the operation if I lost weight.

For years, I'd struggled with my weight and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), hormonal changes and joint pain, combined with a lack of willpower had meant very little success.

One year later, I still weighed the same and I knew I needed help, and my doctor had suggested I start on weight-loss medication.

(Of course, it needs to be said that, like any medication, there can be serious side effects and so it's important that you have a thorough conversation with your doctor about whether it's appropriate for you.)

My concern was how to navigate sharing it. I'd seen many women show off their significant weight loss on social media but not declare how they had done it (as is their right!).

So many women struggle with weight loss, and I couldn't appear with a different-sized body and tell them I did it simply by cutting out chocolate or upping my steps. I couldn't gaslight the woman working out so hard, creating healthy meals and struggling each day by telling her that weight loss had magically happened for me when it wasn't happening for her.

My promise to myself was that at the first whiff of a social media comment saying I was looking good or asking about my weight, or if I felt the weight loss was noticeable, I would share.

I was not ashamed, even though everything I was reading was telling me I should be.

I feel like our world is divided into two groups — those who can eat whatever they like and never put on a kilo and those of us who only have to sniff a cake or look at a chocolate to gain five.

Evie on her travels. Image: Supplied.

While we laugh about the sister who inherited the skinny gene from mum or the bestie with long hollow legs, for those of us on the other side, the ones who gain rapidly and then struggle to lose weight, it's not a joke — even though I'm sure we've all heard many 'jokes' about our weight over the years.

There is a growing understanding and acceptance of different abilities, increasing support for mental health diagnoses like ADHD (and its medical treatment) and an even greater acceptance of using cosmetic solutions to reduce the signs of ageing.

However, this grace does not seem to extend to women who struggle to lose weight. They are still demonised and ridiculed and told that they shouldn't use alternatives that will assist them to live a happier, healthier life.But why can't we? If doing things differently can help us become healthier and avoid associated illnesses — as well as assisting people like me with PCOS and other conditions that make it difficult to lose weight — why are others so angry about it?

So angry in fact, that women who use medical help to lose weight feel like they need to hide it from their friends, their peers and their audiences on social media.  It has to be that our value is still so closely tied to our looks that if we use anything other than willpower or just simply being born with a high metabolism, we are seen to be cheating, or ridiculed for taking the "easy way out". Believe me, the years and years of trying to lose weight are not easy. For any of us.

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"The truth is I needed help with weight loss," I wrote on my post, "and there is no shame in that. There's no shame in accepting help to lose weight and improve my health. There's no shame in making considered choices about my health."

I was a little nervous about sharing, but I would have felt a million times worse pretending.  But of course, I shouldn't have worried. The response to my post was so supportive and understanding. Surprisingly, even the trolls were quiet.

Many women messaged me to let me know they were using help, and it made them feel so much better to see someone publicly acknowledging that they were too.

Many shared just how difficult it can be to lose weight and how much we worry about our health when we can't lose the kilos we need to, especially when ageing and hormones make it so much harder, and when we have children, and we desperately want to be fit and healthy for them. 

The post started a supportive discussion that I was thrilled to be part of. Maybe, just maybe, the tide is turning towards accepting that some of us need help to achieve what comes so easily to others. 

We always talk about women supporting women, and how better to do this than by being honest and open? Transparency about often taboo subjects — especially ones that so many women struggle with — costs nothing but can help so much.

Evie Farrell is a solo mum who loves travelling so much she started her own tour company. Find her at her website and on Instagram @mumpacktravel.

Taking any prescription medication carries risks. Talk to your doctor to decide if a specific medication is right for you.

Feature image: Supplied.

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