Day 5 on the Pill: Dining Out
Apr. 15th, 2026 02:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerToday's my Day 5 of taking Ozempic. One thing I'm glad I've been able to continue doing these first five days is dining out.
I'm a big fan of going out to eat. I've been doing it regularly for years. I not only like the taste of restaurant food; I like getting out of the house for the change of scenery.
Before I started a GLP-1 drug (Ozempic is a GLP-1, like many other now-common drugs for controlling blood sugar and promoting weight loss) I heard warnings from many friends that it messes with your digestion so badly you can't eat regular meals anymore. I took those warnings seriously... though I also took them with a grain of salt. I readied myself for the possibility that I'd be needing to eat such small portions for meals that it wouldn't be practical to dine out at restaurants. I worried I'd end up throwing half the food in the trash— making the already spiraling cost of dining out something I could no longer stomach (no pun intended).
I am glad to say that so far— and I understand it's only Day 5 and I'm still on the smallest dose— I have not had to abandon dining out. Oh, I'm certainly not going to all-you-can-eat buffets. And I'm not going to steakhouses renowned for their huge cuts of meat, either. What I'm finding works (so far) is The 2/3 Solution I started using a few days ago. I aim to order 2/3 of what I used to order.
Eating 2/3 is actually pretty simple at fast food/fast casual restaurants. I just don't order a side! I've done this at Carl's, Jr., Burger King, and Popeye's already. Instead of ordering a combo with fries or some other side, I just order the main item— a burger or a few pieces of chicken— a la carte with a drink.
This also shifts more of what I do eat toward protein. Eating too little protein is one of the pitfalls a lot of people struggle with on GLP-1s. If you fill up on bread, potatoes, or other starches, yeah, it's hard to eat enough protein. When I skip the fries and eat the burger I make sure I get the protein I need.
I'm a big fan of going out to eat. I've been doing it regularly for years. I not only like the taste of restaurant food; I like getting out of the house for the change of scenery.
Before I started a GLP-1 drug (Ozempic is a GLP-1, like many other now-common drugs for controlling blood sugar and promoting weight loss) I heard warnings from many friends that it messes with your digestion so badly you can't eat regular meals anymore. I took those warnings seriously... though I also took them with a grain of salt. I readied myself for the possibility that I'd be needing to eat such small portions for meals that it wouldn't be practical to dine out at restaurants. I worried I'd end up throwing half the food in the trash— making the already spiraling cost of dining out something I could no longer stomach (no pun intended).
I am glad to say that so far— and I understand it's only Day 5 and I'm still on the smallest dose— I have not had to abandon dining out. Oh, I'm certainly not going to all-you-can-eat buffets. And I'm not going to steakhouses renowned for their huge cuts of meat, either. What I'm finding works (so far) is The 2/3 Solution I started using a few days ago. I aim to order 2/3 of what I used to order.
Eating 2/3 is actually pretty simple at fast food/fast casual restaurants. I just don't order a side! I've done this at Carl's, Jr., Burger King, and Popeye's already. Instead of ordering a combo with fries or some other side, I just order the main item— a burger or a few pieces of chicken— a la carte with a drink.
This also shifts more of what I do eat toward protein. Eating too little protein is one of the pitfalls a lot of people struggle with on GLP-1s. If you fill up on bread, potatoes, or other starches, yeah, it's hard to eat enough protein. When I skip the fries and eat the burger I make sure I get the protein I need.
