I’m carrying a secret that I can’t tell anyone in my family and I feel so guilty.

I’m living at home with my parents and two younger sisters, after graduating from university last year with a business degree. I now have a good job that I enjoy in the city, which I’m able to commute to on the train. I have never been what you’d call slim but at 5ft 8in I always felt comfortable that I could carry the weight.

My mother and sisters are naturally stick thin compared to me and the subject of my weight has been a dinner table conversation for years at this stage. I laugh off the jibes but it has been really annoying. I have no interest in exercising other than the bit I do at the weekend helping Dad with the cattle on the farm. I’d rather spend my free time with my friends at the weekend, than on a treadmill.

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So, I’ve taken the plunge and started on Ozempic and the weight is falling off me. I’ve had to pretend I’m going to a gym in town to explain the weight loss, as I know my parents would go cracked if they knew I was taking medication. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. I’m only losing weight to keep them off my case but I know if they find out how I’m losing it, I’ll have somehow failed, yet again.

I was happy the way I was, but I like being slim. I’m scared what will happen if I stop taking the drugs. Will I end up bigger than before? What should I do?

– A frustrated daughter, Co Cork

Dear reader,

I’m sorry to read about the pressure your family has been putting you under has led you to reach for medication to get some peace.

My first concern is where you have sourced the weight loss drug from. If it’s from your GP then I would assume there are legitimate medical reasons why you should be on this course of treatment. Yet more and more people are turning to the internet to purchase weight loss medication, and it is important that you have gotten medical advice.

Furthermore, I’m wondering where you are storing the medication? You mention you’re carrying a secret, while living at home but it is important to store the medication in the fridge before use.

If you are a healthy weight, and are comfortable in your own skin, then other people’s opinions shouldn’t matter

You say your weight has been the source of teasing down through the years, which frankly is unacceptable, even under the guise of family fun. You need to find the strength to talk to your mother and explain how her constant commentary about your figure affects you.

This doesn’t mean you need to divulge the methods by which you’ve achieved your weight loss, but she does need to hear that her comments are hurtful, and totally unnecessary.

Also she is setting a terrible example for your younger sisters in the way she is treating you.

If you are a healthy weight, and are comfortable in your own skin, then other people’s opinions shouldn’t matter.

I would urge you however, to make an appointment with your GP, if you have sourced Ozempic from anyone other than a registered medical professional. You need to be fully aware of the risks and side effects of the weight loss drug, especially if you are considering coming off it in the future.

Do you have a problem you would like to share? If so, write in confidence to: Dear Miriam, Agony Aunt, Irish Country Living, Irish Farmers Journal, Irish Farm Centre, Bluebell, Dublin 12, or email miriam@farmersjournal.ie