JOrdon Ramsay was typically outspoken this weekend when he dismissed the idea of ”Monjaro menus” or “Ozmpic tasting menus” – smaller and smaller restaurant meals for people on weight loss drugs – as “absolute bulls***”. In the first place, he scolded the diners for eating too much.
“There is no way to give in to Monjaro’s blow…” he said. The Times During an interview promoting Matt Abe’s new self-backed restaurant, Bonheur, which opened in Mayfair last week, he was typically strong. “That’s the problem they [the diners] To eat too much in the first place! There’s no way we’re going in with Ozempic’s tasting menu feeling any less than you by 10.30pm.
Ramsey clearly doesn’t get it – telling people to just eat less isn’t going to work. If people could simply turn down the “food noise” and not eat enough, we’d all be doing it without getting fat. But there’s a reason 2.5 million people in the UK use weight loss injections – and it’s not because we’re all weak.
I am one of the most determined people I know, but like many people, I have struggled with food issues. After two pregnancies I gained 16kg (about two and a half stone) and ate with wild abandon. I used to eat easily, I ate happy and I ate sad all at once. I was dealing with raising my two children alone after my wife’s suicide, as well as the stress of caring for my aging father.
I have always had an addictive personality which makes it hard to overcome food issues. I often binged late at night – jumbo packs of my kids’ sweet treats were the norm. I had an insatiable appetite, even for healthy foods like Greek yogurt with bananas, bags of cashews, whole packages of veggie cocktail sausage, and large portions. Spaghetti al Fongole. The more I filled up, the less uncomfortable I felt.
Sometimes I have to act on my feelings so fast that I grab ice cream from the freezer and eat the whole tub in one sitting. I craved sugar – something that often happens to people who quit drinking, as I did 20 years ago after I fell into addiction in my early twenties.
The sound of food was constantly heard in the background. Overeating became a habit; It was second nature, I couldn’t brake. I was always thin, but I gained weight. The clothes did not come like before. My boyfriend’s baggy jeans felt tight, I could no longer zip up my old clothes, and on vacation, I refused to wear a bikini and swung around in a kaftan instead. I tricked my brain into thinking it was good. My face looked plumper and younger—and I told myself I didn’t want to be a slave to the “skinny girl” aesthetic. After the birth of my two daughters, Lola, now 9, and Liberty, 7, I thought: Who cares anyway? I don’t have time for romance.
My wake up call came when my GP told me my cholesterol levels were dangerously high and I needed a statin. I asked him to give me six months to return it.
I was curious. Not many people in the UK used it at the time, but I had heard it was the latest Hollywood secret. Weight loss and diabetes medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. When the GLP-1 receptor is activated in cells in areas of the brain and body that control hunger (such as the hypothalamus), it reduces cravings and food intake, leading to lower blood sugar and gradual weight loss.
Mothers at the school gate began to whisper “be on the pen”. A drug that could help me feel fuller for longer and suppress my appetite was exactly what I needed. Even though I had an illness related to my weight, I still didn’t meet the full criteria for a BMI of 30-35, which is considered obese at this point. My only hope was private access to Vigovi through a doctor.
The first time I hit my stomach I was nervous, not sure what was going to happen. When do I stop feeling hungry – and do I stop enjoying eating?
Within weeks, the food noise I had struggled with for years was so mild I could ignore it. After about four weeks, it had completely disappeared. I no longer found myself raiding the fridge for another piece of cheese, and at children’s parties, I became one of those moms I always envied—the ones who didn’t dive head first into chips and cake. I haven’t fantasized about what I’m having for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all day.
It gave me a chance to focus on the emotional, physical, and spiritual changes I needed to make. It took about six or seven months to get back to my pre-pregnancy size, and since then, I’ve been able to stay on track. I try to eat within an eight-hour window—from noon to 8 p.m.—and avoid sugar and ultra-processed foods as much as possible. But the sound of food never completely disappears. When I’m stressed, I still reach for the caramel wafers—but instead of eating a pack of eight, I stop at two.
I stayed on a low dose so I had no side effects and when I got back to my previous weight I microdosed and tapered off over two months to prevent a relapse. It was a way to reset my mind and body – and it worked in a way that no fad diet ever has.
Telling people to eat less in the first place is deafening. If people could simply control their food addiction, we’d all be doing it without fat injections
Mini menus can really help with a new diet, which means Ramsey might regret rejecting the idea. A Bloomberg survey earlier this year found that more than half of weight-loss drug users in the US are eating less, and British restaurants should adapt their menus to this new way of eating.
“Monjaro menus” are a growing trend in the United States—and they’re becoming increasingly popular here, too. Not everyone at Ozempic, Mounjaro or Wegovy wants to deal with the two full tasting menus at Bonheur: £195 for five courses, £225 for seven, and à la carte at £165 for three. That’s why some chefs are creating mini “Monjaro menus.” It’s a thoughtful idea indeed – and a sign of the times.
At his three-Michelin-starred restaurant, The Fat Duck, in Barry, Berkshire, Heston Blumenthal has created a tasting menu with smaller portion sizes to cater for smaller appetites. Meanwhile, Antony Worrall Thompson is developing ‘sharing menus’ at Grill Off the Green in Kew to make eating out less likely.
After six months, I managed to get my cholesterol levels back to normal. I felt comfortable in my body – no longer overweight or hiding in baggy clothes. Today, I feel better and stronger and I finally found a way to process my feelings instead of eating them.
So yes, it might sound ridiculous to Gordon Ramsey. But for most of us, it’s not as simple as “just don’t eat as much.” Many of us really appreciate smaller portions and a different kind of dining experience. This should not be something we should feel ashamed of. We are not weak or weak-willed. Taking weight-loss drugs isn’t cheating—and shaming doesn’t help. In fact, a creative and delicious “Monjaro-friendly” menu might be exactly what gets people through his doors.
