Michael Foote was at dinner with three friends at Soothr, a Thai restaurant in the East Village of Manhattan, when he looked up and noticed he was the only one eating.
“We had all ordered all this food, and we were all sharing everything,” he said, “but I was chowing down, and my friends were all taking these little baby bites.”
All of his dining companions were on GLP-1s, a class of drugs that are increasingly used for weight loss. Most people who take them report feeling hungry less often, and when they do eat, they can feel extremely full after a few bites.
Mr. Foote, a lawyer, said that the majority of his friends are on these medications, creating a new dynamic when they go out to eat.
They usually order appetizers and entrees to share; his friends will take a few bites, and he will finish the rest. “I am a 6-foot-4, 210-pound guy, and I get quite hungry,” said Mr. Foote, 36, with a laugh.
They still dine out often, “even though it’s a complete charade for them.” As long as they still split the bill — which they usually do — he is fine with the arrangement. “I think if I were a more self-conscious person, I would care that I was the only person being a little Miss Piggy over here,” he said. “But I love food. Some people eat to live. I love to eat.”