Is it Christmas thinner, not dinner, for Ozempic users?

With indulgence on the way out, Nicole Wootton-Cane goes to a pop-up restaurant to experience a GLP-1 festive meal

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I watched as beetroot, celeriac and slivers of clementine were placed in front of me in the most unindulgent and small three-course meal I have ever seen.

For today, this was my new Christmas dinner. Like many families, my festive lunches have always had the key Christmas ingredient of indulgence - if a little unorthodox due to our gathering of one vegan, several veggies, and a few apathetic carnivores.

Except this year, indulgence may be on the way out. The culprit? None other than the humble weight-loss jab. After estimates suggested as many as 1.4 million Brits have taken up GLP-1 medication, the nature of the Christmas dinner is changing.

The reason is simple: patients want to eat less. GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, work by targeting hormones in the gut and brain that affect appetite and feelings of fullness. But a Christmas without copious overeating (and sometimes overdrinking) can be an unnerving thought for takers and hosts alike.

This is how I found myself eating an unrecognisable slimmed-down Christmas dinner at a pop-up event in London. Billed as a chance for hosts and GLP-1 users to get inspired by a downsized festive menu designed by celebrity chef Jack Stein, the message was clear: weight-loss jabs are here to stay, and our Christmas tables need to adapt accordingly.

But for those of us with our appetites still intact, not piling the festive plate high is hard to imagine. Truthfully, I had no idea what to expect - should I show up already half-full? Or would an Ozempic dinner be enough to curb my hunger?