Chrissy Metz is taking a GLP-1 drug. But she's not chasing a number on the scale.

Here's what you need to know about Chrissy Metz, as summed up by the owner of an old-school Italian restaurant she once visited in Boston: "You're talented, you're beautiful and you're famous." Metz recounted his words during an intimate dinner at the Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges on Sept. 16, hosted by the telehealth company Ro , and attended by a small group of journalists. The This Is Us star laughed and gave us a quizzical look as she remembered the interaction. Do you thank someone for telling you you're famous? (She did.)

Maybe the compliment briefly stumped her because Metz isn't really one for that kind of metric. She now refuses to "be transfixed by any number," she tells me. "Whether it's my bank account or my dress size or the number on the scale — that is not my identity."

In an era when some people are putting their current and goal weights in their TikTok bios, maxxing their looks and generally counting every possible data point — Metz's perspective is a refreshing one.

At first, that outlook might seem at odds with her decision to start taking a GLP-1 medication. But Metz's focus is on improving her health, not reaching a certain number on the scale. The drugs have been game-changers for people with type 2 diabetes, obesity and sleep apnea — and as research on their effects continues, the list of benefits just seems to grow. But the blockbuster medications have largely garnered headlines for producing dramatic weight loss, particularly among celebrities , and fueling the return of '90s-esque diet culture .

Metz, now 45, grew up in that era and has no interest in reliving it. In previous interviews, she's said that her stepfather's criticism of her weight and demand for routine weigh-ins contributed to her emotional and disordered eating. So while GLP-1 drugs gained early popularity as the Hollywood skinny-drug-du-jour, Metz remained skeptical. When I asked her why, Metz didn't miss a beat before replying, "'Cause I don't trust nothing!'"

But the past few years have brought the importance of health painfully into focus for Metz after her father died of sepsis following gastric bypass surgery. She wondered aloud at our dinner whether GLP-1 drugs could have led to a different outcome for her father. Despite her distrust of weight loss treatment, Metz worried about her family history of obesity-related health issues and debated whether the medications could help her protect her own health.

When she decided to start taking a GLP-1 drug, Metz didn't initially tell her family. "They knew that, for so long, I didn't want to do it," she tells me. Metz worried that disclosing her medication use would feel like backpedaling. "What if it doesn't work? What if people are like, 'Oh, you've been on it? It hasn't been working.'" But when she ultimately told her family, they were supportive — and curious whether the medication could help them, too.

After sharing with her family, Metz decided she wanted to speak out more publicly about taking a GLP-1 drug and partnered with Ro. Since starting on medication, she's enjoying "having the energy to be able to run around, to work out and have stamina," says Metz. But what's more important to her is that she's being proactive about her health. "There was a long time in my life where I didn't care enough about myself to put myself first," she says.

These days, Metz is not only prioritizing her health but delighting in the process. She's come to enjoy weight training and even looks forward to getting her bloodwork results and seeing proof she's taking care of herself. "All of that matters, short-term and long-term," she says. "And that comes with eating the food your body wants, as opposed to what you think your mind wants, and that's where medication really helps."

Seeing her own progress is "like a little deposit in your confidence," she says. Metz has developed a kind of positive feedback loop: Choosing nutritious foods and doing strength-building exercises makes her feel better, and because she feels better, she wants to continue making those choices. And there have been reverberations in her career. Metz spent the summer starring as Angelique in the Broadway musical & Juliet. Though she's actually been singing longer than she's been acting, a live musical performance was uncharted territory. After her first rehearsal, Metz worried she wasn't up to the physical demands. But, as her boyfriend reminded her, she's done — and is doing — hard things. Metz stuck with it, to rave reviews .

Another reason Metz decided to become an ambassador for Ro was to help combat the stigma around taking a GLP-1 medication. Her message for anyone facing judgment or feeling shame about their weight, or the decision to use a medication to get healthier, is simple: It's just not for anyone but yourself.

"As many pounds as I've lost, some people are like, 'I can't tell,'" says Metz. "OK, well that's fine." She has plenty of goals, but earning anyone else's praise or approval for weight loss isn't one of them.

That's because Metz knows "you can't win for losing," she says. "You hate that I'm a certain size, but then you hate that I'm trying to get healthier?" What some people might treat as a trap — damned if you lose weight, damned if you don't — Metz found freedom in. "It didn't matter what I did; somebody's always gonna have something to say. So I'm like, 'Go ahead, say it.'"

Metz refuses to let the skeptics or the scale define her. "I've been a big girl all my life," she says. "So it's nothing new, and if 'You need to lose weight' is the only negative," then she'll shrug it off.

She adds: "I know what woman and person and sister and daughter I am, and I feel good and confident about that. So it doesn't matter what I look like. I want to be healthy, and that's why I decided to do the medication."

Metz hopes that by speaking out about her choice, she can "inspire" others to do what's right for them, on their own terms. But she acknowledges that tuning out other people's opinions isn't always easy. She's not immune to the desire for acceptance, but Metz is determined to center her sense of self on what she values. "So many of us are looking for that external approval and validation — and I certainly am — and to be liked and loved — but for the right reasons," she says. "I feel good, and I do feel loved, because I do know that I'm a good person, and that's what matters."

Metz is opening up about her weight loss and GLP-1 experiences not because the number on the scale matters to her, but because candor does. And she keeps it all in perspective: "On [their] deathbed, nobody ever said, 'I wish I'd lost that 10 pounds,' oh no. They say, 'I wish I would've apologized to that person I wronged, I wish I had loved more, or that I was more vulnerable," says Metz. "And that's a song I don't want to sing."