The Better Living PA: GLP-1s, Metabolic Health & Midlife Hormones

Have you lost weight on a GLP-1 but still feel like you're living in your former body? Maybe you reach for your old clothing size, struggle to recognize yourself in photos, or look in the mirror and can't see how much your body has changed. Is this truly body dysmorphia, or is your brain simply taking longer to adjust?

In this episode, I explain the difference between body dysmorphic disorder, negative body image, and the identity adjustment that can happen after significant weight loss with medications like semaglutide or tirzepatide.

In this episode:

• What body dysmorphic disorder actually is
• Why body image may not change as quickly as body size
• Why GLP-1 patients may keep buying or wearing larger clothing
• How weight stigma and fear of regain can affect self-perception
• The difference between body-image adjustment, BDD and disordered eating
• Warning signs that it may be time to seek professional support
• Practical ways to help your mind adjust to your changing body

Direct research on this experience among GLP-1 patients is still limited. Terms like "body-image lag" can help describe it, but they are not formal medical diagnoses.

Have you experienced this after losing weight on a GLP-1? Tell me in the comments.

Interested in GLP-1s, peptides, hormones and metabolic health? Start here:
link.joinbelle.com/betterliving (coupon code BELLE15)
You'll find information on eligibility, available programs and next steps.

Follow The Better Living PA so you don't miss new episodes on GLP-1 medications, peptides, perimenopause and menopause, weight loss, metabolic health and healthy aging.

Watch on YouTube: @thebetterlivingPA
All my links: linktr.ee/TiffanyBaileyPA
Instagram: @betterliving_pa
TikTok: @betterlivingforeveryone

This episode is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical or mental health condition. If concerns about your appearance, eating, or weight are causing significant distress or interfering with your life, please speak with a qualified healthcare or mental health professional. Listening to or watching these episodes does not create a provider-patient relationship.

For most of her life, Teri felt like food was the enemy. Today, after losing 95 pounds with the help of a GLP-1 medication, she finally feels in control.

Teri is a retired teacher who calls her GLP-1 a "miracle drug," but her transformation is about so much more than a number on the scale. She shares how her relationship with food has changed, how her confidence has grown, and how the version of herself that was always there is no longer hiding.

In this conversation:

• A lifetime of diets, the "tomorrow diet" and growing up with a mom who counted every calorie
• When the food noise went quiet
• Starting tirzepatide in 2024, and the side effects she did have
• Her husband's 80-pound journey alongside hers
• The first injection, and why the fear goes away
• What she pays now versus over $1,000 a month
• Confidence, identity and the emotional side of physical transformation

So much of what Teri shared resonated with me personally. If you have ever felt like food controlled your life, I hope her story reminds you that you are not alone.

Chapters
00:00 Meet Teri - retired teacher, Brooklyn to Florida
01:01 A lifetime of diets before GLP-1s
01:31 The food noise went quiet
02:01 Disney World, and the two pounds she lost on vacation
02:47 The tomorrow diet, and why one bad choice used to ruin a month
04:21 A mom who counted every calorie
06:44 215 pounds at five feet tall
08:19 Starting tirzepatide in 2024, and the side effects she did have
10:12 At 7.5 mg: how to know if you can stretch your doses
12:31 Her husband's 80 pounds, and how she knows when his shot is due
14:24 Crying over French fries: what deprivation really felt like
15:16 Her mom wished for a pill - it turned out to be a shot
16:47 The husbands who would not share their food
19:50 Food is my enemy - hearing herself say it out loud
20:40 The first injection, and why the fear goes away
21:39 What she pays now versus over $1,000 a month
23:39 Looking in the mirror below the neck again
25:34 The acting class where she finally strutted
27:37 Teri's message to anyone still waiting

Interested in GLP-1s, peptides, hormones and metabolic health? Start here:
link.joinbelle.com/betterliving (coupon code BELLE15)
You'll find information on eligibility, available programs and next steps.

Follow The Better Living PA so you don't miss new episodes on GLP-1 medications, peptides, perimenopause and menopause, weight loss, metabolic health and healthy aging.

Watch on YouTube: @thebetterlivingPA
All my links: linktr.ee/TiffanyBaileyPA
Instagram: @betterliving_pa
TikTok: @betterlivingforeveryone

This episode shares one person's experience. Individual results vary. Medical disclaimer: The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Listening to or watching these episodes does not create a provider-patient relationship. Always consult with your own qualified healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication, supplement, peptide, treatment plan, or healthcare regimen.

We're spilling the GLP-1 tea, but this conversation goes much deeper than gossip.

I sit down with Maria Rising, the smart and funny creator behind Tirzepatide Tales with Maria. Maria has a gift for finding the details most people miss and making complicated GLP-1 research, policy and regulatory news easier to understand.

Maria shares her experience with PCOS, surviving a stroke at 27 and starting her own tirzepatide journey. We also get honest about compounded GLP-1 medications, the rapidly changing rules around compounding, and what the future of GLP-1 care could look like.

In this conversation:

• Maria's journey with PCOS, stroke and tirzepatide, and why she created Tirzepatide Tales
• GLP-1s and addiction: alcohol, smoking and shopping
• GLP-1s in pregnancy, "Ozempic babies" and the birth control label change
• What GLP-1s actually cost, and why the people who need them most have the least access
• Compounded vs. gray market GLP-1s: how to tell the difference
• The policies and legal battles affecting access, including the 503B bulk list change

Chapters
00:00 Meet Maria Rising, the creator behind Tirzepatide Tales
01:53 From embryologist to GLP-1 research nerd
02:48 PCOS, shame, and starting tirzepatide
04:07 The secret TikTok account that started it all
06:22 Why talking about GLP-1s publicly still feels risky
08:42 From 2 studies a week to 200 a day
11:04 Addiction: the most exciting GLP-1 frontier
12:58 What drug trials test, and what they miss
15:56 Alcohol, smoking, shopping: the post-market surprises
17:27 GLP-1s in pregnancy and Ozempic babies
20:18 Periods returning and the birth control label change
21:50 Why we didn't see this with older diabetes drugs
26:58 The real barrier: what GLP-1s actually cost
30:11 Desperation, the gray market, and broken insurance
32:30 How Maria vetted compounded GLP-1s
34:22 Compounding is a staple of medicine
36:11 Compounded vs. gray market: how to tell the difference
37:37 Is compounded access actually at risk?
40:04 The 503B bulk list change and what comes next
41:50 Telehealth, cash pay, and patient empowerment
44:41 What's next: amylin drugs and beyond
46:59 Maria's stroke at 27 and learning what chest pain means
48:56 Wrap-up and where to follow Maria

Follow Maria Rising
TikTok: @risinghealthreport
YouTube: Tirzepatide Tales with Maria
Substack: @tirzepatidetales

Interested in GLP-1s, peptides, hormones and metabolic health? Start here:
link.joinbelle.com/betterliving (coupon code BELLE15)
You'll find information on eligibility, available programs and next steps.

Follow The Better Living PA so you never miss a new episode.

Watch on YouTube: @thebetterlivingPA
All my links: linktr.ee/TiffanyBaileyPA
Instagram: @betterliving_pa
TikTok: @betterlivingforeveryone

Medical disclaimer: The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Listening to or watching these episodes does not create a provider-patient relationship. Always consult with your own qualified healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication, supplement, peptide, treatment plan, or healthcare regimen.

Holly struggled with her weight from puberty on. Weight Watchers, calorie deficits, every approach she tried, and nothing ever felt sustainable. Then her doctor told her she was prediabetic.

When her insurance denied coverage for a GLP-1, Holly turned to telehealth. In this interview she shares what finally helped her take that first step, what her journey from semaglutide to tirzepatide really looked like, and how getting her A1C back into a normal range has helped her feel like the best version of herself again for her two kids.

In this conversation:

• Why traditional weight-loss approaches never felt sustainable
• PCOS, emotional eating and self-image
• Getting a prediabetes diagnosis, and getting denied by insurance
• Starting semaglutide (240 down to 193) and switching to tirzepatide
• When the scale stalls but the inches keep coming off
• Blood sugar and A1C back in the normal range
• GLP-1s and pregnancy: what we still do not know
• Doing this alongside her sister, and how it changed their whole family

Holly's story is a powerful reminder that obesity is not a lack of effort or willpower, and asking for medical support is not taking the "easy way out." If her story resonates with you, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.

Chapters
00:00 Meet Holly
01:05 Life as a mom and a recreational therapist
02:41 Where it started: puberty, PCOS and self-image
05:44 An injury, softball, and the college weight gain
07:07 Emotional eating, including celebrating with food
09:03 Baby number one in 2020: COVID, NICU and a traumatic birth
10:48 The lab work that changed everything
11:05 Prescribed a GLP-1 and denied by insurance
11:52 Starting semaglutide: 240 down to 193
12:50 Switching to tirzepatide and how the dosing was handled
15:02 Finding the right dose after the switch
16:09 When the scale stalls but the inches keep coming off
16:58 The remodeling phase explained
17:34 Blood sugar and A1C back in normal range
18:14 "I wish I would have started sooner"
19:14 GLP-1s and pregnancy: what we still do not know
22:02 Why Holly put the scale away
22:56 Doing this alongside her sister
24:25 Her husband's turn, and the Dillard's conversation
26:37 What changed for their whole family
27:09 Where to start if this is you

Interested in GLP-1s, peptides, hormones and metabolic health? Start here:
link.joinbelle.com/betterliving (coupon code BELLE15)
You'll find information on eligibility, available programs and next steps.

Follow The Better Living PA so you don't miss new episodes on GLP-1 medications, peptides, perimenopause and menopause, weight loss, metabolic health and healthy aging.

Watch on YouTube: @thebetterlivingPA
All my links: linktr.ee/TiffanyBaileyPA
Instagram: @betterliving_pa
TikTok: @betterlivingforeveryone

This episode shares one person's individual experience and is for educational purposes only. Medical disclaimer: The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Listening to or watching these episodes does not create a provider-patient relationship. Always consult with your own qualified healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication, supplement, peptide, treatment plan, or healthcare regimen.

GLP-1s can change the number on the scale, but for many people the biggest changes happen somewhere much deeper.

In this episode, I sit down with Kim Carlos, award-winning podcast creator, GLP-1 advocate and host of The Plus SideZ Podcast, to talk about the side of obesity treatment we don't talk about nearly enough: what it actually feels like when the food noise finally goes quiet.

In this conversation:

• Food noise vs. true hunger, and why you don't notice it until it stops
• Seeing obesity as a chronic disease, not a personal failure
• Insurance hurdles, access to treatment and compounded GLP-1s
• Social media misinformation and healing the rift between patients and providers
• Genetics, twin studies and the "born again obese" experience
• Maintenance, stress and being willing to pivot your treatment
• Weight stigma, and believing you are worthy of care

Whether you're living with obesity, taking a GLP-1, considering treatment or caring for someone who is, I hope this conversation changes the way you think about obesity care.

Chapters
00:00 Meet Kim Carlos of The Plus SideZ
01:01 Kim's story before GLP-1s
02:24 Finding GLP-1s in 2022
04:14 Feeling alone, then finding community
06:12 Food noise: you don't notice it until it stops
08:48 Hunger vs. food noise
15:06 Why real support is still hard to find
16:15 110 pounds down and still learning
19:15 Social media guidance and misinformation
21:08 Insurance games and access to treatment
25:07 Behavior change, movement and stress
26:01 Compounded GLP-1s and falling prices
28:30 Healing the rift between patients and providers
31:00 Why we both make educational content
35:05 Genetics, twin studies, and what you did not choose
38:05 The "born again obese" experience
42:54 Maintenance, stress, and when to reassess
45:37 Being willing to pivot your treatment
49:10 Weight stigma and where to find Kim

Follow Kim Carlos
YouTube: The Plus SideZ
Instagram: @theplussidezpodcast
TikTok: @dmfkim
Website: theplussidez.net

Interested in GLP-1s, peptides, hormones and metabolic health? Start here:
link.joinbelle.com/betterliving (coupon code BELLE15)
You'll find information on eligibility, available programs and next steps.

Follow The Better Living PA so you don't miss new episodes on GLP-1 medications, peptides, perimenopause and menopause, weight loss, metabolic health and healthy aging.

Watch on YouTube: @thebetterlivingPA
All my links: linktr.ee/TiffanyBaileyPA
Instagram: @betterliving_pa
TikTok: @betterlivingforeveryone

Medical disclaimer: The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Listening to or watching these episodes does not create a provider-patient relationship. Always consult with your own qualified healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication, supplement, peptide, treatment plan, or healthcare regimen.