The Life During And After GLP-1 Podcast

Daryl Perry

The Life During and After GLP-1 Podcast is hosted by Daryl Perry of Your Level Fitness. This podcast helps people using GLP-1 medications navigate the mental and emotional side of weight loss. If the scale is changing but the mirror still feels complicated, this show is for you. Each episode focuses on mindset, self appreciation, and building a forever active lifestyle so your mind can catch up with your results during weight loss, maintenance, and beyond.

  1. Sep 23

    Rachel’s GLP 1 Journey After Cancer, Weight Regain and Starting Over

    Rachel has lost 100 pounds more than once. She has also regained it, gone through cancer treatment, dealt with steroids, stress, major life changes, and reached a point where the strategies that had worked for her in the past were no longer giving her the same results. In this conversation, Rachel shares what led her to start exploring GLP 1 medications, what happened when insurance would not cover the prescription her doctor wrote, and why her first experience with a compounded option left her feeling extremely sick and unable to eat. We also talk about what changed when she found an approach that felt more manageable, why she views GLP 1 medication as another tool in the toolbox, and how she responds to people who call medication assisted weight loss “cheating” or “the easy way out.” Rachel is very open about emotional eating, food addiction, weight regain, social media judgment, and the reality that knowing what worked before does not always mean it will work the same way now. One of the biggest themes in this conversation is adaptability. Life changes. Bodies change. Circumstances change. The plan may need to change too. Rachel is not promising that this is the final answer forever. She is sharing what is helping her right now, what she has learned along the way, and why she continues to focus on movement, nutrition, and using the tools available to her while figuring things out one step at a time. Follow Rachel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachels_journey3.0/

    Rachel’s GLP 1 Journey After Cancer, Weight Regain and Starting Over

  2. Sep 15

    What If Food Noise Comes Back After a GLP-1?

    What happens when a GLP-1 gives you relief from Food Noise, but part of you is already worried about what happens if that relief changes? I think that fear is incredibly understandable. If you spent years or decades thinking about food, dieting, losing weight, regaining weight, and trying to control your eating, having some of that mental noise become quieter can feel like a huge relief. It also creates a new question. What happens if it comes back? In this episode, I talk about why the fear may not only be about Food Noise itself. It may be about what you think the return of Food Noise means. Will I regain the weight? Will I lose control? Will I fall back into old habits? Will I become the version of myself I was trying to get away from? I also get into something I think some people may quietly wrestle with after losing weight on a GLP-1. Did I take the easy way out? I do not believe using a GLP-1 means you took the easy way out. You used a tool that helped you. But if part of you believes otherwise, I think it is worth knowing. Because if you secretly believe the medication did all the work, the thought of stopping it or having its effects change can understandably create a lot of fear. I also talk about why I do not think every period of relief needs to immediately become another self-improvement project. If Food Noise has gotten quieter, you are allowed to enjoy that. You do not necessarily have to immediately build the perfect eating plan, perfect exercise routine, perfect maintenance strategy, and perfect mindset. When you are ready, you can start figuring out what works for you. And if Food Noise does come back, that does not mean you are back at square one. You can describe what you are experiencing. You can notice what it means to you. You can decide what you want to do next. Your past does not have to become your future simply because an old thought returns. New to Your Level Fitness? Start here: https://yourlevelfitness.com

  3. Sep 9

    GLP-1 Side Effects, Setbacks and Starting Again

    GLP-1 conversations are often presented as simple success stories. You start the medication, the food noise gets quieter, the weight comes off, and everything moves in the right direction. But for a lot of people, the reality is much more complicated. In this episode of Life During and After GLP-1, I talk with Janette about a year that included Ozempic, Mounjaro, side effects, pharmacy changes, other medications, long COVID symptoms, fatigue, dehydration concerns, stopping, restarting, and trying to figure out what her body was actually responding to. Janette shares how her first experience with Ozempic initially felt promising, including less food noise and some early weight loss, before other health issues and medication complications made it difficult to know what was causing what. She also talks about trying Mounjaro, dealing with hair loss and feeling physically unwell, and eventually stepping away from medications altogether for a period of time before deciding whether to try again. One of the biggest themes in this conversation is how difficult it can be to separate the effects of a GLP-1 medication from everything else happening in your health at the same time. That is why these conversations matter. Not every experience is linear. Not every medication works the same way for every person. And sometimes the process includes a lot more troubleshooting, uncertainty, and restarting than the advertisements or social media posts make it seem. Janette is now preparing to restart Ozempic again, with a different understanding of what has happened over the last year and a willingness to see how her body responds this time. We also talk about something that matters just as much as the number on the scale. How does your body actually feel while you are doing this? This is a short conversation, but I think it reflects a side of the GLP-1 experience that a lot of people will recognize.

  4. Sep 2

    Staying on a GLP-1 After Losing Weight: How Do You Decide What Comes Next?

    In this episode of Life During and After GLP-1, I’m joined by Jennifer to talk about her personal experience with GLP-1 medication, from the decision to start through weight loss, side effects, rebuilding muscle, and eventually reaching the question of what comes next. Jennifer shares how her fitness routine changed during COVID, how weight regain eventually led her to begin researching weight loss medications, and what happened when the cost and availability of name-brand medication created another obstacle. We talk about her experience using compounded medication, how quickly she noticed changes in how much she could eat, and some of the tradeoffs she experienced along the way. While she didn’t deal with many of the commonly discussed gastrointestinal side effects, she did notice changes in the foods she could comfortably eat, along with hair loss and significant muscle loss. That loss of strength eventually became a turning point. Jennifer shares what happened when she returned to strength-focused group workouts, how much stronger she feels now, and why rebuilding muscle became an important part of her life after losing more than 50 pounds. We also get into something that may become one of the biggest questions for people as GLP-1 use continues to evolve. What happens once you have lost the weight and feel good where you are? Jennifer is now navigating the balance between staying on a maintenance dose and wondering whether she eventually wants to stop taking the medication. We talk about the fear of weight regain, her continued relationship with the scale, rebuilding strength, food noise, and the mental side of deciding what maintenance should actually look like. Most importantly, this is Jennifer’s experience. GLP-1 journeys can look very different from person to person, and her advice for anyone considering medication is simple. Do your research, understand where your medication is coming from, and work with qualified healthcare professionals who can appropriately oversee your care. If you have comments, questions, or your own thoughts about this episode, you can always email me at Daryl@YourLevelFitness.com.

  5. Sep 1

    September GLP-1 Trends: Muscle Loss, Cost, Food Noise and What Comes Next

    GLP-1 medications are becoming more mainstream, and the conversation around them is becoming much more nuanced. In this September 2026 trends episode, I’m breaking down what I’m seeing across the biggest searches, the topics people are looking for that aren’t being discussed as much, and the areas where the conversation appears to be heading next. We talk about oral GLP-1 medications, next-generation weight-loss drugs, cost and insurance, what happens after stopping medication, muscle preservation, food becoming less enjoyable, sexual health, under-eating, fertility, reward-driven behavior, body composition, and the growing push toward more personalized treatment. I also share some broader thoughts on what all of this means for the fitness and wellness space. For years, much of the fitness industry has ultimately sold weight loss and transformation, even when the language around it focused on habits, strength, or lifestyle. Now that rapid weight loss is becoming more attainable through medication for many people, I think the industry is being forced to show what else it actually offers. That means the conversation has to get deeper. Lifestyle. Mindset. Self-trust. Adaptability. Problem solving. Quality of life. Helping someone take the tools they and their healthcare team have chosen and build a life around them that they can actually enjoy. I’m not here to tell you whether you should or should not take a GLP-1 medication. Those decisions belong between you and your qualified healthcare team. My goal is to help you think through the lifestyle around whatever tools you’re using, whether you’re considering a GLP-1, taking one now, planning to transition away from one, or expecting it to remain part of your long-term healthcare. Continue the conversation around GLP-1s: https://yourlevelfitness.com/

  6. Aug 31

    More Real GLP-1 Stories, More Practical Episodes

    The GLP-1 conversation is changing quickly, and I want this podcast to change with it. In this update episode, I’m sharing a few changes I’m making to Life During and After GLP-1 so the podcast can become a more practical, useful resource for you. One of the biggest changes is bringing more real people onto the podcast to share their own GLP-1 experiences. These conversations aren’t about presenting someone as an expert. They’re about hearing what another person thought about before starting a GLP-1, what they experienced while taking one, what worked for them, what surprised them, and in some cases what life has looked like afterward. There are so many nuances to this experience, and sometimes hearing someone else’s story can help you recognize something you’re experiencing in your own journey. I’m also changing the monthly GLP-1 trends episodes. Instead of spreading the biggest searches, under-discussed topics, and emerging conversations across several episodes, I’m going to bring those trends together into one shorter monthly episode with my general thoughts on what I’m seeing and where the conversation appears to be going. The goal with all of these changes is simple. I want this podcast to be practical. I want you to hear ideas and experiences that help you think through your own process, ask better questions, and have more useful conversations with the medical professionals you’re working with. There are already plenty of GLP-1 podcasts built around experts and highly technical conversations. I want this one to continue becoming a place for real experiences, practical perspectives, and conversations that reflect what life during and after a GLP-1 actually looks like.

  7. Aug 25

    GLP-1s, Food Noise, and Sustainable Weight Loss: What Actually Matters?

    GLP-1 medications have changed the weight loss conversation, but what happens when we move beyond simply asking how much weight someone can lose? In this conversation, I sit down with my longtime friend Rob of Busy Bariatrics to talk about GLP-1s, food noise, bariatric surgery, sustainable weight management, resistance training, body composition, and the mental and emotional side of changing your life. Rob shares his own experience with bariatric surgery and eventually starting a GLP-1 medication after discussing it with his doctor, researching it for about a year, and considering more than just the number on the scale. We talk about his experience navigating weight regain during an incredibly difficult period of injury, grief, and major changes in his everyday life, and why knowing what to do does not make us immune to what happens when life changes. We also get into one of the biggest questions surrounding GLP-1s. What happens to the habits, routines, and relationship with food while the medication is working? There can be tremendous value in having relief from thoughts and feelings around food, especially when those experiences have consumed mental energy for years. I also think there is room to simply experience that relief without immediately turning it into another project that needs to be optimized. At the same time, long-term health still involves building a lifestyle around the tool you are using. Rob and I discuss resistance training, preserving lean tissue during weight loss, using blood work and other health markers to look beyond scale weight, and why sustainable change does not require being all in every minute of every day. Then we dig into food noise. The term can be extremely useful because it gives people language for experiences they may have struggled to describe before. But that does not mean every thought about food is automatically food noise, or that every thought and feeling around food needs to disappear. Sometimes hunger is hunger. Sometimes someone may simply not be eating enough. Sometimes thoughts around food are connected to emotions, habits, culture, family, social experiences, or memories. And sometimes there may genuinely be persistent food noise that deserves further exploration. Food is nuanced because our relationship with food is connected to our relationship with ourselves. This conversation is not about telling you whether you should or should not use a GLP-1. It is about giving you more to consider as you figure out what sustainable health, weight management, and your relationship with food look like for you. Continue With Rob and Busy Bariatrics Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/56aD8jQHxIys99itoSyyIQ Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/bariatrics-and-glp-1s-for-busy-people-with-rob-dimedio/id1765407351 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwZvWAbVrj0ANxI9uufcfwsGGbSexdkAU Follow Rob on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myweightishistory/ Follow Daryl on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daryltperry

    GLP-1s, Food Noise, and Sustainable Weight Loss: What Actually Matters?

  8. Aug 17

    August 2026 GLP-1 Trends: Where the Conversation Is Heading Next

    The conversation around GLP-1s continues to evolve, and I think we’re starting to see a shift in the questions people are asking. In this episode, I’m looking at five emerging GLP-1 trends and where I think the larger conversation may be headed. This isn’t just about weight loss anymore. We’re beginning to talk more about what happens during and after weight loss, how people build something sustainable, and how GLP-1s may change the way we think about weight management altogether. Here are the five trends I’m exploring. 1. The conversation will shift from weight loss to weight management. For many people, losing weight has taken up a tremendous amount of mental energy for years or even decades. As GLP-1s change that experience, the next question becomes, what does maintaining this look like for the rest of my life? 2. Personalized nutrition will become more important than generic diet plans. Individual experiences with GLP-1 medications can vary significantly. I talk about why individualized nutrition guidance, including conversations with a registered dietitian and your healthcare team, may become increasingly important instead of simply following another eating plan from the internet. 3. Success will increasingly be measured by quality of life, not just pounds lost. What happens when the scale is no longer the primary focus? That creates an opportunity to think about energy, movement, relationships, experiences, daily routines, and what you actually want your forever active lifestyle to look like. 4. GLP-1s will become part of a broader mental and emotional health conversation. Reducing food noise or losing weight doesn’t necessarily remove the thoughts, emotions, and experiences underneath someone’s relationship with food, exercise, weight, or body image. I think this is an area where the GLP-1 conversation has a lot of room to grow. 5. The next generation may learn weight management completely differently. People growing up with GLP-1 medications as an established option may develop a very different relationship with weight management than those of us who spent decades surrounded by traditional diet culture. My hope is that this evolving conversation also creates more space for body appreciation, self-acceptance, and learning to love who and what you see in the mirror. The technology and tools may change. The larger goal remains building an approach that works for you and that you can realistically see yourself continuing for life. Continue the conversation. Sign up for the Your Level Fitness live streams to continue the conversation around GLP-1s. yourlevelfitness.com/stream

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About

The Life During and After GLP-1 Podcast is hosted by Daryl Perry of Your Level Fitness. This podcast helps people using GLP-1 medications navigate the mental and emotional side of weight loss. If the scale is changing but the mirror still feels complicated, this show is for you. Each episode focuses on mindset, self appreciation, and building a forever active lifestyle so your mind can catch up with your results during weight loss, maintenance, and beyond.

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