[00:00:00] GLP-1 medications have become one of the biggest conversations in weight release, but most of that conversation tends to swing between two extremes.

[00:00:10] Either they are presented as a miracle that solves everything, or they are dismissed as cheating, a shortcut, or something people should be ashamed to need.

[00:00:21] I wanted to get past the headlines and hear directly from the people actually living this experience,

[00:00:27] so we surveyed five hundred and five people who are currently using a GLP-1, have used one in the past, or are navigating questions about what comes next.

[00:00:39] What they shared was both hopeful and far more nuanced than the usual conversation.

[00:00:45] In this episode, I am walking you through the most revealing results and exploring what they may teach all of us about food noise, self-trust, and building weight mastery with or without medication.

[00:00:58] So come on in.

[00:01:07] Know that our struggle with weight doesn’t start with the food on your plate or get fixed in the gym. 80% of our weight struggle is mental.

[00:01:17] That’s right.

[00:01:18] The key to unlocking long-term weight release and management begins in your mind.

[00:01:24] Hi there. I’m Rita Black.

[00:01:26] I’m a clinical hypnotherapist, weight loss expert, best-selling author, and the creator of the Shift Weight Mastery process.

[00:01:34] And not only have I helped thousands of people over the past 20 years achieve long-term weight mastery I am also a former weight struggler, carb addict, and binge eater.

[00:01:46] And after two decades of failed diets and fad weight loss programs, I lost 40 pounds with the help of hypnosis.

[00:01:54] Not only did I release all that weight, I have kept it off for 25 years.

[00:02:00] Enter the Thin Thinking podcast, where you too will learn how to remove the mental roadblocks that keep you struggling.

[00:02:07] I’ll give you the thin thinking tools, skills, and insights to help you develop the mindset you need, not only to achieve your ideal weight, but to stay there long-term and live your best life.

[00:02:21] Sound good? Let’s get started.

[00:02:23] Hello, hello, and welcome everybody.

[00:02:26] Newcomers, old-timers, come on in, have a seat, and get cozy.

[00:02:32] I am back from my time away.

[00:02:34] I am feeling refreshed and ready to dive in deep with you.

[00:02:40] I admit, I came home from Idaho to Southern California, and everything here…

[00:02:46] well, other than my dahlias that were blooming, it was so great, everything is turning brown, including the bottom leaves of my dahlias, which really scares me.

[00:02:54] But anyway, enough of that.

[00:02:56] I really have so much to share with you today because we are talking about a subject that seems to be on the tip of everybody’s tongue: GLP-1 medications.

[00:03:06] Over the last few years, these medications have obviously changed the weight release conversation in a very big way.

[00:03:14] Some people describe them as life-changing, and others feel skeptical, worried, or left behind.

[00:03:21] And many people using them are experiencing both tremendous relief and some very real questions about what happens next.

[00:03:31] And rather than adding one more opinion to the rather noisy GLP-1 debate, I wanted to hear from the people actually living it.

[00:03:38] So we surveyed 505 women and men who are currently taking a GLP-1, have used one in the past, or are thinking deeply about their long-term relationship with these medications.

[00:03:52] And their answers were honest, hopeful, complicated, and in many cases, quite moving.

[00:03:59] Before I walk you through the results, I wanna be clear about what this survey is and what it is not.

[00:04:05] This was a voluntary survey of people in and around the Shift Weight Mastery community.

[00:04:12] It was not a clinical trial, and it was not designed to represent every person using a GLP-1 medication.

[00:04:20] It was a snapshot of the experiences, concerns, and hopes of the people who chose to respond.

[00:04:27] I am also not here to tell anyone that they should begin, stop, increase, decrease, or change a medication.

[00:04:36] Those decisions belong between you and the qualified medical professional treating you.

[00:04:41] What I do think is that these results give us a fascinating look at what GLP-1s can do very well and at some of the questions a medication may not answer on its own.

[00:04:54] And I want this episode to be useful whether you are currently taking a GLP-1, considering one, having stopped taking one, or never gone even near one, or are never, ever even considering taking a GLP-1.

[00:05:10] Because underneath the discussion about medication is a much larger conversation about food noise, emotional eating, confidence, self-trust, identity, and long-term weight mastery.

[00:05:23] And those issues belong to all of us.

[00:05:26] Before we dive in, though, to the scintillating and mind-blowing and genuinely useful survey results, I want to invite you to a number of free live online events that I am hosting from August 19th through August 22nd, 2026.

[00:05:45] I am super excited to be hosting this event.

[00:05:48] I love doing it live.

[00:05:50] It’s a perfect time in August to focus on weight mastery, and it’s called Breaking Through Your Subconscious Weight Struggle Roadblocks So You Can Release Weight Confidently Long-Term.

[00:06:01] And in this free masterclass with weight release hypnosis, it’s online, I am going to be showing you why your struggle with weight is not a personal failure.

[00:06:12] It is often the result of deeply wired subconscious patterns, beliefs, and habits that keep pulling you back into the same old cycle.

[00:06:21] And here’s the important part.

[00:06:22] Whether you are taking a GLP-1, following a particular eating plan, or doing everything without medication, you still need to own your weight mastery journey.

[00:06:33] Otherwise, your confidence is always gonna be resting on something outside of you, and that is a rather wobbly place to build self-trust.

[00:06:42] So this masterclass is about helping you engage more of your mind, strengthen your belief in your ability to be successful in the long term, and begin creating a path that you can actually live with for the rest of your life.

[00:06:57] And it is free.

[00:06:59] You simply just need to register, show up, and bring your lovely open mind. And you can find the registration link in the show notes or check it out at www.shiftweightmastery.com/live.

[00:07:15] That’s www.shiftweightmastery.com/live.

[00:07:20] All right, let’s get to those results, shall we?

[00:07:24] Let’s begin with a little context.

[00:07:27] Of the 505 respondents, the following numbers are percentages, 87.5 were currently using a GLP-1 medication, 8.5 had used one but stopped, and about 4% were not currently using one.

[00:07:45] The largest medication group was Zepbound.

[00:07:49] 36 were using Zepbound, 16 were using a compounded GLP-1, 14 were using– 14% were using Ozempic, 12% were using Mounjaro, and almost 12% were using Wegovy.

[00:08:03] There were also smaller numbers using other medications or formulations, and this was not a group made up entirely of people who had taken their first dose last Tuesday.

[00:08:15] Almost 31% had been using GLP-1 for more than a year.

[00:08:21] Another 20% had used one for four to six months, 20% one to three months, 13% for seven to 12 months, and about 10% for less than a month.

[00:08:34] So we heard from people at many different points in the experience, and one thing became really clear almost immediately.

[00:08:42] The most powerful result in the entire survey was not about pounds.

[00:08:48] It was about peace.

[00:08:49] We asked people to select the best parts of using a GLP-1 medication.

[00:08:55] 79% selected reduced food noise or mental chatter around food.

[00:09:00] 59% selected weight release, 58% selected easier portion control, 56% selected less obsession with food,

[00:09:11] 44% selected feeling hopeful again, 43% selected feeling more in control, 42% selected less emotional eating, and 26% selected better energy or confidence.

[00:09:26] Now, let that number sink in.

[00:09:29] Almost four out of five respondents said that the reduction in food noise was one of the best parts of taking the medication.

[00:09:37] It ranked above weight release itself, and that’s very significant.

[00:09:42] When you have lived with intense food noise, other people often do not understand what that experience is like.

[00:09:50] They may assume that you’re simply choosing to think about food, as though you woke up one morning and said, “You know what would make my day more enjoyable?

[00:09:58] Thinking about those crackers for the next 11 hours.”

[00:10:02] But food noise does not feel voluntary.

[00:10:06] It can feel like an ongoing broadcast in your mind.

[00:10:09] What am I gonna eat? When can I eat? Should I eat that? No, I shouldn’t eat that.

[00:10:13] Is that gonna make me fat? Maybe I’ll have a little. Now, I want more. What did I eat?

[00:10:18] Why did I eat that? Oh, I’ll do better tomorrow.

[00:10:21] And then for many people, they take this medication, and the broadcast becomes quieter.

[00:10:27] One person told us the food noise does indeed go away.

[00:10:32] Another said, “It stopped 95% of my food noise and obsessive thoughts about food.”

[00:10:37] Someone else wrote, “The quieting of the food noise, I had forgotten what that was like.”

[00:10:43] And another person described her experience this way, “I could have days without obsessing over food, binge-free days too.”

[00:10:52] Can you imagine what it means to spend decades believing that you are weak, undisciplined, and personally defective and then have that noise quiet down?

[00:11:02] For many people, it can create an enormous reframe.

[00:11:06] Maybe the struggle was never proof of bad character, or maybe there were powerful biological and neurological forces involved that were not being adequately addressed by another lecture about portion sizes.

[00:11:21] When we asked people to describe their current relationship with food, 51% said it was much more peaceful.

[00:11:28] 38% said it was somewhat improved.

[00:11:32] Those figures overlapped a little because a small number of people selected more than one response, but overall, the message was unmistakable.

[00:11:42] Most respondents felt that their relationship with food had improved.

[00:11:46] One person wrote simply, “Food noise is gone, and I feel in control.”

[00:11:51] Another said, “It completely changed my relationship with food. Very empowering.”

[00:11:57] There were also people who reported improved blood sugar, reduced inflammation, less joint pain, fewer urges to eat at night, and less desire for alcohol.

[00:12:08] Again, this survey cannot tell us how common those experiences are in the wider population, but it tells us that they matter deeply to the people who reported them.

[00:12:17] GLP-1 medications are not merely producing smaller numbers on the scale for some people; they are giving them breathing room.

[00:12:27] They are creating a pause between impulse and action, and they are allowing some people to experience satisfaction with smaller portions.

[00:12:35] They are showing people what it feels like when food is not demanding center stage all day long, and that is real relief.

[00:12:45] Now, here is where the story becomes more nuanced.

[00:12:51] Even though most respondents reported greater peace around food, the deeper struggle had not vanished for everyone.

[00:12:58] We asked whether food noise, emotional eating, or mental chatter had started returning at times.

[00:13:04] Of the four hundred and eighty-seven people who answered, fifty-eight percent said it returned sometimes, eleven percent said it returned often, twenty-six percent said rarely, and only eight percent said no.

[00:13:20] So about two-thirds said that some form of food noise, emotional eating, or mental chatter had returned at least sometimes.

[00:13:29] And when we asked what was making further weight release difficult, the responses were also revealing.

[00:13:35] Almost four hundred and eighty-five people who answered, thirty-nine percent said their weight release had plateaued, thirty-one percent said that they still emotionally ate,

[00:13:46] twenty-nine percent struggled with consistency, twenty-eight percent identified side effects or low energy, twenty-four percent still thought about food more than they wanted,

[00:13:57] twenty-three percent felt discouraged or stuck, twenty-two were afraid that this was as far as they were going to get, twenty-one percent identified stress or emotional overwhelm,

[00:14:09] seventeen percent did not trust themselves around food, and twelve percent said hunger or cravings were increasing.

[00:14:17] One person wrote, “Although the food noise is much reduced, I still have the mental and emotional triggers.”

[00:14:23] That one sentence captures an important distinction.

[00:14:27] The urge may become quieter without every emotional association disappearing.

[00:14:33] The medication may reduce hunger and reward-seeking without automatically teaching someone how to comfort herself after a painful day.

[00:14:42] It may make portion control easier without resolving the inner critic who still says, “You’re not doing this fast enough.”

[00:14:51] It may reduce the desire to eat without creating a consistent plan for nourishment, protein, exercise, sleep, or stress.

[00:15:01] One respondent described a particularly complicated experience.

[00:15:05] She said that before starting the medication, she would eat emotionally when she was not hungry.

[00:15:10] After beginning it, she sometimes still ate for emotional comfort, but without strong hunger cues because she rarely felt hungry.

[00:15:19] She did not feel she was learning how to listen to her body or heal her relationship with food.

[00:15:26] Now, that was not everybody’s experience, far from it, but it reminds us that reduced appetite is not identical to emotional healing.

[00:15:35] Another person said, “GLP-1 is not a magic cure. Still working on consistency, tracking food, and getting myself organized.”

[00:15:44] And this is where I think we need to be careful with the way we frame the conversation.

[00:15:49] I do not think it is accurate to say the medication helps your body, but it does nothing for your mind.

[00:15:55] Clearly, that was not what these respondents told us. For many people, the medication profoundly affected their thoughts, cravings, hope, and sense of control.

[00:16:06] But I would say this, a medication may change your experience of hunger and food noise without automatically building every skill you need for long-term weight mastery.

[00:16:17] It can open a door, but it will not walk the entire path for you.

[00:16:23] There is a cultural story developing around these medications that goes something like this.

[00:16:28] You take the shot, your appetite disappears, the weight pours off.

[00:16:32] Your only remaining problem is deciding which tiny pants to buy.

[00:16:37] But that was not the experience of everyone in the survey.

[00:16:40] We asked, “Have you released as much weight as you hoped by now?”

[00:16:45] Of the four hundred and ninety-nine respondents, twenty-nine percent said yes, twenty-eight said, twenty-eight percent said somewhat, and twenty-eight percent said no, and almost sixteen percent said not even close.

[00:17:03] So fewer than one-third felt that they had released as much weight as they had hoped.

[00:17:07] We also asked how much more weight they would still like to release.

[00:17:11] Of the four hundred and ninety-eight people who answered, thirty-two percent wanted to release another ten to twenty-five pounds,

[00:17:19] twenty-nine percent wanted to release another twenty-six to fifty pounds, and twenty-three percent wanted to release more than fifty pounds.

[00:17:27] Ten percent wanted to release fewer than ten pounds, and only seven percent said that they were already at or near their goal.

[00:17:36] That means that most of these respondents were still actively in the journey.

[00:17:42] And as I mentioned earlier, the number one obstacle was a plateau.

[00:17:47] One person told us, “The slowness surprised me while everyone else seemed to melt away before my eyes.”

[00:17:54] She described feeling jealous and concerned because her weight release was slower than the dramatic changes she saw in other people.

[00:18:03] But she eventually released sixty-five pounds and moved very close to her goal.

[00:18:08] What I appreciated about her response was that she also recognized advantages to the slower process.

[00:18:15] She said that she had less loose skin than she expected, and over time, she became more accepting of her pace.

[00:18:21] Another respondent wrote, “I am slow to lose.”

[00:18:24] Someone else said, “It just takes time. I’m losing about a half a pound per week.”

[00:18:30] And another reported eating relatively little, exercising moderately, and still experiencing very slow weight release.

[00:18:40] I would never use a survey like this to tell someone how many calories he or she should eat or what they should do medically, but emotionally, those comments tell us something.

[00:18:52] Comparison is live and well in the GLP-1 world, and comparison can quickly activate the same old weight struggler thinking.

[00:19:03] “Why is she releasing faster? Why has my body stopped? Am I failing at this too? Is this as far as I’m going to get?”

[00:19:13] A GLP-1 may reduce food noise, but apparently it does not eliminate Instagram.

[00:19:21] And as long as we can compare our private struggle with someone else’s most flattering update, the inner critic will have material to work with.

[00:19:31] So for anyone listening who is using one of these medications and releasing more slowly than expected, your experience was reflected in the survey.

[00:19:39] Not everyone experienced dramatic or rapid weight release.

[00:19:44] Some people reported plateaus.

[00:19:46] Some were still waiting for a dose to become effective, and some had side effects or fatigue.

[00:19:53] Some struggled to eat enough protein or drink enough water.

[00:19:56] Some had injuries, medical conditions, work demands, sleep problems, or other emotional patterns affecting the journey.

[00:20:04] And some people reported very little benefit.

[00:20:08] One respondent with type 2 diabetes said, “I get absolutely no release help from it.”

[00:20:14] Another wrote, “I have only released about 10 pounds over the past year.”

[00:20:19] These medications can be powerful tools, but the response is not identical for everybody.

[00:20:26] We also asked people about dosage increases.

[00:20:29] Of the 498 people who answered, 21% had not increased their dose, 28% had increased once, 28% had increased two or three times, and 25% had increased several times.

[00:20:46] And when asked whether an increase helped quiet the food noise again, 40% said yes, 24% said somewhat, and 10% said not really.

[00:20:57] 6% said only temporarily, and about 20% had not increased their dose.

[00:21:04] So for many people, increasing the dose appeared to have restored at least some of the initial quiet, but not for everyone, and not always permanently.

[00:21:14] Again, dosage is a medical conversation to have with a prescriber.

[00:21:20] But from a weight mastery point of view, it raises an important question.

[00:21:25] When the noise is quiet, what are we building?

[00:21:28] Are we using that space to create consistent nourishment?

[00:21:32] Are we learning which foods leave us feeling steady?

[00:21:36] Are we developing ways to cope with stress that do not depend entirely on food?

[00:21:41] Are we strengthening our relationship with movement?

[00:21:45] Are we learning to speak to ourselves like a coach rather than a drill sergeant?

[00:21:50] Because if the volume rises again, and most respondents said that it did at least sometimes, those skills become valuable.

[00:21:59] Not because you failed, but because you’re human and life continues to happen.

[00:22:05] This may have been the emotional heart of the survey.

[00:22:09] The medication had given many respondents relief in the present, but a new set of questions had begun to form.

[00:22:16] What happens if I cannot afford it? What if my insurance stops covering it?

[00:22:22] What if I have to stop because of side effects? What if the food noise comes back?

[00:22:28] What if I regain the weight? What if this is something I need for the rest of my life?

[00:22:34] When we asked people about the biggest challenges of using a GLP-1, four hundred and ninety-two people responded.

[00:22:42] The most frequent selected answers were: forty-nine percent feared needing the medication forever.

[00:22:49] Forty-five percent had cost or insurance concerns.

[00:22:54] Forty percent feared regaining the weight. Thirty-three percent were not releasing as much as they hoped.

[00:23:02] Thirty-three percent had reached a weight release plateau. Twenty-nine percent identified side effects.

[00:23:09] Twenty-eight percent said emotional eating still existed.

[00:23:13] Twenty-three percent were experiencing returning hunger or cravings.

[00:23:17] Twenty-one percent said food noise or constant thoughts about food were returning.

[00:23:22] Seventeen percent felt discouraged, and fourteen percent did not trust themselves around food.

[00:23:30] Those first three answers tell quite a story.

[00:23:34] The biggest concerns were not simply, “Is the medication helping me today?”

[00:23:39] They were, “Will I always be able to use it? Will I always be able to pay for it? And what happens to me if I can’t?”

[00:23:48] We asked which statement felt the most true right now, and although the survey invited people to select a primary statement, some respondents selected more than one, so these percentages overlap slightly.

[00:24:01] Of the four hundred and ninety people who answered, forty-four percent said, “I’m worried about what happens if I stop taking the medication.”

[00:24:10] Twenty-eight percent said, “The medication helps my body, but I still need help with my mind.”

[00:24:16] Twenty-five percent said, “I’m afraid of gaining the weight back.”

[00:24:20] Twenty-one percent said, “I finally feel hopeful for the first time.”

[00:24:24] Nineteen percent said, “I don’t know how to maintain this long term.”

[00:24:29] And fourteen percent said, “I still struggle emotionally with food.”

[00:24:33] That combination, hope and fear, is important.

[00:24:37] Someone can feel profoundly grateful for the medication and still be afraid.

[00:24:42] Someone can feel more peaceful with food than she has in decades and still wonder whether that peace belongs to her or to the injection.

[00:24:50] One respondent said, “Because I’ve relied on the medication for food control, I’m afraid that once I stop, all the noise and reliance on food for emotional stress eating will come back.”

[00:25:02] Another wrote, “What concerned me most about stopping was the possibility of weight gain.

[00:25:07] Even though the GLP-1 helped me release the weight, it didn’t solve the real problem.

[00:25:12] It put a Band-Aid on it, and when the Band-Aid was removed, the problem came back.”

[00:25:17] That was her individual experience, and it was not everybody’s, but the fear underneath it appeared throughout the survey.

[00:25:25] Another person said, “I have no intention of stopping because it helps my blood sugar immensely, but I pay out of pocket.

[00:25:33] I recognize that is a privilege, and it could go away at any time.”

[00:25:38] That is a different issue entirely.

[00:25:41] Some people may wanna continue indefinitely because the medication is supporting blood sugar, inflammation, appetite regulation, or other aspects of their health.

[00:25:50] But wanting to continue and being certain that you can afford or access it are not the same thing.

[00:25:56] When we asked whether respondents had thought about what might happen if they eventually stopped, 47% said, “Yes, often,” and 33% said sometimes, 9% said they planned to stay on it indefinitely, and only 8%… I’m sorry, 9% said, “Not really.”

[00:26:16] So approximately 80% had thought at least sometimes about life after the medication.

[00:26:24] One respondent had already lived through that transition.

[00:26:28] She told us she started a GLP-1 in January but could stay on it only for four months because of affordability.

[00:26:35] She was using less than half the recommended starting dose.

[00:26:39] The weight stayed off, and the new eating patterns continued for a while, but then summer arrived.

[00:26:44] Her routines changed, and she regained much of the weight.

[00:26:48] There is so much in that one story.

[00:26:52] The medication helped, new patterns began, then access ended, life changed, routines weakened, and old patterns began returning.

[00:27:02] It is not a simple story of success or failure.

[00:27:06] It is an example of why weight maintenance cannot depend upon one perfect condition remaining in place forever.

[00:27:14] Life simply does not sign that agreement.

[00:27:18] Insurance changes, bodies change, schedules change, medications change, families visit, we travel, we retire, we get stressed, summer arrives and apparently takes the calendar hostage.

[00:27:30] Have we all learned that?

[00:27:32] Long-term mastery means learning how to stay connected to yourself while conditions change.

[00:27:40] I also want to be careful not to dismiss the fear of regain as merely negative thinking.

[00:27:45] Many of the people answering the survey had released and regained weight repeatedly before beginning medication.

[00:27:53] They knew exactly how painful regain would feel.

[00:27:56] One respondent said, “I have lost and regained weight a million times over the last twenty years, and this is the first time I’ve really felt in control and that things were manageable without being on something strict.”

[00:28:09] Another told us, “I’m happy to release slowly. I just want this to be a permanent change.

[00:28:16] As you said in the master class, Rita, I have lost the same forty pounds forty times.

[00:28:23] When I lose it, it finds me again, and I want to release it and set it free.”

[00:28:28] So when someone says, “I’m afraid of gaining it back,” we do not need to pat them on the head and say, “Don’t be afraid.”

[00:28:35] Of course, they’re afraid.

[00:28:37] Their history has taught them weight release is temporary, and what they need is not a lecture about positive thinking.

[00:28:45] They need new evidence, evidence that they can create consistent meals, that they can plan and remain connected to it.

[00:28:53] They need to know that they can hear food noise without immediately following it, or that they can respond to stress without always having to eat through it,

[00:29:02] or evidence that they can adjust when circumstances change.

[00:29:06] One of the final questions asked respondents was which hypnosis sessions would feel most valuable to them right now.

[00:29:13] They could choose up to three, and these answers were fascinating because they tell us what people still believe is missing.

[00:29:21] Of the four hundred and ninety-three respondents, forty percent wanted help building a long-term weight mastery mindset.

[00:29:29] Thirty-six w- percent wanted to quiet food noise naturally.

[00:29:33] Thirty-five percent wanted to release the fear of weight regain.

[00:29:37] Thirty-three percent wanted help breaking through a weight release plateau. Thirty-one percent wanted help preparing for life after GLP-1s.

[00:29:46] Thirty-one percent wanted help staying motivated when progress slowed.

[00:29:52] Twenty-four percent wanted to create a healthy identity that lasts.

[00:29:57] Twenty-two percent wanted emotional eating relief.

[00:30:00] Twenty-one percent wanted to feel calm and in control around food.

[00:30:06] Nineteen percent wanted to reduce stress without turning to food.

[00:30:10] And more than the rest were– wanted food freedom from constant food thoughts, wanted to feel safe if hunger returned, and wanted to end the start-over-tomorrow cycle.

[00:30:23] And fourteen percent wanted to trust themselves again around food.

[00:30:27] The number one request was not make the medication work faster, and it was not help me never feel hungry again.

[00:30:34] It was help me build a long-term weight mastery mindset.

[00:30:39] And that tells me these people do not simply want smaller bodies.

[00:30:44] They want a relationship with themselves that can last.

[00:30:47] One woman wrote, “I see GLP-1 as a tool to help release weight. However, I hope to come off it and maintain my weight with the help of Shift Weight Mastery and community support that reminds me I’m not going through this alone.”

[00:31:03] Another said, “The medications are great, but there are side effects, so it feels more like a bridge than a lifetime program. I want to transition to a natural me.”

[00:31:14] Another respondent who had almost reached her goal and then later regained some weight said, “Even though I almost reached my goal weight and released thirty pounds using a GLP-1 medication, I never really felt like that new, thinner person I saw in the mirror.”

[00:31:31] That may be one of the most important comments in the entire survey.

[00:31:36] Her body changed before her identity caught up.

[00:31:40] She could see a thinner person in the mirror, but did not fully experience herself as that person.

[00:31:46] When we have not developed the identity, habits, and inner relationship that support a new weight, the old identity can continue tugging at us.

[00:31:56] I’m still someone who cannot trust herself.

[00:31:59] I am still someone who will eventually regain.

[00:32:02] I am still someone who needs to be controlled.

[00:32:05] I am still a fraud.

[00:32:07] Those thoughts matter, not because thoughts magically create pounds, but because our beliefs influence the choices we repeat.

[00:32:16] A healthy identity is not standing in front of the mirror shouting, “I am thin!”

[00:32:22] While your inner critic rolls her eyes in the corner.

[00:32:25] It’s something quieter and more practical.

[00:32:29] It sounds like, “I am becoming someone who advocates for myself. I am someone who plans for myself. I am learning what keeps my body nourished and steady. I am a person who can stop and reconsider. I can feel disappointed without abandoning myself. I am moving in the direction of long-term weight mastery.”

[00:32:55] One respondent expressed another kind of identity struggle.

[00:32:59] She wanted help overcoming the stigma of having needed medication.

[00:33:03] She said she wanted to be proud that I used available tools to get my healthy life set.

[00:33:11] I love that because there’s still an odd moral judgment around these medications.

[00:33:17] Some people seem to believe that if weight release becomes less agonizing, it somehow does not count.

[00:33:23] Apparently, to earn the right to be healthy, you must drag yourself barefoot through the desert carrying a celery stick.

[00:33:31] No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[00:33:33] There is no award for suffering the most on the way to your healthy weight.

[00:33:37] Using a tool is not cheating.

[00:33:40] But using a tool also does not prevent us from developing skills alongside it.

[00:33:46] Both can be true.

[00:33:47] The medication may make the journey more manageable, and the person can still practice nourishing themselves, building strength, understanding their emotions, managing their environment, and creating a supportive inner voice.

[00:34:00] And this is where I think the most useful conversation begins.

[00:34:05] What if we stop asking whether GLP-1s are either the entire answer or no answer at all?

[00:34:11] And what if we see them as potentially creating a learning window?

[00:34:17] For many people in the survey, the constant demand for food became quieter, portions easier, obsession decreased, hope returned.

[00:34:26] That quieter period may be one of the best times to learn.

[00:34:31] It is difficult to study your hunger and satisfaction when your brain is standing behind you with a bullhorn yelling, “Eat the crackers!”

[00:34:40] But when the volume comes down, you may have more room to observe.

[00:34:45] What amount of food leaves me satisfied and comfortable?

[00:34:49] Which foods help my energy remain steady?

[00:34:52] Am I eating enough protein and nourishment even when my appetite is low?

[00:34:58] What happens emotionally when I’m no longer using food in the same way?

[00:35:03] What habits were driven by hunger, and which were driven by stress, loneliness, reward, or routine?

[00:35:10] How can I build strength while releasing weight?

[00:35:13] What parts of my environment support me, and where do I still need boundaries?

[00:35:19] What does my inner critic say when the progress is slow?

[00:35:22] What happens when I feel hunger again?

[00:35:25] This is the work of the inner scientist, not judging, observing, and learning, adjusting.

[00:35:33] One respondent said, “It really made me understand that I wasn’t mentally broken. The chemistry was just off.”

[00:35:41] What an enormous relief that realization can be, and perhaps the next step is, I was not broken, and now I have some relief.

[00:35:52] What would I like to learn about caring for myself and creating the skills of long-term weight mastery?

[00:36:02] Now perhaps you are listening and thinking, “Well, this is interesting, Rita, but I’m not taking one of those medications.”

[00:36:08] Well, stay with me because I think the survey tells us something important about weight struggling in general.

[00:36:15] When 80% of respondents tell us that reduced food noise is one of the best parts of their experience, we need to take food noise seriously.

[00:36:23] We need to stop treating constant food thoughts as proof that someone does not want success badly enough.

[00:36:30] We also need to recognize that food noise can have many contributors.

[00:36:35] For some people, medication may be an appropriate part of the treatment.

[00:36:39] For others, improving nourishment, sleep, stress management, food structure, habit patterns, emotional skills may help reduce the noise.

[00:36:50] And for many people, it’s a combination.

[00:36:53] But regardless of whether you use medication, you can still benefit from asking, “What turns up my food noise? What quiets it? When am I genuinely hungry? When am I overstimulated, underslept, lonely, bored, or emotionally exhausted? Which foods create more wanting for me? What happens when I tell myself I can never have something again? And what happens when I have no plan at all?”

[00:37:21] You do not need to be using a GLP-1 to become your own best inner scientist.

[00:37:26] You do not need to be using medication to stop blaming yourself and start becoming curious, and you do not need to wait until every craving disappears before developing mastery.

[00:37:38] For those of you using a GLP-1, I think the survey offers five invitations.

[00:37:44] First, honor the relief.

[00:37:47] You do not need to minimize what the medication has given you.

[00:37:51] If it has quieted years of food obsession, that matters.

[00:37:55] If it has helped improve your health, hope, mobility, blood sugar, or confidence, that’s great.

[00:38:02] Second, do not compare your rate of weight release with someone else’s.

[00:38:09] Your response, dose, health, history, body, and circumstances are your own.

[00:38:17] A slower path is still a path.

[00:38:20] And third, nourish the body you are releasing weight in, please. Several respondents asked for help with protein, energy, hydration, muscle preservation, and strength.

[00:38:32] Reducing appetite can make eating less easier, but it can also make intentional nourishment more important.

[00:38:40] Those specifics belong in conversation with your medical and nutritional professionals, but the broader point of that is weight release is not the only goal.

[00:38:50] Supporting your health and strength matters, too.

[00:38:54] Fourth, use the quieter space to practice.

[00:38:58] Do not wait until the medication is reduced, stopped, unavailable, or less effective to begin exploring the habits and skills that support you.

[00:39:08] And fifth, build confidence based on evidence rather than fear.

[00:39:13] You do not need to decide today whether you will use the medication forever.

[00:39:18] You do not need to know exactly what will happen three years from now, but you can ask, “What skill can I strengthen now that will serve me under many different circumstances?”

[00:39:29] That may be planning, tracking, strength training, creating satisfying meals, managing a trigger food, recognizing emotional hunger, breaking the start-over pattern, or getting support, or learning to respond to yourself with curiosity instead of criticism.

[00:39:48] The most moving part of this data for me was the desire for peace.

[00:39:53] Yes, people wanted to release more weight.

[00:39:56] Yes, many were frustrated by plateaus.

[00:39:59] And yes, there were concerns about access, cost, side effects, and regain.

[00:40:04] But underneath all of it was a longing to feel free.

[00:40:09] Free from constant food thoughts, shame.

[00:40:13] Free from the fear that one difficult week will undo everything.

[00:40:18] And free from believing that their success belongs entirely to a medication, a diet, or some force outside of themselves.

[00:40:27] And freedom does not mean refusing help.

[00:40:29] It just means using help without surrendering your relationship with yourself.

[00:40:35] A GLP-1 may be part of someone’s long-term medical care.

[00:40:40] It may be a temporary bridge.

[00:40:42] It may be something a person tries and cannot tolerate, and it may be inaccessible and inappropriate for someone else.

[00:40:50] There is no single GLP-1 experience in the survey, but there was tremendous relief, and there was disappointment.

[00:40:58] There was gratitude, and there was fear.

[00:41:02] And there were people who had released eighty or a hundred pounds, and there were people who released very little.

[00:41:08] And there were people who wanted to stay on the medication, and there were people so eager to come off.

[00:41:14] Some felt transformed and some still looking for answers.

[00:41:18] But across those experiences, desire was remarkably consistent.

[00:41:25] I want this change to last. I want to trust myself. I want to know I can keep moving forward.

[00:41:33] That is weight mastery.

[00:41:36] Not doing everything without assistance, not achieving perfect control, and not promising that you will never experience food noise or emotional hunger again.

[00:41:46] Weight mastery is developing the capacity to understand yourself, support yourself, have the skills to release weight long term, and make the next useful choice again and again under changing conditions.

[00:42:04] So here is the question I would like to leave you with.

[00:42:08] If you were given more breathing room around food, what would you want to build within that space?

[00:42:15] Perhaps you already have that breathing room because of a GLP-1.

[00:42:19] Or maybe perhaps hypnosis, meditation, a change in nourishment, or a supportive program is beginning to create it.

[00:42:27] And perhaps you do not feel much breathing room yet.

[00:42:31] Wherever you are, you can begin with curiosity.

[00:42:35] What is one pattern you would like to understand? What is one skill that would make you feel more secure?

[00:42:44] And what is one piece of evidence you could create this week that says, “I am capable of taking care of myself”?

[00:42:53] Because the ultimate goal is not to prove that you can do everything alone.

[00:42:57] It is to become an active participant in your own health and life.

[00:43:02] Use the tools that are right for you. Receive support.

[00:43:07] And while you do, keep building a relationship with yourself that no change in dose, schedule, insurance plan, or number on the scale can take away.

[00:43:17] The medication may provide beautiful breathing room, and in that quieter space, you can begin hearing something else, your own wise voice, your inner coach reminding you, you are not broken, you are learning.

[00:43:33] You are moving in the direction of health, confidence, and freedom, and you do not have to travel that path perfectly to keep moving forward

[00:43:45] Thank you everyone. I hope this has been of service to you.

[00:43:50] And just a reminder, join me for my free event coming up August 19th through the 22nd.

[00:43:58] I’m having four events.

[00:44:01] It’s a powerful masterclass with a free weight release hypnosis session.

[00:44:06] It’s online. We have lots of fun.

[00:44:08] Come learn how to break through the roadblocks that have been keeping you struggling with weight, believe in yourself again to know you do have a clear path forward toward success, and it begins by using your subconscious mind differently.

[00:44:24] So click the link in the show notes and sign up or go to www.shiftweightmastery.com/live and I will look forward to seeing you there.

[00:44:38] And remember that the key, and probably the only key, to unlocking the door of the weight struggle is inside you.

[00:44:45] So keep listening and find it, and I will be here with you next week.

[00:44:51] Do you wanna dive deeper into the mindset of long-term weight release? Head on over to www.shiftweightmastery.com.

[00:45:02] That’s www.shiftweightmastery.com, where you will find numerous tools and resources to help you unlock your mind for permanent weight release, tips, strategies, and more.

[00:45:15] And be sure to check the show notes to learn more about my book, From Fat to Thin Thinking: Unlock Your Mind for Permanent Weight Loss.