EPISODE 62: How GLP-1s Helped Her Lose 150+ Pounds After Bariatric Surgery with Alissa Meisel
Peptides for WomenShow Notes
Welcome back to Peptides for Women podcast! In this episode, I’m joined by Alissa Meisel, an occupational therapist, board-certified health and wellness coach, and founder of Meisel Health, to talk about her incredible 150+ pound weight-loss journey and how bariatric surgery, GLP-1s, peptide therapy, and lifestyle changes became different tools along the way. Alissa has spent years struggling with her weight, dieting, exercising, and trying to figure out why nothing seemed to work long-term. After infertility treatments contributed to significant weight gain, she ultimately underwent sleeve gastrectomy in 2020 and lost more than 100 pounds. Years later, despite continuing to exercise, prioritize protein and hydration, and do everything she had been doing to maintain her weight, she began gaining weight again. That’s when she began exploring GLP-1s and peptide therapy, which became another tool in her health journey and helped her lose an additional 30 pounds. In this episode, we talk about the physical AND emotional side of weight loss, why mindset matters, what happens after bariatric surgery, and how feeling comfortable and confident in your body can impact every area of your life, including your marriage and intimacy. In this episode, we cover: Alissa’s lifelong struggle with dieting, weight, and an all-or-nothing mindset
How her college years changed her relationship with food and exercise
The emotional connection between food, stress, and comfort
Her experience with infertility treatments and gaining over 100 pounds
Why she ultimately chose sleeve gastrectomy in January 2020
What life was really like after bariatric surgery, including severe complications and the mental/emotional challenges she experienced
The lack of support she felt after surgery and why she created a roadmap for other women
Regaining 20 pounds years after losing more than 100 pounds
Why training for a half marathon didn’t produce the results she expected
How GLP-1 therapy and peptide therapy became another tool in her journey
Losing an additional 30 pounds and reaching more than 150 pounds of total weight loss
Why Alissa believes sustainable weight loss requires more than one tool
The importance of mindset, fear, judgment, and self-advocacy
How losing weight changed Alissa’s confidence and relationship with her body
The connection between body confidence, intimacy, and marriage
Why busy women need to make space for themselves, their health, and their relationships
How Alissa went from working in clinical healthcare to helping women with metabolic health and wellness
Connect with Alissa Meisel! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alissaameisel/ Website: https://www.meiselhealth.com/ Links & Resources: 🔗 Learn more at: elliemd.com/JenniferWoodwardNutrition 🎯 Take my free peptide quiz and get a personalized, midlife-smart roadmap for the peptides that actually match your symptoms and goals: https://quiz.jenniferwoodwardnutrition.com/peptide-quiz 🎓 Enroll in the Peptides for Practitioners Certification Course and get $100 off for podcast subscribers: https://www.carrotsncake.com/offers/TrVo7mCz?coupon_code=PFPJENNIFER 🧬 Want to pair GLP-1s with functional lab testing? https://learn.jenniferwoodwardnutrition.com/invitation 📩 Grab The Body Edit Guide here for full protocols, labs, and more: https://stan.store/jenniferwoodwardnutrition/p/get-the-body-edit ‼️Disclaimer‼️ This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. Always speak with your licensed healthcare provider before starting or changing any medication or treatment plan.
More from Peptides for Women
⭐️ the Peptides for Practitioners Live Cohort is back! Starting now, we are offering the peptide certificate course that over 600 of you have gone through for $300 off AND offering 4 live cohort sessions for the month of November 2026. Grab the course at a steep discount here and receive entrance into the live cohort for free- https://www.carrotsncake.com/offers/Hrosw4Mc/checkout?coupon_code=JENNIFERNOV Already took the course and loved it? Want to come back for the cohort only? Yes, you can do that! Sign up here- https://www.carrotsncake.com/offers/VTJg2Bnc/checkout?coupon_code=COHORT50 We hope to see you there!
⭐️ the Peptides for Practitioners Live Cohort is back! Starting now, we are offering the peptide certificate course that over 600 of you have gone through for $300 off AND offering 4 live cohort sessions for the month of November 2026. Grab the course at a steep discount here and receive entrance into the live cohort for free- https://www.carrotsncake.com/offers/Hrosw4Mc/checkout?coupon_code=JENNIFERNOV Already took the course and loved it? Want to come back for the cohort only? Yes, you can do that! Sign up here- https://www.carrotsncake.com/offers/VTJg2Bnc/checkout?coupon_code=COHORT50 We hope to see you there!
Welcome back to the Peptides for Women podcast!
Welcome back to Peptides for Women podcast! In this episode, I’m joined by my good friend Tina Haupert, the woman behind Carrots ’N Cake, an FDN practitioner, longtime health and fitness blogger, and experienced peptide self-experimenter. Tina has been on a long health journey with ulcerative colitis, and her search for better health has led her to explore a wide range of peptides for healing, inflammation, pain, metabolism, body composition, and overall health. Tina and I talk about the good, the bad, and the unexpected parts of using peptides. She shares some of her biggest peptide wins, as well as the experiences that did not go as planned, including some pretty intense reactions to MOTS-c, Thymosin Alpha-1, and FOXO4-DRI. We also talk about the peptides that have worked really well for her, including ARA 290 for nerve pain, GLP-1s for appetite control and food noise, and Tesamorelin + KPV for body composition and inflammation. Tina shares why she prefers a low-and-slow approach, how her experience with peptides has changed over time, and why the same peptide can affect two people very differently. Most importantly, this episode is about looking at peptides as another tool in the toolbox rather than a magic solution. Your experience may be completely different from someone else’s, which is why bio-individuality, proper guidance, and understanding the bigger picture all matter. In this episode, we cover: Tina’s health journey with ulcerative colitis and what led her to functional nutrition and peptides Why BPC-157 + TB-500 was Tina’s “gateway peptide” Her experience with MOTS-c and intense injection site reactions Why MOTS-c may not be a good fit for everyone Tina’s experience with a high dose of Thymosin Alpha-1 and the importance of starting low and slow FOXO4-DRI and the theory behind targeting senescent “zombie” cells Why the dose can make a big difference with peptides Tina’s experience using ARA 290 for severe nerve pain Tina’s experience with Tirzepatide and Retatrutide Why Retatrutide caused increased heart rate and anxiety for Tina at higher doses Why individual responses to GLP-1s can be so different Tina’s experience with Tesamorelin + KPV Her less positive experience with Tesamorelin + Ipamorelin KPV for inflammation and why Tina likes combining it with growth hormone peptides Tina’s experience with 5-Amino and increased energy Her first impressions of topical GHK-Cu for skin How practitioners can troubleshoot when a peptide isn’t producing the expected results Peptides for Practitioners and the importance of learning how to use peptides responsibly with clients How practitioners can integrate peptide education into their businesses Why getting different perspectives from other practitioners can be valuable Connect with Tina Haupert: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carrotsncake/
Welcome back to Peptides for Women podcast! In this episode, I’m joined by Dustin Robinson, founding partner of LumaLex Law, an attorney, CPA, and entrepreneur who works with companies in emerging and highly regulated industries. We’re talking about the legal and regulatory side of the peptide industry, including research-use peptides, compounding pharmacies, telehealth, social media, and what doctors and consumers should understand as the industry continues to evolve. Dustin shares why peptides, psychedelics, cannabis, healthcare, and other industries can be so complicated from a legal perspective. We also talk about the differences between research-use-only (RUO) products and regulated compounding pharmacies, how state and federal regulations can overlap, and why the laws surrounding peptides can change so quickly. We also get into the recent discussions around peptides being considered for the 503A bulk drug list, what that could mean for access, the future of peptide supply chains, and why the demand for peptides could create new challenges for pharmacies and API manufacturers. Finally, Dustin explains some of the legal risks around affiliate marketing and social media, including why peptide companies and influencers need to be careful about what they say online and how Meta handles content related to regulated industries. In this episode, we cover: Why emerging industries like peptides, psychedelics, cannabis, and healthcare have complicated legal frameworks