What Every GLP-1 User Needs to Know (with Dr. Robert Kushner)
The Holistic GLP-1 Podcast with Elizabeth McGannShow Notes
GLP-1 medications have changed what is possible in obesity treatment, but the medication is only part of the story. In this episode, Elizabeth speaks with Dr. Robert Kushner, a pioneer in obesity medicine and author of The Six Factors to Fit, about how to turn weight loss into better health and lasting change. Dr. Kushner explains how GLP-1s reduce hunger, cravings, and food noise, why metabolic adaptation makes weight regain so common, and why lifestyle support still matters even when the medication is doing much of the biological work. He also introduces six common weight-management patterns, from the “easily enticed eater” and “fast pacer” to the “self-critic” and “all-or-nothing doer,” with practical ways to work with each one. This conversation offers a clear, compassionate framework for using GLP-1s more safely, protecting muscle and nutrition, and measuring success far beyond the number on the scale. FREE MASTERCLASS: How To Microdose A GLP-1 Holistically: https://go.elizabethmcgann.com/masterclass *** SHOW NOTES (00:00) What Turns GLP-1 Weight Loss Into Lasting Change? (04:15) A Biological Breakthrough in Obesity Treatment (08:30) The “Secret Sauce” Was Inside the Body All Along (12:45) Making the Healthy Choice the Easier Choice (17:00) Why Medication and Lifestyle Are Never Either-Or (21:15) The Risks of Taking a GLP-1 Without Proper Support (25:30) Measuring Progress Beyond the Scale (29:45) Why the Body Tries to Regain Lost Weight (34:00) Hunger Is Biology, Not a Character Flaw (38:15) Discovering Your Weight-Management Personality (42:30) Turning Self-Awareness Into a Personalized Strategy (46:45) Changing Food Preferences and Finding Time for Health (51:00) The Pattern GLP-1s May Change Most Dramatically (55:15) Full disclosure: “I am teaching what I need to learn” (59:30) Protecting Muscle and Quieting the Inner Critic (01:03:45) Escaping the All-or-Nothing Trap (01:08:00) What Comes Next in Obesity Medicine
*** Get Connected with Elizabeth McGann: FREE MICRODOSING MASTERCLASS: https://go.elizabethmcgann.com/masterclass Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/elizabethmcgann Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMcGannWellness LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethmcgann X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElizabethMcGann
*** Learn more about Dr. Robert Kushner:: Website: https://drrobertkushner.com/ Northwestern University Faculty Page: https://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/faculty-profiles/az/profile.html?xid=11686 X/Twiiter: https://x.com/DrRobertKushner
More from The Holistic GLP-1 Podcast with Elizabeth McGann
You know what you *should* be doing to improve your health. So why can it feel almost impossible to follow through?
You released the weight. You’re feeling healthier. Your confidence is coming back. So why do some of your relationships suddenly feel different? In this episode, Elizabeth explores something we don’t talk about enough: when you change, your relationships may need to change with you. A significant weight release can shift far more than your body. It can change how you see yourself, how you show up in the world, and the roles you’ve always played in your marriage, friendships, dating life and even professionally. Elizabeth shares her own experience of changing her relationship with food and alcohol, becoming healthier and more confident, and discovering that some of the relationships built around her old lifestyle no longer worked in quite the same way. She also talks about the uncomfortable “in-between”: when you’ve outgrown parts of your old life but haven’t fully built the new one yet, and what you can do to navigate that space while your new life takes shape. Sometimes relationships deepen. Sometimes they need to evolve. And sometimes you realize you’ve simply outgrown each other. The key is understanding that grieving and growing can happen at the same time, and the new life will continue to take shape.
What if overeating, struggling to stick to your weight-loss goals, or bingeing, things you’ve spent years blaming yourself for, aren’t simply a lack of willpower?
Your GLP-1 was working beautifully. The food noise got quieter. You started releasing weight. And then…the scale stopped moving. Does that mean your GLP-1 stopped working? Do you automatically need a higher dose? Not necessarily. In this episode, Elizabeth walks you through her 5-part Holistic GLP-1 Plateau Audit—the key areas to investigate before assuming the answer is more medication. You’ll learn how to look at your nutrition, blood sugar, metabolic health, gut, sleep and stress to better understand what your body may need. Elizabeth also shares what wearing a CGM for nearly a year taught her about her own metabolism—including the surprising impact stress had on her glucose.
What if a GLP-1 could do more than help you lose weight?