What actually changes when you start a GLP-1?

In Part 2 of our GLP-1 conversation, Jess shares her experience starting Zepbound (tirzepatide) after years of navigating PCOS, insulin resistance, prediabetes, and recurrent precancerous endometrial changes — and why deciding to try medication was a lot more complicated than simply wanting to lose weight.

We talk about the surprisingly complicated process of accessing GLP-1 medications, what Jess has noticed since starting Zepbound, and how things like food noise, hunger, fullness, alcohol, carbonation, and cravings can feel different.

Then we get into the messier, more nuanced stuff: inflammation, blood sugar, stress, sleep, diet culture, restriction, hunger cues, protein, fiber, muscle loss, hair loss, and learning to listen to your body when its signals may not feel the way they used to.

We also talk about the tension between intentional weight loss and trying not to fall back into restrictive or disordered patterns — because changing your body and taking care of your body aren't always as psychologically simple as they sound.

And, naturally, an intelligent conversation about fiber and constipation eventually turns into a detailed discussion of the Bristol Stool Chart. Because apparently this is who we are. 💩😂

CHAPTERS
00:00 🌪️ Welcome to the Chaos
00:47 💉 Jess’s GLP-1 Journey
05:49 🩺 Choosing a GLP-1 & Navigating Access
09:07 ✨ What Jess Has Noticed So Far
19:08 🔥 Inflammation, Sugar, & Food Choices
25:52 🧠 Hunger Cues, Restriction, & Finding Balance
31:57 🤔 Concerns: Muscle Loss, Hair Loss, & Side Effects
39:07 💩 Poop, Constipation, & the Bristol Stool Chart
45:51 🤏 Teeny Gripe, Tiny Delight
47:48 💜 Stay Curious. Stay Compassionate. Stay Loca.

⚠️ CONTENT NOTE: This episode includes discussion of weight, weight loss, body image, dieting and restriction, disordered eating patterns, medication side effects, and other health-related topics. Please take care of yourself while listening and skip anything that isn’t helpful for you.

🩺 DISCLAIMER: Living Luteal Loca is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We’re sharing our own experiences and perspectives, and GLP-1 medications are not right for everyone. Talk with a qualified healthcare professional about your individual health and treatment options.

🎵 Music: “Posy” — licensed through Soundstripe via Riverside

💜 Stay curious. Stay compassionate. Stay loca.

Is taking a GLP-1 the “easy way out”? And what actually changes when you start one?

In Part 1 of our GLP-1 conversation, Katie gets candid about what led her to try semaglutide after years of living in a bigger body, navigating insulin resistance, and wrestling with the idea that she should be able to do this without medication.

We talk about weight without pretending the scale tells the whole story, the surprisingly big shift in “food noise,” and what it’s like to relearn your body’s hunger cues when they suddenly don’t sound the way they used to.

Then we put on our science hats (briefly-ish 😅) to break down semaglutide vs. tirzepatide, Ozempic vs. Wegovy, Mounjaro vs. Zepbound, GLP-1 and GIP receptors, insulin and glucagon, and why these medications can affect far more than just how full your stomach feels.

We also get into the complicated stuff: dopamine, reward, mental health, body image, and the disordered eating thoughts that can show up even when you’re trying to approach weight and health from a compassionate place.

And this is only Part 1. In Part 2, Jess shares her own GLP-1 experience, and we get into side effects, food and alcohol changes, nutrition, GI adventures, and—because this is Living Luteal Loca—eventually, poop. 💩

⚠️ CONTENT NOTE: This episode includes conversations about weight, weight loss, body size, food noise, disordered eating thoughts, and mental health. Please take care of yourself however you need to while listening.

00:00 🌪️ Welcome to the Chaos
02:33 🌙 Cycle Season Check-In
06:06 🥂 What’s in Your Chalice?
10:39 💉 Let’s Talk About GLP-1s
11:23 🤔 Why Katie Started a GLP-1
17:03 ⚖️ Is This the “Easy Way Out”?
22:00 🔇 Food Noise & New Hunger Cues
23:28 🧬 Semaglutide, Tirzepatide, & How GLP-1s Work
29:18 🧠 GLP-1s, Dopamine, & Disordered Eating

We love you, but we’re not your doctors. We’re sharing our own experiences with GLP-1 medications and our understanding of the information available to us—not giving individualized medical advice.

Living Luteal Loca is for education and entertainment and isn’t a substitute for individualized medical or mental health care. Please work with your own healthcare team for advice specific to you.

🎵 Music: “Posy” — licensed through Soundstripe via Riverside

What if your inner critic isn’t just being an asshole? What if, underneath all that criticism, it’s actually trying to protect you?

In Part 2 of our conversation about the inner critic, we’re digging into when that voice gets louder—and what might be happening underneath it. We talk about the times our critics tend to show up most, from the luteal phase and “high-def week” to stress, new situations, big events, and the pressure to have everything figured out.

Then we try a deceptively simple question: Would you say that to someone you love? Because apparently telling your friends they haven’t earned rest yet sounds a little different than saying it to yourself. 🙃

We also get into faith, fear, and the messages we grew up with about taking thoughts captive, spiritual attacks, anxiety, and what it can look like to revisit those ideas as adults. There’s room here for faith, biology, personal responsibility, curiosity, and the reality that each of us gets to make sense of those pieces in our own way.

Finally, we explore what the inner critic may actually be trying to protect, how old wounds and grief can shape that protective voice, and why meeting ourselves with compassion may get us somewhere criticism never could. We talk about reconnecting with younger versions of ourselves, the people we were before we learned to be so damn hard on ourselves, and remembering that our worth doesn’t disappear when we screw up, rest, take up space, or exist in a body that doesn’t meet someone else’s expectations.

And because apparently we needed an emotional palate cleanser after all that, we debut Teeny Gripe, Tiny Delight—featuring bug bites, hearing aids, butterflies, baby bunnies, and a jingle Katie is very proud of. 😂

CHAPTERS

00:00 👋 Opening
00:33 🍂 When the Critic Gets Louder
05:43 💜 Would You Say That to Someone You Love?
10:59 🙏 Faith, Fear, & Taking Thoughts Captive
18:54 🛡️ What Is the Critic Protecting?
21:36 🫶 From Self-Criticism to Self-Compassion
28:58 ✨ Teeny Gripe, Tiny Delight
33:06 👋 Closing

RESOURCES MENTIONED

🧠 Positive Intelligence by Shirzad Chamine

🧠 Curious About Your Own Saboteurs? Take the Free Assessment

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE

Some links may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting Living Luteal Loca! 💜

A QUICK NOTE

Living Luteal Loca is for education and entertainment and isn’t a substitute for individualized medical or mental health care. Please work with your own healthcare team for advice specific to you.

🎵 Music: “Posy” — licensed through Soundstripe via Riverside