Kim Branum welcomes her patient-turned-friend Kim from Estes Park, Colorado, who shares her remarkable 60-pound weight loss journey using GLP-1 medications over the past 14 months.

• Starting Weight Watchers at age 10 led to a lifetime of yo-yo dieting and trying countless fad diets
• After decades of struggle, Kim had resigned herself to remaining overweight in middle age
• Initial disappointment when no weight loss occurred during the first month of GLP-1 treatment
• By month two, the medication began working effectively and has continued for 14 months
• Achieving single-digit jeans size for the first time ever in her life
• Slow medication titration process working with qualified practitioners
• Freedom from constant calorie counting and the mental burden of food restriction
• Ability to keep previously triggering foods like ice cream in the house without feeling compelled to overindulge
• Unexpected benefits for anxiety and depression with fewer emotional ups and downs
• Currently at her high school weight with a goal of losing 10-20 more pounds
• Importance of working with knowledgeable practitioners for proper dosing and support

If you have questions for Kim or about GLP-1 medications, reach out to Kim@thinspacewellness.com

Feeling stuck in your body despite your best efforts? You're not alone. The buzz around GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro has reached fever pitch, but separating fact from fiction can feel impossible. As a nurse and midlife woman who's been there myself, I'm pulling back the curtain on these "medications heard around the world."

The magic of GLP-1 treatments extends far beyond weight loss. Yes, they slow digestion to keep you fuller longer, but their most remarkable effect happens in your brain. That constant mental chatter about food—the cravings, the planning, the guilt—simply quiets down. Many patients describe this sensation as transformative, noting it extends beyond food thoughts to create a general sense of mental calm and contentment. Scientists are now exploring these medications for anxiety, depression, and addiction treatment because of this powerful neurological impact.

Despite what you might have heard, properly managed GLP-1 treatment shouldn't make you miserable with side effects. Those horror stories of constant nausea and vomiting? That's improper dosing or lack of medical supervision. And contrary to popular belief, most patients don't stay on these medications forever. With proper coaching and lifestyle changes, many successfully wean off after reaching their goals. Using these medications isn't "cheating"—it's utilizing effective medical resources to overcome biological barriers, particularly hormonal challenges that resist traditional approaches. If you're tired of feeling trapped in a body that won't respond to diet and exercise alone, I'd love to help you explore whether GLP-1 treatment might be your path to freedom. Subscribe for more midlife wellness insights, and join us next week when I welcome my first guest who'll share her personal GLP-1 journey!

Kim shares her personal wellness journey from childhood weight awareness to finding freedom from restriction and true comfort in her skin after losing 45 pounds in midlife.

• First became aware of weight during summers with grandparents, fluctuating between "plumping up" and slimming down
• Developed food restriction habits in elementary school after a cafeteria worker's comment about going for seconds
• Experienced a pattern of restriction followed by binge eating throughout childhood and teens
• Felt lost during the transition from childbearing years to midlife, especially after a miscarriage
• Gained significant weight while on medication and felt stuck in her "mom bod" until seeing a shocking photo
• Tried the GLP-1 medications after years of restrictive dieting and successfully lost 45 pounds
• Found the medications completely changed her relationship with food, ending the restriction-binge cycle
• Created Thin Space Wellness to help others achieve similar transformations and find comfort in their bodies
• Future episodes will cover GLP-1 medications in depth and feature interviews with patients who've had success

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Welcome to Midlife Mayhem—where we embrace the beautiful chaos that comes with life in the messy middle. I’m your host, Kim Branum, RN-BSN, wellness coach, co-owner of Thin Space Wellness, and boy mom x3. In this very first episode, recorded during a sleepless night in a bathrobe and eye patches (because midlife skin care waits for no one), I give you a real, unfiltered introduction to what this podcast is all about.

You’ll get a glimpse into my world: splitting time between North Carolina and Estes Park, Colorado, running wellness practices in both states (plus offering Telehealth), all while navigating the daily mayhem of midlife motherhood. Spoiler alert: the insomnia that led to this recording was fueled by the mental gymnastics of deciding how to school our 10-year-old—homeschool, virtual, in-person? The pressure to get it right is real.

Tune in for a raw, honest look at midlife—the good, the hard, the hilarious—and know you’re not alone in the madness. New episodes drop every Wednesday.