Weight loss therapist Lora Grabow, LMSW has spent 23 years working with medical and surgical weight loss patients, and she says the same piece is still missing from almost every treatment plan. She calls it headwork.

Mindset is about what you think. Headwork is about what to do with what you think, and that difference is the whole episode.

Lora joins Dr. Weiner and Zoe for a conversation that goes from the practical to the personal. She walks through her three-step "power of the pause" framework using a real scenario (it's 11pm, you're anxious about work tomorrow, and you're standing in the kitchen), explains why shame is the single biggest barrier to behavior change, and gets honest about her own decision to start a GLP-1 this past June after a hysterectomy and perimenopause left her doing everything right and getting nowhere.

That last part is the moment of the episode. Lora caught herself in the exact thinking she coaches patients out of every day, believing she had to earn help.

What we get into

• Headwork vs. mindset, and why "information only turns into transformation when you know what to do with it"
• The power of the pause, Lora's three tips for food noise: catch the thought, name the feeling, then choose how you respond
• Why we say "I'm feeling anxious," not "I'm anxious", because we are not our feelings
• Shame vs. guilt, through Brené Brown's framing: shame says I am a mistake, guilt says I made a mistake. One drives binge eating and isolation. The other drives change.
• Obesity is a disease, not a decision, and why Lora describes her role as a "shame lifter"
• Lora's GLP-1 story, from the menopause middle to the friend at breakfast who asked the question that stopped her in her tracks
• What actually got quiet for her, and it wasn't food noise, it was how hard she was being on herself
• Dr. Weiner's bell curve: roughly 15% of people do great on GLP-1s no matter what, roughly 15% won't respond at all, and the 70% in the middle almost never show up on your feed. That's where headwork, nutrition, and exercise decide the outcome.
• Numbing vs. coping through, and the lidocaine shot analogy that explains why food, phones, and doom scrolling all make the next round harder
• "Dead people goals", Dr. Susan David's line about the only people not feeling uncomfortable emotions
• Community is treatment, and the mic drop question Lora asks at the end of every support group

Free workshop from Lora:

What Happens After the Food Noise Gets Quiet? Tuesday, September 16 at 7:00pm Eastern. Completely free, no limit on attendance, and a replay goes out to everyone who registers.

Lora is walking through her brand new headwork framework and taking attendees through a live exercise on root cause work and patterns. If this conversation resonated, this is the deeper version of it.

👉 Register at loragrabow.com

Find Lora

• Website and Headwork Matters newsletter: loragrabow.com
• Instagram: @lora.grabow
• Facebook: Lora Grabow, LMSW
• Substack: https://substack.com/@lora809857

What does long-term success after bariatric surgery look like four years later, especially when GLP-1 medications, strength training, nutrition, and maintenance all become part of the journey?

In this episode, Zoe and Dr. Matthew Weiner are joined by Graham Hoffman, a Pound of Cure patient and peer leader, to talk about life four years after weight loss surgery. Graham shares how GLP-1 medications, strength training, walking, protein-forward nutrition, and long-term support helped him move beyond the number on the scale and build a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle.

They discuss why strength training can be more approachable than endless cardio, how building muscle supports metabolism after bariatric surgery, and why success is not just about reaching a goal weight. Graham also explains how GLP-1s helped reduce food noise, support maintenance, and make it easier to listen to hunger and fullness cues.

They also talk about real-life nutrition strategies after weight loss surgery, including protein coffee, blueberries for fiber, prepared meals, protein-forward snacks, roasted vegetables, planned indulgences, and learning how to leave food on the plate without guilt or shame.

Most importantly, Graham explains why long-term weight loss maintenance is not about being perfect. Sustainable success comes from consistency, support, strength, flexibility, and building habits that can actually last.

Can Medicare patients get GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Zepbound for $50 per month through the new Medicare GLP-1 Bridge Program?

In this episode, Zoe is joined by Dr. Matthew Weiner and Deidre, FNP, to break down what Medicare patients need to know about the CMS Medicare GLP-1 Bridge Program. They explain who may qualify, why Medicare Part D coverage matters, and why the process is more complicated than simply getting a prescription.

Deidre walks through the eligibility requirements, including BMI, prediabetes, cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled hypertension, sleep apnea, diabetes, and fatty liver disease. She also explains why some patients may not be able to use the Bridge Program if their GLP-1 medication can already be covered through their regular Medicare Part D benefits.

They also discuss the two-step prior authorization process, the $50 monthly copay, why that copay may not count toward a deductible, and why documentation for a structured nutrition and lifestyle program is required.

Most importantly, the team explains what patients should realistically expect as the program rolls out, why delays and confusion are likely at first, and how Pound of Cure is preparing to help eligible Arizona patients navigate access to GLP-1 medications.