GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy are changing the healthcare landscape fast, but there’s a problem we can’t afford to ignore: appetite and weight loss interventions can collide with eating disorders in ways that many clinics are not screening for. When that happens, the risks aren’t abstract. They show up as restriction that ramps up quietly, recovery skills that get harder to practice, and medical complications that can be overlooked when the scale is moving “the right way.”

I sat down with Shauna Melbourne, RD, founder of ED for RDs and a certified eating disorder specialist and supervisor, to talk through what dietitians are seeing with clients. We get into the real-world side effects that can make nourishment harder, the role of delayed gastric emptying and nutrition deficiencies, and why the biggest danger is often the simplest one: an eating disorder that was never identified before a GLP-1 was prescribed.

We also dig into the cultural messaging that comes with GLP-1s, including the idea that smaller bodies are better bodies and the push to erase “food noise” without asking what it might be signaling. Shauna shares practical, clinic-friendly screening questions that open conversation without leading the patient, plus why training and team support are essential for safer, more compassionate care across body sizes including people with atypical anorexia.

If you work in healthcare, live with an eating disorder, or support someone in recovery, this conversation offers clear takeaways you can use immediately. Subscribe for more evidence-informed conversations, share this episode with a colleague, and leave a review so more listeners can find it.

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