What does better obesity care look like when clinicians truly listen to the people receiving it?

Dr. Matthea Rentea and Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia join Mike for a conversation about lived experience, patient-centered obesity care, and the role peer support can play in helping people feel understood, supported, and more engaged in their care.

This conversation was originally planned as an American Diabetes Association/Obesity Association webinar for clinicians. After concerns surrounding the ADA and the current scientific boycott, the conversation moved outside of the organization and onto our podcasts. We spend the opening minutes explaining why.

But the larger conversation is the one we originally came together to have: how clinicians can provide better obesity care by listening to patients, understanding their experiences, and giving patients a meaningful role in shaping care, education, and health systems.

We talk about why patient stories matter, how lived experience can reveal things clinical data alone cannot, and what happens when people feel dismissed, blamed, or unheard in healthcare.

We also explore peer support in its many forms, from physician-led group visits and structured programs to informal online communities where people living with obesity share experiences, questions, successes, and frustrations. And while this conversation was designed with clinicians in mind, we believe patients should be at the table for it too.

In this episode:

• Why listening to patients can improve obesity care
• What lived experience adds to clinical expertise
• How weight stigma and dismissal can damage trust
• Why patient stories matter in medical education and care delivery
• What patients can learn from other patients
• The role of physician-led group visits and structured peer support
• The benefits and limitations of online patient communities
• How patients can help shape programs, education, and healthcare systems
• Why one patient’s experience should never be treated as everyone’s experience
• What meaningful patient involvement can look like in practice

This episode is for clinicians, patients, advocates, and anyone interested in building obesity care grounded in both science and the experiences of people living with the disease.

Hear more from our guests

Follow Dr. Matthea Rentea on The Obesity Guide with Matthea Rentea MD, where she discusses obesity treatment, chronic weight management, GLP-1 medications, and the realities of living with obesity.

Apple Podcasts: Follow The Obesity Guide on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Follow The Obesity Guide on Spotify

Follow Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia on Clearly Hormonal, where she brings an endocrinologist’s perspective to hormonal and metabolic health, including menopause, PMOS, obesity, diabetes, and related care.

Apple Podcasts: Follow Clearly Hormonal on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Follow Clearly Hormonal on Spotify

And if you found this conversation useful, follow Weight & Measure with Mike and Zach wherever you listen. Please consider leaving a rating or review, too. It helps more people find evidence-based conversations about obesity care.

More science. Less stigma.

Who gets to decide what a healthy body looks like?

Is it the patient? Their clinician? Their family? Their community? And what happens when culture, identity, health, and personal goals don't all point toward the same answer?

With Zach away recovering from surgery, Deb Cooperman joins Mike as guest co-host for a conversation with Michelle Tedder, nurse educator and patient advocate, and Dr. Jovonni Spinner, public health researcher and health equity strategist.

This episode explores obesity through the experiences of Black women while asking broader questions about health, identity, culture, access, and patient-centered care.

Michelle and Jovonni discuss patient autonomy and shared decision-making, including what happens when a patient's goals don't align with a clinician's recommendations or when family and cultural expectations influence treatment decisions.

They also challenge the idea that accepting or loving your body means you can't choose to treat obesity.

Body acceptance and obesity treatment can coexist.

Someone can value their body, reject shame and stigma, and still pursue treatment to improve metabolic health, mobility, strength, or quality of life.

The conversation explores how social networks, cultural identity, environment, chronic stress, access to resources, and the meaning food carries within families and communities can influence health decisions.

It also examines disparities in obesity care. Insurance coverage, geography, affordability, access to clinicians trained in obesity care, representation in research, and assumptions made inside the exam room can all influence whether someone receives treatment.

As Jovonni explains, health equity doesn't mean treating everyone the same. It means meeting people where they are and giving them what they need to have an opportunity to achieve their healthiest life.

The group also challenges the association between obesity and laziness, discipline, effort, appearance, or personal worth.

Obesity is a chronic disease, and the number on the scale doesn't tell the entire story.

So what should success look like?

Better blood pressure or blood sugar. Improved cholesterol. Walking farther without pain. Getting stronger. Increasing muscle. Lifting your suitcase into an overhead bin. Running to catch a connecting flight. Maintaining the independence to carry your groceries upstairs at 75.

Those outcomes may tell us far more about someone's health than a number on a scale.

And while this conversation centers the experiences of Black women, its lessons extend beyond any one community.

You don't have to share someone's lived experience to believe it, learn from it, or advocate for better care.

Black women aren't a monolith. Neither are people living with obesity.

Better care starts by replacing assumptions with curiosity, listening to what matters to the person in front of us, and recognizing that health may look different from one person to the next.

Featuring:

Mike Donnelly-Boylen | Co-host, Weight & Measure
Deb Cooperman | Guest Co-host & Obesity Advocate
Michelle Tedder | Nurse Educator, Patient Advocate & Host of Dear Healthcare Provider
Dr. Jovonni Spinner | Public Health Researcher & Health Equity Strategist

More Science. Less Stigma.

#Obesity #ObesityMedicine #HealthEquity #WeightStigma #BlackWomensHealth #PatientAdvocacy #WeightAndMeasure

Before they became podcast hosts, patient advocates, and leaders in obesity care, Mike Donnelly-Boylen and Zachary Niemiec were simply two people living with obesity.

In this deeply personal episode of Weight & Measure, the microphones turn toward the hosts themselves as Deb Cooperman interviews Mike and Zach about the experiences that shaped their lives and ultimately inspired their work in obesity advocacy.

Together, they discuss growing up with obesity, the stigma they experienced, the misconceptions people had about them, and the emotional realities that often remain invisible. They also reflect on bariatric surgery, GLP-1 medications, long term weight management, healthcare experiences, and how their understanding of obesity evolved from self blame to recognizing it as the chronic disease it is.

This conversation is not about quick fixes or dramatic before and after stories. It is about resilience, science, hope, and what it truly means to live with obesity.

Welcome, Deb!

We're excited to welcome Deb Cooperman behind the microphone as our guest host for this special conversation. If you enjoy her thoughtful interview style, you'll be hearing more from Deb in September as she joins Mike to help host Weight & Measure while Zach takes a brief break to recover from surgery. We're incredibly grateful to have Deb as part of the team and can't wait for you to get to know her.

In this episode:

• Growing up living with obesity

• The emotional impact of weight stigma and bias

• Bariatric surgery and life after metabolic surgery

• GLP-1 medications and comprehensive obesity treatment

• Why obesity is a chronic disease, not a personal failure

• The misconceptions people make about individuals living with obesity

• What surprised Mike and Zach after significant weight loss

• Advice they would give to their younger selves

• Hope for the future of obesity medicine and patient advocacy

Whether you're living with obesity, considering bariatric surgery, taking a GLP-1 medication, supporting a loved one, or working in healthcare, this episode offers an honest look at the lived experience behind the headlines.

If this conversation resonates with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode to help reduce stigma and advance understanding of obesity as a chronic disease.

Resources

Practitioners can download the free Non-Surgical Weight Loss & Obesity Management Guide here:
https://procarenow.com/pages/non-surgical-weight-loss-obesity-management-program

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Obesity, obesity medicine, obesity podcast, GLP-1, GLP-1 medications, weight loss, bariatric surgery, metabolic surgery, obesity treatment, weight stigma, weight bias, obesity advocacy, chronic disease, patient advocacy, obesity care,Health,Wellness, Mike Donnelly-Boylen, Zach Niemiec, Weight & Measure.

Should we say “obese person” or “person with obesity”? Does the difference really matter?

In this episode of Weight & Measure with Mike and Zach, we explore person first language, weight stigma, internalized weight bias, and how the words we use can shape the way people living with obesity are treated and how they see themselves.

We're joined by Nina Crowley, PhD, RDN; Renee Rogers, PhD; Leslie Golden, MD; Robyn Pashby, PhD; and Angela Fitch, MD for a wide-ranging conversation about why language matters in obesity care and why person first language shouldn't be something we expect only from physicians and other healthcare professionals.

Person first language means putting the person before the condition: “a person with obesity” rather than “an obese person.” As the panel discusses, obesity is something a person may live with, not the entirety of who they are.

But this episode goes beyond terminology.

What happens when people living with obesity describe ourselves as “I'm obese,” “I've always been the fat one,” or “I'm the funny fat friend”? The panel explores how weight stigma can begin externally and eventually become internalized, influencing identity, expectations, healthcare experiences and the language people use about themselves.

We also discuss the very real consequences of weight bias in healthcare. When people feel stigmatized in medical settings, it can affect trust and even whether they return for care. Zach shares his own experience of having a complication after metabolic & bariatric surgery initially attributed to his behavior rather than investigating whether the treatment itself had failed.

And yes, Zach breaks out the siren, police badge and hat to confront one of the biggest criticisms of conversations like this:

🚨 Are we becoming the “language police”?

The panel tackles the tension between encouraging person first, stigma reducing language and respecting the words individuals choose to use for themselves.

The conversation also explores:

• “Obese” vs. “person with obesity”
• Why weight stigma in healthcare matters
• Internalized weight bias and self identity
• Saying “I'm fat” or reclaiming the word “fat”
• Being the “funny fat friend”
• Person first language vs. language policing
• Good food, bad food and cheat meals
• How fitness and wellness culture talks about larger bodies
• Why obesity treatment isn't a matter of willpower
• Why saying a patient “failed” bariatric surgery, medication or a diet places moral judgment on the person
• How healthcare professionals, patients and advocates can help change the way we talk about obesity

One of the most powerful ideas from the discussion comes when the panel examines the concept that patients don't fail treatments; treatments can fail patients. The episode challenges the moral judgment embedded in saying someone “failed” bariatric surgery, medication or another obesity treatment and asks why obesity is treated differently from other chronic diseases.

Ultimately, person first language isn't about memorizing a list of words you're allowed or not allowed to say.

It's about becoming more intentional about the language we use, remaining curious about its impact, and remembering that the person comes before the label.

🎙️ Weight & Measure with Mike and Zach

More Science. Less Stigma.

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#Obesity #WeightStigma #PersonFirstLanguage #ObesityMedicine #WeightBias #ObesityCare #GLP1 #BariatricSurgery #WeightAndMeasure

What actually happens when you join a GLP-1 or obesity medication clinical trial? And could participating in one give you access to the next generation of obesity treatments before they reach the pharmacy?

On this episode of Weight & Measure with Mike and Zach, Mike Donnelly-Boylen and Zach Niemiec are joined by Dr. Domenica Rubino, founder and director of the Washington Center for Weight Management & Research in Arlington, Virginia.

Dr. Rubino is an obesity medicine physician, endocrinologist, and longtime clinical researcher who has helped study obesity medications throughout the evolution of modern obesity care.

Together, we break down Clinical Trials 101 from the perspective of the people actually volunteering to participate.

We discuss:

• What Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3 and Phase 4 clinical trials actually mean
• Why developing a medication can take 10–15 years
• What happens after you respond to a “Now Enrolling” clinical trial
• Screening, informed consent and randomization
• Why obesity medication trials still use placebo groups
• Your chances of receiving placebo versus an investigational medication
• What participating in a clinical trial costs
• Whether participants can be compensated for their time and travel
• What visits, testing and monitoring look like during a study
• What happens if you experience side effects or want to leave a trial
• Who is responsible for protecting clinical trial participants
• What happens when an investigational medication works but the trial ends
• Whether participants can continue receiving a medication after a study
• How to decide whether a clinical trial is right for you
• How to find legitimate obesity clinical trials on ClinicalTrials.gov
• Whether you can still join trials studying retatrutide, CagriSema and other next-generation obesity medications
• The rapidly growing research into amylin-based medications, dual agonists and triple agonists
• Why people who have undergone metabolic & bariatric surgery may have fewer trial options, and why that may be changing
• Why you should never stop an effective obesity medication simply to qualify for a clinical trial

Dr. Rubino also shares an important warning for anyone eager to access the newest investigational obesity medications: a clinical trial isn't simply a way to get a new drug early. Participants need to understand the study, the possibility of receiving placebo, the potential risks and benefits, and whether participation makes sense for their individual situation.

Clinical trials are responsible for much of what we know about obesity treatment today. Behind every headline about a new medication are thousands of people who volunteered to help researchers answer those questions.

This episode is about understanding both the science and the people who make that science possible.

🎙️ Guest: Dr. Domenica Rubino
🎙️ Hosts: Mike Donnelly-Boylen & Zach Niemiec

Subscribe to Weight & Measure with Mike and Zach on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music.

More Science. Less Stigma.

#GLP1 #ClinicalTrials #Obesity #ObesityMedicine #Retatrutide #CagriSema #WeightLossMedications #ObesityTreatment #WeightAndMeasure

What is retatrutide, how does it work, and what do the latest retatrutide clinical trial results actually mean for people living with obesity?

In this episode of Weight & Measure with Mike and Zach, Dr. Ania Jastreboff and Ted Kyle join Mike Donnelly-Boylen and Zach Niemiec for a patient-centered deep dive into retatrutide, the investigational GLP-1/GIP/glucagon triple agonist being studied for obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Jastreboff is a Yale physician-scientist, a leading obesity researcher, and has been deeply involved in the clinical development of retatrutide. She presented the first Phase 3 obesity results from TRIUMPH-1 at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions and is co-author of Enough with Oprah Winfrey.

Ted Kyle is a pharmacist and longtime obesity advocate who brings together obesity science, policy, advocacy and lived experience.

Dr. Jastreboff explains how GLP-1, GIP and glucagon work, why researchers combined all three receptors into one medication, and why activating the glucagon receptor may make sense even though glucagon is commonly associated with increasing blood glucose.

We then break down the TRIUMPH-1 retatrutide results, including:

• How much weight participants lost with retatrutide
• Why results may differ between obesity and type 2 diabetes
• Retatrutide doses, titration, side effects and discontinuation
• Whether everyone needs the highest retatrutide dose
• How clinical-trial dosing differs from real-world obesity treatment

We tackle one of the biggest questions surrounding GLP-1 medications: muscle loss.

Dr. Jastreboff explains the important difference between lean mass and skeletal muscle, what body-composition studies can actually measure, and what we know so far about retatrutide compared with semaglutide and tirzepatide.

The conversation goes beyond the number on the scale to explore findings involving knee osteoarthritis, obstructive sleep apnea, liver fat, metabolic health and other complications of obesity.

We also ask whether comparing retatrutide vs tirzepatide vs metabolic & bariatric surgery misses the bigger point. Could the future of obesity care involve choosing and combining treatments based on the individual rather than asking which treatment “wins”?

Ted explains Lilly’s planned Biologics License Application (BLA) for retatrutide, what biologic status could mean for future competition and why we still cannot assume what retatrutide will eventually cost.

We also discuss expanded access to retatrutide before FDA approval, who it is intended for, and why retatrutide remains an investigational medication.

Finally, Dr. Jastreboff connects the science to Enough, her book with Oprah Winfrey.

What is the “Enough Point”? Is the goal of obesity treatment always greater weight loss? Or should success be individualized around health, function, quality of life and the outcomes that matter to the person receiving treatment?

What is retatrutide? How does it compare with tirzepatide? Does retatrutide cause muscle loss? When will retatrutide be available? And what do we still not know?

This episode separates what the science actually shows from the speculation surrounding one of the most talked-about obesity medications in development.

More Science. Less Stigma.

Retatrutide is investigational and is not FDA approved.

#Retatrutide #GLP1 #Tirzepatide #Obesity #ObesityMedicine #TRIUMPH1

*Note there are some occasional audio issues with this episode, they improve as the episode continues*

What should you actually eat on a GLP-1?

Social media is filled with advice about protein, electrolytes, collagen, greens powders, supplements, and "must-follow" nutrition rules. But how much of that advice is actually supported by evidence?

In this episode of Weight & Measure, Zach Niemiec and Mike Donnelly-Boylen are joined by registered dietitians Gianna Beasley, MS, RD, CPT and Melissa Mitri, MS, RD to separate GLP-1 nutrition facts from fiction.

Whether you're taking Zepbound (tirzepatide), Mounjaro, Wegovy (semaglutide), Ozempic, Saxenda, or another obesity management medication, this conversation provides practical, evidence based guidance to help you build healthy, sustainable nutrition habits.

You'll also hear valuable insights for people who have undergone metabolic & bariatric surgery and are using GLP-1 medications.

• ​ The biggest GLP-1 nutrition myths on TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, and Facebook
• ​ Why eating less does not always mean better nutrition
• ​ How much protein do GLP-1 patients really need?
• ​ Electrolytes, collagen, creatine, greens powders, and supplements: what's worth your money?
• ​ Why many patients become afraid of food after starting GLP-1 medications
• ​ Weight loss plateaus: what they really mean
• ​ Why losing weight doesn't automatically mean you're well nourished
• ​ When to work with a registered dietitian
• ​ Nutrition after metabolic & bariatric surgery while taking GLP-1 medications
• ​ What to do if insurance forces you to stop your medication

If you're looking for trustworthy information about GLP-1 nutrition, obesity medicine, bariatric nutrition, weight loss medications, body composition, protein intake, or long-term obesity care, this episode is for you.

Gianna Beasley, MS, RD, CPT

Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer specializing in obesity care, GLP-1 nutrition, metabolic health, and body composition.

Melissa Mitri, MS, RD

Registered Dietitian specializing in sustainable nutrition, GLP-1 therapy, obesity care, and helping patients build lifelong healthy habits.

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New episodes featuring leading experts in:

• ​ Obesity Medicine• GLP-1 Medications• Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery• Nutrition• Exercise Science• Patient Advocacy• Body Composition• Obesity Research

Every week on Weight & Measure.

#GLP1 #Zepbound #Wegovy #Ozempic #Mounjaro #Tirzepatide #Semaglutide #Obesity #ObesityMedicine #BariatricSurgery #MetabolicBariatricSurgery #Nutrition #Dietitian #WeightLoss #Protein #BodyComposition #GLP1Nutrition #WeightAndMeasure #RegisteredDietitian #ObesityCare

GLP-1 medications have become some of the most talked about drugs in medicine—but are they really just "skinny shots"?

In this episode of Weight & Measure with Mike and Zach, we sit down with two of the most respected voices in obesity care to separate fact from fiction and explore where obesity treatment is heading next.

Joining us are:

Ted Kyle, RPh, MBA – Founder of ConscienHealth and one of the nation's leading advocates for evidence-based obesity policy and public education.

Katherine Saunders, MD, DABOM – Obesity Medicine physician and nationally recognized expert on GLP-1 medications, emerging obesity therapies, and comprehensive obesity care.

Together, we discuss why GLP-1 medications are changing much more than body weight, how obesity medicine is shifting its focus toward overall health, and why the next generation of therapies—including retatrutide—could reshape obesity treatment once again.

• Why calling GLP-1s "skinny shots" misses the bigger picture.
• How GLP-1 medications are changing healthcare, society, and the conversation around obesity.
• Why obesity is a chronic disease—and why that idea still faces resistance.
• What CKM (Cardiovascular, Kidney, and Metabolic Health) means and why it's becoming a new framework for treating patients.
• The latest research on access to obesity care and what the "secret shopper" study revealed.
• How social media has influenced public understanding of obesity, for better and for worse.
• The science behind glucagon agonists, amylin agonists, and combination therapies.
• Why retatrutide has generated so much excitement—and why experts caution that more weight loss doesn't automatically mean a better medication.
• How GLP-1 medications fit alongside metabolic and bariatric surgery as part of comprehensive, individualized obesity care.
• What today's obesity experts hope we'll understand differently about GLP-1s twenty years from now.

Whether you're living with obesity, taking a GLP-1 medication, considering metabolic and bariatric surgery, following the latest research on retatrutide, or simply trying to better understand obesity as a chronic disease, this conversation provides practical, evidence-based insights grounded in science—not stigma.

• Ted Kyle, RPh, MBA
• Katherine Saunders, MD, DABOM

GLP-1 • GLP-1 medications • Retatrutide • Tirzepatide • Semaglutide • Ozempic • Wegovy • Mounjaro • Zepbound • Obesity Medicine • Obesity Care • Chronic Disease • CKM • Cardiovascular Kidney Metabolic Health • Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery • Weight Loss Medications • Anti-Obesity Medications • Emerging Obesity Therapies • Glucagon Agonists • Amylin Agonists • Comprehensive Obesity Care • Weight Bias • Obesity Advocacy • Patient Advocacy • Evidence-Based Medicine

If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe to Weight & Measure on YouTube and follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music so you never miss future conversations exploring the science of obesity, GLP-1 medications, metabolic and bariatric surgery, and the future of evidence-based obesity care.

More Science. Less Stigma.