If you are looking for smart, compassionate guidance on GLP-1s and sustainable weight care, these are the books and podcasts I keep recommending. This list is for people on their own weight loss journey, but it is also a valuable resource for clinicians and coaches, including physicians, dietitians, therapists, and personal trainers. I will keep adding to this guide as I discover more standouts and please feel free to send me suggestions.
Books
Weightless by Rocio Salas-Whalen, MD is one of the most practical and reassuring guides I have come across for anyone considering or actively using GLP-1 therapy. It walks readers through the basics of what GLP-1s are, how these medications differ from the hormones made naturally in the body, how dosing works, why traditional weight loss methods often stop working, and what to expect when starting treatment. What makes this book especially helpful is that it goes beyond the prescription itself, covering access issues, side effects, muscle retention, nutrition, and long-term maintenance with both clarity and compassion. If you want a science-based resource that also feels deeply human, this is an excellent place to start.
Losing the Weight Loss Meds by Holly Wyatt, MD, and James O. Hill, PhD offers something many readers are already wondering about: what happens if you need, or want, to stop GLP-1 medications? This book lays out a thoughtful 10-week transition plan designed to help readers come off the medication without regaining the weight. While the authors clearly support long-term GLP-1 use when appropriate, they also recognize the real-world reasons people may stop, whether due to cost, insurance changes, side effects, or personal choice. Their approach is grounded, realistic, and refreshingly honest. The strategies they share, from building a healthier food environment to protecting muscle mass, strengthening mindset, and planning for maintenance, make this a valuable read not just for coming off medication, but for mastering the long game of weight management.
Diet, Drugs and Dopamine: The New Science of Achieving a Healthy Weight by David A. Kessler, MDtakes a wider-angle look at weight through the lens of cravings, addiction, and brain science. Kessler, a former FDA commissioner, explores how highly processed foods interact with the brain’s reward system and why so many people feel trapped in cycles of overeating and food noise. For readers interested in GLP-1s, this book adds helpful context: these medications do not just reduce appetite, they also seem to quiet the drive toward hyperpalatable foods for many people. What I appreciate most is that the book does not present medication as a magic fix. Instead, it emphasizes that lasting change also depends on building a healthier lifestyle, creating guardrails, and learning how to manage triggers over time.
Podcasts
Weight Loss and…, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and its website, is hosted by Holly Wyatt, MD, and James O. Hill, PhD. I recommend this podcast to almost anyone interested in weight loss, whether they are using GLP-1 medications or not. Holly and Jim have a gift for translating decades of research and clinical experience into conversations that are evidence-based, approachable, and genuinely useful. Episodes typically run about 45 minutes and cover topics such as why the body fights weight loss, common myths, food noise, practical GLP-1 insights, and how to navigate an off-ramp when needed because of cost, insurance changes, or side effects. If you want weight management content that is smart, grounded, and easy to return to again and again, this podcast is absolutely worth a regular spot in your rotation.
The Obesity Guide with Matthea Rentea, MD is a practical, science-based podcast hosted by a physician who is board-certified in Obesity Medicine. She along with guest speakers (dietitians, trainers, therapists, doctors) in weight management and well-being review cover practical topics from lunch time menu hacks, how weight cycling harms your metabolic health, minimizing hair loss, skin removal, raising confident kids while you’re still figuring it out, taste changes, and navigating the holidays. Episodes range in time from 15 to 60 minutes. Her real-world advice and guest discussions will leave you with additional tools to succeed in your own health journey.
Categories: Nutrition & Wellness, GLP 1
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