GLP-1s, Boundaries, and Protecting Your Recovery

GLP-1 medications are no longer just a headline, they’re showing up at family parties, in group chats, and at work. When bodies change fast and the story is “I’m just eating cleaner,” it can stir up a messy mix of grief, anger, jealousy, confusion, and shame, especially for anyone healing their relationship with food. We wanted a real conversation that doesn’t flatten this into good or bad.

We’re joined by Jillian Higbee, LPC and founder of Higbee Counseling, to unpack GLP-1s through the lens of eating disorder recovery, body image, and diet culture. We talk about why clients often assume their therapist or registered dietitian will judge them, and how we approach these decisions with body autonomy, informed consent, and ongoing check-ins. We also dig into the research gaps and the “experimental phase” reality, plus practical concerns like appetite suppression, GI side effects, consistent nutrition, protein needs, and muscle loss risk.

A big thread is food noise: when quieting it can create breathing room and make recovery work possible, and when it can blur genuine hunger cues and increase disconnection. We also get concrete about boundaries, from limiting weight loss talk with loved ones to curating social media, especially as summer ramps up body-focused messaging.

If you’re feeling triggered or conflicted, you’re not alone. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs nuance, and leave a review so more people can find support that actually helps.

To learn more about Jillian, visit https://www.higbeecounseling.com/. 

Show notes:

Trigger warning: this show is not medical, nutrition, or mental health treatment and is not a replacement for meeting with a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Mental Health Provider, or any other medical provider. You can find resources for how to find a provider, as well as crisis resources, in the show notes. Listener discretion is advised.

Resource links:

Alliance for Eating Disorders: https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/ 

ANAD: https://anad.org/

NEDA: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

NAMI: https://nami.org/home

Action Alliance: https://theactionalliance.org/

NIH: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/

How to find a provider: 

https://map.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us

https://www.healthprofs.com/us/nutritionists-dietitians?tr=Hdr_Brand

Suicide & crisis awareness hotline: call 988 (available 24/7)

Eating Disorder hotline: call or text 800-931-2237 (Phone line is available Monday-Thursday 11 am-9 pm ET and Friday 11 am-5 pm ET; text line is available Monday-Thursday 3-6 pm ET and Friday 1-5 pm ET)

If you are experiencing a psychiatric or medical emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

Transcript

Health, Healing, And Sponsor Message

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Join us as we redefine, reclaim, and restore the true meaning of health.

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Let's dive into the tough conversations about mental health, nutrition, eating disorders, diet culture, and body image. This is Nourish and Empower. This episode is brought to you by Hilltop Behavioral Health, specializing in eating disorder treatment. Hilltop offers integrated therapy and nutrition care in one compassionate setting.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Visit www.hilltopbehavioralhealth.com because healing happens here.

Meet Gillian Higbee And The Topic

SPEAKER_00 0:46

Hi, everybody. Welcome to this week's episode. Today we have with us Gillian Higbee. She's a licensed professional counselor and the founder of Higbee Counseling, a virtual therapy practice serving adolescents, college students, and adults throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She specializes in eating disorders, RFID, body image concerns, anxiety, perfectionism, and life transitions, and is passionate about helping clients build a healthier relationship with food, their bodies, and themselves. Jillian's dedication to this work is rooted in both her professional training and personal connection to the recovery process, allowing her to bring empathy, authenticity, and evidence-based care to the individual she serves. Through her practice, she works with clients navigating recovery, self-worth, and the challenges of building trust in themselves in a world that often sends conflicting messages about food, weight, and health. Trigger warning: we are identifying the following triggers that will be discussed but are not limited to eating disorders, body image, GLP1 medications, and mental health. Listener discretion is advised. This show is not medical, nutrition, or mental health treatment, and it's not a replacement for meeting with a registered dietitian, a licensed mental health provider, or any other medical provider. You can find resources for how to find a provider as well as crisis resources in the show notes. Hi, Jillian. Thank you for being here. Hello, thank you so much for having me, ladies. I appreciate it. Yeah, we're so excited. We we have a really great topic today of GLP1s, food noise, and eating disorders. And I loved in your bio that last line where it said the challenges of building trust in themselves in a world that often sends conflicting messages about food, weight, and health. And I was like, wow, what a great segue into our topic today, where conflicting messages are definitely a big part of all this.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

Oh yeah. Oh yeah, oh yeah.

Why GLP-1s Feel So Triggering

SPEAKER_01 2:41

What got you into the topic of GLPs? Like helping with clients and that.

SPEAKER_02 2:47

Yeah, I mean, just how prevalent it is right now. And I think a lot of my clients too, especially my clients who are in recovery right now are really triggered. They're really triggered and they're seeing people in bodies that they've never seen them in before. And I think we've come such a long way with challenging the thin ideal. So it does worry me that this is kind of setting us back. Um, so I've had a lot of conversations with clients who are just in recovery and who have taken like so much, you know, have worked so hard and taken so many steps to like accept their bodies and then seeing family members or friends in bodies that yeah, they've never seen them in before is yeah, it's been really hard. So a lot of conversations like that have been coming up in my sessions.

SPEAKER_01 3:39

Oh my god, yeah. I feel like it's literally everywhere.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

Yeah, everywhere. I'm sure in I mean, I in my life, I know people who who are are on them or I suspect they're on them. I'm sure maybe you guys might too. So I'm even seeing it. And it's yeah, it's it's everywhere.

SPEAKER_00 3:58

And I feel like a few years ago it was the like Hollywood celebrity kind of GLP boom. And even though that could be really hard and triggering for people as well, I do feel like the past few months that it has kind of like hit home in a sense for people, where it's friends and you know, coworkers and family members, neighbors, their kids' teacher, like whoever it might be. I just feel like that has such a different effect when it's like in your community and your everyday life versus the like a few years ago where it was like, yeah, it was on the tablets and in the news and everything again, which is still triggering. But there's kind of that like natural degree of separation or that way to be like, oh, okay, well, like, you know, how could I compare to a celebrity who's just in a different socioeconomic status and has all these different resources, but now it's like people on the ground level. Right.

SPEAKER_01 4:51

And for reasons too that I feel like aren't I don't know. And this is, I think, just my biasy because GLPs make me cringe. But I think it just I also feel like for like medical reasons that you wouldn't think of that make me question like, are we just searching for a medical reason to be okay in my air quotes with people to use it to like hide the guise of like weight loss? You know what I mean? And I just feel like we're reaching for things to just be like go on a GLP to lose weight, and it like bothers me.

SPEAKER_02 5:26

So yeah, definitely. I also feel like it's hard too, because um, at least in my life, I know people who I suspect they're on them, but aren't being honest about it. So it's like to the public, like for example, I know someone who I think is on a GLP one, but she's not admitting it. So I think to the public, it can give you an idea like, is someone go like shifting to that body naturally? And it's confusing. Um, and it's like setting this standard that like your body like can change naturally. And yeah, even for me, it's been really triggering. I have a family member who I think might be on one, and she's like, No, I'm just working out, and I've just been eating cleaner, so I feel like that can risk people being like, Well, why am I working out and eating cleaner and why don't I look like that? If that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 6:23

So it's really hard. Yeah.

Nuance, Autonomy, And Informed Choices

SPEAKER_00 6:26

So if people are feeling triggered or confused, curious, conflicted, like lots of different words we can use about GLP medications, whether it is they're having these thoughts for themselves or for somebody else in their life, what would you want them to know about approaching this topic with self-compassion and critical thinking?

SPEAKER_02 6:49

I would encourage and I encourage my clients to just like slow down and try to make room for nuance and just complexity. You know, I think just the topic of GLP bonds has become so polarized, and either people are framing them as a miracle solution or just inherently harmful. And I feel like the reality is like there's just so much nuance to it. And I think just accepting that both can be true, like these medications are life-changing for some people, especially some people who have struggled with binging, and the food noise has just been so prevalent and it hasn't enabled them to like start their weight loss journey, but that it can also be problematic for another person. So I feel like I always encourage my clients to realize like both principles can be true at the same time. And yeah, just to be self-compassionate because a lot of like people's reactions are rooted in their own personal experiences. So I feel like we just need to be compassionate with ourselves.

SPEAKER_00 8:05

Yeah. And like if this is something that you, you know, are feeling this draw to, then like, you know, having a good understanding of possible side effects, having an understanding of what, you know, dosages and the doses schedule could look like, having an understanding of, you know, not that we can perfectly predict somebody's experience, but like having an understanding of like what a potential experience could be like. So that way, you know, clients have body autonomy. And I I always want to like respect that and honor that, but want them to like be able to be as informed as possible rather than just getting, you know, kind of like sucked into the the marketing and then like the the magic wand kind of effects that the marketing is showing us when that is, you know, vastly different from a lot of people's reality.

SPEAKER_01 8:57

Right. Yeah. I feel like it's so hard too, because with like we've been talking about, right? When of GLPs being so close to home, I feel like with our clients of seeing I'm learning and being taught, and almost, you know, some clients would be like, well, I'm forced to do recovery, like I'm forced to be in this space, but then actively they're watching somebody else take the GLP one and they're actively watching people's

Recovery Comparisons And Finding Acceptance

SPEAKER_01 9:22

bodies change. And it is very confusing when it's like, Why are you telling me I can't when they can? And I'm wondering for you, Jillian, right? Like when you're working with someone who's working through eating disorder recovery, if they come to you and say, Why do I have to stop doing what they're doing when theirs is just because of a medication and theirs is like, you know, societally approved, you know, how do you help someone work through that? Because that's hard.

SPEAKER_02 9:46

Yeah. You know, I think that's that it's valid. And and I would I put myself in their shoes. Like, I get that. It's not fair. You know, I think maybe like acceptance, right? Like I try to guide clients to to acceptance. And I always say, right, acceptance doesn't mean it's fair, and it doesn't mean that you like what's happening, but you're only making yourself suffer more by like comparing your journey to somebody else's. Um, so I guess I would say like trying to help clients come to a place of acceptance while also at the same time validating, like, yeah, it's it's not fair. But again, you have to just try so hard to like remember your individual experience. And I know it's so hard to not compare, but I think that's why I emphasize like there's just nuance to this. There is. So I guess just trying, yeah, to guide them to a place of acceptance, but it's hard. I get it. And I would feel the same way to be honest. Like, I think that would be hard for me not to be like in a way, like, why do they get I don't want to say like an an easy out, but like I feel like it could seem like that sometimes, you know? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

No, I thought you say that where it's like it is that easy out, and it's like the permission, right? Like they people are getting permission to do these things, but if we boil down to it, well, they're all doing the same thing. It's just like what we're approving as okay and accepted, and what we're saying is not okay, and it's so disheartening for clients, and I get it that frustration. And I and I think you like you do bring a good perspective of like there are nuances to things. I think it's just a very difficult like action to action, like it it can feel very black and white, right?

SPEAKER_02 11:41

Right. Definitely, yeah. It's tough. It's it's definitely

Research Gaps And Team-Based Care

SPEAKER_02 11:46

tough. And I mean, at the end of the day, like GLP ones, right? They I think I was reading they didn't they weren't FDA approved for weight loss until like 2014, I think. And there's still so many on the market who that aren't FDA approved. So I mean, right, that's where that's where it's complicated because they're meant, you know, like they're meant to be for diabetes. Like that's how they came to the market. So, yes, again, there's nuance, but it's it's so complicated. It is, and we've come so far with I feel like in ways, right? We've come so far with with challenging the thin ideal. And again, it's just yeah, I mean, I think it's really triggering. It's really, really triggering, and especially when it's so ever present, and it's like you can set boundaries, but it's still everywhere, it's still everywhere, you know. So it's really tough. Yeah, it's so hard.

SPEAKER_00 12:45

I'm wondering if you both have had this experience because I was thinking about this before we started recording earlier today. And I find that a lot of clients come into conversations with me about GLPs, assuming certain opinion that I might have or not have. And I'm just curious if you guys have had that experience or not, because I feel like that's like a big piece of this work and eating disorders too. And I I have a take on it, but I'm curious what you guys think.

SPEAKER_02 13:13

Probably, yeah, probably. And I feel like that shows up in in other contexts too as a therapist, but yeah, probably. And I try to just kind of be more like matter-of-fact and and psychoeducation, you know, provide psychoeducation. But yeah, I mean, they probably have have a stance of where I'm at, I would say. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

Oh, yeah, my clients do. They definitely come up with sessions, and if they're they're like, Jess, I'm starting a GLP, they're like, I like I literally have had those experiences where clients are like, we have to have a conversation. I'm like, okay, and they're like, I'm starting a GLP. And I just, you know, sit and I try and stay composed and like not have facial expressions, which is very difficult for myself. And but you know, like clients, they they know it's coming from a place of concern of like what is the intention here. And I think too, right, like I think what clients I think what from the therapeutic standpoint, right? Like when you're working with someone that's work that's struggling with an eating disorder and going through recovery, you're hearing all of the different pros and cons and what like their strengths and weaknesses, where they're succeeding in their recovery and where they're struggling. And there are going to be ways that doctors, NPs, whoever it is, are going to try and frame the GLP to seem as though that it's not disordered. And you know, clients could believe it. And so I very much always come from the stance of like, where is this coming from? And are we not really putting our eyes to everything that is in front of us?

SPEAKER_02 14:50

Right.

SPEAKER_01 14:51

So I think clients definitely have an idea of the stance that I'm in. But at the same time, I am very it's your body, you have autonomy, you can do what you want, that's fine. We will just constantly check in and we will just constantly make sure that it hasn't gone from like this is my body autonomy, and I'm making a decision based on my health. And like if there is anything disordered or weird going on, we are going to have those conversations to make sure what's really underneath there because something could happen and you don't see it as disordered, or you don't see it as the disorder manipulating things, and then two weeks later, you might be like, Oh shoot, right? So we will have conversations, but I definitely think they uh probably know where I stay in.

SPEAKER_02 15:46

Yep. Yeah. How about you, Maggie? Do you feel like your clients know?

SPEAKER_00 15:53

I think that I think that people come in with a strong assumption that I would be like absolutely against them. And like my opinion as a provider is like we have to always go based off like the science and the research. And it's like you can't make a recommendation just based off of my opinion. That's like one of my biggest stances as a dietitian. So I kind of always like frame it to clients and also think about it this way for myself of like we're kind of like still in an experimental phase with these. So, like Jillian, you said this earlier, but like GLPs have been around since the 1980s, but specifically for diabetes care. And then like 2014 approved for weight loss, but really not till like 2021 was where we actually like saw the implementation of them for weight loss. And so, especially with our clients with eating disorders or clients in recovery with you know past eating disorders, it's like we're like in a very experimental phase right now where like there are you know trials going on of how can GLPs impact clients who have binge eating disorder, you know, or binging tendencies, or for clients with you know primary bulimia diagnoses, like how can that impact things? But like we just don't have the research to really support the like benefit or the drawback. And so I kind of always frame it in that way. And like that's the way that I think with clients I look at it too of okay, like what are the potential benefits? What are the potential drawbacks? And at the end of the day, like everything with their body is their own decision. And I always frame it as like my role as your dietitian doesn't change with the implementation of a medication. Like, my goal is always to make sure my clients are eating adequately, consistently, in a variety. And that doesn't change whether there's a GLP involved, that doesn't change whether there's an ADHD medication involved that impacts appetite in very similar ways as GLPs, you know.

SPEAKER_03 17:44

Right.

SPEAKER_00 17:44

A lot of our mental health medications impact somebody's appetite, could impact somebody's weight. And so I kind of always frame it that way of like, my role doesn't really change. I try to be as neutral, you know, as possible. But I always think it's interesting how people come in with like, I have I have really, really seen that people coming in, sort of framing the conversation of like, I know that you're gonna say no to this. And I'm like, it's not my job to tell you yes or no. You know, it's my job to like explore and you know, be mindful of some of like the shifts that we could see happen and you know, kind of point things out clinically, but like it's not, you know, at the end of the day, it's not my decision.

SPEAKER_02 18:21

Right. Right. And if anything, too, I feel like your role, Maggie, is so important with GLP ones because, you know, you lose a lot of muscle math with right weight loss, you lose a lot of fat math and muscle mass. And so I think it's so important, right? You clients have to increase their protein, or they have to like be super intentional about like maybe even sometimes scheduling meal times because their hunger cues might be different and they might not have as much of an appetite. So I feel like if anything, your role is like just as it's like so important.

SPEAKER_00 18:56

Yeah, and all the GI symptoms that can come up too. And so, like a lot of like how do we like alleviate and mitigate symptoms? And you know, and the one thing I will say is like a kind of a benefit in a sense to like all of this the past few years is like I do think that other healthcare providers are like respecting dietitians a bit more and like recommending people see dietitians and like refer to dietitians more, just given the nature of all of like the nutritional side effects, right? And like you said, like preventing muscle wasting and mitigating GI symptoms, and you know, how do we make sure people are still eating adequately? So that piece at least has been really like nice to see that I feel like dietitians are being taken more seriously.

SPEAKER_01 19:40

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I do agree with that. I do feel like there has been more of a hey, you're doing this, and instead of it just being like, hey, you're doing this. And I do appreciate that a lot of a lot of providers are understanding the importance of the nutrition. I just wish that we felt that way without a GLP medication.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

Right.

SPEAKER_01 20:03

But if this is the bridge that we are using to get us to understanding what it is that people need in this world, then I will be very, very grateful to the GLP world for putting a bridge in for us to understand that nutrition and dietitians are very, very important. I don't love how we may have gotten here, but I would that's what we need.

SPEAKER_02 20:24

That is right. Yeah.

Food Noise Relief Versus Body Cues

SPEAKER_02 20:28

Well, what's interesting too is a lot of people are saying from like what I was researching that, and I don't know if it's being used like that, but people are saying that like GLP ones can be used more as like a tool because maybe the food noise has been so loud that there have been people who like haven't had the mental capacity to like make sustained changes with their weight loss journey or whatever it may be. So some people are like advocating, okay, maybe the GLP ones are used as a tool so that people finally have enough mental space to like dive into their eating disorder recovery or look into their emotional eating and develop more coping skills. So I don't know if that's happening, but there's been a lot of talk of like using it more as a tool so that they have, you know, now that their mental hunger and food noises is subsided to like work on recovery. But that's the important thing to like actually do that, do the work. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:32

Yeah, I've definitely, I mean, I've definitely had experience with people describing that and you know, kind of that that mental clarity that it feels like coming, you know, coming in from not having that consistent kind of hum about food in the the back of their mind all throughout the day. And I think the tricky part with that is like there's this fine line of, you know, reducing the food noise and also ensuring that that isn't like Further disconnecting somebody from their body from their cues. Because, you know, there are also times where our thoughts around food are a hunger cue or are, you know, kind of a call from the brain to the body of like, hey, we need this nutrient. And so I think there's kind of this like line that you're balancing on each side of like, you know, for people that are experiencing, you know, intense levels of food noise that's disruptive to their life, like absolutely we want that relief. And also we want to ensure that we're not crossing then that line of like complete separation and disconnect from somebody's cues. Because I was described, like part of the role of nutrition and eating disorder recovery is like we want to take the brain and body from like hitting into each other, like fighting each other. And we want to like join hands, right? We want the brain and body to connect. And so it's like, how do we still work on that connection while you know there could be this kind of disconnector coming in?

SPEAKER_02 23:01

Yeah. Yeah. That's a really good point.

SPEAKER_01 23:05

And I feel like it's hard to do that for some people, but I agree. I feel like I have seen in personal life and in work life, right? Like I've had people say, like, I'm able to wake up in the morning and my head isn't screaming about food. Right. And so, like, I definitely have seen that it allows more mental space of like I'm able to focus on my kids more, I'm able to focus on me more, I'm able to be present. Like my work day can just be about work and I'm not constantly like having this ping-pong match in my brain, or like I'm able to go to a party and not just like panic and I'm able to be present, right? Like, I definitely think in that regard, I have heard again, personal and in work, I've heard people like feel like there's more room to breathe a little bit. But I do agree with you, Maggie. I feel like it is hard to then determine, okay, but was that just a hunger cue that you were experiencing? But it was your brain having a conversation with you instead of your stomach having a conversation with you, or was it actually like food noise? And I think sometimes you can differentiate the two, but I also think you have to be willing to sit with that and not everybody's willing, just like you were saying, Jillian, to do the work to figure out what was really going on and what were you experiencing? And I feel like that's where we're missing it, right? We're missing the piece of once we figure out and like fine, if we're going on a GLP, great. Now what are we doing to figure out what was really going on with our relationship with food? That's the part that people don't want to go to, but that's the important piece we have to get to.

SPEAKER_02 24:39

Right, right. Because it's uncomfortable, like you said. Yeah, a hundred percent. Yeah, it's super uncomfortable. Yeah, it's so hard. And I don't know, like, I've read so much about like just asking yourself like how it's affecting your quality of life in in general, because you know, like it's I think we have to look as clinicians at like the whole person, like, how is it affecting someone physically, emotionally, socially? But yeah, I mean, there's so much, there's so much gray. There's such a gray area, and I don't know, and it's hard too. Like, are people? I think I read too like the average person takes it, takes a GLP one for like two years, but there are people who like they take it for life, and then then it comes to like, well, are you healing like are you doing the inner work if you're taking it for forever, you know? Um because then if you get off it, are you just like is the same thing gonna happen again? Like, you know, so it's too hard. It is. I'm so curious to see though. Yeah, I mean, like you guys were saying, just the longitudinal studies that you know, like because yeah, it's so new. We we don't know, we don't know the effects. So it'll be interesting to see. It's scary, it's it's scary.

SPEAKER_00 26:04

Yeah, I'm curious to ask both of you too.

Disconnection, Mental Health, And Real Tradeoffs

SPEAKER_00 26:09

I don't really know how this question's gonna come out, so I'm gonna do my best, but just kind of like I always think about the disconnect between somebody's brain and body, right? Like I always feel like as a dietitian, I go more like the physical route. But it's for you both as therapists. If somebody's introducing in a GLP, which, like we said earlier, can be a disconnector in some ways. How have you seen the ripple effect of that when it comes to like mental health treatment or other ways that they can become disconnected? Does that make sense? I think so.

SPEAKER_02 26:40

Okay, yeah, kind of repeated it one more time.

SPEAKER_00 26:44

So my as you're both staring at me. That was like, I think I get it, but so when when I think of a GLP as a disconnector, yeah, I think of the disconnect between like somebody's brain and body, right? Like their their hunger and fullness cues as an example, right? Like how there can be a disconnect there. But I'm curious from the mental health perspective of how introducing something like a disconnector into somebody's treatment, like the ripple effect of that, of like how that could create further disconnect in other areas, like almost is it a I'm blanking on the word when people feel super disconnected. Dissociation? Yes, yes, yes, exactly. Like almost like like almost like a like a dissociation.

SPEAKER_01 27:32

So are you asking like how a GLP like makes someone dissociate from life? And like what we've seen in that area, like the ripple effect of like if you're disconnected from one area, how does that continue to make you disconnect from others?

SPEAKER_00 27:46

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Like disconnect from other people, disconnect from your body.

SPEAKER_02 27:50

Yeah, right. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's interesting. I mean, it pro it makes sense, like probably, right? Because if you're feeling disconnected from your body, I feel like there's an internal struggle there, and maybe you'll shut down socially and you might isolate, you know. So I'm sure, yeah, like being disconnected from your body can have can have other effects. Yeah, socialization and just I mean, I don't know. That's yeah, I'm sure just internal turmoil because that's so uncomfortable. You know, the discomfort that's created from being disconnected from maybe how you feel and how you think versus you know what's going on physically. So I feel like it probably could lead to increased like anxiety and depression. Have I seen that yet? I don't know. That's very it'll be interesting, interesting to see. Because I know that too, like so much of this for my clients is like taking GLP ones is kind of like targeting internal distress. Like, even if I have some clients who maybe like are at the certain weight to like need a GLP one, they have been struggling so much with food noise where they haven't been able to take off X amount of weight, and internally they've just been so unhappy. So I'm seeing benefits there, but again, yeah, there's so much nuance to it because I don't I can't stop saying that, but because you know, like yeah, it does disconnect you from your body too. So I don't know, I'm sure I will see it for sure.

SPEAKER_01 29:27

Yeah, yeah. I don't think I've seen I will say I have not had a lot of clients on GLPs. So my sample size is like probably at a negative two compared to what like other people have experienced, like as clinicians. I feel like when I've seen, I honestly feel like I've seen the opposite in the in the and so this is where my stuff's coming out because I'm like, do I say it? Yes, Jessica, we're going to be honest here. But I feel like I've seen the opposite where like I feel like I've had clients say that they're able to challenge more, they're able to be more present, they're able to, you know, uh, you know, go outside and just kind of say, like, I don't really give an F. We're doing what we're doing, and feel like they might have more energy. I feel like there are definitely moments where, in my experience, there have been really bad GI experiences where it's like I wasn't able to go outside and there was a longing there of, you know, I wasn't sure if I was gonna have to go to the bathroom, or I wasn't sure if I was going to get sick. And that part definitely wasn't fun. I feel like if the negative experiences and side effects happened long term, I think I probably would have seen that dissociation and disconnection more. But for the experiences I've had as a clinician, my clients didn't have that severe of negative happen for the dissociation or disconnection to really occur. But like again, I'm thinking of just like my very small sample size. And I don't know if because here's the tough thing, too. From what I've experienced, the clients we've done work together. You know what I mean? Like, we've gone through the weeds, we've discussed a whole lot of body image, body acceptance. We've talked about, you know, their relationship with food and they ebb and they flow through I'm being very intuitive to like my eating disorder brain is very loud. So my clients to a certain extent have experienced a very, very solid sense of recovery. So then when the GLP gets introduced, to me, what I've seen is almost that like the eating disorder food noise that we've been talking about really has decreased. So their ability to be a little bit more in tune, and I use that word very lightly because how in tune are you with that disconnector? I just feel like they've been able to be like, okay, well, like I'm craving a bagel, I'm gonna have a bagel, and the battery they have in their head is not as loud. So I've seen clients be able to then have conversations with me about their relationship with food and about their fear of certain things much more freely than if they weren't on the GLP. Right. Which I found very interesting. It's almost like when your client is very, very anxious and all of a sudden you put them on Zoloft and all of a sudden they're like, wow, I could talk to you about all of these things because I no longer feel my anxiety. Like I've seen that happen with GLPs. Now, again, my sample size is a very little, so I don't also want to read this as like a positive and like four GLPs for my clients because but I I have seen it hell to a certain degree.

SPEAKER_02 32:51

Yeah, yeah. No, but me too. Me too. That's that's what's interesting, right? Because again, going back to that food noise, it it clears so much space in your head where like I'm seeing clients be more present, right? Like live more presently. So that means they're more they're participating more in at work, uh, and so you know, in their social experiences. So I think there's two sides to the coin. I think it could honestly go either way, really. Yeah, yeah. That's interesting though.

SPEAKER_01 33:22

Yeah, because then obviously, right? There are people that go on GLPs and they're just like restrictive because they're not feeling anything and they're not doing the work and they don't see a dietitian, and they're just kind of like, I'm doing what I'm doing and it's fine. And like those are the people that I think are getting very disconnected that aren't doing the work to ensure that they're having nutritionally what it is that they need. Whereas the clients that I'm working with, whether it's they're working with a dietitian or they've just been working with a team sporadically, whatever parts, that they know what they need to do and they follow suit with that. You know what I mean? So I think it's the people that, and this is a generalization, and so like I mean this very respectfully, but I think adding to your question, I feel like the dissociation and the disconnection happens more when people aren't forcing themselves to include the nutritional piece to the GLP one, more so than if someone is being very intentional about ensuring that they're getting food in their bellies because, like we've been talking about, GLPs disconnect you from those receptors. Right. And so if you're not making sure it's happening, I think that's when everything disconnects. But my clients have been like, I'm making sure I'm eating however many times a day, I'm getting in my hydration, I'm doing all the things. So I haven't really seen it. That was a very long-winded answer. I am so sorry.

SPEAKER_02 34:47

Might have been two. Might have been two. I agree though with that. I agree. And I feel like maybe it's a little biased because the clients I'm working with, right? Like there is gonna, they're coming to therapy, they're getting, they're seeking help. They also have a a team, a nutritionist. But it's interesting because I'm thinking to myself, I feel like a few people I know in my personal life who, to your point, Jess, are not doing the work or have that nutritional piece, like they probably, and again, I'm just guessing, are feeling more disconnected than our clients who we're seeing who have who are working with the team. So it's interesting.

SPEAKER_00 35:30

Mm-hmm. Yeah, that is interesting. Thank you. No, that's that's making me think a lot. So I appreciate it.

Boundaries With People And Social Media

SPEAKER_00 35:38

Julian, I am curious to ask you. We talked a little bit earlier, somebody said the word boundaries, but I feel like we never really jumped into it. So if somebody is in recovery or going through treatment, and there is somebody in their kind of close personal life who is on a GLP or is starting one, are there any boundaries or coping skills or conversations you encourage them to have and like how to approach that? Because I feel like that's such a real life example that, like we've said, it's like it's happening more and more, and a lot of people are are kind of trying to figure out how to navigate that.

SPEAKER_02 36:15

Great question. Right. Yeah, it's it's really difficult. I mean, I encourage clients to to again like just recognize that like, and I think I might have said this earlier that like someone's decisions about their health, like to and this is easier said than done, but someone's decisions about their health like do not have to then become like your recovery challenge, like your challenge in recovery. And yes, easier said than done. But I think because of that, it's so again important to set boundaries. I mean, I will encourage clients to say, you know, like even just to you can offer support, be like, I'm supportive of your choices, but like, could we not discuss weight loss, medications, calories, you know, like just how we would encourage clients to set boundaries in general, like maybe just setting boundaries around like let's not talk about any medications you're taking. It gets a little tricky because I was reading kind of going on a tangent, but I was reading this article the other day, and it was talking about this woman who was in recovery from an eating disorder. I think she had anorexia, and she cut off a friend who was on like a GLP one medication, and there was a lot of discourse about that. So that's tricky. I mean, especially right, because what if they're they are doing it for healthy reasons and they are also seeing a nutritionist? So that might be extreme. Again, it's a case-by-case basis, but but I think yeah, just having those like open and honest conversations. I also think boundaries, yes, with your relationships, but also just with like the content you're consuming. I mean, like curating your social media, like, are you following a lot of people or celebrities who are taking GLP ones? I think just setting boundaries with that again, it's ubiquitous, it's everywhere, but there are little things that we can do. So I think like curating your social media, setting boundaries with yourself where like you're maintaining consistent eating patterns and like sticking to your meal plan despite like someone else's dietary changes. So yeah, I think there's a lot of boundaries, but I would say even like just your social media and like the content you're consuming and like noticing when you're triggered and like, okay, well, why? What am I doing? Have I been spending a lot of time on my phone? Have I been engaging a lot of in a lot of conversations about GLP ones? Who am I surrounding myself with? Do I need to go to more like recovery groups or surround myself with people who are more recovery oriented? So I think it's like asking yourself, noticing you're triggered and like, okay, well, what's going on? What am I doing? And what do I need to do more of? And what do I need to do less of, if that makes sense? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:15

Yeah, that's such a good point about the social media stuff, too, and how that can all kind of loop into that. Plus, like, we can't ignore that we're heading into summer and a warmer time of year, and that brings up, you know, other body image concerns in addition. So it's kind of like the perfect storm right now.

SPEAKER_01 39:33

It's like so sad that summer gets so tainted. It's the best season, in my professional personal opinion. And it's just so sad that you can't like because that's something kind of off topic, but like, because that's something that clients, you know, have been that talk about typically like summertime, right? Or like even now, of how hard it is to just enjoy summer because everywhere they go, there's a billboard, there's a commercial, there's you know, something on the radio, there's something on you know TV, social media, whatever, GLPs and weight loss, and like, you know, this outfit, that outfit, whatever. And they're like, I just want to enjoy summer, and they feel like they can't. Everything is geared towards bodies and weight loss and everything, and it's just infuriating. Like, just let people live. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:23

Yeah. I know it is. It is because, right? Like, yes, I'm talking about you can set boundaries, but like you're yeah, you're in the car and it's on a billboard, you're yeah, you're watching TV and there's a commercial with I can think of one now, with like Serena Williams or something talking about GLP One. Like, there's it's everywhere. Yeah, it's everywhere. There are some people though. I watched this one show. Like, there, have you guys I'm like going into pop culture, but do you guys know like the secret lives of Mormon wives? Have you guys like heard of that show? Yeah, there's the one girl on it, Layla. Her name is, she had an she was a spokesperson, she had an eating disorder, and she admitted that she was taking a GLP1. And that was really helpful. I I I really appreciated that because I feel like hopefully that helped people be like, she is not in this thin body on her, like she was abused, you know, and she knew it, but she was abusing a GLP one, and it just helped hopefully debunk like this is not natural, and there are people struggling with this. So I hope that that can be more present as well. But you know, time will tell. I know it's so hard, but you know, but then again, right, it's the other side of like if people are taking it in a healthy way, hopefully they can be more present in the summer and enjoy their experiences. So there's so many sides, you know.

SPEAKER_00 41:54

Yeah.

Final Takeaways And How To Connect

SPEAKER_00 41:55

Jalen, is there anything on this topic we we didn't talk about that you had wanted to or you had kind of I know you had mentioned researching a few times recently, like anything that we didn't talk about yet?

SPEAKER_02 42:08

Um I'm trying to think. I don't think necessarily. I mean, it's it's just tough. It's it's really tough, I guess, if there's one thing I could continue to hone in on is just like, yeah, do your research. And yeah, I think as we said, like working with just a multidisciplinary team and like having a nutritionist and and you know, from a dietitian's perspective, from a therapist's perspective, like it's just so important to do the work. And and and that's what it's been, that's what it's been at the end of the day. There's been fad diets, there's been, you know, before this, right? And still there's people getting bariatric surgery. There's now the GLP ones at the end of the day, like none of this is gonna be sustainable if you don't, you know, solve what's in here. So yeah, I think that's always been the take home message, like no matter what form of medication or surgery or pill there's been, you know. So I guess that's what I would say. But yeah, there's so much research on it. It's it's so interesting. There is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:18

All right. Well, before we wrap up, could you just tell people a little bit more about your practice, how they could get connected with you?

SPEAKER_02 43:26

Yes, yes. So, yes, I am working telehealth. I am licensed in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Feel free to give me a follow up on Instagram. I believe my my tag is HidbeCounseling LLC. So you can follow me on Instagram, go to my website, hipbecounseling.com. Yeah, I primarily work with eating disorders, disordered eating, body image, but a whole range of different issues. And I have a personal connection to all of this. So I'm I'm I'm super passionate about it all. So yes. And I have openings right now, so feel free to give me, you know, to reach out to me.

SPEAKER_00 44:08

Awesome. I have my sunflowers here for you. Everything, yes, your your social media is so cute with all the sunflowers and your website and everything. So great my aesthetic.

SPEAKER_02 44:18

And Maggie, and I think in other, when I saw your clips from other podcasts, I noticed the sunflowers. I love them. Yeah, I'm a sunflower girl.

SPEAKER_00 44:26

Yeah. Before my grandpa passed, he one of his like big things therapeutically after he had a stroke was he started painting. And so he actually painted that one for me, the sunflower one.

unknown 44:39

Love that.

SPEAKER_00 44:39

That's so sweet. And then I have a fruit bowl in my kitchen that he painted too, that I had a friend like help him with. So we have like those little memories all over. Not to make Jess cry or anything, but you know, that's what I have my sunflowers with me always.

SPEAKER_03 44:52

I love them. All right.

SPEAKER_01 44:57

Well, what'd you say? I gotta keep it together. Yeah, sorry. We got a whole day ahead of us.

SPEAKER_00 45:03

Yeah, we have this recurring joke that's not really a joke because it's very true that Jessica cries in every episode.

unknown 45:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:10

I always have to give the disclaimer that like I'm mentally well. Like, I promise you, I'm not having a meant T B, but like I cry in every episode. I'm like, guys, it's fine. We are open with our emotions.

SPEAKER_02 45:20

Yes. If it wasn't you, it would have it wouldn't have been me.

SPEAKER_00 45:23

So my husband's best friend is like, is Jess okay? What's going on with her? Like, she's pretty emotional lately.

SPEAKER_01 45:33

Just a lot of topics that have just been really hitting home and on postpartum. So, like, there's no there you go. There's no, they're just flowing. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 45:45

Well, Jillian, thank you so much. Yeah, we really appreciate you being here and talking about this topic with us. And then for everybody listening, you know, check out Jillian's page on Instagram or you could find her at higbeecounseling.com. So thank you all for listening, and we will catch you on the next episode.

SPEAKER_01 46:05

Awesome. Thank you so much, ladies. I appreciate it. Thank you so much. We'll talk to you soon, guys. Bye. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Nourish and Empower Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 46:19

We hope this episode helped you redefine, reclaim, and restore what health means to you.

SPEAKER_01 46:25

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a rating, and comment and share with anyone else you may feel will benefit.