SPEAKER_00

I can look back and say within the first couple of weeks of being on the medication, I started feeling a palpable difference in just my daily pain. I would often live with kind of a seven to eight on the pain scale pretty much every day. Oh, taking steps was a challenge. Um, you know, I started realizing I'm not taking as much Advil. And I've got a darling husband who would if my muscles were aching, he would like rub my legs for me and things like that. And even he at one point, a couple weeks into it, pointed out, he's like, You you haven't asked me to like like rub anything. And I'm just like, oh my God, I really haven't, have I?

SPEAKER_03

Kelly Mooney was filling out insurance form when she came to this question Have you ever felt like you were in danger because of your physical condition? And she wrote yes, because if her house caught on fire, she couldn't have gotten out. Welcome to the GLP1 Hub podcast. I'm Anna Reisdorf, registered dietitian and GLP1 user. And today I'm joined by Kelly Mooney, a photographer and mother of three from Portland. After decades of dieting, surgery rejections, and a chronic bone disease that left her in daily pain, she became her doctor's very first GLP 1 patient over three years ago. And today we're talking about why bariatric surgery told her she didn't qualify, the surprise benefit that showed up within two weeks of starting the medication, why her timeline didn't match what most people see on social media, and the life that opened up on the other side of starting this medication. And as always, if you're enjoying the podcast, please make sure you leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It really helps us grow. And if you're watching on YouTube, I'd love to hear what you think. So just drop a comment below. Now let's get on to the episode. Welcome to the GLP1 Hub Podcast. I'm really excited today to welcome Kelly Mooney, who is going to share her incredible story of how GLP1 has changed her life over the past few years. So, Kelly, can you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about what you do and who you are?

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. Yeah, and thanks for having me. I'm Kelly Mooney. I am I live in Portland, Oregon, and I am a photographer. I've been doing that now for about 15 years. Um I specialize in like commercial and product photography, and I photograph a lot of people. Before that, though, I had a background in sales and marketing. So I've just I've had a variety of careers in my life, but the most recent one that I've got is one that requires an awful lot of my time and my energy. Sure. Yeah, yeah. But uh nope. And then other than that, a mother of three and I've got a fabulous husband and we've got a nice little life tucked to my hair.

SPEAKER_03

That's wonderful. That's wonderful. So you um have a history of weight loss, and you're currently using a GLP one as well. So can you start from the beginning? You were sharing with me before that you were an athlete and that kind of stuff. So can you start from the beginning of your weight loss journey?

SPEAKER_00

Sure. I mean, like probably a number of your guests, my my journey goes way back. I think I've been fighting my weight most of my life. And I can remember being the kid that was going into the husky section. It went back then, that's what they called it, was shopping in the husky section. But so I was always bigger than average. But beyond that, though, I also was an athlete. So I was really involved in a lot of sports and always incredibly active as a kid, played high school basketball, had some scholarship offers that I did not tap into, but ended up competing on a swimming team. I was on a golf league, all of that. So I stayed active pretty much through college and a little bit beyond that. And again, with most women, that all kind of came to a bit of a halt when I started having children. Yeah. But um, but yeah, I've I literally, you know, I'd always been bigger. And when I had my son, I actually didn't gain an awful lot of weight, was still doing fine. When I had my daughter, when I was pregnant with her, I had an accident. And when I was six weeks along, I shattered my leg. Oh no. Made for a really interesting experience, you know.

SPEAKER_03

You had another child already.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03

So how far apart were they?

SPEAKER_00

They were three years apart. Okay. So we were really fortunate by this time. I was running a pretty successful company that was home-based. And so we did have uh a nanny who helped out with the kids while I was recovering. Well, with my son while we while I was recovering. But because I am so graceful, so I healed from that. And then when I was eight months pregnant, I fell again and broke the same leg. And with that one, uh, because the first time around they'd had to do surgery, pins and plates, like I'd really done a number on it. While you were pregnant? Oh my god. They could do it six weeks, but when you're when you're further along, that's not an option. So they had to induce me. And so, needless to say, that was a a a visual experience having to have both legs stabilized by nurses while I was giving birth and all these fun things. Um, so it made for a bumpy start for my daughter. She was a premi. And um, and as probably a lot of parents or mothers know, you can you can go into after a traumatic birth experience in particular, it can trigger some pretty dark stuff. And in my case, I slipped into a pretty wicked case of postpartum. And that's where the real weight began. So I spent, I spent uh about six months really struggling with that, but probably in that time put on about 35 pounds. This is after I'd given birth, you know? And so that's when the weight, the weight became kind of almost pervasive for me and became started becoming a real, a real daily issue for me.

SPEAKER_03

Sure. And so during that time, like what were some of the things that you tried to manage that weight?

SPEAKER_00

Well, once once I finally kind of emerged, you know, uh with the help, that's with the help of great therapists and all of that. But as when I kind of came out of it and I started, you know, wanting to get my health back, I did what everybody did back then. We joined Weight Watchers, you know, and so that thus began kind of the non-stop cycle of dieting. I, you know, had plenty of success, did Weight Watchers for quite some time and would lose the weight and then gain it back. And so I did that. I did a stint with Over Eaters Anonymous. I did, um, I mean, my gosh, I did it all. If there was a sugar busting diet, we did that. If there was a low-fat diet, oh my gosh, fell into that trap, you know. And I even did a short time on fenfen. So when fenfen was a thing and I lost 40 pounds and had great success with it, right up until I started having heart palpitations.

SPEAKER_03

Oh yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So I I did make a very conscious decision there. I knew what was more important. So at that point then, I still was exercising all the time. I still was trying to diet all the time, but my weight just kept climbing at that point.

SPEAKER_03

And so what was the highest weight that you reached before you got to the GLP?

SPEAKER_00

It was 285 on a scale. So at the time my father, well, my father's been, he's he's a big man. Our children call him big guy, that's to this day. But at his prime, dad was about 6'4 or about 325. And when I hit 285, knowing I was just under six feet tall, I sat there doing the math, going proportionally now I'm actually larger than my father, which that that was a moment for me. That was a big moment for me. And so that was what triggered me to start doing some research, trying to look into like gastric bypass surgery.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. Okay. And so you said that you didn't qualify for gastric bypass surgery. So can you share a little bit about that situation?

SPEAKER_00

I was shocked to discover I actually didn't weigh enough. According to the doctor, I sat there, you know, I was a size 24 woman that was having mobility issues because of my weight. I was really surprised when they said, well, you'd have to actually gain about 15 or 20 more pounds to qualify. And I'm like, oh God, no, I'm not doing that. Right. I flash forward a couple of months, and just as luck and chance would have it, because one of the categories I specialize in for photography, I was doing, um, I was asked to do some headshots for um a bariatric surgeon. And I mean, and I I frequently do headshots and I do photography for authors and for medical professionals, financial professionals. So that's not atypical. But when she was in there, we started talking and I mentioned being declined for the surgery, to which she said, Well, yeah, no, you wouldn't qualify. And I just kept going, okay. She said, but let me tell you, she says, I just came from a conference and we're a couple of months away from this, these new medications hitting the market, and you need to know about them. So she gave me some information to start researching. I mean, my heart started racing. I got so excited when I started reading about what was coming. And uh I used that information. I went and approached my primary physician. Said, you know, I've heard about these medications coming out. And she said, I have no idea what you're talking about. So at the time it was so new that, yeah, literally it was completely new to her. So I went and printed out a bunch of material and brought it to her at my appointment. And she said, All right, let me look into this and I'll I'll tell you if I can do this for you. And so I became her first patient on the GLPs.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. So she was open to it though, because sometimes you I I've heard of doctors saying, Don't ask me about Ozempic. Like there was one person that told me that the doctor had a sign in their office that said that.

SPEAKER_00

That doesn't surprise me, you know. So many people, even to this day, just look at it as just a crutch. And they don't they don't see it as a tool. And um, and so, you know, that doesn't surprise me. I was really fortunate. We've got our our doctor was pretty progressive, and she went and did the research as well. So after I handed her the information, she did not give me an a yes or no immediately. She went back and did the research and came to me and said, no, the the evidence holds up for this one.

SPEAKER_03

Good. Good. Though it's nice to have a doctor like that, doesn't just put up a sign, don't ask me, don't talk about it.

SPEAKER_00

Exactly. Exactly. Yeah, it helps that I'd been with her as many years as I had. So she certainly was aware of all the effort I had made. And I provided food logs and everything. So I had evidence to support the effort I'd effort I'd made.

SPEAKER_03

Absolutely. So did you have any hesitation at all with starting the medication?

SPEAKER_00

Not in the least. I mean, probably should have gone in with a little more skepticism, but I having explored what I thought was every possible avenue, I was I was at the point where I was desperate. I in 2017, I was also diagnosed with this a bone disease called Pagett's. Turns out it's viral. In my case, it's viral. There can be genetic cases of it. In this case, it was a something that I picked up. But pageants essentially cause a spontaneous bone growth internally. And when it finally goes into remission, which it can do spontaneously, which in my case it did, it leaves behind deposits that basically became arthritis. And so I was struggling with a lot of arthritis and inflammation issues that were limiting my mobility. I also had my knees were bone on bone. And, you know, so I spent, I had just dealt, I dealt with a lot of pain. And so, you know, I I knew that quite honestly, if I couldn't get the surgery, I knew there was, I was desperate because my I was starting to envision a life in a wheelchair.

SPEAKER_03

You guys remember my conversation with Beth a while back, the one that became one of the most popular episodes? Well, Beth is from Tide Wellness, and that conversation is the reason I'm comfortable telling you about them today. So many people lose weight on GLP1, feel amazing, and then six months later, they're back to where they started because the program ended or the provider disappeared or they were never set up for the long haul. But Tide Wellness is built differently. Licensed providers who actually adjust your dosing as your body changes. A real care team you can message when you hit a plateau or have a question or need help. Nutrition guidance designed specifically for how GLP1s change your appetite. And if you've got questions, you can book a consultation and actually talk to a provider, a rare find in this space. If you're looking for more than GLP1s, they also do microdose GLP1 programs, hormone therapy, longevity peptides, and the kind of support that matters when you're trying to feel your best long term. Tide is built with support by a team that really cares. Go to tidewellness.com backslash GLP1 hub and use the code GLP1Hub50 for $50 off your first month. Again, it's TideTy D E wellness.com backslash GLP, the number one hub, and the code is GLP1Hub50.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And so talk about a little bit the inflammatory benefits that you've experienced with this bone disease and other things because of the GLP.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Um, I would I would say that's probably one of the biggest surprises I had off of the medication was I can look back and say within the first couple of weeks of being on the medication, I started feeling a palpable difference in just my daily pain. I would often live with kind of a seven to eight on the pain scale pretty much every day. Taking steps was a challenge. Um I started realizing I'm not taking as much Advil. And I've got a darling husband who would, if my muscles were aching, he would like rub my legs for me and things like that. And even he at one point, a couple weeks into it, pointed out he's like, You you haven't asked me to like like rub anything. And I'm just like, oh my God, I really haven't, have I? So I just started being aware, but yeah, it really did not take long for the anti-inflammatory benefits to show up. And I had not realized that that would be something that would come with it.

SPEAKER_03

Right. And are you still feeling that? Like those benefits, like lack of pain?

SPEAKER_00

I think so. I mean, what I have now is, you know, obviously the medication, but there's been I've had such drastic lifestyle changes as a result of starting the medication that at this point there's so many cumulative effects. But I I would say that on a daily basis right now, my pain levels, I still deal with it, but I'm maybe at a one to a two. Oh. You know, I mean, so it is so I'd say with yes, with the medication, in addition to so many of the other lifestyle habits I've adopted since then, yeah, I my my inflammation feels like it's ridiculously under control.

SPEAKER_03

That's such a life-changing thing beyond the weight, you know.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. It's yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

So once you got on it, how quickly did you start losing weight? And like what where did you land with that?

SPEAKER_00

Right. I'm really glad you're asking that because I've heard so many people talk about the meds and how, you know, they just the weight just drops off immediately, right? That was not my case at all. It was, I was, I was slow. My weight was dropping at first, probably I did lose the first 10 pounds pretty fast. And then I would plateau and I would plateau for a very long time, and then it would drop another two, and then another two. I mean, truthfully, the first 60 pounds took me about a year and a half. And and I really plateaued at that point um for a very long time. And it was only when I then, well, I did get some knee surgery. That definitely helped. So my mobility started improving, but then um I joined uh a local fitness center and started working out uh two to three times a week.

SPEAKER_03

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

And that's when the next 30 so or so pounds started dropping off.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Well, thank you for sharing that because I think that people like see on social media or wherever, oh, this person dropped 30 pounds in the first month. And I'm trying to like help them understand that like that's not good.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, you know, that's not gonna be everybody's story because you were dealing with a lot of other health conditions and inflammation from that and and everything, and that's gonna take some time to heal.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, you know, so absolutely and I can eyes on your own paper. Right. Exactly, exactly. I don't think, and I don't even think even then I recognized how systemic my issues were. I really thought, weight, Paget's disease. I there was so much I did not know about just, you know, just movement in general, nature, incorporating more nature into my life, things that the other benefits of just adding more move, you know, is is there's so many different health benefits that happen when you finally start walking outside, you know. And even just joining the fitness center became I I was getting more social, which also has lots of proven health benefits to it. So it was there's just been so many domino effects from this, and and it's hit in every category of my life that way.

SPEAKER_03

Sure. So, what about your diet? What are some changes that you've made there with what you're eating or what you like to eat now?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Uh I'd say probably the biggest change is that I don't think anymore like at all about what I can't have. It's not, I'm no longer thinking about deprivation. Everything is now about fuel. And I never thought I'd be that person. Or I I was like, you know, I was good at cheese and crackers, I'm fine, whatever, you know. But um, but becoming so much more aware of nutrition and and the fact that with um with the medications, as you eat less, it needs to be higher quality. And so um over time, what's happened is yeah, I just uh I think because the food noise did drop down, I ended up taking more time making decisions about what to eat. And slowly that just became a new habit. And so now my husband and I have become pretty serious about we we really focus on clean eating. We try to get, you know, organic, we try to do as much nature-based as we can, locally sourced foods. So we've made, but we didn't think like that before. Neither one of us thought like that in the least. And so it's been it's been a huge change for us. And it's trickled into our family as well. Sure. Even our adult children have kind of picked up some new habits off of it, even though they didn't need nor do they want medication. They've seen the change in our just patterns for fitness and for nutrition. And it's it's had some benefits that way too.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, definitely. The lead by example, right? Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Um, so you mentioned like being in nature more and fitness. So, like, talk a little bit more about the benefits there or like other lifestyle things that you've implemented.

SPEAKER_00

That's even hard to quantify because, like I said, I was I was so um, I was so limited at one point. I I had to fill out an insurance QA and the form asked me if I ever felt like I was in danger because of my physical situation. And I I had to write truthfully, like if my house got on fire, I couldn't get out in time because it my body was so locked up. Um I've gone from that to uh my husband and I are traveling internationally and have gone on a couple of very long trips that involved walking 10, 12, 15 miles a day. There's no way. Three years ago, that never ever would have even been a remote possibility for me. Sure. So, you know, we've started, we've just started incorporating fitness into everything. Where's we just get out more and we just go and do a lot more rather than just sit at home. And so, you know, the the change has been in in every category, you know. So it's just whether it's fitness we seek out or just fitness that's happening organically, just spending more time in our yard. I mean, I didn't garden before, now I do. It's just things like that that just um I I couldn't put any energy into it because I I was in too much pain. So really it's opened up your life. It's uh my life looks nothing like it did three years ago. I'm 180 degrees in a better direction than I was. Yeah, it's been it's been remarkable and so much more than just the weight.

SPEAKER_03

Right. And so with that, do you feel that your mental health has general significantly improved as well?

SPEAKER_00

Without question. Without question. And I know this for a fact because we've been dealing with some pretty stressful circumstances with our family lately. My mother recently had a pretty serious accident and is requiring a lot of support. And in the past, when I was going through my own stuff, there's no way I would have had the energy or the stamina to help her the way she was needing it. She she's doing a lot better, by the way. She's doing a lot better now. But for about three months, you know, she really needed hands-on a lot of she, my father needed a lot of help. And um I I didn't even have to think about my energy levels. It was like I could be completely and fully present for them because I felt as good as I did.

SPEAKER_03

Right. Right. And I mean, I think that'll be true when your children need you or, you know, any other things that come up because life, life keeps lifing, I guess.

SPEAKER_00

Man, it won't stop, will it?

SPEAKER_03

I wish it, I wish it would sometimes, but no, it does not. Which is why we do the traveling now. Good. So you also shared that your husband has come along on this journey. So can you share a little bit about what he has gone through?

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. Boy, I'm gonna out him a little bit. So my husband, my when he and I met, he was a stick figure. He was incredibly thin and athletic. His weight came on, you know. I think it's just when we had kids, he started gaining, and he he and I were pretty much pound for pound reading right next to each other. And oops, pardon me. I'm so sorry. No, you're good. I apologize. The AI cuts out all the drama. Okay, good. Yeah. So anyway, um, I think I've got it now. Um, but uh yeah, he had so he had put on a lot of weight, and his weight was being he was carrying weight like a lot of men do, which is very stomach forward. So I was fortunate. The way I carried my weight was so all over that I was always getting from people, oh, you're you're still so pretty. You know, I'd get those comments. I was lucky on that one, but my husband kept, I would get pulled aside, going, I'm so worried about him. Is his heart okay? You know, because he was he had such a large stomach. So after I'd been on the meds for about a year, he finally said, Okay, this seems to be working for you. Maybe, maybe I should give it a try. To which I was like, please, that would be great. Um, and of course, he ended up losing his weight almost instantly. His just slipped right off of him, you know. That said, he had also been working out already for a year and a half at this fitness center. So he had already started attacking it a little bit more. While he wasn't losing the pounds, his fitness level was improving. Sure. So then once but once He started the medication, he started losing. And boy, he started feeling so good. It was so fun to watch him just feeling better about himself every day. Yeah, so that now the two of us have each lost about 90 pounds. It's amazing.

SPEAKER_03

It's incredible.

SPEAKER_00

And at this point, it's become a real family affair. His mother and his sister both uh have gotten on the medications, have had huge success with it. And again, his mother is 84 years old. And uh she's already been like an incredibly active woman, but this is this is like unleashed her. She walks like six miles a day. She's she's amazing to watch. Um, and now my father, my 82-year-old father, just got prescribed about three three months ago. So the same man I told you was the call, the guy we called big guy. He's he is now at the weight that I started at. So he's very happy right now because he's dropped enough to be under the 300 mark, which I don't think he's he doesn't remember seeing since he played football in college.

SPEAKER_03

Sure.

SPEAKER_00

So you've like inspired everybody around you. And it's been a nice, like, yeah, I've been watching, it's just a lot of our family has benefited from this. Probably they're all tired of us being the constant reminders that don't it's not just about the drugs, guys. You gotta make the big changes, you know. So we've recruited a lot of people into our fitness center as well to start working out with them.

SPEAKER_03

Good. Yeah, I'd like to have people like do that too. You know, that's a big, big piece of it is the exercise component. And I know there's limitations for for people based on their health and all of that, but that'd be really nice. So, did you experience any negativity from anybody?

SPEAKER_00

Well, in terms of, oh my gosh, yeah, as I lost weight, or it was I was the biggest thing I was, oh, it was, oh, you look amazing, you look amazing. You're not using those drugs though, are you? You're not, you're not doing that. And I'm just and to which my answer was like, absolutely I am. Shame, I was proud to tell people because I know the work I did prior to going on the meds, and I know I had literally done everything that could be done to no avail. And so as I started realizing the benefits of the medication, probably one of the biggest surprises to me also was just that it liberated me from the self, some of the self-loathing because I dealt with a lot of that. I felt like such a failure. Why am I successful in so many categories of my life and I can't control this, you know? And as I realized the medications were doing what they were supposed to do, which is optimizing my weight health and optimizing me hormonally, suddenly I recognized this really is a medical situation. It wasn't lack of willpower, it wasn't lack of, you know, determination. It really is medical. And so that was a huge, a huge light bulb for me. And um, something else that has been uh really, I'd say just a mental lift for me is that I don't spend time blaming myself as much anymore.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Yeah. I don't know about you, like, but for me it's always been what's the diet I'm gonna start on Monday? Why didn't I do this right this week? Like like that constant back and forth. And so to be rid of that is like feels so freeing.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. Well, no, I mean, it's crazy the mind space that's opened up, you know, because I'm not in my head 24-7. I'm not sitting there worrying about what I what I'm gonna wear so that people, you know, I hide my size or um, you know, what kind of, you know, how do I have to plan what I can go do with my friends and when I have to dip out because the pain's too much, you know. My headspace has been so free in a way that it's even improved just the quality of the work that I do. I'm able to just concentrate more on learning new techniques that I apply in work and benefit other clients.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. I know it's like giving you such, I don't know, like new confidence.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. It it's yeah, it it's a it's extraordinary the the gift that it is then.

SPEAKER_03

Awesome. That's that's so so wonderful to hear. Did you have any negative side effects at all or anything that you know?

SPEAKER_00

Certainly fortunately, I never really never dealt with big time nausea. I think I had one episode early in the in the meds where I had some nausea, but certainly the constipation, that was an issue for a while. A friend of mine taught me about Selim Husk tablets, and I added two of those to my nighttime routine, and I've never I haven't dealt with that problem since. So that's been one. The only other I'll tell you the downside that I don't hear a lot of people talking about. I went through a bit of a mourning period of not enjoying food as much. And that that was interesting because you spend your life overweight thinking about food all the time. Food was very much a source of enjoyment. So uh, so was wine for me, big time. And losing that taste every once in a while, that did hit sometimes where I just thought, I'm not enjoying this as much. But that became a conscious decision on, all right, then you gotta replace it with something, you know, something healthy. And so that's where a lot of the exercise came in for us and just being more social doing other other other projects I've taken up from hobbies that I'd never done before. But yeah, just just incorporating some other ways to get joy that aren't food and and alcohol. But that was there were a couple of times where I recognized I was low, and I'm like, that's why.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Yeah, it's interesting how we have we use that so much. I don't know if coping mechanism is right, but like as pleasure, right? For like changing our mood or feeling better. And once it's gone, it's left with that feeling.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah. That's that's true. And it is good to to do that work as well because uh you're definitely left alone to process your emotions more that way.

SPEAKER_02

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00

That is a good thing. It's just yes, because before you could easily bury it with enough chocolate.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, yeah. Enough wine. So, what is the future looking like for you on GLP one? Like, what's your plan? Are you gonna stay on the medication? Are you like doing anything different now that you're maybe at a maintenance level?

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. No, I'm I mean, as far as I'm concerned, this is for life. I look at it, I I definitely look at this the way diabetics look at insulin as you know, something my body isn't producing properly that needs help to do that. So I look at it as medical support. That said, I now take my shot every other week instead of every week. And I'm slowly stretching that out even more, doing so with with the guidance of a very qualified nutritionist, who I think you also know quite well, Ashley Kauf. And so I've recently, very recently started working with Ashley, where we have done a panel of an amazing panel of hormone tests, blood work, where she identified some of my own body shortcomings. And I will show you now. I've got my stack of supplements that I always take every day. Um, but these were very much recommended based on where my body was needing support. So we're trying to optimize my hormonal health more so that yes, I can become less dependent on the medication, but I don't plan on ever giving it up entirely. Sure, sure.

SPEAKER_03

So I I know that she kind of like has a plan where it's not like the goal to get off the medication, but the goal is to optimize the hormones and your digestion and your all the things that she talks about. Um is that what you're trying to do, like to reduce it if you can?

SPEAKER_00

Exactly. Yes, that is that's the hope. I mean, and and if no other reason financial, like why not? You know, if I'm only taking a shot every other week, it's you know, and or every third week, it's definitely gonna drop my expenses for this as well. Sure, sure.

SPEAKER_03

So using compound medication or or a brand name?

SPEAKER_00

I just shifted to compound. Up until now, I have been on Zet bound specifically. And definitely was not covered by insurance. So yeah, that was a big out-of-pocket hit. That's tough. It's tough.

SPEAKER_03

When I first started, it was fifteen hundred dollars a month. I couldn't do that. Yeah. No, I have to wait until it's better now.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, yeah. No, it's that the compounding has has certainly made it a lot more approachable.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, definitely, for sure. So, what are some of the things you have planned in the future? I think you have some trips coming up.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, yeah, no, lots of trips. I've never been a big fan of sunny destinations. I recognize now that a lot of that had to do with the fact that I didn't want to be in a swimsuit. Sure. So yeah, my husband and I just last at the end of this year, this past year, went on a cruise in along the Sicilian coast and basically lived in our swimsuits for a whole week. And it was amazing. It was incredible. And this year, just because we are very, very blessed, and my parents have an investment property that uh we're tapping into, we're the whole family is going to Hawaii in a couple of months. So we've got that trip coming up. And my husband and I do, we are scuba divers, but something I it's been harder for me to dive in recent years before I started the meds because I was so buoyant. And it can be very, very challenging to add the weight belts to help somebody whose body fat is super high to get them to sink properly. Sure. This is the first time I'm gonna get to dive and have a weight belt that's probably just a normal weight belt and and be able to get not struggle as hard to get the the dive started.

SPEAKER_03

That's amazing. Such a story of like inspiration of your life just opening up.

SPEAKER_00

Completely.

SPEAKER_03

That's so great. That's what I want people to have people to have that vision. It's like, not like, do I weigh this much or that much, but like what is the bigger goal here?

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. I mean, I yes, I still look at my number.

SPEAKER_01

Sure.

SPEAKER_00

But I I'm so much more because we've got the scales that actually measure like kind of all the criteria, I'm so much more focused on my muscle mass right now, my body fat percentage and my muscle mass. Those are numbers that drive me a lot more than than a scale, an actual weight.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, that matters so much more.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah. Um I'm as I mentioned before, with my mother, the accident that she had was related to a fall. And so making sure that I've got stability has become a huge priority. So that muscle mass, I've watched a lot of our friends who have been on the meds who did not work out and who had what was very clearly muscle waste. And I I fear for them because I know the risk that they're gonna have the fall risk. And so for us, that's been another one of the big reasons we work out is we want to make sure our kids don't have to take care of us and you know we're not having to rely on our walkers, which unfortunately at the moment my my parents have to because of some of the issues they've had.

SPEAKER_03

Sure, sure. No, I think that looking at that long-term health and what you want those years in your 80s to be is really the main, should be the main focus. Absolutely. So where can people find out about your work, Kelly, and everything that you do?

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. Yeah, my website, I'm at Kelly Mooney Photography.com and uh Kelly Mooney Photography on Instagram as well, Kelly M. Mooney on LinkedIn.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for bravely sharing your story. And this was so inspirational. I really, really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00

Well, I really appreciate you having me on. This has been great.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_00

Thanks so much.

SPEAKER_03

Thank you for listening to this week's episode of the GLP One Hub Podcast. I really hope you enjoyed Kelly's story. It really shows what is possible after an enormous weight loss with the help of GLP1. And I'm so excited to hear more about her travels. And if you want more support on your GLP1 journey, make sure you're subscribed to the newsletter. Uh, it's called the Steady State newsletter. You can find the link to subscribe to it down below here in the show notes, and I send out information about nutrition, weight loss, mindset, maintenance, all sorts of things to keep you up to date and successful along the way. Thank you so much for listening, and I'll see you in the next episode.