How GLP-1s, Diet Culture, and Emotional Hunger Shape Real Weight Loss | ANEW Ep 85

On this episode of the ANEW Insight Podcast, Dr. Supatra Tovar is joined by renowned physician, author, and weight loss expert Dr. Adrienne Youdim for a candid, eye-opening conversation about the realities of medical weight loss in the age of GLP-1s like Ozempic and Wegovy.

From her personal journey through early body image struggles to her professional work guiding patients with obesity and emotional eating, Dr. Youdim brings wisdom, warmth, and scientific depth to one of today’s most talked-about health topics.

In this must-listen episode, you'll hear:

• Why emotional hunger is biological, not just psychological
• How childhood experiences and cultural identity shape body image
• When GLP-1 medications are truly appropriate—and when they're not
• The danger of endlessly chasing a lower number on the scale
• Why lasting health comes from self-awareness, not perfection
  
  

Dr. Youdim explains how people often start with a goal like “just 10 pounds,” only to find themselves chasing more and more. She challenges this pattern with a simple yet powerful message: real wellness isn’t about doing more—it’s about knowing when to stop and focus on feeling better, not smaller.

Dr. Tovar and Dr. Youdim also explore how GLP-1 medications can be transformative—but only when paired with a holistic approach that includes emotional support, mindful eating, and personalized care. They talk candidly about the risks of quick fixes, the rise in disordered eating among users of these medications, and the urgent need for more education and ethical prescribing.

Whether you're using weight loss medication, considering it, or simply want a healthier relationship with food, this conversation will shift your perspective.

To break free from toxic diet culture and finally find peace with your body, join the online course Deprogram Diet Culture at anew-insight.com.

Don’t miss Part 2 of this conversation—subscribe now and keep listening to the ANEW Insight Podcast for more expert insights on psychology, nutrition, and sustainable health.

 #dradrienneyoudim, #medicalweightloss, #glp1medication, #ozempic, #wegovy, #semaglutide, #emotionaleating, #weightlossjourney, #obesitymedicine, #dietculture, #foodaddiction, #adrienneyoudim #drsupatratovar #anewinsight #nutrionalpsychology#weightstigma, #intuitiveeating, #sustainablehealth, #metabolichealth, #traumaandeating, 

Thank you for joining us on this journey to wellness. Remember, the insights and advice shared on the ANEW Body Insight Podcast are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making any changes to your health routine. To learn more about the podcast and stay updated on new episodes, visit ANEW Body Insight Podcast at anew-insight.com. To watch this episode on YouTube, visit @my.anew.insight. Follow us on social media at @my.anew.insight on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Threads for more updates and insights. Thank you for tuning in! Stay connected with us for more empowering stories and expert guidance. Until next time, stay well and keep evolving with ANEW Body Insight!

Transcript

Dr. Supatra Tovar: With a deep commitment to empowering individuals, she blends cutting edge science with a compassionate approach to health. She is also the author of Hungry for More: 0:01

Stories and Science to Inspire Weight Loss from the inside Out. A book that delves into the emotional and psychological dimensions of weight loss beyond her clinical work.

Dr. Adrienne Youdim: 0:02

I don't remember deciding that I wanna go into medicine. I just remember knowing that I wanted to go into medicine. It felt like one of those decisions that I was born with and, always felt very aligned in my work. But certainly had a pivot of, during my training where I went from feeling like medicine was an opportunity to fix people and wanting to do something as a proceduralist or a surgeon, even I considered ICU medicine.'cause it felt like it was the most impactful to, recognizing, and this is probably a realization that deepened as I started to practice medicine. That really people aren't there to fix, but to guide and to empower, and I think my work with obesity, medicine, weight loss is really profound in that way because yes, we're dealing with a concrete issue, which is excess weight, which has comorbidity and chronic disease that's associated with it. But there is this whole emotional, spiritual, psychological dimension as I always say, our relationship with food is a window into our relationship with ourselves. And so if we can really lean into that hunger, so to speak, then people can acknowledge. You know where they are lacking. Yes, absolutely. I mean, I will first say and as I've written in the book, that emotional hunger is really hardwired in our neurobiology. And to say that we don't experience it, that it's not something that everyone experiences on some level is kind of, our own shame and bias speaking as opposed to to truth and reality. But as far as I'm concerned and we're speaking on the, on the eve of the announcement that Weight Watchers has gone bankrupt. I was, I think I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting when I was 11 or 12 years old. In my mind at the time, I extremely obese when now in retrospect, I know that I was just slightly overweight and so I definitely grew up in a time of Slim Fast commercials and 17 Magazine. And also being a child, a first generation American born to immigrants, I think it just fell into an, it being my I don't know that it was really body dysmorphism, but my issues, my negative concept of my body, I think fell within this larger paradigm of just trying to fit in as a Middle Eastern child growing up in a very white Texas at the time. Being an American, having parents who are very progressive and yet very much, kind of ingrained in Persian Jewish culture. And so all of these ways in which I was different and unique which now, I pride myself on were challenges that I think just made everything exacerbated all the differences, right? Yes, absolutely. I mean, I will first say and as I've written in the book, that emotional hunger is really hardwired in our neurobiology. And to say that we don't experience it, that it's not something that everyone experiences on some level is kind of, our own shame and bias speaking as opposed to to truth and reality. But as far as I'm concerned and we're speaking on the, on the eve of the announcement that Weight Watchers has gone bankrupt. I was, I think I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting when I was 11 or 12 years old. In my mind at the time, I extremely obese when now in retrospect, I know that I was just slightly overweight and so I definitely grew up in a time of Slim Fast commercials and 17 Magazine. And also being a child, a first generation American born to immigrants, I think it just fell into an, it being my I don't know that it was really body dysmorphism, but my issues, my negative concept of my body, I think fell within this larger paradigm of just trying to fit in as a Middle Eastern child growing up in a very white Texas at the time. Being an American, having parents who are very progressive and yet very much, kind of ingrained in Persian Jewish culture. And so all of these ways in which I was different and unique which now, I pride myself on were challenges that I think just made everything exacerbated all the differences, right?

Dr. Supatra Tovar: 0:06

Mm-hmm. Absolutely. And I think a lot of people of color tend to really struggle in Diet Culture because it is just so white or Caucasian centric just to have this sort of body ideal is really based not in most people's cultures. And so they're always trying to sort of fit in to an ideal that isn't even appropriate or right for them.

Dr. Adrienne Youdim: 0:07

There's a couple ways that I can answer that question, but what comes to mind first is to, to observe that I'm really an and person. So, as a medical, as medical director of the Weight Loss Center at Cedar-Sinai, I practice medical weight loss. And I worked with the bariatric patients and helped my surgical colleagues get our patients ready for surgery. As a physician, right now, I'm a firm believer of prescribing GLP one drugs, and I meditate and do mind body practices with my patients And I bring this up because I think it's very important for us to acknowledge the societal pressures and the childhood imprint and all of those things that are very important. And there's a time for us to take responsibility to navigate our own health and wellbeing, whether that means finding the right tools, finding the right guides, finding the right professional help, whatever the case may be. I think having an and approach is really important. And I think I had an, I think I had an and epiphany. What I'll also say is that, as I grew up, and I think I navigated all of these other other ways in which I strove for perfection, in terms of education, professional life. The white picket house sort of thing. All the ways in which we strive to do, achieve our goals and our dreams, but do it perfectly. Reckoning with this idea of what my, I ideal body should be, or, or is. And also just really being realistic about what I was seeing and not comparing to what was not ideal or not real. In short, I would say it's just awareness, you know, awareness about what matters and the places in which we, we should all over ourselves. And when we take a step back we, we think differently. There's a couple ways that I can answer that question, but what comes to mind first is to, to observe that I'm really an and person. So, as a medical, as medical director of the Weight Loss Center at Cedar-Sinai, I practice medical weight loss. And I worked with the bariatric patients and helped my surgical colleagues get our patients ready for surgery. As a physician, right now, I'm a firm believer of prescribing GLP one drugs, and I meditate and do mind body practices with my patients And I bring this up because I think it's very important for us to acknowledge the societal pressures and the childhood imprint and all of those things that are very important. And there's a time for us to take responsibility to navigate our own health and wellbeing, whether that means finding the right tools, finding the right guides, finding the right professional help, whatever the case may be. I think having an and approach is really important. And I think I had an, I think I had an and epiphany. What I'll also say is that, as I grew up, and I think I navigated all of these other other ways in which I strove for perfection, in terms of education, professional life. The white picket house sort of thing. All the ways in which we strive to do, achieve our goals and our dreams, but do it perfectly. Reckoning with this idea of what my, I ideal body should be, or, or is. And also just really being realistic about what I was seeing and not comparing to what was not ideal or not real. In short, I would say it's just awareness, you know, awareness about what matters and the places in which we, we should all over ourselves. And when we take a step back we, we think differently.

Dr. Supatra Tovar: 0:09

I, I do think we, we become much less hard on ourselves, hopefully the older that we get. And I do completely agree with you that I think the path to health and wellness starts with self-awareness. I think really, truly nonjudgmentally and with an open heart examining what's happening inside rather than dissociating, rather than, running away from it or doing something mindless.

Dr. Adrienne Youdim: 0:10

Well, I, I, I always say that when you work with people you become the benefactor of, of many lives and many stories and unless you're asleep at the job, you start to find patterns. You start, start to find universal threads that as a human I could personally relate to as well. And I kept seeing my patients come into the office. describing their experiences with shame and blame, and I'm not even talking about the weight. I'm talking about experiences in their lives, like, broken relationships or failed promotions or missteps in their personal or professional lives. The many happenings that happen in one's life. And there was always this sense of, of shame around it, not the open-minded, lack of judgment that you speak of Supatra. And I almost felt like it was unfair because sitting behind the desk I could say, this story of Sally is the same as John is the same as Karen and is the same as mine, by the way. But they didn't have the benefit of seeing that universal thread that connects us all. So this book was really a love letter to my patients. A way of saying that, we are all the same that the stories and the struggle, the flavor of which may be different are all universal. And it was really a way that I was trying to get people to, to acknowledge their own to cultivate that self-compassion. Well, I, I, I always say that when you work with people you become the benefactor of, of many lives and many stories and unless you're asleep at the job, you start to find patterns. You start, start to find universal threads that as a human I could personally relate to as well. And I kept seeing my patients come into the office. describing their experiences with shame and blame, and I'm not even talking about the weight. I'm talking about experiences in their lives, like, broken relationships or failed promotions or missteps in their personal or professional lives. The many happenings that happen in one's life. And there was always this sense of, of shame around it, not the open-minded, lack of judgment that you speak of Supatra. And I almost felt like it was unfair because sitting behind the desk I could say, this story of Sally is the same as John is the same as Karen and is the same as mine, by the way. But they didn't have the benefit of seeing that universal thread that connects us all. So this book was really a love letter to my patients. A way of saying that, we are all the same that the stories and the struggle, the flavor of which may be different are all universal. And it was really a way that I was trying to get people to, to acknowledge their own to cultivate that self-compassion. Well, oftentimes in the conversation I do a very extensive intake in terms of their history their, not just medical history, but personal history, whether there was any trauma, not that I'm necessarily trained to deal with that, but at least if I can uncover it, then I can send them to the right people. And so in the course of the conversation, it comes up. My, I've been working in this deadbeat job for 30 years, and I feel unvalidated or I'm not living my purpose. Or I'm in this relationship in which there are no boundaries and I'm not valued in my relationship. I'm not heard in my relationship or I, I'm playing small because I don't, I. I don't give myself credit or have enough confidence, whatever the case may be. The story came out from the patient themselves and they recognize that when they are under duress or distress, that they're more likely to soothe. And in fact, that's also validated in the science, the difficult emotions raise hunger hormones, those very hormones that we are manipulating with Wegovy Ozempic, the GLP-1 drugs, those very hormones can shift in the direction of promoting more hunger. we are experiencing difficult emotions, and so what that means is that even if you're sated, even if you're physically fed with food, if you're experiencing a difficult emotion that you can experience that hunger, that is psychological, that is emotional, you can experience that hunger physically, and that drives people to consume, look, either food or drinking or smoking or getting on your phone and doom scrolling or gambling or overworking. Some of these coping skills are more socially accepted than others, but at the root, they are all the same. And the other thing I will say is that when we get that when we get that quick sense of satisfaction, from whatever it is that we are, are seeking, that good feeling is reinforced. And so we can't blame ourselves for going back for more because the coping mechanism is not curing the problem. It's not truly scratching the itch, and yet it is offering temporary calm or soothe. And because of that temporary nature, we are moved to go back again and again to seek that soothing. Well, oftentimes in the conversation I do a very extensive intake in terms of their history their, not just medical history, but personal history, whether there was any trauma, not that I'm necessarily trained to deal with that, but at least if I can uncover it, then I can send them to the right people. And so in the course of the conversation, it comes up. My, I've been working in this deadbeat job for 30 years, and I feel unvalidated or I'm not living my purpose. Or I'm in this relationship in which there are no boundaries and I'm not valued in my relationship. I'm not heard in my relationship or I, I'm playing small because I don't, I. I don't give myself credit or have enough confidence, whatever the case may be. The story came out from the patient themselves and they recognize that when they are under duress or distress, that they're more likely to soothe. And in fact, that's also validated in the science, the difficult emotions raise hunger hormones, those very hormones that we are manipulating with Wegovy Ozempic, the GLP-1 drugs, those very hormones can shift in the direction of promoting more hunger. we are experiencing difficult emotions, and so what that means is that even if you're sated, even if you're physically fed with food, if you're experiencing a difficult emotion that you can experience that hunger, that is psychological, that is emotional, you can experience that hunger physically, and that drives people to consume, look, either food or drinking or smoking or getting on your phone and doom scrolling or gambling or overworking. Some of these coping skills are more socially accepted than others, but at the root, they are all the same. And the other thing I will say is that when we get that when we get that quick sense of satisfaction, from whatever it is that we are, are seeking, that good feeling is reinforced. And so we can't blame ourselves for going back for more because the coping mechanism is not curing the problem. It's not truly scratching the itch, and yet it is offering temporary calm or soothe. And because of that temporary nature, we are moved to go back again and again to seek that soothing. Well, oftentimes in the conversation I do a very extensive intake in terms of their history their, not just medical history, but personal history, whether there was any trauma, not that I'm necessarily trained to deal with that, but at least if I can uncover it, then I can send them to the right people. And so in the course of the conversation, it comes up. My, I've been working in this deadbeat job for 30 years, and I feel unvalidated or I'm not living my purpose. Or I'm in this relationship in which there are no boundaries and I'm not valued in my relationship. I'm not heard in my relationship or I, I'm playing small because I don't, I. I don't give myself credit or have enough confidence, whatever the case may be. The story came out from the patient themselves and they recognize that when they are under duress or distress, that they're more likely to soothe. And in fact, that's also validated in the science, the difficult emotions raise hunger hormones, those very hormones that we are manipulating with Wegovy Ozempic, the GLP-1 drugs, those very hormones can shift in the direction of promoting more hunger. we are experiencing difficult emotions, and so what that means is that even if you're sated, even if you're physically fed with food, if you're experiencing a difficult emotion that you can experience that hunger, that is psychological, that is emotional, you can experience that hunger physically, and that drives people to consume, look, either food or drinking or smoking or getting on your phone and doom scrolling or gambling or overworking. Some of these coping skills are more socially accepted than others, but at the root, they are all the same. And the other thing I will say is that when we get that when we get that quick sense of satisfaction, from whatever it is that we are, are seeking, that good feeling is reinforced. And so we can't blame ourselves for going back for more because the coping mechanism is not curing the problem. It's not truly scratching the itch, and yet it is offering temporary calm or soothe. And because of that temporary nature, we are moved to go back again and again to seek that soothing.

Dr. Supatra Tovar: 0:15

Absolutely. I'm 100% with you on that. And I also think when we look and do a deeper dive into highly processed foods, they play into that drive and they actually try to manipulate that drive. And so that's, I think where, and it hasn't necessarily been completely proven per se, but where a lot of clinicians believe food addiction actually comes from is a part of that.

Dr. Adrienne Youdim: 0:16

I think we all play a role in we all play a role, right? And so, like, as a obesity medicine specialist I'm not a policymaker, although I recognize that lots of social policies should and could be changed to support the health of my patients. So I think that, our job as, as clinicians and as physicians and all, all aspects of healthcare is to recognize. What we can offer, where our limitations are, even if we decide to stay in our own lane, right? So I, I tend to be the and person, and so my curiosity allows me to toggle between prescribing a drug and meditating with my patient or talking about, how their traumatic experiences may have shaped their health and their eating behavior. Somebody may not have that skillset nor want to, and that's okay, but I think our job is to know what we know and more importantly, to know what we don't know and when we should include other I think we all play a role in we all play a role, right? And so, like, as a obesity medicine specialist I'm not a policymaker, although I recognize that lots of social policies should and could be changed to support the health of my patients. So I think that, our job as, as clinicians and as physicians and all, all aspects of healthcare is to recognize. What we can offer, where our limitations are, even if we decide to stay in our own lane, right? So I, I tend to be the and person, and so my curiosity allows me to toggle between prescribing a drug and meditating with my patient or talking about, how their traumatic experiences may have shaped their health and their eating behavior. Somebody may not have that skillset nor want to, and that's okay, but I think our job is to know what we know and more importantly, to know what we don't know and when we should include other

Dr. Supatra Tovar: 0:18

I love that. I think that any health journey is a multidisciplinary approach. I think that you, you can go to your doctor obviously for the medical intervention. You may need a nutritionist to who really has a much deeper understanding of nutrition and foods effects on the bodies and how that

Dr. Adrienne Youdim: 0:19

one? Can Weight loss does not equate with nutrition. And actually as I have a podcast called Health Bite, and this week I spoke with one of your colleagues, Gretchen Zimmerman, and we were talking about how to optimize nutrition on GLP ones. And so. It really takes yes, the, there are physician issues, there are systemic issues, but we also, need to do better for ourselves.

Dr. Supatra Tovar: 0:21

Yes, and I think that all, it really speaks to the larger systemic issue of the influence of Diet Culture and why people, especially those who have been shamed for being overweight, are so desperate to lose weight that they may go to these compounding pharmacies or try to get it however they can get it.

Dr. Adrienne Youdim: 0:22

Like I have a patient who's in her late sixties. She works as a preschool teacher and, and she didn't have a bunch of comorbidities on the chart, but until she lost weight with the help of these drugs, she couldn't get up and sit down with her toddlers during preschool. So I also, I don't wanna put, we need to be careful to, to, to, again, this is and is the word of the day. Sure. So, there are these criteria that professional societies put out. they're very, are very BMI centric, so they say that if you have a BMI of 30 or greater and 30 is that BMI, that is diagnostic of Class one obesity or right, that you are a candidate for this drug, or if you are in the quote, overweight category. That is associated with a hundred pounds of excess weight. And actually the majority of people who are on the individual plans right now, that is what is available to them, In fact, they start to develop comorbidities at a BMI that would be considered normal by our medical standards. So I mean, I look at the whole picture. I look at the patient, I look at the comorbidities. I look at how did they gain excess weight? How long have they been struggling with excess weight? What have they done in the past? Right. If they've never done anything in the past this was the same way we, we determined candidacy for bariatric surgery, right? If you've come to me, you gained weight over the last six months because of covid. You've never done any behavioral strategy. You've never tried medications. Obviously, surgery is not the right step. But if you've been struggling for excess with excess weight for 30 years and have or don't have comorbidities, right? And you've done all the dieting and exercise and you've tried the medications and you just can't get a handle of this, well then maybe it's time to look at higher level interventions. So it really is this kind of holistic approach. And then in terms of like the amount of weight loss, that's also something that has to be kept in mind because I have patients who come in and, God, I can't tell you how many times I hear this. Nothing works. I just wanna lose 10 pounds. In fact, they start to develop comorbidities at a BMI that would be considered normal by our medical standards. So I mean, I look at the whole picture. I look at the patient, I look at the comorbidities. I look at how did they gain excess weight? How long have they been struggling with excess weight? What have they done in the past? Right. If they've never done anything in the past this was the same way we, we determined candidacy for bariatric surgery, right? If you've come to me, you gained weight over the last six months because of covid. You've never done any behavioral strategy. You've never tried medications. Obviously, surgery is not the right step. But if you've been struggling for excess with excess weight for 30 years and have or don't have comorbidities, right? And you've done all the dieting and exercise and you've tried the medications and you just can't get a handle of this, well then maybe it's time to look at higher level interventions. So it really is this kind of holistic approach. And then in terms of like the amount of weight loss, that's also something that has to be kept in mind because I have patients who come in and, God, I can't tell you how many times I hear this. Nothing works. I just wanna lose 10 pounds. I just wanna lose 10, 20 pounds. Right? Then they lose the 20 pounds and now it's like, I wanna lose 30 pounds. And they lose the 30 pounds. And now I want, and sometimes, look, if you are a hundred pounds of excess weight, then losing 50 pounds may be important to get your comorbidities under check, to get your joint pain under check. But I also have patients that I get into these uncomfortable conversations because they've lost a lot of weight. They are now at the lower level of the BMI. I don't go based on looks, but just looking at them doesn't, even as a, it doesn't look healthy, it doesn't look right. And have to struggle with them in terms of like. We need to dial back the dose or we shouldn't dial up the dose.

Dr. Supatra Tovar: 0:28

really impressed with you and your diligence in discernment of who should be maybe on this medication and who might it not be right for, I think that we need a lot more doctors out there, like you who are really kind of looking holistically at the whole picture and, and, and really examining a person's history to determine if this is the, the right