GLP-1 weight loss drugs are suddenly everywhere, but the loudest voices online rarely explain what these medications actually are, who they are for, and what happens after the first wave of weight loss. We sit down with Dr. Caitlin Halbert, Medical Director of ChristianaCare’s Bariatric Surgery Program, and Dr. Lisa Breslow, Medical Director of the Obesity Medicine Program, to bring the conversation back to science, safety, and long-term health. We also get practical about decision-making. ChristianaCare&#x27;s Center for Weight Management brings obesity medicine, bariatric surgery, nutrition counseling, behavioral health support, and movement together to tailor a plan to the person, and adjust over time. We address the risks of ordering GLP-1s online without medical supervision, including unregulated products, dehydration, kidney injury, and preventable muscle loss from overly rapid weight reduction. If you’re considering semaglutide-style medications, weighing bariatric surgery, or trying to figure out a safe and sustainable weight management plan, this conversation will help you ask better questions and avoid common internet myths. Links ChristianaCare Center for Weight Management Bariatric Patient Resources Bariatric Surgery Seminar Thanks for listening and subscribing! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

Rethinking Weight Loss in the Age of GLP-1s with Dr. Caitlin Halbert and Dr. Lisa Breslow

For the Love of Health

# Full Transcript

**Podcast:** For the Love of Health

## Transcript

These medications are not meant to be stopped. They are meant to be taken indefinitely. You're listening to For the Love of Health, a podcast about delivering care and creating health, brought to you by ChristianaCare. Hello, everyone. I'm Jason Tokarski. And I'm Megan McGurman. Welcome to For the Love of Health, brought to you by ChristianaCare.

When's the last time you saw a commercial for a GLP-1? Last night? This morning? Five minutes ago? It's one of the hottest topics on the internet. But weight loss can be a much more complicated topic than which GLP-1 you're taking. And today we've brought in the experts to break down the intended uses of GLP-1s and how to approach weight loss in a way that is safe, sustainable, and right for you.

We're joined by Medical Director of ChristianaCare's Bariatric Surgery Program, Dr. Caitlin Halbert, and Medical Director of the Obesity Medicine Program, Dr. Lisa Breslow. Caitlin and Lisa, thank you for being here today. Thank you for having us. Yeah, thanks for having us. We had you both on the podcast in early 2024 to talk about your work and weight loss. Then it was the bariatric surgery that you offer, the dietary needs, the behavioral health needs. And GLP-1s were just kind of coming on the scene.

I remember Oprah was on it, so everyone now was talking about it. Fast forward, it's the summer of 2026, and GLP-1s are everywhere. Let's talk about what they even are. I think there's a lot of people who, oh yeah, GLP-1, you ask them what it is, they might not actually have an answer for that. And how we got here, what happened in the last two years that GLP-1s have just skyrocketed on the market?

GLP-1s are, well, they started off initially as medications for diabetes, but they've evolved into weight loss medications. And basically, GLP-1s are injectable medicines that can be taken either daily or weekly, depending on the medication. And they're stimulating a gut hormone, GLP-1. We have GLP-1 receptors in our brain, in our gut. And so stimulation of them creates a sensation of fullness.

It also decreases the rate at which the stomach empties out food. And so food hangs around longer in the stomach, which helps patients feel full, and then also feel full more quickly when they do eat something. And then with the stimulation of the GLP-1 receptors in the brain, that really does affect what patients call food noise. And so quieting that food noise is what you'll hear a lot of patients talk about. It's a really interesting phenomenon that's happened over the last two, three years.

This is a medication that is so prevalent in our society, but it's being driven by celebrities, social media, and direct-to-consumer marketing from the pharmaceutical companies. It's getting right to the patients. It's not even going through the physicians and the APCs that take care of the patients in the community.

And so it's getting right to the consumer, a...

Rethinking Weight Loss in the Age of GLP-1s with Dr. Caitlin Halbert and Dr. Lisa Breslow

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Rethinking Weight Loss in the Age of GLP-1s with Dr. Caitlin Halbert and Dr. Lisa Breslow

Transcript

Built for investment professionals

Every day you wait, your competitors are findingedge in conversations you're not hearing.

Every day you wait, your competitors are finding
edge in conversations you're not hearing.