Weight Health, Not Weight Loss: Hormones, GLP-1s & Food Freedom with RD Ashley Koff
Welcome back to Uncover Your Eyes with Dr. Meenal! Join us as we uncover our lives as healthcare professionals.
In this powerful episode of the Uncover Your Eyes Podcast, Dr. Meenal Agarwal sits down with Registered Dietitian Ashley Koff, Founder of The Better Nutrition Program and Author of Your Best Shot, to unpack what weight health really means in modern healthcare and wellness. Watch the video episode on YouTube and listen to the audio episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast spots – follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re enjoying the show!
- Episode Summary & Player
- Show Notes
- Learn more about Uncover Your Eyes with Dr. Meenal
- Learn more about Dr. Meenal Agarwal
Uncover Your Eyes with Dr. Meenal Episode #89: Weight Health, Not Weight Loss: Hormones, GLP-1s & Food Freedom with RD Ashley Koff
90% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy — which means their weight-health hormones are working against them, not for them. If you’re stuck in the loop of “weight vs health,” this episode is your reset.
In this powerful episode of the Uncover Your Eyes Podcast, Dr. Meenal Agarwal sits down with Registered Dietitian Ashley Koff, Founder of The Better Nutrition Program and Author of Your Best Shot, to unpack what weight health really means in modern healthcare and wellness.
Together, they explore why traditional “clean eating” culture, diet rules, and shame-based wellness messaging are failing us and what truly science-backed, compassionate healthcare education can look like instead.
This episode blends healthcare, mental health, physical health, wellness, trauma-awareness, and real-world tools to help you reclaim your relationship with food, your body, and your health.
Whether you’re a healthcare provider, nutrition professional, patient, parent, or simply someone trying to understand your own weight-health story, this conversation will help you see beyond the scale and into the deeper systems that shape your wellbeing.
At Uncover Your Eyes, Dr. Meenal Agarwal brings powerful conversations on healthcare, mental health, wellness, and self-advocacy, helping you see the hidden truths that matter most for living a healthier, more connected life.
Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:
- Why eating disorders and disordered eating are so common in our current wellness culture
- The “diet-isms” we need to break up with for good
- How weight-health hormones like leptin and ghrelin actually work
- The connection between deliciousness, satisfaction, and feeling full
- Ashley’s top lifestyle and nutrition hacks to support metabolic and hormonal health
Learn more about Ashley Koff and her book at TheBetterNutritionProgram.com and on Instagram @AshleyKoffApproved
Subscribe to Uncover Your Eyes on your favorite podcast platform and YouTube, and learn more about Dr. Meenal on Instagram @Dr.MeenalAgarwal.
Show Notes
- Weight Health, Not Weight Loss: Hormones, GLP-1s & Food Freedom with RD Ashley Koff
- [01:01] Welcome to Uncover Your Eyes with Dr. Meenal
- [01:29] Meet Registered Dietitian Ashley Koff and her personal journey
- [03:20] The lifelong struggle with weight and self-perception
- [04:13] Shifting from weight loss to weight health
- [06:22] Ashley's health journey: antibiotics, birth control, and systemic issues
- [08:10] The unusual healing story: from yoga class to goat's milk cleanse
- [10:31] Meeting the gastroenterologist who changed everything
- [12:27] Discovering weight health hormones in the digestive tract
- [14:03] Understanding peptide hormones: GLP-1, GIP, PYY, and CCK
- [17:37] How hormone dysfunction affects appetite and fullness
- [18:29] The bagel study: distraction and metabolic health
- [21:11] Assessing weight health hormone function clinically
- [23:29] Lifestyle hack #1: The power of deliciousness
- [25:46] Hydration matters: being a sponge vs. a hose
- [26:41] Managing stress and its impact on digestion
- [28:22] The rating scale: evaluating food satisfaction
- [31:27] Breaking up with "clean" and "healthy" eating labels
- [34:35] Making meals more delicious: practical examples
- [38:11] Turning down the food noise
- [40:54] The GLP-1 conversation: When to consider medication
- [42:31] Understanding biosimilar hormone replacement
- [44:17] GLP-1 medications as agonists, not antagonists
- [46:33] The financial and practical considerations
- [48:26] Confronting judgment and embracing weight health
- [49:51] Learn more about Ashley Koff and her book at TheBetterNutritionProgram.com and on Instagram @AshleyKoffApproved
- Subscribe to Uncover Your Eyes on your favorite podcast platform and YouTube, and learn more about Dr. Meenal on Instagram @Dr.MeenalAgarwal
- Theme Song: “Upbeat Motivational Pop Rock” by Alexey Anisimov
What is Uncover Your Eyes with Dr. Meenal?
Thanks for listening to Uncover Your Eyes with Dr. Meenal. Being an eye doctor makes life easy, right? Not so fast. Join us as we uncover our lives as healthcare professionals. In each episode, you will face reality and vulnerability. You’ll hear how to manage your wellbeing, culture, and physical and mental health. You’ll also navigate self-improvement and professional development, all while uncovering innovation in patient care from experts in our healthcare system. Let’s do this while keeping it “real” and authentic. Hosted by Dr. Meenal Agarwal, Expert Optometrist, Entrepreneur, Speaker, and Mom of 3.
Who is Dr. Meenal Agarwal?
With three clinics in Toronto and sought-after experience, Dr. Meenal Agarwal is an expert in vision and eyecare innovation. She is a leading voice on patient care, technology, professional development, and wellness in the healthcare industry.