This Is My Journey | The GLP-1 Podcast

It's not the nausea people find hardest. It's the hair.
A systematic review published in April 2026 pulled together twenty-four studies and found hair loss occurred at six cases per thousand patient-years on GLP-1 medication, against zero point eight on placebo. More than a three-fold increase. And when you're eating a fraction of what you used to, the nutrients have to come from somewhere: one study last year found 98.6% of people on these medications were below the recommended intake of vitamin D alone.
In this episode I'm joined by Nyrah Saleem, a clinical pharmacist and independent prescriber, and an award-winning health creator who shares evidence-based advice on skincare, hair health and nutrition with over half a million followers. She's the founder of Nyra Nutrition, a pharmacist-formulated supplement brand.
We talk about what's actually happening when your hair starts shedding and whether it's the drug or the weight loss, how long it really takes to come back, whether anything genuinely speeds that up, the nutrient deficiencies worth worrying about, and which supplements are worth your money and which are expensive gimmicks. She also covers how to read a supplement label properly, what interactions to watch for alongside these medications, and the things people are too embarrassed to ask a pharmacist.
🎙 Hosted by: Marc McKee
📍 Featuring: Nyrah Saleem MPharm
🔗 Connect with Nyrah
📸 Instagram: @healthwithnyrah
📲 TikTok: @healthwithnyrah
📺 YouTube: @Healthwithnyrah
🔗 Nyra Nutrition: https://www.nyranutrition.co.uk
🔗 Linktree: linktr.ee/nyrahsaleem
🔗 Connect with Marc
📲 TikTok: @my.journey.with.marc
📸 Instagram: @my.journey.with.marc
📺 YouTube: @myjourneywithmarc
🎧 Podcast IG: @this.is.my.journey.podcast
🎧 New episodes every Tuesday at 6am.
Sources referenced in this episode:
Gupta AK et al., "GLP-1 therapies and hair loss: a systematic review of current evidence and implications for counseling", Science Progress, 17 April 2026
Vitamin D intake data: Frontiers in Nutrition, April 2025 (n=69)

A billion people worldwide are living with obesity. The medications finally work. And fewer than one in ten of the people who could benefit will get them by 2030.
In this episode I'm joined by Dr Fatima Cody Stanford, obesity medicine physician-scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. One of the first fellowship-trained obesity medicine physicians in the world, she has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers, sat on the 2025 US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, and contributed to the Lancet Commission that redefined clinical obesity. Many of you will know her from Oprah's weight-loss special.
We talk about what's coming next: the triple agonist retatrutide, which produced average weight loss of over 28% in trial results presented in June, with two thirds of people on the top dose finishing no longer clinically obese. We also cover why almost nobody will be able to get it, the black market already selling it, why people with type 2 diabetes lose less weight on these drugs, and the body dysmorphia that doesn't disappear when the weight does.
🎙 Hosted by: Marc McKe
📍 Featuring: Dr Fatima Cody Stanford, Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School
Follow Dr Stanford:
Instagram: @askdrfatima
Website: askdrfatima.com
🔗 Connect with Marc
📲 TikTok: @my.journey.with.marc
📸 Instagram: @my.journey.with.marc
📺 YouTube: @myjourneywithmarc
🎧 Podcast IG: @this.is.my.journey.podcast
🎧 New episodes every Tuesday at 6am.
Sources referenced in this episode:
- World Health Organization, first global guideline on the use of GLP-1 medicines in treating obesity, published 1 December 2025.
- TRIUMPH-1 figures from Eli Lilly's topline release, 21 May 2026, and Dr Ania Jastreboff's presentation at the 86th ADA Scientific Sessions, 6 June 2026. Presented at conference and not yet peer-reviewed.
- TRANSCEND-T2D-1, The Lancet, June 2026.
Lancet Commission on the definition and diagnosis of clinical obesity, January 2025.

Three quarters of people in the semaglutide trials had a gastrointestinal side effect. Only four per cent of UK adults were eating enough fibre before any of this started. So we've put millions of people on a medication that slows the gut down, in a country that was already barely eating any fibre, and then wondered why everyone feels awful.

In this episode I'm joined by Dr Karan Rajan, an NHS surgeon, university clinical lecturer and one of the most-followed health educators in the world, with well over ten million people following him for his myth-busting videos. He's the author of the number one Sunday Times bestseller This Book May Save Your Life and of This Is Vital Information, host of the podcast Dr Karan Explores, founder of LOAM Science, and Chief of Science at gut health company Throne Science.

We talk about what these medications are actually doing in your gut and why the side effects are so varied, which of them you can do something about and which you simply have to ride out, why fibre matters far more than anyone told you, the single biggest piece of GLP-1 misinformation currently circulating, and the moral undertone that says taking these drugs is somehow cheating.

🔗 Connect with Dr Karan Rajan
📸 Instagram: @drkaranrajan
📲 TikTok: @dr.karanr
📺 YouTube: @DrKaranRajan
🔗 Website: https://www.drkaranrajan.com/
🎧 Podcast: Dr Karan Explores – https://www.drkaranrajan.com/podcast

LOAM Science
📸 Instagram: @loamscience
📲 TikTok: @loamscience
🔗 Website: https://loamscience.com Use JOURNEY15 for 15% off.

🔗 Connect with Marc
📲 TikTok: @my.journey.with.marc
📸 Instagram: @my.journey.with.marc
📺 YouTube: @myjourneywithmarc
🎧 Podcast IG: @this.is.my.journey.podcast

🎧 New episodes every Tuesday at 6am.

Sources referenced in this episode:

Wilding et al., "Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity" (STEP 1), New England Journal of Medicine, 10 February 2021

British Nutrition Foundation, "Dietary Fibre in 2026", drawing on NDNS 2019–2023

Losing weight on a GLP-1 can completely change your life… but it doesn’t always come without challenges.
In this episode of This Is My Journey, Marc McKee sits down with Anna Cadman (@dexbudsnewchapter), who has lost an incredible 8 stone using GLP-1 medication.
Anna shares her full journey, from what life was like before starting, to the moment she decided to take that step, and how her mindset, confidence and relationship with food have changed along the way.
More recently, Anna has also faced serious health challenges, including pancreatitis and gallstones, adding a new layer to her journey and forcing her to navigate progress while prioritising her health.
This is a real, honest conversation about transformation, resilience and what comes next.
We talk about:
• Starting a GLP-1 journey and overcoming hesitation
• Losing 8 stone and what it really feels like day to day
• Changes in mindset, confidence and identity
• Food noise and relationship with food
• Reactions from others and sharing the journey online
• Navigating pancreatitis and gallstones during weight loss
• Thinking about maintenance and the future
• Advice for anyone starting their journey
If you’re on a GLP-1, considering it, or just want to hear a real story from someone living it, this episode will resonate.
Follow Anna:
TikTok: @dexbudsnewchapter
🔗 Connect with Marc
📲 TikTok: @my.journey.with.marc | @my.skinjourney.with.marc
📸 Instagram: @my.journey.with.marc
📺 YouTube: @myjourneywithmarc
🎧 Podcast IG: @this.is.my.journey.podcast
🎧 New episodes every Tuesday at 6am.

Support on a weight loss journey isn’t always what you expect.
In this episode of This Is My Journey, Marc McKee sits down with friends Emma Cottey (@EmmasHealthMission)and Rue Ndabaline (@JourneyWithRue) for a raw and honest conversation about transformation, friendship, and what really happens when your life starts to change.
After losing 126lbs (9 stone), Marc reflects on the role that support, or lack of it, can play in a journey like this, while Emma and Rue share their perspective on what they saw, what they felt, and what was happening behind the scenes.
This episode is about more than weight loss. It’s about relationships, identity, and how your connections with people can shift as you grow.
Topics discussed include:
• The lowest points before starting a journey
• Struggles people don’t always talk about
• How others see your transformation
• Changes in friendships during weight loss
• What real support actually looks like
• The difference between giving and receiving support
• Growth, reflection and what still feels unfinished
Follow Emma and Rue:
Instagram/TikTok: @EmmasHealthMission
Instagram/TikTok: @JourneyWithRue
🔗 Connect with Marc
📲 TikTok: @my.journey.with.marc | @my.skinjourney.with.marc
📸 Instagram: @my.journey.with.marc
📺 YouTube: @myjourneywithmarc
🎧 Podcast IG: @this.is.my.journey.podcast
🎧 New episodes every Tuesday at 6am.