In this Thrive Global series, we hear directly from people sharing stories of transformation after using GLP-1 medications, a new class of drugs for diabetes and weight management.
Allison Gilbert’s weight journey
“I’ve struggled with my weight for my entire life. I don’t remember a time when I was ever 100 percent comfortable in my body,” says Allison Gilbert, an Emmy Award-winning journalist.
Growing up in New York, Allison remembers sitting down for family meals with her parents and brother, Jay. But even as a child, she worried about how much she ate. “We had wonderful fresh food with lots of protein and vegetables, but I would always have seconds,” says Allison. “I didn’t seem to have the ability to stop when I was full. That was the pattern.”
Allison, the co-author of The Joy of Connections with the late American icon Dr. Ruth Westheimer, recalls that her mother was always on a diet, and dieting became part of her own life early on. “I’d go to Weight Watchers with her. It wasn’t something she dragged me to. I wanted to go, and I enjoyed going. Looking back, it was a bonding experience.”
Allison loved sports and was always active. “I was a varsity athlete in soccer, swimming, and softball.” Still, her relationship with body image was complicated. “I was envious of friends who seemed to have a faster metabolism. Not feeling pretty was part of my identity.” Food and weight were constant concerns in her teens. “I wore huge baggy sweaters and oversized coats,” she says.
Her struggles continued into adulthood. Allison married her childhood sweetheart, Mark, and they have two grown children. She’s always enjoyed being active. “I do yoga and Pilates, I swim, I hike, and I walk our dog in the woods and by our local pond,” says Allison, now 55. Yet she still couldn’t lose the weight and describes herself as an emotional eater. “I’d eat when I was angry, when I was sad, when I was bored, or when I was congratulating myself. If I indulged in a second piece of chocolate cake, I’d be relentlessly upset with myself. I gave myself no grace.”
Why Allison started a GLP-1
Allison became concerned that she was “dipping into the edge of obesity territory,” and a friend shared her success losing weight on a GLP-1. “At first, it felt like something that other people do — I didn’t consider it as an option for me.” But inspired by her friend, Allison became curious about the medication. “There was no eureka moment — as a journalist, I was in research mode.”
She scheduled a consultation with a leading New York doctor in the field and decided to get started. “It felt safe, and I knew I’d be under medical supervision.” Her first GLP-1 injection was in her doctor’s office. “Immediately, a light switch went off in my brain. It was like a miracle. It seemed as though I had permission to change my mindset.”
Allison’s early experiences on a GLP-1
Unlike many people starting GLP-1s, Allison didn’t experience any side effects. “I felt absolutely fantastic — and lucky.” She still enjoyed eating but wasn’t tempted to overeat. “I was receiving the signal that I was full, and I could heed it,” says Allison. “Food didn’t have the same power over me that it had before, and that was a major shift.”
In the past, meals with friends could be stressful. “You’re having a conversation with someone, but you’re also having an invisible conversation in your head: Should I have the bread? Should I not have the bread? It’s exhausting.” Now that self-talk is gone. “You’re fully invested in the conversation with the person in front of you.”
Her diet didn’t change dramatically, but now she has smaller portions. Breakfast is often plain organic yogurt with berries and chia or flax, sometimes with homemade banana purée. Lunch might be black bean or vegetable soup from her local farmers market. Dinner with her husband, Mark, is usually a bowl with rice, grilled salmon or chicken, and roasted vegetables. “What’s changed is that I don’t go back for seconds.” She also has protein-rich snacks like nuts, “which helps me stay fuller longer.”
Allison still enjoys desserts but not to excess. “I don’t crave sweets nearly as much. I’m very happy to have a small ice cream cone.”
How life feels today
A big shift, says Allison, is in her relationship to food. “Nothing feels off limits now. Whereas before there were good foods and bad foods, now they’re just foods. They don’t carry the same emotional weight.”
Without the “food noise,” Allison feels liberated. “I have ownership of my brain and my thoughts, which means I have more time to focus on other parts of my life that are far more important, like my connections and relationships.”
Allison stayed active, but now she feels more confident working out. “I’m happier with the way I look. If I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror at a barre class, I see me — but it’s the version of me that I’ve always wanted to see.”
She lost more than 40 pounds over eighteen months. “This drug has been a powerful tool for me because it reached the part of my diet journey that no other diet could. In the past, I blamed myself for what I believed was a lack of discipline. I thought I didn’t have enough self-control to lose weight. And when you think that you’re the problem, you think something is broken.”
With the GLP-1, there was a realization that she wasn’t to blame. “My negative self-talk went out the window — I learned to be kind to myself. I’ve grown to understand that my brain didn’t work like many other people’s, that I needed a different recipe for success.”
She views the medication as a valuable support. “I feel like I have an incredible partnership with the GLP-1. It’s my ally. I wish I could have GLP-1 over for dinner to thank it,” she laughs.
“This journey has been life-changing,” says Allison. “Because I’m happier with my body, I’m even more happy to be engaging with people. The GLP-1 has allowed me to deepen and strengthen my relationships. That’s a gift.”
What Allison wants others to know
From Allison’s perspective, committing to lifestyle changes is essential for anyone on a GLP-1. “You need to exercise and do everything you can to stay healthy.” Success, she says, means “bringing your best effort to the game.”
She also encourages people to treat themselves with kindness. “Self-compassion and giving yourself grace are important.” And just as important, she adds, is support. “Why not curate your circle of support? Instead of engaging with people who make us feel as if we need to stay in patterns that no longer work for us, we can choose to have relationships that lift us up.”
For anyone who suggests that taking a GLP-1 is somehow cheating, Allison has these words: “If we can take a drug because we have depression or high blood pressure, or God forbid, cancer, why shouldn’t we avail ourselves of a drug that can also make us healthier when it comes to our weight? And how lucky we are to live at a time when these drugs are available.”