From 330 lbs to Half Her Size: Anna’s Ozempic Story You Need to Hear

Anna’s story is one that so many GLP-1 users will recognize — even if the details are unique.

In this episode of The Downsized Dish, Laraine sits down with Anna, who grew up in Chicago, now lives near Toronto, and has spent her entire life living with the disease of obesity. Anna once lost over 50% of her body weight without surgery through years of disciplined walking, tracking, and dieting… only to see 60 pounds come back when perimenopause hit and her body suddenly stopped responding to everything that had worked before.

Now on Ozempic (semaglutide) in Canada — where she pays full retail out of pocket and has no access to compounded GLP-1s — Anna talks honestly about:

Growing up as the “husky kid” and a strong family history of obesity

Losing more than 160 pounds and keeping it off for a decade
The moment perimenopause flipped a switch and weight started piling back on
Why she chose Ozempic over Zepbound (tirzepatide) for financial reasons
Living with lipedema, chronic leg pain, and how vibration plates, compression and movement help
Constipation, fiber, magnesium, and the reality of GLP-1 side effects
How GLP-1s quiet the food noise and what it feels like when your brain finally calms down
Letting go of “goal weight” and focusing on a goal life instead: travel, fitting on rides, walking without pain

If you’re on Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, Mounjaro, tirzepatide, or semaglutide — or you’re just GLP-1 curious — this conversation is a real, unfiltered look at what it means to use these medications to treat the disease of obesity in the real world, with real tradeoffs and real wins.

👉 If you’d like to share your GLP-1 story on The Downsized Dish, visit our website at thedownsized.org and fill out the guest form. We read every submission.

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00:00 Introduction to The Downsized
00:49 Meet Anna: Background and Personal Story
02:19 Anna's Weight Loss Journey
05:10 Challenges and Medical Interventions
06:31 Current Medications and Financial Considerations
13:57 Diet and Exercise Regimen
17:48 Before and After: Anna's Transformation
22:55 Ozempic vs. Zepbound: The Original Debate
23:30 First Dose Experience and Side Effects
25:07 Appetite Suppression and Food Noise
27:40 Maintaining Weight Loss: Discipline and Struggles
33:46 Living with Lipedema: Challenges and Treatments
39:52 Future Plans and Medication
43:13 Final Thoughts and Encouragement