Unlocking a Personalized Approach to Weight Health and GLP-1s with Ashley Koff, RD

Weight is often misunderstood as a number to control rather than as a signal of how our bodies work. In this episode, I am joined by Ashley Koff, author of Your Best Shot and founder of The Better Nutrition Program, to explore the idea of weight health. We discuss how to move past the scale by focusing on biological systems and hormones, such as GLP-1, that regulate our internal ecosystem. Ashley presents her Pizza analogy as a new way to think about health: the crust represents digestion and hydration, the sauce represents nutrition, the cheese represents our lifestyle choices, and the toppings represent medicine. In this conversation, we also examine bioavailability, assuring that our cells can access the nutrients we consume. Ashley shares professional insights on decoding body signals, from digestive health, energy levels, and mood, through her personalized assessment system. Finally, we also dive into the finer points of GLP-1 medications, the reality of intended effects versus side effects, and the importance of quarterly checkups with your doctor to account for changes in daily life. Here are the details of our conversation: [00:00:00] Introductions

[00:02:27] Ashley’s journey to becoming a dietitian and discovering weight‑health hormones

[00:07:08] How culture and science have changed our understanding of weight and hormones

[00:08:15] What “Weight Health” means — body composition over scale weight

[00:11:13] Where to start if you’re struggling — a functional assessment approach

[00:16:39] How to support weight health — the “pizza” model (crust, sauce, cheese, toppings)

[00:20:09] Why bioavailability matters — how your body actually uses nutrients (magnesium example)

[00:24:35] Should I take a GLP‑1? How to decide and prepare

[00:28:37] GLP‑1s and long‑term effects — what happens when you give a hormone exogenously

[00:32:56] Increasing your chances of successfully de‑escalating GLP‑1 medication

[00:35:46] One key takeaway: break up with total weight and embrace weight health

[00:37:49] Where to find Ashley and resources for Your Best Shot