Is Your Brain Making You Gain Weight?

What if stubborn weight gain, constant cravings and “food noise” aren't simply a matter of willpower? What if your brain is driving more of your hunger, metabolism and eating behavior than you realize?

Triple board-certified neurologist and obesity medicine specialist Dr. Sara Siavoshi joins Women Road Warriors with Shelley Johnson and Kathy Tuccaro to reveal the connection between the brain, weight gain and weight loss, metabolism, GLP-1 medications, inflammation and healthy aging.

Dr. Siavoshi is the Founder and CEO of DrBrainRx, a nationwide physician-led telehealth platform focused on metabolic health, brain health, longevity and preventive medicine. She also practices clinical neurology and serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Neurosciences at UC San Diego.

In this eye-opening conversation, Dr. Siavoshi explains why she considers GLP-1 medications “brain drugs,” how the hypothalamus regulates hunger and satiety, and how dopamine-driven reward pathways can contribute to food cravings and addictive behaviors.

She breaks down the science behind Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, Mounjaro, semaglutide and tirzepatide, including what may happen when people stop taking GLP-1 medications and why maintaining muscle through resistance training and adequate protein are so important during weight loss.

Dr. Siavoshi explores the relationship between obesity, insulin resistance, inflammation and brain health, including why protecting the brain's blood vessels may matter for cognitive health as we age. She also explains how exercise increases BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which supports neurons, neural connections and the hippocampus. That’s the brain region critical to learning and memory.

You'll also hear a fascinating discussion about genetics and obesity, fertility and metabolic health, “Ozempic babies,” vitamin D and the nervous system, neuroplasticity after neurological injury, and what science is discovering about GLP-1 medications and addictive behaviors.

In this episode, discover:How your brain regulates hunger, fullness, cravings and “food noise”Why GLP-1 medications may affect far more than appetite and weightHow dopamine and the brain’s reward system can influence compulsive eatingWhy researchers are studying GLP-1s in connection with alcohol, nicotine and other addictive behaviorsWhy weight can return after stopping GLP-1 medicationsWhy muscle, protein and resistance training matter during weight lossWhat “skinny fat” means—and why appearan