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The most life-changing health advice often starts with more time, not more rules. We sit down with nurse practitioner Aly Johnston as she shares how her desire to spend more time with patients and more education in the area of weight management and hormone care led her to offering tele health care and a more personalized approach to her patients. Aly traces her path from family practice to a specialty in metabolic health, explaining why it is critical to be able to spend time with patients without any limitations. and how video visits, check-ins, and thorough lab reviews can truly help patients feel heard and seen and can lead to real, lasting behavior change.
We dive deep into GLP-1s—where they fit, what they really do, and how to use them without sacrificing nutrition. Aly is candid about the economics and access barriers, and she’s equally direct about the fundamentals: most patients arrive under-fueled on protein, low on hydration, and overwhelmed by ultra-processed foods. Her blueprint is refreshingly doable—protein-forward meals, careful hydration, steady movement, and a plan to protect lean mass while the scale moves. Along the way, she shares additional benefits that her patients experience such as inflammation reduction, better glycemic control, and the momentum that builds when appetite and energy finally stabilize.
What makes this conversation different is Aly has lived this experience herself. After years of weight cycling and a 2021 bariatric surgery, she lost 130 pounds and did the hard psychological work—trauma therapy, binge-eating recovery, and rebuilding her identity in a new body. Her honesty brings compassion to moments that rarely make clinic notes: not wanting to leave the house, avoiding stairs, dreading photos. She also shares how peptides, functional testing, and careful follow-up can support people who have been perhaps misdiagnosed. The message is clear: obesity is a chronic, relapsing disease; success comes from a system that blends medication when needed, counseling, protein and hydration, and small daily healthy action steps that compound.
If you’ve been confused by conflicting advice, this episode offers some clear explanations to solutions that can be beneficial for some. Take a listen, and perhaps take a few notes and then try one small change today for your wellness perhaps an extra 500 steps, 20 more ounces of water, or a protein-rich meal. If this helped, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find thoughtful, practical wellness conversations like this one.

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Thank you for listening to the Words of Wellness podcast with Shelly Jefferis. I am honored and so grateful to have you here and it would mean the world to me if you could take a minute to follow, leave a 5-star review and share the podcast with anyone you love and anyone you feel could benefit from the message.
Thank you and God Bless! And remember to do something for yourself, for your wellness on this day!
In Health,

Shelly