Summer Kessel is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Specialist in Obesity and Weight Management. She is currently serving as cofounder and chief of operations, Community & Nutrition at Vineyard, a virtual weight management and cardiometabolic health clinic. With over a decade of experience specializing in weight management, she champions personalized, sustainable, fun, and evidence-based nutrition solutions and behavior change coaching for patients on GLP-1 anti-obesity medications. Over the last 20 years, she’s lost more than 135 pounds—not without challenges. Currently, she is in maintenance on a GLP-1 medication and shares her personal journey on social media to build a community that encourages and supports others. Here is her experience taking a GLP-1 and what she eats in a typical week, as told to health writer Eliza Savage, RD.
I’m a dietitian, and I’ve been taking a GLP-1 for close to four years. People often ask why someone who specializes in nutrition would need this kind of medication. The truth is simple: I’ve always struggled with my weight. Even with all my training and all the weight-loss strategies at my fingertips, staying consistent felt like an uphill battle.
Before GLP-1s, eating “according to my intentions” was a daily challenge. I knew exactly how I wanted to eat, but my biology didn’t always cooperate; my hunger cues and cravings often pulled me in a different direction, no matter how strong my intentions were. Taking these medications finally changed not only my appetite, but the entire way I think about food, hunger, and self-care.
I decided to try a GLP-1 after a lifetime of dieting.
Around three and a half years ago, my then internet friend (and now my cofounder at my virtual clinic, Vineyard), Spencer Nadolsky, DO, tweeted something that hit me hard. He was sharing a patient story about how taking a GLP-1 gave them “relief from the food noise,” and I remember thinking, “That’s exactly what I’ve been fighting my entire life!” I had already lost 100 pounds, twice, through diet and exercise, but I was still struggling with the last 40 pounds I wanted to lose to reach a healthier weight for my body. Every time I tried to push through, the food noise—the constant thoughts, urges, and mental negotiations surrounding eating—made staying on track feel impossible.
Even with all my nutrition training and the science in front of me, I didn’t jump in right away. I never doubted the medication itself; I read the clinical trials, understood the mechanisms, and weighed the risks. What really scared me was telling my audience. As a dietitian who has been open about my lifelong weight struggles, I’d already felt the sting of stigma. People assume I should be able to manage my weight perfectly because of my career. So I told myself I wouldn’t start the medicine until I’d given macro counting and dieting one last go.
After six weeks of yet another round of restriction without meaningful results, I finally let myself consider what I already knew professionally: Sometimes, biology wins out over willpower. And in 2022, I started Mounjaro (tirzepatide), which is FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes but used off-label for weight loss. When Zepbound (the same thing, just approved for weight management) was released in late 2023, I switched.
Taking a GLP-1 reshaped my relationship with food—and transformed my work as a dietitian.
Within a week of starting a GLP-1, everything changed. The constant food noise went from being a screaming voice in my head to a faint whisper. It didn’t disappear entirely, but it was like someone finally turned the volume knob way down.
This was life-changing for my mental health. For years, I carried so much internalized bias and shame: I wondered why I could thrive in every area of my life except this one. I had education, resources, support, and privilege, and still felt like I was constantly white-knuckling my way through food noise and relentless hunger. Starting a GLP-1 taught me that struggling with weight is not a character flaw and obesity is not a choice. And this realization allowed me to finally release that shame and forgive myself.
It also completely reshaped the way I understand nutrition, both personally and professionally. In many ways, it made all the things I’d spent years teaching finally click for me: balanced eating, recognizing true hunger and fullness cues, mindful choices, and cultivating a healthier relationship with food. For the first time, my appetite felt manageable, my mental chatter around food quieted, and I could finally practice the habits I’d always encouraged in others.
The shift was so profound, so immediate, that keeping it to myself felt impossible. I knew people in my community needed to hear from someone who understood both the clinical side and the lived experience. By the end of my first month on the medication, I reached out to Dr. Nadolsky and asked if he was hiring dietitians. Not long after, I left my hospital job to work in weight-management care alongside him.
Here’s what I eat in a week on a GLP-1.
My approach to food is far simpler today. Before GLP-1s, weight loss required macro counting, meal prepping, and constant planning; now I’m more relaxed and focus on whole foods, home cooking, and balance. My only real requirement is to eat three meals a day, each built around produce, complex carbs, and protein, to support my workouts and work with my medication, not against it.
Here’s what a typical week of eating looks like for me.
I’m up early for the gym, so I grab a big cup of black coffee (Dunkin’ K-Cup forever!) and head out the door. I’m fasted only because of timing. I’m rushing to the 5 a.m. class and I’m rarely hungry this early in the morning. If I am hungry, I’ll grab a banana. And for longer or harder workouts, especially on weekends, I’ll have a quick carb like a fig bar, half a bagel, or even a PBJ Uncrustable for extra fuel.
After the gym, there’s always fresh coffee waiting (thanks to my husband), and I try to eat a solid breakfast before school drop-off and a full morning of clients. My top go-tos:
- Protein Oatmeal: Half-cup oats microwaved in water, mixed with cinnamon, Splenda, salt, 1 Tbsp. seed mix (chia, flax, hemp), 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, fruit (a banana or berries), plus 1 Tbsp. of peanut butter or chopped walnuts on top. Super filling and nutritionally balanced.
- Eggs and English Muffin: Three scrambled eggs with toast or a high-fiber English muffin with light cream cheese or Laughing Cow cheese with a big serving of fruit like apples, grapes, berries, watermelon, oranges, or whatever I have on hand.
- Shake and Fruit: On low-appetite mornings, I grab a Chocolate Fairlife shake and a banana. Liquids go down easier, and this combo still gives me protein and fiber.
Friday tradition: Every Friday, without fail, I get a Dunkin’ Donuts egg and cheese on an everything bagel with an extra egg. My daughter loves grabbing her cool drink before school, so it’s become our little ritual, but I keep it to Fridays so it doesn’t become an expensive habit.
I’m often not very hungry at lunch, but I’ve learned that if I don’t eat enough midday, I’m more likely to make a less-than-great choice at dinner.
My lunchtime go-to is a ChefRX meal, a ready-to-eat combo of protein, complex carbs, and veggies. (Full disclosure: I helped to formulate these meals!) My favorites include the steak, potato, and green bean plate; salmon with mango salsa; and the chicken enchiladas. Three minutes in the microwave and I’m set. If I need a little extra protein, I’ll add a scoop of Good Culture 2% cottage cheese on the side.
I usually crack open a Diet Coke while waiting for school pickup. A few days a week I’ll fit in a run before dinner; when I do, I grab a simple snack after, like a Fiber One bar and some fruit. I’m not a big snacker anymore, but we keep plenty of kid-friendly options at home (popcorn, pretzels, hummus, granola bars), so I’ll have those if I truly need something.
One thing I teach my GLP-1 clients (and practice myself) is why we snack. If it’s to bridge a long stretch between meals or fuel a workout, great. But a lot of snacking comes from habit or boredom, and on a GLP-1 it can actually make it harder to eat enough at meals. If someone feels constantly full, we often look at whether they’re eating again before their body has time to digest.
Dinner is the meal I’m most likely to cook for the family, and I always keep it simple: a protein, a carb, a veggie, and plenty of flavor. Recent favorites include pork with roasted veggies, flank steak with asparagus, and shrimp pasta. I’m known for being a convenience cook: microwave rice, air-fryer potatoes, steamer-bag veggies, sheet-pan meals…anything that cuts down on dishes.
On nights when I’m hungrier, especially if I went for a run, I love having a bowl of cereal before bed. I’ll grab a fun Cheerios flavor, Froot Loops, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and use a vanilla Premier Protein shake as the “milk.” I didn’t do this while actively losing weight, but in maintenance (and when I’m lifting heavier), it fits perfectly and helps refuel my muscles.
Weekends for me are all about flexibility…and a little bit of takeout! That usually means a dinner out at a restaurant or something delivered via Uber Eats. And since my husband has been on a GLP-1 for almost a year now, dining out has actually become more fun. We almost always split an entrée these days, which feels both satisfying and economical. When we do go out, we like to make it count. A great steak or a beautiful seafood spot are top choices!
Below are my personal go-to orders from my favorite fast-casual spots, plus how I tweak things depending on appetite, goals, or GLP-1 side effects.
My biggest advice for someone starting a GLP-1: Work with a dietitian.
There are still so many misconceptions about these medications among the general public. People imagine everyone on a GLP-1 is starving themselves, wasting away, or too sick from side effects to eat…and that’s simply not true. Many of my clients still need to plan meals, track intake, work with a dietitian, build habits, and stay active to reach their goals. These medications aren’t magic, and they don’t automatically teach nutrition skills. What they do is bring an out-of-control appetite back into a more normal range so people can make healthier choices.
If someone is starting (or considering) these medications, my biggest piece of advice is to work with a dietitian if you can, or at least follow dietitians who understand GLP-1s and aren’t fear-mongering about them. There are so many RDs doing great, evidence-based work in this space, many of us on these medications ourselves or specializing in caring for people who use them. Not everyone in healthcare is fully supportive yet, but that’s changing as more research emerges and more of us share our lived experiences.
One final note about access….
I also can’t talk about GLP-1s without acknowledging this truth: Access to obesity treatment is deeply unequal. Many people have never had insurance coverage for these medications, and those who did are often losing it as plans stop covering them. Out-of-pocket costs remain out of reach for many. And medication is just one part of obesity care. Factors like food access, safe housing, living wages, high-quality healthcare, and coverage for dietitians all matter just as much.
As access becomes more difficult, we’re seeing the rise of compounded products, black-market peptides, and unregulated supplements that claim to mimic GLP-1s. It’s more important than ever for consumers to stay informed and for all of us to advocate for equitable, evidence-based obesity treatment.
My hope is that sharing my experience helps reduce stigma and reminds people that needing support, whether lifestyle-based, medical, or both, is not a failure. Everyone deserves access to compassionate, science-backed care. And everyone deserves the chance to feel at peace in their own body, like I finally do.
Related:
- Can You Ask If Someone's Taking a GLP-1?
- People With PCOS Are Taking GLP-1s for Their Symptoms. Here’s What to Know
- A Wegovy Pill Was Just Approved. Your 5 Top Questions, Answered
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