For most of her adult life, Nadia believed weight loss was a math problem. Calories in, calories out. If the math was not working, the problem was her. In this solo episode she walks through what was actually happening: a body in metabolic distress, sending a signal for years that nobody, including her, was listening to.

The short answer, "I am on a GLP," is true but incomplete. The real story is hormonal. Insulin resistance. Leptin resistance. A struggling thyroid with Hashimoto's. Collapsing sex hormones in perimenopause. Nadia shares the numbers that rewrote her decade, why she gained weight on one of the most effective weight loss medications ever made, and what finally shifted once she stopped chasing the scale and started fixing the signaling. The weight, it turns out, was downstream the whole time.

This is also a caregiver conversation. For autism parents and caregivers, metabolic health is not vanity. It is the load-bearing wall of the life you are responsible for building. Inside: insulin and leptin explained, why microdosing changed everything, the daily protocol in plain English (protein, electrolytes, amino acids, digestive enzymes, lifting, walking), and why insulin resistance is a precursor to cardiovascular disease, several cancers, and the condition now described as type 3 diabetes, which is Alzheimer's.

Near the close, Nadia hints at something she has been quietly working on. More on that soon.

"Your weight is not your worth. Your weight is information. It is a flag your body has planted, telling you something upstream needs attention."

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PRODUCTS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED

Electrolytes (no added sugar), Nadia's pick: https://amzn.to/4ez6S3L

Whey protein, Nadia's pick: https://amzn.to/4fxWXN0

Amino acids, Nadia's pick: https://amzn.to/4oqFxo4

Digestive enzymes, Nadia's pick: https://amzn.to/4eevvlb

The Fixxr (T2 thyroid support, Dr. Amie Hornaman's line): https://amzn.to/43wG3XQ

Hunter Williams on retatrutide (podcast episode referenced in this episode): https://open.spotify.com/episode/3rCvtt10k3iH0gXWtCSAm0?si=omolrtgoTJK9tVAZY-1heg

RESEARCH REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE

Insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease: DeFronzo et al., "Insulin Resistance and Atherosclerosis: Implications for Insulin-Sensitizing Agents," Endocrine Reviews, 2019. https://academic.oup.com/edrv/article/40/6/1447/5482541

Alzheimer's as "type 3 diabetes": de la Monte & Wands, "Alzheimer's Disease Is Type 3 Diabetes, Evidence Reviewed," Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, 2008. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769828/

GLP-1 cardiovascular protection: Lincoff et al., "Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes," New England Journal of Medicine, 2023. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2307563

GLP-1 and liver fat: Sanyal, Newsome et al., "Phase 3 Trial of Semaglutide in Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatohepatitis," New England Journal of Medicine, 2025. https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2413258

GLP-1 and alcohol craving (emerging research): Hendershot et al., "Once Weekly Semaglutide in Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial," JAMA Psychiatry, 2025. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11822619/

GLP-1 and mitochondrial function (emerging research): Old et al., "The Effects of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists on Mitochondrial Function Within Skeletal Muscle: A Systematic Review," Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 2025. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jcsm.13677

Leptin resistance and satiety signaling: "Leptin signaling and its central role in energy homeostasis," Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2023. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1238528/full

Reverse T3 and impaired T4 to T3 conversion: Halsall & Oddy, "Clinical and laboratory aspects of 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (reverse T3)," Annals of Clinical Biochemistry, 2021. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0004563220969150

Muscle loss with age and muscle as the site of insulin sensitivity: Cleasby et al., "Insulin resistance and sarcopenia: mechanistic links between common co-morbidities," Journal of Endocrinology, 2016. https://joe.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/joe/229/2/R67.xml

ABOUT Biohacking Autism with Nadia Elkhatib explores evidence informed, integrative health for autism families: functional medicine, peptides, metabolic health, hormones, caregiver longevity, and the science of feeling well. New episodes weekly.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER This episode is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health protocol or your child's protocol. This episode shares Nadia's personal experience under the supervision of licensed clinicians. The medications, peptides, and hormone therapies described, including GLP medications, retatrutide, semaglutide, tirzepatide, thyroid T4, T3, and T2, bioidentical hormone replacement, injectable testosterone, and progesterone, are prescription items, some used off label, and are not appropriate for everyone. They should never be used without a qualified prescribing physician monitoring your labs and your response.