But you’ll notice something in my next couple of videos. Every once in a while, my footage will go in and out of focus.

Not because the camera isn’t good…but because I don’t fully know how to use it yet. I’m still learning the settings and still figuring out how to get consistently clear video.

And if I just assume the camera is going to do everything for me…I end up with a blurry face.

And it’s kind of like that with my GLP-1 too.

It’s an incredible tool. It really is. But it can’t do all the work for me.

I’ve been coasting in maintenance mode for about 18 months now, and if I’m honest…I think I got a little comfortable.

Maybe I needed a reminder.

That I’m still taking a powerful medication. That I’m still managing a chronic condition. And that the basics still matter.

I’ve been feeling so good lately. After having surgery last July, I’ve spent the last 8 months trying to regain my strength and get back to working out. And I finally feel like I’m there!

And then out of nowhere, for the first time in 2.5 years on tirzepatide, I get the worst of the worst side effects you could ever imagine. SULPHER BURPS. Ugh.

OK, I know it’s all relative and people have had worse. This wasn’t serious or dangerous, but it completely threw me off.

It impacted my day, my energy, how I felt in my body… everything.

And for a minute there, I was like… “Is this even worth it?”

I made a video all about how I caused this awful side effect, how I treated it, and how I’m going to prevent it from happening again.

Shout out to my real life GLP-1 crew who helped me figure out how to handle these because I really was ready to quit.

I’ve got another video with a trip to Costco coming later this week. If you have a video idea for me, send them my way!

Until next time,

Meghann

Here’s our new kitchen fridge (apparently this is how we find excitement in our 40s, folks):

We’ve got another one in our laundry room. How we got two new fridges is a long story that I will spare you from suffering through. But it started with family in town and my brother-in-law asking for some ice.

From there it turned into a full blown If You Give a Mouse a Cookie scenario… musical refrigerators, measuring mistakes, coolers everywhere, doors coming off hinges, a leaky water line, sawing off cabinetry. You get the idea.

When we finally got both fridges in place this morning, I had a moment to breathe and reflect…

How exactly did we get here?

Sometimes it takes being on the other side of the chaos, being out of the weeds, before you can really understand what happened.

That’s true with refrigerators. And it’s true with life.

A few years ago, I gained 75 pounds in a single year. That is drastic weight gain.

But while it was happening, I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t see clearly what was happening to my body or my life until it was already far along.

It took five more years before I finally hit rock bottom and got the help I needed through a GLP-1 medication.

And now that I’m on the other side of it, I can see things I couldn’t see back then.

I can see how miserable I was.

Gaining weight and living in an obese body changed who I was from the inside out. It slowly stole joy from my life. It made me feel powerless and out of control.

Now that I have that zoomed-out view and a GLP-1 working in my brain, I can see the full picture.

In so many photos from that time, I’m smiling. But behind every smile there were so many emotions. And the biggest one was shame.

Obesity is a disease. And over the past few years, I haven’t just shed the extra pounds I was carrying.

I’ve shed the weight of that shame too.

But something else has happened along the way. I’ve also gained the ability to be honest about what that time in my life actually felt like.

And that’s what today’s video is about.

In it, I talk about the hardest parts of being fat: the things I lived with every day but rarely admitted out loud.

We’ll get into some of the physical things, the emotional things and the things I carried silently for years.

If you’ve ever looked at a photo of yourself smiling and thought, no one knows how hard this actually feels, I think this video will resonate with you.

You can watch it here:

Wishing you the very best week ahead!

Until next time,

Meghann

My husband and I slipped away to Marco Island for a few days this week.
Just sun, salt air, and long walks on the beach with nowhere we needed to be.

I’m an inland, landlocked girl and sea creatures and all the mysteries of the ocean fascinate me.

The strand was almost two feet long. Of course I had to Google what it was. Turns out it is a spiral of empty Lightning Whelk egg capsules. What looks like a strange ribbon in the sand is actually hundreds of tiny beginnings… each one once holding a baby sea snail.

Standing there holding it, I couldn’t help wondering: how does something like this even happen? A single sea snail somehow creates a spiral of tiny life and leaves it behind in the sand.

It made me think about something else nature does that still amazes me.

I’ve carried four babies inside my womb. Three of them have miraculously formed in all the right ways to be able to enter this world and grow into wonderful humans, one who is now several inches taller than I am. Again, how?!

Our bodies are pretty incredible, too. With each of those babies, I gained and lost 50 pounds. In 2018 I gained 75 pounds in a single year and found myself heading toward a place I never imagined. The way my body stretched and accommodated the extra weight is also nothing short of a miracle. How?

And while I have the utmost reverence for nature and the natural order of the world, it is science that has helped me find my place in the world today. After losing 125 pounds with the help of a GLP-1 medication, I had surgery to remove loose skin and put my body back together after years of neglect.

In this week’s video I share the full story of my tummy tuck:

• how I knew it was time to make the decision
• what it actually felt like waking up from surgery
• what recovery was really like
• and the surprising thing surgery cannot change about how you see yourself.

Finding that mermaid’s necklace on the beach felt like a little reminder. Nature has an incredible way of creating new beginnings. Sometimes science helps us finish the ones we’ve already started.

Wishing you the best week ahead. It’s spring break in Texas this week- we’re staying home and soaking up all the sunshine and spring blossoms we can.

Talk soon,

Meghann

P.S. I’m mulling over the idea of hosting a GLP-1 support group with a weekly live meeting off of YouTube where we can actually see each other’s faces and talk in real time. Would you be interested in this? Hit reply and let me know if that would be something helpful for you (no commitment, just trying to gauge interest!).

But that wasn’t the heaviest thing in the room.

With one workout:

• I lifted comparison.

• I lifted self-doubt.I lifted the pressure to get my body back.

• I lifted the version of me I thought I should be.

The deadlifts, RDLs, Bulgarian split squats and all of that weight in my hands was real.

But the invisible stuff? It was heavier.

Six months ago I had major cosmetic surgery to handle what losing 125 pounds stole from me (my boobs). I naively thought I’d have a six week recovery and be back to my old self.

Six weeks after surgery, I could barely do 5 pound dumbbell curls. I could do my morning walk around the block but not much else.

The physical weakness was humbling to say the least.

But the mental comparison was harder.

“I used to be stronger.”
“This shouldn’t feel this hard.”
“Why aren’t you back yet?”

When I finally started working out again around 12 weeks post-op, the weights were embarrassingly light. My range of motion was limited. I didn’t feel like a “fit person.” I felt like all the work I had done to build up my body after weight loss was for nothing.

So I did something small and necessary.

I recalibrated.

I stopped competing with the version of me from before surgery and accepted the version of me that existed that day.

I quit thinking about how strong I used to be- I had visible muscles, y’all! I quit thinking about where I should be if I could have started working out at 6 weeks post-op like my doctor told me I could. I quit thinking about where I would be if I hadn’t had surgery.

I looked in the mirror…and got to work.

I started doing three strength training workouts a week in December. Plus one or two days of cardio with some easy running or jump rope. Plus my daily 10k steps. And some pickleball for active fun.

I still didn’t feel strong. The weights were still light. I caught myself thinking I should be doing more.

But it turns out that showing up consistently is more than enough. Little by little, strength started stacking. It didn’t feel dramatic while it was happening. Muscle building is a painfully slow process!

But I’ve still been going through the motions. Just doing the things I know I need to do even though I didn’t have anything to show for it.

Until now.

Yesterday, something finally clicked. Seven months after my surgery, I finally feel strong again!

Yesterday was just an ordinary day. There wasn’t anything special about this day or this workout.

The magic is in every single unimpressive workout I’ve done for the past few months. I could not have lifted 7,000 pounds on this day without lifting the light weights for months first.

I could not have felt strong without first allowing myself to feel weak.

And that’s the part that matters, not just in strength training, but in everything.

In weight loss.
In healing.
In maintenance.
In rebuilding your life.

We think breakthroughs come from motivation, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

They come from motion. From doing the next thing on the schedule you set for yourself…even when you don’t feel ready, inspired, or impressive.

From accepting who you are today and loving that person enough to put in the effort anyway.

My latest video on YouTube shares the story of how I lost 10 pounds in ONE week when I realized this same truth. When I finally started accepting myself for who I was and doing all the small things to care for my body, I found instant success.

What I am learning again and again on this journey of weight loss and life: Don’t wait until you feel strong; build strength by showing up while you’re still weak.

If you’re in a season where you don’t feel like you are doing enough, or if you’re frustrated with your pace, or if you’re waiting for motivation to strike…

Maybe you don’t need a new plan. Maybe you just need to recalibrate.

Start with who you are today. And do the next small thing.

One day, it will click.

And you’ll realize you’ve been lifting more than you knew all along.

Talk soon,

Meghann

Not because I wanted it to be. Not because I didn’t have dreams or hopes or ideas about what my life could be.

But because I was tired.

All the time.

Tired in my body.
Tired in my mind.
Tired in my spirit.

And when you’re that tired, you don’t build a big life. You just can’t. You’re barely surviving.

I spent hours in bed. Struggling to get up in the mornings. Taking two-hour naps every afternoon. Scrolling on my phone late into the night, not even enjoying it, just watching time pass.

If I’m honest, I barely remember what I did most days.

And that’s really sad, because now I can see how much life I missed. How much time I’ll never get back.

Here’s something important, though.

I didn’t change my life because I hated myself. I didn’t wake up one day and decide I needed to “fix” my body.

I started to realize…

“I deserve to feel better than this.”

“I deserve energy.”

“I deserve a life that feels full.”

Even in the body I had. Especially in the body I had.

So I started taking care of myself. It started with little things like a pedicure and buying a new hairbrush. I started putting on makeup and wearing a bra. Then I had Stitch Fix help me start dressing my body with beautiful clothes that actually fit.

The small things started to snowball into letting myself enjoy things again and letting myself take up space again. And that’s when I was ready for the transformation on the outside to match what was happening on the inside.

When I was deep in my weight loss journey, I was all in.

Every ounce of energy went into building new habits and rewriting old patterns.

But here’s something no one really talks about.

When you finally reach the goal and when the scale shows the number you’ve been dreaming of…

It might not be quite the high you imagined. I know it wasn’t for me.

For so long, losing weight had been my purpose. And when that was done, I had to figure out who I was without it.

I remember thinking, “Is this it? Is this what I worked so hard for?”

That’s when pickleball walked into my life.

Not as another workout or another thing to optimize. Not as something I “should” be doing. But as something I wanted to do.

Pickleball is something fun to do with friends, a way to meet new people, and a challenge for the mind and body. It was something that made me forget about calories and steps and numbers and tracking.

It was something that made me feel alive!

Pickleball gave me somewhere to put my energy again. Somewhere to grow. Somewhere to belong. Somewhere to play.

And in ways I didn’t see coming, it gave me purpose again.

Because here’s what I know now.

Getting healthy matters. I am endlessly grateful for the health I have found after losing 125 pounds.

But health can’t be the end goal. There has to be more than a number on the scale, a jean size, or stellar bloodwork.

We have to have a life worth living. The goal should be a life filled with purpose, connection, and joy.

For me, that includes pickleball. You’ll have to figure out what your new life looks like, but I want to encourage you to start exploring this goal now. You don’t have wait until you’re at your goal weight. We all deserve a full life, right now, just as you are!

I made a new video about this, about how pickleball helped me find joy and purpose after weight loss and why “active fun” matters so much more than we realize.

🎥 Watch it here:

And more than anything, I hope this reminds you:

You don’t have to wait for someday.

You’re allowed to enjoy your life now.

You’re allowed to take up space now.

You’re allowed to have fun now.

I want that for all of us.

❤️ Meghann

They feel heavy.

Right now, it feels like there is so much happening in the world. So much heartbreak. So much uncertainty. So many things that make you want to look away… or go numb… or just escape for a while.

And I think a lot of us are carrying more than we realize.

Six or seven years ago, I was in one of those seasons.

On the outside, things looked “successful.” My business was growing. People were buying what I was creating. Opportunities were opening up.

But behind the scenes, life felt like it was unraveling.

My husband’s childhood home had just been destroyed by Hurricane Harvey. The rebuilding process created so much family stress and emotional strain. My husband’s job felt shaky and uncertain. We were living on six acres in the middle of nowhere, and I was miserable. Isolated. Lonely. Cut off from community.

And I didn’t really know how to process all of it.

So I did what a lot of us do.

I ate.

Food became comfort. Food became relief. Food became the way I got through hard days.

At the time, I didn’t see it as “emotional eating.” I saw it as survival.

And in many ways, it was.

Feeling It All Is Normal

If you are feeling overwhelmed by your life…
If you are feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world…
If you are tired, discouraged, anxious, or sad…

That is normal.

That means you are paying attention. That means you care. That means you are human.

We aren’t meant to float through life untouched. But we do have choices about how we carry what we’re feeling.

For a long time, I carried it with food.

And now thanks to a GLP-1, we can learn to carry it differently.

You Get to Write the Next Chapter

One of the things I talk about in today’s video is storytelling.

It’s something I’ve loved my whole life, whether I was working in journalism, building businesses, writing online, or now making videos.

But here’s what I’ve learned:

We are all living a story.

And even when things feel completely out of our control…we still get to decide what happens next.

For a long time, my story was:

“I’m overwhelmed. I’m exhausted. I’m doing my best. This is just how it is.”

And that story made sense. It fit the season I was in.

But eventually, I realized I didn’t want that to be the ending. I wanted a different chapter.

Not a perfect one. Not an easy one. Just a healthier one.

So I started writing it. One small decision at a time.

One walk.
One honest conversation.
One bowl of Greek yogurt.
One boundary.
One better choice.
One day at a time.

That’s what “Small Things Daily” has always been about.

Not reinventing your life overnight. But choosing, again and again, to move the story in a better direction.

Self-Care Isn’t Selfish

Taking care of yourself when things are falling apart is not selfish.

It’s one of the bravest things you can do.

It’s saying:
“I matter enough to stay well.”
“My family matters enough for me to be healthy.”
“My future matters enough for me to show up.”

Sometimes self-care looks like therapy.
Sometimes it looks like medication.
Sometimes it looks like walking.
Sometimes it looks like finally asking for help.

All of it counts.

Why I’m Sharing This Now

In today’s video, I’m celebrating six months on YouTube and answering your questions.

But underneath the Q&A…
Underneath the weight loss…
Underneath the numbers…

Is this story.

A story about learning how to live through hard things without destroying myself in the process.

If you’re in a heavy season right now, I hope you know this:

You are not weak.
You are not failing.
You are not behind.

You are learning.

And that’s enough.

🎥 You can watch the video here:

And if you want support along the way, my free Protein Favorites Guide is here:

I’m so grateful to walk this road with you.

With love,
Meghann 💛

One afternoon, my son pulled out a craft subscription kit he had been excited about: a sextant, a tool that can measure heights and distances using angles and some fairly complicated math for a 6th grader. He carefully assembled all the pieces, laid everything out at the table, and then sat down to figure out how to actually make it work.

After a few minutes, I could see his frustration rising. His face tightened, his shoulders slumped, and before long there were tears.

I knew this was a project well within his capabilities. On any other day, he would have figured it out with patience and curiosity. But he wasn’t feeling his best. His brain was tired. His body was tired. And suddenly something that should have been challenging in a fun way felt overwhelming and impossible.

We set the kit aside for a few days.

Yesterday, completely on his own, he pulled it back out. He worked quietly at the table, then ran outside with his sextant in hand. A little while later, he came bursting in with a grin and said he had measured the height of our roof.

He did it! And it wasn’t because the task changed. It was because he did.

That experience has been on my mind as I think about what it’s like to start a GLP-1.

When I began compounded tirzepatide in August 2023, I was in a similar place emotionally and physically. I was exhausted, overwhelmed, and desperate for change. Everything felt hard. Even small decisions around food or movement felt loaded and stressful. I wanted to do everything right away. To follow every piece of advice, every rule, every optimization.

But when you’re not feeling your best, everything is harder. Even small mistakes can feel huge. And trying to take on too much at once can backfire.

What I wish I had known then, and what I’m trying to pass along now, is this: most of us would benefit from giving ourselves a true adjustment period on a GLP-1 before diving into all the complicated work we think we need to do.

In the beginning, the most important thing isn’t perfection. It’s simply taking the shot, paying attention to how your body feels, and starting to understand your new reality. You don’t need to overhaul your life overnight. You don’t need to have everything figured out on week one.

As your body settles in, your energy improves, and your brain quiets down, you’ll naturally feel more capable. That’s when you’ll be able to take on bigger goals with clarity instead of panic.

That’s exactly what I explore in this week’s video.

I share ten common ways people accidentally make GLP-1 weight loss harder than it needs to be, especially when they’re starting from a place of overwhelm or desperation, and what tends to work better instead.

If you’re new to GLP-1s, or if you’ve felt stuck, frustrated, or rushed to “do all the things,” I think this one will resonate.

You can watch it here:

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have you ever had a moment where stepping away made all the difference?

Thank you for being here with me. Wishing you the best week ahead!

Meghann

P.S. I decided on a New Year’s resolution to take a hike every week this year with friends. I talk a lot about combining fitness with social experiences, and this is a great way to do that! Here was hike 2/52 for 2026 with my kids Girl Scout troop. If you’re local to San Antonio and want to meet for a hike- let’s chat!

Christmas morning was slow and cozy with the smell of homemade cinnamon rolls in the air, wrapping paper everywhere, Christmas pajamas…the kind of sweetness that echoes in your memory long after the day is over.

After the gifts and saying goodbye to my mom, we packed up and went camping for a few days. Nothing fancy, just a chance to be outside, unplug, and exhale.

We took long walks, cooked over the fire, stared at the night sky, played a lot of pickleball, fished, and let the pace of life fall back into place. Those days in nature felt like a reset button I didn’t know I needed.

Throughout this season I have thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas treats and the little indulgences that come with the territory this time of year.

I baked, I sampled, I savored. But something shifted in me over the last year: my lifestyle carried me.

Even with the holidays, travel, and family time, I stuck mostly to my normal eating and movement routine without overthinking it.

I focused on protein. I lifted. I walked. I stayed hydrated. I slept. Not because I was keeping score, but because it’s simply who I am now.

Once you build a lifestyle, it’s amazing how effortless it becomes to maintain it.
Not perfect, not rigid…just steady.

A different season of growth

Losing weight changed everything for me… and it didn’t.

I thought hitting my goal weight would mean feeling “done.”
I imagined a version of myself that felt strong, toned, confident. Someone at peace in their skin.
But when the scale finally showed the number I chased for years, I looked in the mirror and realized:

I was smaller… but I wasn’t strong.
Leaner… but not defined.
Healthier… but still wanting more.

There’s a quiet grief that comes with that realization. The moment you accomplish what you thought would fix everything, and discover it’s not the final chapter after all.

That’s when I shifted my focus from shrinking to strength.

This video is the story of that shift

Today I’m sharing a new video about what it really took to get toned after massive weight loss- physically, mentally, emotionally.

Not advice.
Not instructions.
Just the honest truth of my experience.

➡️ Watch here:

If you’re early in your GLP-1 or weight-loss journey, my hope is that this plants a seed:
there is life beyond the scale.

If you’re in maintenance and wondering what comes next, I want you to know you’re not alone.
That longing you feel? That pull toward strength and shape and capability?
That’s not vanity.
That’s evolution.

The year ahead

As we head into a new year, I’m not thinking about resolutions.
I’m thinking about identity, about who I’m becoming through what I do consistently.

Strong.
Steady.
Rooted.
Capable.
Joyful in movement.

The scale was one chapter, a powerful one, but it wasn’t the whole book.

Here’s to writing the next one with intention.
Here’s to building strength that lasts longer than motivation.
Here’s to choosing what makes us feel alive.

I’m so glad you’re here.

— Meghann

And listen… old me would have taken that as a sign from the universe that movement was canceled.

Cold?
No sun?
Slight inconvenience?
Old me would have said, “Welp, guess we’re done here.”

Any tiny obstacle was a perfectly good excuse to derail my whole life.
A chilly morning? Fast food for lunch.
A busy day? No movement whatsoever.
A stressful moment? Straight to the pantry.

I lived in a constant mindset of life is happening to me, instead of I am happening to life.

But this week, in the same cold weather, in the same city, in the same body that once felt so stuck…I did things differently.

I didn’t go on my beautiful sunshine walks that I love so much.
Instead, I hopped on the treadmill. I did squats while reading Christmas stories to my kids. I walked in loops back and forth through the hallway while dinner cooked. I played more pickleball. I leaned into my yoga practice.

I found tiny ways to keep moving, even if it didn’t look the way I wanted it to.

None of it was glamorous.
None of it was Instagram-worthy.
But all of it counted.

And that is something I’ve only truly understood after 2.5 years on a GLP-1 and losing 125 pounds:

➡️ It was never just about the weight loss.
➡️ It was about changing my entire attitude toward life.

I used to quit so easily.
I used to crumble at the first sign of discomfort.
I used to think challenges were proof that I couldn’t do something.

Now?
I expect challenges. I expect discomfort. I expect life to be life.
And I trust myself enough to know I can figure it out.

This is why I made the video I’m sharing today.

It’s not just a roundup of random tools and gadgets (though it’s definitely random, in the best way). It’s a list of things I’ve actually used to build a new life- one where I show up for myself even on the cold weeks, the hard weeks, the inconvenient weeks.

These products didn’t make me lose weight.
But they helped me practice consistency.
They helped me make movement possible in real life, not fantasy life.
They helped me turn healthy habits into a lifestyle instead of a phase.

And most importantly…
They helped me become a person who no longer gives up when things get hard.

If you want to see the full list including my personal blender, the veggie chopper that changed my life, the puffer vest I’ve worn since the very beginning, my beloved pillow, and yes, even the thongs I wear daily 🙈 , check out my new video!

👉 Watch here:

And if you want a quick, shoppable list:
👉 Amazon list with the products I mentioned:
https://amzn.to/3XIbFac

If you’re in your own cold season right now, literally or figuratively, I hope you know this:

You don’t have to be perfect.
You don’t have to do things the “right” way.
You don’t have to wait for motivation or sunshine or the perfect day.

Just keep finding little ways to move forward.
Little ways to care for yourself.
Little ways to keep going.

Because those small things add up.
And one day you look back and realize…
you became the kind of person who doesn’t quit anymore.

I’m cheering for you, always. 💛

— Meghann

This year we have an Advent candle that burns just a little bit lower each night, the wax slowly melting its way toward the number “25.” My kids love watching it inch closer, sometimes asking if they can stay up just a few extra minutes to see the flame hit the next line.

They also have a Harry Potter LEGO Advent calendar they open together every morning. The daily reveal feels like a little burst of magic…one tiny piece that eventually becomes something bigger. And each evening, my youngest performs a full Nutcracker retelling with our paper-doll Advent calendar, placing one new character into the scene and narrating the next part of the story like she’s on stage at a Broadway theater.

It’s sweet and chaotic and beautiful.
And this year, it’s reminded me so much of my weight-loss journey.

With all the hullabaloo around counting down to Christmas, it’s easy to look at weight loss the same way. Like you’re just waiting for the “big day.” That moment you finally hit your goal weight. You imagine bells ringing, angels singing, maybe even a small choir of woodland creatures applauding your efforts.

But here’s the truth: that number on the scale is arbitrary.
Reaching it isn’t the prize.

Just like Christmas isn’t really about the candle hitting “25” or opening that last Advent door, the real beauty is in the daily moments leading up to it. The small things. The rituals. The choices. The tiny joys. The quiet consistency.

When I got to my goal weight after losing 125 pounds, it didn’t feel like a “big day.”
It felt like… Tuesday.

Because the journey, not the number, had already changed me.

All those days I chose to walk.
All the meals where I listened to my hunger.
All the moments where I slowed down enough to ask, “What do I need right now?”
That was the transformation.
Not the number.

So, if you’re in the middle of your journey, I want you to know this:
You’re not waiting for your real life to begin.
You’re already in it.
You’re already doing the thing.

Soak it in. Be present. Find joy in the little choices you’re making every day.
Because those choices, not the finish line, are what create a life you love living.

And if you need a little encouragement today, I just posted a new video on YouTube about the GLP-1 weight loss “rules” I didn’t follow…the myths I let go of, the pressure I ignored, and what actually mattered in my 125-pound transformation.

If you ever feel overwhelmed by all the advice out there, this one is for you.

👉 Watch the video here:

I hope it brings you a little peace and a whole lot of permission to do this your own way.

Here’s to the countdowns, the quiet moments, and the small things daily that add up to a life transformed. 💛

But what the video doesn’t show is why that week felt so heavy. Why movement mattered so much more than usual. Why I clung to my habits like a lifeline.

I had a genuine health scare.

A few weeks ago, I went to the ER for what I thought was a UTI. I ended up being diagnosed with a bad kidney infection and needing IV antibiotics and fluids. They also ordered a CT scan to check for kidney stones, which they didn’t find. But they did find a 3–4 cm mass in my abdomen.

If you’ve ever had one of those moments where the ground shifts under your feet, you know what that felt like.

CT scans can’t pinpoint exactly what or where something is, but the radiologist suspected it was on my uterus. And my mind spiraled.

Best case scenario? A hysterectomy.

Honestly, I was fine with that. My uterus has done its job well, and I’m done having babies.

Worst case? Cancer.

And with three young kids, that possibility terrified me.

I walked through my house that night in a fog, picking up piles, reorganizing drawers, deep cleaning corners I never think about. It wasn’t nesting, it was some strange version of “death cleaning,” like preparing my home just in case. I’m not proud of that thought, but it’s what my brain did to cope.

Then the waiting began.

Almost a week until my MRI.
Another week for results.
And an endless internal loop of What if? What if? What if?

The day before Thanksgiving, I finally got a message from my doctor.

“Your MRI shows no mass.”

None.
Not a single thing.

It turns out I have a uniquely shaped uterus that confused the radiologist who read the CT scan. The “mass” wasn’t a mass at all.

I felt a wave of relief.
I felt my lungs open again.
I felt color rush back into my world.

We got to enjoy Thanksgiving with family and you can see the joy on my face!

And in that week of fear and waiting? Movement saved me.

Not in a dramatic, superhero way. But in quiet ways.

A morning walk to remind myself I was still alive.

A short strength workout to burn off the panic.

Yoga to breathe through the fear.

Pickleball with my kids because joy felt like medicine.

Steps around my house, up the stairs, out the door- anything to keep my mind from drowning in the unknown.

If this had happened 2.5 years ago, food would have been my comfort. A drive-thru would’ve been my coping mechanism. I would’ve eaten my way through the uncertainty. I would have binged to numb the unknown and binged again because of the shame.

This time, I moved my way through it. Even with the chaos of the rest of my regular life that never stoped moving even when I was spiraling.

What a difference.

And that’s why I’m sharing this week of movement today. Not because it’s inspiring or pretty or perfect, but because it’s real. Because this is what habits are for: the hard weeks, the scary weeks, the weeks when life shakes you.

If you want to see the full week, you can watch the video here:

A Realistic Week of Movement 125 lbs Down

And if you’re in a season of stress or waiting or worry, I hope you remember this:
You don’t have to be perfect.
You don’t have to have an aesthetic routine.
You just have to start where you are and move through it, one small thing at a time.

I’m breathing easier now.
And I’m grateful for a body that can move.
Grateful for a habit that held me together.
Grateful for another normal, ordinary day.

And grateful for you, for being here with me.

I was surrounded by Spurs fans. Obviously.

But these people were the real deal.

They were decked out in Spurs gear from head to toe. Not just cheap T-shirts, but rhinestone vests and leather biker jackets with “Go Spurs Go” plastered on the back. Spurs hats and Spurs purses.

They brought black and silver pom-poms and giant foam fingers. They had car flags and custom Spurs license plates.

They knew all the inner workings of a Spurs game that as an outsider, I could only appreciate with awe. When the announcer called out the name of the player stepping up to the free-throw line, somehow almost 20,000 people knew to shout in unison “two shots!”

They highlighted a Spurs fan who had season tickets for 32 years. Wow! I don’t know much about basketball, but I do know that they play a LOT of games. So that seems like a commitment, right?

While I sat up in the balcony at my first Spurs game ever, soaking in the view of of this wildly fascinating sub-culture that so many people have invested so much time and money into, it got me thinking.

I’ve been going about my life in San Antonio for almost 30 years and had NO IDEA this is what some people were doing with their Sunday afternoons or Tuesday nights and their life savings and their lives.

It reminds me of a lightbulb moment I had this summer when I went on the Downsized cruise. I was my mom’s plus one on a cruise with her Youtube friends who were all on GLP-1 medications.

I thought I was going to get a few days to myself to relax, but the trip didn’t turn out exactly as I planned.

First of all, I was thrown into the sub-culture of YouTube. I literally had no idea YouTube was a thing beyond typing in “How to Change the Batteries on My Kid’s Drone.”

Little did I know, people indeed do watch YouTube, they find community, and they go on cruises together!

But the most unexpected thing about this cruise was that I found my own community.

I lost 125lbs on a GLP-1. I knew exactly three people who had taken weight loss meds and really paved my own way through my journey. And much like how I gained my weight, alone, that’s how I lost it.

But when I sat down and talked to people on the cruise, I started to feel like I was sitting in an arena, looking around at all these people and realizing for the very first time that I wasn’t alone.

Just like I had NO CLUE that thousands of people were obsessively building their lives around basketball games, I had NO CLUE that my experience as a fat person who changed my life with a GLP-1 medication was one that others, many others, were also sharing.

The best part about this arena was that I knew the lingo. I knew the chants. I could do the dances!

I had never talked to anyone about my experience of gaining 75lbs in a year. Gaining that much weight takes A LOT of effort. And for the first time, I could share the story of my relationship with food and hear that story echoed back time and time again.

While we each have our own unique circumstances, the common threads that run through obesity are plentiful. IYKYK.

And that’s why I started a YouTube channel a week after stepping of that cruise. Because my wish is that each of us can find that community and shared experience and the common threads that can bind us together.

I wanted to help create another space among many already wonderful ones where my people can wander in and feel at home.

I’m sharing a video today that answers one of the questions I get asked most often: “Do you have to stay on a GLP-1 forever?”

You should definitely go watch it. But for the short answer:

Life is hard. A GLP-1 makes it easier. I’m OK choosing the easy way out. Because for me that means…

• Getting to park at a Spurs game in Lot 7 which is in fact about a mile from the arena

• Being able to walk up to the nosebleed section easily without getting out of breath or feeling like I couldn’t do it

• Being able to sit comfortably in a tiny arena seat- I could even cross my legs!

And these are just the benefits on a random Sunday. The truth is my entire life has changed so much I can barely recognize it.

Right now, I' choose easy because that means choosing LIFE.

Until next time friends,

Meghann

P.S. Fun fact…I actually met my husband because of the Spurs! A mutual friend invited both of us to watch a Spurs playoff game at Outback Steakhouse in June 2005. Basketball isn’t my thing so I have no clue what made me say yes. But we sat next to each other and the rest is history. In 20 years, we have not watched another Spurs game together, nor have we been back to Outback Steakhouse!

P.P.S In my other life as a homeschool/parenting creator/influencer, I loved sharing my heart through emails. I had an email list of nearly 50k homeschool moms who I loved connecting with several times a week. And I’m excited to get to do that here with this new topic. I hope you’ll find encouragement and a seat in this arena because life is better when we cheer each other on. So reply to this email and introduce yourself so we’re not strangers- I’ll reply back!

I spent the evening running around practicing soccer and basketball with my kids and the coolest thing is I can run around with my kids and not be exhausted from it!

When I was 240+ pounds, just walking around doing my daily life was hard. My feet hurt from the moment I woke up in the morning. My knees ached going up stairs. I couldn’t imagine a life where I was exercising for fun.

And I’ve never been someone who enjoyed exercise, even when I was thinner for most of my life. Here we are on my oldest daughter’s first birthday. I was 130 pounds and never worked out ever. It just wasn’t my thing!

When I started on this health journey in 2023, I knew that exercise was going to be a big part of my plan. Not for weight loss, but for health gain.

I started with walking and gave myself small, realistic goals. Like the goal was just to take a walk in the morning. Sometimes it was 10 minutes. Sometimes it was a little longer.

But every day, I took a walk.

How to run when you’re not a runner

When walking became easy and I was down 100 pounds, I started to run. Couch to 5K was way too hard for me! So I did my own thing with small goals.

I started running for 30 seconds at a time. My starting run routine:

• 5 minute walking warmup

• Alternate 30 seconds running/3 minutes walking for 20 minutes

• 5 minute walking cooldown

I did this routine for months. Then eventually started increasing the running time.

After about 6 months, I was up to running 3 minutes at a time.

After about 8 months, I decided to try running a mile straight. It was HARD, but I did it!!

Now a year later, I mostly do a routine of:

• 5 minute walking warmup

• Alternate 6 minutes running/2 minutes walking and repeat 4 times

• 5 minute walking cooldown

I time to run these intervals 2-3 days a week and every Monday I run a mile straight. My latest mile was at a 9:57 pace- under 10 minutes for the first time ever!

Strength Training

Since I started my health journey, I have done all of my weight lifting at home. It’s just easier and saves me so much time and allows me to fit it in as a busy mom of 3.

I have and love a Tonal Home Gym. I don’t know that I could be where I am without this machine. It has been a huge part of my journey.

My strength training routine has varied aver time but I generally aim for 4-5 days of strength training each week.

I am naturally inclined to be lazy and do the least amount possible. I love that Tonal chooses the weight for me and continues to challenge me every single workout.

Real Life & Fitness Options

Having different options for working out has been a game changer for me. I carry my jump rope around so that if I have 15 minutes to spare while I’m waiting on my kids I can get in an awesome jump rope workout.

I have a treadmill for when the weather doesn’t cooperate with walking or running outdoors.

I add in stretching and mobility 3-4 times a week to keep my body feeling good.

Whenever possible, exercising outdoors is an amazing way to boost my mood. I love to pair exercise with social time and often plan long hikes with friends or family on the weekends.

I also started playing pickleball as a way to pair fitness with fun and social time. Pickleball is a great way to improve cardio fitness and agility in a fun way.

The Why Behind Fitness

Finding fitness at 40 has been a weird thing! I am more fit now than I’ve ever been. I have visible muscles, and I get asked about them all the time.

The strangest part for me is that I still don’t love working out, but I am dedicated and committed to doing it for longevity.

My fitness routine has not only completely changed the way my body looks, but it has given me the gift of being able to do whatever I want to do.

I can go on an 8 mile hike with friends, I can play 4 hours of pickleball, I can shoot baskets with my kids, I can run home if it starts raining!

These kinds of things are my “why” and what keep me working out consistently because I know my life is more full and better than ever because I am strong and fit.

What’s your “why”?

Some links to things I mentioned in this episode (some may be affiliate links):

• LMNT Electrolytes- my favorite flavor is Citrus Salt

• My favorite starter jump rope

• Tonal Home Gym

I threw myself into motherhood and gave it my all.

For YEARS.

I don’t regret it, and much of it was necessary because I had a high needs baby and practiced attachment parenting, which I’m so thankful for.

But the mistake I think some of us make is pouring so much into kids that we don’t think we don’t have anything left for us.

The math doesn’t work out. When you lay down at the end of the night and look at all you did, it doesn’t seem like there’s a way you could have fit anything else in.

Wake up early? Work out? Eat a solid meal? Take a walk?

Impossible.

But making small investments in yourself is a way to make good things multiply. Suddenly you have more time. More energy. More love to give.

Here’s what I looked like on my 38th birthday at a beautiful winery in West Texas in the 100 degree heat. I’m wearing my trusty black leggings, a size XXL tank top from Target that barely covered my belly, and Target slides that could comfortably fit my swollen feet.

A decade of intense mothering put me last on the list of people to take care of. I am smiling, but dying inside. It would take another full year before I started to change my life.

A year later, we had moved and I started doing small things to invest in myself. I got my first Stitch Fix box and couldn’t believe what a difference wearing clothes that fit made! I loved these shorts so much!!!

I hadn’t lost even one pound at this point, but I was taking care of myself and I was truly happy in my body again. I was also becoming the mother and wife I had lost for a few years.

I’m taking this walk the day after our celebration of Holi, an Indian festival of colors and spring. My husband and I spent time in India before kids while he worked there, and it was so special to share a part of our history with our kids and friends and neighbors.

These kinds of days with my family filled with so much joy and adventure are the ones that I am so thankful for- the reason for getting healthy and losing 125lbs. All of the small investments in myself led me to here.

Who knows where I’ll end up next?

A few links to things I mentioned on this episode:

• The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

• My makeup routine

• Stitch Fix subscription

My brain without meds is messed up around food. I didn’t realize it before starting the meds, but once I did, it was clear that my eating had become disordered. My brain impulsively made me eat anything and everything without being able to slow down enough to process the consequences.

And now for 20 months I’ve had a “normal” brain that allows me to consciously decide when and what and how much to eat. What a gift.

If you’re blessed with a normal brain, I’m sure that’s hard to understand, but I know those who have struggled with obesity will understand the gravity of this change on the brain.

As I’m weaning off the meds, my brain impulses are definitely coming back strong again. I’m having to focus on habits and use every tool I have to ensure I don’t revert back to my old eating habits.

One of the best tools I’ve been using is asking myself this simple questions before eating anything:

How is this going to make me feel?

One simple question that allows me to slow down enough to make informed decisions about what I put into my body.

One thing I mentioned was about the joy and enjoyment of food coming back too. Here’s the “recipe” for my favorite new snack:

• Quaker chocolate rice cake

• Fage full fat Greek yogurt

• Fruit- I like raspberries or sliced bananas

Some links to things I talked about in this episode:

• 100 Days of Real Food

• The New Whole 30 book by Melissa Urban

• Renpho Smart Scale

So why are some of us spinning our wheels day in and day out and living for the weekend because there’s barely time to survive during the week?

Especially with kids in the mix and all that comes with being a present and loving parent, it can feel like there is literally no time in a day to spend on your own self care.

Add on things like medical issues, financial issues, going back to school, relationship issues, building a business…all of the hard things that happen in life…and it can be really hard.

I’ve been there. I know what it feels like to stay up late, wake up exhausted, and be barely able to keep up with the bare minimum to keep my household running.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

It’s a lie that you don’t have time. The truth is that you’re not making your own self care a priority. When you know that you are worthy of love and care, making time for yourself a priority isn’t hard.

I can’t explain it, but just like love, time multiplies when you start taking care of your own needs first.

I spend several hours every single day doing things for myself .

This includes:

• Taking walks

• Working out

• Preparing food and cooking just for myself (not including our family meals)

• Reading and listening to audiobooks

• Playing pickleball

• Calling friends and family on the phone

• Working on crafts and hobbies

It didn’t happen overnight. It happened slowly with 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there. The key is to just start somewhere.

For most of us, the place to start is probably with going to bed earlier. When we go to bed earlier, it snowballs into the entire next day.

I am a recovered night owl so I know that going to bed earlier isn’t easy. But it is so worth it!

When you go to bed earlier, you get to decide what to go with your day instead of playing catch up from the moment you open your eyes.

It’s kind of a magical thing!

But wherever you need to start to be able to start investing some of your time in yourself…start there!

You are worth it, friend.

Some links to things I mentioned on this episode (I may earn a small commission if you purchase through these links- thank you!):

• Tonal Home Gym

• Renpho Smart Scale

• Insight Timer sleep app

I lost 100lbs using a glp-1 medication in about 10 months. I drastically altered my diet and started moving my body.

When I reached a healthy weight for my height, I was so surprised that my body didn’t look the way I thought it would. Here I am in May 2024 after losing 100lbs and about 140-145lbs.

I have come SO FAR. It almost feels crazy to say I wasn’t happy with how my body looked. I have truly loved and accepted my body at every size.

My husband and I snapped some pics before we headed to a Dexa scan in June 2024. I love that I have these pictures because I think they shows how happy I was in this changing body.

I felt so good in both of these pictures!!

I think it’s important to know that you can love your self from the inside out AND have a desire to change your appearance. So that’s what I set out to do last summer. I started lifting heavy weights and focused on super boring, repetitive workouts consistently all summer and fall to grow specific muscles.

How I grew my muscles

I started with my upper body to target my bat wings and had such success that I moved on to my lower body in August 2024.

These workouts were BORING. Nothing fancy. Just repeating the same workouts week after for a month at a time.

I have a Tonal Home Gym that tracks my weights and automatically increases the weight for me each workout. But if I didn’t have that, I’d find a good workout program to do at home or the gym and just stick with it.

Write down your weights for each workout and then increase them when you repeat the same workouts for several weeks in a row. Don’t think you have to be doing anything fancy. My workouts have been super simple and honestly boring!

When I was focused on my upper body I did two days of upper body, a leg day, and a full body day. When I was focused on my lower body, I did two days of legs, an upper body day, and a full body day.

The magic is in doing the same workout week after week with heavier weights each week. Consistent work pays off.

On other days I did Pilates, core work, running, pickleball, hiking, and other fun ways to incorporate movement. I also walk an average of 12,000 steps a day.

I wasn’t trying to lose weight, but through this journey of building muscle I also lost an additional 25lbs. I had a Dexa scan in October and was able to see that they bulk of that 25lbs came from my trunk area. Which is great because now my abs are visible, but I also completely lost my big booty.

Like it was just gone. Flat as a pancake!

So I got to work. And after five months of focusing on growing my booty, I finally started to see some results.

I will never be someone with tiny, twig legs. I’ve always been bottom heavy and pear shaped. But now my legs are so toned and look athletic!

My journey to build muscle looked a lot like my journey to lose weight. It was all about consistency and honoring the plans I made for myself. There aren’t any shortcuts.

You just have to get to work and start lifting weights.

But it has been so worth it!!

I not only love and accept my body from the inside out, I am so comfortable now (even with loose skin and imperfections everywhere) because I know I am strong and healthy.

A few links to things I mentioned in today’s episode (I may receive a small commission when you purchase from one of my links- thank you!):

• Tonal Home Gym

• Kitchen scale for tracking and measuring food

• Creatine I started using in the fall to help with muscle growth

• Measuring tape for body measurements

I’m so glad to be back here with Episode 16 of my walking podcast. It’s a cold, chilly afternoon here in Texas with a lot of wind which makes this episode a little windy, but we’re all moving and grooving so I hope you don’t mind!

The holidays were filled with family, fun, and relaxation which was just what we needed. I laughed looking at this picture because I used to try to hide in any photo and it was impossible, my weight was always front and center. But now, my kids are so big, and I’m short so they hide me anyway!

My mom got to visit for Christmas. She is down 250+ pounds and I just love that we get to experience this new life together! You can find her on Youtube to hear more of her amazing story!

As we embark on this new year, I am energized to share more about my journey to health. I have been maintaining my weight with the help of weight loss meds, but have been slowly weaning off.

Life post glp-1s is kind of new frontier so I’m just making it up as I go! But I want to share for others who are also on this journey so decided to start a new Instagram account.

Find me at @small.things.daily where I’ll be sharing the nitty gritty of what I did to lose 125 pounds and the daily habits I’m focused on now for maintenance. If you want me to answer a specific question, send me a message and I’ll do my best!

In today’s episode, I dive into how small habits are the backbone of my success- and hopefully yours!

When staring at a mountain before a climb, it seems insurmountable. But each step is not impossible. Each individual step might even seem easy. Put all of those easy steps together and you will have climbed the mountain.

I started small with the most inconsequential habits.

Step one: Get out of bed as soon as I wake up instead of wasting an hour on my phone.

Step two: Weigh myself daily. This helps me get information about how my daily choices are affecting my body.

Step three: Put on workout clothes.

Step four: Drink a full glass of water with my supplements.

Once I’ve done these things, I have set myself up for success for the day. I have poured more love and care into myself with these small things than I gave myself for years.

Don’t underestimate the small things!

Links to a few things I talk about in this episode (some may be affiliate links where I earn a small commission):

• Atomic Habits by James Clear

• Outlive by Peter Attia

• My favorite 30oz tumbler

• LMNT Citrus Salt Electrolytes

• German Creatine

• HLTH Code Protein Powder- get $10 off your first order

• DIM supplement for hormone balancing

• Inositol supplement

Weight loss medications aren’t magic. You don’t just lose weight instantly when you take them. But they are an amazing tool that helps rewire the brain so that people who have disordered habits with food can heal and build new habits.

I talk about how weight loss medications (specifically compounded tirzepetide) helped me change my entire life. This experience is so different than a typical “diet” to lose weight. With a goal of true health and longevity, we can build habits in all areas of our lives that result not only in weight loss, but a complete lifestyle change.

When people downplay weight loss because someone uses weight loss medication as a tool, they are missing the point.

You still have to put in the work. The medication makes it possible to make the decisions we need to take the best care of ourselves by slowing down the brain and the gut so that we can eat the food we need and not everything in sight.

Things I did while on a weight loss medication that helped me lose 125lbs:

• Ate under 1500 calories a day

• Ate about 100g of protein daily

• Ate mostly whole foods with a focus on protein and vegetables

• Mostly avoided sugar and white processed carbs

• Walked 10k steps daily

• Exercised an average of 90 minutes daily

• Strength training 5-6 days a week

• Pilates reformer classes

• intermittent fasting

• Run 2-3 miles a few times a week

I know how much work it takes to lose weight no matter how you choose to do it. It’s amazing that we have tools like glp-1 medications to help us reach our goals.

Some links to things I mentioned on today’s episode (some may be affiliate links where I earn a small commission, but these are all things I use and love!):

• Tonal Home Gym that I use almost every day and LOVE!

• My smart scale that I use every day

• My favorite protein shake. Get $10 off your order through my link!

It’s the day after the election and we also just hit the one year anniversary of my husband’s stroke. I have a lot of thoughts about how we keep moving forward when challenges come our way.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for us, and I’m proud that I’ve been able to continue to focus on my health even when life gets busy.

We celebrated our 18th anniversary at Disney World! A lot has happened in 18 years. It was crazy to go back to the same place where we honeymooned 18 years ago as completely changed people.

I was 22 when we got married and weighed about 145lbs. Now I’m 40 and weighing around 120lbs and so much more fit!

Here we are at our engagement party in 2002. I was 21 years old. Such babies!

We celebrated the one year anniversary of my husband’s stroke with a fun cards and dice themed party with some friends. Here’s my fun outfit- mostly thrifted from Goodwill!

Some links to things I mentioned on today’s episode (some may be affiliate links where I earn a small commission, but these are all things I use and love!):

• My anniversary dress. I have worn this dress so much and love it! It’s easy to pack and you can dress it up or down.

• My white sneakers that go awesome with dresses or jeans.

• My black ankle boots. Obsessed with these because they are so comfortable!