If you’re a woman over 35, you may have heard of Winona HRT. Winona is an extremely popular and successful women’s health company that focuses on accessible HRT for women going through perimenopause and menopause. Thousands of women have joined Winona, seeking relief from everything from hot flashes and night sweats to weight loss and anxiety.

But did you know that Winona has a sister company called Willow? Willow is a weight-loss-specific company that provides women with compounded GLP-1 medications to help them lose weight and gain confidence.

Naturally, women who are using Winona are now looking at Willow and wondering if they should jump on the GLP-1 bandwagon for enhanced weight loss. I have hands-on experience with both brands and am excited to share with you my thoughts on Willow vs. Winona, specifically how each approach relates to weight loss.

How Can Winona Help With Weight Loss?

One of the main reasons why I started using HRT from Winona last year was that I gained about 10 lbs with no explanation other than the fact that my labs were coming back saying my hormones were out of whack (which I already assumed based on my years of experience dealing with PCOS). One of my main goals in using HRT was to bring my hormones back into balance so that I could lose weight again.

Losing weight when your hormones are not optimal can feel downright impossible - if you’re in this boat, I know you know what I mean. This is where Winona can help you lose weight. HRT can help to balance hormones, especially the ones that fluctuate during perimenopause and menopause, when a lot of our weight struggles tend to crop up.

If you feel like you’ve tried everything to lose weight and that the methods that you used to use no longer work for you, and you’re over the age of 35, it’s probably time to have your hormones looked into. Keep in mind that I recommend evaluating your current lifestyle beforehand, ensuring that you have basic health habits in place before turning immediately to medication. 

Establishing healthy habits like strength training 2- 5x per week, hitting a daily step goal, hydrating, eating adequate amounts of protein and fiber, and getting enough sleep are going to make sure that you get the best results whether you’re utilizing any kind of treatment or medication or not.

That being said, sometimes you have these elements in place, and you might still be struggling to make any traction toward your weight loss goals, which is extremely frustrating. This is when it might be a good idea to consult with a company like Winona to see if HRT might be a good fit for you. You can read all about my experience with Winona and what led me to go that route.

So how can HRT potentially help pull you from your weight loss rut? Well, HRT works behind the scenes, helping to get your estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone levels back to a healthy, optimized range. And once your hormones are balanced, it’s so much easier to lose weight. Your metabolism will work better, you’ll have more energy, your cravings will decrease, and you’ll feel like your body is finally no longer fighting you.

Winona is not a weight loss program in a traditional sense; however, when used in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle, it can help you to start feeling so much better, which will make weight loss so much easier.

If you’re in a place where the traditional recommendation to eat less and move more just isn’t cutting it any longer, looking into Winona might be a smart path for you to take, especially if you suspect you’re entering perimenopause.

Winona Weight Loss Results

I’ll speak both to my personal experience here as well as reference the collective experience of others as detailed in Winona’s Facebook group, where thousands of women share their experiences.

During my time using Winona, I felt relief from the majority of my symptoms about 30 days into using the 50/50 cream + DHEA (the medications recommended by my Winona Dr.). I was feeling more energy, fewer cravings, and better (less irritable moods). Additionally, my sleep improved dramatically. In consequence, I started to see my weight drop on the scale (slowly, but surely).

I continued following my normal fitness and nutrition routine, but the addition of the Winona supplements to balance my hormones out a bit allowed me to finally break through my weight loss plateau that had been plaguing me for over a year. I started to feel so much more like myself again - in control of my body and more comfortable in my own skin.

Spending any amount of time inside the Winona Facebook group, you’ll quickly notice that weight loss is a common factor for many of the women who try Winona. And, to be honest, the reviews are mixed on whether or not they see any progress using the HRT treatments.

For some women, using HRT has unlocked their ability to lose weight, and they are feeling amazing. And for others, they are seeing results and relief from their menopause symptoms but are still struggling with losing weight. This is normal and 100% to be expected. All our bodies are so radically different and respond differently to treatments. I hate to bring this up again, but our lifestyle plays a major role here, too.

For women who are taking Winona specifically for weight loss and aren’t seeing results, they might turn to a treatment option like the ones Willow has to offer. Let’s talk about Willow's weight loss approach next.

How Can Willow Help With Weight Loss?

Willow’s approach to weight loss is far more direct than Winona’s. It’s a telehealth platform that specializes in GLP-1 medications (semaglutide and tirzepatide). GLP-1 usage has skyrocketed over the past few years, especially since compounded medications have been popular and acceptable as they make getting access to these medications easier and more affordable.

Speaking of easy access, Willow is one of the only GLP-1 providers I have found that offers these medications for “cosmetic” use, meaning that they will prescribe just about anyone one of these medications, regardless of current weight and BMI. I detail this fully in my review of Willow. 

GLP-1 medications work by helping you feel fuller faster, keeping your cravings under control, and can even improve the way your body handles blood sugar. Essentially, you will eat fewer calories while using these medications, which will result in weight loss. It’s that simple. 

This approach to weight loss has been very controversial, especially for those who don’t have a ton of weight to lose and aren’t considered obese on the BMI chart.

The controversy stems from GLP-1s being the “easy way out,” which might be true, but it also requires work if you want the weight loss results you get to last. This is where those healthy lifestyle factors become important again, and I cannot stress enough the importance of strength training and eating adequate protein during your GLP-1 journey so that you can maintain your muscle mass while losing weight. 

One of the biggest mistakes people make when using a GLP-1 is not prioritizing their muscle, and the result is that they look deflated and their bodies are not healthy from a metabolic standpoint. Following a healthy diet that’s high in protein and an exercise program that utilizes effective strength principles is the best way to see great results while setting yourself up for future weight maintenance success.

Willow Weight Loss Results

If you read my Willow review, then you know that I never ended up going through with the actual use of a GLP-1, so I can’t speak to any personal weight loss experience using Willow. However, I have been researching GLP-1s for years now and have been an active member in Willow’s community (among others). I also have many clients who are using GLP-1s in conjunction with my strength training and macros program.

The vast majority of those using Willow weight loss medications are experiencing healthy weight loss, some faster than others (which is to be expected). Most women report losing .5-2 lbs per week, which is a very sustainable weight loss. Of course, there are some who are losing at a much quicker rate, but if that’s the result of the medication taking their appetite away completely, I would ask the doctor to decrease the dosage as losing weight too quickly and not fueling your body with nourishing, nutrient-dense foods is a recipe for disaster. From my experience with the Willow doctors and from what I’ve gathered from other Willow patients, the team at Willow is top-notch when it comes to responsiveness and customer service.

Should You Do Both (Winona and Willow)?

More and more, I am seeing Winona patients talk about also using GLP-1s through Willow during their HRT journey. In fact, hearing other women’s testimonies in the FB group is how I stumbled on Willow in the first place.

So, why do both if they can both lead to weight loss? Well, I think the general consensus is that women are starting with Winona for menopause-related symptom relief, and if the weight isn’t coming off easily, they’re adding Willow to their program to amplify that specific need. Also, a huge tip here: Winona users can get 50% off with Willow by mentioning Winona at checkout! This is big because GLP-1s aren’t cheap.

Not everyone needs to or should use both Winona and Willow. If it were me, I would start by asking what my main goals are and what symptoms are bothering me the most. If you’re truly in perimenopause or menopause and experiencing common (life-disrupting) symptoms, I 100% advise that you first seek help through Winona, as Willow’s prescription weight loss isn’t likely to help here. 

If weight loss is your primary concern and you aren’t dealing with other hormonal disruptions, perhaps checking out Willow is a good way to go. Obviously, I always recommend doing your research and, ultimately, what you are most comfortable with. 

Parting Thoughts

To wrap this article up, I just want to reiterate that both Winona and Willow can potentially help you lose weight. There’s no cut and dry, one-size-fits-all solution to weight loss and menopause symptom relief. Everything is so very dependent on the individual. That said, having experience with both brands, I do think between the two of them, the weight loss relief you’re looking for is a very real possibility.

My advice: Join both Winona and Willow’s online support groups, ask questions, read member testimonials, and go through the quiz process with both brands. You can get accepted into their dashboard, where you’ll have access to a doctor before you're prescribed any medications. If, for some reason, you decide it’s not a good fit for you, they will refund you any money you paid upfront, no questions asked.

I’d love to hear your feedback here! Are you considering one or the other? Both? Are you currently using one and want to try the other? Let me hear your thoughts in the comments!