Erin Davis wanted to lose 10 kilograms, but couldn't shift the weight naturally.
This was despite training to run an ultramarathon.
"I was running 70 to 80 kilometres a week," Ms Davis, of Morpeth, said.
"I was putting so much effort in, but it wasn't shifting the scales. I was feeling really low."
For most of her life, Ms Davis hadn't put on much weight.
"I'd always been slim and metabolised quickly. I was all legs," she said.
"I ran when I was younger, then kids happened. I had a hip replacement almost 11 years ago.
"My weight just gradually increased over time. Before I knew it, I was around the 80-kilo mark."
The 48-year-old had "never had a problem with my weight until perimenopause - this midlife space".
"I started with a dietitian and nutritionist at the beginning of last year. I was eating super well and running," she said.
She didn't lose the weight she wanted, so she began to take a GLP-1 weight-loss drug in November.
"I lost about eight kilos, but I was so exhausted. I stopped for a bit to get my body right for the race," she said.
She ran a 50-kilometre ultramarathon in the Blue Mountains in May, an event she's run four times.
When given a script for the medication, she wasn't informed about the side effects or the need to eat adequate protein.
"The medication is the kick-starter, but I still needed to change my habits," said Ms Davis, an accountant and financial coach.
"I should have thought better about the long-term changes I wanted to make instead of just relying on the medication."
Research released this month showed the benefits of "structured exercise", combined with GLP-1 drugs.
This approach "significantly reduced acute cardiovascular events and joint replacements", along with weight loss.
The research examined how to make weight-loss gains last when GLP-1 treatment was stopped.
It found half of GLP-1 users cease injections within one year and more than 70 per cent stop the treatment within two years.
Patients regain around two-thirds of lost weight when they stop the treatment.
AUSactive, Australia's peak industry body for the exercise sector, was part of the research.
"If we're serious about tackling weight loss, obesity and chronic disease - medication, movement and behaviour change need to work together," AUSactive chief executive Ken Griffin said.
"Every dollar invested in structured exercise alongside GLP-1 treatment delivers measurable benefits that continue to grow over time."
Ms Davis said eating the right foods while on the medication was crucial to having the energy to exercise.
"For me, it's making sure I'm eating consistently throughout the day and the right amount of protein," she said.
"It's about making sure I'm having a good breakfast and limiting the sugary and salty foods.
"If I don't change my habits, I'll go back to what I was doing before."
She said the GLP-1 drugs were "not a quick fix".
"You need to change your patterns and behaviours, otherwise it's not sustainable," she said.
She started back on a GLP-1 drug a few weeks ago, as she wanted to lose a bit more weight.
"I'm feeling much more aware of the side effects and making sure I'm eating properly," she said.
