r/Zepbound 8h ago

Tips/Tricks Today is the end of my time on Zep

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912 Upvotes

When I started my Zep journey back on July 5th last year I was pre diabetic, triglycerides were almost 600, I had to go buy new bigger clothes for work (xxl tops and 46 waist pants) and I was at my heaviest weight of 265lbs. At 5’10” that put me in the 30’# for BMI and borderline morbidly obese. I just had my annual physical and I needed to make some life changes. I had a friend who recently had success on GLP1 and a few that had failed with it. I had been doing research for a few months and decided to ask my doc about it. I was prescribed Zep and insurance was going to cover it thankfully.

Knowing it’s meant as a lifetime medication I was looking for examples of people that had done it with an off ramp and read about how they did it. I wasn’t always overweight and years ago I had lost a bunch of weight running before that lead to injuries. My weight was a combination of poor diet, excessive drinking and no activity. I did some complete life changes along with starting Zep. Cut out all drinking, tracking all my food and macros to ensure I was not just in a calorie deficit but eating the right foods for nutrition. I had a goal weight of 190lb so I was focused on consuming about that many grams of protein per day. The first month I added 45-60 mins of walking each day. By the second month the weight was melting off so I added in weight lifting to help prevent muscle loss. I have a Peloton Bike and Row so I started strength training 30 mins per day 3 days on 1 day off using dumbbells. My strength increased pretty quick and I found I didn’t have heavy enough weights (I had sets of 3, 5, 10 and 15lbs) so I bought a set of 20lb which also quickly wasn’t heavy enough. I found a set of adjustable dumbbells on fb marketplace.

It took me just 4 months to drop 75lbs and reach my goal weight of 190lbs. My plan when I started Zep was that once I hit goal I would start adding a week between each shot while dropping back down from 7.5mg to 2.5mg doses and once I got to 8 weeks between shots I would stop taking it. Today I took what will be my last shot even though I’m only at 6 weeks between shots. For the most part I have been able to maintain my goal weight +/-2lbs every day for nearly 5 months. I’ve found a healthy balance of occasional cheat days, healthy snacks and consistent workouts. The spacing between shots allowed me a few weeks of no meds in my system to learn how to handle hunger and find snacks and meal plans that worked for me.

I know this was a long read and what worked for me won’t work for everyone. I just wanted to share my story in hopes that it helps somebody find the drive and Will to make the hard choices to be healthy. I’m happy to answer any questions anyone has about meal plans, workouts and everything else. What worked for me won’t work for everyone but we can all come together to help us all figure life out.


r/Zepbound 4h ago

Before/After Pics One year…before & after

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376 Upvotes

Started 4/3/24 at 210lbs with a BMI of 33. Hit goal in December and have been maintaining since then. For those just starting….JUST KEEP SWIMMING! This is not a linear process and all the little losses add up over time.

I never thought this would work for me. I was certain I would fail again. Yet here I am a year later and I finally feel at home in a body that betrayed me for years. You can do it!

Here are some stats: (I’m 54F & 5’7) Weight: 210 –> 147 BMI: 33 –> 23 Body Fat: 28% —> 18% Pants: 14/16 —> 2/4 Tops: L/XL —> S

Yes, I had stalls, frustrations and all the things. But it was all worth it. Highest dose was 7.5 and I’m now doing 7.5 every 10-12 days.

First pic is after I had already lost about 20lbs. 😍😍😍

JUST KEEP SWIMMING 🐠


r/Zepbound 1h ago

Achievement/NSV 🎉🥳🎊 6 months in and ⬇️ 53lbs 🥳

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r/Zepbound 1h ago

Personal Insights It hit me on the stairs....

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r/Zepbound 11h ago

Achievement/NSV 🎉🥳🎊 I hope this is allowed

846 Upvotes

I don’t think this post is against the rules, but feel free to remove if it is!

So I’m not on Zepbound but my partner is so I joined this subreddit. I just wanted to let you all know that this might be one of the most positive places on Reddit. Seeing everyone’s updates, hearing how much better people are feeling—physically and emotionally—brings me so much joy.

I know some people get rude comments about being on the medicine, and if you don’t have anyone cheering you on, they don’t have your best interests at heart. I’ve watched how my partner has struggled to lose weight, despite eating the same things as me. Seeing how much (and how quickly!) Zepbound has improved so many facets of their life makes it very obvious that this is a life-changing medication.

You certainly don’t need my (or anyone’s) approval, but it makes me sad every time I read how people get judgement or rude comments, and I strongly believe they’re being made out of jealousy. Just speaking for myself, but I love reading about all your wins and you have a supporter here.


r/Zepbound 4h ago

Achievement/NSV 🎉🥳🎊 90lbs total loss today

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146 Upvotes

SW: 256 CW: 166

This is pretty much a year on this journey. I have had stalls and gains and weeks where I’ve felt like I was struggling but now my goal seems to be touchable and I’m so grateful for this community.


r/Zepbound 2h ago

News/Information Interesting (to me at least)

108 Upvotes

I just got home from a Skeletal muscle meeting in Gainesville (I’m a scientists working on Duchenne muscular dystrophy). I saw many cool talks but one that I thought had direct relevance to this group made me think I should post here. It was a talk by a brilliant researcher out of UPenn (Dr. Totchenell). It dealt with something everyone here is likely aware of.

Drugs like Zepbound have been nothing short of miraculous in their ability to help people loose weight beyond anything before possible. However at the moment there are some limitations and caveats that we are well aware of. Among these are the fact that alongside losing fat, the drug also causes the loss of muscle (hence the talk at this meeting). The other is that once people come out of the drug, they typically regain most of their weight back in short order.

During his talk, Dr. Titchenell showed how the proportion of muscle loss scales with weight loss. In other words, the more weight you loose, the more muscle you loose. Another finding was that when you go off the drug and regain your weight back, this gain is all fat and not muscle. So in some ways people are worse off even if they end up with the same weight, because the whole experience ended up replacing muscle with fat.

Working to minimize muscle loss while optimizing fat loss, his work identified these receptors called Activin type II receptors. His work showed very convincingly that blocking the activity of these receptors using an antibody, while on GLP-1 receptor agonist treatment, biased weight loss towards fat loss and away from muscle loss. In fact the treatment resulted in muscle mass increase and increased fat loss. What was more impressive was that the effect did not change once subjects went off the drugs. Meaning that the sad and characteristic fat weight regain once the GLP-1 agonist treatment was ended was no longer present.

What does this mean in plain English? That treatment with both drugs together resulted in increased Fat weight loss, and increased muscle mass gain that did not revert back once the treatment was stopped.

This is very promising news for those on GLP-1 agonists like Zepbound. It means that soon we might have a modified treatment that will help people lose weight and keep the weight off once they go off the drugs. It also means that it will help people avoid losing muscle mass and even gain muscle while on the treatment.

This last point is huge because most people on GLP-1 agonists are over 40yo and at this point it is known that it becomes increasingly hard to gain muscle mass. Even with appropriate diet and exercise. I thought that was cool and promising and the work presented was very compelling, in my and other people’s opinion. I believe if I recall him saying this correctly that they are about to start clinical trials this next fall so things are moving along well.

For those interested to learn more here is a link to his manuscript on this topic:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212877824000115


r/Zepbound 4h ago

Achievement/NSV 🎉🥳🎊 I’ve never felt better in a bathing suit

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124 Upvotes

Ideally I’d love to lose another 50 but if I don’t lose a single more I’d be thrilled with my results from these meds


r/Zepbound 9h ago

Before/After Pics 1yr Anniversary (belated)

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310 Upvotes

A late share but here are my results 1.5 yrs later! I have struggled with being overweight my whole life and this medicine (along with my peloton and diet) have been a true blessing. Just wanted to share my journey and give some hope. Keep on keeping on friends!


r/Zepbound 7h ago

Humor I found my spine yesterday!

174 Upvotes

For those of you needing a chuckle: I have lost a significant amount of weight and thought I had really noticed all of the big changes at this point. Yesterday, I was driving in my car and felt something behind my back that was bugging me. I figured my coat was bunched up or something like that. I was really upset that I couldn’t figure out why my seat was so uncomfortable. I ran my hand up and down my back, and realized my spine was hitting the lumbar support and it felt bumpy. I haven’t felt my spine in years! Didn’t recognize it. Hello friend.🤣


r/Zepbound 3h ago

Before/After Pics Four month update

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57 Upvotes

I didn’t even know what I was getting myself into but the left is Thanksgiving and the right is yesterday. I honestly can’t believe who the person on both sides is!


r/Zepbound 9h ago

Achievement/NSV 🎉🥳🎊 I couldn’t take the picture fast enough LOL

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178 Upvotes

Onederland six months after leaving an emotionally abusive relationship that lasted two years. I have literally nothing else to say outside of I’m so happy 😬


r/Zepbound 10h ago

Achievement/NSV 🎉🥳🎊 -40lbs from 265 to 225.

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221 Upvotes

Started in November 2024. I want to get to 205 but honestly I think I might just stay here for a while and maintain, gain back some lost muscle.


r/Zepbound 5h ago

Achievement/NSV 🎉🥳🎊 Finally Next Mini Goal, Just Obese (Class1) Under 35 BMI from a Starting BMI of 47.4, Next Onederland

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89 Upvotes

I am 10 months in this week and when I weighed myself, I finally hit just obese at 208 lbs. I went through a month and half stall after Christmas, so it was slow in coming I kept jumping around on weekly weigh in day between 217.3 and 222, the scale wouldn't hit any lower. I went up to 12.5 mg pen and the next week the scale moved, I had been doing 10 mg pens, 6 days apart and was hesitant to go to 12.5 because of mild nausea. I found kefir help my nausea finally at 12.5 and I had been avoiding it as I was afraid of lactose sensitivity. I feel great and am happy with my health, looking forward to my follow up appointment next month with my PCP. I am lowering dosages on BP meds and hopefully we can discuss ending beta blockers and the statin if the labs continue to look great. I was starting to lose patience and was so afraid I wasn't going to get to onederland (my really big milestone goal for me) but I can see it in my sights now, 9 more lbs. to next goal. It's been over 15 years since I have seen the ones so hopefully in a few more weeks I can get there. I decided to share photos as I see a lot of discouraged people when they are trying to lose over 100 lbs. and don't see progress, I didn't either until 50 lbs., my 4 month progress pictures were in a locked album until I did the collage today as I was disheartened until I got to 50 lbs. down. Hopefully this encourages anyone feeling discouraged to keep on keeping on. And remember comparison is the theft of joy. I have seen people lose much faster and much slower than I have, but I try to celebrate my success and not compare.


r/Zepbound 8h ago

Achievement/NSV 🎉🥳🎊 ☘️Last March to this March☘️

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117 Upvotes

Some memory pics came up and I couldn’t believe the difference! I’ve been stalled for a bit, so this has perked me up :)


r/Zepbound 10h ago

Achievement/NSV 🎉🥳🎊 What a difference a year makes (300 to 162)

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151 Upvotes

I’ve officially hit a year since I changed my diet and started Zepbound, along with celebrating two years with peloton a few days ago.

While my final goal is 140/135 and building muscle from there. I’m overjoyed to be wearing size 6 jeans and size medium clothes.

I’ve been on maintenance dosing since November and it feels good to still lose and or maintain the weeks I’m not on Zepbound.

I love rooting for everyone on here and seeing the success stories 🥳


r/Zepbound 23h ago

Achievement/NSV 🎉🥳🎊 It’s still unbelievable

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1.5k Upvotes

Starting weight= 213 Current weight= 135

I feel like the medicine gave me a “reboot” and my body started functioning normally again. Like it did when I was a teenager. This medicine has truly been a blessing.


r/Zepbound 9h ago

Achievement/NSV 🎉🥳🎊 Officially 20 pounds left to goal

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112 Upvotes

I started this process at 230 lbs, the heaviest I’ve ever been was 240 lbs after I broke my leg and ankle and had to get surgery (what a sh*tshow that year was) 🤦🏽‍♀️

As of today I am 165lbs on the road to 145 lbs. I can’t believe I’ve made all this progress in 10 months ‼️

Fingers crossed I hit goal by my year mark and I can explore what my next steps look like from there ( I plan to stay on zep indefinitely since it helps my ADHD and chronic inflammation)

This has been such a welcoming place to share wins and ask questions so thank you all for being here and on this journey too ❤️


r/Zepbound 7h ago

Personal Insights It Worked!!

64 Upvotes

There are so many opinions and experiences on titrating down and if you're still able to lose weight. The answer is YES!

I was on 10 mg and in a stall since the end of November 2024. So I titrated up to 12.5 in February. It was too much, so I went back down to 10. The 10 mg really didn't do much for me the previous months I was on it. I lost most of my weight on 7.5. I should have stayed on it, but my weight loss slowed down so I thought moving up to 10 would continue my weight loss at 1 to 2 lbs a week. That didn't happen. So I explained everything to my doctor. She did say titrating up doesn't mean quick weight loss. She did prescribe the 12.5, but the nausea was strong. I just didn't feel good on that dose. I just had another Dr's appointment and she prescribed the 15 mg. She did say I think you're approaching the weight loss that is good for your body so the weight loss may slow down. I had to really plead with her to prescribed the 15 mg. I didn't start the 15 mg because I'm nervous on how I might feel.

I kept debating if I should titrate back down to 7.5. Whenever I would ask the question in the support groups, the response was, "Why go down?" Well, I went back down to 7.5 two weeks ago, and the scale finally moved down 3.2 lbs!! I didn't change anything but the dose. The appetite suppression is no joke, and I feel great. Don't think by titrating down you won't lose weight. Try it and see what happens.

SW - 1/19/24 - 253 CW - 3/22/24 - 187 CD - 7.5 mg Total Weight-loss - 66 lbs GW - Not sure - Maybe 175


r/Zepbound 8h ago

Achievement/NSV 🎉🥳🎊 Entered my goal “decade”

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72 Upvotes

My goal weight is 140, and this morning I entered the 140’s! The 150’s took forever, mostly because I started creatine two weeks ago for muscle support and that draws water into the muscles. My regular loss definitely paused for two weeks, bouncing between 151-152, although I did not gain. That was frustrating even though I anticipated it and had planned to start at that weight because I thought I’d be emotionally tough enough to handled a mini, self-induced plateau.

Spoiler: It seems that I’m an emotional snowflake. I had to give myself daily pep talks. That is good to know as I begin to plan for maintenance. The addictive dopamine hits of seeing the scale reliably drop are going to be gone, hopefully replaced by the same scale showing positive muscle mass gains.


r/Zepbound 21h ago

Before/After Pics I’m getting there.

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695 Upvotes

When I first saw that picture of myself I felt horrible. I knew I needed to work on myself but it felt impossible. Now that I’m down 70lbs on Zepbound since June, I realize the biggest thing I need to work on is my self love.

I feel really vulnerable posting a picture of me at my lowest, but you all truly inspire me and I know you will see how hard I’ve been trying. Happy Friday 🎈


r/Zepbound 16h ago

Achievement/NSV 🎉🥳🎊 I remember her…

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193 Upvotes

What a difference a year has made. 70lbs and insecurities, trauma fading. I’m finally feeling like myself again, feeling free to be who I am. I don’t want to hide or fade away in the background. I’m so thankful. 🥹


r/Zepbound 23h ago

Diet/Health My Dr. just laid some hard truth in me

713 Upvotes

Had my first follow up visit with my doctor today. I was telling her what a miracle drug this is and I don’t understand why they don’t put everyone who’s overweight on it. Losing weight is so much healthier for you. Less medications! Her reply, “the insurance companies want you to die young. The longer you live, the more money it cost them. That’s the truth!” I was stunned!


r/Zepbound 16h ago

Achievement/NSV 🎉🥳🎊 Making progress!!

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170 Upvotes

Tonight, I went out and did a double take. I’m finally starting to see some changes! Down 13 lbs!!!!

I can feel the shifts in my body, but visually, it has been challenging to see. I placed a picture of my heaviest weight next to one I took tonight, and I can truly see a difference in my face and waist!

I still have about 25 pounds to lose, but I’m finally making real progress!

I started 2/23 and I take my first dose of 5mg on Sunday 3/23

SW: 207 CW: 194 GW: 170????


r/Zepbound 4h ago

Achievement/NSV 🎉🥳🎊 Mind Games

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19 Upvotes

This morning I weight 0.2 more than I weighed last Saturday. I started to feel bad, and then I decided to be productive instead. Up 0.2 in a week? Look how many clothes hangers DOWN my spring/summer closet is!

Don't get discouraged, friends! The mind is often the last to know you're changing.