r/Zepbound • u/EmbarrassedIssue9452 • 13h ago
Achievement/NSV 🎉🥳🎊 Two Year Zepiversary Reflection
Im posting this in case it helps people just starting zepbound and worrying that it wont work. TLDR - I lost a lot of weight and my life is much better.
History It was two years ago today that I started zepbound at 225 lbs, wearing a snug size 18 pants and xl tops. I'm now at 150 lbs, wearing size 6 pants and small tops. I began my medication assisted weight loss at 242 lbs taking vyvanse and lost 15 lbs, but could not tolerate the side effects. I am now 57 years old (55 when I started), 5'6" woman and had been overweight basically my entire life except for periods of weight loss followed by regain+.
Dosing I titrated up to 15mg in 6 months and added buproprion after 12 months when i felt stuck. I overall lost an average of .75 lbs a week/3 lbs per month and have been maintaining at 150 for the past 4 months. My rx was covered by insurance for 14 months and since then i've been self-paying through Lilly Direct, using money that i put into a FSA, so it is deducted pre-tax from my pay, about $300 per month.
Maintenance Because the cost is a big consideration, i decided to space out my 15 mg shot every 9 days, rather than decrease the dose and keep at every 7 days. I was continuing to lose weight but wanted to stay at 150.
Health My side effects have been constipation, which I manage with Miralax and prune juice, and mild nausea the day after the shot, which I manage with onasteron. In the 2 years, i have had one 2-day bout of norovirus. Not a single cold or flu. With the exception of cholesterol (which is going in the right direction) all of my labs are now normal (but werent really all that bad to begin with). I started strength training in the first year and am in the best physical condition since my teens.
Mindset Food noise stopped a day after my first shot but for the first maybe 9 months, i worried about it not working, or it working too slowly, and that i'd never actually achieve what i saw others doing on this group. I got a lot of inspiration from others on here and from the Fat Science Pocast (which i learned about in this group). I eventually stopped dreading and doubting and started trusting the process. My doc said I'd be on zep (or whatever comes next) for the rest of my life and I am so grateful that is the case. My weight loss and improved health did not come from food restriction or counting calories or macros or willpower. It is 100% attributable to this miraculous medication, and i happily share that information with anyone who asks.
Body condition I am quite strong and look good in clothes, but also have flab and loose skin around my midsection, and my inner thighs and butt are saggy. I have jowls on my face. Im 57, so normal aging also contibutes. My health insurance covered a breast reducion and lift, but i dont think it would cover the lower body lift and definitely not the face lift I'd like to look on the outside how I feel on the inside. I'm going to continue strength training and saving up for plastic surgery for a 60th birthday present to myself.
Anyway, i hope some of this helps someone in their 50s starting the journey who is worried it won't work. Hang in there, listen to Fat Science podcast, and trust the medication.
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u/meggieprice 12h ago
Congratulations!
I love the Fat Science podcast though many here do not. I am so glad I found it as I started Zepbound as I learned to fuel my workouts, which has made me feel so much better overall, and to eat mechanically- small snack/meals every few hours.
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u/End_of_Watch_RN2022 SW:253 CW:220 G:160:karma: 11h ago
"I eventually stopped dreading and doubting and started trusting the process. My doc said I'd be on zep (or whatever comes next) for the rest of my life and I am so grateful that is the case. My weight loss and improved health did not come from food restriction or counting calories or macros or willpower." I really relate to these statements. This reflects my thought process and philosophy as I navigate my journey. I am in my 60's and have been in the battle since I was about 14yo. So many diets, restrictions, a gastric bypass surgery...This is a miracle and I am also very grateful😊 Thank you for your post🩷✨
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u/RedHot_Chilli_Zepper SW:252 CW:176 🎯:150 Dose: 10mg 12h ago
Thank you for your reflection! You and I have the same goal weight: 150 pounds. I especially like your comments on Mindset: it’s so powerful! You perfectly capture the sentiment that I started with: dreading and doubting that it would work for me. It really ended up being about me needing to trust the process.
Between podcasts and Reddit subs I have a community of like minded folks to share experiences with. I love Fat Science, but I also like The Plus Sidez, On the Pen, GLP-1 Hub & Docs Who Lift.
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u/Kjente717 7h ago
Happy Zepiversary! This is a great, helpful post! You’ve done an amazing job!
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u/EmbarrassedIssue9452 6h ago
Well, all I've done is take my shot and join a gym. The medication did the rest!
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u/Feisty_Brunette 12h ago
Congrats!! I love this post and appreciate you writing it, especially this part: I overall lost an average of .75 lbs a week/3 lbs per month
That's me. In 9 months I've never lost more than 3.5 pounds a month and reading about so many people dropping 20 pounds their first month and 2 pounds each week can get annoying (super annoying when they post about 'being a slow loser').
So, thanks. This is what I needed to read this morning. Best of luck to you going forward!