Weight loss support thread

[Accept Only Substitutes]

Trying to lose weight with drugs looks like hell to be honest.

I've lost 15kg (30lbs) in the past 4 months by focusing on my diet and doing 3 weightlifting sessions per week. The first month was really fast, but it slowed down after it. If I keep the rhythm, I should be in shape by summer.

It’s definitely not how I’d choose to do it. I’m on Mounjaro for blood sugar control (nothing has worked as well for me), the weight loss is secondary - but important to help my liver, heart, and joints.

After my hysterectomy and an oral diabetes medication change I really packed on the weight and no matter what I did the pounds would not budge. I was weighing my food and getting exercise in, but the scale kept going up. Finally found a study that said the drug I was on just almost spontaneously would create new fat cells. I’m finally in a position to stop taking that med entirely, which is great because the list of potential negative side effects from it include cancer.

I have noticed a lot of incidental positive side effects on Mounjaro too, my sleep is better with my cpap I’m down to 0.1 events per hour, I’m in a lot less pain from osteoarthritis and DISH - a progressive spine disease which will eventually end with a fused spine. It’s also supposed to be really good for the heart and my cholesterol has never been better. My compulsive behaviors around food are gone, which has been a struggle my whole life.

If I have the occasional nausea and vomiting, but I’m actually getting healthier than I’m all for it. The other alternative for me would be surgery and I don’t want that, at least I have the option to stop the meds.

I used to laugh at people who claimed they were doing everything right and not losing weight, until it happened to me. Drugs for weight loss are definitely something that’s not for everyone. I would never encourage anyone to not at least try the normal way first.

 

[Professor Donger]

It’s definitely not how I’d choose to do it. I’m on Mounjaro for blood sugar control (nothing has worked as well for me), the weight loss is secondary - but important to help my liver, heart, and joints.

This is also why I'm on Zepbound, being prediabetic and not being able to control my eating were the main reasons for me to get on it.

 

[Imp]

It’s definitely not how I’d choose to do it. I’m on Mounjaro for blood sugar control (nothing has worked as well for me), the weight loss is secondary - but important to help my liver, heart, and joints.

After my hysterectomy and an oral diabetes medication change I really packed on the weight and no matter what I did the pounds would not budge. I was weighing my food and getting exercise in, but the scale kept going up. Finally found a study that said the drug I was on just almost spontaneously would create new fat cells. I’m finally in a position to stop taking that med entirely, which is great because the list of potential negative side effects from it include cancer.

I have noticed a lot of incidental positive side effects on Mounjaro too, my sleep is better with my cpap I’m down to 0.1 events per hour, I’m in a lot less pain from osteoarthritis and DISH - a progressive spine disease which will eventually end with a fused spine. It’s also supposed to be really good for the heart and my cholesterol has never been better. My compulsive behaviors around food are gone, which has been a struggle my whole life.

If I have the occasional nausea and vomiting, but I’m actually getting healthier than I’m all for it. The other alternative for me would be surgery and I don’t want that, at least I have the option to stop the meds.

I used to laugh at people who claimed they were doing everything right and not losing weight, until it happened to me. Drugs for weight loss are definitely something that’s not for everyone. I would never encourage anyone to not at least try the normal way first.

I'm post menopausal and never thought I would be fat, or have a flirtation with diabetes, but those are pretty common. Think of all the celebrities that are older and have the matron body although there's not too many now because they're all on glps.

I had 3 knee replacements in one year so I needed a way to lose weight and fight off diabetes. Tirzepatide was the thing that has done it for me. I do have food aversion at times and have lost a significant amount of hair. But now that I'm at the ground floor (I think of fat as a tall building and I have taken the elevator to nearly the ground floor) I do not regret using a drug to achieve such a great result. My blood sugar and A1C are absolutely normal. My hair loss has stopped and I hope to god it reverses. I'm about to reorder my tirzepatide and will ask for a maintenance dose of 2.5-5 mg (starting dose is 2.5, highest I took was 10 mg and highest dose is 15).

No regrets, kiwisisters!

 

[Accept Only Substitutes]

I'm post menopausal and never thought I would be fat, or have a flirtation with diabetes, but those are pretty common

A slender friend was diagnosed with lupus after menopause and gained 60 pounds almost overnight. It’s hard.

Three replacements in a year? Yikes. I can’t imagine. I had a tendon moved over to stop my patella from dislocating. That was awful enough, replacement recovery sounds terrible. Hope it’s doing well now.

 

[Tinidril]

I am still here to help support those who want to lose weight without taking drugs that make them feel repulsed at the thought of eating.

These are bad times for those of who like to go out for meals or hold dinner parties.

I am glad of this. Not every problem calls for the same solution. And obesity especially needs multiple choices because no one is the same. )I'm especially concerned about celebrity types who have 10 extra holiday pounds and take GLP-1s til they look like Auschwitz, and they have a lot of influence on vulnerable young people.) But if we're gonna wait til every fat person gets the willpower to conventionally diet, we'll never get a grip on the obesity epidemic. Because how long to wait for that willpower? I went on my first diet at 13, and I'm 50+ years older now. Still ain't got no willpower!

I always struggled with weight, but it was always "cosmetic" levels that responded to reasonable measures like cutting out snacks, and so forth. I was actually on Atkins for more than a year in my 30s, and it was the only diet I was ever "content" on. Because I didn't have to be hungry, and my weight didn't fluctuate. The lure of the Everything Bagel did me in, though. I remember being on Weight Watchers back in the day and being *miserable*. I could eat "zero points" vegetables etc til I was ready to explode, and *I was still hungry*. That is not normal. For me, diets made me think about food *more*, because I was always calculating how much/when I could eat, etc. The "repulsion" is disconcerting, but it's more that I've never thought about *not* eating.

The people who eat like me, and think about food like me, are not the ones planning dinner parties, I don't think. And just like people who stopped drinking (raises hand and waves), no one is out to spoil everyone else's fun. I don't avoid places where alcohol is being served. I can't see myself avoiding restaurants or food-oriented occasions like Thanksgiving. My husband isn't dieting (he could use a couple extra pounds to be honest, that dirty bastard), and he enjoys eating out.

Well, enough blahblahblah from me. Just to reassure folks who have zero interest in these kinds of treatments that there's room at the table (hah!) for every viewpoint on this very complicated subject.

:: carefully climbing off my soapbox::

 

[cactus]

I track my calories on a weekly basis along with official weigh ins once a week at the same time. Whenever I get to that plateau, I up the calories I need to burn while upping my calorie intake for a week or two then drop it back down. I can usually maintain my weight for those 2 weeks and then it drops again

I found it easier to recalculate my TDEE every 20 lbs lost and adjust my calorie intake when I tried losing weight the first time. I lost 50lbs without hitting a plateau. The adjustment itself only took away an extra 30 or so calories a day.

 

[Overly Serious]

I track my calories on a weekly basis along with official weigh ins once a week at the same time. Whenever I get to that plateau, I up the calories I need to burn while upping my calorie intake for a week or two then drop it back down. I can usually maintain my weight for those 2 weeks and then it drops again

That's very interesting. I might try that.

:: carefully climbing off my soapbox::

No worries. I wasn't targeting anyone in particular with my own comment and it's notable that some of the people on this have very real diagnosed medical conditions. I just felt it was worth a reminder that it is possible to lose weight without these drugs and that people do it all the time. And that food shouldn't be regarded as the enemy, but as something to understand better.

 

[JeanRob1]

I don't track my calories anymore. I did in the past though, and if you never tracked it, you should do it for at least a month. Don't change anything to your diet, just track it to see where are your calories surplus. It's the best way to understand how it works. Once you know where you fail, it's easy to plan a calories deficit. You will gain a better understanding of how to distribute proteins, fat and carbs, and you will be able to know if it's good without having to search online.

 

[Wujime]

Is there any advice for feeling really fucking tired? IDK if it's the exercise or the calorie deficit but I sleep like from 10 pm to 7 am and as soon as 11 am I want to sleep

 

[JeanRob1]

Is there any advice for feeling really fucking tired? IDK if it's the exercise or the calorie deficit but I sleep like from 10 pm to 7 am and as soon as 11 am I want to sleep

Have you done any blood test ? If you have any vitamin deficit you should test it to know.

 

[Wujime]

Have you done any blood test ? If you have any vitamin deficit you should test it to know.

I take a multivitamin which should have me covered on that front

 

[Accept Only Substitutes]

I take a multivitamin which should have me covered on that front

Not necessarily. Multivitamins don’t cover everything. Like vitamin D or the B vitamins, both of which can cause fatigue and other symptoms. Get your vitamin D levels checked before you start taking a supplement, too much for too long can cause calcium levels in the blood to get too high, which can do bad things.

B vitamins are pretty safe though, I’d suggest at least B12 unless you’re eating a lot of animal products. Most vegetarians need to supplement with B12, and all vegans do.

If adding a B vitamin doesn’t improve your energy levels get a sleep study. You don’t have to need naps or terrible fatigue to have sleep apnea, you don’t even need to be overweight. I have a friend who’s on the skinny side of slim and he has it.

But it could also be that your calorie deficit is too extreme, maybe try upping it by 200-500 calories and see if that helps. Some people have success with making their deficit a different amount on different days.

Make sure you’re not dehydrated. A zero sugar Gatorade a day or make your own electrolyte mix (LMNT lists the recipe they use for their packets for free on their site!) or pickle juice - whatever works for you. If it’s electrolytes - especially potassium- you definitely want to fix it before you end up in the hospital getting ivs. Potassium burns like a motherfucker, even with a slow drip and pain meds in the mix. Trust me, you do not want that.

 

[Squanto Airi]

MNT lists the recipe they use for their packets for free on their site!

In the many years we spent mixing electrolyte drinks at home before LMNT existed, we made many messes and had quite a few misses, but we also came up with several great recipes. If you prefer to source your own electrolytes instead buying LMNT, jot this down and grab a kitchen scale:

• 2,500 mg sodium chloride (for 1,000 mg sodium)
• 385 mg potassium chloride (for 200 mg potassium)
• 390 mg magnesium malate OR 265 mg di-magnesium malate (for 60 mg magnesium)

Or, to save time, you can measure 30 servings at once!

• 75 grams sodium chloride
• 11.5 grams potassium chloride
• 11.7 grams magnesium malate OR 8 grams di-magnesium malate.

In case someone is too lazy to check the site.

 

[Wujime]

Not necessarily. Multivitamins don’t cover everything. Like vitamin D or the B vitamins, both of which can cause fatigue and other symptoms. Get your vitamin D levels checked before you start taking a supplement, too much for too long can cause calcium levels in the blood to get too high, which can do bad things.

B vitamins are pretty safe though, I’d suggest at least B12 unless you’re eating a lot of animal products. Most vegetarians need to supplement with B12, and all vegans do.

If adding a B vitamin doesn’t improve your energy levels get a sleep study. You don’t have to need naps or terrible fatigue to have sleep apnea, you don’t even need to be overweight. I have a friend who’s on the skinny side of slim and he has it.

But it could also be that your calorie deficit is too extreme, maybe try upping it by 200-500 calories and see if that helps. Some people have success with making their deficit a different amount on different days.

Make sure you’re not dehydrated. A zero sugar Gatorade a day or make your own electrolyte mix (LMNT lists the recipe they use for their packets for free on their site!) or pickle juice - whatever works for you. If it’s electrolytes - especially potassium- you definitely want to fix it before you end up in the hospital getting ivs. Potassium burns like a motherfucker, even with a slow drip and pain meds in the mix. Trust me, you do not want that.

No, actually quite the opposite, I eat mostly meat and dairy.

Attached is what I take, IDK if there is something I'm missing between what I eat and this, sorry couldn't find it in English but most stuff should have pretty much the same name

 

[cactus]

Is there any advice for feeling really fucking tired? IDK if it's the exercise or the calorie deficit but I sleep like from 10 pm to 7 am and as soon as 11 am I want to sleep

Are you getting enough water? I get really tired when I'm dehydrated, so maybe it's the same with you?

 

[DSP's Tax Lawyer]

I found it easier to recalculate my TDEE every 20 lbs lost and adjust my calorie intake when I tried losing weight the first time. I lost 50lbs without hitting a plateau. The adjustment itself only took away an extra 30 or so calories a day.

For me its easier to just do weekly. I have a google sheet on my phone that helps me track the calories in and calories out

 

[GemstoneEddie88]

Trying to lose weight with drugs looks like hell to be honest.

I've lost 15kg (30lbs) in the past 4 months by focusing on my diet and doing 3 weightlifting sessions per week. The first month was really fast, but it slowed down after it. If I keep the rhythm, I should be in shape by summer.

Good progress. I think the weight loss drugs should be viewed more as “means to an end”. There’s a lot of side effects to manage, but if it not only convinces someone to start losing weight that hadn’t thought before about losing weight AND also aids them in that weight loss, I’m all for it.

Progress update: I weighed in this morning at 198.4 pounds. OFFICIALLY UNDER 200 FOR THE FIRST TIME IN CLOSE TO TWO YEARS! This time around, I not only look better than I did last time, but I’m also approaching the strongest I’ve ever been. At 6’1”, I’ve been averaging 1725 calories a day and lifting 5x a week and aiming for at least 10-15 minutes of high intensity cardio a day. On the weekends, I aim for 45 minutes as I’m not balancing work on Saturday and Sunday. I planned this deficit to be 16 weeks~ (I started late December).

Starting in April, I’m going into maintenance mode calorie wise. I’m gonna maintain that for at least 2 weeks to let my metabolism “reset” (I understand this isn’t exactly how it works).

 

[Captain Chromosome]

I fell off the wagon after visiting family a while back and relapsing due to the deliciousness of carbs. Went from 260 to 215, and now I'm back at 228. Posting here to keep myself accountable, but I'm back on my structure as of today.

 

[Overly Serious]

I fell off the wagon after visiting family a while back and relapsing due to the deliciousness of carbs. Went from 260 to 215, and now I'm back at 228. Posting here to keep myself accountable, but I'm back on my structure as of today.

I had a backsliding, caught it about half way back up to where I'd come from. Good luck getting back to where you were (and beyond). You've proven you can do it and, if you're in the Northern hemisphere, then Winter is on its way out which is the time the majority of people are most likely to relapse. So well done on catching it before you shot all the way back up.

 

[Lasagna4Dead]

Winter is on its way out which is the time the majority of people are most likely to relapse. So well done on catching it before you shot all the way back up.

bro winter still hasnt stopped for me theres still over 3 feet of snow everywhere it makes it so hard to get in shape and sweat out these calories, Im just sitting here in -20 f cursing myself for not being able to drop my gut I also work a job thats mostly cleaning labour for 8 hours finding the energy left to work out on my days off sometimes is a pain in my ass