In fairness, I didn’t yet know. But I think we can rule him out posting here.
Just go to Valhalla vitality on the web and get started. They’ll prescribe to a compounding pharmacy and away you go to weight loss.
I’ve got around two weeks left on the current Zepbound 7.5MG prescription. While still very tolerable, side effects have been much worse on this dose (nausea, some cramps, burping). By the time the two weeks are up I’ll have dropped around 60 pounds and be at a healthy weight for me, so there is no reason at all to stay on this dose or increase. So, I’m going to get the 2.5MG vials from LillyDirect ($399/mo) and try that as a “maintenance” dose for a bit. If I struggle to keep my weight down I could go back up, or I could stop it entirely.
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That weight loss is over only 3 months?
Yeah, roughly. I did lose a few pounds before starting the Zepbound, and won’t be down 60 until the end of next week, assuming things stay on track.
I’ve been a total psycho about food (which would have not been possible without the Zepbound) and have exercised every day.
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Of course I left a dose of Zepbound behind in Lyon. Forgot to check the fridge, just like I knew I was going to do. I should have put my keys in the fridge, or something I couldn’t leave without.
Another $250 down the drain and I’m gonna get really hungry the last week of this trip. But at least I’ll enjoy the food in Italy I guess.
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Ya don’t count those chickens before they hatch, etc. but that is seriously impressive!
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My ozempic experience is 4 months, down 10 pounds, with 80 exercise sessions. I have definitely not been a psycho about food. I’m trying to eat well but will sometimes eat additional food (like a protein bar or protein shake) to ensure I’m getting enough protein to support muscle growth.
For me, the amount lost is pretty misleading, as I’ve gone from “O” shaped upper body to a hint of “V” shape. Two days ago I had McDonalds (20 piece McNuggets [950 cals with sauce], a black iced coffee, and a vanilla cone), yesterday I had in-n-out (a regular double double and a double beef protein style (no bun, wrapped in lettuce), unsweetened ice tea. However, given my limited other eating I was still under 3,000 cals both days.
Today I’ve eaten two avocado sandwiches on wheat with mayo (about 900 cals). I’ll probably have a 1500 cal dinner, so like 2500 total cals. I’ll also burn 800+ cals in my workout in a couple of hours. I’m now following the rule, “don’t drink your calories” and haven’t had alcohol or sugary drinks in like a month.
I’m a little irked that I’m not losing much weight, but I’ve also had people say I’m looking better (and my labs and blood sugar are better). The goal is to have so much muscle to feed that my baseline metabolism goes up.
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Lol, just keepin’ it real. I sometimes only eat once a day, though I usually eat twice. I’ll may do more calorie restriction in a month or so. I wanted to improve my strength first. I was an offensive lineman; strength is my priority.
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i got high just now i don’t mean any denigration at all, you know you’re my bro. my view of the drug is it’s an easy button to starve yourself thin, so exercise seems like fancy play syndrome.
and again not to criticize at all but why do you care about strength? aren’t you a lawyer or something what does being strong do for you?
in before the philadelphia eagles are having open tryouts next year
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First, I have XL frame, and so I need actual strength to like climb stairs, walk hills, jump, etc. I was not made to be “thin” but I can look pretty good at like 240 lbs at 6’2". Second, just as important, I have diabetes and muscle is like a vacuum for blood sugar. I’ve read a fair bit of science/medical stuff, and muscle is a big deal for basically keeping things like blood sugar, cholesterol, etc. at good levels. (One strong predictor of longevity is basic grip strength.) Also, having muscle makes your basal metabolic rate higher, and that’s where we burn most of our daily calories. So muscle is like a cheat code to not having to eat like a mouse. I don’t want to yoyo the pounds off and on, I want a consistent way to live how I’d like. 95% of the people on like “The Biggest Loser” get fat again. I want something that will be fairly permanent, as long as I workout 4-5 days/wk, which means having a solid foundation of muscle. Finally, when you’re my size, people expect you to be able to do things like lift couches, throw midgets, etc, so I want to get back to that form.
While I’m a lawyer, one of the things that made me get back on the exercise pony again was an upcoming trial. I didn’t want to be huffing and puffing dragging things to the court, standing to speak, etc. Also, getting back into fitness has improved my concentration and the number of “useful” hours I have in a day. It’s also improved my baseline happiness by about 25%.
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One of the biggest reasons I wanted help losing the weight was so I could start running again, which has huge mental health benefits for me.
I have started lifting again, mostly because I’m definitely looking a little melted. Which is inevitable when you lose this much weight this quickly.
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Also, the idea of “weight loss drugs are an easy button” for those of us who have tried diet and exercise for the last 20 years is super insulting.
I guarantee you, BJ, if we could have done it on our own we would have loooooooooong before now
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This is becoming something of a cultural meme, but I will say from my own experience, and things like r/ozempic on reddit, etc, there seems to be a pretty wide distribution of responses. The avg for ozempic, I believe, is like 15% of body weight lost, but I suspect that’s pretty “noisy,” and there are a lot of 5% people mixed in with plenty of 25%.
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Speaking for myself, it has definitely taken work and dedication. For sure the Zepbound made it much easier, but just taking it and going about my normal routine would not have worked. I really needed the boost. And honestly spending the money was a huge motivation - if I’m spending $550/mo I’ll be damned if I don’t get some results.
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I’ve been trying to lose weight my whole adult life.
I walk 2 miles to the gym and back 3-4 times a week and usually to do a couple more long walks with hills (7 miles+) or a hard hike on the other days.
My refrigerator is barren except for fruits, soy milk and ready-made salads. Normal dinner is tuna, a protein shake, and a small apple. My biggest cheat was a small cup of ice cream a couple times a week after a long walk, and a tasty breakfast on big workout days.
No crazy dinners. No other cheats. No snacks, not even nuts. And I wasn’t losing a thing.
If I went any lower on the food I’d start getting into it with my coworkers and screaming at inanimate objects around the house. Like legit mental-illness level paranoia and anger issues if I didn’t start eating again.
It’s so fucking hard for some of us to lose weight, especially if we’ve yo-yo-ed in the past. The biggest thing with Zepbound is probably that I can run a calorie deficit and not get stress hormone levels like I’m in an active war zone.
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Got my first order from LillyDirect. I didn’t need to get a prescription through their partners, my doctor just sent it to them. There was a initial hiccup because the prescription he sent was for the auto injectors, but it needed to be for the vials. I had to be proactive to address that (I don’t think anyone from Lilly’s pharmacy partner would have ever called me to tell me there was a problem), but once that was done I paid for and received the vials almost immediately. I’m hoping the 2.5MG will work as an ongoing maintenance dose, because the 5MG vials are just as expensive as the auto injectors were with their savings card program.
Went to the doc today and they switched my bp medication. When I asked about GLP-1s he said he cant prescribe anything unless diabetic. So looks like I will go the Hims route. I stepped on the scale today and I am up 15 lbs since moving to WI. So something has to change.
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