Starting Zepbound in My 60s

Did my end-of-week-3 weigh-in this morning and was a little disappointed to see only one pound gone this past week. I'm still happy with my 7.9 pounds lost over three weeks, but I was hoping for more. I had my second Walgreens virtual appointment. They require it after the fourth shot and won't refill the prescription without it. It as basically a $49 text chat lol. The NP said since I'm losing on the 2.5mg , she recommended I stay on it for at least another 4 weeks. No complaints from me, as I believe the price from LillyDirect jumps up $150/month for the 5mg dosage . I will say that even with the medicine, it's taking a lot of willpower and determination on my part. This is not a magic, eat-anything-you-want, fat-melting cure. What it does do though, is stabilize my hunger . In the past 3 weeks, I haven't had any enormous spikes that usually have me stuffing my face. I am also feeling full earlier during meals, which is helping me to cut back on portion sizes. ...

I'm a couple days shy of completing my third week on Zep and I wanted to share some side effects. Early in the second week, I experienced a somewhat scary bout of lightheadedness and dizziness . In retrospect, it was scary only because I didn't realize this could be a side effect and it hit me seemingly out of nowhere.  I'd been lying on the couch cuddling with the kitties before bed. When I stood up (maybe too quickly?), everything felt off kilter. My head felt light and I'd lost my balance. I sat back down to recover, and that helped, but it persisted throughout the rest of the evening. Luckily I felt fine the next morning and it hasn't recurred. Today's side effect was a bit more problematic. I was out shopping before the weekend, and I felt the urge to poop . I'd already been to the bathroom three times today, so I should've realized this was concerning. But I was too wrapped up in shopping to think about it so I continued on my merry way. I went to...

Yesterday morning I did my second shot! Before that, though, I stepped on the scale, eyes closed....down 4.4 pounds! While I was very happy to see a loss, I think only about 2 pounds was real, as my weigh-in on the day I started seemed a couple of pounds high. Anywho, I'll take it! The effects of the shot definitely wore off towards the end of the week, where I was hungry 24/7. Even after shot 2, the hunger pains didn't really subside until late evening.  This morning I woke up not hungry, so that was good! I made a bowl of oatmeal with raspberries & that seems to be doing the trick. Prior to starting Zep , I talked with a friend who's done compounded something-or-other for the past 18 months. She cautioned me that I'd have zero interest in eating, but had to make sure I did! Well, so far that has not happened. I still enjoy eating very much, but I seem better able to make good food choices and control my portions, although I'm not sure if this stems from t...

Welp, I'm almost at the finish line of week 1. It was pretty smooth sailing all in all, until yesterday (Day 6) when I was literally hungry all day. I even woke up overnight with hunger pains. No matter what I ate, I was still hungry.  But despite the hunger, I managed to stick to my healthy eating plan. I didn't experience any wild, out-of-control, eat-everything-in-sight hunger, just a constant, dull ache. I had a lot more carbs (the good kind--whole grains and legumes) than earlier in the week, so that might've contributed. This morning I am still hungry, but will try to focus more on proteins. I have hit my protein/fiber/water goals every day this week and I am very proud of it! Tomorrow I will step on the scale and then take shot 2. Hoping for a positive result but determined to stick with this. I do think my pants are fitting just a touch looser but that could be because I haven't run them through the wash yet this week. 

So I've been tooling around these past few days and all was well until...BAM at about 5 PM on day 3 I hit a HUGE energy sink. I'd gone to back-to-back rehearsals after lunch (I'm a musician) and had forgot to bring a water bottle. Decided to run an errand on the way home, which took way longer than expected, and come 5:00, I felt like my body wanted to shut down. The good news though: I was surrounded by fast food places and had zero interest in hitting a drive through. I even thought about it, and my brain was like, nah. I just wanted to get home, get some water, and whip up an early dinner ( impossible burger on Dave's thin - 25g protein , 11g fiber - not too shabby).  I'll see how the next four days go, but I am wondering if I need to track calories . I feel like I've eaten enough when I look at my log, but man, that low energy hit me hard.  Will sip water for a bit and read a book to relax. I have a few more things I need to do this evening, but need to g...

The chills finally subsided around 2:00 AM. I woke up way overheated from my 2 layers of clothes and 2 blankets.  It's about 9:30AM now and I'm feeling pretty good. Had my coffee (black), and feeling a very slight hunger pain . Not an intense, gotta-eat-everything pain; more of a "oh-I-should-eat-something" pain. I'm planning an egg sandwich using Dave's whole grain thin bread (the absolutely tastiest healthy bread out there!) with a few mushrooms on the side: 19.6g protein, 6.5g fiber.  I seem to be avoiding the issue of exercise , so I need to work that out.  Post-breakfast update: While I didn't have to force myself to eat, I definitely found myself eating more slowly. I wasn't ravenously shoving food into my mouth, but instead, taking small, thoughtful bites. This wasn't intentional, so I think it must be the Zep kicking in! Fingers crossed. 

It's been twelve hours since the first injection. I've hit my protein and fiber goals, and am nearly at my water target.  So far I don't notice any changes to my appetite, although I'm only the lowest dose (2.5mg) and prepped the kitchen with plenty of options. I'm focusing on mainly whole foods, but did supplement with a protein shake and a protein bar for extra fiber.  I napped earlier, although I don't know if I was tired from the Zep or just tired from not sleeping soundly. I am hoping that as the weight drops off, my sleeping gets better. One side effect that's taken me completely by surprise though: the cold ! I'm in a 71 degree house, wearing multiple layers, and still shivering. It's like the chills that accompany a fever , but without the fever. I did some googling, and this seems to fairly common. It also seems to wear off, so hopefully I won't need to spend the summer bundled up.  The NP instructed me to get an A1c blood test before...

 I followed the NP 's advice and did the first shot on an empty stomach, followed by breakfast 30 minutes later. So far so good. The shot was extremely straight forward to administer, and for anyone wondering (I did!), it did not hurt at all. The needle is very thin and fairly short, and it slips into the skin painlessly. I've never given myself an injection before so had to read through the instructions to learn how to use the syringe .  I set up a spreadsheet to track water, protein, and fiber. My first "meal" was two slices of whole grain bread topped with a tablespoon of peanut butter : 10g protein, 7.5g fiber.  Yesterday I tracked fluid intake (coffee, water, propel) and seemed to easily hit around 9 cups, although I did have to really think about it and remind myself.  I should probably add exercise tracking to my spreadsheet as well. Once I get a sheet that seems to work for this plan, I'll share it on this site. Why not use a tracking app? I'm a spre...

Sooo....in all my planning, I never researched when is best to do the injections . During my telehealth visit , the nurse practitioner said first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, and eat 30 minutes afterward. However, now that I'm reading the included literature, the manufacturer instructions say any time of day, with or without food. Also, many internet users report taking it in afternoons and evenings due to the fatigue that can set in. So now I'm reconsidering my start day and time. My next couple months of Sundays are super busy. I'm a musician and have a ton of gigs coming up that I don't want to be tired or nauseous for. Looking at my calendar, Monday mornings look best. I read quite a few reddit posts from " before bed " advocates, but I am always so fresh and hopeful in the mornings, that it just feels like the right time of day. Plus my Mondays are very light days obligation-wise. My new plan: Take today, Sunday, to really hydrate . Bang...

 I just got the tracking info from LillyDirect ...the Zep arrives today, which means I can do the first injection tomorrow morning!! I think I'm all set. I've read the instructions and watched the video. I have meals & snacks planned out for the first few days. My calendar is clear for the first half of the week to give me time to adjust to any side effects . While I'm waiting, here's my current morning skincare routine (at the moment, I don't do anything before bed, but I probably need to start a retinol regime): Cleanse : Palmers Skin Therapy cocoa butter oil . I do this in the shower. I've tried other facial cleansers over the years, but this one outshines them all. Toner : I jump around a bit with toners. Currently using Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic alternating with Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Toner . Both of these are non-drying and help remove any traces of makeup or dirt. Serum : Cosrx 6X Peptide Collagen Booster Toner Serum : I apply this right aft...

 While I'm waiting for the Zep to arrive, I thought it would be useful to document my current medication and supplement list: Losartan potassium (100mg): I take a pill every morning to help combat hypertension. It gets my blood pressure down to about 140, which is not ideal but is lower than if I don't take the pills. I am hoping that once the weight comes off I can stop this prescription. Multivitamin with iron : Since I eat mostly vegetarian (taste preference, primarily), I take a multivitamin every day. Either the store brand or a name brand, whichever's on sale, as long as it has iron and B12. Vitamin D: I take an extra vitamin D to combat the low sunlight most of the year in my area. Recommended by a doctor at one time. Marine collagen : I've had mild arthritis in my thumbs since I was a teen, which occasional flare-ups that required steroids. I stumbled upon marine collagen during an internet deep-dive, and it seems to be working. I've missed a few weeks whe...

Greetings, fellow old-ish people of size.  This week, I decided to give GLP meds a go.  I'm 61, female, 5'4", and as of this morning, 256.3 pounds. While I never thought of myself as super skinny, I weighed around 140 pounds a decade ago and wore size 6/8. Over time, this extra weight has affected my health. I tire easily, my blood pressure is high (I take Losartan), and I have frequent bouts of sciatica, carpal tunnel, and plantar fasciitis. In the intervening years, I've tried Weight Watchers and Noom, calorie counting, macro counting, low carb, plant-based. With each method, I lost a bit of weight, but old habits crept in after a few months. It's the food noise that seems to make everything fall apart. I can do great all day, then come eveningtime, food chatter gets the better of me. I am hoping GLP-1 will quiet this.   I'm waiting for the meds to arrive. Since my insurance doesn't cover this, I went through Walgreens. It was very straight forward. Mak...