Anyone use weight loss drugs for just a few pounds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those of you that get it at a medspa, how much do you pay monthly for a low dose?

I pay $860.

Unrelated to cost but I'm convinced they alter the scale so lower bmi clients weigh more and can qualify. I was 148 lbs there but 141 at home. No way there's a seven pound difference 🙄

I lost exactly 10 lbs in one month on the lowest dose.

Lol, the lady at the spa *told* me the scale was 5 lbs heavier than actual weight! But even at that, I weighed in at 22 BMI and they gave it to me.

I paid $675 for one month of compounded tirzepatide. The price for compounded semaglutide is $299/mo. I only stayed with the spa for one month before moving to an online pharmacy for less than half the cost. I did like the experience of going to the spa to weigh in and get my injection, but the cost savings is worth it to me to go on my own from here.

How much did you lose on the one month of tirzepatide? Depending on how much I lose, I may switch to something cheaper too. I want to get back down to 130 and then do whatever I need for maintenance.

In addition to "altered scales," a friend told me that a doctor she went to made her two inches shorter so she would qualify.

[Anonymous]

OP coming back to update. This Saturday will mark 8 weeks since I started tirzepatide. I am so excited about what has happened. This morning I weighed in at 132 pounds; down 13 pounds from where I started. I look better and feel better, I'm fitting back into all my old jeans and pants. I have stayed on the 2.5 dose (lowest dose) the entire time. I had side effects for the first couple of weeks (mild nausea and tiredness) but now I don't have any. For the first time in more than a decade I'm excited for summer, wearing shorts, feeling good in my bathing suit.

It's been such a joy and relief to stop my terrible eating habits, which included a lot of binge eating junk food. My skin looks so amazing in part I think because I've been eating so well...lots of fruits and vegetables, eggs and chicken, and very little junk food. I've also been sleeping better, again, probably because my stomach isn't aching or heart racing from all the sugar binging. It's such a change and a comfort to no longer be at war with my cravings, to no longer deem each day to be a "good" day where I'm hungry and depriving myself or a "bad" day where I'm binging and feeling disgusting and lethargic. I feel so energetic and motivated that I've doubled the number of classes I take at my gym; going 6 days/week instead of 3. All my extra classes have been weight training, because I've read that a risk of these meds is losing muscle due to fast weight loss. I don't think I have lost muscle. I love what I see in the mirror now.

I am not sure where I'll go from here. I'd be okay with losing another 5 lbs but not more than that, and the appetite suppression on this dose is pretty strong. I went out to a restaurant with a client yesterday and she commented on how I hadn't finished my soup and asked if it wasn't good. Then when my salad came, I found myself hiding the uneaten salmon under some lettuce. Just couldn't finish it. So obviously, I can't stay on this dose forever or I'll lose too much weight. I am definitely worried about stopping cold turkey though. I'm hopeful that I can eat well and avoid returning to my bad habits, especially now that I feel so great in my body. I'm hoping that feeling will help motivate me to avoid overeating and binging junk food. But, after years of terrible habits, I don't really trust myself. It also sucks that I don't have any actual medical guidance, since I left the medspa (they weren't medical professionals anyway) and went with an online pharmacy. So I'm thinking that after this week, I'll start to dial down my dose by .5 each week, so 2, 1.5, 1, .5 and see how I do.

[Anonymous]

Jeff should lock this insane thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jeff should lock this insane thread.

I'm afraid I am inclined to agree with this. It really is crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP coming back to update. This Saturday will mark 8 weeks since I started tirzepatide. I am so excited about what has happened. This morning I weighed in at 132 pounds; down 13 pounds from where I started. I look better and feel better, I'm fitting back into all my old jeans and pants. I have stayed on the 2.5 dose (lowest dose) the entire time. I had side effects for the first couple of weeks (mild nausea and tiredness) but now I don't have any. For the first time in more than a decade I'm excited for summer, wearing shorts, feeling good in my bathing suit.

...

Thank you for updating OP. I'm in a similar boat to you and just gave myself my first injection yesterday. Reading about your experience has been really helpful.

[Anonymous]

It’s a miracle drug. Enjoy yourself and live your life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why it is okay for people who are clinically obese to take semaglutides and continue taking them even when they have reached their goal weight (or more!), but it's not okay for someone who is only slightly overweight? Like the OP, I have struggled to lose 10-15 lbs for years. My BMI is 26.1, and I am on an 80MG statin. Some of my friends who are on semaglutides have BMIs around 20 now. But somehow it's okay for them to continue taking them, but I can't--even with my high cholesterol. Should I gain weight so I can take them?

Because there are risks to taking the medication. The risks are worth the benefits to keep people from being obese, because that can kill you. The risks are not worth the benefit, medically, to help a person lose 20 pounds. (I feel discouraged that I need to explain this, but here we are.)

I don’t think the science backs this up and furthermore people have different risk tolerances.

DP.

Ok ... fine. Go ahead and take the Wegovy for the 15 pounds you need to lose to fit into that dress for your DS's wedding. Or whatever event.

And I hope you have the side effects I have had as I fight the obesity that has resulted from a medication I need to survive. And find yourself crying on the way home from lunch with your husband, like I did yesterday, because the pain of your bowels spasming is horrific and you think you might not make it to a bathroom. Or find yourself worrying about managing at your job because the fatigue is so debilitating. Or find yourself unable to fall asleep, and when you do the nightmares are horrible.

I won't wish the constipation on you -- having an impaction removed at an urgent care is something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

But by all means ... take this very serious drug for your 15 pound loss. I sure as hell wouldn't. But yeah -- people "have different risk tolerances." So.

Jesus Christ! What a wild reaction to someone taking a drug that has been made available to them. You wish bowel spasms on them? Cool. Why is this so triggering to so many people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why it is okay for people who are clinically obese to take semaglutides and continue taking them even when they have reached their goal weight (or more!), but it's not okay for someone who is only slightly overweight? Like the OP, I have struggled to lose 10-15 lbs for years. My BMI is 26.1, and I am on an 80MG statin. Some of my friends who are on semaglutides have BMIs around 20 now. But somehow it's okay for them to continue taking them, but I can't--even with my high cholesterol. Should I gain weight so I can take them?

Because there are risks to taking the medication. The risks are worth the benefits to keep people from being obese, because that can kill you. The risks are not worth the benefit, medically, to help a person lose 20 pounds. (I feel discouraged that I need to explain this, but here we are.)

I don’t think the science backs this up and furthermore people have different risk tolerances.

DP.

Ok ... fine. Go ahead and take the Wegovy for the 15 pounds you need to lose to fit into that dress for your DS's wedding. Or whatever event.

And I hope you have the side effects I have had as I fight the obesity that has resulted from a medication I need to survive. And find yourself crying on the way home from lunch with your husband, like I did yesterday, because the pain of your bowels spasming is horrific and you think you might not make it to a bathroom. Or find yourself worrying about managing at your job because the fatigue is so debilitating. Or find yourself unable to fall asleep, and when you do the nightmares are horrible.

I won't wish the constipation on you -- having an impaction removed at an urgent care is something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

But by all means ... take this very serious drug for your 15 pound loss. I sure as hell wouldn't. But yeah -- people "have different risk tolerances." So.

Jesus Christ! What a wild reaction to someone taking a drug that has been made available to them. You wish bowel spasms on them? Cool. Why is this so triggering to so many people?

DP. I don’t wish sickness of people. But your phrase “drug that has been made available to them” is doing quite a bit of work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why it is okay for people who are clinically obese to take semaglutides and continue taking them even when they have reached their goal weight (or more!), but it's not okay for someone who is only slightly overweight? Like the OP, I have struggled to lose 10-15 lbs for years. My BMI is 26.1, and I am on an 80MG statin. Some of my friends who are on semaglutides have BMIs around 20 now. But somehow it's okay for them to continue taking them, but I can't--even with my high cholesterol. Should I gain weight so I can take them?

Because there are risks to taking the medication. The risks are worth the benefits to keep people from being obese, because that can kill you. The risks are not worth the benefit, medically, to help a person lose 20 pounds. (I feel discouraged that I need to explain this, but here we are.)

I don’t think the science backs this up and furthermore people have different risk tolerances.

DP.

Ok ... fine. Go ahead and take the Wegovy for the 15 pounds you need to lose to fit into that dress for your DS's wedding. Or whatever event.

And I hope you have the side effects I have had as I fight the obesity that has resulted from a medication I need to survive. And find yourself crying on the way home from lunch with your husband, like I did yesterday, because the pain of your bowels spasming is horrific and you think you might not make it to a bathroom. Or find yourself worrying about managing at your job because the fatigue is so debilitating. Or find yourself unable to fall asleep, and when you do the nightmares are horrible.

I won't wish the constipation on you -- having an impaction removed at an urgent care is something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

But by all means ... take this very serious drug for your 15 pound loss. I sure as hell wouldn't. But yeah -- people "have different risk tolerances." So.

Jesus Christ! What a wild reaction to someone taking a drug that has been made available to them. You wish bowel spasms on them? Cool. Why is this so triggering to so many people?

DP. I don’t wish sickness of people. But your phrase “drug that has been made available to them” is doing quite a bit of work.

What do you mean? It's pretty simple. The drug has been made available. It's awesome. What type of work are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why it is okay for people who are clinically obese to take semaglutides and continue taking them even when they have reached their goal weight (or more!), but it's not okay for someone who is only slightly overweight? Like the OP, I have struggled to lose 10-15 lbs for years. My BMI is 26.1, and I am on an 80MG statin. Some of my friends who are on semaglutides have BMIs around 20 now. But somehow it's okay for them to continue taking them, but I can't--even with my high cholesterol. Should I gain weight so I can take them?

Because there are risks to taking the medication. The risks are worth the benefits to keep people from being obese, because that can kill you. The risks are not worth the benefit, medically, to help a person lose 20 pounds. (I feel discouraged that I need to explain this, but here we are.)

I don’t think the science backs this up and furthermore people have different risk tolerances.

DP.

Ok ... fine. Go ahead and take the Wegovy for the 15 pounds you need to lose to fit into that dress for your DS's wedding. Or whatever event.

And I hope you have the side effects I have had as I fight the obesity that has resulted from a medication I need to survive. And find yourself crying on the way home from lunch with your husband, like I did yesterday, because the pain of your bowels spasming is horrific and you think you might not make it to a bathroom. Or find yourself worrying about managing at your job because the fatigue is so debilitating. Or find yourself unable to fall asleep, and when you do the nightmares are horrible.

I won't wish the constipation on you -- having an impaction removed at an urgent care is something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

But by all means ... take this very serious drug for your 15 pound loss. I sure as hell wouldn't. But yeah -- people "have different risk tolerances." So.

Jesus Christ! What a wild reaction to someone taking a drug that has been made available to them. You wish bowel spasms on them? Cool. Why is this so triggering to so many people?

DP. I don’t wish sickness of people. But your phrase “drug that has been made available to them” is doing quite a bit of work.

It has quite literally been made available. Why would you care if the driver for someone improving their health is vanity or blood pressure or A1C gains. People are criticized for being overweight but also for using the tools available to increase their chances for success. Give it a break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP coming back to update. This Saturday will mark 8 weeks since I started tirzepatide. I am so excited about what has happened. This morning I weighed in at 132 pounds; down 13 pounds from where I started. I look better and feel better, I'm fitting back into all my old jeans and pants. I have stayed on the 2.5 dose (lowest dose) the entire time. I had side effects for the first couple of weeks (mild nausea and tiredness) but now I don't have any. For the first time in more than a decade I'm excited for summer, wearing shorts, feeling good in my bathing suit.

It's been such a joy and relief to stop my terrible eating habits, which included a lot of binge eating junk food. My skin looks so amazing in part I think because I've been eating so well...lots of fruits and vegetables, eggs and chicken, and very little junk food. I've also been sleeping better, again, probably because my stomach isn't aching or heart racing from all the sugar binging. It's such a change and a comfort to no longer be at war with my cravings, to no longer deem each day to be a "good" day where I'm hungry and depriving myself or a "bad" day where I'm binging and feeling disgusting and lethargic. I feel so energetic and motivated that I've doubled the number of classes I take at my gym; going 6 days/week instead of 3. All my extra classes have been weight training, because I've read that a risk of these meds is losing muscle due to fast weight loss. I don't think I have lost muscle. I love what I see in the mirror now.

I am not sure where I'll go from here. I'd be okay with losing another 5 lbs but not more than that, and the appetite suppression on this dose is pretty strong. I went out to a restaurant with a client yesterday and she commented on how I hadn't finished my soup and asked if it wasn't good. Then when my salad came, I found myself hiding the uneaten salmon under some lettuce. Just couldn't finish it. So obviously, I can't stay on this dose forever or I'll lose too much weight. I am definitely worried about stopping cold turkey though. I'm hopeful that I can eat well and avoid returning to my bad habits, especially now that I feel so great in my body. I'm hoping that feeling will help motivate me to avoid overeating and binging junk food. But, after years of terrible habits, I don't really trust myself. It also sucks that I don't have any actual medical guidance, since I left the medspa (they weren't medical professionals anyway) and went with an online pharmacy. So I'm thinking that after this week, I'll start to dial down my dose by .5 each week, so 2, 1.5, 1, .5 and see how I do.

A well-reasoned and written post except it “sucks that you don’t have any medical guidance” sounds like something illogical my teenager would say. OP, get yourself to a primary care doctor, just as you should every year. You need to monitor your blood numbers and pressure. You have no excuse not to.

[Anonymous]

No PCP would support OP’s use of compounded t.

[Anonymous]

Except I just figured out OP is 5’7” and wants to get to 127 pounds. No wonder you don’t want to see a doctor.

[Anonymous]

OP coming back to update. It's been just over 3 months on tirzepatide. I stayed on the starting dose, 2.5 mg, for the first 9 weeks, and then for the next five doses, I took 3.5 because my weight loss stalled a little bit and I was feeling hungrier. I am down 17 pounds total and now weigh 128.5. First time being in the 120s in about a decade. I feel wonderful.

I had thought that I would take this medication to get to my goal weight and then stop. But honestly, I am dreading stopping because I have so enjoyed the peace that I feel not thinking about food all the time, not battling cravings, not powering through painful hunger, not arranging my whole life around food and eating. It is so freeing and I haven't experienced this ever, at least not since childhood. Actually I used to think back to early childhood, like age 7 or 8, and remember when food was just food. When I would eat what my mom gave me, enjoy a treat from time to time, and go about my day. Once I hit my pre-teen, body conscious years, that was over. It was counting calories, restricting, binging, feeling ashamed, rinse and repeat. It was exhausting and sad.

Now 30 years later, thanks to this medication, I feel like I've returned to my healthy, childhood way of eating which is - eat what I feel like eating until I am full and then stop. Enjoy other things, like playing with my children, exploring a new place, even cleaning my house...enjoying something worthwhile MORE than enjoying food. I still enjoy food. I still look forward to good meals and to eating. But it's not the center of my world.

I do not know what my plan is from here. Probably taper down by .5 per week and see how I feel.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the update, OP. It’s helpful to hear about your experience. Definitely interested to see your experience tapering off. I am intrigued by the drugs but want to see more about what happens to folks after they stop the medication.