dose-day-dread
Well-known member
Okay, get ready for a long one. I'm kinda writing this for myself but also for anyone thinking about trying this out. Short version: it went well! 
The Deets
Back in November '24, I decided to get serious and start walking. I was diagnosed with type 2 back in '22 and honestly hadn't done much besides some food changes that didn't stick. The walks were supposed to be a start. Plus, my left foot was killing me when I stood up, but it'd fade to a dull ache. I thought walking would help me drop some weight and the pain. Instead, it got worse! My wife joked about diabetic amputations, which freaked me out. Turns out it wasn't diabetes, just bad luck. I had a doctor's appointment coming up. A buddy of mine dropped around 40 pounds on Wegovy just by eating less (thanks, nausea!). Sounded doable, so I asked my doc about it.
I asked about Ozempic and told her about my foot. She asked me what I wanted to weigh, and I hadn't even thought about it! I was around 320, so I said 225 because losing over 90 seemed impossible. I even said I'd Thanos-snap myself to 175 if I could, but that felt like a pipe dream. I'd accepted being a bigger guy and didn't see that changing. Diets never worked before. My doc told me to watch carbs, ditch soda, drink water, get moving, and wrote me a script for Zepbound, which I'd never heard of. I almost got mad I didn't get Ozempic but realized she probably did me a solid.
Insurance was a pain (needed pre-auth for weight loss, not diabetes), but I got the Mounjaro on December 11, 2024, and took my first shot.
The advice was good, but after that, I was on my own. I decided when to up the dose and my doc just sent in the scripts. No check-ins, no blood work, which seems normal for some here. I didn't even know what an endocrinologist was! I found Reddit and this community, and I'm grateful. I wish I'd listened more at first; I messed up a few times.
I felt it right away; like, hours later. The food noise was GONE. I forgot about the junk in the kitchen. During meals, my brain told me I was... full? What?! Before, I only stopped when I was stuffed. Now I get what people mean when they say "Is this how normal people feel?!" I know I'm lucky to respond so well.
At first, I just ate like before, same meals and stuff. It was easy because the side effects were mild. I lost a lot of water weight the first week, then stalled for two. My bad habits were beating the meds. We had family visiting, birthdays, Christmas, so I'm cutting myself some slack, but I wasn't "all in." After Christmas, I got serious, tracked calories, and cut carbs. I had to make smart choices.
The next month was nuts. I didn't really get dieting or nutrition. I ate way less without thinking about protein. I took a multi, calcium, and magnesium/D3 and thought I was good. I lost around 13 pounds in a week, almost 20 in two weeks, and almost 30 in a month. It was SO unhealthy. I'm lucky I didn't get kidney or gallstone issues. Everyone was praising me, so I just went with it.
My first goal was 279 pounds, a 42-pound drop. I picked that because Costco sells kitty litter pallets that weigh 42 pounds, and I wanted to feel how much weight I'd lost. Hitting that milestone was probably the best feeling. It showed me it would work if I kept trying. About two months in, my plantar fasciitis pain was almost gone. It'd been gone for weeks, probably. I could start walking again every night, and that helped a lot. I don't know if I burned a ton of calories, but it made me feel better. The walks showed me how serious I was. Walks = all in.
Like I said, my first goal was 225 pounds, which I hit around 5 months in. I reached it the day I had my 6-month check-up! The doc was amazed and said I was her best patient on this med. Usually, people don't change much. Her reaction was great because she only saw the before and after. I work from home, so coworkers didn't see the daily changes, and my family got used to it. Even the nurse told my doctor I'd lost a lot. We talked about what I was doing, and she just nodded and said she wished everyone did the same. She kinda brushed off how fast I lost weight, but I knew it and was fixing it. My blood work came back great, and I was off Metformin, blood pressure meds, and statins. Now I only take Mounjaro.
I hit my second goal of 195 pounds after 36 weeks. That got me into One-derland AND was like THREE kitty litter pallets. Weight loss slowed because I learned about TDEE, strength training, and nutrition. My final goal has changed lately. I don't need a certain BMI, but I read that your risk of problems drops a lot if you're under 27, so that's the goal. Get below 27, with some wiggle room. I'm not focused on a number anymore; I'm focused on keeping it off. That's a new skill, and I'm struggling. It's a mental switch from losing to balancing. I don't have tips yet because I'm still figuring it out. I did learn that eating more and skipping walks because of the cold and a dispensary visit is bad for maintenance.
I went from a 50 BMI to a 25 BMI. About half my starting weight is gone. I like to think of it as I've lost almost all of my *current* weight. I weigh what I did in high school, which wasn't even a goal. It's like time travel to the '80s, but with less hair. I got out all my old clothes that I kept. I tried on club shirts from the 2000s (why did I buy silk flame shirts?!), and clothes I hadn't worn in over 20 years. Almost all of it was too *big*. I needed a much smaller belt. It's hard to accept that XXL and XL are too big now. It's weird. People talk about body dysmorphia, but I haven't had much of that. I avoided mirrors and pictures before. But sometimes I'll see myself and be surprised. It only hits me when I see old pictures.
I do worry about my weight loss, though. I'm scared of losing insurance because I can't afford this without it. I worry they'll come out with a cheaper drug that fixes my A1C but doesn't help with weight, and that's what I'll have to take. I kept all my old clothes because I'm waiting for it all to fall apart. I guess I still feel like the big guy from a year ago. Maybe I do have dysmorphia? I'll think about it.
The side effects were usually mild. Constipation and burps were constant. Constipation is easy to deal with, and burps aren't a big deal. Maybe that's just a guy thing. I forget to mention it. The only time I had more than mild symptoms was when I went up to 5 mg, but it didn't last long.
I see this question a lot, so I'll just say I have loose skin. If that's what you wanted to know, there you go. It bothers me because I think it's too personal to ask. And I'm a real person here!
The Deets
Back in November '24, I decided to get serious and start walking. I was diagnosed with type 2 back in '22 and honestly hadn't done much besides some food changes that didn't stick. The walks were supposed to be a start. Plus, my left foot was killing me when I stood up, but it'd fade to a dull ache. I thought walking would help me drop some weight and the pain. Instead, it got worse! My wife joked about diabetic amputations, which freaked me out. Turns out it wasn't diabetes, just bad luck. I had a doctor's appointment coming up. A buddy of mine dropped around 40 pounds on Wegovy just by eating less (thanks, nausea!). Sounded doable, so I asked my doc about it.
I asked about Ozempic and told her about my foot. She asked me what I wanted to weigh, and I hadn't even thought about it! I was around 320, so I said 225 because losing over 90 seemed impossible. I even said I'd Thanos-snap myself to 175 if I could, but that felt like a pipe dream. I'd accepted being a bigger guy and didn't see that changing. Diets never worked before. My doc told me to watch carbs, ditch soda, drink water, get moving, and wrote me a script for Zepbound, which I'd never heard of. I almost got mad I didn't get Ozempic but realized she probably did me a solid.
Insurance was a pain (needed pre-auth for weight loss, not diabetes), but I got the Mounjaro on December 11, 2024, and took my first shot.
The advice was good, but after that, I was on my own. I decided when to up the dose and my doc just sent in the scripts. No check-ins, no blood work, which seems normal for some here. I didn't even know what an endocrinologist was! I found Reddit and this community, and I'm grateful. I wish I'd listened more at first; I messed up a few times.
I felt it right away; like, hours later. The food noise was GONE. I forgot about the junk in the kitchen. During meals, my brain told me I was... full? What?! Before, I only stopped when I was stuffed. Now I get what people mean when they say "Is this how normal people feel?!" I know I'm lucky to respond so well.
At first, I just ate like before, same meals and stuff. It was easy because the side effects were mild. I lost a lot of water weight the first week, then stalled for two. My bad habits were beating the meds. We had family visiting, birthdays, Christmas, so I'm cutting myself some slack, but I wasn't "all in." After Christmas, I got serious, tracked calories, and cut carbs. I had to make smart choices.
The next month was nuts. I didn't really get dieting or nutrition. I ate way less without thinking about protein. I took a multi, calcium, and magnesium/D3 and thought I was good. I lost around 13 pounds in a week, almost 20 in two weeks, and almost 30 in a month. It was SO unhealthy. I'm lucky I didn't get kidney or gallstone issues. Everyone was praising me, so I just went with it.
My first goal was 279 pounds, a 42-pound drop. I picked that because Costco sells kitty litter pallets that weigh 42 pounds, and I wanted to feel how much weight I'd lost. Hitting that milestone was probably the best feeling. It showed me it would work if I kept trying. About two months in, my plantar fasciitis pain was almost gone. It'd been gone for weeks, probably. I could start walking again every night, and that helped a lot. I don't know if I burned a ton of calories, but it made me feel better. The walks showed me how serious I was. Walks = all in.
Like I said, my first goal was 225 pounds, which I hit around 5 months in. I reached it the day I had my 6-month check-up! The doc was amazed and said I was her best patient on this med. Usually, people don't change much. Her reaction was great because she only saw the before and after. I work from home, so coworkers didn't see the daily changes, and my family got used to it. Even the nurse told my doctor I'd lost a lot. We talked about what I was doing, and she just nodded and said she wished everyone did the same. She kinda brushed off how fast I lost weight, but I knew it and was fixing it. My blood work came back great, and I was off Metformin, blood pressure meds, and statins. Now I only take Mounjaro.
I hit my second goal of 195 pounds after 36 weeks. That got me into One-derland AND was like THREE kitty litter pallets. Weight loss slowed because I learned about TDEE, strength training, and nutrition. My final goal has changed lately. I don't need a certain BMI, but I read that your risk of problems drops a lot if you're under 27, so that's the goal. Get below 27, with some wiggle room. I'm not focused on a number anymore; I'm focused on keeping it off. That's a new skill, and I'm struggling. It's a mental switch from losing to balancing. I don't have tips yet because I'm still figuring it out. I did learn that eating more and skipping walks because of the cold and a dispensary visit is bad for maintenance.
I went from a 50 BMI to a 25 BMI. About half my starting weight is gone. I like to think of it as I've lost almost all of my *current* weight. I weigh what I did in high school, which wasn't even a goal. It's like time travel to the '80s, but with less hair. I got out all my old clothes that I kept. I tried on club shirts from the 2000s (why did I buy silk flame shirts?!), and clothes I hadn't worn in over 20 years. Almost all of it was too *big*. I needed a much smaller belt. It's hard to accept that XXL and XL are too big now. It's weird. People talk about body dysmorphia, but I haven't had much of that. I avoided mirrors and pictures before. But sometimes I'll see myself and be surprised. It only hits me when I see old pictures.
I do worry about my weight loss, though. I'm scared of losing insurance because I can't afford this without it. I worry they'll come out with a cheaper drug that fixes my A1C but doesn't help with weight, and that's what I'll have to take. I kept all my old clothes because I'm waiting for it all to fall apart. I guess I still feel like the big guy from a year ago. Maybe I do have dysmorphia? I'll think about it.
The side effects were usually mild. Constipation and burps were constant. Constipation is easy to deal with, and burps aren't a big deal. Maybe that's just a guy thing. I forget to mention it. The only time I had more than mild symptoms was when I went up to 5 mg, but it didn't last long.
I see this question a lot, so I'll just say I have loose skin. If that's what you wanted to know, there you go. It bothers me because I think it's too personal to ask. And I'm a real person here!
