r/Zepbound

I reached goal weight of 100lbs back in September. I am 4ft7in and lost half of my body weight from my highest weight recorded. even though my numbers aren't high I was a bmi of 43 because im so short. dont worry I am not too skinny, as you can see from the pictures.

I felt gross and disgusting. I wasnt prepared mentally for that. I thought losing weight would fix all of my problems.

I felt discouraged that I was finally able to get to a healthy weight the first time in my life and I dont feel great about myself. I decided pretty quickly I needed to look into skin removal surgery.

I checked locally first. I called a dr in vegas, 55k for what I need and thats not even for everything I need. I got defeated as I would never spend that kind of money on myself, plus it would take years to save. then I heard about mexico and turkey. I live a few hours from the Mexico border so I thought that might be a good option. there was only one dr I felt confident in there and she was 18k for what I needed. much better than vegas!

then I started looking at Miami. I got a bunch of quotes mostly around 13k , but they send you home/hotel same day as surgery and its done in a clinic and not a hospital. seemed to sketchy to me.

then I found Turkey 🇹🇷. there were several drs that came highly recommend and there were group chats available with their patients. I got quotes from 6k to 13k. after talking to countless women and looking at thousands of pictures I decided on my dr.

360tt possible FDL, 360 lipo, breast lift no implants and arm lift, $8,000. includes dr and hospital fees, 3 nights in hospital, 4 nights hotel apartment stay with nurse visits daily. compression garments, one lymphatic message. all meals in hospital and breakfast at hotel. all transportation and follow up appointments. medical travel insurance. I just pay for flight. I am choosing to stay almost 3 weeks to heal as much as possible. I have also planned for 10 hyperbaric oxygen chamber sessions , beauty treatments, shopping, almost 2 weeks of extra hotels, food, activity money, more lymphatic massages, and with everything accounted for im budgeted for 15k total. but i probably wont spend as much as I allotted.

feel free to ask any questions

I started at 248lbs in June 2023 and now I weigh 125lbs(from the other day)! I initially was going to get weight loss surgery but opted against it because I didn't want to switch my antidepressant. I am so happy I chose to try zepbound.

It took me longer than some other people. I started Zepbound at the beginning of 2024 but wasn't able to get it consistently for several months due to shortages. I am so happy I chose to try zepbound.

I have never weighted this amount in my entire life! I've always lost weight and always gained more , but even in high school the lowest I ever got was 140lbs. Zepbound seriously changed my life. I can live my life and not be obsessed with food. I feel in control for the first time.

I have a lot of loose skin but I can with that over being uncomfortable and unhealthy any day!

Officially down 100lbs from the start of Zepbound 10.5 months ago! 295–>195. So happy to finally be back at my lowest adult weight from a couple years ago! It’s so weird to notice how differently my clothes fit now. I went from a tight 2XL to a very typical size Large. Hoping to start some body re-comp this summer to build muscle back.

Has anyone started weight lifting after major weight loss and have any tips? I’ve kept up with cycling and being active, but really want to focus on muscle growth now!

I’m not quite half way to my goal but this is the smallest I’ve felt in a long time.

I don’t have to shop in the plus size section anymore and my four year old daughter isn’t drawing me as a round circle anymore. All kinds of NSV!

I just started month three of 7.5mg and am down about 42 pounds in about 5.5 months.

66lbs down over about 19-20 months! I'm 5' 6" and have PCOS with insulin resistance. Currently on 15mg (although I only began that dose January of this year).

My goal is 133 but then setting up camp around 135-45

This medicine is amazing!! for the first time in my life, I'm not a hostage of my endocrine system 🥰

Typically when I bought pants before Zepbound I would only buy American Eagles FLEX khaki pants and jeans. You know, the ones with extra stretchy waste bands. So I’d convince myself I was “ONLY” a 38 (I was not)…

This made belt buying difficult because I didn’t want to admit I was a lot larger than that, as belts are less forgiving I couldn’t buy a 38 and didn’t want to actually buy my “correct size”. Queue this Costco “one size fits all” belt which came long and you shorten it to your waist. Today for the first time I took about 3” off. I look forward to removing more sections of this belt!

Well i did it! I made it to a major goal of mine not only losing 100 pounds but hitting 199. As someone who has a lot of trauma surrounding their weight I do not have a memory of ever having a 1 in front of my weight I was just magically 200+ pounds. I am so happy I am bawling. Zepbound has changed my world but after 15 months of hard work, consistency. Ups and downs, plateaus, being sick with side effects, having to change myself mentally to stay consistent. I did it! I have more work to do, more weight to lose but FUCK YEAH, I DID THAT SHIT!!!

Still wearing the same pants but they look completely different. Just starting to see the change in the mirror at 50+ pounds lost.

I'm 5'5.5, 29, have a muscular build with wide ribcage, never pregnant, have PCOS with insulin resistance and my HS CRP was 14 when i got it tested 2 months after i started zep.

214lbs to 159lbs: My waist went from 43.5in to 34in, size 16/18 to 10/12

I didnt reach goal but i feel sooooo much better! I sort of stalled a bit on 15mg sadly, but i was having health problems in november (bells palsy) so I couldnt work out as much, and then the cold northeastern winter began + holidays... only lost 13lbs in the last 6 months lol havent been under 165lbs since I was 19 and under 156 since i was 17...but i broke my stall and im back to counting my calories and moving more!

I did strength training, yoga, and pilates throughout but very inconsistently. I also have a step machine and I put that to decent use + I walk my dog 30 mins to an hour everyday.

My scale says my BMI is 25.5... almost in the healthy range! I'm going to get a DEXA scan soon to see where I'm truly at with body fat - my goal is 29% or 30% body fat. I want to reach 153lbs but my true goal is 146 and size 8!

i'm updating my bloodwork in a couple weeks but as of even 3 months ago, my insulin, HOMA IR, blood sugar are now in healthy ranges! my inflammation has gone down, iron and ferritin levels up. My body and joints dont ache as much as they used to. Though i have hypermobility so its a life long battle. I remember how slowly i would have to walk up the stairs to my house and my knees would hurt :(, now i can practically jump up the stairs!

Overall just trying to get stronger and build more stamina!

Today marks 6 months since my very first 2.5mg shot of Zepbound, and wow… what a ride.

It honestly feels like the last half year flew by. In the beginning, when the weight started coming off, my only thought was: “I wish I started sooner.”

Then a couple months later, the price dropped… so I guess I started exactly when I was supposed to.

I had SO many questions, and I found SO many answers here.

📊 The Stats

HW (Dec 2024 after having my son): 279 lbs

SW (Oct start of Zep): 261.2 lbs

CW: 214.2

~Halfway to goal

I’ve lost 20, 30, 40lbs over the last 20+ years… and always regained it (and then some). This time feels different.

What’s gone REALLY well

Energy:

This is probably the biggest one. My energy is THROUGH THE ROOF.

October: struggled to walk 1 mile

Now: 3–5 miles regularly, easily

Lifting weights 3x/week since December

Way more active with my toddler

Just feel GOOD in my body again

Mental Shift

The best way I can describe it is… a switch flipped in my brain.

I eat smaller portions naturally

I don’t restrict — if I want a cookie, I eat it

But I feel in control, not obsessed

This medication didn’t just help me lose weight, it helped me actually live the lifestyle I could never sustain before.

What’s worked for me

Water: 1 gallon/day (game changer once I fixed this)

Electrolytes: daily

Protein + fiber every meal

Movement: walking + strength training

No extreme restriction

I do take supplements, but honestly not sure how necessary they are, my labs are fine.

Dosing

Mostly stayed at 5mg (currently closer to ~6mg with full vial with Dr's OK)

Plan: stay here until loss drops below 0.5%/week (4-week avg)

Then titrate up only if needed

Just riding the wave right now

Side Effects (all manageable)

Constipation (main one):

Fixed with daily Miralax (Costco “LaxaClear”), fiber, and water

→ now regular daily

Mild allodynia: occasional, not disruptive

HRV drops overnight: noticeable on tracker, but no real symptoms

Early insomnia: resolved with magnesium glycinate

Goals

Less focused on scale, more focused on:

<25% body fat,

Reducing visceral fat,

Next DEXA scan in June

Final thoughts

I’m incredibly grateful. This has been life-changing.

I used to think weight loss success came down to discipline and willpower.

The truth? This medication enabled me to:

stay consistent

eat in a deficit

move my body regularly

I do struggle with how much to share when people comment/ ask... it’s not everyone’s business…

But I also feel a responsibility to be honest, because someone out there might be stuck like I was. And I started because someone shared with me.

On to the next 6 months…

If things keep trending like this, I should hit my goal in about a year.

For now , I’m just staying consistent and enjoying the process.

(Screenshots referenced: Renpho scale trends, Shotsy, and PicCollage progress pics)

Happy to answer any questions. This sub has helped me a ton, so thank you all 🙏🏿

I am on 12.5 and have lost 50 lbs. I’m proud to see the difference.

SW: 300 CW: 214 GW: 175

Thankful for this medicine every single day 🥲

1st picture: November 2nd… My Oura Ring 4 in Petal ceramic at size 11

2nd picture: Today, April 10th… Oura Ring 4 in Silver at size 9

Doesn’t seem like a huge difference but I have never worn a size 9 ring as an adult… this is a huge deal to me!!

Wow, I can't believe it—my first completely normal dental checkup in years! Totally caught me off guard in the best way. No inflamed gums, no deep cleaning needed, and no follow-up appointments or worries.

Definitely feels like such a meaningful change, especially after so many visits where I expected treatments. I hadn’t realized how accustomed I had become to expecting issues.

Honestly, I think being on Zepbound and the decrease in overall inflammation might be making a difference. I'm really curious—has anyone else experienced this kind of surprise??!

It's been quite a year! I cannot express how grateful I am for Zepbound and for this group of awesome people who have shared advice to me and so many others on their journeys. I have grown so much (intellectually, emotionally, but not physically!) during this time and learned even more about me along the way. Food noise be gone - I am in control now! I am much healthier and stronger. I LOVE working out. I only wish I had access to this in my 20s or 30s. At 61, I feel renewed for the next half of life. (Yes, I plan to live to 120! lol.) Thank you for all the support, advice and commiseration. I wish you all so much success.