Helleur!

A couple of weeks ago I started Tirz. Binge tendecies and food noise has always been a struggle. My meals and exercise were never the problem for my weight gain. Absoutely love to play sports and also started going to the gym in more recent years. I try my best to make nutritional meals and have come a long way. Tirz really helped me quit all the destructive behaviours. After a short time of nausea and too much surpression (which lead to a bit of tiredness) I can now eat my proper meals again.

Unfortunately I feel like tirz impacts my stamina and energy in the gym. When I am not working out I feel great, but I am unable to give it my all in the gym and during kickboxing practice. During cardio/boxing I just feel out of breath and when lifting I just run out of energy real quick. I first blamed eating too little. Now that I’ve got that in check I still feel the same and it also doesn’t quite explain the stamina part. I have tried a couple of things when it comes to food like eating more carbs before training, elektrolytes and magnesium. I’m just unsure, what am I missing?

Maybe I just want too much. I’m really trying to just maintain muscle for now, but lifting my usual weights is quite hard and it kinda bums me out. Fatigue comes so much quicker. I already decided to take a step back and hit the gym a day less. Just scared to lose my progress. Same thing for boxing, I was doing really well and happy with how my stamina was improving. Now I’m struggling with keeping my arms up and just feeling like I have no stamina. I really wanted to lose weight, but also stay fit.

Anyone that recognizes this? I’d love to hear some advice and things that worked for you.

Hey all — first time posting here, so please be kind!

I’m an early-40s dad who started out skinny fat. Over the past 10 months, I’ve lost 35 lbs through macro tracking (MyFitnessPal), eating “clean-ish” (probably 80/20), meal prepping, increasing daily steps (10–15k/day), and lifting full body 3x/week. The weight loss was actually pretty sustainable overall at about 1 lb/week.

At this point, I’m trying to lose the final 5–8 lbs to get down to around 10–12% body fat before starting a lean bulk. The problem is that these last few pounds have been dramatically harder than the first 35. The food noise and cravings are intense. Whenever I lose another pound or two, my cravings for junk food, chips, sweets, etc. go through the roof. Eventually my willpower cracks, I eat something like a whole bag of chips, and then I spend the next week just trying to get back to baseline. It's been some weeks since I've actually lost any weight and kept it there without rebounding.

I’m wondering whether something like a very low dose of tirzepatide (1.25mg? Half of the normal 2.5mg starting dose) could help me get through the finish line and possibly help regulate cravings during a future lean bulk as well. My goal after cutting is to lean bulk slowly — around 1.5–2 lbs/month for a year — but I’m worried that without some help controlling appetite and food noise, I’ll end up overshooting and turning it into more of a dirty bulk.

I don’t necessarily want to suppress my appetite completely. I’d just like to turn the volume down a bit on the constant food thoughts and improve satiety enough to stay consistent long term.

Curious if anyone here has experience with this, especially for body composition goals rather than major weight loss.

The scale only tells part of the story, and honestly it’s the least interesting part. What’s actually different since you started? Maybe it’s energy, maybe it’s confidence, maybe it’s just feeling like yourself again.

For me, it’s my confidence! I had a presentation at work last week and I felt like a different person. Poised, self assured, and ready for whatever the audience threw at me.

I want to hear what has changed for you guys, drop it below! 💙

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I am trying to up my protein intake to maintain lean mass while on zepbound but am having some difficulty. I love the Fairlife protein shakes. 30g of protein and it tastes like chocolate milk. Issue is they are kind of expensive, $40 for 18 of them (and if I drink 2 a day) that puts me at $130 a month, so I am looking into cheaper alternatives which is going to be buy my own fairlife milk and protein powder and mix my own. Anyone using anything good for protein powder? Any recs for a fairlife dupe?

https://preview.redd.it/6yld5dvs3k0h1.jpg?width=1445&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b02b91cd1a5d0ff009fc8acb46c3ee49c0671832

https://preview.redd.it/burcbdvs3k0h1.jpg?width=1279&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aef7ba36c5b214b7d41ebaffa9e06f9ec20a2c23

Six months ago I had let myself go. I had been recovering from a couple surgeries, was eating out six nights a week, and was drinking multiple glasses of wine pretty much every night. While I've exercised regularly in the past, I had never been thin, and ever since Covid I had stopped going to the gym. My weight was higher than it had ever been, and I realized if I wanted to be around for my family in 20 years that I needed to get myself together.

I knew how to exercise, and I knew how to eat right, but I just couldn't get myself to do it and stick with it. I did my research on GLP-1s, looked into my insurance options, and found nothing was covered by my insurance. While that was frustrating (and ridiculous, given how many benefits they have), I am fortunate enough to be able to afford out-of-pocket if that's what it took. I talked to my doctor to get his recommendations (including a full blood panel), and I started on tirzepatide shortly thereafter.

Almost immediately, it felt like I had the willpower to eat healthy food and give up (most of) my drinking. I was sure at least some of it was placebo, but I didn't really care; the food noise and desire to pour myself another glass was just gone.

I started by tracking what I ate very closely in a spreadsheet, weighing my food and calculating calories and macros closely. As I got more comfortable with my diet, standardizing onto a few very regular meals for breakfast and lunch and learning to eyeball the larger variety of dinners, I stopped tracking so closely, only noting exceptional cases (e.g. having a special dinner out with friends one night so I can correlate it to situations like salt-related water retention). However, to start, when I didn't have a good sense of exactly what macros and calories were in my food, tracking those macros closely was super helpful.

Supplement-wise, I add protein powder, 5g creatine, and a multivitamin to my breakfast. Nothing else.

Drinking, I'm down to about two glasses once a week, only when we go out. I have a small wine collection at home that is gathering dust.

I also started tracking my workouts in a spreadsheet. I had always tracked them mentally before, but recording this makes it much easier to be precise in my progression. I wish I had done this years ago.

So, I'm super happy with how this has been going. I'm 45 years old, down from 189lbs to 151lbs. I plan to keep cutting to 10% body fat, just to prove to myself that I can. I may not stay at that level, but I do hope that I keep up my good eating/sleeping/exercising habits I've developed. The results are obvious to family and friends, but mostly I feel way better every day. Tirzepatide didn't work magic -- I still have had to put in the effort to eat well, work out hard, and get enough sleep -- but it's been a critical tool for helping me put in that effort without distraction.

Team,

I started triz last month and the results have exceeded my expectations. I'm actually concerned that I may be losing too fast. I am an experienced (non competitive) intermediate lifter who wants to reduce my body fat and increase my lean muscle mass. I'm 58 years old, 5'10" 290lbs. My goal is to cut 20 - 30lbs trying to minimize muscle loss (and strength loss). I understand that when one goes into a calorie deficit for every pound that is lost at least 25% of it will be muscle and (hopefully) 75% of it will be body fat. Once I hit my goal I plan to come off Triz with the goal of clean "bulking" over the next 16 - 20 weeks. As soon as I get to 20lbs gained - with that being as close to 75% muscle and 25% fat as possible I will start the Triz again at 2.5mgs and start the process over again. I lift three times a week following a planned progression with progressive overload training very close to failure focused on heavy compounds. I am not currently on any gear nor testosterone. My goals are increasing strength, hypertrophy and my natural test. My test is mid 400's. I do plan to go on TRT if my #s drop further or once I hit 60 whichever comes first. My questions:

I'm thinking my test numbers will increase with the drop in body weight. Anyone seen that result before?

Do I need to titrate down the Triz when I start the BULK? Any issues with just stopping?

I plan to target 4 - 6lbs a month for the weight gain (basically twice as fast as the loss) is that too fast?

I am reducing the progressive overload on the "cut" (while on triz) pretty much cutting the weight (intensity) increases in half.

I plan to "push" progressive overload during the bulks.

I hate cardio, I don't ever do it. Should I add some cardio or more walking during the "cuts"?

Any advice on how to do this more successfully? What am I missing?

I'm almost 30 lbs lighter from Zepbound over 7 months (Male/SW 184/CW 156) and ready to find a maintenance regimen that will allow me to:

• stop losing weight
• rebuild 5% muscle loss
• hit my cardio and endurance goals. (I'm a long-distance hiker and backpacker. Can't run due to two knee replacements.)

Do I change dosage (currently 6 mg every 5 days), spread out shots, increase food consumption, etc? How did you find your maintenance routine? What did you do?

Many thanks!

Sending an update after posting about my DEXA scan last fall. Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Zepbound/comments/1nmex4m/dexa_scan_results/

For context, I started Zepbound in early May 2025 at 303lbs, just took my 54th shot and am at 195lbs. I’ve been on 2.5mg since the beginning and it has continued to be an effective dose for me.

I’ve maintained my lifting schedule (3X a week, progressive overload) and I average 1650-1750 calories a day, with 170g of protein. My lifts have been slowly inching back up toward my PRs. I recently got a 330 single deadlift, 245 squat and 130 bench.

A month ago I got my third DEXA scan. Here are the results:

Weight:

• May 25: 300.7 lbs
• Sept 25: 252.7 lbs
• April 26: 202.5 lbs (now at 195)

Body Fat %:

• May 25: 51.6%
• Sept 25: 46.6%
• April 26: 37.6%

Fat Mass:

• May 25: 155.2 lbs
• Sept 25: 117.6 lbs
• April 26: 76.2 lbs

Lean Mass

• May 25: 138.5 lbs
• Sept 25: 128.3 lbs
• April 26: 119.6 lbs

Android (abdominal) fat %:

• May 25: 60.5%
• Sept 25: 53.9%
• April 26: 43%

Gynoid (hip/thigh) fat %:

• May 26: 52.2%
• Sept 26: 44.2%
• April 26: 37.1%

Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT):

• May 25: Not measurable (too high for scan validation range)
• Sept 25: 88.8 in³ → in “Increased risk” but below Very High risk threshold
• April 26: 48.7 in³ → in the “Ideal/Healthy” range!

I’m proud of the numbers and the muscle retention! I feel good, am able to move and do things I haven’t been able to do before, but am still lifting heavy and eating a sustainable amount. My second RMR came in at 1716cal (previously 1800), so that is maintaining well and it confirms that my nutrition goals are well-aligned with my current body comp. My current goal is to reach 175lbs, see where I’m at body fat-wise and go from there!

I need some advice.

I’m a late 50s male who been a reasonably serious cyclist since 1990. I live in a large metropolitan area and for safety reasons I’m riding far less than I used too.

Add some work stress and bad eating habits (late night snacking) and I’ve gained over 20lbs. The result is that I feel like crap - clothes don’t fit, body fat increasing, etc.

Side note: a recent blood test indicates my cortisol is NOT elevated. A surprising result.

I’m determined to return to riding - more gravel and mountain biking rather than fast local group rides, but I must lose some weight first. I feel like I’m carrying 25 pound dumbbell when I do get out for a ride.

Moreover, I need to address the “food as medicating my stress” problem in my head.

I tried the Noom microdosing program and it seemed somewhat effective initially, but ultimately I went back to my old habits.

My social media is inundated with various GLP1 and similar sales pitches. I don’t know which medicine to try and which provider to use.

I’d be very grateful for any advice. Thanks.

i've been seeing more people talk about muscle loss on zepbound, especially as weight loss speeds up. i’m on it right now and fat loss has been going well, but my main priority is preserving muscle, not just watching the scale drop.

body composition matters more to me than weight alone, so I’m trying to figure out what actually makes a difference. strength training and higher protein intake come up a lot, but I’ve also seen some people bring up recovery peptides like sermorelin for muscle retention and recovery.

for those who’ve been on zepbound for a while, what has actually worked in practice?

has anyone added anything specifically for recovery alongside it, and did it make a real difference for maintaining muscle, or was it barely noticeable?

would appreciate hearing real experiences.

I have posted a fair bit about starting this journey and appreciate all the advice so far. Background of autoimmune issues, hormonal issues, etc.

About 10 days ago I started a flex dose of 1.2mg every 4 days. I have no appetite suppression or reduction in food noise, which is OK because that was not my issue. I have for some time pretty consistent of "on average" consuming 1400-1500 calories a day with some higher or lower days in there. I have purposely kept my diet exactly the same since then (actually it's been worse as 2 days out of those 10 I was out of town and eating more poorly than average).

HOWEVER, I am down 6 pounds. This is obviously primarily water/inflammation weight and I feel a million pounds "lighter." One of the biggest driving factors of wanting to try a GLP-1 is actually to improve my inflammation and metabolism so I can actually consume MORE so I can properly fuel instead of being in an on-paper calorie deficit forever while seeing the scale go up.

I am working with a dietitian, but I'd also like athlete suggestions. When did you pull the plug on the rapid weight loss and start eating more to fuel better and work out more effectively? As much as I am loving this and frankly in awe of what is happening (holy cow, the amount of mobility I've gotten back the last week and a half is unhinged), I also want to be careful.

Has anyone here intentionally stayed in a calorie deficit while actively training for endurance events?

I know this may be a common question for this group, but I’m curious how others have navigated this successfully.

I’ve been training for my first June 1st HYROX race since March 1st. A few weeks into training, I started feeling mentally drained, sluggish, and just overall “blah.” After talking with my dietitian and even getting feedback from the HYROX Reddit community, the consensus was that I was likely underfueling — especially with carbs.

At the time, I was eating around 1400 calories. Since then, I increased to about 1800 calories, focused more on carbs, and even lowered my Mounjaro dose from 10mg to 7.5mg so my appetite would improve enough to support training.

Fast forward to today: I had a plastic surgery consult for a panniculectomy, and the surgeon would like me to lose another 20–30 lbs by the end of August.

I’ll definitely be discussing this with my registered dietitian again (appointment is in about 10 days), but I’m wondering if anyone here has experience trying to balance fat loss while still actively race prepping.

I currently have 3 races scheduled between now and September 6th (2 HYROX races and a Spartan race), so I’m trying to figure out what’s realistic without completely tanking performance, recovery, or energy levels.

Would love to hear how others approached this, especially around fueling, deficits, recovery, and managing GLP-1 appetite suppression while training hard.

***

Edited to add: I’ve been on a GLP-1 since Dec 2022. I’ve lost 90lbs total. I’m a relatively slow loser. From Dec 2024- May 2025, I shed 50lbs with a combo of Zepbound and daily exercise (resistance training 4x a week/Power walks 2x a week), and eating 1400 calories a day.

My lowest weight was 197 on March 1st. I just been focusing on maintaining since then as I train. My weight been fluctuating give or take 5-7lbs during race prep. Highest being today hitting 210lbs.

I’m 6’1 185 male and maintaining at 1.5mg dose. I’ve noticed a 5-7bpm increase in heart rate, and was curious if this would be bad for endurance?

I was considering switching to tirz (to keep the inflammation benefits), but I’m worried that it will make me feel “sluggish”. Thoughts?

Just ran my marathon yesterday. I skipped my Monday dose last week to make sure I had adequate fueling. So I'd be back to taking today. Think it safe to take and get back on schedule? I know my body is still needing extra calories but I'm only on a maintenance dose. Also... Same dose? I've never skipped before but I've also never had any stomach issues from any dose

Does anyone wear compression shirts after a few weeks of losing weight to help distribute the remaining fat on your body to help with body symmetry?

Really proud of myself.

I’ve been a progressive overload program for about 9 months.

I’m on my 5th Zep shot this week.

Today, I did the rack pull 2x2 @295lbs and one ugly 1x2 @ 300lbs.

I’ve been really dialing in on my carbs, as the Zep makes me really not want anything too sweet.

What a journey this has been. Excited to see more gains while leaning out.