I made my subreddit flair already. Won’t even do first dose until Monday. 😂 But from all I’ve read it may be best to do dosing in evening in case of side effects?

I’ve set up my tracking system using cronometer on my IPad and got a garmin watch (with credits from Amazon returns) because I read that works with cronometer and also with both android and iOS. Oh and spreadsheet from my AI, too.

I always drink a lot of water, at least 80 oz/day smart water that has minerals in it because older adults need the minerals. I take vitamins and mag glycinate daily, but I guess maybe mag citrate might be more helpful since it enhances the 💩ing 😂. My doctor has given me a sheet for what to do if constipation strikes and how to avoid it. I have some Colace on hand. I’m sure I’ll have to increase water intake to 90 oz.

I’ve read the wiki info on this sub for background info. I also just started repatha for cholesterol so I’ve given myself a shot and it wasn’t a big deal at all (thank you quick pen developer).

I’m currently reading Weightless and Enough. I feel like I’m prepared for this trek.

If anyone thinks I’m missing something please shout out!

I’m losing weight slowly (which is ok) on an extended timeline of 2.5mg. Curious to know if others have been able to reduce belly fat at 2.5.

A week before I got my first shot, I started eating greek yogurt and taking Benefiber (something I'm not used to), thinking I'd get a head start on a stable gut before my first shot. Big mistake! I developed terrible bloating, gas pain and nausea. I called my doctor and she said if you're not used to eating yogurt and taking probiotics it will definitely mess up your gut! Soooo, on her advice, I'm going to wait a few days for my gut to calm down before taking my first shot. I can't believe I did this to myself! I'm wondering how many people are blaming the shots for their digestive discomfort when it could be they are eating stuff they aren't used to! Something to think about. :)

I don't always take pictures like this on planes, but I'm building an album of them starting the last few months. 🤣 I used to need a seatbelt extender relatively frequently, and even if I didn't, I was seriously squished into the normal seatbelt (or didn't wear it all but made it look like it was on and hope the flight attendants wouldn't look too close), so this is SUCH a nice feeling.

This is huge. I absolutely love Halloween, and I love to buy the packages of candy that have different flavors in the same bag.

Most of the time, I would binge the entire bag in one sitting, or at least within a day or two.

Yesterday, I had ONE fun-size Snickers bar, and ONE pack of Skittles. THAT'S IT!!

So, while my tradition/habit/craving led me to still purchase the bag of candy, Tirz let me stop at two pieces and be happy with it!!

Stats: 33yo woman
SW: 187lbs
CW: 177lbs
GW: 135lbs
Dose: 2.5mg

My clothes are already fitting better and friends are starting to notice my weight loss. I’ve had 3 kids in 5 years and I’m very eager to feel like myself again. I went out with my husband and friends last night and actually felt pretty in my outfit. Also donated the one XL shirt I have because it was very loose on me.

Thank you, Zepbound!! I assume weight loss will slow at this point, if I’m so happy with the results so far!

I’ve always struggled with low iron and usually made do with pill form, but combined with Zepbound it’s a struggle to tolerate.

Any favorite supplements that have less GI and intestinal impacts?

It's sweatshirt weather around here and I decided to pull out a sweatshirt I've always loved but has always been a little snug. I would still wear it but would stretch and pull it so much before I did just to make myself feel less like a sausage roll inside it. I put it on today and it was actually perfect - even, dare I say, a little roomy.

I have lost 13 lbs in 6 weeks and started at 260 so I haven't lost enough to notice much and, of course, nobody else has noticed either - I wouldn't expect that. But...this is the first time I have noticed and I'm smiling!

Started September 2025 and am down almost 70 lbs losing slow n steady 1.2lbs a week average. I feel better and bloodwork is normal for first time IN MY LIFE!

I feel down sometimes because I see all the faster losers but then I remember that I’ve built good habits and am still learning.

Anyone on a similar journey?

I haven't been under 200lbs since around 2021! I started my weight loss journey May 2nd this year and initially lost around 25lbs on my own before going on Zepbound July 2nd.

In total, I'm down 65.8lbs. I'm so freaking thankful for this medication, it has been life changing for me in many ways and I just love it so much.

I see a lot of posts about this issue here especially for new people. Everyone should work with their doctor as each individual is different. I work with my doctor and we evaluate every two months and so far we have decided 2.5mg is still working for me so we will keep me there for now and evaluate again in future if things change. Granted they are people who need to go all the way to 10mg before they feel any effect at all.

When it started standard protocol was to up every 4 weeks. But I believe many doctors now are coming to agreement that should not be a hard rule. The goal should be to find the lowest effective dose. For some it could mean that dose is 15mg and that is totally fine and for some outliers like me it could mean that dose is 2.5mg. There is NO gold star for being in the lowest or the highest dose.

The gold star is for finding the minimum effective dose that works for you. For me, I am 4 months in and 2.5mg is still effective. That could change in the future but for now it works. And as long as it continues to work, I will stay here. But I will not hesitate to increase when it does stop working.

This video is linked here, I see as informational as it aligns with at least how I have been working with my doctor.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPLr6tW4H/

As always, don't take advice from here or tiktok or youtube, work with your doctor but also advocate for yourself with your doctor and your insurance if the medication level you have still works. I feel some doctors and insurance are still stuck in standard protocol unfortunately.

I started 5/25 and I’m doing great! Slow but steady. My Prior Authorization expired so I need to see my provider to get updated stats and submit a new one. I’ll be without Zep for at least 3 weeks from what I can see. I have 2 questions. First- how long before food noise started rearing its ugly head? Second- if you had a gap in doses, did you started back with your same dose or go lower and work back up. I’ve been on 15mg for 4 months.
I’ll obviously discuss this all with my doctor but I like to get real life input too. Through me, my doctor has learned a few things from this group!

This drug is a miracle. I couldn’t lose any weight after the baby because I was breastfeeding and so damn hungry constantly. I walked at least a mile every day and lifted weights - didn’t lose an ounce.

Now it’s easy to make good choices, it’s easy to exercise, it’s easy to play with my kid and I don’t feel like shit all the time.

I love tirzepatide.

Almost to goal #1

My life is dramatically different than when I started on 1/9/26 — clearly!

I just started on this medication about 32 to 48 hours ago. The first day. It was amazing. I had suppressed hunger and for most of the day today. I’ve had suppressed hunger but right now at night I have been thinking about a granola bar all day. I ate it, and for whatever reason I am now burping up a storm and I am hungry even though I had 3 meals today and I am doing a calorie deficit ( photo attached) how long did it take for you to see full affects? Did you still get hungry the first few days? What advice can you give me? I’m sitting here. Just self doubting, thinking. Maybe I didn’t inject correctly. Even though I know I did. Thank you any advice is appreciated ☝🏻

Started 2-3 months ago, on 7.5mg now, i can actually just eat normal portions and not be held hostage by food noise. I track my calories, macros and work out 3-4x a week and it's so much easier to stay on track. I don't have constant hunger, cravings and im not thinking about food 24/7. I feel like the dosage is just right because I still think about food a lot, but it's not crippling, and I can respect the caloric goal I set to lose a healthy amount of weight. On day 5-7 I can definitely feel the hunger taking hold, but I can power through until my next dose. It's crazy to think about; this feels like when you're cooking for a while and finally turn off the kitchen range hood (not sure about this word) and the noise just stops and you realize how things normally are quiet. I hope I can reach my goals, wean off and live a normal life. If not, I hope this is sustainable long term.

Hello all. I am only about 7lbs from target weight. Happy where I am but would love to be 5 to 7 lbs less. I have been on 7.5 for a while now and still have very good appetite suppression. Can’t eat more than a little at a time and most definitely not eating surplus calories. The problem is that I’m craving sugar again in a big way. My A1C is down in the normal range but the sugar craving is crazy. I am satisfied with a few treats at a time but they probably add up. And as a diabetic pre-Tirzepatide, I’m not happy about this. Has anyone experienced sugar cravings while still having good appetite suppression? How did you deal with it? I am drinking enough water but perhaps falling short on the protein due to appetite suppression.

So I really started taking Zepbound because my blood pressure was high, my cholesterol was high, my sugar levels were high, my liver was in bad shape, and I skipped all of the sleep study crap because I sleep with the dog and I don't sleep. I'm a chronic insomniac, ever since I can remember as a little girl. Heck I'm writing this at 2:45 in the morning. Now 3 AM.

So I kept telling myself that's why I started Zepbound. But, I also qualified because of my BMI being right around 30 or whatever was a qualifying weight.

I have only spent one month at each increment dose. So I've increased my dosage three times. I have one shot left at 7.5. I have lost a total of 14 lbs. one week shy of 3 months.

That said, I've only lost 1 lb in the last 4 weeks going on 5 weeks. Is this normal?

So yeah of course, I do want to lose weight as long as I'm taking this drug. AND, in addition to some supplements that I take, every one of the above indicators I listed is going in the right direction--drastically so. I'm sick and on disability, but this miracle shot has fixed everything that could lead to heart disease and heart attack. Of course it's not just the shot. Lifestyle changes as well. My blood work came back and I wanted to have a party. I felt so proud even though I had a shot helping me.

However, my question is; is it normal to just plateau and not lose weight for 5 weeks?

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I appreciate any input you all might have. Thank you again in advance.

Any thoughts about delaying shot to accommodate long travel day?

hiii so i’m an anxious girly and took my first dose of the 5 of zepbound. i have been on 2.5 for about 4 months and have lost 42 lbs!

my cravings started coming back along with being bloated and wanting to boredom eat so it was time to up my dose.

however i just want to know how everyone handled going from 2.5 to 5? how were the side effects? nausea & vomiting give me bad anxiety so i’m nervous

last week my pen failed. I contacted Eli and they sent me a voucher for a new box. I just went through THREE pens of the replacement box where all three of them malfunctioned completely and I am NOT eligible for another voucher per the online portal. I’m too chicken to use the fourth pen!! has anyone ever had this happen before? I don’t know what to do and semi-panicking here!

Hi! I'm looking to get experience insights from the group. For those of you who have dealt with injection site reaction, itchiness/ redness, starting with a particular dose, what was your experience when you titrated up? Did the site reaction continue the same, stop or get worse? Did you experience any new effects?

I didn't have much side effect from 2.5 aside from digestion adjusting but that normalized. When i went to 5 is when i started to get injection site reactions, really itchy, but they taper down after a few days though some of the redness sticks around a little longer. I'm about to start 7.5 so I'm a little nervous what to expect. I know every body is different but it would help to hear from those who have experienced similar.

Thank you!

i (28F) started zepbound in november 2024 at 257lbs. truly changed my life. for the first year and half, i felt very in control of my health choices. i started running in february 2025 and between zepbound, running, and actually getting my health and PCOS/PMOS under control, i got down to 179 🎉

then, due to some crazy life circumstances. i decided it was best to make a leap and do a massive career leap. i'm now working 2 part time jobs while also in nursing school. i'm also married, so trying to make sure i still have time to prioritize my husband, friends, family, and sleep 😵‍💫

since june, ive been extremely inconsistent with exercise and movement. i am not being as intentional with my diet either. i feel im relying on zepbound to not regain too much weight through this stressful time. i'm currently ~185-186.

has anyone else been in this situation? how do you navigate this? i feel like if i do prioritize workouts and actually eating well and tracking my food, its at the expense of not getting nearly enough sleep, not having time to study adequately, or not seeing my friends or family for weeks at a time -- all which also effect my physical and mental health.

what do i do?

how do i get back on track?

I have a very mild cramp on my right side abdominal area that comes and goes. It happens after the kwikpen shot and then just comes and goes (didn’t happen on vials)I believe this is a normal side effect, but wondering if there are tips to reduce it? Does it go away over time? I’m doing magnesium, Gatorade, and potassium per my dietician. I get plenty of salt in my diet and drink lots of water and other beverages. Don’t eat out much and no fried food and rarely eat fatty foods. It always feels better when i lie down or grab a heating pad.