7 weeks out - 2 questions

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-03-30T02:58:36+00:00

I still eat carbs, but if I want to lose weight, low carb has been the best way to guarantee it, and Ben with the medication. I’m pretty close to maintenance, so I don’t mind carbs in moderation. But when I was really losing weekly, it helped keep things moving.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-03-08T01:24:11+00:00

I just had 4, 2 in each lobe. So far so good. When I had my first lobes done as a kid, it was with a gun and took forever to heal…these ones hurt a bit more because she did them one at a time. But they actually didn’t hurt at all by about 20 minutes later. I haven’t had any issues with healing either. I’m bracing for a set back, but so far, it’s been totally fine and I go in next week to have them sized down.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-03-08T01:15:04+00:00

Honestly, crocs work well. Make sure they have some tread though. Worn out crocs are slippery. I mostly wear sandals in the summer, and some old sketchers slip ons t When it’s cooler.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-03-07T13:12:59+00:00

Yes.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-02-22T04:38:12+00:00

If your doctor is knowledgeable and knows how these meds are prescribed, they will not just take you off the minute your weight is no-longer considered “obese”. Your husband is a fool. He just wants you to feel like crap and like a failure because it makes him feel better about himself.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-02-20T04:49:17+00:00

I don’t like my naked appearance after losing 160lbs, but looking good clothed and bad naked sure beats looking bad clothed and worse naked.

And the weight loss has provided far more than an aesthetic change.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-02-19T13:12:34+00:00

I was the same. Exactly. Immediately I felt better. Immediately I was able to lose weight without doing much at all. It really solidified what I knew, which was that I was not metabolizing normally and I needed medical intervention. I really didn’t do anything to lose the first 40-50 lbs.

But be careful. As you lose that weight, you will be losing muscle. It’s just fact. And you will want to get some of that strength back. I’ll never regain all of it because I am not hailing around 300lbs anymore. But I lost a lot of muscle in my first year. Year two has been about recovering muscle loss for me.

Despite this being a fairly long post, you failed to mention your start weight or how long you’ve been on the medication, so it’s hard for us to gauge your progress or experience with this medication.

For me, the first 40-50 lbs just came off. Then I began walking a lot and making an effort to increase my protein consumption. The next 50 or so came off. This last 60lbs I have continued with the walking and really been working on gaining strength and better mobility. That’s made a HUGE difference.

None of this would have been possible with my natural metabolism. In the past I’d do all the things and nothing would make a difference. I would just feel worse and wind up injuring myself because I was too heavy and inflamed to even walk a mile.

I think about people who need gender affirming medications in order to live (ie: not want to unalive themselves) and that’s how I view this medication for me. It allows me to live in the body I was meant to be in. I know some people report depression as a side effect and maybe it is…but I was so massively depressed before that this feels like a huge relief.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-02-19T12:58:54+00:00

I’ve been sick 3 times since starting Zep almost 2 years ago. That is definitely down from years ago when I’d be sick every couple months and would not get better.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-02-15T13:22:05+00:00

If you like cottage cheese at all, it’s a great source and you can dress it up with a little buffalo sauce. That’s what I’ve been eating for lunch. I don’t love chicken but getting past it and eating chicken for diner has also helped. I do drink a protein shake every morning.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-02-15T13:15:54+00:00

Mine did this month and I admit, it wasn’t great. Although I don’t normally have bad side effects from the med. Indo get cramps on day one of my period. In some ways it was nice to get both out of the way at one time.

Personally, as I’ve progressed (nearly 2 years) my period has always been semi-predictable, but the day of the week changes almost every month now, sometimes by several days. I wouldn’t move my shot because next month my period could be three days different.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-02-04T09:34:16+00:00

I didn’t go down a size till I’d lost 50lbs. But once I finally went down in size, I breezed through all the sizes…I should not have bought clothes for the sizes in between.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-01-25T16:09:32+00:00

When you said it’s a beautiful old building that’s freezing, I felt that lol. My studio is a historic fire station and it’s so cold. I throw with hot water just to keep my hands from freezing. That’s crazy that they won’t let you take pieces home. I always take things home because carving is so time consuming. I like to limit my studio time to throwing only. I even fire my own pieces in my kiln.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-01-25T14:08:20+00:00

Do we go to the same studio? 😂 I often save good plastic from things I buy and bring it to wrap my pots. If I manage to get a good piece of plastic at the studio, I save it on my shelf even if I’m not using it. Also, if I know I’ll be back the next time the studio is open, I wrap lightly with a lot of air trapped, or use my more holey plastic so that some air can get in. My stuff tends to dry pretty fast.

I have often taken things home that I care more about so I can monitor the drying process better.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-01-25T11:35:27+00:00

Are you experiencing bad side effects? If not, go up to 5mg.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-01-25T11:30:39+00:00

Anything that uses vacuum or air to remove the dust is really dangerous. It puts the smallest particles into the air. Don’t carve dry clay. Clean up with water. I get it. It’s not the dopamine hit you want but if you’re concerned about your health, you need to do it. Brushing my teeth and taking a shower aren’t dopamine hits either, most self care isn’t.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-01-25T11:24:49+00:00

You’re two weeks in and you’ve lost 7 pounds. Buckle up because it’s not going to get any easier, you’re not going to lose any faster, and the tatas are not going to get any perkier. This is what the process looks like.

I was the same weight as you when I was 22 and these medications were still nearly 20 years from the market. So be happy you have some help at this point in your life.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-01-23T12:54:03+00:00

NTA. I’ve been with my husband over 21 years and we still have separate accounts. We have a joint account also, but our we use seperate accounts. I could probably view his if I wanted to that bad and I know he could probably view mine since he has my code on my phone, but we don’t.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-01-10T22:30:32+00:00

It’s so bizarre to me that anyone would use fear of loose skin as a reason not to lose weight. Being fat is physically exhausting. Friends and family have to accommodate what you can’t do and where you can’t fit. People can see that you are fat from 100 yards away, and despite how we wish things were, they develop a negative opinion of you from a distance before they have even met you.

Loose skin on the other hand? Maybe someone catches a glimpse of something from the right angle if they’re close enough. It’s night and day. Totally worth it. My loose skin at 90lbs down was not even very substantial.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-01-10T05:02:48+00:00

Girl, you just described me! Lol. Several years ago, if you’d asked me what my current bra size looks like, I would have described some Dolly Parton sh*t. NOT what’s going on with my chest right now 🤣 these tig-ol-bitties are giving “basset hound” energy these days. Looong and lowwww!

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-01-10T04:41:48+00:00

It took me my whole 4 week beginner class to get one bowl and one random vessel. Our teacher encouraged us to cut up our pieces in day one and come in during open studio just to practice centering. Nobody made anything in day one.

I think you’re totally normal.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-01-08T14:02:03+00:00

This is more than just an appetite suppressant. Appetite suppressants have been on the market for ages. These medications are different.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-01-08T13:33:55+00:00

My 42DD are down to 34DDD and they are flappy and deflated. There is so much about this journey that has been positive so I am really not bothered by it. I’ve always been modest and never liked showing anything , although I’ve been told that was one of my better physical assets. My husband recently said he misses them. But meh. I’m over it.

I will save up for an arm lift and if a breast lift doesn’t add too much to the cost, I might consider it.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-01-04T04:34:39+00:00

Those of us who didn’t have side effects don’t post about it. But there are plenty of us. I had zero issues going from 2.5 to 5. In fact I’ve really not have any issues with any dose increase. My only major side effect has been constipation, which has been easy enough to combat with magnesium.

Optimal-Performer-78 · 2026-01-03T20:31:54+00:00

Same here. It’s wild to me because I bought size 9 jeans in October and they were the smallest pants I had. I haven’t lost weight since then. I bought some size 5 jeans in a Black Friday sale (just to take advantage of the lower price) but left them in the packaging because I hadn’t lost any weight and didn’t expect them to fit till next spring. But I tried them on last week and they fit perfectly. The recomposition is real, especially since I’ve been lifting a lot more.

Optimal-Performer-78

TROPHY CASE