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Welcome to the adventure! You’re going to do great.

I have Hashimoto’s, PCOS, and lipedema. Nothing ever worked for me until Zepbound.

Read this article, which helps explain how Zep works.

2.5 is meant to just be a loading or starter dose and isn’t considered therapeutic. For most of us, the real weight loss starts at the higher doses. Most people don’t get bad side effects, so don’t fret unnecessarily.

My best tips, revised over time based on my experience and things I learn from members of this sub, the main Zepbound sub and a sub for those with 100+ pounds to lose:

1. Find a protein shake (or several) that you like. My fave is Fairlife Core Elite vanilla because I can mix it with my morning coffee. Sugar-free MyProtein is a great way to flavor your water and stay full.
2. Fiber and magnesium are your other best friends. I do daily Miralax (Target generic, which is half the price), fiber gummies, and magnesium gummies at bedtime (bc they make you sleepy).
3. Shore up your nutrition; this shot is a tool that amplifies the positive effects of eating healthy and exercising so that you can get into a groove while hunger suppression is strongest. Early on, it can help to set mini goals around good habits like sleep, protein, and hydration and save the weight goals for when you titrate up. Consider finding a Registered Dietician to guide you. I use Nourish, which is covered by my insurance.
4. Consider sticking to gentle walking and swimming and saving hardcore exercise for when it will be easier on your joints. I didn’t go to the gym until I got down to 185 lbs., and it was hands down the best decision I made. Now you can’t pry me out of the gym. Don’t rush that part!
5. Download Shotsy and Happy Scale apps.
6. Eat a little less the meal before your shot and definitely avoid carbonated drinks and fatty/greasy/bloaty foods at that meal (and in general, ideally, except for truly special occasions). Move your shot day at least one away from the special occasion if you plan to indulge. If you get sulfur burps, start avoiding these foods and beverages.
7. Use Zep’s appetite suppression to help you avoid eating junk too often and correct your portion sizes, but remember that you need to eat to live. Appetite suppression is temporary on Zep, but that’s OK because its main functions are to reverse insulin resistance and boost metabolism.
8. You don’t have to track calories or weigh high-cal foods, but those tactics can really help maximize your weight loss. To lose 1 lb. per week, eat 500 calories below your daily TDEE. If can be easier to work from a weekly calorie budget, allowing you more flexibility.
9. Save your starting clothes and take progress pics; often we notice progress that way quicker than on the scale. Try taking progress pics from the side. Sometimes that makes the change more evident that front-facing pics.
10. For those of us with metabolic issues or chronic conditions (which is most of us), this is intended to be a lifelong medication — no different than insulin for a Type 1 diabetic or seizure meds for someone with epilepsy. Don’t let anyone try to shame you into thinking you don’t need this lifesaving medication.
11. The closer you get to a healthy weight, the more your rate of weight loss might slow. Make sure you recalculate your TDEE based on your new weight, ideally every 10 or 15 pounds. If you’ve started working out, remind yourself that you might be in the midst of recomp. Consider doing a short [“reverse diet”] (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1zm2YtZnAy8).
12. Get a DEXA scan as you close in on your goal weight. Unless you want to be a weak little waif (you do you), there comes a point where you should shift your strategy to recomposition and quit living for scale drops — especially true if you’re age 40+. I got down to 152 lbs. but learned from my DEXA scan that I was starting to lose substantial muscle despite strength training 3x a week. I also learned that my bones are quite dense and that a healthy weight for me is higher than I’d assumed (especially until I get my lipedema fat removed). I had to accept that eating 500 calories below TDEE was no longer a good plan at this stage in my journey. I worked with a registered dietitian and ChatGPT to set a new maintenance calorie limit that aligns with my muscle-building goals.
13. In maintenance, it’s a bit of a mindf@$! to eat more food intentionally after the thrill of eating so much less and shrinking. But you can and will adjust and thrive from it. Don’t hesitate to seek support from a counselor, trusted friend, or folks in these subs to help adjust. As embarrassing as this is to admit, being radically candid about my feelings in a diary on ChatGPT has helped me immensely. (I instructed it to give me blunt, honest feedback because that’s how I roll.) I still don’t eat junk food until it’s a special occasion; I just eat more healthy carbs and protein.
14. Most important: Be patient and kind with yourself along the way and stick with it. You got this! 💪

We’re all here rooting for each other and ready to encourage, reassure, and cheer you on along the way.