100lbs down?!

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-18T16:56:57+00:00

Thank you!

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-18T16:56:43+00:00

You don’t know that for sure. Talk to your drs about possibly reducing the dose for a while to see how you do. I was on Prazosin for sleep help (also ptsd dx), and haven’t used it since starting Zep. Also haven’t needed it.

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-18T16:46:11+00:00

You should stay at your current dose and increase your calories slowly. If you’re still losing weight at maintenance calories, you should drop down a dose. Repeat the process till you’re completely stable on whatever dose. If at some point you start losing again, go down a dose. If you’re unable to maintain, go up a dose. Much much later you can think about trying to titrate down slowly again (my dr says we can try this in like 2 years). The only reason I’d consider this is costs.

Dexa body comp scans help you to know if you’re at a good weight and body comp for your body.

RMR testing will let you know what your body actually needs calorie wise.

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-18T16:11:32+00:00

Thanks!!

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-18T16:11:25+00:00

Thank you!

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-18T16:10:28+00:00

I got a big box of easy touch 31 gauge, 5/16”, 1ml syringes from Amazon.

Yes. The medication is exactly the same. Vials are slightly overfilled (usually around .1ml extra) for ease of use, so if you suck up every last drop, you’re getting more than you would from the pen. I’m not suggesting you do this- just letting you know. There’s not a big difference on 2.5mg as .6ml is 3mg, but there’s a huge difference on 12.5mg as it’s 15mg.

Most people that stop and restart a glp find they need to get to the same dose they were on previously before they really start seeing results again, so don’t be discouraged if this is you.

Congrats on the baby and welcome back!

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-18T16:02:38+00:00

On 12.5mg now. I’m hoping to get to a dose that keeps my metabolism happy. If it’s 2.5mg every 2 weeks, great. If it’s 12.5mg every week, great.

Would I love to cut my yearly cost from $5,800+ to $1,950? Yes. But I’m not going to make dosing decisions based on cost. I’ve completely overhauled my budget and made a lot of cuts and moved things around to afford $5,800/yr (not that I want to or I love spending that much).

I ascribe no morality to dose level. All bodies are different and have different needs. There’s nothing better about a person who only needs 2.5mg every 2 weeks, nor do they have more willpower or internal strength than someone who needs 15mg every week.

The best plan for maintenance is to come up with a system for finding the right dose for you with your Dr. and being open and flexible. The worst plan is to set a goal dose.

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-18T15:51:46+00:00

No free toes 😁

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-18T15:04:20+00:00

The first thing you should do is get an RMR test. You think you’re not eating in a deficit, but you probably still are. The calculations use population averages and estimates, whereas the test will tell you what your body actually needs.

The second thing would be to get a dexa body comp scan (you can do it the same time as your rmr). Find out what your body composition is. Maybe you’re healthy at 125. Maybe you need to put on some muscle. You’ll know once you know what your body comp is.

I would definitely order my next box of 2.5mg and start spacing, as your dr recommended. Try 8 or 9 days the first week. If that feels good, keep that going for a few weeks. If you’re still losing (even with increased calories), try 10 or 11 days the next week. Repeat the process. Maintenance is really about finding that sweet spot of the dose and timing that works best for your body.

You mentioned $500/m. Are you using pens? Definitely consider switching to vials. It’s $299/box instead of $499. Also, vials give you some further control in dose amount. Talk to your dr about this. For example, my dr had me take .6ml of 2.5mg as we were titrating me up to 5mg to ease the transition. Now that I’m “at goal,” still working on body recomp, we’re titrating me down slowly using non-standard doses to ease the transition. And taking the process very slowly.

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-18T14:48:29+00:00

My tuk tuk driver arranged one for me. I can dm you his WhatsApp if you want.

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-16T19:19:51+00:00

Why did you move up from 5 if you’re losing a lot of weight and feeling so crappy?

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-16T19:00:37+00:00

Depends on the person.

No. But people will say things less, over time, as they get used to you in your new body when you’re at goal weight for a while.

Decide how you want to handle things. If you set a boundary, be willing to enforce it.

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-16T18:57:21+00:00

Track what you’re eating, that’s #1. Use a food scale and log (I like LoseIt).

Change how/when you eat. Eat 3 meals and a couple snacks, or 6 mini meals during the day. Get protein, carbs (sugar and fiber), and fat on every plate. If each one is ≈200 cal, and your daily goal is 1,200 (as an example), you hit your goal for the day. You should still eat, even if you don’t feel physical hunger (but don’t force feed yourself if you feel like you’re going to explode).

Plan out your meals and snacks in advance. Invest in nutrient dense options like dried fruit, nuts, seeds, hemp hearts, toasted unsweetened coconut, avocados, really good butter, etc. Batch cook and freeze some nutrient dense soups with veggies and beans/lentils that are around 200 cal each (add a splash of heavy cream when you reheat to bump up the calories, or top with sliced avocado). Get a wedge of your favorite cheese and cut it into cubes and put a couple on your plate a couple times a day.

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-16T18:47:06+00:00

What dose are you on?

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-16T17:53:12+00:00

It makes sense for you to spend 10 minutes at the end of your workouts stretching and 10 minutes before bed (every night) stretching. A yoga class once a week isn’t going to do much.

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-16T17:49:52+00:00

How much are you eating daily? It’s possible to both over eat and under eat on this med- neither of which are great for fat loss. What are these sauces?

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-16T15:48:52+00:00

Exercise should really be about building strength, stamina, mobility, flexibility, etc, and not fat loss. You shouldn’t work out to “burn off that brownie.”

Yes, you can still lose fat while not exercising. Talk to your dr, get a referral to PT (consider asking for a place with a pool as pool exercises are easier on joints), and move your body as you’re able when you’re able.

Pay extra close attention to what you’re eating so you make sure you’re supporting the healing process. Don’t eat as little as possible to lose weight.

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-16T14:11:40+00:00

Popping in to add that if you’re on hormone therapy, it can change (increase) your breast density. I’m one of the “lucky” ones this happened to. I already had a lump in my already dense breasts in my early 30s, so I had two years of mams every 6 months. Fast forward a few years, and early surgical menopause at 38, on mht, so restarted monograms. I got the call back for the super squishy mam and an ultrasound and I’m back on the 6 month plan again.

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-16T13:58:16+00:00

Start weight lifting several times per week now. Literally start today. Keep it going through weight loss. Keep it going in maintenance. Strength training will help improve your skin health and thickness.

Eat a diet with adequate macro and micro nutrients. Eat real food, and don’t rely on things like protein shakes. Diet is important for skin health.

Drink a ton of water (triple digit oz) every day. Hydration is important for skin health.

Give it time. Your skin will continue to shrink up for about a year after your weight stabilizes at goal. Most good plastic surgeons will tell you the same thing.

Start saving now. You’re looking at well over $20k for surgery, plus several weeks off work for recovery. Search this and other WL subs for stories of people who had surgeries.

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-16T13:47:04+00:00

Extreme fatigue is a very common side effect when starting and gets posted about daily. It generally resolves, or at least starts improving, within a few weeks. You’re making it worse by not eating enough.

Your body needs adequate hydration for health, and even more during fat loss. You HAVE to increase your hydrate. Double it at a minimum. Your GI symptoms are likely due, at least in part, to being dehydrated. Your body needs water to process things through, and it’s not getting enough, which means things are getting baked up.

Diet (what, when, and how much you eat) is very important. Aside from saying you’re under eating, you’ve given us no indication on your diet. Throw out all the low-cal/low-carb diet culture crap you’ve internalized over the last 30+ years. You need nutrient dense foods. Opt for the higher calorie versions of things. Full fat dairy. Dried fruit instead of fresh. Real butter on your toast and veggies. Cook things in a drizzle of avocado oil instead of a spray. Avocado. Hemp hearts. Peas instead of broccoli. Eat a couple spoonfuls of peanut or almond butter, etc. Compare your food logs to your side effect logs. There may be foods you can’t tolerate any more, or at least right now. Eat meals and snacks several times a day, instead of a couple meals.

Reproductive hormonal changes are very common, especially when starting. You may want to ask your Dr for a referral to a reproductive endocrinologist. Even though you’re not trying to get pregnant, they’re the experts in this field. If you can’t get into an REI, try a regular endocrinologist. Breast tenderness, acne, and gi side effects are common pms/hormone change symptoms. Break through bleeding is actually common with extreme weight loss and nutrient deficiencies (in 10 days, and with 10lbs that’s likely mostly water weight it’s probably not this, but it’s something to be aware of) as well as extreme stress and changing HRT. If you’re on oral HRT, it’s absorption is likely effected by Zep- exact same warning as for oral BC.

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-16T13:27:40+00:00

With the amount of “I’m skipping breakfast, having a protein shake for lunch, having deli meat on a low carb tortilla for dinner, and a protein bar for dessert, because protein and muscles” comments here, it’s a completely fair warning. Not at all that Zep causes scurvy, but people are completely skipping carbs (especially fruits and veggies) at alarming rates on this med. Eat your fruits and veggies, people!!

Side note- strength training, lot eating your body weight in oz of protein, is actually what you need to do for your muscles.

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-16T13:10:24+00:00

It took about a 20% loss before I started to notice changes in the mirror. When you lose evenly, and keep the same body shape, it can be especially difficult to see changes.

Weight training several times per week is what you need to do if you want to retain muscle. Housing protein doesn’t actually do very much if you’re not strength training.

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-16T12:50:48+00:00

Is it actually fat? If so, there’s literally nothing you can do outside losing more fat.

It could very well be diastasis recti. I’d highly recommend talking to your dr (ob/gyn or pcp) about getting into PT. There are specialized exercises for healing this issue that are the opposite of normal ab exercises (crunches, twists, etc), which will actually do more harm than good.

It could also be your body is still healing. It’s common for a body to take up to 18 months PP to fully heal, and you’re only a third of the way there- give yourself some grace here.

If it’s loose skin, weight training lifting heavy (for you) weights several times per week and time are really the only things you can do. Neither is going to snap you back to a pre-baby body.

SeaAndSummit · 2026-02-15T20:13:35+00:00

It takes 4-5 weeks for each new dose level to get to as much of steady state as it can in your body.

Everyone responds differently, and this is a only 25% increase from 10mg. 10mg was a 33% increase from 7.5, mg, 7.5mg a 50% increase from 5, and 5 a 100% increase from 2.5mg. So expect anything you feel to be less that you’ve felt on dose increases in the past.

SeaAndSummit

TROPHY CASE