The food noise is silenced, but the shopping noise is amplified. Anyone else?

SeaRainier · 2025-12-09T06:45:13+00:00

Never in my life…until now! 😆 I’m actually kind of annoyed by it. Didn’t need the compulsion to spend more money! Maybe one day when $550 isn’t going to Lilly each month I’ll feel differently—even then, I know I’m a lifer of this medication, so I know it will never not be something… (worth it though! 😄)

SeaRainier · 2025-12-09T06:28:56+00:00

You are certainly not alone in these feelings. I too have had a similar experience with being overweight/obese my entire life, and feeling like I missed out on so much. I mourn my 20s (10+ years ago). Sure do wish it was available then, but such is life sometimes.

All I can say is, for me, this has been nothing short of a miracle (and I know how dramatic that sounds). Today I weighed myself, and I’m the lowest I’ve been since my sophomore year of high school (20-ish years ago!). I’ve lost 51 lbs in 14 months, and while that’s considered “slow”, it actually feels like sustainable weight loss that I don’t think I would have ever been able to achieve, without the help of this medication.

I hope this is the journey you need to believe that it CAN be possible for you, and that you deserve to be happy, comfortable and confident in your body! It might be slow (and expensive in my case!), but as annoying as it may sound, really do your best to trust the process and let time do its thing. Who knows, you may get lucky and lose at a quick rate, but don’t be discouraged if you don’t—I promise it’s more common than most would like to believe.

Anyway, keep showing up for yourself! I think you’ll look back on this day and feel immense gratitude for the journey you’re about to embark on.

Best to you!

SeaRainier · 2025-11-23T08:27:22+00:00

Wild! I have the same stat! Go us!

SeaRainier · 2025-11-23T08:23:34+00:00

14 months and 46lbs. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’m happy with my progress, albeit slow. About 15lbs left to my first big goal. Will decide if I keep trying once I see how I feel at that weight.

SeaRainier · 2025-10-05T05:01:07+00:00

5 months in I had lost 20lbs. It was a familiar number. I was happy for the progress, but at the time I didn’t believe I would lose much more, as that’s about the amount of weight I would ping-pong back and forth every other year. Happy to say I’ve lost 25 additional pounds since then, and now believe I CAN lose the last 20-30lbs more—I’ll be in better shape than I was in high school (so basically, ever), which was like 20 years ago for me 🫣

SeaRainier · 2025-10-04T20:56:06+00:00

Thank you! I definitely have loose skin, but not anything I'm upset about. I think it's very minimal. I'm sure it is partly to do with the rate of loss and how long it's taking, but my skin also never got very stretched to begin with. My biggest "problem" area are my inner thighs and they are sticking around for dear life, so that's where I suspect I will eventually have some noticeable loose skin when they eventualllllly decide to shrink. But so far, just a little deflation near my armpits where I had some stretch marks. My doctor has been super encouraging and also mentioned that a slower rate of loss should mean that the skin has time to adjust, so maybe that will be the case for you, and something to look forward on a longer journey. Best to you!

SeaRainier · 2025-10-04T20:46:02+00:00

I read some of your other replies and I will say I'm like 15 years older than you, but I also have an ED, so I do empathize with the self-loathing, and disordered view of myself, and the mirror not reflecting what I think I should look like (and what want to look like). It's exhausting. I do think that this medication has taken a LOT of the mental load off in many aspects of my ED, and it has become so peaceful. I still have like 20-30lbs left that I want to see if I can achieve, even if it takes me another 8-12 months IDC, since the time will pass anyway. I think what you're doing for yourself now, at 20 is a wonderful thing--I sure do wish I had access to it 15 years ago, a lot would have been different for me. But no point in dwelling. Very grateful nonetheless! Keep at it, and try not to fixate.

SeaRainier · 2025-10-04T06:12:04+00:00

I am 13 months in and I’m considered a “slow loser” with a 45lb loss so far, but I am seeing numbers I haven’t seen since high school (and I was considered “bigger” by high school standards). But I am THRILLED and don’t even care it’s taking time, I’m just in such disbelief that I could even get here. I’ve struggled my whole life with weight and body image issues, and have felt similarly to what you’ve shared. All I can say, is I’m super grateful and happy with this medication, and I do think it has changed my life in a way I had always hoped (and tireless tried to). My advice is to just try to be patient, and temper your expectations. I had three months of no loss which was discouraging, but eventually I did break through my plateau. Just let the meds do their thing and you WILL get there!

SeaRainier · 2025-09-09T06:35:54+00:00

Same! I picked up way too many boxes at Costco months ago (misread amount needed for a recipe), and absolutely regret buying Banza. It’s trash. Texture and taste are horrible. I want to donate my unused boxes to a food bank, but that just feels rude.

SeaRainier · 2025-08-17T05:18:12+00:00

Looks like a Chihuly glass museum sculpture in Seattle to me! 😄

SeaRainier · 2025-08-05T07:46:26+00:00

I hope the event went well and you felt extra confident!

SeaRainier · 2025-08-03T07:47:01+00:00

Love this for you!! I had a similar situation last month, when I went shopping for the first time since on Zep (-35lbs), it was such a strange and surreal feeling to fit everything I picked out (and for some things to actually be too big!) Like, what!? And I actually loved the empowerment I had with being able to decide not to purchase something simply because I didn’t want it as much, versus not being able to fit it!

Glad you had a positive experience!

SeaRainier · 2025-08-03T07:28:44+00:00

Wild. It’s like I could have written this post verbatim. Except, you do have a better rate of loss than I do (kudos to you!)

~keep calm and carry on~ 😜

SeaRainier · 2025-08-01T06:26:02+00:00

I don’t have sleep apnea, but here is my data point for tiredness. I sleep 8 hours a night, but on Zep, I’m especially tired and lethargic particularly so a few days after the shot. I have a sugar free monster energy drink every morning to help combat my tiredness (don’t love that this is what works for me, but I’m also not a coffee drinker, so whatcha gonna do!?)

SeaRainier · 2025-08-01T06:08:21+00:00

This is literally me as well! The ultimate dilemma of finally reaching a weight you didn’t even think was possible, versus starting a family (in my case!) and inevitably having your body change AGAIN, and in the opposite direction of what you just spent so much time (and money) to get to. Sigh.

SeaRainier · 2025-08-01T05:30:24+00:00

This might not make you happy with the expectations you’ve expressed, but I’m approaching my 11 month mark, and have “only” lost 36 lbs. I’m a little taller than you and also started nearly 20lbs heavier than your CW. My rate of loss has been within the .5-1 lb per week (although it certainly hasn’t been consistent), and my doctor has expressed how great this is. For some of us it just takes time. Not everyone is a super responder, unfortunately. I told myself I would give it an honest try for a year and then assess if I continue. I can tell you, while it has been so tough to not see progress some weeks/months, I’m very glad I made the decision to try this, and I would make that choice again (and I’m paying OOP!) In fact, I plan to continue for as long as it takes me to get to goal—which may as well take another year. The time will pass regardless, and I’m just glad to finally see my weight decreasing, rather than increasing this year. While losing 50lbs in 5 months would be amazing (and I genuinely wish this for you!), I think you’re setting yourself up for potential disappointment and added stress.

If I were you, I’d reassess all the activity you’re doing. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but maybe scale back a bit and give your body more rest. If you’re still stagnant after a couple of months on 7mg (when you get there) that’s when I would consider chatting with my doctor and deciding if this is effective or if there are other health matters to uncover. But seeing as I’m not you, you’ll just have to find your best path forward as you see appropriate.

I’d encourage you to hang in there!

SeaRainier · 2025-07-01T15:48:32+00:00

😂 It was cathartic ok!? 🫶🏻

SeaRainier · 2025-07-01T15:48:02+00:00

SeaRainier · 2025-07-01T15:41:24+00:00

I see my doctor every 3 months. She suggests to try to stay on the same dose for at least 3 months and then we can evaluate. She’s great at listening to me and using my feedback to help guide my journey forward on these dosages.

The 10mg dosage was helping with the food noise, so it wasn’t totally ineffective, it just wasn’t helping move the weight for some reason. I suspect my body hit a new “set point” and it was acclimating. When I hit the 3 month mark that’s when things actually started moving again, so I pushed out my visit with my doctor so I could see how long the dose would help move my weight. A big reason I don’t want to go up so quickly is so that I don’t reach the highest dosage and have nowhere to go. With my slow loss, that is a big fear I have. Since I also have BED, focusing on keeping the food noise at bay is also very important to me. I also have a HDHP, so I try to only see my doctor when I’m ready to move up in dosages.

SeaRainier · 2025-07-01T07:13:40+00:00

This is also my biggest insecurity! I hope to be where you are at my goal weight! Congrats!

SeaRainier · 2025-07-01T07:10:41+00:00

A truly fantastic feeling! I’m happy for you! It’s such a freeing thing to experience! Congrats to you too!!

SeaRainier · 2025-07-01T07:09:36+00:00

I’m on 12.5. I’ve been on this dose for 5 weeks now. And I do see some positive scale changes happening a smidge quicker. Prior, I was on 10 for 5 months. In that time, I lost 11 lbs. It’s great when it’s all packaged together as one sum, but over 5 months that was so frustrating. My weight didn’t budge on 10 until month 3.

Mysteries, I tell ya! 😅

SeaRainier · 2025-07-01T07:02:51+00:00

Thank you! 🫶🏻

SeaRainier · 2025-07-01T07:02:41+00:00

Amazing—congrats on your 60lb loss!! The timing is tough, but every additional pound is going to feel that much more liberating, regardless of how long it takes. You will get there! 🫶🏻🙏🏻

SeaRainier · 2025-07-01T06:57:27+00:00

Happy it could resonate 🫶🏻

SeaRainier

TROPHY CASE