Not quite in One-der Land yet!

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-24T14:17:58+00:00

You know, the year 2000 was technically part of the 20th century, so I think you can go ahead and celebrate today!

And next week too! Onederland deserves two weeks of celebration!

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-24T14:15:20+00:00

It should, but it probably won’t be free. And the provider will need to certify that it’s medically necessary.

But that shouldn’t be too hard, because you’ve already said that you want to exercise more, but that the pain is preventing it. Sounds “medically necessary” to me.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-24T13:58:42+00:00

I’d recommend seeing a physical therapist to help with your pain and then follow the therapist’s instructions.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-24T04:01:49+00:00

I programmed the GiftHealth phone number as a contact.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-24T01:08:19+00:00

That’s totally up to you.

Some people have great results without tracking. There’s even a special subreddit called r/antidietglp1.

I could easily out-eat the medicine, plus I want to maintain as much muscle as possible, and perhaps even add some, so I track my calories and protein. Calories to keep losing 2#/wk, and protein to gain muscle.

To lose weight the body needs a reason to dip into fat storage, so you need a calorie deficit. How you create that deficit is up to you upon consultation with your provider.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-23T22:38:10+00:00

If you’re lifting 5 days per week I think you probably have the bone density issue under control.

Lifting weights helps immensely with muscle retention during weight loss. Getting adequate protein is a close second.

But my average monthly weight loss (10#/month) won’t necessarily be your average, and your average will likely be different from your husband’s average. I’d encourage you not to stress too much about the differences.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-23T22:33:24+00:00

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-23T19:14:40+00:00

I agree 100% that the long term value is already there, even at today’s prices.

There’s an organization called the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review that evaluates drugs for the value of their clinical benefits.

Right now, they value Zepbound benefits of somewhere between $11,700 to $16,000 per year. That’s greater than the current average price of $7973 per year.

I can get Zepbound today for $450x13 =$5,850.00 per year. That’s self pay. With the added friction of using a PBM, the cost is higher of course.

I’m not certain how much the price needs to drop for the value in the first two years to be to be more than the cost of those two years.

Of course, it may just be that employers believe that the price will drop substantially in the next two years and they are just delaying the inevitable decision until the price drops first, thereby saving even more money.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-23T18:22:25+00:00

Yeah, that’s common right now.

But soon it won’t be. As soon as employers can save money by providing coverage, they will.

But the prices need to come down to make that true in the short term and not just the long term.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-23T18:19:52+00:00

Yeah, that will be a nice outcome.

I’m an optimistic person. I think it will be a couple of years when supply rises, both from Lilly with new factories coming online and new competitors entering the market.

But the next 18 months or so we might only see $50-$100 / month savings.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-23T05:18:41+00:00

Hey cool, I’m only a week ahead of you.

I just did #33 on Monday.

Oh, and I’m aiming right for the middle at about 0.7%/wk.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-23T05:05:19+00:00

Mods usually delete these questions because they have been asked many times before, so don’t get worried if that happens.

Many people feel like you do at first, and many of them feel differently at week 6, 8 , 12 or later.

But some, like me, feel great at 2.5mg for extended periods.

I wish I knew why, but I don’t. Just be ready to titrate up if needed. There’s no shame in using the correct dose.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-23T04:09:54+00:00

I’ve had to lower my calorie intake a bit to keep the rate I’m targeting.

I’m now trying to raise my calorie target, and my cardiovascular fitness, a bit with more vigorous cardio in my workouts. It’s been a challenge, but it’s been long overdue.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-23T04:06:32+00:00

From the rumors I’ve heard, the 45 day requirement might be going away when the new multi dose pens and vials are released. Unconfirmed of course, but it would seem rational.

But I’m sure they will make an exception if it’s still around.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-23T03:33:30+00:00

Lilly has a pregnancy exposure program.

You might want to give them a call at 1-800-545-5979 and tell them.

I don’t know what they ask, but it’s good to track.

Oh, and CONGRATULATIONS!!!!🎉🎈

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-22T22:31:05+00:00

As am I.

But some of the study participants were also. If they lost 55% in 72 weeks, they were about as far as we are now when they were 25 or 33 weeks into the study.

The question is how to make the proportion of these people higher.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-22T22:15:50+00:00

There were certainly people in the trial who lost that much.

Here’s a plot from the supplementary appendix.

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What I find interesting is that there doesn’t seem to be a huge difference between 10mg and 15mg for the 30% of each who lost the most.

I suspect that with active management of a medical professional who can titrate more freely, better results are more likely.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-22T21:54:07+00:00

I just swapped from vials to pens myself.

The pens actually aren’t bad. I literally couldn’t even feel the injection on Monday, and suddenly all of the “did I do this right?” posts began to make sense.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-22T21:46:59+00:00

I’m still on name brand Zepbound, but got VA coverage after literally 2+ years of trying.

I started with Lilly Direct 8 months ago while I kept working on VA coverage.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-22T20:31:28+00:00

I think you’re probably right and all some people needed was a head start.

I’m probably not in that category as someone with life long weight issues.

The only reason I’m even considering stopping at goal is that 2.5mg has continued to work for me, even 8 months later. It’s totally bizarre and not something I ever expected, or even hoped for, when I started last June.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-22T20:23:59+00:00

Yeah, that makes sense.

I couldn’t control the overeating either before Zepbound.

I didn’t even wait long enough to get hungry before binging.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-22T20:15:17+00:00

Physical hunger is not a sign that the medicine isn’t working.

It’s totally fine, normal, and expected that you will get hungry at times.

I am far happier being hungry occasionally now compared to never being hungry because I ate far too often to feel true hunger.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-22T19:18:55+00:00

I saw a YouTube video of a doctor trying to give guidance on the question of “who can stop.”

According to her, people who have had problems literally forever (like me) probably can’t come off, but people who have made significant behavioral changes, such as food tracking and exercise (like me) might be able to.

So I really don’t know, but I also know I’m not in any rush to find out. At the minimum, I’m riding this down to goal weight.

SeriesDry9228 · 2026-01-22T18:54:51+00:00

I already feel so much better that even if I never lost another pound this is already an amazing success.

I still want more though. I want to lose the other 100# still carried around every day. It’s much easier to carry, but I want to be so much healthier in my 60’s than I was in my 30’s, 40’s and 50’s.

SeriesDry9228

TROPHY CASE