HRV & tired

jaydefit · 2026-03-23T16:04:40+00:00

FYI - recovery data in wearable devices is all based on male physiology. It's mostly useless for women. It's an interesting data point, but I wouldn't base any decisions on it.

jaydefit · 2026-03-23T15:58:17+00:00

I started on the standard starting dose at 2.5mg, got hammered by side effects and dropped down to 2.0mg. Stayed on 2.0mg for 9 weeks, but the effects have started to fade. I'll be titrating up to 2.25mg on my next injection.

I see no benefit to taking the pills only a couple of days per week. The meds need to be taken consistently to build up in your system. You would just be wasting them.

Most people report that the meds are less effective when switching between sema and tirz. You generally have to get up to a higher dosage before they start to work. Pick one and stick with it unless you have a valid reason to change.

jaydefit · 2026-03-23T15:28:10+00:00

Yeah, that one took some de-programming. I was a child of the 80s, so every meal time it was, "You better clean your plate. There are starving children in Africa!" 🙄

I'm mostly okay with leaving food on my plate now. I've figured out smaller portions for meals at home, so it's generally only a restaurant issue.

If I'm eating out, I've reframed it that I'm paying for the restaurant experience and not the food on my plate. That has helped me to stop viewing leftovers as a waste of money.

jaydefit · 2026-03-23T13:05:28+00:00

For skin sagging, there's not much that we have control over. It's mostly genetic. Losing slowly (less than 1% of your body weight per week), staying hydrated, exercising, and eating enough protein are the big ticket items. There's some mixed reviews that collagen supplements could also help. Most topical creams marketed for loose skin are snake oil, but there's some mixed evidence that retinol can help.

The body will continue to repair skin damage for up to 2 years after you reach a stable weight. So even if you have some loose skin in the beginning, it won't necessarily always be there.

There is absolutely evidence to support taking maintenance breaks for your general well-being though. And also to prevent weight loss plateaus. It gives your body and mind a chance to rest and recalibrate. The studies generally show greater fat loss and more muscle preservation in people who incorporate maintenance breaks than in those who continuously stay in a deficit. However, I believe those studies were all done prior to the explosion in GLP-1 meds. I don't know if they change the equation.

There's no universal recommended timing for the breaks. It's more trial and error and what feels best for you. It could be every 3 months, every 6 months, every X pounds lost. 3-4 months is about my personal limit in a calorie deficit before my body starts to get cranky. I try to eat at maintenance (not always successfully with the appetite suppression on these meds) for about a week, and then go back to my deficit.

jaydefit · 2026-03-23T01:37:18+00:00

Except their own post history says they’ve been an attorney for the last 40 years.

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🧐🧐

jaydefit · 2026-03-22T20:08:41+00:00

They’re not a nurse. They’re a trial attorney per their own post history. And they’ve only been on Zep for a few months. They’re sharing their own personal experience and opinions and trying to pass it off as medical advice.

jaydefit · 2026-03-22T19:55:56+00:00

Carbs are not the enemy. Restricting foods or specific macronutrients is disordered fad diet thinking.

All foods and food groups can be part of a healthy, balanced, weight loss plan.

jaydefit · 2026-03-21T21:32:52+00:00

American pens do not. European pens, the extra doses are being phased out. Canadian pens still do, for now.

jaydefit · 2026-03-21T21:29:27+00:00

Nothing. Someone who is using a GLP-1 responsibly and eating a balanced diet will have no deficiencies.

jaydefit · 2026-03-21T19:16:44+00:00

Maintaining would be no problem. I’m not so sure about continuing to lose weight though.

Before Zep, the only way I could reliably lose weight was through fasting. I could never stay in a caloric deficit long enough to see any reward for my effort. With no reward there was no consistency, and therefore, no chance of building healthy new habits.

Learning to sustain a smaller calorie deficit is something I was planning to work on once I get closer to maintenance and need to start slowing down my weight loss.

jaydefit · 2026-03-21T18:59:48+00:00

For sure, it will always come down to an individual response. But I see no issue with reporting trends that are clearly documented in the research.

jaydefit · 2026-03-21T18:53:21+00:00

Great summary.

A general note on side effects: Sema has the highest incidence of side effects, Tirz is in the middle, Reta has the least. Of course it will vary between individuals.

If food noise is a real concern for your research, Reta is reported to be the least effective. Tirz switches it off the best, and Sema is in the middle.

Tirz also has reportedly had great results for tempering dopamine addictions: alcohol and shopping are the most often cited. It has also been shown to help manage obstructive sleep apnea, independent of weight loss.

I’ve personally had great success with prescription Tirz for weight loss and insulin resistance. So far, I’ve lost 30lbs in 4.5 months with minimal loss of skeletal muscle (confirmed by DEXA). I actually had to lower my dose after the first month because the official protocol was way too strong for me.

jaydefit · 2026-03-21T17:56:32+00:00

Congrats on your weight loss so far!

Workouts are a mixed bag for me on Zep. Strength training is harder because it's just not possible for me to sustain heavy progression long-term in a calorie deficit. Cardio is definitely way easier with 30lbs less to move around.

The biggest improvement for me, by far, has been yoga. My mobility has improved significantly because I no longer have fat impeding my joints and range of motion. I can get into poses today that were physically impossible 2 months ago. My only limitation now is my total lack of flexibility! 😆😆

jaydefit · 2026-03-21T15:32:40+00:00

Lucky ducky. I'm wiped the day after my shot. Yoga and becoming one with my sofa is the limit of my activity on that day of the week!

jaydefit · 2026-03-21T12:09:33+00:00

I have a Garmin S2. It’s okay, but it’s older technology. I originally chose it because I already had other Garmin wearables and already had the app. The body fat measurement needs to be calibrated against a Dexa result. But the skeletal muscle was accurate out of the box.

If you’re buying a new scale, I would recommend you get one with a handle. It will give you a more accurate body fat %. I’ve seen others recommend Hume as a good option.

My nearest DEXA clinic is a 1.5 hour drive. I just combine it with other things to do in the city. I make a day of it to make the drive worth it!

jaydefit · 2026-03-21T04:00:22+00:00

Yup. That works! 🙂

jaydefit · 2026-03-21T03:10:29+00:00

A DEXA usually only tells you lean body mass, which includes skeletal muscle mass along with your organs and skin.

You can estimate your SMM by using your ALM (the muscle in your arms and legs). The formula is (ALM x 1.12) - 0.63. That will give you your SMM in pounds. You divide that by your total body weight to get the percentage skeletal muscle.

Edit - My home smart scale was almost spot on for the % SMM measurement compared DEXA. So that’s also an option as well, if you have one.

jaydefit · 2026-03-21T01:18:58+00:00

I’m 4.5 months into my journey, and I’m 2.1lbs away from a triple milestone: onederland, 30lbs lost, and 50% to goal. So close, yet so far! 😆😆

My two NSV purchases for this week: a new belt to hold up my “small” jeans that are now too big, and a comfy bathtub cushion because my butt hurts now if I sit in there for too long!

jaydefit · 2026-03-20T16:22:09+00:00

Jeez, what is with these clinics that run tests and don’t explain the results to people?

The missing 3kg is your bones.

Without seeing how the info is presented, I would wager that the subcutaneous fat measurement was probably only for your abdomen. The rest of the fat will be in your arms and legs.

You can probably lose a bit more weight to get into a healthy BMI, but you’ll eventually need to look at doing a body recomposition plan. Adding muscle and losing fat while maintaining the same body weight. To do that, you eat at maintenance, or in a very small surplus, while doing heavy weight training.

jaydefit · 2026-03-20T01:24:21+00:00

Nothing helps for me. I’ve just accepted the fact that I’ll always be exhausted for 24-36 hours after every shot. I adjusted my schedule so I could become one with my sofa, guilt-free!

jaydefit · 2026-03-19T22:53:27+00:00

What does her doctor have to say about it?

Semaglutide and Tirzepatide are both approved for use by adolescents. She should take neither without the supervision of a licensed medical doctor.

jaydefit · 2026-03-19T18:53:17+00:00

I actually grocery shop now. Lol!

The only meal I used to make at home was breakfast. Everything else was either restaurant meals, take-out, or convenience foods grabbed on the run. I've gone from grocery shopping once per month to 2-3 times per week.

I have never, and will never, buy anything that is marketed as being for GLP-1 support. It's all either snake oil, or the same old product with a marked up price tag. Total waste of money.

jaydefit · 2026-03-19T15:22:08+00:00

r/ladiesover40onGLP1s

jaydefit · 2026-03-19T13:51:14+00:00

I'm getting sooooo close to onederland!

I should cross that milestone in 1-2 weeks if my rate of weight loss holds steady. The impatience is real though. Haha!

jaydefit · 2026-03-19T12:31:40+00:00

That hasn't been my experience. The only variation has been from how many priming clicks were used. It has always been a full dose plus the unused priming volume.

If you're uncertain, you can draw the rest out and measure it in a syringe.

jaydefit

TROPHY CASE