20 years old, never overweight - my experience on GLP-1s
(THIS IS NOT AI. I feel the need to say that in this age of Reddit)
I am a 20 year old guy. I have been into fitness and nutrition for about six years. My goal has always been to be lean, muscular, and in shape.
At the end of high school and beginning of college, it got to a point where food and exercise ruled my life. I struggled with binge eating and over restriction.
I started microdosing retatrutide in July of 2025. Two months ago I switched to tirzepatide (Zepbound).
My experience was immediately very positive. It is so relieving to have more mental space for things other than food. I have gained muscle and lost fat over the last two years. I do not eat in a caloric deficit all of the time. Usually, I am eating at maintenance or slightly above. For reference, I started retatrutide at 146 lbs. In September of 2025, I was 139 lbs. My weight crept back up to 146 and held steady, but I looked COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
This summer, I have intentionally gained some weight. Now I am 149lbs, with significantly more muscle than when I started on these drugs.
Glp-1s have changed the way my body processes carbohydrates and food more generally. My energy is much more stable. I am so much more in touch with my hunger signals. I have very regular BM’s.
On some level, I feel very weird and ashamed that I am so young and on this drug. But it has been nothing short of life changing for me. Never in my life have I been overweight, but I always hated the way my body looked, and I obsessed over it. Now, this is not an issue for me. I still love going to the gym. I genuinely appreciate my body’s function and look, and I don’t have to white-knuckle my fitness goals anymore. I am working just as hard in the gym. I am eating just as healthily. I have great disciple. But all this isn’t as mentally taxing as it once was. I just don’t have to worry anymore.
I love cooking and I love food. My relationship with food feels so healthy. I still get hungry!
My one complaint is that I have felt periodically anhedonic. I wish I could just have the food-satiety part and not the life-satiety part. Sometimes it makes it hard to stay motivated in other aspects of life. However, I have struggled with intense depression in the past, and I want to draw a distinction between glp-1-induced anhedonia and depression. They are completely different, and I can tell when I’m feeling one vs the other.
Overall: positive, but weird. I have no plans of stopping… let me know what you guys think.