12 month update
(Male, 36 years old)
Starting weight and height, May 2025: 265, 6'0"
Starting weight, August 2025, for 2.5mg Zepbound: 240ish, 6'0"
Today's weight, May 2026, for 7.5mg Zepbound: 207, 6'0"
While what I'm doing doesn't necessarily work for everyone, for those that are doing strength training primary/cardio secondary, I thought I'd share my update.
-I've primary dosed 1.25/2.5mg over the 9 month stretch I've been taking Zepbound. I've found this dose helps to reduce exercise fatigue as well as allows for better sleep and calorie intake. 1.25mg is also my maintenance dose, I've realized.
-My focus since dropping the first 25 pounds on cardio and fasting alone was to preserve and grow muscle mass, if possible. I've increased my muscle mass % by body weight over the continued drop; 6%.
-I only take 5mg or higher if I'm at a plateau or taking a break from exercise to rest a sore knee or shoulder.
-I only take 7.5mg or higher to reduce drinking and quit smoking (sad but true, and it works). I've been nicotine free for a month now. I've rehabbed my drinking habits to not have that daily cocktail, but still drink on weekends. I don't plan on increasing my dose further, but have the means to.
-Shot day has to be on a Wednesday morning; this guarantees at least 3 productive work-outs a week, and 2 that are usually sad and exhausting. No exercise on weekends. It also helps me to be productive with my day job on the first half of the week. Additionally, I'm one that struggles to sleep on Zep - always take a benadryl or 50mg CBD gummy on shot day and the day after, if it's bad. Usually by day 4, I can sleep ok, and by day 5 (Sunday) I get a very restful night of sleep (9-11 hours).
-Squats and deadlifts aren't your friend unless you're getting enough fiber, water, and magnesium citrate in your system. Over that same timespan, I've encountered two hemorrhoids as a result of the constipation and the core-strain. I hadn't ever had any previously.
-Nausea: I've never had the true nausea, but I get a pretty rough feeling like something is caught in my throat and I can't talk on anything higher than 5mg. I went to Brasil in October and my girlfriend recommended Ondansetron to me. It's my new best friend. 8mg a day, first 3 days after the shot. Occasionally, you might need it up to 5 days. It completely defeats the nausea.