I’m down 10 pounds and feel great — less swollen everywhere BUT my feet. Still pudgy. For those of you who either had a little or a lot to lose, when did you notice thinner feet or smaller shoe size?
Kid’s graduating and wants to take a week-long road trip with friends to a fairly well-known party destination about 4 hours away. We are uneasy about this idea. We would be paying $1,200 for our child to go on this trip. No adults present / no chaperones. Our friends said “no different than when they go to college..:” but this feels different. Why? Why are we saying “no way!” And what would you say if you’ve had the same issue? 🚫
I’ll go first. After 2.5 months of awesome Tirzeptide microdosing, I’ve noticed that I never snack. I’m on a low dose (started at .7, now up to 1.4 mg weekly and it’s the perfect dose). I get hungry, eat a few small meals, and no endless binges for more, more, more. Most days? I don’t snack. However, I’ve noticed that a couple times I’ll crave a “snack” with a movie, it’s always Trader Joe’s cheesy corn puffs.
The me from before would be eating lots and lots all day, that same snack, and then something else after eating the whole bag of cheese puffs.
Now I only want a small snack maybe once a month? This medication is a miracle.
Your turn — ever crave anything from “the old days” and wonder how that used to be your daily life?!
I’ve been happily microdosing at 1.44mg for over two months. I’m headed on a 2.5-week European family vacation and unsure how long my vial can stay at room temperature. Based on my calculations, Vial 2 will be nearly empty. So my plan is to take a dose the day before our trip — and then use the very last amount of medication 7-8 days later in Europe, then toss that vial in the trash. (Essentially, I would start Vial 3 upon returning home.) But I’m worried about how long Vial 2 can stay in my toiletry bag unrefrigerated! We won’t have access to a fridge or cooler for most of the trip. What have your experiences been?
About my microdose strategy: I’ve already learned that my body can’t go more than 8-9 days max without throwing me off, hunger-wise, so skipping an entire week+ is not worth it to me. I prefer to stay consistent with the medication. The microdose of 1.44mg is the sweet spot for enjoying meals but not needing seconds and thirds and a few snacks. But worried about the vial being in my carryon bag for over a week!!
Is it possible that when you’ve been on tirzpetide for a couple months, your body starts craving protein more? I was never much of a meat eater but lately (2.5 months of microdosing Tirzepatide), I seem to be craving more meat/protein. Is there any scientific research into this? I suspect I may have been borderline pre-diabetic before with intense carb cravings and out of control glucose / insulin resistance. What have your experiences been with wanting more “meat” instead of snacky carbs (chips, crackers, bread).
My student was admitted to college of music. We chose orientation date based on a music major and program of study. However, he applied for and was accepted to the business LLC and has hopes of eventually majoring in business with a minor in music. When I asked the music school about how to add business classes without dropping music 100%, they said “he can talk with his advisor at orientation.” But that worries me since they’re very different programs and he might be better served meeting with a business advisor during orientation — not the music school advisor. And if he goes into the portal to “change his major” to business officially, then he’s effectively giving up his spot in music. It’s all very confusing!! Advice welcome!
Age: 48 | Height: 5’4 | SW: 154.5 | CW: 141.5
Math:
My vials have B12 (that’s the 0.5mg listed).
Vial 1
18mg/0.5mg/ml inj 0.6ml
Vial 2
18mg/0.5mg/ml inj 1ml
Vial 3
18mg/0.5mg/ml inj 2ml
Vial 1: started Fri Feb 20: first dose, 4 units (.72mg) — please note that this is much, much less than the company’s stated “start” of 2.2mg for 4 weeks!!! My start of .72 is a true micro-dose and is only 4 units on a 100-unit syringe!
My Diary:
It’s always fun reading personal stories and decided to share mine. I didn’t add a “goal weight” yet since I’ve never been obsessed with being very thin. But I had become obsessed with the stress of the scale budging higher and higher over the past two years. It was so frustrating! My goal weight would probably be 135 because that’s the lowest I’ve ever been. And I remember feeling very lean and toned at that weight. But we’ll see, right?! The thing is, the past few years I kept gaining and it was a struggle to drop even a pound.
I started microsdoing compound Tirzepatide last Friday and today (Tuesday), I’m down 3 pounds. Haven’t hit 151 in over a year, despite dieting, low carb, walking, weights, Pilates, etc. Yet in a few days it’s happened. I’m pleasantly surprised and so happy to be on this journey! Oh, and I ordered from an online telehealth company had a deal for 3 months for $300-$400 or so. I paid out of pocket and it shipped within 4-5 days!!
First week overall thoughts: I still love eating! 😅That was a big fear, as a foodie, that somehow food wouldn’t taste good. I’m still “hungry” but it’s changed so much already — I’ll eat a very tiny amount, enjoy the first few bites, and then I’m done. I don’t know, this is so weird to me, but I’m also not mad about it.
Week One Recap
Friday day 1 - starting weight 154.5 and feeling skeptical about this. Spent a long time doing math, figured it out, first time nervous for nothing….it was easy…and can confirm no side effects after 4 units (.72mg).
Saturday day 2 - noticed a much, much diminished appetite. Still no symptoms! Phew.
Sunday day 3 - focused on proteins and healthy eating, ate small portions….still surprised I have no desire to snack or binge. (Today is when I also realize 😳😳 that bingeing is tied to boredom, because I felt bored and wanted to snack, but then I realized I was truly not hungry at all (cue the sad violin…wild!). So I just didn’t snack, I watched Netflix and relaxed. Also felt a rumbling tummy but still didn’t feel hunger..now that’s a wild moment!
Monday day 4 - ate very little today….not having my usual binge appetite is so weird. But small amounts definitely satisfy me now, whereas before it felt like I was never satisfied!! While I get hungry, I get full very quickly. (Is this how thin people feel all the time?) It bums me out a little because years ago I too had a small appetite…but as time has gone on, my appetite felt like an alien. An alien who loved snacking and wine and cheese. ;)
Tuesday day 5 - scale at 151.5! May not be much to others but I haven’t been able to get below 153 without major planning and uphill battles. This feels AMAZING! I’m trying to decide if my face already looks less inflamed and am pretty sure it’s thinned out already. I think I actually see cheekbones more but maybe I’m just crazy, but can’t deny something looks thinner in my smile. Also had high energy all day and felt wonderful.
Wednesday day 6 - 150.5! Woohoo, this is working. Micro-dosing is definitely worth it for me. I’m petite (5’4) and have a medium frame, so I went into this asking, “I wonder if taking a smaller amount by micro-dosing would help me break this fat grip on my perimenopausal body!!” 👏🏻 Some people might say it’s bad to weigh in every day but I’m conducting my own little science fair experiment 🐖 and this is wild! Everything still tastes good to me, importantly, I still love a giant cup of coffee with milk in the morning!! (Had read things previously that the taste of coffee is bad for some people but luckily I’m still a coffee fan!)
Thursday day 7 - 150.5, holding steady. This is the last day before my next injection and I was curious how it worked — do I just start wanting to binge again leading up to the next injection?! I can safely say I’m not back to my old snack-y ways. In fact, I got home very hungry, had a few big slices of cheese while cooking dinner, plated up a regular size bowl of our dinner…and 4 bites in, I was done. It’s a feeling like when you’ve eaten an entire bag of potato chips, except in this case, it’s just 4 bites of dinner. Between the 3 large pieces of cheese and 4 bites of dinner, I’m full. 😱 In the past (like before last week), I could have eaten the cheese, two bowls of my “healthy” dinner, then started deciding what to snack on after dinner. Now I’m just done for the entire night!!! End of week one has been wild. I spent 6 months researching this medication and am soooo glad I finally was brave enough to try it. My face is thinner, less inflamed, and I feel great.
Week TWO Recap
Hit 149.5! Haven’t been below 150 in forever…dang perimenopause! So the fact it’s 5 pounds in two weeks is a great feeling.
All inflammation / bloating is gone. Best of all, I still love eating and am okay losing slow but steady. Have had zero desire to drink…at all. I’m a big wine gal but haven’t even crossed my mind.
However, I did experience the urge to binge on a favorite snack from Trader Joe’s. I had lunch, and then let myself relax and enjoy my treat. Instead of devouring the whole bag, I devoured half of the bag. Halfway through I couldn’t eat another bite — keep in mind this is my favorite treat and I regularly would eat the WHOLE bag without blinking. Couldn’t eat the rest of the day (small yogurt for breakfast, grilled chicken salad for lunch, and fave snack). In the past, I’d have eaten the whole bag, then kept snacking all afternoon & had dinner too! Feels like a non-scale victory of sorts?
Injected 4 units (.72mg) again for the third week on Friday, so I’ll be back soon to recap week 3 :)
Week THREE & FOUR Recap
In the first month I lost 5 pounds. I was on such a low micro dose that I still liked food. :) But the medicine has done so much…it allows me to STOP eating. I’m eating smaller portions of my favorite foods. And that’s the problem?!?! This month has finally forced me to recognize that frankly, I’m eating so crappy. It’s been a wake-up call. Instead of feeling shameful that I wasted a month by eating less-than nutritious foods, I’m committing to healthier choices. Less sugar. More protein. More veggies. More water.
I just started week 5 by going up a little to 6 units (exactly 1mg), this is still a micro dose but a little bump up from .72mg. Yes, my body responds to .72 but my weight loss feels too slow. (However, .72 might be a better “maintenance” amount for me long term once I hit my goal weight.)
Month 1 positive list:
- Much less snacking desire…previously I felt ravenous and would stand in the pantry gobbling up snacks even after a full meal
- Zero alcohol desire…this was the biggest surprise of all….no desire at all, the medicine completely turned off that part of my brain
- More energy
- Feel better and more focused
- Thinner face
MONTH 2 RECAP
I’ve officially lost over 5% of my body weight. And it shows. My face is so much thinner. Less inflammation overall & puffy face. In the first 8 weeks I’m down 8.5 pounds. I’m thrilled!
*Dose recap*
Started initially at .72mg for the first 4 weeks, but I found that was a little too low of a microdose. The sweet spot for me seems to be my current dose of 1.44mg. For anyone new, this is still well below even the “starter dose” of 2.4mg/weekly. But I have had zero side effects and only positive benefits.
Weeks 1-4: .72mg/week, had immediate response. Zapped my brain’s interest in alcohol 100% instantly but I was still eating a little too much.
Weeks 5-6: Went up to 1mg for two weeks. Still felt like it wasn’t quite enough.
Weeks 7-present: At 1.44mg and plan to stay here for a long time! It’s the right amount for me.
Continue to have ZERO cravings for alcohol, but still have normal hunger cues. I’m learning this is normal — it’s okay to get hungry and eat! However, the portion sizes I eat are a lot smaller, and I’m actively focused on quality when I do eat. Very rarely snack anymore. (Prior to starting Tirzepatide, I felt ravenous all the time, even after eating a full meal!)
*Mental health recap*
I truly feel amazing! This is purely anecdotal but I can’t tell if the medicine is making me calmer or the blood-sugar regulation benefits are affecting me. But I feel wonderful. Calm, less ADHD racing brain, and generally more relaxed. I also started another subreddit to ask about the “impulse shopping” urge that I’ve noticed has quieted down. I realized I used to scroll Amazon for unnecessary purchases ALL the time and now I simply don’t. I’ll go onto Amazon when we truly need something for our home. But the mindless scrolling and browsing for items I personally don’t need has vanished. Can’t explain this one!! But the fact my brain doesn’t tempt me to get a bottle of wine once a week anymore or buy random crap on Amazon = wow! Two unexpected benefits. LOL
*Exercise*
I could be doing better here. I’m taking more long walks and lifting weights. But I’m kinda lazy. Once or twice a week I’ll also take a weights class at my local fitness studio. Would like to find a hobby that’s fitness-based but not sure what. For now I’ll keep up with daily walks.
*Body composition*
As mentioned above, it’s “only” 8.5 pounds but at 5’4” that’s made a big difference. I’m still somewhat curvy at 146 but FEEL slim now. My belly bloat has gone down. My arms are thinner. My legs are thinner. My face is thinner. My dimple is back when I smile. The awful puffy cheeks are gone!!!
*Advice to you*
Fucking perimenopause was making me so damn bloated — this is a great medicine and a TOOL to help me overcome hormonal imbalance / blood sugar craziness tied to being a 48-year-old perimenopausal woman. Don’t ever feel bad for adding this TOOL to your toolkit — don’t be ashamed. If you’re a smaller size like me, the medicine alone won’t make you drop crazy amounts of weight. But it will help you balance blood sugar, eat less, get full faster, and curb snacking habits.
MONTH 3 RECAP
Weighted in at 141.5 today!
It’s been three full months now, started Friday, Feb 20 with my first dose, 4 units (.72mg) from LumiMed’s starter park (vial one says 18mg/0.5mg/ml inj 0.6ml with the .5mg being the B6 or B12 or whatever is added).
The company suggested a starter dose of 2.2mg for four weeks. Because I wanted to limit side effects, I turned to Reddit threads and found the Fat Scientist Calculator website which made it so easy. It helped me understand what was in my vial and how much to use with the included needles (the company had sent 100-unit syringes). Personally 2.2mg seemed like a lot and I was afraid of side effects. For ME, that meant choosing just a teeny amount of .72mg. Stayed there for four weeks but had immediate results within the first day or two. I felt “different” and less bloated within a few days.
After 4 weeks at .72mg, I adjusted up to 1.44mg. I also ordered 10-unit syringes. This makes it much easier for me to “see” the 8 units I take that equate to 1.44mg. The 100-units syringes they sent with the starter pack were just too difficult for me.
(Long-term strategy. I’m still losing weight. My plan is to stay at 1.44mg every week until I’m down to about 135 pounds, then, maybe drop back to .72mg twice a month for maintenance? Not sure yet!)
Still love food!
I still have a healthy appetite. But I eat less. The pounds slowly came off, but after 3 months, I’m down 13 pounds!!! At 5’4 that’s a lot! And at the age of 48, it feels fantastic!!!!!!! Before this, I didn’t feel “fat” but definitely out of shape and just couldn’t control my binges. I was hungry ALL the time!!! I now realize it was hormonal / menopause based and I must have had insulin resistance. It was such an uphill battle. So, if you’re reading this and feel the same, don’t be scared or ashamed to add this “tool” to your life.
Pro tip: I keep reading posts from people who say “it’s been a few weeks and I’m still hungry!”
Guess what?! You’ll still have some hunger, to a degree. But are you able to eat less and make healthier choices?! Keep at it! As someone else mentioned in a different thread, Tirzepatide is not a fast-acting painkiller that removes all pain asap. It will lessen your appetite, sure, but it’s not going to work overnight and have you lose 50 pounds at once!!!
Slow and steady loss is loss, and that’s important!
NO interest in alcohol!
Now that I’ve discussed the weight loss after 3 months, let share more about alcohol. Although it wasn’t even why I started this, this medication immediately erased any “wine noise” I had. Haven’t had any interest in even one drop since my very first dose. That’s right — not one sip of booze and also no interest. It’s wild!! I wouldn’t say I drank “a lot” because it wasn’t every night, but now in hindsight, it’s a little shocking to admit I probably did drink somewhat frequently. (Drank about a bottle of wine every week or so as a “treat” but some weeks had no alcohol, but maybe 2-3 bottles of wine each month on average?)
I wanted to share this note from a chatbot that was actually pretty powerful!!! lol 🤖
Chat’s response to why I don’t drink anymore
To go from seeing wine as your ultimate source of "fun" and relaxation to completely not caring about it is a massive mental and physical shift.
What you are feeling is a perfect example of how neurobiology (brain chemistry) is stronger than willpower. You didn't have to force yourself to quit wine through stressful dieting or rules; your brain simply changed its mind about what it likes.
The Shift from "Wanting" to "Neutral"
Scientists have a great way of explaining this. They split our desires into two categories:
Liking: Actually enjoying the taste or the immediate feeling of something.
Wanting: The intense, urgent drive or craving to go get it (which is driven by dopamine).
Tirzepatide primarily attacks the "wanting" part. By quieting the reward center and lowering your fight-or-flight stress, it completely erased that urgent, background whisper that used to say, "We need wine right now to feel okay." Once that urgent drive disappears, your brain looks at a glass of wine and realizes it just isn't interested anymore. It feels completely neutral.
MONTH 4 RECAP
To come…