My Experience with the 25mg Tablet
Stats:
M, 5’10"
SW: 232 lbs
CW: 228 lbs
GW: 180 lbs
Activity: Moderately active (CrossFit 2x/week + soccer for cardio)
Background:
I started in February of this year. I chose the daily tablet form over the weekly injection because a daily pill was just easier for me to manage mentally. I used GoodRx to help cover the prescription.
Here is how my journey has gone month-by-month:
Month 1: 1.5mg
I didn’t feel a single difference. It felt like nothing had changed at all. I wasn’t tracking my calories during this first month.
Month 2: 4mg (Weight: 232 lbs)
The first week after switching to 4mg, I began to feel slightly constipated—nothing debilitating, but noticeable. I definitely started to see a roughly 10% decrease in my daily food consumption. Coffee suddenly made me feel nauseous, but other than that, side effects were mild and I felt ready to jump to 9mg.
Month 3: 9mg (Weight: 231 lbs)
This was the first true therapeutic dose for me. My body immediately slowed down its digestion. I struggled with sulfur burps and severe acid reflux for the first two weeks, but my food noise completely vanished. By week two, eating anything spicy was almost impossible, and trying to eat anything above 1,500 calories felt like it just sat undigested in my stomach for days.
Once I got my diet under strict control, the acidity went away. I also added Psyllium husk to my daily routine for better bowel movements, and that was easily the best decision I’ve made all year. Instant recommendation for anyone experiencing GLP-1 constipation.
Months 4–5: 25mg (Weight: 229 lbs → 228 lbs)
Because my weight loss was slow, the clinician noted that they usually like to see around 1 lb/week, so they suggested I move up. Since I had my other side effects under control, I didn’t argue.
My body adjusted to the 25mg dose without any major step-change in food consumption or side effects. However, it's now been two months on this dose, and I’ve only lost 2 pounds. I average about 1,200 calories most days, and probably closer to 1,800 calories on the days I play soccer. I hit about 80–100g of protein a day (I know it’s on the lower side, but it doesn’t feel like the mechanical reason I’m stalled).
It has been incredibly frustrating to watch my food consumption drop so drastically without the scale moving. I literally eat less than my 155 lb wife, yet my weight is stubbornly stable at 228 lbs. I lose water weight the day after soccer, but it comes right back 24 hours later.
The medication is clearly doing its job of suppressing my appetite, but the actual weight loss feels negligible. One bad weekend brings me right back up to my starting weight. I keep seeing posts advising people to "stick it out," but those are usually from folks at lower titration doses, not people already at a high 25mg dose. Even the slow losers in those threads seem to pull out 1 lb/week, while I just feel bloated. It feels like my body adapted to the lower calorie intake by aggressively slowing down my metabolism.
I’m five months into the medication, and three months into a therapeutic dose, but the scale refuses to budge.
Has anyone else experienced a similar timeline on the oral tablets? I’d love to hear what your experience on the higher doses has been like.