u/quadgoals_

And I'm back again with another post-GLP update!

It's been 10 months since I took my last Zepbound shot, and in keeping with my promise to keep y'all updated on my maintenance journey, here we are.

As usual, here's the Cliff Notes version of my GLP-1 journey: I'm a 35-year-old, 5'3" woman who was on Zep for 13 months, with 5mg being my highest dose. I started at 185 lbs (class 1 obese), and reached my lowest weight at 117 lbs before stopping treatment in October 2025.

Since then, I've been focused on building muscle and body recomposition. Below are my quarterly DEXA results.

Metric	Oct 2025	Jan 2026	Apr 2026	Total
Weight (lbs)	117	121	124	+7
Body fat %	26.9%	25.4%	24.1%	-2.8%
Fat mass (lbs)	32.4	32.4	31.3	-1.1
Lean mass (lbs)	87.9	95.4	98.7	+10.8

As you can see, I may have gained 7 lbs since stopping Zepbound, but that gain has been entirely attributable to body recomposition.

One important note: I've stopped getting quarterly DEXAs for now. Both my OBGYN and cardiologist strongly recommended that I pause further body fat loss while my partner and I are trying to conceive (since improving my health and fertility was the primary reason I started GLP-1s in the first place). I'll resume DEXA scans postpartum.

Because of that shift in priorities, I've been in maintenance mode and have averaged around 125 lbs over the past several months (I weigh daily and track weight trends rather than focusing on day-to-day fluctuations). Strength training remains completely non-negotiable, and my nutrition continues to center around mostly whole foods.

I've also fallen in love with endurance cycling, which has become a huge part of my life. Since my last update, I've completed three races and have one more on the calendar before the season wraps up.

One major change I wanted to highlight is that I've started working with a sports nutritionist. Since June, we've increased my intake by an average of about 500 calories per day. I'll admit, that made me a little nervous at first, but I trusted the process. Not only am I maintaining my weight, but my body is functioning so much better. My recovery has improved, I have significantly more mental energy, and my stress and anxiety levels are at an all-time low, even during what's been a pretty fast-paced season of life.

It's so important not only to eat enough to support your activity level, but also to eat enough to recover from it. That means getting the right balance of macros and prioritizing high-quality, nutrient-dense foods.

Anyway, I feel like I've already written extensively about my journey in previous posts and comments, so I encourage anyone interested to browse my post history. Or feel free to AMA below, and I'll answer as best I can.

EDIT: for some reason, I accidentally deleted a huge part of my post before hitting the button, but I do want to say that I still firmly believe that weight regain is not inevitable after stopping a GLP-1. That doesn't mean maintaining weight loss is effortless, and it certainly doesn't mean everyone should come off their medication. For many people, long-term treatment may be exactly the right choice. But I do think the conversation around GLP-1s can sometimes become overly deterministic. Our outcomes aren't defined solely by whether we're taking a medication or not. The habits, nutrition, movement, and lifestyle changes we build along the way matter too. My experience is just one data point, but 10 months later I'm maintaining my weight, fueling my body better than ever, and continuing to get stronger. I hope that provides some encouragement to those who worry that regain is a foregone conclusion.

MK Isuzu with Tache Barista Blend Pistachio Milk

I was in Topeka, KS for about 9 days in May and thought I would have a hard time getting my matcha fix, but these two little coffee shops delivered!

1. Strawberry Matcha Latte, CoffeeHead
2. Strawberry Milk Matcha, Circle Coffee Co.

Give them a try if you’re ever in town!

No detailed reviews because this was a pretty busy work trip, but I did enjoy all of them! They were all different from my daily matcha, more treat than ritual, which was exactly what I was looking for as a pick-me-up during a packed week.

1. Iced Kuromitsu Kinako Matcha Latte, Tsujiri
2. Iced Miruku Matcha Latte, WatchHouse
3. Iced Cascara Matcha Latte, Saint Espresso
4. Iced London Fog Matcha Latte, Jenki
5. Iced Mango Matcha Latte, Studio Coffee

5'3", 35F, HW 185, CW 125. In September 2024, both my PCP and OBGYN referred me to a weight management program to help me get healthy for pregnancy. I come from a family with history of type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. I was already insulin resistant, so getting pregnant while being class 1 obese with all of that family medical history wasn't going to work for me.

It was because of my family medical history that my obesity doctor prescribed Zepbound. But being in the weight management program meant going beyond the medication--along with a psychologist and registered dietitian, I basically overhauled my entire life. The medication made space in my brain so I could rework my mind, mouth, and stomach. I took the nutrition education in my program seriously and learned how to eat properly for my goals, slowly switching from a majority ultra-processed food diet to a majority whole foods diet. I worked diligently with the psychologist to figure out how I got to class 1 obese after a lifetime of being overweight, and built habits, routines, and systems with her to help prevent that from happening again. I was open, honest, and held nothing back from my medical team, which helped build a program that was tailored for me and my circumstances.

Our goal in the program was to build up a life for me that could sustain the weight loss off of GLP-1s because I needed to get off of the meds for pregnancy anyway. In March 2025, I had made a significant amount of progress. I had lost 50 pounds, my nutrition was much, much improved, and I had done a lot with my psychologist, so my obesity doctor highly recommended I start strength training to build muscle, because it will be my first line of defense against all the metabolic dysfunction that I'm predisposed to. And it will be my biggest ally in maintaining weight loss.

I took strength training seriously and it was a revelation. It empowered me, and for the first time in my life, I felt in control of my body. So when I was diagnosed with genetic high cholesterol around July/August 2025, I did not despair. I tweaked my nutrition a little bit more, opting to lessen my red meat and full-fat dairy intake. But I also decided I needed to have regular cardiovascular exercise in conjunction with strength training to help increase my HDL and reduce my triglycerides.

So I gained 23 pounds.

Of aluminum.

I officially took up endurance cycling in September 2025, and took my last shot of Zepbound at the end of October 2025. In November, I was picked in the lottery for the most iconic gravel race in the world: Unbound Gravel. I was now officially signed up for the 100-mile race and started training in the midst of heavy work travel and my body getting used to being off the medication that had given me this space to change my entire life and identity.

Now over eight months off the drug and I have maintained my fat loss, continued to build muscle, and am the happiest, healthiest, and fittest I have ever been in my entire life. I am doing things that I never thought I could: I am close to doing unassisted pull-ups, I deadlift my body weight, and despite gnarly conditions in Emporia, Kansas, I crossed the Unbound Gravel finish line.

Zepbound changed my life because it gave me the room to finally do what I needed to do to change it myself. GLP-1 meds quieted the noise long enough for me to do the actual work of relearning how to eat, figuring out why I became obese, and building a body strong enough to carry me through Kansas mud in torrential rain, thunderstorms, and 35 mph headwinds.

But the drug didn't build that. I did. One deadlift, one pedal stroke, one primarily whole foods meal at a time, while Zepbound held the door open.

I am not special. I have always been overweight, never athletic, with a family history that on paper doomed my metabolic health. I don't have unique willpower either. I work a 9-5 that requires heavy travel and constantly disrupts my routine. But what I did have was a tool that made it easier to build a life I'm confident I can sustain without it. And I had to build that life for a baby I'm not even pregnant with yet.

I would not have gotten here without Zepbound. But the beauty of this drug is that I get to keep building without it.

I know you guys are probably tired of all the Unbound recap posts, but I thought I’d give my own perspective as someone who only started cycling last August and has never raced before in her life. Yes, Unbound Gravel 100 was my first ever race. Yes, I am clearly a crazy person.

When I started cycling in August, it was really to get some sort of cardiovascular exercise in my routine as I had been diagnosed with genetic high cholesterol. As I started getting more and more into cycling, I got my algorithm to show me more and more badass women cyclists and saw a call for more women to put their names in for the Unbound 100 lottery. I thought to myself, “my name never gets picked for these things, so I might as well just do it to add to the statistic.”

Well, lo and behold, my name gets picked and I think, “I guess I have to start training for real now?”

From November to May, I rode as much as I could, only hitting a true gravel trail in April and May because of work travel. I knew I wasn’t going to podium or anything, but I felt confident going into the race that I would finish. I did a few recon rides when I got to Emporia, did one shakeout ride—all in all feeling excited as Saturday rolled around.

I guess Mother Nature got the memo that it was the 20th anniversary of the race and basically threw the kitchen sink at us. Torrential rain, peanut butter mud, unrelenting headwinds—it made the 100 course probably the gnarliest it had ever been in recent history.

Because of the mud stops and hike-a-bikes, I made it to the first checkpoint (around 52 miles?) at the time when I was expecting to be in my last 25 miles of the race based on my training pace. To be fair though, I stopped caring about my finish time at the first mud stop.

I will say, I am glad I didn’t abandon my strength training while training for this race. It helped immensely because I could carry my bike longer than others, so I had less mud caked on my bike and less opportunity for mechanical issues. But at the last third of the course, my drive train was creaky and I had to keep talking to my bike to hold it together until Commercial St.

I finished in 11 hrs and 27 min—3.5 hours more than I had been aiming for, but I finished. I was sobbing when I got to the finish line (I don’t have any photos of me smiling as I crossed lol). It was probably the one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life, and I really had to dig deep into my body and mental reserves to keep pedaling.

I am genuinely glad this was my first race. It really showed me that I am made of *very* strong stuff. I will definitely be back, and eventually work towards doing the 200.

5'3", 35F. In September 2024, both my PCP and OBGYN referred me to a weight management program to help me get healthy for pregnancy. I come from a family with history of type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. I was already insulin resistant, so getting pregnant while being class 1 obese with all of that family medical history wasn't going to work for me.

I was prescribe a GLP-1 medication (tirzepatide), and for 13 months basically overhauled my entire life. With the help of an obesity doctor, registered dietitian, and psychologist, I basically had to rework my mind, mouth, and stomach. I took the nutrition education in my program seriously and learned how to eat properly for my goals. I worked diligently with the psychologist to figure out how I got to class 1 obese, and built habits, routines, and systems with her to prevent that from happening again. I was open, honest, and held nothing back from my medical team, which helped build a program that was tailored for me and my circumstances.

Our goal in the program was to build up a life for me that could sustain the weight loss off of GLP-1s because I needed to get off of the meds for pregnancy anyway. In March 2025, I had made a significant amount of progress. I had lost 50 pounds, my nutrition was much, much improved, and I had done a lot with my psychologist, so my obesity doctor highly recommended I start strength training to build muscle, because it will be my first line of defense against all the metabolic dysfunction that I'm predisposed to. And it will be my biggest ally in maintaining weight loss.

I took strength training seriously and it was a revelation.

By month seven on GLP-1s, I stopped caring about the scale and turned my focus to body recomposition. At the suggestion of my obesity doctor, I started getting quarterly DEXA scans the beginning of July, and the actual numbers have been staggering to me.

Metric	July 2025	Oct 2025	Jan 2025	Apr 2025	Total
Weight (lbs)	126	117	121	124	-2.0
Body fat %	32.1%	26.9%	25.4%	24.1%	-8.0%
Fat mass (lbs)	41.2	32.4	32.4	31.3	-9.9
Lean mass (lbs)	87.4	87.9	95.4	98.7	+11.3

I took my last shot of GLP-1 meds in October. Seven months off the drug and I have maintained my fat loss, continued to build muscle, and am the happiest, healthiest I have ever been in my entire life. I am doing things that I never thought I could: I am close to doing unassisted pull-ups, I am 10 lbs away from deadlifting my body weight, and in about four days, I drive to Kansas to race 100 mi in Unbound Gravel. Things that were unfathomable to me in September 2024.

Anyway, this is just a long-winded way of saying lift those weights ✨