I have yo-yo dieted for years and at the ripe old age of 68 I went through with my threat to have gastric sleeve weight loss surgery in ‘23. At the time my doctor recommended surgery over a GLP-1 because I had more weight to lose than the GLP-1 drugs could produce. Time has proved them wrong, of course, but I went through with it. I don’t regret it for a minute, but would encourage anyone to give the drugs a try before surgery. I have seasonal affective disorder and it involves weight gain in the fall months so when the 60 pounds I lost started creeping up, I started Zepbound. Since I’ve got the double whammy of surgery plus Zepbound, I’ve stayed at 2.5-4 mg. The difference over just the surgery is amazing. The food noise that I thought everyone must have is gone and I can take food or leave it.
Food noise has ruled my life for the past 40 years, maybe more. To those considering surgery, give Zepbound or one of its analogs a try. It helped me more than just the physical restriction has.

I’m 25 years old, and I started my Zepbound journey in June 2025. Looking back at these pictures, it’s honestly hard to believe how much has changed in just 16 months.
I know the scale tells one part of the story, but for me, the biggest victories have been everything beyond that number.
Here’s where I started vs. where I am today:
Age: 25M
Highest weight: 292 lbs
Current weight: 180 lbs
Total lost: 112 lbs
Pant size: 42 → 32
Body fat: 42% → 24%
Highest Zepbound dose: 12.5 mg
But here’s what I’m even more proud of.
Throughout this journey, I’ve made strength training a huge priority. I lift 4–5 times a week, average around 7,000 steps a day, and aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight to help preserve and build muscle.
My biggest non-scale victory? Going from wearing size 42 pants to size 32, feeling stronger, being more comfortable in my own body, and actually enjoying the process of getting fitter.
Zepbound has been an incredible tool, but I’ve also learned that the habits you build alongside it matter just as much.
And I’m not done yet!
My next goal is to get below 15% body fat, while continuing to prioritize strength training, protein, and maintaining muscle. I plan to continue Zepbound as part of that journey.
I’m sharing this because when I started at 292 lbs, I couldn’t have imagined being where I am today. Seeing other people’s progress on this subreddit has been incredibly motivating, and I hope mine can do the same for someone who’s just starting out.
Still a work in progress, but definitely proud of how far I’ve come.

I also want to thank u/drspencernadolsky and joinvineyard.com for providing excellent care throughout my journey.

Happy to answer any questions.

If you’re wondering whether you should keep going, just keep going

This is 105 lbs of weight loss. Don’t stop. Even if you’re losing slowly. The time will pass anyway, you may as well get healthier. This also happened over 4.5 years. So if you’re a slow losing, you’re still losing. Don’t give up.

Down 80 pounds as of today (14.5 months). Just a reminder that a sunken face is NOT a guaranteed thing that’ll happen! I may or may not look older, but I do think my face is overall prettier (at least to me, and my opinion is all that matters!).

A round of applause though for the Patrick Star costume 😂

It's officially been a year! I can honestly say that both my physical self and mental self are in a much better place than a year ago. I'm down 64 lbs, 44.5 inches overall, and down 4 sizes ... woohoo! My sleep apnea is gone, my blood pressure meds have been cut in half, I'm back at the gym and moving better than I have in 8 years! Yes, it has not been easy, yet it also has not been the all-consuming struggle that I've had to endure the majority of my life to lose even a few pounds.

I'm definitely looking forward to continuing the journey towards subsequent weight goals (36 lbs to go to first weight goal) and NSVs!

I actually started my journey at the end of December weighing in at 222lbs. There were a lot of hoops to jump through with insurance and I almost gave up, but I’m so glad I didn’t. From January to July, when I was finally able to start Zepbound, I dropped from 222 to 204 and then bounced back up to 212.

Starting was so scary. That first shot I couldn’t get myself to do on my own and had my husband do it for me, and then I actually cried from all of the guilt I was feeling. The thoughts were horrible! I’m a lazy bum, I should be able to do this without meds, why can’t I just be more disciplined, I suck not being able to do this on my own, I’m an absolute failure, etc.

It’s only been 13 weeks, but I wish I could go back and hug that version of me so tightly and tell her that she wasn’t the failure she thought she was for needing help, and that she was so strong and brave. She tried off and on for 20 years to do it on her own bouncing between 180-237!! It was never from a lack of effort that the weight wouldn’t come off and stay off, her body was just working against her.

Anyway, I’m down 20 lbs since starting Zepbound and 30 lbs since starting this recent journey. It is amazing how much better I’m already feeling in my own body, and I still have 70+ lbs to go. I can’t even imagine what that will feel like, but I’m so excited to find out!!

This is not saying that having a low weight and low healthy bmi is bad but some people get so caught up in numbers on the scale it gets to a point. Myself included! I’m 5’3 so my “healthy bmi range” is from 105-140lbs! Thats a very big range and though its not recommended to be on the lower end of that range i still would TECHNICALLY be classified as healthy. When i first started my goal was actually 150lbs and then I said 140lbs for a healthy bmi, but then I kept “thinking oh i can do 135…. Or maybe 130! 125 the lowest!!” etc. and while for some people that may be the best thing, I think for me its not anymore.

So im being firm with myself to not go any lower than 135, and even then I may stop at 140! I realised I’m chasing after this idea that my stomach will suddenly get flatter and its just not realistic for my body! I could work myself sick and my stomach is still going to be there until i get it removed. Dont get me wrong, it HAS shrunk a lot but there’s only so much the power of manifestation can do for me with that.

My goal has always been to be a size 6 (and id be happy with a 4 as well). Well i fit into size 6 jeans now they are tight and not wearable, but i still have 13lbs to 140, so I imagine they should fit perfectly by then. If I still want the buffer of 135 then i can go down there but I never really planned or desired to be a size 0 or 2 so why should I keep going and move the goal post? I feel good now and like how i look (aside from my belly and arms tbh) and know ill like it even better in 10lbs but I also am very petite framed and my upper body is BONY already as is 🫩😭

This is a reminder that its okay to NOT want to be the smallest you can be and if your bmi is overweight or high end of healthy so long as you feel good then thats all that matters! Again this is no shade to anyone who has a lower bmi everyone carries weight differently, I am just very lucky to have a small frame that I realistically dont think I can go any lower than 135 ill probably look sick! I figure once i get the tummy tuck eventually ill lose another size anyways!! I think I look small and healthy now. Im worried my head looks too big for my body tho

Photos:
1-4 with shapewear
5 no shapewear
7-9 size 6 jeans from american eagle (no shapewear)
10-12 size 5 jeans from ardene (no shapewear)

My goal is to have both jeans fit me properly without being too tight, no muffin top!!

13-14 size 6 levis from walmart w/ shapewear which makes it even tighter actually
15-16 is an xs winter coat with me wearing a sweatsuit underneath!
17-18 my stomach !

Edit: I can’t believe i have to say this but if you are happy at a lower weight and bmi then there is nothing wrong with that and this post is not an attack on you. There is no right or wrong weight, so long as you are healthy, everyone is different. This is my post about ME and MY GOALS and reminding people that its okay to change the goal post and its okay to be overweight still if you look and feel good ❤️

I hung on for as long as I could, across nearly 37lbs and 6 months, but the time has come to say farewell to 5mg. May others find the success in you that I did, and may 7.5 and beyond give me the same love and support.

So I am living one of my top biggest medical nightmares. I was put on Wegovy in February and switched to Zepbound in April. I have rapid gastric emptying (so had diarrhea 15+ times a day), and after trying tons of different things and getting an extremely thorough GI work up, they put me on Imodium 4 times a day for several years. Imodium stopped working and because I have hEDS, lipedema, and IIH, my doctors really wanted me to try GLP1s because they help with those issues evidently. I’ve had constipation issues the whole time on glp1, which was annoying but I did feel like it was better than the diarrhea which makes me feel awful, like my joints hurt and I get bad edema and ascites (they haven’t done a colonoscopy in a while, but they did rule out crohns a few years ago, I also have MCAS but the MCAS GI meds don’t help).

And so I met with my GI to see if there was anything I could take alongside it since the other things I had tried had just made me violently poop and I was hoping for a happy medium. GI suggested Citrucel tablets, once a day. I took one Sunday night and then another Monday night, and woke up Tuesday morning with the worst pain. It was like that knife stabby feeling in my lower gut. I was going pale and delirious and getting really bad orthostatic intolerance. Finally went to the ER - in total the horrible knife-like “I’m going to poop my pants immediately” sensation lasted fifteen hours.

Basically, I had a huge, rock-hard ball of poop obstructing my colon. It had backed everything up and caused stercoral colitis, meaning the pressure was inflaming and injuring the bowel wall. The GI doctors were very concerned about perforation, and said they felt trying to remove it by colonoscopy could perforate the bowel so that was too dangerous. They also told me that if it progressed or perforated, they guarantee that I could end up needing a colostomy.

I was finally able to poop it out, after several traumatizing and aggressive enemas. I’m not in the clear just yet and still in the hospital because now I have an ileus (muscle contractions in intestines has stopped in a certain area).

Not sure what this means for me now or what they’re going to advise me to do, but they don’t want me to take Zepbound much less the citrucel anymore. The nurse said she thinks I would be able to go back on zepbound, but I’m terrified of being constipated again. I also don’t want to go back to having the really severe diarrhea, and at the same time, I’m scared to take Imodium now too.

Has this happened to anyone else before, and what did they want you to do?

Anyway, this is your warning, do not let yourself get constipated on this med, and be safe about what you take since Citrucel in theory should have been fine and was suggested by my GI doc and OKed by my PCP. The citrucel was definitely the catalyst because I’ve been constipated for months and it was only the 2nd time I took the citrucel tablet that bam this happened. I saw that citrucel is bad for gastroparesis though so perhaps that’s why, since glp1 can cause gastroparesis. I also eat plenty of fiber though and stay very, very hydrated as well. Quite unfortunate. Giving birth was less painful, frankly, 0/10 definitely do not recommend.

Starting: 189.2 (obese)
Current: 168.6 (overweight)
Goal: 145
60yoF 5’4
Starting date: 7/8/26 (13 weeks)

Yay! It has been slow and steady. I’ve been on 2.5 the whole time with no side effects.

I’ve lost this 45 pounds at least 5 times (🙄), but this has been the easiest. Usually by this point, I’m exhausted with the whole thing and my willpower is shot. Usually by this time, I start to struggle. THIS time, I feel good and ready to get it done.

The biggest things for me:
Zep is helping me practice good eating habits while feeling positive. In previous efforts, I practiced good habits but felt bad, wanted to cheat, on the edge.

Very Low food noise, but still hungry at meal times and can easily step away from the table when I’m full. Grateful for this, but I’m mind-blown 🤯 that this is how normal people feel. It has finally made it clear that I have a chronic disease, and I’m not just a weak POS.

🎊🍀🎉✨🙏🤯

56M, went up in dose every month until I hit 15mg. Worked for me, trying to figure out maintenance now.

I drink 2-3 Olipops and 4 Topo Chicos a day. My first drink of the day is 32 ounces of water mixed with 12 ounces of coconut water, a scoop of Altima (sweet), unflavored collagen, and a scoop of orange (think super sweet Tang) psyllium husk mixed together to make pretty much a 44 ounce creamsicle. I crave something sweet all day. All day. But I don’t want any sweets that are food. I bought a Creami, nothing, when I am grocery shopping and walk through the bakery, zero, no actual “Food noise” but I absolutely have to have my sweet flavored drink. I used to drink only tons of water. The moment I got on Zep, I lost interest in water and it tastes weird. Pic of our beverage garage fridge that used to hold over flow groceries but with 2 of us now on Zep, it’s my “sugar” station. The beers my husbands and the drawer sodas just live here now 🤣. (I buy the Olipop on sale and stock up when I can, which is how I ended up here 🤣.)

Just wanted to share my journey and see if anyone else has gone through something similar.

I originally had my gastric sleeve in 2021. I lost a decent amount of weight but eventually started regaining some of it after my pregnancy.

Fast forward to September 2025, I decided to have a revision to SADI-S. My surgeon left my original sleeve alone and only did the intestinal bypass portion.

I was really hoping the revision would help me lose more weight, but honestly, the results weren't what I expected. I still struggled with hunger and felt like my body was fighting me every step of the way. I also have to be honest, even after the revision I constantly felt hungry. It almost felt like I was on a crash diet. I would get dizzy and just didn't feel great overall.

I started Zepbound on August 18 at 201 lbs, and I'm currently at 180 lbs. So I've lost 21 lbs in just about two months, which is honestly crazy to me considering how much I struggled before starting it.

Looking at the bigger picture, I'm officially down 92 lbs since my highest weight before my first sleeve. It's taken me years, two surgeries, and now medication to get here.

I know some people have strong opinions about using GLP 1 medications after bariatric surgery, but I personally don't see anything wrong with needing additional help. Not everyone's body responds the same way to surgery.

I'm also thinking about incorporating more exercise and resistance training because I really want to focus on maintaining muscle as I continue losing.

My goal is somewhere around 130–150 lbs, but I'm trying not to obsess over the number.

Has anyone else had a sleeve, revised to SADI-S, and then started Zepbound? I'm curious how your weight loss went, whether you eventually had to increase your dose, and if you noticed a bigger difference with the medication compared to surgery alone.

Edit: that's not me in the photo, just a photo to show the pose I'm referring to.

I've been practicing yoga for several years and there's one pose that I've not been able to do: the extended side angle with full bind. My hands couldn't touch because there's simply too much fat in the way.

Yesterday it finally happened. My finger tips were able to touch and hook together. I was so happy!

I shared this with my doctor and she was encouraging and told me to celebrate these little victories. 5mg has been kicking my ass since I started it 6 weeks ago. My stomach feels permanently inhospitable to food and at times I felt miserable. Little victories like this makes it feel worth it.

What are the little victories that you celebrate?

Today is my 1-year Zep anniversary! My weight loss has not been as significant as some, but all the other changes have been so worth it, wanted to share and encourage others who are just starting out. The year flew by!

Blood pressure went from avg 148/93 to 114/72. Cholesterol 239 -> 185. My joint pain is nearly gone. I was able to walk 15k steps a day this summer in Scotland with energy to spare, where last summer in Japan, I was miserable, in pain and had to skip parts of our itinerary. Yes, it’s great being able to fit into smaller clothes, but what I really value is how much my quality of life has improved.

I was one of the lucky ones, no real side effects, just some constipation and a few overfull/heartburn episodes til I figured out to eat (and what times of day). I’m on 12.5 dose and have kept my weight steady last 3 months. Hoping to stay here for the foreseeable future.

I am so grateful to this community for the resources, encouragement and productive discussion. I could not have done this without y’all.

3 weeks in Europe. First time I truly enjoyed life to the fullest. No food anxiety. Walked, danced, laughed.

First time ever getting off a plane after traveling in double digits (hours) without inflammation or leg pain.

Had bread, ice cream, and all the goodness before me without anxiety. Came home 2 lbs lighter.

11 weeks in, 15.6 lbs lost.

Zero food noise. No side effects. Aware of hunger and fullness.

Still on 2.5mg. Slow and steady.

The future looks brighter than I ever thought would be possible for me!

So grateful for the encouragement of this community!

Onward.

With the exception of one minor stall (I stayed in 7.5 a bit longer than I probably should have), this has been an amazing experience.

I’ve smashed through 2 goal weights so far, with the possibility of beating a 3rd. Mind officially blown…

I started my weight loss journey in 2023 at 207 lbs. I was able to lose most of my weight with phentermine, diet and exercise but stalled at 158. Started Zepbound in June and I’ve now officially lost 20lbs and only have 13lbs to my goal. I was so worried I wouldn’t even get below 150 in this time! I think I’m losing at a slower rate than others which had me feeling disappointed for a bit but I realize now I’ve still made good progress!

PMOS and depression wreaked havoc on my body several years ago and I am finally feeling like myself again!

I’ve been on 2.5 since June 12. 5’4 female in mid 20s with insulin resistance and PCOS. Weight has always been a background effect (not something I was striving to lose), and my goals have always been about bloodwork. Lowering A1C and cholesterol. They’re both the lowest they’ve been since I started getting panels done in 2023 :)

A1C is down to 5.2. Cholesterol is still above the normal range but much lower than before zepbound.

I’m so grateful I took the leap. It was scary and challenging but I’m relatively stable in my eating and habits and GI systems now; it was all worth it. 🩷 I will keep going to see what else I can achieve, but this is worth celebrating.

Looking at this it almost seems like there is a trend. The months where I have comparatively little loss have actually traditionally been my 'set weights' in the past, funny enough.

So it looks like Zepbound won't be on Medicare Part D formularies in 2027. That's probably because it’s still too expensive for Part D plans to cover. My guess is they’re waiting for results from the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program.

The Bridge program was presented as a way to give seniors affordable access to GLP-1 medications for only $50. In reality, it’s an actuarial test to see how many eligible seniors sign up, how long they stay on the medication, and how much is saved on healthcare costs like ER visits, surgeries, medications, and cardiology events.

I think the government and Medicare plans want to see cold, hard data before considering adding a high-cost drug to their standard formularies. What we don’t know is how much Part D plans are paying for GLP-1 medications (or their negotiated rates with Eli Lilly and Novo).

My guess is they are too expensive.

After two middle-of-the-night episodes of severe pain, I went to urgent care. The urgent care physician suspected gallstones, but after an ultrasound that came back clear, I went to my gastroenterologist. He did a blood test that showed I had slightly elevated lipase of 67. That, with the episodes of severe pain that lasted about 2 hours with several runs to the bathroom to poop, caused him to diagnose pancreatitis. I asked for a HIDA scan and that came back “normal” with an 80% EF.

ETA: I have not had any episodes since stopping zepbound.

It’s been 2 1/2 months and I have been gaining back the weight, is there any hope of this being something other than pancreatitis?

I have been on zepbound for 2.5 years. But lately I am just not wanting to take the shot every week. I have lost about 50 lbs I could still lose another 50 but I’m dreading going up to 12.5. I have been on 10 mg for quite a while.

Zep def stops the food noise but it also kinds of cuts a lot of food creativity and excitement around food so in turn it’s hard to eat, plan and prepare food not easy as a mom who feeds her family.

Also my insurance has a lifetime cap so I’m paying $500 a month now! Which makes it even tougher to get excited about.

Just wondering if anyone else have felt this way. I wish I could just have a normal brain and eat regularly and not have this drama around food