INTRO New from TX

[texmexshaman]

Hi everyone - I'm joining to pick up knowledge and pass along what I've picked up.

My metabolism and general health have gone through a major rebuild lately. In September of 2025 I got a Type 2 diagnosis. At that point I weighed 287lbs with an A1C of 10.3%. Back then A1C wasn't even something I could spell. I absorbed everything I could and my PCP gave me a pre-auth for Mounjaro last December. I've been taking it since last Christmas, and I'm down to 202lbs now. My goal weight sits at 190-195. Last month's A1C came back at 5.2%.

I've rebuilt the foundation using intermittent fasting (currently 16/8), a Mediterranean diet, and walking, with resistance training about to begin. The 4 alarm fire is behind me, so now the focus is optimizing and starting some body recomp through weights plus more Zone 2 cardio. I want to swap tips and approaches for reaching optimal health and optimization wherever it makes sense.

 

[Brad]

Greetings, fellow Texan! I'm a big fan of Tex-Mex cuisine, and it's actually one of the reasons I ended up joining this community!

 

[AngieHolmes]

texmexshaman said:

Hi everyone - I'm joining to pick up knowledge and pass along what I've picked up.

My metabolism and general health have gone through a major rebuild lately. In September of 2025 I got a Type 2 diagnosis. At that point I weighed 287lbs with an A1C of 10.3%. Back then A1C wasn't even something I could spell. I absorbed everything I could and my PCP gave me a pre-auth for Mounjaro last December. I've been taking it since last Christmas, and I'm down to 202lbs now. My goal weight sits at 190-195. Last month's A1C came back at 5.2%.

I've rebuilt the foundation using intermittent fasting (currently 16/8), a Mediterranean diet, and walking, with resistance training about to begin. The 4 alarm fire is behind me, so now the focus is optimizing and starting some body recomp through weights plus more Zone 2 cardio. I want to swap tips and approaches for reaching optimal health and optimization wherever it makes sense.

Losing 85 pounds since Christmas is incredible! Glad to have you here, and I hope the posts you come across are useful. Clearly you've already got a lot going in the right direction, and you're very near your goal. Do you have a maintenance plan in mind, or are you just seeing how it goes?

 

[researcher311]

It's awesome that you're prioritizing your health! What led you to determine your target weight?

 

[jmikes]

You're moving along quickly. I'm curious whether it's too quick, though. Over eleven months, I've dropped 83 pounds, and I'm questioning if that pace is too rapid. It appears I respond fast to treatment.

 

[texmexshaman]

AngieHolmes said:

texmexshaman said:

Hi everyone - I'm joining to pick up knowledge and pass along what I've picked up.

My metabolism and general health have gone through a major rebuild lately. In September of 2025 I got a Type 2 diagnosis. At that point I weighed 287lbs with an A1C of 10.3%. Back then A1C wasn't even something I could spell. I absorbed everything I could and my PCP gave me a pre-auth for Mounjaro last December. I've been taking it since last Christmas, and I'm down to 202lbs now. My goal weight sits at 190-195. Last month's A1C came back at 5.2%.

I've rebuilt the foundation using intermittent fasting (currently 16/8), a Mediterranean diet, and walking, with resistance training about to begin. The 4 alarm fire is behind me, so now the focus is optimizing and starting some body recomp through weights plus more Zone 2 cardio. I want to swap tips and approaches for reaching optimal health and optimization wherever it makes sense.

Losing 85 pounds since Christmas is incredible! Glad to have you here, and I hope the posts you come across are useful. Clearly you've already got a lot going in the right direction, and you're very near your goal. Do you have a maintenance plan in mind, or are you just seeing how it goes?

appreciate it! yeah, I'm getting ready for the maintenance phase at this point. this morning I went under 200lb for the first time in ages — 1xx on the scale, finally. so the last 10 months were entirely about repair, and now mentally it shifts to sustaining and improving whatever I can. that's completely uncharted territory for me at the moment, so I'm eager to land in a steady weight range that won't cause me anxiety and to adopt a maint. way of thinking, which I haven't come across much discussion about. thanks for responding!

 

[texmexshaman]

Brad said:

Greetings, fellow Texan! I'm a big fan of Tex-Mex cuisine, and it's actually one of the reasons I ended up joining this community!

haha yeah, this area is packed with those kinds of restaurants and avoiding them isn't easy. GLP1's are a big help haha. The enchiladas don't taste any worse, though

 

[texmexshaman]

researcher311 said:

It's awesome that you're prioritizing your health! What led you to determine your target weight?

appreciate it! The bulk of it came from my endocrinologist's guidance plus what my DEXA scan showed. I got one in June at 220lb, while I was still in the middle of losing weight. Through all of that I kept 147lb of lean mass intact. Since then I've dropped another 25lb, and with that 147lb figure, landing somewhere in the 190-195 range looks right for me. At 5'11" that seems like a reasonable goal. I've got another scan coming in Sept, so we'll find out! Thanks for writing back

 

[texmexshaman]

jmikes said:

You're moving along quickly. I'm curious whether it's too quick, though. Over eleven months, I've dropped 83 pounds, and I'm questioning if that pace is too rapid. It appears I respond fast to treatment.

I appreciate it, and congratulations on dropping 83lb! That same question has crossed my mind, and what really allowed me to put everything into perspective was a DEXA scan. It gave me precise numbers for lean mass, body fat %, and how much VAT was left — the harmful kind. After seeing that I'd held onto a solid amount of lean mass, I felt much more confident in what I'd achieved. In my experience it was worth it; if you've never gotten one, it might change the way you look at all of this. Mounjaro worked fast on me as well. When it works, it works! Thanks again!

 

[researcher311]

texmexshaman said:

researcher311 said:

It's awesome that you're prioritizing your health! What led you to determine your target weight?

appreciate it! The bulk of it came from my endocrinologist's guidance plus what my DEXA scan showed. I got one in June at 220lb, while I was still in the middle of losing weight. Through all of that I kept 147lb of lean mass intact. Since then I've dropped another 25lb, and with that 147lb figure, landing somewhere in the 190-195 range looks right for me. At 5'11" that seems like a reasonable goal. I've got another scan coming in Sept, so we'll find out! Thanks for writing back

Appreciate you breaking that down. Every time I've gone through a weight-loss clinic, the question of my goal weight comes up. I've never had a solid figure to offer them, apart from the weight I used to be at and felt fine with. Being a big-framed guy at 6'5", hitting a standard BMI figure would leave me looking unhealthy.

 

[Brad]

texmexshaman said:

jmikes said:

You're moving along quickly. I'm curious whether it's too quick, though. Over eleven months, I've dropped 83 pounds, and I'm questioning if that pace is too rapid. It appears I respond fast to treatment.

I appreciate it, and congratulations on dropping 83lb! That same question has crossed my mind, and what really allowed me to put everything into perspective was a DEXA scan. It gave me precise numbers for lean mass, body fat %, and how much VAT was left — the harmful kind. After seeing that I'd held onto a solid amount of lean mass, I felt much more confident in what I'd achieved. In my experience it was worth it; if you've never gotten one, it might change the way you look at all of this. Mounjaro worked fast on me as well. When it works, it works! Thanks again!

A DEXA scan I had done not long ago showed visceral fat at very elevated levels — the bulk of my fat sits in that area, which is a bit alarming.

Now I'm weighing two paths: gather enough proof to have a doctor cover Triz, using my BMI, visceral fat, potential fatty liver problems and OSA (sleep apnea) as grounds, or simply go with the reta I've already bought. So far I've only administered 2 pins at very tiny micro dose amounts, spaced 1 week apart, and haven't truly committed to starting. Those went down fine for me.

Nice work hitting 200.

 

[texmexshaman]

Brad said:

texmexshaman said:

jmikes said:

You're moving along quickly. I'm curious whether it's too quick, though. Over eleven months, I've dropped 83 pounds, and I'm questioning if that pace is too rapid. It appears I respond fast to treatment.

I appreciate it, and congratulations on dropping 83lb! That same question has crossed my mind, and what really allowed me to put everything into perspective was a DEXA scan. It gave me precise numbers for lean mass, body fat %, and how much VAT was left — the harmful kind. After seeing that I'd held onto a solid amount of lean mass, I felt much more confident in what I'd achieved. In my experience it was worth it; if you've never gotten one, it might change the way you look at all of this. Mounjaro worked fast on me as well. When it works, it works! Thanks again!

A DEXA scan I had done not long ago showed visceral fat at very elevated levels — the bulk of my fat sits in that area, which is a bit alarming.

Now I'm weighing two paths: gather enough proof to have a doctor cover Triz, using my BMI, visceral fat, potential fatty liver problems and OSA (sleep apnea) as grounds, or simply go with the reta I've already bought. So far I've only administered 2 pins at very tiny micro dose amounts, spaced 1 week apart, and haven't truly committed to starting. Those went down fine for me.

Nice work hitting 200.

Appreciate it. Initially my doctor started me on Glipizide, but once I'd looked into things on my own, I brought up GLP-1s with him last fall. Fortunately he backed the idea fully, managed to get a prior authorization approved through my insurance, and I ended up covered. Depending on your insurance, that might be a less expensive path for you.

That said, even with coverage, Mounjaro still costs me 200 dollars a month out of pocket. So I suppose it comes down to each person's circumstances, though it may be worth looking into, since I know of people who get it fully covered, but their insurance is better than mine. If your A1C is high and your BMI sits in the mid 30s or above, approval might come through without too much resistance. It's also one of those cases where a doctor who's on your side can tip the scales. Best of luck with it! It does work, I can confirm that (at least it did in my case) and the fact you already know you're a high responder is encouraging.