Is 210 a Common Plateau for People Who Started GLP-1s at 250–300 lbs?

[ladyj779]

Whose compound it is (the company), or what colour the cap is (grey), so I've got a clue what I'm dosing and when then some get noted in mg, the compounds for instance, others in units, since my approach is definitely odd. Or just sloppy.

Case in point, right now I'm working through two compound tirz vials at different concentrations because reasons...lose track of it, or skip the visual check, and I'm in for...a rough day

 

[Spork]

Grogu said:

Spork said:

Grogu said:

Great job quitting drinking. That is really impressive.

It could be that the low 200s are a range your body "prefers," and it is putting up a fight to hold onto that fat. My own tirz experience began at 335 (I am 6'4"), and I hit a few spots where my body appeared unwilling to release more weight. The first was in the 260s, and the second came in the low 240s. Those are both weights I have carried for significant stretches of my life. I got past each one by increasing protein and stacking other medications. Right now I am at 217, aiming for 205, and I fully expect my body to resist these final 12 pounds. I am prepared for that struggle.

That said, the more probable explanation is that having used a glp-1 before is influencing how your body responds now that you have restarted. The encouraging part is (at least anectdotally) that when someone has prior glp-1 use, they tend to respond to higher doses of the later glp-1 medication. So moving your dose upward could help you get past that plateau. More protein would likely be helpful too. It also seems that people using reta continue losing weight for a longer period than with sema or tirz, so you probably have more time.

Since you're also 6'4", could it be that 204.9 is actually your target?

(Of course, BMI cutoffs are somewhat arbitrary, but even so)

Right, 204.9…. I'm curious what it's like to finally land in the “normal” BMI range.

At my highest recorded weight, I tipped the scales past 400 lbs (finding a scale that could register above that number was a challenge in those days, and honestly, I eventually lost all curiosity about the exact figure).

Eventually I made it all the way down to 189 lbs. That felt completely surreal.

This happened roughly 20+ years in the past.

Yet, as anyone familiar with the endless cycle of losing and regaining knows, the weight crept back on. I climbed into the 380's, then began fluctuating up and down once more.

Currently I take 15mg of tirzepatide, and since January 1st I have gone from 365 down to slightly below 315... my broader target is 204.9 as well, though the real aim is 199 simply because dropping under 200 lbs strikes me as amusing.

For those of us dealing with obesity, our metabolisms and bodies often seem to be one continuous "screw your weight loss efforts". It's frustrating, but that's how it is. Having your own body fight you so fiercely is genuinely hard. I'm relieved these medications are finally making the contest fair.

The piece that always resonated deeply with me was the study done on participants from "The Biggest Loser" (10 years old, yet still quite fascinating)

Gifted link, no paywall:


https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?unlocked_article_code=1.l1A.-DJz._q1AbJQk_6TX&smid=url-share

 

[Grogu]

Spork said:

Grogu said:

Spork said:

Grogu said:

Great job quitting drinking. That is really impressive.

It could be that the low 200s are a range your body "prefers," and it is putting up a fight to hold onto that fat. My own tirz experience began at 335 (I am 6'4"), and I hit a few spots where my body appeared unwilling to release more weight. The first was in the 260s, and the second came in the low 240s. Those are both weights I have carried for significant stretches of my life. I got past each one by increasing protein and stacking other medications. Right now I am at 217, aiming for 205, and I fully expect my body to resist these final 12 pounds. I am prepared for that struggle.

That said, the more probable explanation is that having used a glp-1 before is influencing how your body responds now that you have restarted. The encouraging part is (at least anectdotally) that when someone has prior glp-1 use, they tend to respond to higher doses of the later glp-1 medication. So moving your dose upward could help you get past that plateau. More protein would likely be helpful too. It also seems that people using reta continue losing weight for a longer period than with sema or tirz, so you probably have more time.

Since you're also 6'4", could it be that 204.9 is actually your target?

(Of course, BMI cutoffs are somewhat arbitrary, but even so)

Right, 204.9…. I'm curious what it's like to finally land in the “normal” BMI range.

At my highest recorded weight, I tipped the scales past 400 lbs (finding a scale that could register above that number was a challenge in those days, and honestly, I eventually lost all curiosity about the exact figure).

Eventually I made it all the way down to 189 lbs. That felt completely surreal.

This happened roughly 20+ years in the past.

Yet, as anyone familiar with the endless cycle of losing and regaining knows, the weight crept back on. I climbed into the 380's, then began fluctuating up and down once more.

Currently I take 15mg of tirzepatide, and since January 1st I have gone from 365 down to slightly below 315... my broader target is 204.9 as well, though the real aim is 199 simply because dropping under 200 lbs strikes me as amusing.

For those of us dealing with obesity, our metabolisms and bodies often seem to be one continuous "screw your weight loss efforts". It's frustrating, but that's how it is. Having your own body fight you so fiercely is genuinely hard. I'm relieved these medications are finally making the contest fair.

The piece that always resonated deeply with me was the study done on participants from "The Biggest Loser" (10 years old, yet still quite fascinating)

Gifted link, no paywall:


https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?unlocked_article_code=1.l1A.-DJz._q1AbJQk_6TX&smid=url-share

Amazing work — dropping that much in 5 months is seriously impressive!

Sure, getting below 200 lb has crossed my mind. But after 17 months of this, I'm feeling worn down. It's not like maintaining will be a breeze either, though if I could only reach 204.9, I'd say that's a solid spot to be in.

Absolutely, these drugs are what finally make things fair!

 

[Spork]

Grogu said:

Spork said:

Grogu said:

Spork said:

Grogu said:

Great job quitting drinking. That is really impressive.

It could be that the low 200s are a range your body "prefers," and it is putting up a fight to hold onto that fat. My own tirz experience began at 335 (I am 6'4"), and I hit a few spots where my body appeared unwilling to release more weight. The first was in the 260s, and the second came in the low 240s. Those are both weights I have carried for significant stretches of my life. I got past each one by increasing protein and stacking other medications. Right now I am at 217, aiming for 205, and I fully expect my body to resist these final 12 pounds. I am prepared for that struggle.

That said, the more probable explanation is that having used a glp-1 before is influencing how your body responds now that you have restarted. The encouraging part is (at least anectdotally) that when someone has prior glp-1 use, they tend to respond to higher doses of the later glp-1 medication. So moving your dose upward could help you get past that plateau. More protein would likely be helpful too. It also seems that people using reta continue losing weight for a longer period than with sema or tirz, so you probably have more time.

Since you're also 6'4", could it be that 204.9 is actually your target?

(Of course, BMI cutoffs are somewhat arbitrary, but even so)

Right, 204.9…. I'm curious what it's like to finally land in the “normal” BMI range.

At my highest recorded weight, I tipped the scales past 400 lbs (finding a scale that could register above that number was a challenge in those days, and honestly, I eventually lost all curiosity about the exact figure).

Eventually I made it all the way down to 189 lbs. That felt completely surreal.

This happened roughly 20+ years in the past.

Yet, as anyone familiar with the endless cycle of losing and regaining knows, the weight crept back on. I climbed into the 380's, then began fluctuating up and down once more.

Currently I take 15mg of tirzepatide, and since January 1st I have gone from 365 down to slightly below 315... my broader target is 204.9 as well, though the real aim is 199 simply because dropping under 200 lbs strikes me as amusing.

For those of us dealing with obesity, our metabolisms and bodies often seem to be one continuous "screw your weight loss efforts". It's frustrating, but that's how it is. Having your own body fight you so fiercely is genuinely hard. I'm relieved these medications are finally making the contest fair.

The piece that always resonated deeply with me was the study done on participants from "The Biggest Loser" (10 years old, yet still quite fascinating)

Gifted link, no paywall:


https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?unlocked_article_code=1.l1A.-DJz._q1AbJQk_6TX&smid=url-share

Amazing work — dropping that much in 5 months is seriously impressive!

Sure, getting below 200 lb has crossed my mind. But after 17 months of this, I'm feeling worn down. It's not like maintaining will be a breeze either, though if I could only reach 204.9, I'd say that's a solid spot to be in.

Absolutely, these drugs are what finally make things fair!

So, has the idea crossed your mind to go full "iron will" mode and run a pretty harsh deficit for a handful of weeks, purely to push past that sticking point?

Sure, you'd have to factor in (no pun intended) everything that comes with that approach, plus the mental toll, but if there's a defined endpoint maybe you could just grit your teeth and power through it?

I'm just running through my own history of weight loss attempts. They do work, no question, but the weight always comes back. For example, I went with nothing but protein shakes (4 a day), which put me at just 720 calories daily - and that was with zero GLP-1 support. It can't last, but assuming you're still getting nutrients and your body is burning fat, I'd guess there wouldn't be any truly major long-term fallout from it. I kept that up for 100 days and dropped 90 lbs. (then regained every pound - yay!)

It's WAY tougher when you're this close to your target, but I could picture myself pulling something somewhat extreme like that near the finish line, hoping that if these meds are a lifelong thing, keeping the weight off instead of bouncing back becomes realistic.

I figure anyone who's spent years, or a lifetime, battling their weight winds up a bit warped upstairs, so I get that some of what I've done would look completely insane to someone who hasn't been through it, so I know I might come off as crazy, but I'm just trying to think ahead about any big plateaus. I simply want to reach the weight I'm aiming for, hold onto it at last, and stop the idiotic regain that's haunted me my whole life.

 

[bockscar]

I’m using reta at a low dose every 2 weeks....progress has been stalling or slowing, and I figure a larger stall is coming within the next week or 2. Some of it was my own mistake since I ate well this weekend and had beers 2 weeks ago, but I think once that first big layer of fat comes off, weight loss starts to taper. During the first 2 weeks I was dropping 1 pound a day and felt amazing too! Even so, you still have to stay disciplined and let the drugs do their job, in my opinion

 

[staffn1]

If your weight loss has paused, and you've been logging your food intake reliably for several weeks, then what you're seeing is your true TDEE at your current activity and exercise levels. TDEE calculators carry a margin of error larger than most people's daily calorie deficits, so they aren't reliable. A second problem: research consistently shows people misjudge how much they actually eat, because eyeballing portions is inaccurate. Weigh and measure your food, and log every item precisely.

After that, take another look at your situation. The fear surrounding "starvation" mode is greatly exaggerated. Many people using GLP-1s run a daily deficit of 1000-1500 calories and shed 2-3 lb weekly with steady, linear loss. Some adaptation does occur, but it's minor and mostly tied to having a smaller body that requires fewer calories.

 

[wildweasel]

staffn1 said:

If your weight loss has paused, and you've been logging your food intake reliably for several weeks, then what you're seeing is your true TDEE at your current activity and exercise levels. TDEE calculators carry a margin of error larger than most people's daily calorie deficits, so they aren't reliable. A second problem: research consistently shows people misjudge how much they actually eat, because eyeballing portions is inaccurate. Weigh and measure your food, and log every item precisely.

After that, take another look at your situation. The fear surrounding "starvation" mode is greatly exaggerated. Many people using GLP-1s run a daily deficit of 1000-1500 calories and shed 2-3 lb weekly with steady, linear loss. Some adaptation does occur, but it's minor and mostly tied to having a smaller body that requires fewer calories.

Exactly

This post is 100% spot on

 

[wildweasel]

ladyj779 said:

Yep. I know it's a bit much, but I really enjoy looking at data — here's roughly the past month, during which I sat at about 212 for over 3 weeks. My intake stayed at the same 1200-ish calories. That was this month, yet this morning I'm at 201. Just stay the course, don't overanalyze or make a pile of adjustments, keep your calories at the level they should be, and the weight will come down.





View attachment 10690

I track things the same way you do — everything lives in one spreadsheet, and anyone who saw it would probably assume I'm on the spectrum or have OCD.

Every day I log my supplements, enhancers and peptides, plus resting heart rate, blood pressure, body fat scale readings and calorie intake. Once a week I tape-measure every muscle group.

On top of that, I built extra sheets that take the daily calorie and scale numbers and smooth them across a rolling 5 day window, then produce weekly momentum averages from those smoothed values. That lets me line up average weekly calories against average weekly changes in weight, fat and muscle.

Honestly, this kind of tracking made recomping basically effortless for me. I got to 10-11% body fat, and since then I've put on 15 lbs of muscle with no added fat and without any GLP-1.