My 6-week Tirzepatide Journey

[Romulusguy]

Before I came across tirzepatide, the term "peptides" meant nothing to me. I'd seen reports on "Ozemptic" and knew someone using "Zepbound", yet in my mind these were either pricey luxuries for those with money or treatments strictly for pre-diabetes/full diabetes. Even though I was hauling around 30 extra LBS in my mid 40's, I was content with the familiar decades-long struggle of juggling a very demanding career against working out and staying healthy. Once I reached my mid 40's, though, I began getting hurt during exercises and physical activities that had never caused problems before. Then, a little over a month ago, I ruptured a bicep doing dips—one of my go-to exercises. I realized I'd be sidelined for at least 8 weeks, and I was already at my heaviest ever. That's when I started researching "Zepbound", and down the rabbit hole I went.

My route was pretty typical: since I didn't meet criteria for any brand-name GLPs, I went to a telehealth provider. They billed me a LOT for the prescription and my first (and only) bottle of Tirz. Digging further, I discovered better, more dependable, cheaper compounders—which I'm using now—then the grey market for BP/TP, and about a week ago, direct overseas sales. I've picked up how to reconstitute, filter, and move medication into a pen injection cartridge, and tomorrow I take my 6th shot/week of Tirz (still pharmacy-compounded).

The first pharmacy started me at 2.125MG, but the next one didn't carry that low a dose, so I was switched to three vials/months of 2.5MG, and I've just taken my final shot of that. So far, I've had ZERO negative side effects. Even though my weight loss appears to have plateaued slightly over the last week, I still feel the Tirz working fully—no appetite, no food noise. So I'll remain where I am; I'm not in a hurry to increase dosage as long as the medicine keeps doing its job. If and when I do go up, it'll be to 3.5 and in 1MG steps.

At the moment, my main hurdle is getting enough calories. I'm BARELY managing 1,000 - 1,200 calories (mid 40s male, 200lbs). I have A large protein shake in the morning and a small one at lunch. For snacks, I'll have 10 - 14 slices of turkey deli meat with mustard and a cup of fat free yogurt. Dinner is nearly always baked scallops plus a salmon fillet or shrimp, loaded with garlic and lemon juice.

These are my starting weights for each week/shot

Week 1: 211 LBS

Week 2: 206 LBS

Week 3: 205 LBS

Week 4: 202.7 LBS

Week 5: 200.5

Week 6: I'll weigh in tomorrow, but this morning I was 200.8.

I'll stick with it another week, and if my weight keeps falling, I'll stay put. If it stays the same or goes up, I think I'll titrate up.

 

[TacoLifter420]

Right — if the scale is moving down, there's no reason to push the dose higher. During the past year I dropped 70lb, and my weekly amount stayed at 5 or 6mg the whole time (the precise number escapes me).

Stay with it, and once you can, start lifting again. Combining that with plenty of protein will protect your muscle mass.

 

[theoretical_maximum]

+1 to the post above me. I moved from 2.5 up to 5mg, and it turned out to be genuinely too strong — I wasn't able to take in enough calories — so I dropped back down to 3.75mg. Only go up when you feel you need to, not simply because!

 

[Romulusguy]

This morning's scale reading was 200.8lbs....which means I'm at pretty much the same number I saw last week. Since the overall direction is still going down (roughly 2lbs per week), I'll wait one more week to see where things end up before I make any call on changing my dose. Beyond what the scale shows, I can FEEL the difference in my waistline, less fat in my face, and other clear spots where weight has come off.

 

[jtx05]

TacoLifter420 said:

Right — if the scale is moving down, there's no reason to push the dose higher. During the past year I dropped 70lb, and my weekly amount stayed at 5 or 6mg the whole time (the precise number escapes me).

Stay with it, and once you can, start lifting again. Combining that with plenty of protein will protect your muscle mass.

Are you only on tirz at the moment?

 

[TacoLifter420]

jtx05 said:

TacoLifter420 said:

Right — if the scale is moving down, there's no reason to push the dose higher. During the past year I dropped 70lb, and my weekly amount stayed at 5 or 6mg the whole time (the precise number escapes me).

Stay with it, and once you can, start lifting again. Combining that with plenty of protein will protect your muscle mass.

Are you only on tirz at the moment?

Right now my weekly regimen consists of 3mg Tirz, 175mg testosterone, and 600mg glutathione, plus some additional vitamins such as C, D, and K2. My goal is to gradually reduce body fat from 16-17 percent down to under 12, while preserving as much muscle as I can. I'm only running a 200-300 calorie deficit. I lift weights 4 days per week and do 25 minutes of zone 2 cardio every morning.

 

[jtx05]

TacoLifter420 said:

jtx05 said:

TacoLifter420 said:

Right — if the scale is moving down, there's no reason to push the dose higher. During the past year I dropped 70lb, and my weekly amount stayed at 5 or 6mg the whole time (the precise number escapes me).

Stay with it, and once you can, start lifting again. Combining that with plenty of protein will protect your muscle mass.

Are you only on tirz at the moment?

Right now my weekly regimen consists of 3mg Tirz, 175mg testosterone, and 600mg glutathione, plus some additional vitamins such as C, D, and K2. My goal is to gradually reduce body fat from 16-17 percent down to under 12, while preserving as much muscle as I can. I'm only running a 200-300 calorie deficit. I lift weights 4 days per week and do 25 minutes of zone 2 cardio every morning.

Once a person begins TRT, is stopping impossible?

 

[Romulusguy]

jtx05 said:

TacoLifter420 said:

Right — if the scale is moving down, there's no reason to push the dose higher. During the past year I dropped 70lb, and my weekly amount stayed at 5 or 6mg the whole time (the precise number escapes me).

Stay with it, and once you can, start lifting again. Combining that with plenty of protein will protect your muscle mass.

Are you only on tirz at the moment?

For a few weeks now, I've also been taking the "wolverine blend", together with Semax and Selank.

 

[TacoLifter420]

jtx05 said:

TacoLifter420 said:

jtx05 said:

TacoLifter420 said:

Right — if the scale is moving down, there's no reason to push the dose higher. During the past year I dropped 70lb, and my weekly amount stayed at 5 or 6mg the whole time (the precise number escapes me).

Stay with it, and once you can, start lifting again. Combining that with plenty of protein will protect your muscle mass.

Are you only on tirz at the moment?

Right now my weekly regimen consists of 3mg Tirz, 175mg testosterone, and 600mg glutathione, plus some additional vitamins such as C, D, and K2. My goal is to gradually reduce body fat from 16-17 percent down to under 12, while preserving as much muscle as I can. I'm only running a 200-300 calorie deficit. I lift weights 4 days per week and do 25 minutes of zone 2 cardio every morning.

Once a person begins TRT, is stopping impossible?

Nope, you're able to quit, and your baseline levels will gradually return over time.

If your levels are genuinely low and that's causing symptoms, stopping won't be something you'll want to do.

My total T came in at 225. For 2 years I put in the effort—training, proper nutrition, zero alcohol—hoping to raise it naturally. The follow-up test showed 159.

Testosterone replacement ended up completely transforming my life. I got myself into excellent physical condition, every bloodwork panel came back perfect. No longer on BP medication, and cholesterol below 200 for the 1st time since I became an adult. I've also become more patient and a better husband and father.

An absolute game changer for me.

 

[MFGamesta]

Romulusguy said:

Before I came across tirzepatide, the term "peptides" meant nothing to me. I'd seen reports on "Ozemptic" and knew someone using "Zepbound", yet in my mind these were either pricey luxuries for those with money or treatments strictly for pre-diabetes/full diabetes. Even though I was hauling around 30 extra LBS in my mid 40's, I was content with the familiar decades-long struggle of juggling a very demanding career against working out and staying healthy. Once I reached my mid 40's, though, I began getting hurt during exercises and physical activities that had never caused problems before. Then, a little over a month ago, I ruptured a bicep doing dips—one of my go-to exercises. I realized I'd be sidelined for at least 8 weeks, and I was already at my heaviest ever. That's when I started researching "Zepbound", and down the rabbit hole I went.

My route was pretty typical: since I didn't meet criteria for any brand-name GLPs, I went to a telehealth provider. They billed me a LOT for the prescription and my first (and only) bottle of Tirz. Digging further, I discovered better, more dependable, cheaper compounders—which I'm using now—then the grey market for BP/TP, and about a week ago, direct overseas sales. I've picked up how to reconstitute, filter, and move medication into a pen injection cartridge, and tomorrow I take my 6th shot/week of Tirz (still pharmacy-compounded).

The first pharmacy started me at 2.125MG, but the next one didn't carry that low a dose, so I was switched to three vials/months of 2.5MG, and I've just taken my final shot of that. So far, I've had ZERO negative side effects. Even though my weight loss appears to have plateaued slightly over the last week, I still feel the Tirz working fully—no appetite, no food noise. So I'll remain where I am; I'm not in a hurry to increase dosage as long as the medicine keeps doing its job. If and when I do go up, it'll be to 3.5 and in 1MG steps.

At the moment, my main hurdle is getting enough calories. I'm BARELY managing 1,000 - 1,200 calories (mid 40s male, 200lbs). I have A large protein shake in the morning and a small one at lunch. For snacks, I'll have 10 - 14 slices of turkey deli meat with mustard and a cup of fat free yogurt. Dinner is nearly always baked scallops plus a salmon fillet or shrimp, loaded with garlic and lemon juice.

These are my starting weights for each week/shot

Week 1: 211 LBS

Week 2: 206 LBS

Week 3: 205 LBS

Week 4: 202.7 LBS

Week 5: 200.5

Week 6: I'll weigh in tomorrow, but this morning I was 200.8.

I'll stick with it another week, and if my weight keeps falling, I'll stay put. If it stays the same or goes up, I think I'll titrate up.

Taking your time with it is a positive thing.

 

[HereKittyKitty]

Sounds like you are well on your way!

 

[mtomm]

What is your height, and what weight are you aiming for? I might have overlooked that. You appear to be doing really well.

 

[Romulusguy]

mtomm said:

What is your height, and what weight are you aiming for? I might have overlooked that. You appear to be doing really well.

I stand at 5'11, and right now I'm aiming to get down to 190lbs. When I get there, I'll sit down with my GP so they can weigh in on whether dropping even further would be a healthy move for me.

 

[wanna-lose-gut]

Thanks, this gave me some useful perspective — our age, height, and weight are pretty close. What's your exercise routine like?

 

[Romulusguy]

wanna-lose-gut said:

Thanks, this gave me some useful perspective — our age, height, and weight are pretty close. What's your exercise routine like?

At least 4 days each week, I cover 2 - 3 miles on foot daily. Weight training is something I would REALLY enjoy doing, however I am healing from a torn bicep plus a shoulder injury, so for no less than the coming few months my workout options are restricted

 

[RoadRash]

jtx05 said:

TacoLifter420 said:

jtx05 said:

TacoLifter420 said:

Right — if the scale is moving down, there's no reason to push the dose higher. During the past year I dropped 70lb, and my weekly amount stayed at 5 or 6mg the whole time (the precise number escapes me).

Stay with it, and once you can, start lifting again. Combining that with plenty of protein will protect your muscle mass.

Are you only on tirz at the moment?

Right now my weekly regimen consists of 3mg Tirz, 175mg testosterone, and 600mg glutathione, plus some additional vitamins such as C, D, and K2. My goal is to gradually reduce body fat from 16-17 percent down to under 12, while preserving as much muscle as I can. I'm only running a 200-300 calorie deficit. I lift weights 4 days per week and do 25 minutes of zone 2 cardio every morning.

Once a person begins TRT, is stopping impossible?

Nope. Stopping is straightforward whenever you choose or need to. I use TRT myself, and I've come off it before. You simply lower the dose gradually and bring in hgc — that keeps things smooth, or at least that's how it went in my case, and I've got a fair amount of experience behind me.

 

[Romulusguy]

My 7th tirz injection, at 2.5mg, is now underway. For context: weeks 1 through 4 were spent at 2.1mg (the dose MedVI provided), and I switched to 2.5mg starting with shot 5 (Refills' lowest option was 2.5mg; 2.1mg wasn't available from them). Even though my weight barely budged for a stretch of a few weeks (the scale stayed flat, yet my waist and overall body kept shrinking), the downward trend has returned. When I took my first tirz dose 7 weeks back, I was at 211lbs. The scale this morning read 198.6lbs. Here's what changed in the last 7 days:

1. Lipo-c injections, 100 units, 3x per week. The burning sensation lasts roughly 30 seconds and is no joke, but the payoff is worth it, so I grit my teeth and get it done

2. Walking 3 miles per day, 4 days per week.

3. A torn bicep plus a damaged shoulder tendon are still mending and need several more months, which caps me at light weights a few days weekly, but I've added light lifting and lower-body resistance work.

4. Protein (very high), fiber (enough), and calories have been tracked carefully since day 1, and that hasn't changed. Hitting 1,000 - 1,200 calories daily is a real STRUGGLE, with veggies, seafood, eggs, turkey, and similar low-fat, low-calorie, high-protein items forming most of what I eat, yet I make sure to land in that range. Oddly enough, dropping below that amount previously triggered a survival response in my body that held onto EVERYTHING, causing weight gain and leaving me feeling awful. Against intuition, consuming more calories (or at minimum, hitting a required range, which in my case means 1,000 - 1,2000) produces more weight loss.

Staying at 2.5 is my plan for as long as the tirz keeps delivering benefits. A lower dose brings no "reward," I realize, but titrating up makes no sense to me while 2.5 is still effective.

 

[tendency]

Romulusguy said:

Before I came across tirzepatide, the term "peptides" meant nothing to me. I'd seen reports on "Ozemptic" and knew someone using "Zepbound", yet in my mind these were either pricey luxuries for those with money or treatments strictly for pre-diabetes/full diabetes. Even though I was hauling around 30 extra LBS in my mid 40's, I was content with the familiar decades-long struggle of juggling a very demanding career against working out and staying healthy. Once I reached my mid 40's, though, I began getting hurt during exercises and physical activities that had never caused problems before. Then, a little over a month ago, I ruptured a bicep doing dips—one of my go-to exercises. I realized I'd be sidelined for at least 8 weeks, and I was already at my heaviest ever. That's when I started researching "Zepbound", and down the rabbit hole I went.

My route was pretty typical: since I didn't meet criteria for any brand-name GLPs, I went to a telehealth provider. They billed me a LOT for the prescription and my first (and only) bottle of Tirz. Digging further, I discovered better, more dependable, cheaper compounders—which I'm using now—then the grey market for BP/TP, and about a week ago, direct overseas sales. I've picked up how to reconstitute, filter, and move medication into a pen injection cartridge, and tomorrow I take my 6th shot/week of Tirz (still pharmacy-compounded).

The first pharmacy started me at 2.125MG, but the next one didn't carry that low a dose, so I was switched to three vials/months of 2.5MG, and I've just taken my final shot of that. So far, I've had ZERO negative side effects. Even though my weight loss appears to have plateaued slightly over the last week, I still feel the Tirz working fully—no appetite, no food noise. So I'll remain where I am; I'm not in a hurry to increase dosage as long as the medicine keeps doing its job. If and when I do go up, it'll be to 3.5 and in 1MG steps.

At the moment, my main hurdle is getting enough calories. I'm BARELY managing 1,000 - 1,200 calories (mid 40s male, 200lbs). I have A large protein shake in the morning and a small one at lunch. For snacks, I'll have 10 - 14 slices of turkey deli meat with mustard and a cup of fat free yogurt. Dinner is nearly always baked scallops plus a salmon fillet or shrimp, loaded with garlic and lemon juice.

These are my starting weights for each week/shot

Week 1: 211 LBS

Week 2: 206 LBS

Week 3: 205 LBS

Week 4: 202.7 LBS

Week 5: 200.5

Week 6: I'll weigh in tomorrow, but this morning I was 200.8.

I'll stick with it another week, and if my weight keeps falling, I'll stay put. If it stays the same or goes up, I think I'll titrate up.

A piece of advice: it could be worth dedicating some energy toward improving what you eat. When your intake is that low, each calorie carries far more weight.

 

[Romulusguy]

UPDATE: My 9th week on Tirz is nearly wrapped up. The dose remains at 2.5MG injected once weekly. Titrating up wouldn't be a problem for me, but since the medication continues to work at 100% and I'm dropping roughly 2lbs per week, there's simply no justification for it.

This morning's weigh-in was 195.5lbs (9 weeks ago when I began: 211lbs). My routine still includes light exercise: walking 1 - 2 miles a day (4X a week), plus light weights and resistance training (3X a week). Over the last 2 weeks I've incorporated Lipo-B w/ b12 and NAD+ into my stack, and I'm really enjoying it (heads up: the lipo-c is SPICY/stings, and my NAD+ is buffered, otherwise it would be spicy too) — I feel it pairs very well with the tirz.

Still experiencing zero negative side effects.

 

[Estarossa19]

Romulusguy said:

UPDATE: My 9th week on Tirz is nearly wrapped up. The dose remains at 2.5MG injected once weekly. Titrating up wouldn't be a problem for me, but since the medication continues to work at 100% and I'm dropping roughly 2lbs per week, there's simply no justification for it.

This morning's weigh-in was 195.5lbs (9 weeks ago when I began: 211lbs). My routine still includes light exercise: walking 1 - 2 miles a day (4X a week), plus light weights and resistance training (3X a week). Over the last 2 weeks I've incorporated Lipo-B w/ b12 and NAD+ into my stack, and I'm really enjoying it (heads up: the lipo-c is SPICY/stings, and my NAD+ is buffered, otherwise it would be spicy too) — I feel it pairs very well with the tirz.

Still experiencing zero negative side effects.

Nice work! How have the Lipo-B and NAD been treating you since you added them?