New member saying hi from Florida

Laughing_cow

Laughing_cow

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Hey there!

Quick background on me: my reason for using peptides was weight loss. Victoza and Ozempic are both things I've used before. At one point Victoza cost me $4, but after my provider's plan changed I switched over to Ozempic. The price has kept me from ever going above .75, so I've ended up going grey.

Reddit posts about reta were how I first found out about the grey market, though I chose to push sema as far as it would go before switching. Over roughly two years, my weight has dropped from 248 down to 170. What's surprised me is that I haven't lost muscle either — I had no idea it was such a major topic until I started reading forums.
 
averagepeptideuser said:

How did you prevent muscle loss?
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I've kept up with exercise — at first only 3 times per week, though these days it's more than that. Since I'm weak lol, heavy lifting isn't part of what I do. My typical routine looks like this: Monday/Wednesday/Friday I walk/run for 30 min, Tuesday/Thursday I do lifting plus cardio alongside a coach for roughly 45 minutes. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings there's also Tai Chi for 50 min, and Saturday mornings include Tai Chi for 1hr40min.

To be honest, this all happened across the last 6 months, but the first round of loss with no muscle loss came from just 2x a week with a coach plus the odd bit of cardio done on my own. Another thing…I don't believe a super huge protein intake matters that much unless you're actively chasing a lot of muscle growth, since from my own experience, I seldom go past 100 grams of protein because I don't eat pork, I'm not a fan of chicken, and I keep an eye on red meat for cholesterol.
 
Congratulations, It seems like you're moving forward well and going about it the right way, with exercise!

What are you using, or how are you tracking, your lean body mass?
 
That's great news. Big congrats on dropping all that weight.

Quick thing though -- noticed you're in FL -- this Thursday I'm actually going down to South FL to check out spots to relocate to. Looking forward to it!
 
UpDownLeftRightAS* said:

The Sunshine State! Year-round beautiful weather and lots of natural vitamin D. 🙂 Nice work on the weight loss
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Oddly, my Vitamin D levels are low. My reading came in at 6 ng/mL, so I'm on 50,000 iu. June is when I hope to head out to Chicago. Still, it's a stunning state if you love the outdoors — plenty of lovely state parks.
 
Native Zebra said:

Congratulations, It seems like you're moving forward well and going about it the right way, with exercise!

What are you using, or how are you tracking, your lean body mass?
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Appreciate it! Every 2 months or so we take measurements at my doctor's office, where there's a scale. Since it isn't an imaging scan, the accuracy isn't 100 percent, though I figure it provides a decent ballpark figure. From what I can tell, the scale uses an electric current, has handrails, and you have to be barefoot — the name of it, however, escapes me.
 
Make sure you're also taking K2, since it helps your body get more out of Vitamin D. From what I understand, you'd want 100mcg alongside every 5,000 iu of Vitamin D₃.
 
spicychickentoospicy said:

That's great news. Big congrats on dropping all that weight.

Quick thing though -- noticed you're in FL -- this Thursday I'm actually going down to South FL to check out spots to relocate to. Looking forward to it!
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Appreciate it!

If beaches or the outdoors are your thing, there’s plenty to explore here in Florida — make sure you visit the state parks and springs!
 
Native Zebra said:

Make sure you're also taking K2, since it helps your body get more out of Vitamin D. From what I understand, you'd want 100mcg alongside every 5,000 iu of Vitamin D₃.
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Appreciate the heads-up! I was already aware, but with my ADHD, keeping track of when to buy things again is tough. Next time I make a grocery list, I’ll make sure it’s on there.
 
Laughing_cow said:

Hey there!

Quick background on me: my reason for using peptides was weight loss. Victoza and Ozempic are both things I've used before. At one point Victoza cost me $4, but after my provider's plan changed I switched over to Ozempic. The price has kept me from ever going above .75, so I've ended up going grey.

Reddit posts about reta were how I first found out about the grey market, though I chose to push sema as far as it would go before switching. Over roughly two years, my weight has dropped from 248 down to 170. What's surprised me is that I haven't lost muscle either — I had no idea it was such a major topic until I started reading forums.
Click to expand...
Way to go! I'm down 81 pounds in total, so the two of us are close on that front, and also when it comes to muscle. Any muscle I've shed has been minimal, basically none. That said, I keep a moderate amount of muscle — I'm not someone who goes all out at the gym. Strength comes naturally to me, and dropping this much weight hasn't altered that, nor has it affected how defined my muscles look. Would you mind telling me whether you exercise, or if you made any adjustments when you began? Lately I've been thinking about getting back into real workouts, the kind I did back when I lived at the gym (that was years before tirz), and I'd like to hear how strength training alongside glps has gone for others.
 
Laughing_cow said:

spicychickentoospicy said:

That's great news. Big congrats on dropping all that weight.

Quick thing though -- noticed you're in FL -- this Thursday I'm actually going down to South FL to check out spots to relocate to. Looking forward to it!
Click to expand...
Appreciate it!

If beaches or the outdoors are your thing, there’s plenty to explore here in Florida — make sure you visit the state parks and springs!
Click to expand...

That is fantastic. The beach is a favorite of mine, and while I am there I plan to check out oceanfront condos. All I can think about is waking up to the sunset and taking a dip in the ocean! 😛
 
Laughing_cow said:

Hey there!

Quick background on me: my reason for using peptides was weight loss. Victoza and Ozempic are both things I've used before. At one point Victoza cost me $4, but after my provider's plan changed I switched over to Ozempic. The price has kept me from ever going above .75, so I've ended up going grey.

Reddit posts about reta were how I first found out about the grey market, though I chose to push sema as far as it would go before switching. Over roughly two years, my weight has dropped from 248 down to 170. What's surprised me is that I haven't lost muscle either — I had no idea it was such a major topic until I started reading forums.
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Hi there! It's a shame that insurance issues pushed you toward the gray market. Hopefully this place has what you need!
 
Welcome! Best of luck on your Journey. I just returned from a diving trip that lasted a week in West Palm Beach. Thanks to Tirz, I felt at ease removing my shirt for the first time in ages.
 
Yet another denial from a health insurer. With coverage for glp-1 medications disappearing from plan after plan, that's the reality for a growing number of people. Meanwhile, Lilly seems puzzled that enrollment in their $500 per month savings card hasn't matched expectations...
 
leafbird said:

Laughing_cow said:

Hey there!

Quick background on me: my reason for using peptides was weight loss. Victoza and Ozempic are both things I've used before. At one point Victoza cost me $4, but after my provider's plan changed I switched over to Ozempic. The price has kept me from ever going above .75, so I've ended up going grey.

Reddit posts about reta were how I first found out about the grey market, though I chose to push sema as far as it would go before switching. Over roughly two years, my weight has dropped from 248 down to 170. What's surprised me is that I haven't lost muscle either — I had no idea it was such a major topic until I started reading forums.
Click to expand...
Way to go! I'm down 81 pounds in total, so the two of us are close on that front, and also when it comes to muscle. Any muscle I've shed has been minimal, basically none. That said, I keep a moderate amount of muscle — I'm not someone who goes all out at the gym. Strength comes naturally to me, and dropping this much weight hasn't altered that, nor has it affected how defined my muscles look. Would you mind telling me whether you exercise, or if you made any adjustments when you began? Lately I've been thinking about getting back into real workouts, the kind I did back when I lived at the gym (that was years before tirz), and I'd like to hear how strength training alongside glps has gone for others.
Click to expand...
Comment #3 covers my routine. Truthfully though, I've managed to build strength while avoiding heavy lifting—my starting point was pretty weak, I'll admit (using my arms to carry stuff is something I avoid, so even 5 lbs wore me out after just a few reps)—and I haven't been eating the protein that everyone insists is necessary. So if you're actually doing both of those things... you should be just fine.
 
spicychickentoospicy said:

Laughing_cow said:

spicychickentoospicy said:

That's great news. Big congrats on dropping all that weight.

Quick thing though -- noticed you're in FL -- this Thursday I'm actually going down to South FL to check out spots to relocate to. Looking forward to it!
Click to expand...
Appreciate it!

If beaches or the outdoors are your thing, there’s plenty to explore here in Florida — make sure you visit the state parks and springs!
Click to expand...

That is fantastic. The beach is a favorite of mine, and while I am there I plan to check out oceanfront condos. All I can think about is waking up to the sunset and taking a dip in the ocean! 😛
Click to expand...
Winters here are fantastic; summer does get hot, yet cooling costs less than heating!
 
freedbondage said:

Yet another denial from a health insurer. With coverage for glp-1 medications disappearing from plan after plan, that's the reality for a growing number of people. Meanwhile, Lilly seems puzzled that enrollment in their $500 per month savings card hasn't matched expectations...
Click to expand...
I realize I'm telling this to people who already agree, but the whole situation is absurd. These medications could ease so many health issues. Since I wasn't diabetic or prediabetic, my plan wouldn't cover them. Through my bariatric doctor, I got a month of Victoza for 4 dollars. Officially it was self-pay, though the doctor had a grant. When that grant ran out, Ozempic became the cheaper option and offered a monthly payment plan, so I paid 100 each month (my dose was low, so one 2ml pen stretched further for me). That program also came to an end, and I can't move to a higher dose since 400 a month doesn't fit my budget.

My mother, though, was prediabetic, and neither of us responded as quickly as many others do. Ozempic brought her H1C down, which is good, but her provider wouldn't change her to Mounjaro and judged her for wanting to shed weight (she was around 315). So she found a different provider willing to prescribe it, and she's now in the 250s. Luckily she still has coverage, but they're now pushing to reduce her dose because her H1C looks good. So if everything works out with grey, I think I'll assist her as well, since these drugs have done so much for her.

Slightly off-topic, but I wonder whether genetics play a role in how people react to GLP-1s. My mother, my cousin on my maternal side, and I all responded less strongly to semaglutide than others did, and we never saw fast weight loss. It certainly helped, but my 70 lb loss took over 2 years, while some people drop 40 lbs in 3 months.
 
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