FarmgirlRebel
Explorer
Wow!!! Well done!
Tirzepatide at 10 Months: The Numbers Behind My Transformation
- Thread starter dustinst22
- Start date
finesse
Explorer
Wow, that's amazing — well done.
bogardbilla
Explorer
That's seriously incredible! Well done.
dustinst22
Explorer
Honestly, there's no big secret. I never track calories. My approach is mainly eating whole foods, with protein as the main focus.
Nice job. That V02 max is really impressive. I've improved a lot in plenty of areas, but mine hasn't moved at all from its starting point. Any idea what yours was beforehand, and did you do anything specific to work on it?
Herkimer P Shagnasty
Explorer
Right on, brother!
Quagmire_Giggity
Explorer
Man, that's wild.dustinst22 said:
Age: 49
Weight: 227 lbs → 143 lbs (-84 lbs)
Body Fat (Dexa Scan): ~37% → 12%
BMI: 35.6 → 22.6
Waist: 40" → 30"
Pant Size: 38 → 28
Shirt Size: XL → S/XS
Blood Pressure: 155/90 → ~110/65
No longer taking blood pressure medication
Resting Heart Rate: 87 → ~50
DEXA Biological Age Estimate: 52 → 36
VO₂ Max: 52 (97th percentile for age)
I've made many changes to how I live. There's more to do, but the direction things are going makes me quite happy. I weigh what I did back in high school.
Details:
Tirzepatide (10 mg currently)
Cardio: Peloton Powerzone structure, started running recently. 3-4 days/week
Strength: All calisthenics (high volume pull ups/push ups/ab work/dips/rows). Throughout the day, no set schedule. (work from home)
Mobility: Yoga
View attachment 10066
Great job. You've gotta be feeling way better health-wise.
What's upkeep been like? Or are you still in a deficit?
dustinst22
Explorer
Staying where I am hasn't been a problem. The dose is still 10 mg, though I'll likely lower it a bit after another month or so. My 50th birthday is a few months away, and I'd like to reach 10% BF as a milestone of sorts. I'm booking a dexa scan for that day.Quagmire_Giggity said:
Man, that's wild.dustinst22 said:
Age: 49
I've made many changes to how I live. There's more to do, but the direction things are going makes me quite happy. I weigh what I did back in high school.
Details:
Tirzepatide (10 mg currently)
Cardio: Peloton Powerzone structure, started running recently. 3-4 days/week
Strength: All calisthenics (high volume pull ups/push ups/ab work/dips/rows). Throughout the day, no set schedule. (work from home)
Mobility: Yoga
View attachment 10066
Great job. You've gotta be feeling way better health-wise.
What's upkeep been like? Or are you still in a deficit?
At the moment I'm aiming for a bit more muscle and a slight drop in fat, but these are really just small tweaks. BJJ is going to start for me fairly soon as well.
Quagmire_Giggity
Explorer
A lot of my coworkers are really into BJJ, and I've only heard positive things about it. From what I understand, it's a solid way to stay in shape without putting too much strain on your joints.dustinst22 said:
Staying where I am hasn't been a problem. The dose is still 10 mg, though I'll likely lower it a bit after another month or so. My 50th birthday is a few months away, and I'd like to reach 10% BF as a milestone of sorts. I'm booking a dexa scan for that day.Quagmire_Giggity said:
Man, that's wild.dustinst22 said:
Age: 49
I've made many changes to how I live. There's more to do, but the direction things are going makes me quite happy. I weigh what I did back in high school.
Details:
Tirzepatide (10 mg currently)
Cardio: Peloton Powerzone structure, started running recently. 3-4 days/week
Strength: All calisthenics (high volume pull ups/push ups/ab work/dips/rows). Throughout the day, no set schedule. (work from home)
Mobility: Yoga
View attachment 10066
Great job. You've gotta be feeling way better health-wise.
What's upkeep been like? Or are you still in a deficit?
At the moment I'm aiming for a bit more muscle and a slight drop in fat, but these are really just small tweaks. BJJ is going to start for me fairly soon as well.
Wishing you the best of luck!
dustinst22
Explorer
I'm 5'7.
Wilpers is solid! Denis Morton is actually my favorite, though those 2 are the best in my book.
Jaylar
Explorer
Those results are wild — you've got every reason to feel proud. If you ever get a chance, I'd love to hear the full breakdown of your training plan. Nice job, mate.
dustinst22
Explorer
To keep it brief: several years back, I set out to get into excellent shape and dropped the same amount of weight I've now shed across the past 10 months — only to put every pound back on. That earlier stretch did leave me with a very high V02max, though, since I was on the peloton an hour daily (at my best, testing put V02max at 59). Racing others on the leaderboard appeals to my competitive side, so those sessions were pretty extreme.
Once the weight returned, the V02 almost certainly dropped sharply, though I never got it tested. These days I'm back at 52 — good, but short of my previous level. The explanation is that I'm after a workout approach I can stick with long term, rather than running myself into the ground the way I did before. Compared with last time, I'm also doing a lot more strength training, with the aim of a better overall physique and health. Holding a very high V02 max together with solid strength is genuinely tough, so I've done what I can to strike a balance between those 2 goals.
dustinst22
Explorer
Cardio: I hop on the Peloton for power zone rides 3-4 days each week, sessions running anywhere from 30 min up to 1 hour. Since I'm a competitive person, I usually end up chasing the leaderboard, which makes these sessions pretty demanding. Of those rides, 2 lean toward zone 2/3 work, while 1 is geared more toward max effort (HIIT-style).
Strength: Working from home, I stick mainly to "greasing the groove" calisthenics. Throughout the day I'll knock out small sets of pull ups and chin ups, then at night I do decline push ups plus ab work (hanging leg raises), lateral raises, and bulgarian split squats. That covers everything I do for strength.
Beyond that, I add in some yoga for flexibility and mobility.
One thing worth mentioning: I carry a solid muscle base and muscle memory from my younger days when I was in tip top shape.
dustinst22
Explorer
Here's the update I posted around the 5-month mark:
5 months on Tirz -- down 67 lbs.
This medication is incredible. My blood pressure went from roughly 135/90 to about 115/75. No more snoring at all. Resting heart rate sits in the high 40s now. I've dropped this weight multiple times in the past, yet every time it came back. This time it actually feels like something I can maintain. Roughly 10 lbs remain before I reach my target, and also...
GLP1Chat.com
5 months on Tirz -- down 67 lbs.
This medication is incredible. My blood pressure went from roughly 135/90 to about 115/75. No more snoring at all. Resting heart rate sits in the high 40s now. I've dropped this weight multiple times in the past, yet every time it came back. This time it actually feels like something I can maintain. Roughly 10 lbs remain before I reach my target, and also...
GLP1Chat.com
ChicagoFit
Explorer
@dustinst22 incredible! What was the gap in time separating the before and after photos?
SarahMother
Explorer
I wanted to ask whether carbs are part of your diet too. My reason for asking is that I'm considering a paleo-style way of eating alongside glps, and I'm wondering if that combination could make things move along faster.
Carbohydrates aren't something you should fear!
To keep going, your body requires carbs as fuel.
A diet that's balanced—with ample protein, good fats, and carbs—paired with lifting weights and cardio is how you'll get where you want to be.
Ultimately, the point isn't only dropping pounds; it's also being happy with your reflection!
Check out the thread. GOOD FKN JOB, MAN!!!! Keep it up
Getting me to understand that carbs aren't the enemy took plenty of pushing and persuasion from the nutritionist I'd been seeing. Carbs tend to get blamed unfairly. At the same time, you see protein pushed constantly — protein, protein, and still more protein — and countless diets telling people to drop carbs and load up on protein instead. Protein is still my priority, but carbs are part of my plate as well. What actually makes people fat is food that's heavily processed, packed with calories, high on the glycemic scale, and low in nutrients — not carbs that are healthy.
OP — amazing job! You come across as a completely different person. I bet there are moments when people don't even recognize you.