Just a few months ago I felt so stuck and frustrated with my weight. My youngest child was now 2 years old, and I had been dieting and exercising for a solid year straight with little to no weight loss. I was clinically overweight, in mild heart failure, and my doctor believed I had PCOS. Then I started compound tirzepatide and everything changed.
I started hearing about Ozempic around a year ago when the media started covering it heavily. I initially brushed it off as something I would never do, but then I started looking into it. Ozempic has many benefits, with weight loss being a huge one. And there is more than just Ozempic, there is Wegovy (Ozempic’s weight loss version), Mounjaro, and Zepbound (Mounjaro’s weight loss version). Ozempic and Wegovy are made of semaglutide. Mounjaro and Zepbound are made of tirzepatide and typically provide even better weight loss and benefits.
Why I Choose Compound Tirzepatide
I asked my doctor about getting on one of these medications and he agreed it could be very beneficial for me. However, when I looked into my insurance, I found my insurance would not cover them. That’s when I began looking into getting compound tirzepatide.
The compounded medications have the same ingredients as the name-brand medications, they are just made in compound pharmacies and are much more affordable. It is very important when using compound medications that you get your meds from a high-quality licensed pharmacy and program because compounded medications are not as regulated.
I choose compound tirzepatide over compound semaglutide because it is proven to lead to greater weight loss and have a particularly good effect on women.
I first used a fitness-based telehealth to get prescribed my compound tirzepatide, but I ended up switching to the JoinFridays program. JoinFridays offers some of the most competitive prices on the market for compound semaglutide and tirzepatide, and they have a great program that includes lots of clinical support. They even have an insurance liaison that can help you try to get the name-brand medications covered by your insurance.
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My Experience With Compound Tirzepatide
During my first week on tirzepatide, I was amazed at how it helped me feel full, eat smaller portions, and reduce “food noise.” I continued a high protein diet, my regular exercise routine, and with the help of the medicine, added intermittent fasting. That first week I shockingly lost 6 pounds. I now know that the first week often reduces water weight and inflammation, which is why it can be common to have a big drop in your first week. In the following weeks, I lost between 1 and 2 pounds a week. It was so encouraging and exciting to see those numbers on the scale finally go down.
I have had minimal side effects, possibly because I researched some remedies ahead of time. On days 1-4 after a dose I can be a little low energy, but I have found starting the day with an electrolyte drink improves that. I sometimes have a little nausea on those days, but the electrolyte drink can help with that as well. I also added a fiber supplement to help with constipation.
I know from my research that muscle loss in addition to fat loss is common with these medications. They do not specifically cause muscle loss, but with any weight loss, some muscle loss can be expected. I have been combating this by weekly weight-lifting sessions and eating extra protein.
I have had such minimal side effects possibly because I have stayed on a low dose this entire time. I take 25 units a week which is the equivalent of a 2.5 dose of the name brand Mounjaro or Zepbound. That is the name brand’s lowest dose. I have felt great appetite suppression on it and lost weight on it consistently, so I didn’t see any need to move up doses and potentially make side effects worse.
It was important to me to use this medicine as a tool to change my habits and get to a healthier weight. For me, staying on a low dose has made the meds feel more like a tool and not like a life vest that I can’t live without.
Plans For Maintenance
As I am writing this, I am in my third month of using the medication and am down more than 20 pounds. I typically eat between 1,200 and 1,500 calories a day, focus on eating a high-protein diet, exercise walk 6 days a week and do weight training one day a week.
I have about 10 more pounds until my goal weight, and then I do plan on getting off the medication and trying to maintain using the lifestyle changes I have been implementing.
I have talked to several experts about maintaining off the medication, and this is what I have gathered. People with diabetes, chronic obesity, or food addiction typically need to be on this medication for life to maintain it. People with conditional unhealthy weights who use this medication as a tool to get healthier may be able to keep most of the weight off through continued lifestyle changes. It seems that the cause of the initial weight is a big factor in determining how the patient will do when off the medication.
I plan to try to maintain off of the medication because of the cost, the side effects and just to see how I do. This medication has helped me get to such a better place with my health. I am able to be more active because I do not have as much weight dragging me down. I am also seeing improvements with my PCOS because of the weight loss and switching from the pill to an IUD. We will see how I do, but I certainly have hope!
