Thanks for posting that, Bunsen. I will be curious to see how that works out. The article mentioned the numerous GI side effects possible- exactly what I experienced on metformin at a substantially lower cost. I’m less and less inclined to try these drugs.
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And the race is on to stop muscle loss…
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They can just reference the protein powder thread to find out how to offer the muscle loss.
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I remember the fen-phen (?) and I got a dr to prescribe me the drugs - I dropped weight really, really fast and ended up in the hospital thinking I was having a heart attack (at 42) - I wasn’t, or so they thought, it was just anxiety (I had no anxiety at that time in my life), but I got off the drugs right away and the emergency dr said to get of the drugs, not good for you. That weight came back twice as fast as I lost it and she brought friends with her…blew up immensely. Both fen, and phen, are supposedly good drugs for whatever purposes they were originally created but using them combined for weight loss was not good. So, very hesitant to try this as much as I’d like to drop some weight fast, I’ll go with the slow tried and true calories in / calories out program. I’ll finish with I won’t “poo poo” those that chose this option - I just hope when the get off them they are not in that same position of gaining more weight back - it is really hard to lose that weight.
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My blood sugar is up a month after discontinuing metformin. Nothing else has changed. I have decided, as a last resort, to try a product called Supergut. I’m cautiously optimistic.
https://dom-pubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dom.14967
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I’ve been on Zepbound for about 6 weeks and I’ve lost about 11-12 lbs. I’m excited about it because it’s truly the only thing that has moved the scale number for me (in this direction). I exercise 3-4 times a week (have for years), I eat pretty clean, but as a 49 year old woman inching toward menopause, I gained 30 lbs over 4 years and my cholesterol shot up 50 points in less than a year (I actually don’t consume much food with cholesterol… no red meat, barely any dairy or eggs). In my various attempts to lose the weight, I would often eat 1100-1200 calories a day.
Tbh, I probably eat that amount on Zepbound, or even less. I guess the difference is that it doesn’t feel impossible to keep up. The “food noise” in my head is virtually gone and I’m just not very hungry, ever. Energy level remains good. I was briefly on metformin before Zepbound, and while I didn’t lose weight taking it, it actually gave me an energy boost that I miss.
My plan is to take Zepbound until I am a healthy weight and then see if it can stabilize. I also look forward to seeing my cholesterol reduced and maybe my blood pressure too. Both of these problems are genetic for me.
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These drugs seem to be magic. I hope there’s no downside.
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I agree, but then, there’s a very real and documented downside to being overweight with high blood pressure and high blood sugar. I’m not exaggerating about how hard I tried to do this the “old fashioned way.” I’ve been able to lose weight that way in various points in my life (post pregnancy, both times). I know how to lose weight and I know how to exercise. I’m also a good tracker and I know what I eat. Sure, I’m not perfect, but when I couldn’t lose a single pound and my doctors saw my tracking and efforts, I think they felt it was worth it to try this. I guess we’ll see.
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I agree with this 100%. We all know the health risks of obesity and I’m willing to chance these drugs to possibly live a healthier life. (I ate clean but had high cholesterol, was pre diabetic and needed a knee replacement)
I took mounjaro first and now Zepbound(same drug) and lost 100 pounds. I’ve been taking 1 injection every 3 weeks and have maintained the weight loss for a year now and my knee feels much better.
I’m 56 and like you I’ve tried everything and come from a genetically obese family. This drug has been a miracle drug for me.
My tipping point was going on a hiking trip with my husband, we hiked 10-15 miles each day, cooked our own food and ate exactly the same, he lost 2 pounds and I gained 4, excess weight is a battle I can’t win.
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My first month of Mounjaro just arrived. My doc is the one who brought up the topic with me, knowing that I took three years to lose 100 the slow and steady, good-eating and exercising way, and that not being able to walk much now has been a real backslide for me.
I will need to pay attention to protein needs because of my heart damage. Need to keep it in good shape. The newly-dx’d diabetes is making a lot of my medical stuff even more complicated. I want my a1c under control ASAP.
H has a ginormous supply of chocolate and candy on the dining room table. This is why him working at home is not so great for me. If it’s not here, I don’t miss it and won’t go out and buy any.
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I’m not sure what your diet restrictions might be, but my go-to protein weapons of choice are nonfat plain skyr (Icelandic yogurt but Greek works well too) for 19g of protein per 3/4 cup and collagen peptides, which are 22g per serving. I mix the peptides (it’s a powder, get it at Whole Foods, their brand is lower in calories) into smoothies or even oatmeal.
Cottage cheese is also a big bang for the protein buck. I don’t like it but if you do, that’s a win. Apparently you can whip it and blend it into things—I haven’t tried that yet but I probably will shortly.
Good luck!!
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I had been on a diet (Intermittent fasting), hit my goal, but lost more due to a long, yukky cold and then covid. I also need to increase protein intake. I will eat cottage cheese and make fruit smoothies with protein powder when its not super cold out, but i can’t stand yogurt.I try to eat salmon or chicken but need more ideas.
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Nuts! Especially walnuts. Nut butters.
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I like shrimp…. 3oz = 20g protein
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@jym626 - I’m also not such a fan of yogurt (texture and sweetness) but love cottage cheese (grew up on it).
I’ve found mixing cottage cheese and yogurt together with berries (keep frozen supply and thaw a bit in micro) is a super-delish, high-protein snack/dessert.
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If you’re down to keep trying with yogurt, I blend it into my smoothies, so I don’t eat it straight. I also get plain, nonfat (it’s sour).
My high protein smoothie is:
3/4 cup Siggi brand nonfat plain yogurt (19g protein; 100 cal)
2 scoops collagen peptides (22g protein; 70 cal)
1 cup soy milk (9g protein; 100 calories)
1/2 cup frozen strawberries (25 cal)
1/2 cup frozen cherries (45 cal)
Honey to taste (for me, it’s around 2 tsp (45 cal)
Total protein: 50g
Total calories: 385 calories
Other proteins sources I like: egg whites (eat with salsa, avocado, etc. or mixed into oatmeal); chicken sausage, chicken breast, any fish, lavash bread/wrap, beans, tofu. Some veggies like kale, spinach, peas, broccoli have some protein but not a ton.
You can fall down a TikTok rabbit hole of protein recipes. Some are really odd, but most of them talk about “stacking” — making high protein stuff by choose multiple sources of high protein ingredients. The smoothie above is an example of that.
The best thing is to find a protein powder you like and use it when you need a protein boost.
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That smoothie sounds delicious, Wjs1107!
Hmm… will try. Thanks!
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As of this week, I’ve lost 30 lbs since Oct. 14. I have been doing very low carb and intermittent fasting because I found out I was just over the line for pre-diabetes. I despise taking meds, so I really didn’t want to go that route even though I qualified for the GLP-1 agonists. I am only on one med (for blood pressure), but would really REALLY like to be able to get off of it. As a result of my weight loss, I’m likely going to get to reduce my dose by half.
I don’t blame anyone for taking meds to battle obesity. Whatever someone decides for themselves regarding benefit/risk is their business. I just wanted to at least try every other thing I could think of before adding another med to my life. Hopefully I can keep it off, but certainly that’s another battle in and of itself.
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North Carolina’s state employee health plan is going to stop covering GLP-1s for weight loss (forecast that it would cost $170M this year). Some other state employee plans and medicaid plans are considering the same due to rising costs.
Here’s total Medicaid spending on the products for the last few years, from the linked article.
https://www.axios.com/2024/02/16/ozempic-weight-loss-drugs-medicaid-coverage-glp-1