6 weeks into my Tirz adventure

[Romulusguy]

So I had never even heard of "peptides" before encountering tirzepatide. I had heard on the news about "Ozemptic", and I had a friend who was on "Zepbound", but I always considered it an expensive indulgence for the wealthy and/or a necessary medication for pre/full diabetes. Although I was carrying around an extra 30LBS in my mid 40's, I was satisfied going through the decades long cycle of (poorly) balancing an extremely busy career with exercise and health maintenance. As I crept into my mid 40;s I started experiencing injuries from exercises and physical activities that had never been an issue before. Finally, just over a month ago I tore a bicep while doing dips, one of my favorite exercises. I knew this would put me out of commissions for at least 8 weeks, and I was already at my heaviest. That's when I decided to look into "Zepbound", and down the rabbit hole I went.

Like many, I followed a predictable path: I did not qualify for any of the name brand GLPs so I visited a telehealth. They charged me A LOT for my prescription and my first (and only) bottle of Tirz. Deeper down the rabbit hole, I found better/more reliable/more affordable compounders, which I am currently on, then the grey market for BP/TP, and as of a week ago, direct sales from overseas. I have learned how to reconstitute, how to filter, how to transfer medicine into a pen injection cart, and I am starting my 6th shot/week on Tirz tomorrow (this is still the pharmacy compounded Tirz).

My original pharmacy started me on 2.125MG dose, but the next pharmacy didn;t even offer that low so I was bumped up to three vials/months of 2.5MG, which I just began my last shot. So far, I have experienced ZERO negative side effects. And while my weight loss seems to have stalled just a bit over this past week, I still feel the full effects of the Tirz re: no appetite, no food noise. So I will just stay where I am at, I am in no rush to move up in dosage so long as the medicine is working. If/when I do move up in dose, it will be to 3.5 and in 1MG increments.

Right now, my biggest challenge is eating enough calories. I am BARELY pulling in 1,000 - 1,200 calories (mid 40s male, 200lbs). I drink A giant protein shake in the morning, and a small protein shake for lunch. Snacks include 10 - 14 slices of turkey deli meat with mustard and a cup of fat free yogurt. Dinner is almost always baked scallops and a salmon fillet or shrimp, with a heap of garlic and lemon juice.

Here are the 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 weigh myself tomorrow, but this morning I was 200.8.


I'm going to keep at it for another week, and if my weight continues to drop, I will stay right where I am at. If it remains the same or rises, I think I will tirate up.

 

[TacoLifter420]

Yup, no need to titrate up if you're losing weight. I lost 70lb last year and never went above 5 or 6mg a week ( can't remember the exact dose).

Keep up the good work and get back to resistance training when you're able. That and a protein forward diet will help you not lose muscle mass.

 

[theoretical_maximum]

+1 to the post above me. I went from 2.5 up to 5mg and it became actually too intense and I couldn't get enough calories in, so I went back down to 3.75mg. Increase when you think you need to, not just because!

 

[Romulusguy]

I weighed in at 200.8lbs this morning....so, basically the exact same weight as last week. As the trend is still downwards (2lbs a week more or less), I'm going to give it another week and see where I land before deciding on adjusting the dosage. I FEEL the changes to my waist size, loss of fat in face, and other noticeable areas of weight loss outside of the scale.

 

[jtx05]

Yup, no need to titrate up if you're losing weight. I lost 70lb last year and never went above 5 or 6mg a week ( can't remember the exact dose).

Keep up the good work and get back to resistance training when you're able. That and a protein forward diet will help you not lose muscle mass.

You currently only take tirz?

 

[TacoLifter420]

You currently only take tirz?

I currently take 3mg a week of Tirz, 175mg testosterone and 600mg a week of glutathione along with a few other vitamins like C, D,K2 Working on slowly taking my body fat from 16-17 percent to under 12 while keeping as much muscle as possible. I'm only in about a 200-300 calorie deficit. Training with weights 4 days a week and 25 minutes of zone 2 cardio each morning.

 

[jtx05]

I currently take 3mg a week of Tirz, 175mg testosterone and 600mg a week of glutathione along with a few other vitamins like C, D,K2 Working on slowly taking my body fat from 16-17 percent to under 12 while keeping as much muscle as possible. I'm only in about a 200-300 calorie deficit. Training with weights 4 days a week and 25 minutes of zone 2 cardio each morning.

Is it true that once you start TRT you can’t stop?

 

[Romulusguy]

You currently only take tirz?

I am also using the "wolverine blend" for a few weeks now, alongside Semax and Selank.

 

[TacoLifter420]

Is it true that once you start TRT you can’t stop?

No, you can stop and over time you'll go back to your previous base levels.

If you're truly low and have symptoms because of that you won't want to stop.

My total T was 225. I tried for 2 years, working out, eating right, no booze to naturally increase it. When I retested it was 159.

Getting on testosterone replacement was truly life changing for me. Got my self in great physical shape, all my bloodwork perfect. Off BP meds, cholesterol under 200 for the 1st time in my adult life. Im also more patient and a better husband and father.

Total game changer for me.

 

[MFGamesta]

So I had never even heard of "peptides" before encountering tirzepatide. I had heard on the news about "Ozemptic", and I had a friend who was on "Zepbound", but I always considered it an expensive indulgence for the wealthy and/or a necessary medication for pre/full diabetes. Although I was carrying around an extra 30LBS in my mid 40's, I was satisfied going through the decades long cycle of (poorly) balancing an extremely busy career with exercise and health maintenance. As I crept into my mid 40;s I started experiencing injuries from exercises and physical activities that had never been an issue before. Finally, just over a month ago I tore a bicep while doing dips, one of my favorite exercises. I knew this would put me out of commissions for at least 8 weeks, and I was already at my heaviest. That's when I decided to look into "Zepbound", and down the rabbit hole I went.

Like many, I followed a predictable path: I did not qualify for any of the name brand GLPs so I visited a telehealth. They charged me A LOT for my prescription and my first (and only) bottle of Tirz. Deeper down the rabbit hole, I found better/more reliable/more affordable compounders, which I am currently on, then the grey market for BP/TP, and as of a week ago, direct sales from overseas. I have learned how to reconstitute, how to filter, how to transfer medicine into a pen injection cart, and I am starting my 6th shot/week on Tirz tomorrow (this is still the pharmacy compounded Tirz).

My original pharmacy started me on 2.125MG dose, but the next pharmacy didn;t even offer that low so I was bumped up to three vials/months of 2.5MG, which I just began my last shot. So far, I have experienced ZERO negative side effects. And while my weight loss seems to have stalled just a bit over this past week, I still feel the full effects of the Tirz re: no appetite, no food noise. So I will just stay where I am at, I am in no rush to move up in dosage so long as the medicine is working. If/when I do move up in dose, it will be to 3.5 and in 1MG increments.

Right now, my biggest challenge is eating enough calories. I am BARELY pulling in 1,000 - 1,200 calories (mid 40s male, 200lbs). I drink A giant protein shake in the morning, and a small protein shake for lunch. Snacks include 10 - 14 slices of turkey deli meat with mustard and a cup of fat free yogurt. Dinner is almost always baked scallops and a salmon fillet or shrimp, with a heap of garlic and lemon juice.

Here are the 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 weigh myself tomorrow, but this morning I was 200.8.


I'm going to keep at it for another week, and if my weight continues to drop, I will stay right where I am at. If it remains the same or rises, I think I will tirate up.

It's good that you're not rushing it.

 

[HereKittyKitty]

Sounds like you are well on your way!

 

[mtomm]

Did I miss your goal weight? How tall are you? It seems like you are on a great path.

 

[Romulusguy]

Did I miss your goal weight? How tall are you? It seems like you are on a great path.

5'11, and my current goal weight is 190lbs. Once I reach that level, I will meet with my GP and get their evaluation on if a lower weight would be healthy.

 

[wanna-lose-gut]

This was a helpful read, as I'm about the same weight/height and age. how much exercise?

 

[Romulusguy]

This was a helpful read, as I'm about the same weight/height and age. how much exercise?

I'm walking 2 - 3 miles a day, at least 4 days a week. I'd REALLY like to be lifting weights, but I am recovering from a torn bicep and shoulder injury for at least the next few months so I am limited in the exercise I can do 🙁

 

[RoadRash]

Is it true that once you start TRT you can’t stop?

No. It's easy to cycle off if you want/need to. I'm on TRT and I've cycled off in the past. Just taper off slowly and start adding hgc and it's not a problem, at least it wasn't for me, and I'm pretty experienced.

 

[Romulusguy]

I started my 7th shot/week of tirz @ 2.5mg dose. As a reminder, I spent the first 4 weeks on 2.1mg (that's what MedVI gave me), but moved to 2.5 (Refills didn't even offer 2.1mg; 2.5 was their lowest) on the 5th week of shots. While I maintained a plateau in weight for a few weeks (the scale might not have shown weight loss, but my waist/body continued to reduce), I am again dropping steadily. I began using tirz at 211lbs 7 weeks ago. This morning I weighed 198.6lbs. A few things I am doing differently over the past week:

1. I started doing Lipo-c injections @ 100 units 3 times a week. They REALLY sting for about 30 seconds, but I REALLY like the results so I pull on my big boy pants and do it 😛

2. I began walking 3 miles a day @ 4 days a week.

3. I have a torn bicep and damaged tendon in my shoulder that is healing and will take a few more months to heal up, so I can only lift light weights and only a few days a week, but I have begun lifting lightly, and lower body resistance training.

4. While I have done this from day 1, I continue to carefully track my protein intake (super high), fiber intake (make sure I get enough), and caloric intake. I am STRUGGLING to maintain 1,000 - 1,200 calories a day, eating primarily veggies, seafood, eggs, turkey, and other low fat/calorie, high protein foods, but I make sure to reach that range. Ironicaly, when I was eating even fewer calroies, my body went into survival mode and retained EVERYTHING, making me gain weight and feel like crud. Counterintuitively, eating more calories (or at least, a certain nessicary range, which for me is 1,000 - 1,2000) leads to greater weight loss.

I plan to maintain the 2.5 dose until I no longer feel the beneficial effects of the tirz. I know there is no "reward" for staying at a lower dose, but I see no reason to titrate up if the medicine continues to work at 2.5.

 

[tendency]

...snip

Right now, my biggest challenge is eating enough calories. I am BARELY pulling in 1,000 - 1,200 calories (mid 40s male, 200lbs). I drink A giant protein shake in the morning, and a small protein shake for lunch. Snacks include 10 - 14 slices of turkey deli meat with mustard and a cup of fat free yogurt. Dinner is almost always baked scallops and a salmon fillet or shrimp, with a heap of garlic and lemon juice.

snip...

Word to the wise: you might want to consider putting some effort into cleaning up your diet. Every calorie is extra important when you're consuming so little.

 

[Romulusguy]

UPDATE: Almost done with my 9th week on Tirz. I am still holding at 2.5MG injection per week. I have no issue titrating up, but the medicine is still working 100% and In am losing approx. 2lbs a week, so I see absolutely no reason to do so.

This morning, I weighed 195.5lbs (starting weight 9 weeks ago: 211lbs). I continue my light exercises of walking 1 - 2 miles a day (4X a week), and light weights and resistance training (3X a week). I have added Lipo-B w/ b12 and NAD+ to my stack over the past 2 weeks, which I really enjoy (warning: the lipo-c is SPICY/stings, and my NAD+ is buffered, otherwise it would also be spicy) and feel compliments the tirz very well.

Still have zero negative side effects.

 

[Estarossa19]

UPDATE: Almost done with my 9th week on Tirz. I am still holding at 2.5MG injection per week. I have no issue titrating up, but the medicine is still working 100% and In am losing approx. 2lbs a week, so I see absolutely no reason to do so.

This morning, I weighed 195.5lbs (starting weight 9 weeks ago: 211lbs). I continue my light exercises of walking 1 - 2 miles a day (4X a week), and light weights and resistance training (3X a week). I have added Lipo-B w/ b12 and NAD+ to my stack over the past 2 weeks, which I really enjoy (warning: the lipo-c is SPICY/stings, and my NAD+ is buffered, otherwise it would also be spicy) and feel compliments the tirz very well.

Still have zero negative side effects.

Great progress! What have you felt with adding the Lipo-B and NAD so far?

 

[Romulusguy]

Great progress! What have you felt with adding the Lipo-B and NAD so far?

Here is what I felt/feel:
Lipo-C: Mine came as a red liquid from my vendor. I knew going in that it would sting, and sting it does, for about 15–20 seconds, to the point where I'm pacing around cursing until it subsides. I also inject 100 units split into two 50-unit injections, so I get that experience twice per session. That said, once you know what to expect, you adapt to it quickly. I inject 3X a week. Thursday is my Tirz injection, so on Friday I inject the Lipo-C. Then Sunday. then Tuesday.

As for the effects: I feel noticeably energetic for the next few days after injecting. Whether or not this is partially psychological, I also feel like it's contributing to fat reduction. Once my 10 vials are gone, I probably won't reorder. Not because it doesn't work, but because I feel it served its purpose. It was excellent for kickstarting momentum when I was dragging my way into the second month of my Tirz journey, and I'm satisfied with where it's gotten me. I don't feel the need to continue once my supply runs out.

NAD+ (Buffered):I specifically wanted pre-buffered NAD+ and had to do some digging to find a vendor that actually had it in stock, since most only carry the unbuffered version. When it finally arrived... wow. I genuinely love this stuff. It doesn't feel like a caffeine kick or stimulant. It's more of a deep, internal energy, hard to describe precisely, but it just makes me feel alive. When I was working out, I felt stronger, better, and honestly just happier. I am currently 9 days in to a 2 week daily NAD+ injection routine. For the first week, I began at 50mg a day, after day 7 I moved up to 75mg a day, and during the last few days of this program I'll go up to 100mg. After my 20 day program, I will continue daily NAD+ injections @ 100MG, but I will take Sat and Sunday off. So essentialy, NAD+ 5 days a week.

Both Lipo-C and NAD+ have been fantastic additions to my Tirz journey, especially during those weeks when the initial bigger drops taper off into more realistic, gradual progress. If you're feeling low energy or like your Tirz has plateaued, I'd genuinely recommend giving them a try.

 

[jungletech]

Awesome you are getting results at 2.5. I am on that plus 1mg sema but might try dropping the sema temporarily.

 

[jackie.d.]

I started a 100mg lipo from a tele pharm company 1 month into my turz journey back in December. I didn't think it was doing anything and cost the same as the Tirz so I didn't reorder. As I kept titanium going on Tirz per their recommendation, I noticed that despite hitting max dose (pretty fast too at just 4 months in) i wasn't seeing any lbs lost for 2 weeks. I've been looking into gray tirz for cost and noticed some places have the lipo but got scared because I heard horror stories of people just getting colored water so I haven't ordered yet but low energy and belly fat are hitting hard. My first round of lipo didn't sing though so idk what to expect. I'm still researching forgot a place with legit COA on their lipo.

 

[Romulusguy]

UPDATE: Now 14 weeks into my tirz adventure. Here is where I started, 14 weeks ago (211lbs):



And here I am today (190lbs):





I am on 3MG (for the past 4 weeks and holding), one injection a week. 190 was my first goal weight, 180 is my next goal weight. I walk about 2 miles a day, 4 - 5 days a week, and LIGHTLY lift for an hour twice a week. I am recovering from a few injuries so heavy lifting is not possible for the moment.


I'll update with a new picture once I reach 180!

 

[Romulusguy]

6 months into my Tirz journey. 187lb, starting weight of 215. My sports injury has finally healed so I have begun cardio/lifting 4 nights a week.