Combining GLP-1 medication with behavior modification

[John316]

Thank you all for sharing your weight loss journey. I am learning a lot about Tirz and how it works.

I started this medication last Friday ( 2.5mg ). Prior to this I tried a program called Wondr health. It is comprised of behavioral modification and understanding why a person eats what and when they do with the goal of developing self awareness and self discipline around food and eating.

I did not have the self discipline to follow this Wondr health program.

Now that I am using Tirz I plan to give the behavioral modification a try again. I hope to develop better discipline.

What are your thoughts about behavior modification type diets combined with GLP-1.

 

[Vacation4us]

Didn’t need it, GLP1 is the behavior modification miracle in a bottle. At least for me. Not only does it keep me from over eating it controls my insulin levels so I am no longer storing fat all night when I sleep.

I was on a CGM prior to starting. BS went from 160-170 from 1 am until 5 am to 70-80s. Zero association with food intake. Insulin Resistance is real and keeps many people fat even when not overeating.

 

[SlimReaper]

I don't know if it fits completely, but tirz has made me stop eating greasy foods. Instead of pizza and mozzarella sticks I go for turkey blts and grilled chicken with rice. When I do choose greasy foods it has to be only a few bites.

 

[ZippityDooDah]

Didn’t need it, GLP1 is the behavior modification miracle in a bottle. At least for me. Not only does it keep me from over eating it controls my insulin levels so I am no longer storing fat all night when I sleep.

I was on a CGM prior to starting. BS went from 160-170 from 1 am until 5 am to 70-80s. Zero association with food intake. Insulin Resistance is real and keeps many people fat even when not overeating.

This.

Two things I discovered within the first couple of weeks on tirzep: 1. I lost both the desire for alcohol as well as a high tolerance for it built up over 40 years, and 2. Having to "force" myself to eat just seemed to naturally cause my food choices to become more focused on protein and healthier foods while substantially reducing my desire for carbs and sugars.

 

[John316]

Thanks. I am so new to this and want to get my thinking straight early on.

 

[mopo89]

I think for me, being on a GLP1 has made me realize I always had the capability of being self-disciplined, I just needed a little push to get me there. Now when I think about the reasons I used to binge eat or binge drink, I'm finding healthier ways to deal with them (whether it's stress or boredom) so it's kinda been medication and (self) therapy all in one.

 

[BeardedGuy]

Yes, the idea is to reset metabolism and behavior. CBT is a great path

 

[John316]

Thanks mopo. That’s good food for thought as I begin on this journey.

 

[jwillhite6]

Didn’t need it, GLP1 is the behavior modification miracle in a bottle. At least for me. Not only does it keep me from over eating it controls my insulin levels so I am no longer storing fat all night when I sleep.

I was on a CGM prior to starting. BS went from 160-170 from 1 am until 5 am to 70-80s. Zero association with food intake. Insulin Resistance is real and keeps many people fat even when not overeating.

I have been on tirz for 3 weeks blood sugar was 180- 200 and now this morning it is 131. I have also lost 14 lbs. I am a big guy though. 6'4" with a muscular build

 

[Sackett]

If I had the ability I would be my on "breaking bad" Triz UGL for personal use only. TRIZ has given me freedom from food. Detachment to eat what is healthy. No food noise or cravings. Lifetime of yoyo diets, insecurities, beach anxiety are all gone. Keep your fancy cars and second homes just let me feel good in my own skin.

 

[ZakAP]

Didn’t need it, GLP1 is the behavior modification miracle in a bottle. At least for me. Not only does it keep me from over eating it controls my insulin levels so I am no longer storing fat all night when I sleep.

I was on a CGM prior to starting. BS went from 160-170 from 1 am until 5 am to 70-80s. Zero association with food intake. Insulin Resistance is real and keeps many people fat even when not overeating.

This.
I have some type of insulin dysregulation. I can get shaky/hypo feeling at times and it is unpredictable. I have checked my BS and I will not be terribly low - sometimes 60s-70s. I have had success with eliminating this with the keto diet but I love salty potatoes too much to stay on keto forever. I got off keto and eventually the thing came back. I realized I would be scared to have that awful feeling so I would eat something say before leaving to drive somewhere or before a meeting etc etc. Well all of those unneeded calories have me gaining weight. GLP-1 has eliminated shaky/hypo feeling and the fear of feeling like crap. And also has me able to resist when there are snacks around (yes even salty potatoes).

 

[Vacation4us]

This.
I have some type of insulin dysregulation. I can get shaky/hypo feeling at times and it is unpredictable. I have checked my BS and I will not be terribly low - sometimes 60s-70s. I have had success with eliminating this with the keto diet but I love salty potatoes too much to stay on keto forever. I got off keto and eventually the thing came back. I realized I would be scared to have that awful feeling so I would eat something say before leaving to drive somewhere or before a meeting etc etc. Well all of those unneeded calories have me gaining weight. GLP-1 has eliminated shaky/hypo feeling and the fear of feeling like crap. And also has me able to resist when there are snacks around (yes even salty potatoes).

Keto was my go to diet of choice. Problem was I eventually would fail and eat carbs again. I used to say I was one vacation away from being fat again, because it was always the gateway to eating carbs. I have been on at least 6 vacations on GLP1s had a fantastic time no long term weight gain. I may not lose on trips but it does not derail my progress.

 

[ZakAP]

Keto was my go to diet of choice. Problem was I eventually would fail and eat carbs again. I used to say I was one vacation away from being fat again, because it was always the gateway to eating carbs. I have been on at least 6 vacations on GLP1s had a fantastic time no long term weight gain. I may not lose on trips but it does not derail my progress.

YES! Trips or holidays with food... It would be like one day with carbs and I would lose my progress and into carb stricken fat land I would go. I really felt great on that diet... but strangely a lot like how I feel on tirz.

 

[AJ3118]

I’ve always been active and have eaten pretty healthily (I don’t have any sort of binge eating issue, I don’t snack, I don’t take seconds). I have a prolactinoma (benign tumor on my pituitary) that causes chronic elevated prolactin, leading to metabolic issues and insulin resistance. I have made a concerted effort to lift weights since starting last October but other than that my life has largely remained the same. The medicine is the key for me.

Down from 149 to 114, went from a Large to an XS. Pant size went from 30-31 to 26-27. I’m smaller than I have ever been - before the prolactinoma I was a set weight of about 127.

Edit to add: my inflammation is down SO MUCH! I was always so puffy and within 2 weeks my face was so much slimmer even though I was only down a few pounds. One bad thing is that I finally have wrinkles on my forehead at 41 I never had a single wrinkle due to my puffiness.

 

[moonpies4misfits]

Edit to add: my inflammation is down SO MUCH! I was always so puffy and within 2 weeks my face was so much slimmer even though I was only down a few pounds. One bad thing is that I finally have wrinkles on my forehead at 41 I never had a single wrinkle due to my puffiness.

Yeah, that's one downside to losing weight for sure LOL. I'm seeing the difference in my neck now that the double chin is starting to disappear. I feel like my face looks 10 years younger than my neck But that's just genetics, most of the women in my family did good in the face wrinkle department but we all end up with a turkey neck.

 

[Galora]

Thank you all for sharing your weight loss journey. I am learning a lot about Tirz and how it works.

I started this medication last Friday ( 2.5mg ). Prior to this I tried a program called Wondr health. It is comprised of behavioral modification and understanding why a person eats what and when they do with the goal of developing self awareness and self discipline around food and eating.

I did not have the self discipline to follow this Wondr health program.

Now that I am using Tirz I plan to give the behavioral modification a try again. I hope to develop better discipline.

What are your thoughts about behavior modification type diets combined with GLP-1.

I probably have an unpopular opinion. Yes, you don't really "need" to do any behavioral & CBT stuff. GLP-1s can do a lot of the heavy lifting by fixing metabolic issues and suppressing appetite (among other things) but some people can still over eat and get pass the "ick effect". No, it's not the easy way, the cheating way. You still have to do some effort (different for each of us). For some, it's like a switch turned off and they cruise through the process. Others (like me) have to track calories. I can absolutely overeat if I'm not paying attention.

I truly think this is a medication most of us will need to take forever. But what will that forever look like? How does maintenance look like? When you lower your dose, if you haven't learned all the other things, will you really keep it off? What if you have to stop (due to unforeseen circumstances, cost, health or whatever). Many regain all the weight back. And I don't think we have to blame the food suppression for that.

I've done Noom, and while I hated it, overall some of the content was useful. Many of us have an unhealthy relationship with food. I can blame my genes, my parents, the environment, extra diseases that I got along the way and food noise and a billion more things. Some things are out of my control, but some things are. Those are the choices that I think will help you in the long run and some "behavior modification" therapy might help you understand those.

I might never truly reverse insulin resistance or my prediabetes without taking some sort of medication, and that's ok. But I can certainly learn how not to use food to cope with emotions, be more cognizant of my choices (a salad vs. a big mac) and so forth.

 

[Vacation4us]

I probably have an unpopular opinion. Yes, you don't really "need" to do any behavioral & CBT stuff. GLP-1s can do a lot of the heavy lifting by fixing metabolic issues and suppressing appetite (among other things) but some people can still over eat and get pass the "ick effect". No, it's not the easy way, the cheating way. You still have to do some effort (different for each of us). For some, it's like a switch turned off and they cruise through the process. Others (like me) have to track calories. I can absolutely overeat if I'm not paying attention.

I truly think this is a medication most of us will need to take forever. But what will that forever look like? How does maintenance look like? When you lower your dose, if you haven't learned all the other things, will you really keep it off? What if you have to stop (due to unforeseen circumstances, cost, health or whatever). Many regain all the weight back. And I don't think we have to blame the food suppression for that.

I've done Noom, and while I hated it, overall some of the content was useful. Many of us have an unhealthy relationship with food. I can blame my genes, my parents, the environment, extra diseases that I got along the way and food noise and a billion more things. Some things are out of my control, but some things are. Those are the choices that I think will help you in the long run and some "behavior modification" therapy might help you understand those.

I might never truly reverse insulin resistance or my prediabetes without taking some sort of medication, and that's ok. But I can certainly learn how not to use food to cope with emotions, be more cognizant of my choices (a salad vs. a big mac) and so forth.

All true my dear brother has type 2 diabetes and has been on Mounjaro for more than a year. He’s only down 10 lbs, he fully admits that he likes to eat and drink too much for the meds to stop him. The good news is his A1C is controlled for the first time.

 

[MingHenry]

Thank you all for sharing your weight loss journey. I am learning a lot about Tirz and how it works.

I started this medication last Friday ( 2.5mg ). Prior to this I tried a program called Wondr health. It is comprised of behavioral modification and understanding why a person eats what and when they do with the goal of developing self awareness and self discipline around food and eating.

I did not have the self discipline to follow this Wondr health program.

Now that I am using Tirz I plan to give the behavioral modification a try again. I hope to develop better discipline.

What are your thoughts about behavior modification type diets combined with GLP-1.

I think that if self-discipline, lack of understanding of food triggers, emotional eating, etc. have been issues in your life, then I think absolutely you should try behavior modification again while on tirz. Because at some point, no matter how high your doses go up over your journey on tirz, you will reach your goal weight and you will be in the much-tougher phase of maintenance, where you have to figure out how to lower your dose, and HOW TO EAT when there is more natural hunger again. This is the perfect time to get those underlying issues - whatever they may be - under control, so when you do reach your goal weight, you have the tools, that you've learned and honed over this journey, well in hand. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[John316]

Thank you MingHenry. I am thinking the same things. Tirz is making weight loss much easier. In the past I lost a lot of weight fast by just simply not eating. I didn’t have blood sugar issues to worry about then like I do now.
That way of losing weight was very unhealthy but I tolerated it and lived to tell about it.

On this journey I want to learn about those triggers. I need to do things differently this time.

 

[MingHenry]

Thank you MingHenry. I am thinking the same things. Tirz is making weight loss much easier. In the past I lost a lot of weight fast by just simply not eating. I didn’t have blood sugar issues to worry about then like I do now.
That way of losing weight was very unhealthy but I tolerated it and lived to tell about it.

On this journey I want to learn about those triggers. I need to do things differently this time.

I think that's great and so smart! It's really the perfect time to explore yourself and your reasons, be they physical, mental, emotional, etc. - because right now the tirz is keeping your hunger in check, hunger isn't gnawing away at you, the compulsion for whatever reason to eat is absent, the food noise, if you have that, has been silenced, so figuring yourself out, giving yourself all the tools you can, to understand the whys, how to become aware of them, would be wonderful. Note, that experiencing real hunger on tirz is a good thing - you do want to eat, to focus on eating the right things - stay away from all the crap, and the hunger will intensify, and if you have food noise, it may come return, hopefully quieter, but those two elements, along with long stalls, can be an indicator that it is time to move up in dose. The issues you want to address with behavior modification aren't my issues, but I will say I could never lose a pound for very long until tirz, and now I eat far more on tirz than I ever did before it.