Friend with extreme fatigue - advice

[peptidepower77]

I have a friend who is male and was about 305 lbs. For years he's struggled to lose weight and never been able to. It took him about six months to finally commit to it, but he started Mounjaro. He's about 8 weeks in, and he's down to about 278 lbs, which I look at as really good loss.

Despite that, he's unhappy with how slow it's going. Ever day he wakes up and it doesn't move, he sort of hints about just giving up. I try to tell him the math, but he still thinks it will take too long. I know if he quits he'll likely balloon back up again, which I know was making him depressed before.

On top of that, he complains all the time about this crippling fatigue he has with Mounjaro. He says he's unable to work properly, or even enjoy his life. I have no doubt he's experiencing something real, but he also complains that going to the gym 'hurts' and so he doesn't like doing it. I just worry that he's convinced himself of how bad these side effects are and he's making his situation worse.

At the end of the day whatever he decides is his decision, but any advice I can give him to try and help with his fatigue or to make him realize it's not a race and it'll take time? We've been friends for 35 years and his dad basically died of heart disease due to obesity. I'm worried if he doesn't see this through his fate will be the same. If you have any advice I'd appreciate it.

 

[BooneDonk]

You have raised several valid points that I’m sure your friend has heard or even seen before. It’s much easier to do nothing but buy bigger clothes. Food is great! We have just gotten accustomed to portions that are waaaaay too big. I’ve never met a carbohydrate I didn’t get along with. I understood that change was not going to come until I did my part. Does Reta help me? Absolutely. Did cutting back from 10-12 drinks a night to 2 or 3? Absolutely. Does choosing a protein shake over ice cream before bed help? For sure. We have to do our part. Also, YOU can’t help anyone who doesn’t want to help themselves. Providing a good example and living the life is what your friend needs. If he follows, that’s up to him. All you can do is your part by being a good friend and being there when they are ready.

 

[MsGizmo]

he complains all the time about this crippling fatigue he has with Mounjaro.

he also complains that going to the gym 'hurts' and so he doesn't like doing it.

Maybe switch to sema or reta for the fatigue, heck even mix the 2, I'm taking 1mg of each and doing fine with it. I would highly recommend taking KLOW for the pain. I started at 334 and am down to 308. Most of that weight loss was strictly from the sema. I just started the reta 3 days ago. The KLOW has eliminated my back pain and greatly improved the pain in my knees.

 

[peptidepower77]

Maybe switch to sema or reta for the fatigue, heck even mix the 2, I'm taking 1mg of each and doing fine with it. I would highly recommend taking KLOW for the pain. I started at 334 and am down to 308. Most of that weight loss was strictly from the sema. I just started the reta 3 days ago. The KLOW has eliminated my back pain and greatly improved the pain in my knees.

Thanks. It was hard enough to get the guy to inject himself with one thing, I can't imagine the stink he'd throw if it were two! Haha. But I'll suggest some stuff to him.

 

[vewdew34]

Some days I don't feel like going to the Gym also but I do it, and I have fatigue and I don't want to quit but sometimes I think about stopping it all but I wont.

 

[vewdew34]

Your friend needs motivation but when people only think about fun and no work its easy to quit.

 

[jc5u2]

Not saying it's not the triz, but has he ruled out other causes for fatigue?
vitamin B12, vitamin D, ferritin, anemia, electrolytes, hypothyroidism, poor sleep/sleep apnea, depression

 

[MsGizmo]

Thanks. It was hard enough to get the guy to inject himself with one thing, I can't imagine the stink he'd throw if it were two! Haha. But I'll suggest some stuff to him.

Pfft. I do 7 shots a week. People with diabetes have to constantly poke themselves. Its not that bad .. heck, the back pain I had was MUCH worse than the 5 shots a week I take for the KLOW. And the KLOW shot has the potential to burn sometimes.

 

[vewdew34]

Pfft. I do 7 shots a week. People with diabetes have to constantly poke themselves. Its not that bad .. heck, the back pain I had was MUCH worse than the 5 shots a week I take for the KLOW. And the KLOW shot has the potential to burn sometimes.

What is your dosage for Klow?

 

[MsGizmo]

What is your dosage for Klow?

My whole schedule:

Sunday - Sema 1mg, KLOW 2.5mg
Monday - KLOW 2.5mg
Tuesday - KLOW 2.5mg
Wednesday - Reta 1mg, KLOW 2.5mg
Thursday - KLOW 2.5mg
Friday - Nothing
Saturday - Nothing

 

[PhoenixPalmer]

He’s actually making great progress. I’d remind him it’s not supposed to happen overnight, and slow, steady loss is what sticks. The fatigue could be from the meds, but also from his body adjusting. Consistency matters way more than speed.

 

[keangkong]

I have a friend who is male and was about 305 lbs. For years he's struggled to lose weight and never been able to. It took him about six months to finally commit to it, but he started Mounjaro. He's about 8 weeks in, and he's down to about 278 lbs, which I look at as really good loss.

Despite that, he's unhappy with how slow it's going. Ever day he wakes up and it doesn't move, he sort of hints about just giving up. I try to tell him the math, but he still thinks it will take too long. I know if he quits he'll likely balloon back up again, which I know was making him depressed before.

On top of that, he complains all the time about this crippling fatigue he has with Mounjaro. He says he's unable to work properly, or even enjoy his life. I have no doubt he's experiencing something real, but he also complains that going to the gym 'hurts' and so he doesn't like doing it. I just worry that he's convinced himself of how bad these side effects are and he's making his situation worse.

At the end of the day whatever he decides is his decision, but any advice I can give him to try and help with his fatigue or to make him realize it's not a race and it'll take time? We've been friends for 35 years and his dad basically died of heart disease due to obesity. I'm worried if he doesn't see this through his fate will be the same. If you have any advice I'd appreciate it.

I kept complaining about the fatigure I felt with tirzepatide. The doctors universally said it had nothing to do with the medicine. However, when I reduced the dosage, the fatigue went away.

I'm currently on reta and tirzepatide. For me, and many folks, reta increases energy. I should note that many folks get fatigued on reta too.

 

[peptidepower77]

Pfft. I do 7 shots a week. People with diabetes have to constantly poke themselves. Its not that bad .. heck, the back pain I had was MUCH worse than the 5 shots a week I take for the KLOW. And the KLOW shot has the potential to burn sometimes.

Yah I get it, but not everyone likes shots. It took him six months to even try a Mounjaro shot, I don't think he'll be inclined to try injecting more stuff. But thanks.

 

[TooBigtoFail]

I suggest a blood test first. Get a baseline on all the bad numbers and get a reality check.
Read up on Sema, Tirz, and Reta literature to ensure he does not have a pre existing condition.

Are Rybelsus tablets available as grey? I have switched to Pen's for the cost reduction, etc, etc. May be a selling point if needles are an issue. Yes, Triz took out 20% of my energy in the first 6 months. And possibly moody also. I did 0 exercise. Too risky for my condition.

I did cut a lot of comfort food. Hard, but they are partly to blame for the 'feel tired' excuse. Add proteins. The energy came back slowly as I am now able to move around and do activities without back pain, knee pain, high BP, etc. After 40-50lbs, life became easier. Slowly adding physical activities.

I can understand the mental issue about giving up on weight reduction. At 1-2# a week, its a long journey (and money). Is similar to smokers: hard to stop when the folks around you enjoy life, in your face reminders, while you are internally craving everything, going mad. I was always obese, but the slim one compared to the rest of my family. "you need to eat" mentality. Find out his biggest pain points.

You may need help from friends and family to tell him he looks better. That they care. Positive feedback. Some folks need more encouragement than others. I am not a psychologist and not a reference on how to motivate people. Its a skill on its own.

 

[peptidepower77]

I suggest a blood test first. Get a baseline on all the bad numbers and get a reality check.
Read up on Sema, Tirz, and Reta literature to ensure he does not have a pre existing condition.

Are Rybelsus tablets available as grey? I have switched to Pen's for the cost reduction, etc, etc. May be a selling point if needles are an issue. Yes, Triz took out 20% of my energy in the first 6 months. And possibly moody also. I did 0 exercise. Too risky for my condition.

I did cut a lot of comfort food. Hard, but they are partly to blame for the 'feel tired' excuse. Add proteins. The energy came back slowly as I am now able to move around and do activities without back pain, knee pain, high BP, etc. After 40-50lbs, life became easier. Slowly adding physical activities.

I can understand the mental issue about giving up on weight reduction. At 1-2# a week, its a long journey (and money). Is similar to smokers: hard to stop when the folks around you enjoy life, in your face reminders, while you are internally craving everything, going mad. I was always obese, but the slim one compared to the rest of my family. "you need to eat" mentality. Find out his biggest pain points.

You may need help from friends and family to tell him he looks better. That they care. Positive feedback. Some folks need more encouragement than others. I am not a psychologist and not a reference on how to motivate people. Its a skill on its own.

Thanks. Yah I just would like for him to see this through, for his sake. I know he'd feel a lot better if he lost 50 lbs. I also know if he quits he'll climb back up to 300+ again, and he's depressed at that weight. It's a hard spot to be in, and I'm doing what I can I think to help him. I even bought some greys for him to help him save money. But he seems pretty unmotivated at this point, and almost looking for a rip cord to pull.

 

[vewdew34]

Thanks. Yah I just would like for him to see this through, for his sake. I know he'd feel a lot better if he lost 50 lbs. I also know if he quits he'll climb back up to 300+ again, and he's depressed at that weight. It's a hard spot to be in, and I'm doing what I can I think to help him. I even bought some greys for him to help him save money. But he seems pretty unmotivated at this point, and almost looking for a rip cord to pull.

You're a good friend than you should have a really good conversation with him and try to make him realize that the older he gets the worse it will be. I smoked for 30 years and I quit cold turkey, I quit drinking, and now I am loosing weight not that I am 300 Lbs, but at my age and retiring early at 60 I want to be more fit to be able to move around without stopping to grasp for air.
In my line of work I see a lot from obese to drug users 90% want help but they all quit, 4% start a program and quit and a good 6% actually archive goals.
Your friend needs a reality check some tough love and motivation, nothing in this world comes easy we need to fight for it.

 

[MsGizmo]

You're a good friend than you should have a really good conversation with him and try to make him realize that the older he gets the worse it will be. I smoked for 30 years and I quit cold turkey, I quit drinking, and now I am loosing weight not that I am 300 Lbs, but at my age and retiring early at 60 I want to be more fit to be able to move around without stopping to grasp for air.
In my line of work I see a lot from obese to drug users 90% want help but they all quit, 4% start a program and quit and a good 6% actually archive goals.
Your friend needs a reality check some tough love and motivation, nothing in this world comes easy we need to fight for it.

Oh no kidding. I wish I would have had access to this right after I had my kids. Maybe it could have prevented a whole lot of the damage this extra weight did to me. Not just physically but to my mental state as well.