It’s been, give or take a few days (and nearly 2 months [I wrote this beginning of May, oops.]), two years since I started on GLP-1s. Things have been really slow since January—I’ve been fluctuating up and down 3 to 4 pounds since then, but in a (very slow) downward direction. Getting my exercise space cleaned up makes a bit of a difference—and it’s currently got several bins sitting there. Also, there was some stress about a minor surgery—removal of a benign endometrial polyp—that probably played a bit of a role, too.
So, after two years, how’s it going? Well, here are photos from each year, plus the year before, which was when I first started seeing my endocrinologist. That first year was the attempt and appeals for insurance to cover, which nope, and then two years ago basically saying fuck it and paying for it myself. I managed to lose maybe 5, at a stretch possibly 10, between 2023 and 2024. Honestly not sure how I managed that because I didn’t make changes. For all I know, it was less stress at the possibility of something that might actually work.
Like I said before, for me, Wegovy sucked. Zepbound hasn’t, as much, and I saw more results. I’ve been on 15 mg since mid-March 2025.
I had blood work done in March, and it’s the best I’ve had. Total cholesterol has always been up and down, sometimes high, sometimes on the high side of normal. It’s gone down progressively for the past three years and is at a point that if it went back up, it wouldn’t immediately be too high. HDL is lower than preferred, but it always has been, and there’s not much to do about that. LDL is also down. Triglycerides—that number has more ups and downs than a rollercoaster. It’s been as high as 430 (over ten years ago) and as low as 123. I’ve been on prescription fish oil and fenofibrate without either seeming to make any kind of impact. Most recent bloodwork, it’s at 106. A year ago it was 168.
I cannot honestly say how much is GLP-1 and weight loss, because I was put on a statin around February 2025, and no bloodwork to see where things were. Bloodwork before the statin was November 2024, and no bloodwork after until May 2025. So who knows.
A1C only ever got up to 5.7—which is borderline. (Found older numbers since I wrote this–it was once 6.1 in 2010.) But that’s only happened four (five) times the past twenty years. Lowest until now was 5.1. Now, it’s at 5.
The insulin panels have been for different tests, so I can’t really say how that’s done. I just know that overall, it’s been high. Endocrinologist does an insulin resistance panel, which is good, but that’s only been done three times, and the second was not fasting so it was quite high. So I can really only go by the first test and the most recent. Which, there is improvement, but still a ways to go to be in the normal range. And insulin/insulin resistance is really what I’m going by because it’s what really needs to be fixed.
Since I’ve started these meds, I’ve seen lots of posts/videos pop up on various platforms of people losing weight and how they go about doing it. Something I noticed is that there are a lot who seem to feel the need to indicate that their weight loss was done “naturally” and not using any other methods. And I’ve seen “But you didn’t do it naturally.” “You cheated.” said to people who’ve used GLP-1s, as if it’s an indictment against them, or that they’ve taken the easy/lazy route.
Except that it’s not a shortcut, not for everybody. Do some people do that? I’m sure they do. Some people always want quick and easy, without doing the work.
People like me, though? No. We’ve done the work. Tried the calorie deficit, low carb diets, low fat diets, diet pills, cardio exercise, and so forth. And despite all of that, no, or little, weight loss. Sometimes, it’s not even just no loss, it’s a gain. That then will not go away.
I’ve been trying to get my body healthy (note—I specifically say healthy, not skinny, because that’s been my focus) for over twenty years. I did pretty well with exercising consistently for a couple years, then I got bronchitis, and there’s been ups and downs, but overall, I generally do good. Same with diet. I eat decently most of the time and don’t overdo snacking or fast food and such. I know my triggers, which foods I eat mindlessly while snacking, and which of those will have a notable effect. Better Cheddars? I can eat an entire box without realizing. So, I don’t buy them often, and when I do, I usually opt for something else. Not always because I want to, but because it’s the better option. Popcorn—also a mindless snack, but not as noticeable effect. But not something I choose much because the kernels got stuck between my teeth, and it’s a tossup if flossing will set off my gag reflex (mentioned before, happens more/easier as a GLP-1 side effect).
But again, despite all this, making better choices, doing better, whatever, nothing worked.
See this graph? How it’s overall consistently very little change until a steep drop? That’s a graph of my weight, almost daily, since 2011. That drop is when I started GLP-1s.
Sometimes, you need help.