How I Lost 30 LBS on Tirzepatide and Why I'd Strongly Recommend It.
Tirzepatide vs Semaglutide for weight loss: Is one better than the other? Do they both work?
If you are struggling to lose weight and trying to decide between tirzepatide vs semaglutide for weight loss, this blog post will help you, I promise. I’ll share my personal experience losing weight on tirzepatide and share what I know about close friends using semaglutide as well.
For years, I battled with stubborn weight I could not lose, despite my best efforts at dieting and intense workouts. Like many women over 35 struggling with weight loss, I felt trapped in a body that didn’t reflect my dedication to fitness. That all changed when I discovered tirzepatide, a game-changing medication that FINALLY helped me shed 30 pounds and reclaim my health.
In this post, I’ll share my personal experience overcoming insulin resistance and my success with tirzepatide. I’ll compare tirzepatide vs. semaglutide for weight loss, explaining why tirzepatide has become my preferred choice. You’ll learn about my experiences with the keto diet, hormone replacement therapy, and ultimately, how tirzepatide broke through my weight loss plateau.
If you’re a woman in your mid-30s or beyond, fighting an uphill battle with weight loss, this story is for you. I’ve been where you are – hiding behind black clothes, feeling frustrated by the scale, and wondering why even your best efforts seem futile. But there’s hope, and I’m living proof that with the right approach, you can achieve your weight loss goals and transform your life.
Join me as I reveal the emotional and physical challenges I faced, the solutions I discovered, and the incredible results I achieved with tirzepatide. Whether you’re considering weight loss medications or simply seeking inspiration for your own journey, my experience might just be the insight you need to take that crucial next step.
My Weight Loss Journey: The Struggle Bus
I chose to share some random photos of myself above to illustrate a big part of my weight loss story. I shared above — and if you’ve been following me a while you already know this, but I have been a “fitness fanatic” for YEARS actually decades. I’ve been doing all the right things, eating in a caloric deficit and working out probably 5-6x a week, many time periods I’d be working out 2x a day (not joking sadly) and yet, I was overweight. I would not weigh myself because I was terrified of what the number on the scale would say. In my head I had this magical number of like 110 or something ludicrous I wanted to weigh…..maybe 125. (I’m 5’5) but I feared I was closer to 150-155. You’ll see some common threads in the photos of me over the years above. I wore all black ALL THE TIME. Any woman who knows anything about fashion knows we wear black to camouflage ourselves and make ourselves look less big. You’ll even see I included photos where I was speaking at a Fitness Magazine event next to my uber-fit friend Carla– and I’m wearing a BLACK SHAWL on top of my Ann Taylor black pants with probably Spanx underneath. I was ALWAYS hiding my middle and hiding my butt and thighs. Embarrassed by my body. And I’d be hot wherever I went but I didn’t care, because I’d rather be covering up my FAT than having people see my body and be body-temperature comfortable!! You’ll see the photo of me in a dress and my wedding dress photo– my boobs in recent years, when my estrogen situation got bad — got REALLY BIG, like I went up a bra size to 38DD! My wedding day I was busting out of my dress….I was horrified. In the photo of me where I have jeans on and a black blazer: that was a photoshoot for my blog– and those jeans were so tight and I had on a spanx type thing up top but if you look closely you can see how thick my torso was and my calves could barely fit into my boots….I was so inflamed….and busting out of my top. I remember all these photos and yet– during all these times I was dieting, going to Lifetime Fitness doing an hour of cardio plus an hour of weights and NOT LOSING A POUND. I’d hired trainers and nutritionists….I got on BHRT back in 2015 and although my hormones got better– no weight loss of any significance occurred.
I felt like an alien. I really did. Can you blame me?
Can you relate?
Above are more random and HORRIBLE QUALITY photos from over the years– I mean, folks, some of these are from my BLACKBERRY back in the day– LOL!! But I wanted to show you how long I’ve been working so damn hard to try to lose weight and being stuck in a body going the opposite direction!!!! Ha- one of these photos was taken with an actual CAMERA that is funny. I digress. I have so many photos like this but you can see how I got bigger and was gaining fat and my expression tells it all. The photos with me in the dark pink workout top are in Austin in 2017 I think…that’s before my doctor put me on HCG. Yes I even did the HCG diet with the injections— I was doing 500-600 calories a day for about 12 weeks, my body composition changed for sure but guess what?
I lost 2lbs on the scale.
2 POUNDS in 12 weeks on 500 calories a day.
Friends…that’s a body where something is not right.
I recall not wanting to know what I weighed of course but I saw on my chart that I’d gone from 161 to 159. I was horrified.
This was my history.
My KETO Weight Loss Breakthrough
After years of struggle, I was overjoyed when I switched functional medicine doctors and in 2021, begrudgingly started the keto diet. I had to throw in that I was very skeptical about the keto diet and frankly was worried what people would think about me– how silly. My doctor told me it would be ideal for my insulin resistance and inflammation. Turns out she was right. I lost 36 inches and about 30LBS! I have a TON of blog posts and videos that I’ve published on the topic, I’ll share links at the bottom of the post. By no means as I write this post am I negating my experience with KETO. Not at all!
What happened that brought me to Tirzepatide then?? Read on. But let me say here very clearly…I am still a strong advocate for using the keto diet for weight loss especially if you’d tried traditional diet/working out methods and they’ve failed, and you have insulin resistance.
Keto works GREAT and I’ll be bold and say that “my way” of doing keto is what allowed me to lose weight easily and effortlessly and I stayed keto for a year and a half my friends…no cheating!! So– when I say, if you want to go keto and be able to enjoy life and enjoy what you eat while losing weight on the keto diet….check out my keto cookbook and my keto bootcamp course….I mean for $50 you can get both and have a TON of recipes/meals and understand how to do keto like I did (which is far easier more flexible by the way).
JUST sayin.
When Keto Stopped Working. Oh No.
So what ended up bringing me to using Tirzepatide?
I reached my goal weight with keto and had been maintaining it for a year and a half. I wanted to start lifting heavy again, since I’d not been working out while on keto (not planned).
I consulted with my doc about how to eat so I could support my training: she said you must start eating carbs, and besides, “keto is not a diet to be on FOR THE LONG-TERM….”. She told me to expect to gain about 7-9lbs right away and that it would be water weight but that it would stay on as long I was eating carbs etc.
She said, “if you end up getting disappointed in any weight gain, you can just go back on keto, because you know it works for you….”
Dang. I wish I had not trusted that. I also wish I had 1) weighed and measured myself during the time I began to change my diet so drastically 2) counted my calories and macros.
I gained about 1/2 the weight I lost back. Yea.
Then I went back on keto to lose it…..and suddenly, keto did not work for me. Suddenly, it’s like I was Cinderella, back in the cellar with the mice. I was back in my old body where nothing worked again.
Absolute nightmare.
Why I Chose Tirzepatide.
After many days of panic, I found a new doctor and consulted with him about my situation. Ironically, it was my therapist who had first suggested (when she would hear me complain about how upset I was that I’d gained weight back and couldn’t lose it) that I try tirzepatide…she was on it and had lost 25lbs and was a big advocate for it. When my doctor explained to me that these peptides aren’t just about making you eat less because you feel full faster (which does happen, don’t get me wrong)– but it will make your insulin work better (I’m paraphrasing)– I said sign me up. I had no intention of signing up for something that merely decreased my appetite. I knew that wasn’t my problem. My husband knew I didn’t have a overeating problem- and I’d conquered my binge eating/emotional eating problems from years back quite some time ago.
How does Tirzepatide work with insulin resistance, anyway?
Here’s how it works:
Tirzepatide acts like a key that fits into specific locks (receptors) on your cells. When it activates these receptors – specifically the GLP-1 and GIP receptors – it sets off a chain reaction that helps your body manage blood sugar more effectively.
One of Tirzepatide’s clever tricks is encouraging your pancreas to release more insulin, but only when your blood sugar is rising. It’s not just blindly increasing insulin levels – it’s responding to what your body needs in the moment.
Lastly, Tirzepatide mimics two important hormones in your body: GLP-1 and GIP. By imitating these hormones, it helps increase insulin production and lower blood sugar levels.
In essence, Tirzepatide works behind the scenes to help regulate your insulin and blood sugar levels. For many of us struggling with insulin resistance, it can be a game-changer in our health journey.
You can see why I was happy to dive in and try this. And I can tell you that ever since I got on this drug (I hate saying that, “drug”, but whatever), my life has been different. I’ve reached my lowest weight in my adult life effortlessly with slow steady weight loss- and without having to cut all the carbs like I was on keto.
Personally, I feel so much better in so many other areas (stomach issues) that I plan to stay on this for the long-term.
Tirzepatide vs. Semaglutide
So, to share the difference between the 2 peptides, I’m going to quote some official sources vs. trying to explain my words since I’m no doctor. 😉
“Tirzepatide works by targeting the dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, making it the first weight loss and diabetes care medication that targets 2 receptor agonists.”
“..tirzepatide targets both the GLP 1 and the GIP receptor agonist. But, semaglutide works by mimicking only the GLP 1 receptor agonist, which is produced by your gut after you eat, to signal to the brain that you’re full.”
Source: Juniper UK Health Hub
My PERSONAL experience has only been on Tirzepatide. I personally know of 2 other women who started on semaglutide and got stalled and switched to tirzepatide and then were able to lose weight. I do not think though that this means you have to always start with Tirzepatide. Just something to consider if you stall. Worth switching.
Don't Let Yourself Be Fooled & Scammed
One thing I have to point out in a big way if you are at this point- frustrated with your weight loss journey and thinking about Tirzepatide or Semaglutide — you are bound to see some ADS by some semi-big brands suggesting that bio-identical hormonal replacement treatment is the answer INSTEAD OF these weight loss peptides. Speaking from first hand experience I can tell you- getting on BHRT Is by no means a guarantee that your weight will drop off. I WISH!! I got on BHRT in 2015 and I have still struggled. Getting your hormones balanced with help the efficacy of these peptides without a doubt and NOT having your hormones balanced will likely mean you’ll have a harder time with them working for you.
Secondly– You’ll likely be exposed to a bunch of ABSURD personal trainers or dietitians online putting out RIDICULOUS content like “Well ….Ozempic works to help you lose weight by making you feel full!! Guess what else makes you feel full? FIBER!! So — having more fruit is the SAME THING AS OZEMPIC!”
No. It’s not.
That’s like saying $1 bill is the same thing as a $100 bill because they are both printed on the same paper and can be used to buy things.
SMH.
First– I’m more than happy to answer any questions you might have about my past weight loss challenges, about keto weight loss, about what happened before I got on Tirzepatide, what my days look like now on Tirzepatide (I’m putting together a free download I’ll publish in the coming weeks– be sure you are subscribed below!) , really, anything. Ask away in the comments.
And I am so happy that I have found for you a NATIONAL telemedicine partner — IVY RX— where you can get your Semaglutide or Tirzepatide and pay the best rates and get great fast shipping. One of the things I was worried about when I knew I was going to share my story was– where could I send people to connect with a doctor in their area to get this prescribed for them?
With IVY RX you connect directly with a doctor online who will tell you if you are eligible and then prescribe what’s best for you and it’s shipped to your door. BAM. Can’t get much better than that.
If you are already on Semaglutide or Tirzepatide you may want to shop here, as you can likely save some money by getting your peptides here. My 2 friends are saving over $200 a month.
So, are you going to join me?
About IVY RX
(From their website) Founded by a passionate group of medical professionals, scientists, and beauty enthusiasts, IVY RX set out to empower individuals in taking control of their aging journey, one click at a time.
At IVY RX, we recognized that aging was an experience that transcended outward appearance. As we grow older, we encounter changes in our energy levels, metabolism, hair, skin, and even intimate aspects of our lives. Our mission is to to address these changes holistically, creating solutions that not only target external signs of aging but also promote overall well-being.
IVY RX provides a comprehensive, holistic product lineup addressing age-related concerns with science-backed ingredients, including NAD+ supplementation for energy revitalization and weight loss solutions. Recognizing the importance of sexual health in overall wellness, we offer discreet, personalized erectile dysfunction treatments. Additionally, we focus on promoting healthy hair and radiant skin as hallmarks of youthfulness, utilizing the power of nature and science to create products that strengthen hair and reveal a glowing complexion.
We’re passionate about providing easy access to personalized healthcare because we know that every individual is unique. Through our online platform, you can consult with medical professionals and access tailor-made solutions that cater to your specific needs. Our commitment to convenience and affordability ensures that the highest quality care is always within reach.
As a direct-to-consumer brand, IVY RX places immense value on our relationship with our customers. We listen to your stories and feedback, and strive to continuously innovate and enhance our products and services. We envision a future where aging is embraced, and our holistic approach empowers you to live a vibrant, fulfilling life at any age.
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