Keep going in right direction Buzz.

This might sound boring. But I meal prep for lunch Monday-Friday/Saturday.

It’s very simple, Turkey Chili. Two pounds of ground Turkey. Sometimes I do 1 pound of beef 93/7 or venison and 1 pound Turkey.
Chili kit, can of garbanzo, can of green beans, can of tomatoes, can of corn, can of tomato sauce.

It’s about 2800 calories for 6 servings. About 500 calories for lunch. Or dinner.

Any update here?

While not at your stage I had to loose some weight. Cut out most of the sugar in my diet and switched to bourbon instead of beer.
Down 25 lbs right now, 2 sizes at least in clothes.
Still eating about the same but smaller portions.
Got back into the gym ad well, kind of.

Good luck sir.

I will call myself out.

I have always been 'husky'; the stereotypical offensive lineman. Kinda prided myself on being the big guy - although the last few years it has been a self-deprecating joke to beat others to the punchline. Broke 200 as a freshman in HS. Graduated HS at 275, broke three bills as a freshman in college and peaked at 326 playing rugby at 24. Since then I danced with that weight (in my head at least - in actuality it was a gradual gain I talked myself into thinking it wasn't happening). In May I was 43 and looking at a shirt with FIVE Xs in my closet and nothing to wear.

It was my fault; I never stopped eating (and drinking) like a 22 year old lineman and after college/rugby I worked out like a dead person.

Fortunately, mild sleep apnea and moderate to high blood pressure in the low 140s over mid 80s was the worst of my side effects to date. I have gone up and down several times over the years, but the general trend is weight gain to an unacceptable level. I will never forget being in my closet trying to put on jeans and breaking a sweat pulling boots on in May. Hell, last Fall I had to buy new camo in 4x.

I crested 360 in March; 364 to be exact and not too long after I started watching this thread. After some info from members on here (big thanks, Bobo), and consulting with my doctor, I started Semaglutide as a crutch to help get things back in order.

Today, I am wearing a shirt with (only) 2x's in it. Yesterday I wore a belt from Polo that I had given up on in 2008 (why I had a belt for 15 years in my closet over multiple moves is beyond me) - granted it was on the last notch, but I got the MF'er on! This morning I am within one pound of where I was in 2004; two decades ago. I still have a long way to go to get to "healthy" but it feels so much better already. I owe it to my 3 boys to be a better example of healthy living.

I am trying to give myself 'treats' as I hit significant milestones. I was drawn for Colorado archery elk this fall. If I can get under 300 by the Texas dove opener, I will go try to stick a bull with an arrow.

What's even better is my wife is doing this right along side me and I am so proud of her; she looks as youthful as the day we met.

That's awesome HuntnFly67, congrats and keep it up.

I'm not the type of guy that shares private info and I also hesitate to take any medication, but I got something to add here that may help other folks out... so here it goes. Like a lot of folks I was real active and ate and drank anything I wanted through my 20s and stayed thin. 6'4" around 225# with very little body fat. Well, real world came around and we had two kids 13 months apart from each other when we were around 30 yo. There are only so many hours in a day, and between work and being a dad and taking time to workout I could only do two. Started slowly gaining weight, sometimes dieting along the way, and definitely screwing up my metabolism.

A few years ago I hit a breaking point at 300# even though I was working out 10 hours a week. I counted calories and stuck to a 1,500 a day diet. Tried to eat a balanced diet and all that. Worked well for the first month and lost 15#. But, for the next two months I stuck to it and my weight loss stopped. Talk about frustrating. So for those that think being overweight is just a lack of self control, you're wrong. I do admit getting to that point should have been handled and prevented, but once you're there you can get stuck. Your body does anything it can to keep you at your weight. The other factor here is that food is different from drug and alcohol addictions. You HAVE to have some food to survive. It's like making an alcoholic drink one beer a day. Good luck maintaining that.

At the end of last summer my daughter graduated college and it was in those pictures that I didn't recognize the lard arse I was looking at. It's funny how I've always been that way. In my mind's eye or even when I'm looking in the mirror I didn't see it, but for some reason pictures always hit home. Not sure why that is, but my wife and I decided something had to give. She has a work colleague that told here about a drug similar to Ozempic called Mounjaro. She had a lot of good things to say so my wife researched the heck out of it and decided to try it. At the time, there was a coupon so it only cost $25 a month even for the off label use for weight loss. After a month of seeing how my wife's appetite dropped along with her weight, I figured I'd try. Since I started last October I've lost 60#. I haven't noticed the drop in appetite that my wife has had, but it definitely is doing something. I do feel less impulsive to go out to eat for sure. I also used to be that guy that if I'm drinking one beer I'm drinking 12. Don't feel that way any more. The benefit I see is that I can eat a lower calorie diet, even be a little hungry, and my metabolism doesn't shut down. The only issue I've had with it is that on shot day I don't usually sleep as well. Speaking of sleep... an odd thing happened immediately when we started before losing a single pound. We both stopped snoring. I have no idea why or how, but we did.

The coupon expired this month and I have about two months left. I don't have but maybe 10# I could lose from here. I've got ribs showing and veins popping up I haven't seen in 20+ years LOL. Now we have to figure out what to do from here. Most folks that run the year cycle and go cold turkey rebound big time. Their appetite goes nuts and they gain a lot of weight back quickly. We're considering going the compounded route at a maintenance dose to try to prevent that from happening. There's a lot of research that talks about resetting your body's set point. Basically, if you can keep the weight off for a year or two, you're body's default weight gets reset so it won't fight you to maintain it. The stuff ain't cheap, but we feel better than we have in a loooong time and don't want to go back. Hopefully in the near future the newer classes of drugs, which are right around the corner, will be covered at least partially by insurance.

big bucks if you're not diabetic. our government doesn't think morbid obesity is a disease.

Hell Ya!!!!! That a boy!! Time to go kick the [censored] out of the mountains and get a bugling Archery bull on the wall right next to last years!!!!

its just one foot in front of the other,

For those using Semaglutide and live in Fort Worth area...... Who compounds injectables in the FW area?

How quickly does this stuff work? First shot impact?

i cant afford it. it works. just have a plan what you are going to do after you quit taking it.

I can't afford the real deal, but the compounded version is much less

THIS 100%!!

I started at a relatively low dose and worked my way up. I stopped temporarily in late Oct / early Nov for a couple of weeks just to see what it was like with only walking. I gained 15-20#s back FAST. My cravings were ridiculous. After the reset, as of this morning I am down 48 since July. Total #s lost since July 63-68#s, if you count the bounce.

I will say, it has been really fun to get back into clothes and camo that I haven't been able to wear in years.

I am going to stay with it through this summer and get with a nutritionist in 2024 to help ween myself off and keep the food intake in check.

Good feedback.

Trying to figure out how hard the first shot will hit me. Should I wait until after holidays? Or does it need to build up?

not hard

Just remember the biggest issue is muscle loss.

A) you need to exercise
b) since your appetite will be 1/2, its even more important what you eat. Focus on protein.

80 yoa, 5’11”, 212 lbs. “ Generally healthy” but not where I would like to be and where I spent my life. I spent most of my life at about 145 with a lot more muscle than fat. Cholesterol issues but I take the pills, eat twice daily and that’s generally healthy stuff. Can’t shed the pounds.

A couple of years ago, my colon busted. Spent 25 days in ICU and then sent home with no muscle tone. I had to sit on my butt, taking it easy, until I was fully healed. Then the Doc said I was healed and could resume my life. I did and got it all back. Lots of cardio and weight lifting.

Most days, I go to the city park and walk a mile. The rest of the time I spend in the recliner watching TV. I gotta get a life or more of a life.

Arthritis set in to my back, legs and thumbs about a year ago. That was supposed to hit everyone else; not me. I’m trying to not let it define my life but it is certainly a consideration and the pain is constant. I try to consider that a penalty for outliving most of the other 1942 models. 2 extra strength Tylenols 3 times a day. Doc says there isn’t much I can do about the leg and back pain/weakness but don’t stop walking until I really can’t do it. I’m still pushing myself and it helps to have a bitchy wife when I get lazy.

Not as alert as I used to be and I know it. Wife drives when we go somewhere together. This stuff was supposed to hit other people; not me.

More health stuff I could whine about but I’ll stop here.

I've been on Ozempic for Type 2 Diabetes for 8 months. I take Janumet and Glimepiride also. Lost about 35 pounds. I take Magnesium and a stool softener every day. It will stop you up for sure if you don't.

Buzz, Ozempic has a coupon you can get for a year that makes your prescription $25 copay. You do have to have insurance. I didn't like plain Metformin. Tore my gut up. So I use Janumet... Januvia and Metformin.

Been on it myself about 2.5 months and down 37 pounds. Cost me $180 for a 3 months supply. Just ordered a refill. (Compound pharmacy in Austin) Eating about 1/2 what I am accustomed to....biggest adjustment is the bathroom schedule. Digestion is slowed considerably as the body keeps the "full feeling" around longer. Dr. says 1 - 2 pounds a week in loss is ideal. I lost 19lbs. the first week so right on schedule. Goal is to get down to 200 or so. (229 currently)

My buddy has to take a probiotic because it made him constipated.

Dulcolax is my friend about every 4 days.

what pharmacy in Austin?

Stonegate Pharmacy, 512-707-2300, 2501 W William Cannon, Suite 203

What doseage?

Mine was tiered, Weeks 1 - 4, 5 units, weeks 5 - 8, 10 units, and now 20 units each week. Assume the refill will be at the 20 units once received as well. (typical insulin syringe)

I thought it was in mg? (like 0.25mg, etc.)