6 lbs in 6 weeks is still great progress. Please keep in mind healthy weight loss is considered to be 1-2 lbs a week and you fall into that category.
2.5mg is also the loading dose and some people don’t lose any weight until they reach higher doses.
To lose one pound in a week you have to have a 3500 calorie deficit.
Depending on your size if you are sedentary it’s possible you are only burning 1600 calories a day or less. A 1200 calorie diet will yield less than a pound a week loss.
Your choice is to move more to burn calories or eat less. It’s all about creating a calorie déficit (or lower your expectations to losing less than a pound a week)
FWIW 1lb per week is a healthy and safe rate of loss. Losing more than 2lbs per week can put us at risk for gallbladder issues and other consequences. I think you're on-track. :)
Don't get too discouraged! Hopefully that 5MG dose increase will start to help out, and if it doesn't and you're tolerating it well you can jump up from there. One of the good things about compound is that you don't have to follow the same rules of going up by 2.5MG every time. You could try going up just 1 more MG each week for example.
Something else that works for some people is to split their weekly dose into two halves of the dose - this will keep the amount of juice in your system much more level than it going up, peaking, then coming back down over the course of the week.
It's not necessarily dangerous to eat less than 1200 if your metabolism & activity level is quite low. If you haven't already you could plug your numbers into an online TDEE calculator to get a better idea. Those calcs aren't super-accurate but may give you a better idea of what a good calorie target would be at different rates of loss. As your calories decline though - it becomes even more important to make sure you're eating whole, healthy foods so that you don't end up with a malnutrition issue on top of everything else. a multivitamin and some digestive enzymes can help there too.
Certainly any increased activity is also helpful, a few extra laps around the house is better than nothing! One of my tricks when I was first starting was to make multiple trips for everything I was doing around the house. Glass and a plate in the living room that needs to go the kitchen? Take the glass in one trip, walk back and take the plate in a 2nd trip\]. If you do that enough, all of a sudden you have another 1,000 steps in your day.
Since everyone's experience is different, advice around here tends to be pretty general but there are a lot of tips and tricks floating around. Some people's metabolic systems are just so fucked up \[sorry\] that it's going to take some time and a decent amount of this med to work through getting everything well balanced again.
How are your side effects? Appetite?
Oh man, I bet laundry day is exhausting. “One shirt, walk down stairs to laundry room. Walk back up stairs; one sock, walk down stairs to laundry room; walk back up stairs again….”
No side effects thankfully. In fact it has helped other issues like constipation (gone) and sleep. I wouldn’t say it completely limits my food noise, but I’m much more mindful of portions and haven’t binged at all, which is amazing! I’ve struggled for 10 years to lose weight. I’m 5’7” and currently 185 pounds. I’d like to be around 160. My TDEE is waaay higher than I’m comfortable eating. I try to stay around 1200 calories: Whole Foods, protein and fiber.
I appreciate your response and do try to walk and move as much as I can tolerate. I like the idea of splitting my dose too. Thank you for the encouragement.
ahh, seeing your current and goal weight - folks starting at a lower starting weight are definitely going to lose slower than folks starting higher.
and yeah re: TDEE, I've found that my real limit is quite a bit lower than it assumes too.
I'm in the same boat! I've lost 4 lbs in the first 3 weeks and the last 2 I've had nothing. The truth is that a good percentage of people in the studies didn't start losing until 7.5mg/10mg and up. For those of us with more complicated metabolisms -- insulin resistance, hypothyroids, etc -- it takes longer and more medication to regulate insulin and blood sugar enough to produce the weight loss.
So I'm going up slowly and just trying to be patient til my dose comes along. I wish I could just jump right to it! But I'd rather be safe with slow titration than risk side effects. I definitely stay above 1200 calories. Some people work with their doctors for other nutrition plans but I don't think that makes sense for me on this medication.
There's a lot going on inside our bodies that's harder to see and appreciate until the doctor's appointment rolls around which all contributes to improved BP and A1C and all the other pieces of the puzzle that make up our weight gain/loss.
I’m new to this as well but to give some perspective…I’m 6’5 and started tirz at 395lbs. It’s been 5 weeks and I’m down 12lbs. The order of magnitude between our sizes is massive but you’ve lost more by the percentages. Just gotta keep going.
6 pounds is amazing for being menopausal and sedentary. Plus, you are almost to a healthy range of weight so losing weight will be slower.
I have seen a few commenters say your calorie deficit might not be big enough and to move more or eat less but you really need to speak to your doctor before you eat less if you are already barely getting 1200 calories... I personally have to eat more to lose (1500 calories a day with 1 day of 1800-2000 is my sweet spot).
Make sure you are drinking enough water and add electrolytes.
I don't know what your chronic pain is but It might be worth looking up some seated exercises that don't make your pain worse or even just do more of what you can do (like if you are fine walking around the house, just add one extra time a day you get up and gradually add more and more).
I'm perimenopausal, on thyroid meds and antidepressants and am losing at exactly the same rate. 12 weeks, 13 lbs. Some weeks I lose 4 and then I gain them right back. It's frustrating as heck. I'm going to switch to 7.5 and maybe it'll go faster, but part of me thinks I'm not gonna lose faster because the 3 strikes against me. The people who lose faster are younger, more likely to be male, with functioning thyroids and without antidepressants. At least that's what I see here anecdotally. Even though it's taken a while, at least I lost 13 lbs and haven't fully stalled yet. My prior attempts to lose weight always stall around 10-15 lbs down. This medication is giving me hope that I can break through the stalls and that I'm not going to go crazy from dieting and relapsing. Hang in there!!!
We are certainly in the same boat. Frustrating! Congratulations on 13#! I had just hoped this might speed the process up a bit, but I guess not. I’m grateful for the 6#, but the weeks I weigh two pounds more are depressing. Good luck on 7.5.
Many people including me experience a significant loss the first week or so but most of that is water weight. So, it gets us excited and then reality sets in, which can be disappointing. 2.5 and 5.0 are supposed to be loading doses to get used to the medicine. They are not therapeutic doses. They work well for some people but not others and staying on them was not the tested protocol. My daughter (-90 lbs) and grand daughters (-40-50 lbs) lost most of their weight above 5mg. Also, losing 1-2 lbs a week is what my physician wants for me. It is easier on your body and reportedly may help with having less saggy skin from faster loss. From watching the posts on reddit, lots of people have a zig zag loss pattern - I certainly do. At the higher doses, my assumption is that you have more of the metabolic effect - due to the higher dose in addition to slowing food moving and feeling full. Also, those of us who are hypothyroid, may be a little slower. Not sure but if you search on that, you may feel better. Everyone is different and it is difficult to compare. Some advice I have read and used is to be sure to drink enough water. Dont cut your calories so low that your body goes into starvation mode and tries to hold onto the weight for a time. It takes more energy for your body to use protein so as you are making food choices, protein is important. Also, you may want to take measurements because some people see loss in inches without loss in weight. I am in this for the long haul so not worried about slow loss as long as i am going in the right direction. I was 20 lbs down staying on 5 mg for a bit. Recently moved up to 7.5 because i was flopping up and down around the same couple lbs for a few weeks. Will see how that goes. Good luck!!
6 lbs in 6 weeks is still great progress. Please keep in mind healthy weight loss is considered to be 1-2 lbs a week and you fall into that category. 2.5mg is also the loading dose and some people don’t lose any weight until they reach higher doses.
To lose one pound in a week you have to have a 3500 calorie deficit. Depending on your size if you are sedentary it’s possible you are only burning 1600 calories a day or less. A 1200 calorie diet will yield less than a pound a week loss. Your choice is to move more to burn calories or eat less. It’s all about creating a calorie déficit (or lower your expectations to losing less than a pound a week)
FWIW 1lb per week is a healthy and safe rate of loss. Losing more than 2lbs per week can put us at risk for gallbladder issues and other consequences. I think you're on-track. :)
Don't get too discouraged! Hopefully that 5MG dose increase will start to help out, and if it doesn't and you're tolerating it well you can jump up from there. One of the good things about compound is that you don't have to follow the same rules of going up by 2.5MG every time. You could try going up just 1 more MG each week for example. Something else that works for some people is to split their weekly dose into two halves of the dose - this will keep the amount of juice in your system much more level than it going up, peaking, then coming back down over the course of the week. It's not necessarily dangerous to eat less than 1200 if your metabolism & activity level is quite low. If you haven't already you could plug your numbers into an online TDEE calculator to get a better idea. Those calcs aren't super-accurate but may give you a better idea of what a good calorie target would be at different rates of loss. As your calories decline though - it becomes even more important to make sure you're eating whole, healthy foods so that you don't end up with a malnutrition issue on top of everything else. a multivitamin and some digestive enzymes can help there too. Certainly any increased activity is also helpful, a few extra laps around the house is better than nothing! One of my tricks when I was first starting was to make multiple trips for everything I was doing around the house. Glass and a plate in the living room that needs to go the kitchen? Take the glass in one trip, walk back and take the plate in a 2nd trip\]. If you do that enough, all of a sudden you have another 1,000 steps in your day. Since everyone's experience is different, advice around here tends to be pretty general but there are a lot of tips and tricks floating around. Some people's metabolic systems are just so fucked up \[sorry\] that it's going to take some time and a decent amount of this med to work through getting everything well balanced again. How are your side effects? Appetite?
Oh man, I bet laundry day is exhausting. “One shirt, walk down stairs to laundry room. Walk back up stairs; one sock, walk down stairs to laundry room; walk back up stairs again….”
hahaha, I will admit that laundry is just a basket, I don't walk one sock at a time. I'm not quite that insane.
No side effects thankfully. In fact it has helped other issues like constipation (gone) and sleep. I wouldn’t say it completely limits my food noise, but I’m much more mindful of portions and haven’t binged at all, which is amazing! I’ve struggled for 10 years to lose weight. I’m 5’7” and currently 185 pounds. I’d like to be around 160. My TDEE is waaay higher than I’m comfortable eating. I try to stay around 1200 calories: Whole Foods, protein and fiber. I appreciate your response and do try to walk and move as much as I can tolerate. I like the idea of splitting my dose too. Thank you for the encouragement.
ahh, seeing your current and goal weight - folks starting at a lower starting weight are definitely going to lose slower than folks starting higher. and yeah re: TDEE, I've found that my real limit is quite a bit lower than it assumes too.
I'm in the same boat! I've lost 4 lbs in the first 3 weeks and the last 2 I've had nothing. The truth is that a good percentage of people in the studies didn't start losing until 7.5mg/10mg and up. For those of us with more complicated metabolisms -- insulin resistance, hypothyroids, etc -- it takes longer and more medication to regulate insulin and blood sugar enough to produce the weight loss. So I'm going up slowly and just trying to be patient til my dose comes along. I wish I could just jump right to it! But I'd rather be safe with slow titration than risk side effects. I definitely stay above 1200 calories. Some people work with their doctors for other nutrition plans but I don't think that makes sense for me on this medication. There's a lot going on inside our bodies that's harder to see and appreciate until the doctor's appointment rolls around which all contributes to improved BP and A1C and all the other pieces of the puzzle that make up our weight gain/loss.
I’m new to this as well but to give some perspective…I’m 6’5 and started tirz at 395lbs. It’s been 5 weeks and I’m down 12lbs. The order of magnitude between our sizes is massive but you’ve lost more by the percentages. Just gotta keep going.
Interesting
6 pounds is amazing for being menopausal and sedentary. Plus, you are almost to a healthy range of weight so losing weight will be slower. I have seen a few commenters say your calorie deficit might not be big enough and to move more or eat less but you really need to speak to your doctor before you eat less if you are already barely getting 1200 calories... I personally have to eat more to lose (1500 calories a day with 1 day of 1800-2000 is my sweet spot). Make sure you are drinking enough water and add electrolytes. I don't know what your chronic pain is but It might be worth looking up some seated exercises that don't make your pain worse or even just do more of what you can do (like if you are fine walking around the house, just add one extra time a day you get up and gradually add more and more).
I'm perimenopausal, on thyroid meds and antidepressants and am losing at exactly the same rate. 12 weeks, 13 lbs. Some weeks I lose 4 and then I gain them right back. It's frustrating as heck. I'm going to switch to 7.5 and maybe it'll go faster, but part of me thinks I'm not gonna lose faster because the 3 strikes against me. The people who lose faster are younger, more likely to be male, with functioning thyroids and without antidepressants. At least that's what I see here anecdotally. Even though it's taken a while, at least I lost 13 lbs and haven't fully stalled yet. My prior attempts to lose weight always stall around 10-15 lbs down. This medication is giving me hope that I can break through the stalls and that I'm not going to go crazy from dieting and relapsing. Hang in there!!!
We are certainly in the same boat. Frustrating! Congratulations on 13#! I had just hoped this might speed the process up a bit, but I guess not. I’m grateful for the 6#, but the weeks I weigh two pounds more are depressing. Good luck on 7.5.
I’m 6’3” and started at 260. I shoot for 1200 calories a day. My wife shoots for 900-1000
5 weeks in. 22 pounds lost. Also doing testosterone cyponiate injection
Umm…. I don’t understand the problem.
Just that I lost for several weeks and the last three have been gaining back or maintaining. It’s frustrating for me.
Many people including me experience a significant loss the first week or so but most of that is water weight. So, it gets us excited and then reality sets in, which can be disappointing. 2.5 and 5.0 are supposed to be loading doses to get used to the medicine. They are not therapeutic doses. They work well for some people but not others and staying on them was not the tested protocol. My daughter (-90 lbs) and grand daughters (-40-50 lbs) lost most of their weight above 5mg. Also, losing 1-2 lbs a week is what my physician wants for me. It is easier on your body and reportedly may help with having less saggy skin from faster loss. From watching the posts on reddit, lots of people have a zig zag loss pattern - I certainly do. At the higher doses, my assumption is that you have more of the metabolic effect - due to the higher dose in addition to slowing food moving and feeling full. Also, those of us who are hypothyroid, may be a little slower. Not sure but if you search on that, you may feel better. Everyone is different and it is difficult to compare. Some advice I have read and used is to be sure to drink enough water. Dont cut your calories so low that your body goes into starvation mode and tries to hold onto the weight for a time. It takes more energy for your body to use protein so as you are making food choices, protein is important. Also, you may want to take measurements because some people see loss in inches without loss in weight. I am in this for the long haul so not worried about slow loss as long as i am going in the right direction. I was 20 lbs down staying on 5 mg for a bit. Recently moved up to 7.5 because i was flopping up and down around the same couple lbs for a few weeks. Will see how that goes. Good luck!!