At the end of 2024 I weighed 257 pounds, and today I weigh 197.

That’s 60 pounds lost thanks to a Tirzepatide called Zepbound, which is a GLP-1 receptor agonist … whatever that means. You may have heard of Mounjaro, which is another brand of the same medicine, or perhaps Ozempic or Wegovy, which are similar—they’re Semaglutides (again, no idea)—and offer the same benefits. They’re injected medicines that can help some people lose weight, but I suspect these other brands have bigger marketing budgets because it seems that relatively few people know about Zepbound.

A talk with my doctor

Back in December of 2024 I was watching a show on some streaming service and an ad played for a medicine that’s approved for people with obstructive sleep apnea. I’m one of those people; I use a CPAP machine when I sleep and I had been somewhat desperate to end my dependency on it. I made a mental note of the medicine’s name, Zepbound, to bring it up with my doctor at an upcoming check-up.

Fast-forward a week or so: I’m at the check-up and I ask my doctor, What do you think about me trying Zepbound? I want to stop using the CPAP and I’m hoping that losing some weight will help me get there. She talked to me about what it is, how it works, what the risks are, how my insurance provider might not approve it, etc., and we both agreed that I should give it a try. She put in an order for it that afternoon and a day later I learned that my insurance provider would cover most of the cost, leaving me with a $60 monthly payment.

I later learned that I was somewhat lucky; many people can’t get their insurance provider to pay for any portion of this type of medicine. I suspect I was lucky because I’m a CPAP user and because I also take Losartan for high blood pressure, and Rosuvastatin for high cholesterol. The suits at my insurance provider probably thought, This Marc fella might stop using three different things we’re paying for if he loses some weight, then they tapped the Approve button.

Starting Zepbound

I picked up my first box (of four syringes) from the pharmacist right after Christmas. Each syringe contained 2.5mg of the medicine and the instructions said to take it on the same day each week. I arbitrarily decided that I’d take it every Friday evening and weigh myself every Saturday morning.

What did it feel like? Immediate and effective. I took my first dose on Friday, January 3rd, 2025 and the very next day I had no desire to eat until dinner time. When I sat down to eat that dinner, I had half of a portion before my stomach/brain said you better stop, mister, because you’re very full now. I was flabbergasted at how well it shut off the urge to eat, for better or worse.

The following Saturday, January 11th, 2025, I was already down 9 pounds. I know some people might scoff at this and say that’s too fast, not healthy, etc., which, sure, but I wasn’t very healthy before either. I’m OK trading one kind of unhealthy for another if it gets me to a healthier place in the end.

Halfway there

In early April 2025 things were going well and it was time to visit my doctor again. She sees that I’m down about 32 pounds at this point and asks if I’m having any negative side effects (I wasn’t). She decides to let the prescription continue for just three more months. I’m 100% onboard with that since I’m losing about 10 pounds per month, and three more months would bring me to about 60 pounds lost.

Transitioning off

By mid-May 2025, I could tell the medicine’s effect was starting to fade; where before I’d look at something tasty and have zero reaction, now I want to eat it. I engage my rusty willpower muscle and I’m generally able to ignore that feeling, thankfully. Overall, the weight is still dropping and I’m down around 47 pounds in late May.

I took my 24th and final dose on June 13th, 2025, and weighed 201 pounds the next day – that’s 56 pounds lost. At that point I was fully on my own; I can no longer rely on the assistance of the medicine, so it was time to see how well I do with willpower alone. It helps knowing there’s a lot of progress that can be lost if I fall back into my old habits.

Blood test

I had a blood test done on July 2nd, 2025 and the results were wonderful. Here are two notable before-and-afters:

• Non-HDL cholesterol went from 222 mg/dL to 69
• Triglycerides went from 371 mg/dL to 85

CPAP machine

Ah, I almost forgot, the reason I wanted to try Zepbound in the first place: my CPAP dependency. Admittedly I’m in a funny place with the CPAP; first, I’m really used to it at this point and there’s some sort of Pavlov’s Dog thing happening where I put it on and I immediately fall into deep, quality sleep. I’m afraid of losing that even if it’s only a temporary adjustment period.

Additionally, I need my schedule to be such that if I try to sleep without the CPAP and it goes poorly, the following day needs to be very light on plans so I can be tired and miserable without ruining other people’s day. I haven’t really had a light day come up on the calendar yet, so, embarrassingly, I haven’t spent a night without the CPAP. When the opportunity arises, I’ll update this entry with the results.

I’ve slept without it!

Now

It’s now July 16th, 2025, and when I last weighed myself—four days ago—I was 197 pounds. That’s 60 pounds down, and I can’t even remember when my weight started with the number one. I do have a stretch-goal of eventually getting into the 170s, which is going to take a lot of work (and cardio, good sleep, drinking a lot of water, proper food choices, etc.), but as the young people say, my body is ready.

Wish me luck.

P.S.

If this is something you’re considering, I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have – feel free to send me an email.

CPAP-free nights

I’m happy to report that I slept without the CPAP machine the past three nights – August 16th, 17th, and 18th. Sharon reported each morning that she didn’t hear snoring or apnea events, and the sleep-tracking feature of my watch backs her up with a daily graph that shows almost zero awake moments. Success, so far!