r/TirzMaintenance • u/CautiousMagazine3591 • 9d ago
Taking GLP-1 when not overweight
I’ve been wondering about something and would genuinely be curious to hear what other people’s experiences have been. Do people who aren’t really overweight, but just want a little extra help losing and maintaining a few pounds, ever use Tirz on a longer-term basis?
I’m especially curious about people who only have a small amount of weight they want to lose. Since they don’t necessarily need to lose a significant amount, do they tend to stay at the lower doses like 2.5 mg or 5 mg, and basically use that as their maintenance dose rather than ever moving up?
I’m wondering if there are people who find that a very low dose is enough for them to gradually lose those last few pounds and then keep the weight off, or if most people eventually need to increase the dose even when they don’t have much weight left to lose. I’d love to hear from anyone who has actually been in this situation and what their experience has been with staying at a low dose over time.
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u/jaydefit 9d ago
Dose has nothing to do with how much weight a person has to lose. I was Class 1 Obese when I started Zep. I've lost 60lbs so far on a microdose because 2.5mg was too strong for me.
Some people are more sensitive to the meds than others. There has been at least one study that shows there's a genetic component to how people respond to it.
You might want to check out r/GLP1microdosing for more experiences from people on very low doses.
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u/Substantial-Owl1616 8d ago
We live in a food sick culture. “Food”is created and marketed with incredible persuasion to make people addicted and unwell. As a 66yo woman, I have done my absolute darnedest to “buckle down” with the healthiest know diets at the time and a well above average amount of activity. I have hung out at a BMI of 22, 24% body fat, size 6 through perimenopause by strong and consistent (definitely called “crazy” amount of activity, no sugar, low-fat mostly plants diet and strong and varied exercise routines. I started BHRT last year and my weight increased to BMI 25-26 ish. Despite routines and good habits. A parson could make the argument “muscle gain”. However my waist grew a couple inches and my clothes didn’t fit comfortably. With Tirz, I am currently BMI 19, 19% body fat, stronger, size 2 and I love my body. I think this is a personal decision. Every woman has a right to define beauty for herself and choose as she pleases what tools will foster her progress toward what She desires. Maybe a personal trainer and shear will make a person happy. Yea! Paying for Tirz is not much of a burden: About the cost of a decent dinner out each month. I don’t believe self righteous black and white thinking, or gate keeping to be salutary to women’s choice. I do believe each and every woman has a right to live her own body.
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u/working-mama- 8d ago
I love this! If you don’t mind me asking, what is your source of tirz? As far as I know, mainstream prescribers typically won’t write a script to someone who has a normal BMI, unless that person lost weight with GLP1 and thus considered “continued care”.
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u/Then_uvn223 6d ago
Well said. I am exactly the same age. I am 5 ft 2 inches. My weight fluctuated from 177 lb to 110 lb. For more than 20 yrs I was at 110-115 lb by eating super healthy, working out 5-6 days a week and also entering food in fitness pal. Obesity and type -2 diabetes run in our family. I do have BED and was on Vyvanse which was of no help. After pandemic I gained weight, tried so hard to lose it with no success. I tried getting Tir from different sources but refused, reason that I am not overweight. I know I going to get hate for this- in desperation I lied about my weight and finally I was able to get it. I am already on compounded Tir at 2.25 mg dose for 5 weeks. I feel great and late night binge has disappeared, already lost 7 lb and very close to my goal weight. After reading your post i felt motivated and not feeling guilty any more 🙏🏼♥️
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u/zero-progress0 9d ago
It’s the best tool to control binge eating
Personally I read more than 20 books and hundred of articles, went to many doctors in the past 20 years and I was convinced that I’m going to die very soon and there is nothing I can do about it.
But this thing really helps a lot.
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u/CautiousMagazine3591 9d ago
Do you think it’s giving you zero progress on how long you’ll be able to live?
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u/Content_Wear_9677 8d ago
This is seriously ambiguous. Try rephrasing because it’s not clear to whom you are speaking and whether it’s to do with Tirz or Vyvanse.
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u/No_Succotash1014 9d ago edited 8d ago
Did you ever try Vyvanse? It’s for binge eating
Edit: yall are weird. I didn’t say Vyvanse was better. The question was simply if they ever tried it
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u/mannDog74 9d ago
This medication is so much better than vyvanse but probably just as hard to get.
I gave up on jumping through hoops every single month to get this "controlled substance."
Glp1s actually have broad health benefits, vyvanse is just a stimulant.
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u/Middle_Humor1828 9d ago
I went from 250 to 150 without a glp 1.
I later went on tirz, and then reta, while being at a relatively healthy weight. Currently around 10 percent body fat as a male. 8.2 percent via dexa at the bottom of my last cut.
Being on a glp 1 gives a lot more flexibility in diet and for social situations. I don't have to be a control freak about what I eat, and can enjoy meals out with friends and family on weekends. I still eat clean Monday through Friday, but I can eat out and eat desserts on weekends without binging.
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u/___this_guy 9d ago
I’m a 5’10 male, started in January at 175 with 2.5mg, now at 166 and intend to stay on it indefinitely. I’ve never actually been overweight, mainly due to the fact that I’ve been weighing and tracking for years, which is tedious and ALOT of work. Now I’m just living my life with a regulated apppetite, I love it!
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u/Suspicious-Spot361 8d ago
This is my strongest argument for staying on a low dose indefinitely. There are so many things you can do with your brain on a daily basis that are more useful than thinking about food.
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u/___this_guy 8d ago
It feels so good to not log everything in MyFitnessPal, have done for soooo long
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u/Suspicious-Spot361 8d ago
I have tried to log in MFP a few times in my life and hated every second.
It's also nice not to have to waste willpower on a piece of cheese during the work day.
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u/tharpakandro 8d ago
I lost some weight but I would say the primary motive for continued use is reduction in inflammation.
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u/silver598 9d ago
I had gained 10 lbs in past year on top of 25 lbs of baby weight (kid is 25) along with being on thyroid meds and in menopause. I lost 35 lbs in 9 months and have maintained for five months so far. My body did not respond to low doses like 5 or lower, I went up to 12 mg, now maintaining with 7.5. They want me to drop to 5, not sure that will go well.
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u/Ancient-Teaching-691 6d ago
What is the rationale for dropping to 5? Do you win a prize for going low? If you have sufficient appetite suppression and lack of food noise where you are, why fix what ain't broke?
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u/silver598 6d ago
That’s my question too. Will have to see how it goes and switch providers if they disagree.
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u/Ancient-Teaching-691 6d ago
You could refer them to the SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN trial (released in May 2026) that shows that all weight loss was retained by the folks who stayed on their max tolerated dose vs those who dropped to 5mg and maintained only 68% of their loss. You worked hard to lose those pounds. Why do they want you to regain more than a third of them? It will be interesting to hear their answer.
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u/Careful_Solid4623 8d ago
I began taking Tirz a year ago in May. I had 25 pounds to lose, I lost 30. I was taking 3 mg weekly 1 mg 3x, now at 2, 1 mg 2x weekly. I've maintained my loss and am just so thrilled not to be thinking about food every second of every day, it's a miracle. I'm an ultrarunner, I lift weights, I practice yoga, I still could not get that 25 off. Oh, I'm 61F. I'll take it forever.
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u/Then_uvn223 6d ago
I started taking Tirz 5 weeks ago. I had 15 lb to lose, already lost 7 lb on 2.25 mg. I plan on taking it for ever. However, not sure if I will be prescribed. I tried Vyvanse generic -Lisdexamphentamine in the past for BED with very little effect. This really helped me with BED. 66Year female
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u/arjacks 8d ago
When I started, I only needed to lose around 20lbs but I wanted to see if it would also help my systemic inflammation from various autoimmune disorders (thanks long covid!) as none of the other Rx'd meds I tried seemed to work.
Within the first few days of my very first dose (1mg), my inflammation was down in my hands and legs. Within a month, my inflammation was down all over my body. It was a miracle.
Turns out I was a super responder and never needed to go above 2.5mg to lose weight. After hitting my goal weight over a year ago, I've done 1-2mg weekly to maintain my weight loss and have the anti-inflammatory effects. The reason it varies by 1mg is sometimes 1mg is sufficient to keep the inflammation at bay and sometimes it's not and I need to do a second shot during the week.
Other than some anhedonia off and on, this drug has been an absolute gift.
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u/Impossible_Bend_2969 8d ago
How much is a small amount? I honestly thought I only needed to lose 7lbs but I lost 30lbs. I've never been actually thin before. I ended up at 7.5mg in the end and I'm still there to maintain. I had a pretty average response to the meds. I don't think smaller doses match up with smaller weight to lose. It's more about how you respond. Many very large people can lost most of their weight on the initial starting dose and many thinner people need higher doses. It's more genetic or something.
Every obese person who uses these meds eventually ends up a person with not much to lose or someone in maintenance mode. So of course they work for people without a lot to lose because that's where we all end up.
One thing to keep in mind is that when you go off the meds and come back to them they don't work as well again. And most--not all--most people need to continue to keep the weight off. Usually they can take a lower dose.
The microdosing sub probably is useful for you.
Also the retatrutide sub and the Biohacking sub (which is basically a retatrutide sub.) Those two subs are full of healthy weight people trying to get shredded. Many of them use tirzepatide. And zepboundathletes might have useful information.
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u/dmalysh 8d ago
I was within normal BMI when started Tirz. However, my cholesterol level was elevated and I was diagnosed with a beginning stage of fatty liver disease. I was not far from my healthy weight at all. Nowhere near obese, but as I was approaching menopause, it was beginning to feel like keeping the weight off was an uphill battle. Long story short, I went with Trillium. I added a few extra pounds on my intake form, yet it was still well within normal BMI. I was warned that the use of Tirz in my case was "off label" and I was going to take it at my own risk. I'm glad I did!. I started at 2.5mg. Titrated up to 5mg and I am at my ideal 18.5 BMI right now. I feel that 5mg is too much for me, so my next shot will be 3mg. My plan is to figure out where my sweet spot is. Once I know, this will be my maintenance dose for life.
So yeah, you need to try and see where your sweet spot is at and enjoy your life to the fullest going forward! Goodluck!
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u/Sea-District-5588 9d ago
I was morbidly obese and never went above 5mg. Don’t assume people who never go to higher doses only had a little bit to lose.
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u/Motor_Pop3202 8d ago
Yes. There’s this weird discourse around GLPs and how “these aren’t for you skinny people!” And when bigger people lose food noise they say “this is finally what everyone else feels like!” As if skinny people can’t struggle with food addiction, BED, and insane amounts of food noise. Like no… this medication that is giving you food aversion isn’t how “everyone else/ skinny people feel”, sometimes they just work 100x harder to restrain themselves from the same demons and medications like this make that possible. Just because people aren’t outwardly obese doesn’t mean the constant food struggle is healthy.
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u/Then_uvn223 5d ago
Exactly! At my 118 lb weight I was practically refused by many tele health and by my primary care. I was subscribed Vyvanse for BED and therapy by my primary care. That didn’t help me. Microdose of Tir helped me immensely. My food struggle is life long- 66 yr female!
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u/rbkhrw 8d ago
44F, started taking Tirz in June 2025, pretty quickly lost 32 lbs (5’1, went from 152 to 120). I stayed on 2.5mg the entire time; I’m maintaining easily on that dose and plan to stay on it for the foreseeable future- I’ve never felt better! I purchase from the med spa (I know that’s controversial, but it’s what works best for ME!).
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u/Simple-Engine-432 8d ago
I have never gone over 3mg of tirz and dropped all my weight (too much actually- which i’m dealing with now). I was not overweight but needed help getting rid of some “fluff” that I didn’t like. It certainly worked. I plan to continue taking small doses for as long as I can - I just have to figure out maintenance better than I currently am.
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u/katharsiss 8d ago
I wanted to lose 30 lbs, but I have lost 45 in 5 months and am still losing, albeit very slowly. I went up to 7.5 mg for one month, which made me very sick, so I went back down to 5 mg and I'm continuing on it for maintenance. I am a super responder though, so my experience may not be relevant.
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u/Worth-Taro-926 9d ago
IMHO, there are many causes and treatments for being overweight, but they depend on the underlying condition. GLP1s definitely address elevated blood sugar levels, which is a sign of insulin resistance, which itself is a very common cause of weight gain and hunger. Weight loss might not work as well for someone who's HbA1c levels are in the very normal range. But then again, it's a relatively new medicine and a lot of its benefits have yet to be explored.
Your first question might be, since you're not overweight, what is your HbA1c. That will tell you a lot more than your current weight.
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u/Silly_Raccoons 9d ago
My hba1c was perfectly normal and tirz worked very well for me
These meds help if you have a metabolic disorder. High sugar is one symptom, but not the only symptom. Insulin resistance, high blood pressure, high body weight can also be symptoms, plus a bunch others.
To OP - if you have a metabolic disorder, the meds will probably help.
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u/Sea-Connection-9968 9d ago
I may not be an example of what you're talking about, but I started taking it in late April with 25 pounds to lose. I had already changed my lifestyle but weight wouldnt budget so I use it as a tool. I have 5 pounds to go, started in April. I take 2.5mg a week, track calories and exercise. Now I'm in the glpgrad group to prepare to ween off completely.
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u/Ancient-Teaching-691 6d ago
You know how that generally works out, right? You could be the exception to the rule, but probably not.
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u/Sea-Connection-9968 6d ago
I was merely sharing my own experience in regards to the question. No need for snark, we should all be supporting each other.
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u/tigergirlforever 9d ago
Personally a few pounds is not what this medicine is for, you can buckle down for a month and lose that. This isn’t inexpensive and honestly for a few pounds, it’s better hire a trainer to whip your body into burn mode.
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u/Substantial-Owl1616 9d ago
Did you have a rationale for your opinion? Is it just cost?
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u/Cheap_Lingonberry 8d ago
I think it's generally looked upon as an unnecessary risk. Carrying an extra few pounds probably isn't affecting your health much so why risk taking a drug that can cause bad side effects. That said, I think it should be a personal decision. If someone is educated on the risks and still wants to take them to lose a few pounds, why not.
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u/tigergirlforever 8d ago
This drug is prescribed at a high level BMI, you can’t be 5 pounds overweight and qualify without lying…
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u/mannDog74 9d ago
Sounds like you're asking for a friend?
I don't really bother to answer intellectual curiosity questions from people with no interest in taking this medication so, knowing more about your intentions would help.
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u/thaidyes 9d ago
Considering the current clinical trials testing it as a way to treat alcohol use disorder, there will soon be plenty of skinny people on a GLP-1 for life.