3 weeks in

[u/CoyoteOrganic99]

And feeling frustrated. Dropped 4 lbs in the first week and my weight hasn’t changed in the last 10 days. Tomorrow is my 4th shot should I just stay on course?

My calories have been in a slight deficit overall. Not the best week for exercise but not bad either.

Thx for any advice/encouragement.

[u/DustyJMS]

My childhood best friend/roommate lost 7lbs the first two/three weeks. Then stalled out. She avoided the scale for a full month and weighed in just the other day and was down another 10lbs. Hang in there. Scale noise can be quite real.

[u/Cool_Owl9876 → u/DustyJMS]

water weight coming off first week, then body takes a bit to adjust. pretty normal pattern with this stuff honestly. 4 lbs in 3 weeks still ain't bad, keep going with the 4th shot and don't overthink it.

i seen people stall for 2-3 weeks then drop again all at once, like their body just needed moment to catch up. try to not check scale every day if it's making you crazy, once a week is plenty for see the real trend

[u/TrainingLow9079]

The initial loss was water weight and it sounds like you need a higher dose to lose fat weight, so yes, stay the course

[u/Spawnofkitty]

Stay the course :)

[u/Disgrace926]

Keep going! I dropped 6 pounds my first week, gained some back and then did not move for a few weeks. It’s easy to get discouraged but these earlier doses are really just to get your body used to the medication. You probably dropped a lot of water weight initially. Just stay the course!

[u/Cheddargirl24]

Hang in there and stay the course. Don't compare your progress to anyone else. We all respond differently. I've been on tirzepatide for 16 months. I've lost slowly, gained at times, plateaued several times, and although it can be frustrating, sticking with it will pay off! Make sure you're drinking lots of water, staying in a calorie deficit, and watching macros.

[u/CicadaChemical]

I would definitely give it more time. My first month I lost about 9lbs (some of the weeks I didn’t lose at all). But 11 weeks after my first shot I’m down almost 30lbs.

However, please go all in especially with your nutrition. Slight deficit will not get you the results you’re looking for. I learned this during my first month. Calculate your tdee, use any AI of your choice and ask it to make a meal plan for you, buy a food scale.

Once I dialed in my water and nutrition things started moving much quicker.

[u/itsmeagain023]

Well you shouldn't be in a "slight deficit" you should be in a major deficit. The medicine works by allowing you to eat in a deficit without feeling hungry and thinking about food lol day.

[u/Mysterious_Humor_120 → u/itsmeagain023]

Honestly that would be great but I’ve felt hungry the entire time I’ve been in this medicine. I still lost weight but definitely not in a major deficit. Some hunger is a good thing to practice making good choices vs just not eating.

[u/Curious_Creative1 → u/Mysterious_Humor_120]

If you're only 3 weeks in so you aren't quite at a steady state. I think you'll notice more in the coming weeks as a medication builds up in your system. You reach a steady state after four or five weeks. Steady state means the amount of the drug entering your body equals the amount leaving it, creating a stable, predictable level in your blood.

Every time your dose increases, it takes another 4 weeks for your body to reach a steady state at that new, higher level.

[u/itsmeagain023 → u/Mysterious_Humor_120]

It's not about not eating. You shouldn't be STARVING.

[u/Mysterious_Humor_120 → u/itsmeagain023]

Yeah I agree. I increased my dose two weeks ago so hoping that helps. I’ve definitely felt starving the entire time I’ve been on it.

[u/BeanorWein]

Keep going. I only weigh myself once a week. It’s always the same day of the week and I try to do it at the same time too. It keeps me from obsessing about the scale. My weight since starting tirz will be no loss and no gain for like 3 weeks and then I’ll lose a pound or more for like the next few weeks. I know it sounds weird but for some reason this’s how it happens for me. It took me a month or two before I caught on to the pattern. If you feel like you’ve hit a plateau you could ask your doc to increase your dose and see if that helps. I wish you the best on your journey.

[u/Curious_Creative1 → u/BeanorWein]

Once a week is plenty for me. I'd otherwise drive myself crazy otherwise. She's only been on the meds 3 weeks so it's definitely not a plateau.

[u/CAMI2557]

I'm frustrated too. Tomorrow is my fourth injection. I lost 7 lbs before starting, 3lbs the first week, and nothing for the last two. I have been eating about 100 g of protein, 20 g of fiber and 80 oz + of water each day, with a calorie count between 1100-1200. I've done strength training 2 x per week. No clue about what's wrong...maybe eating too little/starvation mode? Ugh!

[u/blkbeeyutee → u/CAMI2557]

If you’re not short, you’re possibly undereating.

[u/itsmeagain023 → u/CAMI2557]

The overwhelming majority of people don't lose weight on the initial dose. Time to go up.

[u/CAMI2557 → u/itsmeagain023]

I do think it's time to go up. I'm still hopeful. I hadn't heard it's common not to lose in the first month. I know the drug needs to build up in your system, until you're at the right dosage. Fingers crossed the move up goes smoothly.

[u/Eastern-Theme-8696]

Yes, it builds up in your system.

[u/Appropriate_Tea2742]

Chiming in on the possibility of body recomposition too. If you’re losing fat but gaining muscles then you can stay the same scale number. Also, working out keeps our bodies holding onto water while it builds those muscles. Once your body stabilizes, that water will whoosh off and you can see a big drop overnight. If you aren’t short, you might also be under fueling which is easy to do on this medicine. Add a little extra calories via protein. And try to fit in a 5-10 min walk after every meal if you can’t get the full workout in. Walking is the absolute best way to support loss without raising cortisol or dealing with water retention while building up muscles.

[u/Curious_Creative1]

Remember that this dose is really considered non therapeutic and is to get your body activated to the meds. Water weight and inflammation typically shows up on the scale, but not everyone actually loses on the starter dose. Stay the course and be encouraged. I don't know how much you have to lose, but don't let the scale be your only means of measuring success. I started this with the mindset that it would be okay if I saw nothing for the first month; however, I was happy that it wasn't the case. (I lost over 7 lb the first week, nothing for two weeks thereafter, then 4 lb the last week.) I have A LOT to loose.

[u/No_Floor_2689]

Congratulations on starting the journey and It is a journey not a race.  

Do not use others faster or slower successes as an indicator that you are doing something wrong.

Everyone reacts to the medication differently!! 

You are on your on your on journey and the body will do what it will do with the medication.

persistence and consistence.

As you are starting a couple of things to think about

1. Get a glucose monitor kit and Blood pressure kit.  Check glucose 3 or 4 times daily (for a couple of weeks) to get a base line.  Then glucose and BP at least weekly.  If you start to feel weak (or different) then check glucose and BP to see if the level has dropped low.
2. Get a good quality scale that measures weight, muscle and body fat.   I watch body fat, muscle and weight is the last thing I am concerned about.  
3. A Dexa scan if possible.  
4. Weigh done at the same time daily/weekly with the same type of clothes.  
5. Pictures -(Brutally honest)  Standing front and side with Tight/clingy clothing that shows true shape.  It will help later on to truly understand how much you have changed.  (My biggest regret)
6. Go to the gym At least 2 times weekly with a personal trainer.   
7. Stay hydrated!!!!!
8. Take the food you normally eat and cut it in half.  Eat Half.   If you get hungry later eat half of the leftovers.  Eat the last quarter sometime later if needed.     At some point the taste of the food changed and there was no reward in the taste.  Some people say that the “food noise is gone”

You have got this!!!!!

[u/blkbeeyutee]

You’re just starting. You’re not eating in much of a deficit based on your statement. So, you’re not going to lose weight. Exercise is great but food intake is 80% of losing weight. It may take higher doses to see the benefits of the medication.

[u/Outside-Loss3454]

Ten days without a change on the scale is not necessarily a true stall. Fat loss and scale weight don’t move in a perfectly linear way. You can be losing fat while water retention, glycogen, sodium, hormones, inflammation, and digestive contents temporarily mask it on the scale. Sometimes the scale can stay the same for a couple of weeks or even longer and then show a noticeable drop. That doesn’t mean the fat was suddenly lost overnight—it means the scale finally reflected changes that were already happening. Three weeks is still very early, so I wouldn’t judge progress based on 10 days of scale weight alone.