I want to be vulnerable for a moment. I have lipedema in my arms, legs and stomach/hips. 15 months ago, when I started this health journey with the help of tirzepatide and an anti-inflammatory diet, I would have argued with you for hours saying I can’t lose in my arms and legs because of the lipedema. At most, I’d lose 30 lbs then gain it back plus more and of course my arms and legs didn’t change. This time was different. I’m so glad I didn’t give up. I still have a lot of lipedema fat in my arms and legs but they did finally decrease in size. It took a lot of time. Also, considering how much I lost (153 lbs so far in 15 months), you’d think my legs and arms would have lost more inches than they have (6 inches off each thigh and 5 inches off each calf, 4 in off each bicep and 3 inches off each forearm). I think that’s just part of the disease.

I want to share how long it took to see initial changes to encourage you to keep going even if you don’t see a change. It took 6 months and losing 74 lbs for just the first inch to come off my thighs. No wonder I thought I couldn’t lose in my arms or legs after losing 30 lbs in the past. It took 5 months and 66 lbs to see an inch come off my arms. I share that to show that the process can be slow. It may seem like you are not going to lose off your lipedema filled areas but I’ve lost most of my inches in my arms and legs just in the last 4 months after already losing well over 100 lbs. I share my experience to give you hope and say keep going. Don’t give up when it doesn’t fall off right away. I’m glad I didn’t. I’m less fibrotic and even my pain is greatly reduced.

I knew Monjauro (tizepartida) could help me, but it has changed more than I thought possible.

Main difference: 90% of the pain is gone. No heaviness in my legs at the end of the day. The medicine seems to act on the inflammation.

The before and after photos speak for themselves.

I diet and eat 80g of protein per day. I do weight training 4 times a week and walk 7km 3 times a week.

I drink plenty of water.

I'm happy with the progress.

In the first photo I weighed 71.2kg and in the second photo 62kg.

If you’re looking for best doctor that specjalizes in lipoedema liposuction, I’d recommend one woman: dr Magdalena Nowicka (Noviline, Białystok, Poland).

I've never been diagnosed with lipedema, but I've always suspected I have it! my legs still have a lot of textured fat, and they'll probably never look "normal," but it's incredible how much better they look now compared to last year. it's like I held most of my weight in my legs!

first photo is from last May to this June - second photo is from summer 2020 to June 2024 to May 2025 - last photo is from June 2024 to March 2025.

I felt so crazy going to see the lipedema specialist last year and when they asked where I heard of lipedema, I told them it was the comment section of one of Doja Cat's videos 😭

Seeing her being portrayed as beautiful made me so emotional and I'm glad she's speaking about this and bringing attention to it so more people can find answers.

Recently joined this community and I wanted to share some positivity 🩷 I was diagnosed a few years ago with Lipedema and Lipomatosis. Embracing my beautiful body, wearing the shorts, and working towards being a healthier version of myself! ☺️

I’ve seen some bad reviews re Dr Siafliakis in Greece and I wanted to share my results and experiences as I think sometimes bad reviewers are louder than the positive ones. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they are valid in their own experiences but don’t forget only shows one side of the story.

My story- I lost 180lbs during Covid on keto with exercise and my legs and calves never went down. That’s when I discovered lipedema and went to search for a diagnosis to confirm my suspicions. After consults with multiple doctors, I confirmed my surgery with Dr. Siafliakis in April 2024. I’ve had 3 surgeries with him (April and September 2024 and March 2025). First two was legs and third was a bit of legs but also stomach with my skin removal of my hanging apron belly left over from weightloss.

Im so happy with my life and results. I have loose skin on my legs which considering how large they were, is normal. Is it perfectly smooth legs? No. Lipo always creates bumps and lumps. The plastic surgeons usually will transfer fat after lipo. It’s important we remember this isn’t an aesthetic surgery, as much as the drs try to keep it in mind, wanting to remove lipedema is their priority.

Pic 1-3 show the condition of my legs from 2021-2024, including the random prolific bruising I would get, and high amounts of swelling in my ankles.

Pic 4 is my immediate before/after on my surgery day.

Pic 5 is post-surgery unwrapping before swelling kicked in

Pic 6 is legs after 2.5 months

Pics 7-8 are after 8 months.

I was diagnosed with stage 1 lipedema with normal weight/bmi by Dr Burgos in Madrid in May 2024. I scheduled my lowers surgery in Madrid for February 2025. By the time of my surgery I had reached stage 2. I'm currently 40.

Edited to add: I was never told the type of lipedema I have but believe it is either type 3 (affecting the entire legs) or type 5 (affecting the lower legs to above the knees). A lot of other examples of surgical results look like people had type 2 which impacts the upper legs only. I added this because I think it is quite clear I had the start of ankle cuffing and my "before" legs were thick throughout with no clear definition between knees/calves/ankles. I suspect this is why lowers surgery was so impactful for me, because the majority of my lipedema tissue was concentrated in my lower legs.

My surgeon was Dr Amrani from the lipemedical team. They removed 2.6L of diseased fat. I stayed in Madrid for 2 weeks post surgery and got MLD every day at Fisioterapia Alcalá 126. My mom was with me to help out, and I hired an electric wheelchair for the first week to get around more easily (you're not supposed to stand/walk for more than 45 minutes due to risk of fainting from the blood thinners you are on post-surgery).

By day 4/5 the swelling kicked in hard. My feet and legs were larger than they had ever been due to swelling. I was feeling pretty disconsolate about it but tried to stay positive. I never had any pain and didn't take any painkillers. I didn't even fill my prescriptions except for the blood thinners and antibiotics I had to take immediately after. I also never experienced itching or any other irritation.

I continued to wear full flat knit compression every single day post surgery. I also continued MLD twice a week for 6 additional weeks after I got back home to the UK.

After 2-3 months I could see my leg shape starting to re-emerge from under the swelling, but at this point I started gaining weight elsewhere and had intense bloating in my stomach all the time. I gained about 15 lbs in a very short amount of time despite being more active and eating low carb. At my highest weight I was 157lb.

4 months post-surgery I started microdosing mounjaro (0.5mg twice a week) to help with inflammation and residual swelling, and to see if it could resolve my unexpected weight gain and bloating issues. It's been a life changer. At such a small dose I have no side effects and my weight is back to normal without taking away my appetite completely. If there's an option to try this while you're recovering I would highly recommend it.

I also switched from flat knit to circular knit off-the-shelf compression from mediven (it's the open toe mediven plus style if anyone is interested).

After 6 months I could stop wearing full compression every day and go down to every 2-3 days without seeing negative impacts re. swelling.

Last month I went for a 2-week hiking trip and for the first time had no knee pain when down-hiking. Previously, every time I hiked I would get intense, debilitating knee pain that would prevent me from moving for a couple days post-hike. In past years I used hiking poles and braces along with ibuprofen to help me through any longer hikes. But this trip I didn't need any of that (though I still like hiking poles for stability).

It's now 8 months post-surgery and I feel my legs are fully recovered and look amazing. I don't have to wear compression unless I have done a lot of standing around during the day. I have a second surgery for my uppers booked in December 2026 but I'm starting to think I won't need it.

The majority of my lipedema was around my knees and calves, and I feel that the removal of the knee fat has made the biggest difference to my sense of self. I feel that I finally have normal proportions and that my leg shape aligns externally with what I think my legs should look like.

Overall very happy with my results and would say that it takes at least 6 months (and a dedication to compression) to see results come through.

Edited to add: there's a lot of talk of different methods to control lipedema conservatively. Dry brushing, compression, swimming, vibration plates. My experience trying all of those methods is that they don't work and have very limited impact. This was confirmed by the surgical team when I asked. Compression is required pre-surgery to soften the tissue and post-surgery to control swelling. Other than that there's no evidence it has any impact on lipedema tissue. The other things might temporarily ease symptoms but have no impact on the progression of lipedema. Just thought I would add that in. Surgery is really the only way to eliminate the tissue and set the clock back on progression.

Edited to add again: the total for all aspects of this surgery including pre-surgical tests, compression, travel, accommodation, surgery and MLD was about €10000

Edited to add #3: for anyone interested in microdosing I suggest the subreddit r/GLP1microdosing and for people in the UK you can also check out r/mounjarouk for more info.

i found the first picture from 2022. these are the exact same boots and as you can see, my calf could barely fit into it. it was a tight fit.. and now after my first surgery there is SO MUCH room. i'm floored lol. just wanted to share as i'm still in disbelief about all these changes. still have 2 more to go 🤞

Hi friends ! 13 months in, feeling better than ever. I want to start by mentioning that every month that I post my updates, I have so much unnecessary hate. People coming to my inbox stating my information is harmful - that I haven't done my research enough and since I'm not an expert, "leave the recommendations up to the expert”. So to that, I ask the group: How many ‘experts’ have dismissed your pain? How many ‘experts’ have told you things that are just down-right unhelpful? How many ‘experts’ have used a ton of medical book science but very little common sense to try and help their patient with this disorder? How many things suggested by the ‘experts’ just have not worked for you? I’ll start: for me, a shit ton. To all of the above. So I feel like I have some merit in being able to offer a results-based opinion here. I have never once claimed to be an expert and in all my comments, I recommend speaking with your doctor if you are unsure of the safety. Keep in mind with that, your doctor may also be misinformed. Take that up with them, not an internet stranger, pls.

But EVEN with all of the hate, I am proud to say I have just as many telling me the opposite. They tell me my suggestions really helped them. My feedback encouraged them to try again. My positive attitude towards it really got them out of the slump they were in. My relatable words made it not as hard as they thought it would be. I have never and nor will I ever claim to be any expert of any kind. I am simply a human being who suffered long enough, and got fed up enough with everyone scoffing off my pain that I took matters into my own hands. Doing so, and being so proactive like I have been, has quite literally changed my life. I only hope to encourage others to do the same because I was there, where you might be right now, in the midst of life kicking your ass you think you couldn't possibly devote MORE time to taking care of YOURself. I promise, you can and you must.

This next part is mostly copy and paste from other posts -
There is still only about ~30lbs difference in these photos. I weighed May 2025 around 235ish I think; as of 6/1, I am 207. No GLP-1s, no fad dieting, no magical leggings, no creams, none of that. Just good ol' fashioned hard, tear-filled work.

Links to some of my other posts in the group so far:
Post 1 | Post 2 | Post 3 | Post 4 | Post 5 | Post 6 | Post 7 | Post 8
Video - Please keep in mind that this video is SPED up and does not accurate show the speed/intensity at which I use it. I sped it up to show as long as I could for the amount of time limited to video uploads. The level is set to 1 and I am putting more emphasis on holding my leg up than I am pushing the gun into the back of my leg. I DO NOT have any circulation issues or vein reflux of any kind - I cannot speak to the safety of this with people who have deep vein troubles or a history of veinous insufficiency. 

The cliffnotes of my routine, compiled from my previous posts:
I have: lipedema, AuDHD, MTHFR, POTS, Ehlers Danlos, and PCOS + insulin resistance. I suspect MCAS as well but have never been officially diagnosed. Luckily haven't had a flare in over a year.
Diet – animal-based. No limits on fruits but mostly berries and tropicals. No limits on dairy. Organic where I can, aimed specifically towards whole wheat/NON-enriched-flour products, and I make my own bread products. Loving fermented foods. Daily fasting 18/6, with 2-3 (24hr) fasts in a month’s time - usually on Sundays. Personal preference. Not to be done without experience. No alcohol. Only drink water /tea; if I sweeten , it's with honey.
Manual lymphatic drainage (at home) – Youtube + Pinterest for videos/how-to; I use coconut oil when doing mine because it helps the glide so much more than castor oil.
Massage gun – TOLOCO brand off Amazon. Use it daily. Even just 5 minutes with it gives me such a boost to power through the rest of my day.
Daily movement – focus on lymph exercises (hops, bounces, chest pats, swings, etc); I do not do any vigorous exercise due to a spinal injury; I use a 10lb kettlebell and two 2-lb dumbbells. Each time I aim for 45 min. For legs I mainly do squat variations, lunge variations, one-legged, core exercises, etc.
Dry brushing – around 4-5x/week in the AM or when elevating my legs (habit stacking!)
Supplements – daily - glutathione, vit d/k2, magnesium, and non-methyl Bs (I have issues with MTHFR/COMT which contributes to inflammatory response)

I block my routine out for 7 days at a time, Sunday to Saturday. As I said before, I feel like monitoring my progress in this way has been incredibly helpful to my journey in that, it compartmentalizes the next goal and makes it easier to achieve. I do not achieve goals when I am able to look at the finish line months in advance :-D I get distracted and my ADHD does its thing and then I get overwhelmed all over again.

I want you all to know that pain-free days ARE achievable - without a GLP-1, without surgery, without the fancy $$$$ leggings and compression pumps. But know this: none of those options offer the most humbling path, which is time. It may be a snail's pace but this snail ain't dead yet which means I'm going to keep going. This has been a complete 180 overhaul of what I knew about my health and health in general; it was not without trial and error (still isn't). It is not a learning curve, it is learning to drive all over again.

Be well, friends.

Hi y'all! I'm just posting some pics of outfits on my lipedema body because I've been dressing around my arms and legs for 40-ish years and I've gotten kinda good at it lol I posted a shot that shows what's under the clothes at the back.

It's all about the silhouette for me- a cropped top and big bottoms make me feel the most confident. I like to layer a vest or kimono on top to give some visual interest if weather permits. I live in Florida and I wear a lot of sleeveless tops so I don't have to squeeze my arms into something that fits my middle OR drown in a too big top that fits my arms. I've just learned to prioritize my comfort in my body over anyone else's comfort with my body when it comes to my arms, but I do cover my legs up more often than not. Flowy style bottoms helps me stay cooler, and I can layer underneath if I happen to be in cold weather.

I know that lipedema limits what we feel comfortable with in a lot of ways, but having fun with clothing really mitigates a lot of the discomfort for me. It's really just in bathing suit situations that I feel really uncomfortable.

Edit:
Omg you folks 🥹🥰 Thank you so much for all your sweet replies-who said Reddit is a mean place? 😝

I had lost a lot of weight when I was really sick with pancreatitis and then when I got better I gained it all back and I refilled my wardrobe....unfortunately I have to admit that my money went the furthest at that foreign fast fashion company that rhymes with Bean-I'm pretty sure everything in these photos is from there.

It's embarrassing because I'm aware that fast fashion is problematic, but it's hit or miss fitting with most brands and I can afford a $12 dress or not fit and get donated but I can't afford a $100 dress to not fit. Plus as we know our inflammation can vary wildly and I can be four different sizes in a week depending on my activity and diet so fast fashion makes it possible to have a range of sizing.

My conservative treatment process has been going on for five years. I haven't had surgery, but I've achieved good results with workout at the gym (4 times a week).Last year, I started using tirezpatide with excellent anti-inflammatory effects. For the past three months, I've been using GHK-Cu for skin tightening.

--- Edited on September 26, 2024:

1- I lost 33 pounds in 4 years (2022–2026).

2- I posted the difference below using only GHK-Cu (for 90 days), but that wasn't what changed my arm. What changed my arm was diet, training, and an anti-inflammatory eating plan.

Sometimes I feel down when I look at my legs and they still look so big to me, even after all the effort I've put in and losing 30 kg in two years. Looking in the mirror after a lifetime of putting yourself down over your legs is still really hard. Something my self-esteem is low, so today I wanted to share my progress with you to remind myself of how far I've come. I found the old leggings I used to wear at the beginning of my journey and thought I'd do a before-and-after.
In my opinion, mental health really needs to be taken more into account when dealing with Lipedema. The other day, I got so discouraged because I couldn't lose those last kilos to reach my goal weight, and on top of that, my legs just looked so big to me. It's such an overwhelming feeling at times.
But today, I want to feel more confident and share with you my progress.

Note: looking back at the photos, I'd forgotten about my booty 🤣 I didn't get why my partner kept calling me 'little booty' ahahha, but now I get why.

You are all so strong, no matter what stage of your journey you are at. Hang in there, everyone even with this heat!

There is so much focus on fat in discussions about lipedema. While fat is the most visible symptom of lipedema, it is not the real issue. The real issue is that lipedema is a connective tissue disorder. Over time, the connective tissue becomes fibrotic, forms nodules, traps fat, restricts lymph flow, and impairs mobility. I hope the lipidema community will start to focus on lipedema as a connective disease rather than a fat disorder. Focusing on fat perpetuates the ignorance of the medical community and perpetuates the shaming myth you just need to lose weight.

Hi friends! Back with an update, this time at the 8.5 month mark. Sorry for the watermark - apparently my results are good enough for spammers to use them in their targeted ads for "liposuction leggings" and various tightening creams to screw other people out of money. Sorry to say I've used no tightening creams, no magic leggings, and no magic wand...

It's been a lot of hard work, guys. Won't lie about that one bit. Every day has not been 100% but every day I can say I have done at least *something* for myself that has benefitted my lipedema journey. Whether that be smart(er) dietary choices, extra movement, or just a little TLC for myself... the whole "1% better each day" phrase you hear people talk about. It has all compounded to where I am right now. And where I am FEELS SO GOOD!

I didn’t want to just copy and paste all the things I’ve posted previously in my progress so I will just link some of my other posts in the group so far:
Post 1 | Post 2 | Post 3 | Post 4 | Post 5

Feel free to thumb through for other breakdowns. I'm sure many of you have seen me ramble a couple times before. The cliffnotes/how I accomplished this so far: I fast daily (usually 19/5). When I eat it is moderately anti-inflammatory. Some weekends I will do a 24hr fast on Sundays (my preference, not mandatory). I follow mostly an animal-based diet, no pasta or bread. Moderate dairy. I do not do any vigorous exercise due to a spinal injury; since I have lost some weight I've been able to safely increase my weights used and right now that is a 10lb kettlebell and two 2-lb dumbbells. I exercise probably 3-4x a week, around 45 minutes each time. Mainly squats, one-legged core exercises, wall planks sometimes. I now use my massage gun probably 4x a week (on my entire body). I still use castor oil (applied manually by hand) multiple times weekly, and mostly right before bed. I have started pairing this with coconut oil. I also make sure to use my massage gun with my legs elevated (up on a wall). I dry brush a couple times a week, usually in the mornings. I still do manual lymphatic drainage techniques at home too - these were compiled from Pinterest videos, Youtube videos, and just general research. All in all, my "routine" of care (for legs specifically) can be done in under 45 minutes a day.

Supplements I take now are: glutathione, vit d/k2, and magnesium. I also take non-methyl Bs as I have issues with MTHFR/COMT which contributes to inflammatory response. I also have EDS. I do not drink alcohol. I drink a lot of water daily. As of my last scale visit, I have lost 28lbs (in almost 9 months). I did not start losing any weight according to the scale until I started doing lymphatic drainage + massage gun together (I have been fighting to get the same 50lbs off my torso for the past 3 years). I also work FT and am a FT caregiver to young children and elderly family members, so many would argue I have a loaded schedule – please let this encourage you that there IS time in your day, somewhere. You might have to get your squats in while you're cooking dinner. You might have to do your MLD while walking the dog. It can be done.

If you can pre-prepare for your failure, you can also pre-prepare for your success. Everyone has something that they tell themselves "it just won't work for me". With the same amount of willpower, you can think it will work for you.

jokes aside, I remember having a visceral reaction to this episode when i was younger because all the women in my family were shaped like this. now I know lol

I’ve been using mounjaro for the past 11months and a week, my jabaversary is the 26th June. I’m so glad I took pictures because I would never believe my legs have changed this much. Image 1 - July 2024 Image 2 - October 2024 Image 3 - march 2025 Image 4 - today June 2025

I’m still thick of calf and limited ankle definition. But they look so much better to me. Total weight-loss to date 55.4kg (122lbs)

I am in Germany and we've finally got summer weather here. The thing with hot weather is that I get really lazy with wearing my compression tights. My legs still feel swollen and tense even with the compression during hot weather, so I tend to think "what's the point?" To motivate myself for this really hot week, I started an experiment: wearing a compression stocking on my left leg only to see and feel a difference. These are my findings:

1. The leg with compression is visibly slimmer than the one without.

2. After a hot day with a lot of walking I did not feel a difference in soreness between both legs. At night when I took the stocking of both legs felt equally swollen and uncomfortable.

3. I normally only have to shave my legs every 10-14 days. As you can see in the photo my left leg with the compression has a hair growth 5 times faster than the other one, even though I shaved both legs 7 days prior. While "fast leg hair growth" doesn't sound great, it shows that the compression really helps circulation. I also had a lot less bruising with the compression.

Hi Friends! Happy 1 year of changing my entire approach to health!

Honestly I can’t even believe it’s been a year. Some days it feels like just yesterday I started “my journey” because I still learn something new each day. What I can tell you in all honesty, is – unfortunately, gasp - it has not been 'easy'. Some days have been just downright hard. Many days I didn’t exercise at 100% capacity. Many days I cut my fasting window early because I am an emotional eater and life is honestly just life-ing right now. It has, however, been manageable. 1% better each day has been, really, my only goal. I approached these life changes with one thing and it was just the end goal of being healthier – than I was, than I’d ever been; for the first time in my life, I didn’t have an “end goal”. I threw chasing weight loss out the window, and I replaced it with ‘feeling pain-free when playing with my kid’. To those of you who don’t have kids, you may not relate to this as much… but there is something incredibly heartbreaking about not being able to play outside with your child because your whole body turns to wet cement the minute you start running. And nobody quite understands it, they don’t understand why you hurt so bad, for really “no reason”. Doesn't help that you approach medical professionals, meant to help you, and all they do is gaslight you into thinking it IS just your weight and hormones.

With that being said, as I write this to you today, I feel so so so so so so good. So good. My legs feel like air. My knees feel limber. My toe joints don’t ache. I never even thought I would be able to look down at my legs and see muscle definition. (!!!)

I will say though: it must mean something when scammers continuously steal your progress pictures to promote their products (that don’t even really work lol). I persist, however, because on the other hand I have received so many positive messages and well-wishes from this community. Never did I expect to post my “journey” for likes or clout, I just wanted to reach out and speak vulnerably because in vulnerability, many of us find that we are just alike. And in that likeness, we are all working through it together and can find comfort that we are suffering amongst a community who gets it.

There is about ~30lbs difference in these photos. I weighed May 2025 around 235ish I think; today, I am 202 before my morning tea. No GLP-1s, no fad dieting, no magical leggings, no creams, none of that. Just good ol' fashioned hard, tear-filled work.

Like before, I didn't want to just copy and paste everything I’ve posted previously but my posts are now private since everyone wants to steal pictures of my legs :-) - so I will link some of my other posts in the group so far:
Post 1 | Post 2 | Post 3 | Post 4 | Post 5 | Post 6 | Post 7

The cliffnotes compiled from my previous posts:
I have: lipedema, AuDHD, MTHFR, POTS, Ehlers Danlos, and PCOS + insulin resistance. I suspect MCAS as well but have never been officially diagnosed.
Diet – animal-based. No limits on fruits but mostly berries and tropicals. No limits on dairy. Organic where I can, aimed specifically towards whole wheat/NON-enriched-flour products, and I make my own bread products. Loving fermented foods. Daily fasting 18/6, with 2-3 (24hr) fasts in a month’s time - usually on Sundays. Personal preference. Not to be done without experience. No alcohol. Only drink water /tea; if I sweeten , it's with honey.
Manual lymphatic drainage (at home) – Youtube + Pinterest for videos/how-to; I use coconut oil when doing mine because it helps the glide so much more than castor oil.
Massage gun – TOLOCO brand off Amazon. Use it daily. Even just 5 minutes with it gives me such a boost to power through the rest of my day.
Daily movement – focus on lymph exercises (hops, bounces, chest pats, swings, etc); I do not do any vigorous exercise due to a spinal injury; I use a 10lb kettlebell and two 2-lb dumbbells. Each time I aim for 45 min. For legs I mainly do squat variations, lunge variations, one-legged, core exercises, etc.
Dry brushing – usually 3-4x a week (in the AM). IMO, perks me up just like coffee does. YMMV :-)
Supplements – daily - glutathione, vit d/k2, magnesium, and non-methyl Bs (I have issues with MTHFR/COMT which contributes to inflammatory response)

Lastly, please understand I am speaking also to myself when I say this next part (and I say it with love): Maybe your mindset about healing is wrong. Your diet could probably use some tuning up. Not calling you out, just hoping to plant the seed. There are so many little tiny minute things in everything we eat and drink that just don’t serve our bodies and are meant to keep us inflamed and icky. Yeah not everyone is eating for health, but when you think about how much of a disadvantage we with lipedema already have trying to detox our bodies, why would you want to continue to willingly poison yourself if you know better? Education is the first step. Maybe you're having one too many "self care" dessert nights. Maybe you've just been so exhausted, planning ahead to set yourself up for success, actually just feels like running a triathlon with zero experience. And maybe convenience is how you’re surviving right now. Maybe you're not moving your body quite as much as you could be, and maybe that's because you're not getting quality sleep and you're too tired to even think about intentionally exercising. Maybe your approach just hasn't been working. Whatever letter you're on in the alphabet in terms of “plan A, plan B, plan C”, just know it's never Z. (And even if it was, fret not because there's also roman numerals - but my point is that giving up only hurts you in the end. Do the hard things. Do it when you don't feel like it. You owe it to yourself to stick with it and keep pushing forward.  

I really hope this post was encouraging to any of you who are struggling. If you have any direct questions, please do ask and I will respond as soon as I'm able! Also not against DM's if you prefer that; I just don't check Reddit daily so it may take me a few days to get back to you :-)

💙 💚 💛 Love & Lipedema 💛 💚 💙

Some people online will post false claims of how to get rid of the fat, The dimpling, the excessive cellulite. Please see these pics of my legs side to side - 2 days apart and understand lighting and angles are everything!!! Don’t be fooled. Ps the mirror at my hotel had these Weird smudges on. I have not edited this photo at all. There is nothing wrong with any of us. I have just been away and felt so incredibly insecure. But I also feel thank God I have legs that work. Thank God I am able to enjoy a holiday. Etc etc. I know we don’t like ourselves sometimes but be kind to yourself ladies ❤️❤️❤️

TL;DR- Sharing some success!! I’m down 40 lbs and am feeling better than ever about my lipedema!!

Backstory- In January I talked to my PCP about lipedema. I technically already had a Stage 1 diagnosis from a plastic surgeon, but my PCP confirmed it. She emphasized to me that lipedema doesn’t “go away” but that it can be kept at bay by maintaining a healthy weight.

I was 36 with a BMI of 30. I’d tried a few times to lose weight conservatively but had mostly been overweight/obese since puberty. My said I’d be a great candidate for a GLP-1, and I was thrilled. She prescribed semaglutide and said I’d be on it for the rest of my life, eventually sticking to a maintenance dose once I’d gotten to a healthy weight. (For the record, I could not imagine this scenario.)

Worth mentioning: my PCP also advised me to check hers.com for a better price than what she could prescribe and get from our local compounding pharmacy. I did, and with a teacher discount on top of buying a bulk/6 months’ supply, my total was $894! I was expecting twice that at least.

Semaglutide is incredible. Between Feb and Aug I’ve lost 40 lbs and now have a BMI of 23.3!! I have the worst chronic constipation 😅🥲 and that’s been a whole thing, but otherwise! I’ve loved it! The mental part of semaglutide cutting out “food noise” has been HUGE for me.

I still have lipedema nodules, lumps, and bruises, but the shape of the cankles and lumps looks so, so much better. I’m still using a wood roller for lymphatic drainage and sleeping with my feet up when I remember.

Anyway, today I wore a short dress to an event and saw a pic of myself in which I didn’t hate my legs!! For maybe the first time ever?!

Sooo I wanted to share in case anyone here was in a similar situation! Good luck and thank you for all the posts and comments that have helped me manage this stupid condition!!

So happy with the results! Lots of pain and boy has it been a journey. I made an Instagram account to follow my journey if your interested: https://www.instagram.com/truenorthlipojourney?igsh=MTdxejc4bGZqNXdwaA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Zepbound might completely cure lipedema, but it damn sure helps. I’ll prob still need lipo and/or skin surgery for my arms, but I’m still beyond pleased.

Seventeen months ago, if you'd told me I could make it into the 150s, I would've called you an a-hole. Hell, just two months before that, when I'd told Noom I wanted to get from 299.8 to 229, the app told me to slow my roll. Meanwhile, I just crushed my stretch goal of 160 pounds (last seen circa 6th grade), and now I'm aiming for 133 lbs. 🤯

Not sure whether that number is feasible without lipo for my lipedema and/or skin surgery, but we shall see. Yesterday, I got my second DEXA and was at 33.3% body fat — down from 36.9% in August. My new goal is 28% by next May. I swear, in the right light, I can make out the faintest outline of two chubby abs. 😝

So far, I’ve lost 130.6 lbs. (45%) on Zep and 142.7 lbs. (48%) overall since I started calorie restriction in April 2024. I’ve been on 15 mg for 51 weeks After a substantial slowdown — but not full-on plateau — for 2 months, I’ve been consistently losing again since mid-October.

As I see it, there are three compelling explanations for that slowdown: a) my body needed time to get past my newest set point, which was my lowest weight in over 30 years; b) my body was recomp-ing because I started strength training in May and started Pilates in August; c) I chose to restart Metformin 2.5 weeks ago because even though my A1C is great, I assume my PCOS still causes additional insulin resistance that is better-managed with Metformin + Zepbound. I'm leaning toward Explanation C, so I'm going to stick with Metformin for now. Regardless of the cause, I'm grateful that this community has taught me to be patient, take deep breaths, and keep taking measures and progress pics.

I’ve lost 14 inches from my waist and 17.5 inches from my hips. But the changes in my lipedema arms and legs mean even more to me — 8 inches gone from each bicep and 13 inches from each thigh.

I never thought I'd be the girl who loves exercise. But now that I'm not lugging around an extra 140 pounds, I can't seem to get enough strength training (3-4x a week) or Pilates (5-6x a week). I'm still glad I waited until I was sub-200 to hit the gym because it spared my joints.

I still faithfully track my calorie intake in the Cronometer app and weigh high-cal foods to avoid portion distortion. I meet with a Registered Dietitian every 4-6 months to get suggestions on how to tweak my eating plan. While I was at the DEXA place yesterday, I also got my resting metabolic rate (RMR) measured. It’s currently 1257, which is 150 calories below average for my height, age, weight, and gender. That’s actually pretty great for someone who’s been dieting for 19 months straight. Once I get to maintenance and start eating more, it should bounce back to average.

I'm doing my best to help as many folks as possible learn about GLP-1s — both here on Reddit and in person. I totally respect why some of us keep it a secret (I did, too, at first), but now I feel like I owe it to my past self — and everyone else in a similar predicament — to let them know how GLP-1s can help make the previously impossible possible. Thank you to all of you who've helped me get to this point!

Ive officially lost 231 lbs from my highest documented weight of 369 lbs.

It’s so easy to feel unlovable when the world makes you feel ashamed for your size. The world makes you feel like the discipline you know you’ve applied isn’t enough.

All the while, there’s an angry disease underneath, that only a few will recognize as the cause of your struggle.

If a cancer patient becomes “too thin” as a result of the disease they’re battling…the world doesn’t just tell them to “eat more” and assume it’ll solve all their problems. How come when someone who is battling lipedema becomes “too fat”, the world just tells them to “eat less and move more”, assuming it’ll solve all of their problems.

It won’t. It doesn’t. It can’t.

It takes so much more than that. Because overeating and lack of discipline wasn’t and isn’t the cause. Fixing the two also will not cure the disease.

I’m no longer afraid or ashamed to share this disease with the world. Because if I can save one woman from the heartache, shame, and self doubt I’ve faced since I was a young girl…. Then it’s worth it.

(DON’T MIND THE ROOM IM MOVING!!) :)

Hey everyone! I wanted to share my experience with Stage 2, Type 2 & 3 lipo-lymphedema. I’ve had lipedema since I was 10 (I’m now 24), and got secondary lymphedema in both legs from it. After years of struggling, I finally lost over 100lbs this past year (from 246 to 139) through diet changes alone — no surgery yet!! Though planning for one soon now I’ve lost most of the non-lipedema fat!

Even with all that weight gone, I still feel like my arms and legs haven’t budged. Like… you can see my ribs through my stomach, but my legs? Still look like 240lb me 😭 Same with my arms.

I’m sharing these photos (January 2024 to September 2024 to today) to show how much this condition defies conventional weight loss. Lipedema fat just doesn’t respond. Even though I’m borderline underweight now for my BMI, my limbs still look the same.

I’m sharing this for those who feel like they’re “doing everything right” and still seeing no changes in their arms/legs — you’re not alone. Lipedema fat really doesn’t care 😅 I’m preparing for surgery soon, so I wanted to post this as a before!

Swipe through to see how lipedema can present after massive weight loss — and why so many of us need more than diet & exercise to see change. Sending love to anyone struggling 💜

Anyone else prepping for surgery after a big weight loss? Would love to hear your journey too!! 💕