I’ve Been on Weight Loss Meds for 9 Months—Here’s How It's Going
On my big switch from Wegovy to Zepbound, a series of rashes, and a weight loss reveal!!!
Welcome to Forever Millennials, a place where I write about life, motherhood, getting older, stuff I love, and millennial nostalgia. Come for the laughs, stay for existential dread! XOXO.
I’ve been taking weight loss medications for almost 9 months now, and—drumroll please—I’ve lost 58 pounds since starting! Disclaimer: I started when I was 4 weeks postpartum, and I had gained 65 pounds while pregnant, so that might skew things a bit, BUT STILL.
58 pounds. That’s two toddlers.
I lost 13 pounds from the whole birth thing before taking any weight loss meds, so in total, I’ve really lost 71 pounds. This obviously sounds really good, but I’m still 9 to 14 pounds away from my 20-something self’s average weight (my weight fluctuated A LOT), SO WE CONTINUE ON.
What’s sad is that I was devastated to weigh what I weigh now in 2019. But today in 2025, after six years, two kids, three surgeries, seven embryos on ice, and a neck and back that can no longer hang, I’m ecstatic.
A Brief History of My Postpartum Weight Journeys So Far:
If you’ve been following my postpartum weight loss journey, then you know the story. But if you don’t:
I got pregnant for the first time in the beginning of 2021 at my highest weight ever after mysteriously gaining weight in 2019 and then gaining more weight in 2020 due to Covid, surgery, and IVF.
I gained 60 pounds during my first pregnancy.
After losing the 60 pounds (it took almost two years), I got pregnant again at the end of 2023.
During my second pregnancy in 2024, I gained the 60 pounds back plus an additional five pounds.
I started taking Wegovy when I was 4 weeks postpartum in September 2024, switched to Zepbound in April 2025, and now in June 2025, I’ve lost all the pregnancy weight and am almost back to my pre-2019 weight.
This is me right before I started taking weight loss meds vs me now(!!):
How It’s Been Going
It’s been 12 weeks since I published my last GLP-1 update. Since then, I’ve lost an additional 11.6 pounds. That’s an average of less than 1 pound each week (.97 pounds to be exact).
This average is down from when I first started. My first couple months on Wegovy, I was losing an average of 2 pounds per week (sometimes less, sometimes more). But then I started taking the shots every 10-11 days instead of every 7 days to make the meds last longer, and I stayed at the 1 mg dose instead of increasing it, so the effects weren’t lasting as long.
After losing my job and switching to my husband’s health insurance plan in January, I had to start paying for weight loss medications out of pocket. Wegovy has a discount program for people who don’t have coverage for weight loss medications, dropping the price from $1,349 to $499 per month. I started with this option to continue on with my 1 mg dosage, but then my doctor recommended I switch to Zepbound.
Zepbound is another GLP-1 medication that’s supposed to work better AKA faster. Like Wegovy, Zepbound also has a discount program if you don’t have coverage through insurance. Unlike Wegovy, though, their lowest dose—2.5 mg—is slightly cheaper at $349 per month. After 2.5 mg, the price goes up to $499 per month.
I decided to go for the 2.5 mg Zepbound option since it was the cheapest. My doctor said it would be possible I could coast there instead of increasing my dosage, since the lower Wegovy doses had been working for me.
So in April, I switched to Zepbound.
On the Switch From Wegovy to Zepbound
I took my first Zepbound shot 11 weeks ago after being on Wegovy for roughly 6.5 months.
My doctor said the 2.5 mg dose of Zepbound I would be taking was similar to the 1 mg of Wegovy dose I had been taking. She was right because I felt the effects of Zepbound right away.
My 6.5 months on Wegovy were a roller coaster. I had terrible side effects for the first couple months. The constipation was brutal. I wasn’t going to the bathroom at all, and the two times I did were a nightmare. There was nausea that usually set in 48 hours after the shot and next-level indigestion that rivaled my experience with it during pregnancy. But, like, you should also understand that I’ve always had issues with constipation, indigestion, and sometimes nausea, so there’s that.
The side effects got worse as I went up in doses, which I only did twice. Adjusting to 1 mg of Wegovy was honestly terrible for me.
BUT, switching to Zepbound was a breeze.
Perhaps it’s because the dose is more comparable to a lower dose of Wegovy, but honestly, I have no idea. I just know that the constipation, although still in the room with me always, is better. And I haven’t gotten so sick that I’ve ended up in the ER with hives (that happened on Wegovy). Sometimes I get a little nauseous 24-48 hours after the shot, but she passes. Also, I feel like I’m going to have a horrible reaction to the next shot now that I’ve said all this, so please send thoughts and prayers.
The only thing that’s happened is I’ve gotten a rash at the injection site, but that’s likely my fault. I didn’t get a reaction with my last shot, and it’s likely because I cleaned the injection site before and after, OR because I did the shot further away from where I did the last shot. Regardless of which one helped, I’m definitely going to be super careful about both moving forward because the ITCH is brutal.
So What Now?
Well, I still don’t have a job, so that sucks. I’m planning to pay for one more box of Zepbound (I say this every month LOL). After that, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to continue taking it unless I start a GoFundMe for the Zepbound while I sell my house LOLLLLL. I hope my unemployment joke didn’t make you feel uncomfortable.
Sigh.
Despite everything, I’m glad I have something to be happy about—my weight. Did you think I was going to say my kids? Because both of them are here with no childcare until my daughter starts her summer program in July. So, like I said, at least I’m happy about my weight!!
It still kills me how unhappy I was at this weight six years ago. I thought I was huge. Now, I feel great. I would still love to lose a few more pounds, but honestly, I don’t need to lose a ton. My goal for this journey was to get to a place where I felt like getting dressed and going out in public again, and also for my Canada Goose jacket to fit again, and I feel like I’ve reached that goal. I just have maybe 5 or so pounds to lose until the Canada Goose jacket will comfortably zip again.
I also recognize that not all pounds are equal. Me now at my current weight is different from former me at my current weight. I’m not as in shape as I used to be, so my next goal—outside of GLP-1s—is to change that.
I’m so happy I had the chance to take these medications. Sure, I could have lost the weight myself, like I did last time, but that was an exhausting, depressing process. I felt like a shell of my former self, and I had no clothes that fit. And it’s not like the drug is a magic injection. You still get hungry. You still are the one making the choices of what you’re eating, when you’re eating, and how much you’re eating. I also take a very low dose, so it really is just a helper.
Weight loss medications have made me a better mom and person, and if you actually need to lose weight (not want), I highly recommend them. They don’t work for everyone, but you never know.
Until the next update…
Xoxo,
Sam
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Good for you- I appreciate this honest take on GLP-1s. Also some pieces of this essay made me laugh- aka being glad you have something to be grateful for (not your kids). The world is on fire and raising kids is hard, if you have something that’s making you feel good and like yourself, that should be applauded!
Sounds like you’ve got a really healthy perspective! You’ve shown great determination and should feel proud of your hard work 👏