From Ozempic to Zepbound to Retatrutide: What Changed?
My weight-loss journey didn't start with Retatrutide.
A few years ago, I hit my highest weight yet: 193.5 pounds at 5'3". Then a friend sent me a photo and said I looked great in it. What I actually thought, I can't write down here. I looked at the picture and thought, Who is that woman, and why is she wearing my clothes?
The photo that made me realize something had to change.
The photo wasn't the only wake-up call. I was out of breath, dizzy far too often, and just not feeling healthy. Something had to change.
Round 1: Ozempic/Wegovy. I lost about 12 pounds and felt awful: nausea, weird hunger pains, general misery. I stopped, and the weight came back with a vengeance, all the way to 195.5 pounds. Rude, after all that torture.
Round 2: Mounjaro/Zepbound. My wonder drug, at least at first. For the first time, the constant food noise in my head went quiet. Bliss. I lost around 50 pounds and felt great. Yes, I lost muscle, and yes, my skin got a little looser, but I really wanted to be thin again.
Paradise didn't last. The longer I took it, the more I had to increase the dose, and at the higher doses it stopped liking me. Stomach problems, and hair loss, because apparently my hair wanted a role in this story too. Lowering the dose didn't work well enough, and the higher dose made me miserable, so I stopped. Over the following months I regained about 14 pounds. Rude again.
(The full saga lives in my journal, Zepbound and I, which I may publish someday.)
Round 3: Retatrutide. So I went looking for a new friend, and I found one. This time I'm doing things differently. I'm a scientist, so I want to know why things happen: what I feel, what I think is happening, and what the research actually says.
The deeper science and comparisons will live in the Body → Weight Loss section of my website. This blog is the personal side: weight, appetite, food noise, energy, exercise, muscle, eating habits, side effects, and the occasional completely absurd moment.
Is it a perfect study? Hardly. No control group, no blinding, and a sample size of exactly one slightly stubborn scientist. Clinical trials tell us what happens on average; this journal will show what happens in my body, day by day.
One important catch: Retatrutide is still investigational and not FDA approved. That makes this very different from Ozempic or Zepbound, and I'm going in with my eyes open, not pretending there's no risk.
Apparently, my weight-loss saga still has another chapter.
Let's begin.
Disclaimer: This blog shares my personal experience only. It is not medical advice. I am not recommending any medication, and anyone considering weight-loss drugs, especially unapproved ones, should talk with a qualified healthcare provider.