From Postpartum Struggles to 60 Pounds Lost: My Tirzepatide Journey

I feel better than I did even before the initial weight gain and am thankful to have been able to achieve a weight that I had truly lost hope in ever being again.

I was naturally pretty thin and fit until I hit my 30s—the same year as COVID: 2020. We also began homeschooling permanently around that same time, and the weight began to pile on quickly. It felt like no matter what I did (and I feel like I did all of the things I knew to try), I just could not lose the excess weight.

I got pregnant with our third and had her in 2021. I gained an insane amount of weight while pregnant with her and only lost 15 pounds postpartum. The same story continued from there—of not being able to lose that weight despite diet and exercise.

I got pregnant with our fourth and final baby in early 2024 and had her last summer. I began that pregnancy at my highest ever non-pregnancy weight and ended that pregnancy at that same weight due to having a condition which caused severe nausea my entire pregnancy and resulted in me not being able to eat or keep food down most of the pregnancy. Our daughter was also born early due to complications from that condition.

I began tirzepatide early last August shortly after having her, since she was unable to breastfeed due to her time in the NICU.

I initially thought I was a non-responder those first couple of months, but once I dialed in hydration and protein, the pounds truly began to fall off.

I didn’t focus too much on dedicated exercise (which I have a long history of doing too much of) and instead focused on staying as active as I could. My main activity goals were to finish my Apple Watch rings each day and get in at least 10,000 steps. My nutrition goals were to eat at a deficit of no more than 500 calories from my BMR and to try to get in at least 100 grams of protein a day as well as over 100 oz of water a day. I also prioritized quality sleep and getting into a healthy circadian rhythm as much as possible being a homeschooling mother of four.

I only went up to 10 mg of tirzepatide and stayed at that dose. I am 60 pounds down in the 10 months since starting tirzepatide. I hit 40 pounds down about 6 months in, and the last 20 pounds have been over the last 4 months. Things have slowed down as I’ve gotten closer to goal, but the inches continue to go down. I feel better than I did even before the initial weight gain and am thankful to have been able to achieve a weight that I had truly lost hope in ever being again.