Mounjaro / Zepbound Journey

  So I got my July 5K done this morning … a hilly trail run on a very HOT day … my time was almost 5 min slower than my last 5K but I was completely drenched in sweat on this one!  In the photo above that is the same shirt in both photos … I am down to two more 5Ks ((August & September) before my 10K in October.  I am heading to Cary NC for the 10K. I start my 10k prep this week with the Jeff Galloway Run-Walk program … we will see how that goes!!

  Funny t-shirt for Father’s Day.   And the gym seems to paying off. I am all signed up for my next 5K (the Saturday after July 4th) and I am signed up and committed to a 10K for my birthday month (October).   I still plan to do a 5K in August and a 5K in Septembrr on the way to the 10K.  I have been using the None To Run for my prep so far but I am going to switch gears and do a 13 week Jeff Galloway 10K to finish program starting the week after my July 5K.  He is Th master of the planned run-walk technique.   I was thinking that if I keep running then that would make a smooth transition to possibly a half marathon ... Is that a bridge too far for me?  We will see.  So far my knees are doing okay although I don’t like seeing my reflection when I am “running” … the image I see looks like a speed walker versus the runner I imagine in my head... Lol.  I am fluctuating around 223-229 pounds but I am still thinning out as I redustribute the weight with all the weight working out (as eviden

 So here we are … I have been at a prolonged plateau at about 230 pounds but making progress on all other fronts. I did my 5th 5K this past Saturday with a later life personal best of 44:25.97 which is very slow for accomplished runners but I am thrilled that I broke 45 minutes.   That is about a 14:20 / mile average … I think if I can get myself to 14 minutes that I will be ready for doing a 10K during my 60th birthday month in October.  I did that 5K non-stop but my dilemma is whether to keep going with a non-stop pace or switch to the Jeff Galloway Run/Walk ratio pacing … most the people around me at the 5K were doing some variant of that “Jeffing” kind of pacing.   i have been hitting the gym 2-3 times per week consistently for the past 28 weeks and I am feeling good about that.  I have been concentrating on upper body and to a lesser extent abdominals as I am concerned with hurting my kneess while I am trying to progress in the running side of the things. So that is the summary of

  So I did my second 5K race yesterday  morning… 45:49 … I took 5 min off my 5K from last month … I listened to Calm Down by Rema on repeat for the whole race … Bonus: I got 2nd place in my age group (55-59) … lol … but I will take it!!  I have been training on a flat indoor track … these races have been outside with hills in them which are challenging.   I finished the 12 week None to Run with that 5K.   This week I will start the 8 week None to race 5k to see if I can improve on my times.   My next race will be in June.  Barring injuries I plan on one race per month through my October birth month when I turn 60.  My weight is still going between 224-226  pounds  but my waist seems a little smaller.    I am feeling pretty good. My dating life is nothing to write about.   Online dating sites have been no help really.    I have also been looking for hidden magic lamps that I can rub to see if there is a genie in them but so far no luck with that either!

  So despite my super slow weight loss with my new work out program I did hit an even 224 lb this morning … the lowest I have been since 1987 (37 years ago!).  My BMI is 31.2 ..: with all the Zepbound shortages I am kind of afraid to get below 30 now as I have read that some pharmacies may not fill my prescription if my BMI is too low when it does become available again (I started at a BMi of 54 which really should be the BMI they go by!)  … Could you imagine if that was a risk for not getting your BP meds filled? So in summary, 132 lb down on tirzepatide for 37% weight loss (and  total 159 lb down from my maximum weight for 41.5% weight loss). I have been making positive strides in the gym and am slowly regaining my lost strength.   I definitely look good working out in a tighter shirt … funny how most of my adult life has been lived in oversized very loose t shirts because I did not like the way I looked ….  On the jogging front, I am up to None to Run Week 12 Run 2 for my next run.

  So … on impulse I signed up and did a 5K run.   I had not fully trained up for it but I wanted to see where I was at … in all honesty I was worried that I might not finish it so I picked one an hour away where I would not know anyone! I am very slow at 49:21:59 but all in all I was happy with my performance.   I could not have done it any faster at this point.   But given how I never thought I would ever be able to do a 5K again before the tirzepatide  … it was actually wonderful! I am still looking to do a 5K for my birthday but hopefully I can train up to it being a little better time … I should have some PRs in my future regardless of how slow I am … lol! The tirzepatide cold feeling was real … it was 54 degrees with 10 mph wind gusts and I was wearing a t shirt, a fleece pullover, and a second t shirt and thank God I warmed up once we started …  I never experienced feeling cold like that before the weight loss! And I did hit the gym on the way home so I did not miss my regular wo

  okay … those are my photos from today which was an eclipse day! Also noteworthy was I weighed in at 226.6 lbs which may not seem noteworthy but I am at the point where any weight loss is great!  That is a 129.4 lb weight loss since starting Tirzepatide in January 2923 (36%).    That is 156.4 lb down from my maximum weight which is a 40.8% loss from that weight … always amazes me!   My BMI is now 31.6 down from maximum of 53.4  (50 when I started tirzepatide)  from when I started my weight loss journey! I also did Week 9 Run 1 from the None to Run program!   I am crazy slow … when I am on the indoor track with power walkers an occasional one of them will pass me by 😀! I was trying to decide whether to post my stats from today because when I say slow …. I mean ssssslllllllloooooooooowwwwwww! My goal is to run (using the term loosely) a 5K by my birthday in October … I am hoping that I can speed up to 12 minute miles … yes, I said speed up to get there! My lifting workout distribution

  So … this is my being vulnerable photos!   I finally broke the magical 230 mark and weighted in at 227.6 today … Whoop!  Whoop!   In honor of this accomplishment I decided to share the above photos …. If you subtract the right photo from the left photo you  will see what 150 POUNDS LOOKS LIKE!!!!  (128 of those pounds were lost on Tirzepatide since 1/23) So on the hair issue … The hair on my head has not changed dramatically before and after being on the tirzepatide but I actually have more body hair (getting the old greyback gorilla look!) Another observation, with all my weight loss I find that I take more pride in my clothes … I actually floss more regularly … and I have really gotten into working out.   As I feel better about myself I actually without consciously thinking about it … try harder.   It has been interesting! 

    So the scale hit 231.2 lb today … slow but positive progress!  I am feeling pretty good about it! (126.8 pounds lost since starting tirzzepatide over 14 months  ago…for a  35.4% weight loss)  From my all time maximum weight in the last 3 years I am down a total of 153.8 pounds for a 40% weight loss) … I never thought I would be here! So my workout to whomever is interested:  All exercises on cable machines at my local YMCA: I shoot to do the routine every third day … to be honest at my present age I seem to need the extra time to recover from the lifting fully to see gains. Bench Press, Military Press, Chest Flyes, Lateral raises, tricep extensions Narrow handle seated rows, Lateral pulldowns, back extensions, rveerse flyes, bicep curls Leg Press, Leg extensions, Leg Curls, Hip Abduction and Hip Adduction Abdominal crunch, Torso rotations I started with single set with low weight on each exercise and add weight and sets.   On a Sunday with plenty of time I will shoot for 3 sets (es