What this is
A 39-year-old dad of three, north of 300 pounds, taking a GLP-1 and writing down everything. Every dose, every meal, every pound, every weird first-night symptom. This isn't a highlight reel. It's the actual thing, including the parts that aren't cute.
301.2 lb starting weight, May 2026. Twelve-week titration from 2.5 to 7.5 mg. Logged daily: weight, food, sleep, mood, and whatever else seems worth knowing later.
About me
39, three kids, married to my job (AI strategy and consulting, 15+ years in, remote for the last 8). Office is a desk and a video call. Lunch break is a fridge.
Read the full story
Former athlete, briefly. Played at the collegiate level until an ACL tear ended that. Six knee surgeries total, two full ACL reconstructions (one in each knee, because apparently I commit), and lateral and medial meniscectomies on both sides. No meniscus left anywhere. The ACLs hold, but anything high-impact is off the table at this weight.
In 2022 I picked up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and went from 315 to 255, with a brief stint in the 240s where I almost recognized myself. Then life got loud. Kids' activities, work hitting 55-hour weeks, travel almost every weekend for one sport or another. BJJ got crowded out. I tell myself I'll get back to it. The scale tells me I haven't.
So here we are at 300-plus again, taking another swing. This time with chemistry on my side and a journal nobody asked for.
How I got here
I didn't want to go in blind, so I started where a lot of people start: reading.
r/tirzepatidecompound was a goldmine — not clinical studies, but real people sharing what the experience actually felt like. The good, the rough first weeks, the wins.
Finding a prescriber & starting
From there, the
subreddit's wiki pointed me toward Trillium. I went to
my.trytrillium.com, filled in my personal and health information, and was connected with a prescriber, Dr. Bhavesh Patel, who reviewed everything and wrote the prescription. No insurance, no in-person clinic visit — legal, compounded tirzepatide shipped to my door. Three vials showed up to carry me through the first twelve-week titration.
If you're reading this somewhere down the road trying to decide whether to start: this journal is the honest version. Every dose, every meal, every pound, every weird first-night symptom.
A note for anyone using this: community stories are a great starting point, but they aren't medical advice. Talk to a real prescriber, and follow your own dosing and vial labels — not mine.