GLP-1 TV · Patient story · views checked Oct 2026
I Lost 20 lbs in My FIRST Month on ZEPBOUND: My GLP-1 Journey
Our summary
In this video, Chris, who runs the channel Chris Conquers the Scale, recaps his first month on Zepbound. He says he took his first shot on May 2nd, 2025, started at 377 lbs, and was down 20 lbs about 30 days later. He stresses that his results are his own and should not be treated as a template for anyone else.
One person's experience, in their words. Not medical advice.
Where Zepbound costs least today
The three cheapest partner programs for Zepbound, all in per month, checked weekly. Brand Zepbound and compounded versions are different products; each row says which it is.
What else the video covers
A large part of the video covers timing. Chris says that if you pay for a GLP-1 yourself, he agrees with another creator's advice to start the medication first and adjust your habits afterward. If insurance is covering it, he argues for starting diet changes beforehand, because he worries coverage or pricing could change and he wants the most from the time he has. He also recommends changing one thing at a time so side effects and results can be traced to a cause. He began on 2.5 mg of Zepbound, rotates injections around his stomach, and says he had almost no side effects apart from heavy sulfur burps until he reached 7.5 mg. He says he felt full for the first time about two days after his first dose.
On food, Chris says he focused first on calories and then on protein, aiming for a range based on his goal weight of about 180 lbs. He says he lowered carbs without cutting them out, and he cautions that much of the early loss was probably water, and some may have been muscle. He lists meals he ate and describes a free tracking spreadsheet he made. His weekly totals were 11.6 lbs, 14.6 lbs, 17.8 lbs and 20.8 lbs down.
Our summary of what is said, in our words. Doses, results and prices are the speaker’s, not advice.
Takeaways
The main points, in the order they come up. Tap a time to play from there.
- 0:02 Chris says his results are his own, and he recommends borrowing ideas from several creators and fitting them to your own situation.
- 0:03 He says self-paying patients should start the medication right away, while he chose to begin diet changes first because his access depends on insurance.
- 0:07 He advises making one change at a time so any side effect or result can be traced to its cause, and he waited until month two to add the gym.
- 0:09 He started on 2.5 mg of Zepbound, rotated injection spots on his stomach, and reports no true side effects until 7.5 mg apart from sulfur burps.
- 0:13 He recommends a balanced diet with reduced but not eliminated carbs, and says early rapid loss is partly water weight.
- 0:25 He reports being down 11.6 lbs after week one and 20.8 lbs after week four, and says some of that was likely water and muscle.
Key moments
From the creator's own chapters. Tap one to play from there.
What the video says
As stated in the video, not checked by us. Doses and results are the speaker’s, not advice.
- Medication
- Zepbound
- Doses mentioned
- 2.5 mg
- Point in the journey
- Month 1
- Weight loss mentioned
- 20 lb, in the title
- Side effects mentioned
- nausea, diarrhea and sulfur burps
- Who is speaking
- Patient
Questions this video answers
How much weight can you lose in the first month on Zepbound?
Chris reports losing 20.8 lbs in his first four weeks on Zepbound, starting from 377 lbs. He says he was down 11.6 lbs after week one, and that much of it was probably water weight, with some possibly muscle. He stresses that other people will see different results.
Should you change your diet before starting a GLP-1 medication?
Chris says that if you pay for the medication yourself, you should start it without waiting. If insurance is covering it, he prefers starting diet and routine changes first, since he worries access could end and wants to make the most of the time on it.
What side effects did he have on Zepbound 2.5 mg?
Chris says he had almost no side effects at 2.5 mg or 5 mg, other than heavy sulfur burps. He says he did not notice true side effects until he reached 7.5 mg.
Does he recommend cutting carbs on a GLP-1?
Chris says he lowered his carbs a lot but does not recommend cutting them out completely. He says carbs fuel the brain and exercise, and he wants a diet he can keep after the medication ends.
Videos on the same question
The closest videos in the library by what is said in them, not by title.
110 Lbs Lost on Zepbound | What I Would Do if I Started TodayThe creator of The Betty Method says she went from 237 lbs to 127 lbs over 15 months using Zepbound, and lays out the plan she would follow if she were starting a GLP-1 today.
Lowered My Zepbound Dose and This Happened | A Dietitian's own GLP-1 StoryAnna Reisdorf, a registered dietitian who says she has used GLP-1 medications for 3 years, describes what happened when she lowered her dose after more than a year of weight maintenance.
Zepbound Journey Week 1-4: My Experiences and Thoughts #zepbound #glp1In this video, the creator looks back at her first month on Zepbound, a GLP-1 medication she says is used for weight loss.
I Tried Zepbound For Weight Loss - 10 Month Update 💉Dani, a creator who posts weekly about GLP-1 medications, gives a 10 month update on taking Zepbound for weight loss.
Read next
Our guides closest to what this video covers, with prices checked weekly.
- How long do Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound take to work? The label calendar and the trial timepoints
GLP-1s act from the first dose, but the labels start low on purpose and step up every 4 weeks, so most people do not reach a full dose for 3 to 5 months. Each dose reaches steady levels in the blood after about 4 to 5 weeks. In the trials, people averaged 10.6% weight loss after 20 weeks of Wegovy's escalation and 20.9% after 36 weeks of Zepbound, with the full trial results at 68 to 72 weeks. For type 2 diabetes, Ozempic's A1C results were measured at week 30.
- Zepbound dosage chart: every tirzepatide dose, the escalation rule, what each rung lost in the trial, and what it costs
Zepbound has six doses, 2.5 to 15 mg, taken once a week. The label's rule is four weeks at 2.5 mg, then 2.5 mg steps with at least four weeks on each, to a maintenance dose of 5, 10 or 15 mg. In SURMOUNT-1 those three doses lost 15.0, 19.5 and 20.9 percent of body weight over 72 weeks. Direct from Lilly each rung has a price, $299 at 2.5 mg rising to $699 at 10 mg and above, so the chart below carries the dose, the rule, the trial result and the bill in one place, plus the vial and KwikPen concentrations for anyone measuring in units.
- What is Zepbound? Tirzepatide explained: what it treats, how it works, and what it costs
Zepbound is Eli Lilly's brand of tirzepatide, a once-weekly injection that acts on two hormone receptors, GIP and GLP-1. The FDA label approves it, with diet and exercise, for weight reduction in adults with obesity or overweight plus a weight-related condition, and for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity. In the SURMOUNT-5 trial it produced 20.2% average weight loss at 72 weeks against 13.7% for semaglutide. Lilly sells it self-pay from $299 a month.
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