4 Zepbound before and after stories from real patients

People can lose up to 21% of their body weight after a year on Zepbound (tirzepatide), according to research. But what do real-world results look like? How does taking Zepbound make people feel? And what other changes do they notice besides weight loss? To answer those questions, we’re sharing four Zepbound before and after stories (and photos!) from real patients at Ro.

Read on to hear their Zepbound weight loss before and after stories and get more information about how weight loss on Zepbound works.

For years, Kristen had fought what felt like a losing battle with her weight. 

“I know it’s cliché for people to say they’ve tried every form of weight loss method out there, but I genuinely feel that way,” she says. “I tried everything under the sun!”

A family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol motivated Kristen to keep trying — this time, with GLP-1s. Before Zepbound, her cholesterol and blood pressure were borderline problematic, and she knew that losing weight could help push those numbers in a positive direction, while also benefiting her health overall in the long run.

Kristen started her weight loss journey on Ozempic (semaglutide) in November 2024, switching to Zepbound a month later. Given her weight loss experiences, she assumed GLP-1s would be another failure — but this time, it was different. 

By June 2025 (just eight months later), she had lost 39 pounds. The first thing she noticed was that her food noise — intrusive, pervasive thoughts about food — had finally quieted, and she stopped having strong cravings.  

“Once I realized that it was working, I gained confidence and a renewed sense of purpose as far as where I wanted this journey to take me,” Kristen says. “I had a specific number of pounds that I wanted to lose, and I was finally able to see myself realistically achieving that.”

The changes went beyond the scale. Kristen was able to fit into clothes she hadn’t been able to wear in a long time. She also noticed her confidence grow and her gym routine shift. 

Ro makes GLP-1s simple, from coverage to care

Get started

“Since I’m not always hyper-fixated on weight loss anymore, I feel like I have more freedom at the gym,” she says. Instead of solely focusing on how many calories she can burn, Kristen has been able to explore — and enjoy — trying new cardio classes and weight machines.

Kristen’s blood pressure also improved, but that’s not all. Her irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), once triggered by stress and certain foods (like caffeine and pizza), improved to the point where she no longer needed medication. 

“[I] could even go back to eating and drinking some of my previous food triggers (in moderation) without triggering an episode,” she says. “It’s honestly been life-changing.”

Kristen experienced some slight nausea with Zepbound. But the side effect wasn’t anything that she couldn’t handle, and it was thankfully more prominent early on. She says Ro made it easy for her to stay on track with Zepbound through weekly check-ins, where she could voice her concerns about any side effects and get prescription renewals. 

With manageable side effects and steady support from Ro, Kristen feels she’s finally found an approach she can maintain. 

“I feel comfortable in my own skin for the first time in a long time,” she says. “My life is pretty much the same as it was before Zepbound except for the fact that now, I’m a healthier, happier version of myself.”

Billy’s motivation to start Zepbound came a few months after the birth of his daughter. 

“I worried that if I did not get a hold of my weight and health, I would regret it when she began moving,” he says, adding that he wanted to have more energy and confidence. “Ultimately, I wanted to be a better husband to my wife and father to my daughter.”

Before Zepbound, Billy had tried various diets and exercise programs, but he always ended up feeling discouraged. “I could never get over the ‘hump’ of not seeing the results and eventually would give up,” he says.

After Thanksgiving 2024, when he had reached his heaviest weight, Billy started Zepbound. Over the next seven months, he lost 41 pounds — and gained a new lease on life. He’s become more active, doing yard work, walking, going to the gym, and cutting down on processed foods. 

Besides weight loss, some of the best changes he’s noticed relate to his appetite, energy levels, body image, and confidence. Billy says he has different and healthier cravings now. His sleep apnea and excessive snoring have stopped, so he sleeps better at night. The improvements in his health give him peace of mind about his future.

Before he started taking Zepbound, Billy says he felt stuck. “I was carrying extra weight that made everyday tasks harder — simple things like walking long distances, bending down, or climbing stairs felt exhausting,” he says. “I lacked energy and often felt sluggish throughout the day.” 

Now, since starting Zepbound, Billy feels lighter, more energetic, and much more capable. “My stamina has improved — I actually want to move more now.”

Physically, Billy’s clothes now fit better and he feels more comfortable in his body. But some of the most surprising changes have been emotional. Before, he would avoid social events or photos due to low self-confidence. “I felt uncomfortable in my own skin and was constantly aware of how my body felt in clothes or public settings,” Billy says. “I had the desire to change, but I felt overwhelmed and unsure where to start.”

Now, Billy says he feels like a new version of himself. “My confidence has grown — not just in how I look, but in how I carry myself,” he says. “I’m more open, less self-critical, and more willing to take on new challenges.”

These changes are deepening his relationships, too, Billy says. Friends and family have noticed that he’s more social, more engaged, and less likely to turn down plans. 

“I feel more connected to others and more in control of my life,” he says. “Intimacy with my wife has improved. Overall, life after Zepbound feels more hopeful, balanced, and fulfilling.”

When it came to losing weight, Stephanie had tried a little bit of everything, from appetite suppressants and “fat burners” to juice cleansers and meal delivery services. “If it was available, I tried it,” she says. 

Everything would work initially, before becoming more difficult and less sustainable. Eventually, she says, “the weight always came back, and then some. It was a vicious cycle.”

After hearing about Zepbound weight loss results in clinical trials, Stephanie decided to give the GLP-1 a try. “I had nothing to lose but the weight,” she says.

After her first injection in November 2024, she noticed immediate appetite suppression. The food noise was gone, and she lost interest in snacking — something that “had never happened before” with her other weight loss tools and tactics. 

“Zepbound was different,” Stephanie says. “The weight started to come off that first week, and continues to do so.”

Less than a year (~eight months) later, Stephanie had lost a total of 74 pounds, dropping from her baseline weight of 229 pounds to 155 pounds. She also gained back her energy, confidence, and joy. 

“I can now climb stairs without having to stop and catch my breath,” she says. “I can just move my body more, and I feel really good doing so. Before, everything felt like a chore. [But] I got my groove back now.”

Stephanie was ready to expect some side effects from Zepbound, and she did experience some at the beginning, including headaches, fatigue, and constipation. By drinking more water and increasing her fiber intake, she was able to keep her side effects from getting in the way of her daily activities.

Today, Stephanie continues to take Zepbound as she makes other lasting changes: eating smaller portions, choosing more nutrient-dense foods, walking more, and lifting weights. And she says she’s in a better place than she’s been in years. 

“I'm no longer sad and embarrassed when I look in the mirror or see a photo of myself,” Stephanie says. “My self-esteem and self-confidence are back. I look forward to being seen, and…I look forward to living life being the best version of myself.”

By the time Colleen’s first grandchild was born, she was ready for a change. She was sick of being uncomfortable in her own body.  Whether she was counting calories, points, steps, or reps, nothing seemed to move the numbers on the scale. 

“Time, menopause, and hypothyroidism had me in an endless loop of hope and failure,” Colleen explains. “My cholesterol was too high for the first time, and inflammation was slowing me down.”

After researching GLP-1s, Colleen decided Zepbound was the right choice for her (and her Ro-affiliated provider ultimately agreed). She started Zepbound at the end of December 2023 with a baseline body weight of 205 pounds. By mid-January 2025, she hit her goal weight of 135 pounds — a 70-pound loss in just over a year.

The first thing Colleen noticed was that her joint pain and inflammation improved right away. Soon after, the food noise disappeared. 

“Even though I couldn’t see it yet, the scale started to move, and that was the hope and motivation I needed,” Colleen says. “I became obsessed with only putting really healthy foods in my body.” 

Colleen’s cholesterol dropped back to normal, and she started feeling like her old self again, as her energy and her confidence returned. “I realized I wasn’t trying to hide anymore,” she says. “My daughter-in-law said I had a glow and a light around me.”

Upon starting Zepbound, Colleen’s provider explained that listening to her body and acknowledging when she had had enough to eat could help her avoid some of the drug’s side effects. That advice helped her mostly steer clear of nausea. 

To avoid constipation, Colleen made a concerted effort to manage her nutrition — specifically her fiber intake — and hydration from the beginning of treatment. Even so, Colleen still experienced a few side effects, such as sulfur burps, usually when increasing her dosage. She also dealt with occasional itching and swelling at the injection site, b 

Colleen is still taking Zepbound at a maintenance dose of 5 mg weekly and has kept up her self-described "obsession" with high-quality food, even influencing her husband to make the same healthy choices. She sticks to a high-protein diet, gets plenty of water, and now makes weight training part of her daily routine. 

Today, Colleen says her life is “miles away” from where it was when she started her Zepbound journey. She has the energy and motivation to keep up with not only her 2-year-old granddaughter but also her 20-something kids at Disneyland. And she’s been tackling some big home renovation projects to boot. 

Colleen’s advice for others considering Zepbound? “I’d say to not listen to media or people who say taking Zepbound is ‘cheating’ or you just need to ‘move more and eat less’ because I’ve been there [and] it’s not always that simple.” 

She says she’s grateful for going through this process as a Ro member. “Having Ro as my provider has been such a relief, from the[ir] team literally handling all the insurance (I’d never heard of a prior authorization, much less knew how to get one!) to the providers answering my dozens of questions throughout my journey.”

Zepbound starts working pretty quickly, with people losing up to 3% of their body weight in the first four weeks (month), according to one study. For a person who weighs 300 pounds, that’s about 9 pounds in just one month!  

How much weight you lose on Zepbound in a month can vary from person to person, and depends on your starting body weight, dosage, and adherence to healthy lifestyle changes.  

For example, people with type 2 diabetes tend to lose less weight on GLP-1s than those without the condition. Also, people taking higher dosage strengths of Zepbound tend to lose more weight. 

In one study, people taking 15 mg of Zepbound weekly lost nearly 21% of their body weight in 68 weeks. Comparatively, those taking 5 mg lost 15%. 

While no foods are strictly “off-limits” when taking Zepbound, some can slow down your weight loss results and exacerbate side effects. These include:

• Ultra-processed foods, which tend to be high in calories and “unhealthy” (e.g. saturated and trans) fats

• Spicy, fatty, or fried foods, which can worsen side effects 

• Alcohol and carbonated beverages 

Instead, a good Zepbound diet plan should include whole foods with plenty of protein, fiber, and healthy fats (like extra virgin olive oil). Fiber and protein both increase satiety, so you feel fuller between meals.

People may notice weight loss within the first four weeks of taking Zepbound, according to research. 

In one study, people lost up to 3% of their body weight in that time frame, along with increased satiety (feelings of fullness) during the day. In another study, people taking Zepbound were eating about 300 fewer calories daily by eight weeks and, by nine weeks, had lost 11 pounds. 

Fastest-working GLP-1 for faster weight loss

See if you qualify

The Ro Body membership offers access to prescription weight loss medications, like Zepbound, with ongoing clinical support to help you stay on track throughout your weight loss journey. 

Here’s how it works: 

• Complete an online visit. Getting started is simple — all you have to do is answer some questions about your health history and weight loss goals. A Ro-affiliated provider will review your responses and get back to you within a few days. If needed, they may order a metabolic test to better understand your hormone and metabolic health or support insurance coverage. 

• Get your prescription and plan. If appropriate, a Ro-affiliated provider will write you an Rx for a GLP-1 medication. They’ll also create a personalized plan and help you with your dosing and titration schedule. 

• Explore insurance or cash-pay options. If you’d like to use insurance, Ro’s dedicated insurance concierge will handle the process. They’ll communicate with your insurance provider directly, manage the paperwork for prior authorizations, and pursue every option to get your treatment covered. If insurance doesn’t come through, they’ll explain savings opportunities, such as cash-pay options. Thanks to Ro’s partnerships with NovoCare and LillyDirect, you can get FDA-approved cash-pay options at half the retail price. For example, a month’s worth of Zepbound (2.5 mg vials) for just $349. 

• Receive your medication. Depending on your prescription and payment method, your medication can be filled at your preferred pharmacy or shipped to your door in 1–4 days. 

• Get ongoing support. As a member, you’ll have on-demand access to Ro’s clinical team for prescription management, dose changes, and any questions that come up along the way.