CommunityFood & Appetite

Weight Loss Medication Appetite Changes Mindset and Diet Necessity

73 replies34 peopleJul 9, 2026☆ Follow
Summary

How do user mindsets and behaviors affect results from weight loss medication, and is diet or exercise required alongside it?

Participants describe split experiences where some continue old eating patterns like daily donuts and see little change while others find the medication naturally curbs portions and cravings without rigid rules. Health literacy gaps appear as many simply eat less of the same foods while overlooking protein and hydration needs. Conversations also cover successful non-judgmental talks that led others toward habit improvements and affordable options, alongside concerns about metabolic damage from poor choices and limited doctor guidance. Varied timelines for appetite shifts, side-effect handling, and occasional relapses are noted throughout.

What this discussion establishesWhere people disagree

Whether diet and exercise are essential long-term for health gains or if medication alone suffices without risking metabolic damage from unchanged food choices

Still open

What typical provider instructions are given and how many users truly alter behavior versus depending solely on the drug

Nothing here is advice.

73 replies · 34 people · page 1 of 2
ClearLantern70archiveopening postJul 9

There's this coworker who's been taking trizeptite for six weeks under a doctor's prescription and has dropped a bit of weight but not much. We don't know each other well, so it surprised me when he mentioned it. I mentioned I was on reta and tried to keep talking but he changed the subject. Later in the break room with donuts around, I heard him tell someone he could still handle three donuts as long as he spaced them across five or six hours. At first I figured he was kidding, but then he actually took three and left. I'm not trying to mock or criticize, just wondering how common this attitude is with glp1 meds. One donut would probably make me sick or worse now. What exactly are doctors advising patients about these shots? Are they framing them as aids for better eating and activity, or just something you inject while keeping everything else the same? It makes me curious how many side effects come from folks who are genuinely working at it versus those who aren't adjusting their food at all.

BrightSparrow36archiveJul 9

I've kept a healthy diet for years and still allow myself pizza, burgers, or even a donut occasionally. An old acquaintance who trained horses once told me to ride my horse because it brings joy and leaves no room to fret over others' choices. That idea fits here too if you swap in eating well.

SteadySignal69archiveJul 9

On reta the urge for junk like that has mostly disappeared for me. Even if I know I could manage one donut, it just doesn't interest me anymore. Hunger doesn't hit hard either, so I can go long stretches without food and planning meals becomes simpler.

LevelThistle44archiveJul 9

I still eat whatever I feel like whenever I want, just smaller portions overall. Sunday's dinner was something I didn't finish, then drove three more hours without any trouble. No reason to act like a food purist when nothing bad seems to happen. Cake every day isn't smart and protein still matters, but enjoying life doesn't feel wrong.

SteadySparrow75archiveJul 9
↳ replying to @BrightSparrow36

In long-distance hiking circles the common reminder is to hike your own hike. You run into plenty of people insisting your gear or approach is wrong, but the point is you're the one out there doing it.

PatientQuill20archiveJul 9

At 6mg of reta there's basically nothing I can't eat without nausea or other issues. The want for it is much lower though, and I aim for better choices because the goal is my own health.

SteadySparrow75archiveJul 9

Any craving for donuts got buried under a tirz shot. Carrots sound better now.

LevelAlder29archiveJul 9

The first month on tirz messed with my head. I used to eat past full to deal with feelings, not just hunger. Maybe the coworker is still stuck thinking donuts equal happiness after decades. I tried old junk foods in old amounts and couldn't finish, which was actually a relief. Now a candy bar gets me queasy partway through. Donuts were a big binge trigger for me from working at Dunkin years ago, yet until this thread I hadn't even thought about them since February.

SteadyTimber49archiveJul 9

If someone is already going through the trouble of using a glp-1 they might as well make some effort. Just because three donuts are possible doesn't mean they should be eaten. People can be odd.

IronLantern24archiveJul 9

At 6mg the weight keeps coming off no matter what or how much I eat, but most of the time I simply don't feel like eating much. Maybe that coworker will reach the same place eventually.

ClearLantern70archiveJul 9
↳ replying to @IronLantern24

If it's okay to ask, do you get sick when you eat too much or have a decent amount of something unhealthy?

AmberSignal47archiveJul 9
↳ replying to @ClearLantern70 (opening post)

Lots of people just don't get it or the information doesn't stick even if given. Plenty of replies here skip the actual question entirely. Some side effects people blame on the drug are really from not knowing how to use it. The original post wasn't shaming occasional treats, it was pointing out how unaware some folks are. When you ride or hike you should know basic safety, otherwise it's fair to call it foolish. I'm on reta and could eat three Boston creams on a Sunday but feel awful afterward and know it's not helpful.

BrightSparrow36archiveJul 9
↳ replying to @AmberSignal47

Sorry if that came across sideways. Sharing a coworker's eating habits with strangers online isn't meant to help the coworker and doesn't help.

LevelThistle44archiveJul 9
↳ replying to @SteadyTimber49

Most users don't put much effort into peptides. Big lifestyle overhauls interest me less than small steady changes that can last. Big shifts work for short goals but need constant discipline. I lost 80 pounds unsustainably years ago through diet and exercise then gained most back. Now I'm 15 pounds lighter with habits I can keep going forever and the numbers that matter haven't worsened. Instead of tying success to visible effort I focus on what works for me long term, which includes not beating myself up and balancing enjoyment with responsibility. Hedonistic eating holds less appeal now but salads still aren't happening. I do take supplements I never did before. Once I hit my goal I may

AmberMeadow80archiveJul 9
↳ replying to @LevelThistle44

I did weights and running as a teen and in college. Senior year the library added pounds. Later I got into indoor climbing and stayed away from weights for a while. The point is there are enjoyable ways to do resistance work besides lifting. Maybe one will click for you. I'm back to lifting now to protect elbows and shoulders from climbing.

SlowAnchor19archiveJul 9

No foods are completely off limits for me, but I know which ones make me feel best and lean toward those. Years of restriction gave me a bad relationship with food and I won't repeat that. Still, a rib eye beats a donut most days.

ClearLantern70archiveJul 9
↳ replying to @AmberSignal47

Thanks for the reply. I tend to judge based on my own experience, which is very different from others. Appreciate the different angle.

ClearLantern70archiveJul 9

Thanks for the input. You're off though. I plan to keep talking with him and try to help if I can. If he wants three donuts that's his choice and I'm not judging it. There are useful thoughts in this thread that will help me approach the next conversation.

BrightSparrow36archiveJul 9
↳ replying to @ClearLantern70

Telling internet strangers about a colleague's food choices doesn't help him. That wasn't the goal of the thread either. Go ahead anyway.

ClearLantern70archiveJul 9
↳ replying to @SteadySparrow75

Thanks, I wasn't trying to call him wrong.

LevelAlder29archiveJul 9
↳ replying to @AmberSignal47

Everyone varies but many just tune out advice. US drug ads for GLP-1s all mention combining with diet and exercise. Of the telehealth places I used only one required a real visit and she stressed diet plus exercise for best results. The others were online only but their paperwork also pushed diet and exercise. Some people let it go in one ear and out the other anyway, like ignoring that coffee is hot until lids warn about burns. The sentiment is good. I try to think whether I'd want advice delivered the same way to me, since I've heard plenty of body comments as a woman. You're probably not being harsh, just trying to help, but sensitivity matters.

LevelThistle44archiveJul 9
↳ replying to @AmberMeadow80

Good point, plenty of movement options exist besides weights. Walking burns the same as running but takes longer and feels better to me. My job is somewhat active and with TRT my lean mass has stayed steady through 50 pounds lost over six months. Fifth DEXA scan is coming up soon and I expect some lean loss since the last one.

SteadyKettle52archiveJul 9

Thirty kilos down on tirzepatide so far. Food noise is way lower. Fullness doesn't come any quicker though. Last week I slipped and ate a whole pizza plus chocolate cake.

ClearLantern70archiveJul 9
↳ replying to @LevelAlder29

Thanks for the comment. Women get judged on silly stuff constantly and I'm sorry that happened to you. You're right that people can be sensitive. I figure this guy might be touchy about his weight too. That's why I started by trying to understand whether people on trizeptide get sick from eating that way. The thread shows some can handle it on tirz without issues, which is useful to know before talking to him again. I'll probably open with something like maybe I should switch to trizeptide because on reta I can't cheat at all, not even my wife's brownies, and then I won't feel bad offering him a small one.

ClearLantern70archiveJul 9
↳ replying to @SteadyKettle52

Nothing wrong with pizza and cake once in a while after losing that much. Did it make you sick? A friend on reta had three slices of pizza and ended up in the hospital from constipation.

IronFenwick84archiveJul 9
↳ replying to @ClearLantern70 (opening post)

Doctors only prescribe GLP-1s for certain conditions. Eating donuts like that probably isn't what they had in mind.

LevelAlder29archiveJul 9
↳ replying to @ClearLantern70

Glad you liked it. Being a woman has upsides but the random body comments I could do without. You seem genuinely interested in the full picture, which is good. The strongest message is just living well. When he sees your results he'll probably ask you himself.

KeenSparrow16archiveJul 9
↳ replying to @ClearLantern70 (opening post)

I did nine months of tirz through a doctor at high cost. They sent me to a psychiatrist for food issues who said all food is equal and I should unlearn everything I knew about it. That led to gaining weight on tirz. Now I'm handling it myself with grey market tirz plus reta and GHK-CU, doing carnivore with no cravings left.

IronLantern24archiveJul 10
↳ replying to @ClearLantern70

I've only overeaten a couple times on reta and didn't feel any different than before the meds. No nausea from bad choices. Probiotics probably help. Greasy food sometimes leaves me bloated the next day. Sometimes something sounds good until I start eating it and then I lose interest. Eggs used to cause bad sulfur gas so I avoid them now even though acidophilus fixed it, just from remembering the feeling.

ClearLantern70archiveJul 10
↳ replying to @KeenSparrow16

All food is good food is quite a claim. Thanks for sharing.

ClearWillow31archiveJul 10

Trying to swap snacks and sugary stuff for eggs instead.

AmberMeadow80archiveJul 10
↳ replying to @LevelThistle44

I ran distance in middle and high school, liked winning but hated the running itself. Now walking feels better. Tried running again last summer and quit because it wasn't fun. This summer I'm doing 30 to 45 minutes of fasted walking each morning instead.

SharpAnchor34archiveJul 10

The title pulled me in. After starting tirz my appetite dropped noticeably. Sweets lost most of their appeal. I can still have a treat but stopping is much easier and binges don't happen.

LevelPebble88archiveJul 10
↳ replying to @ClearLantern70

Not always the case. This coworker is only six weeks in, likely around 5 mg. Not everyone responds dramatically right away with big losses on low doses. Early on with lower amounts I noticed some appetite drop and food staying longer in the stomach, but the drive to eat didn't fully disappear except sometimes. I could start eating while still feeling full from before and keep going without the fullness increasing. Side effects slowed my dose increases, I tried semaglutide which was worse, switched to splitting doses, then made bigger changes to break a sugar habit and went back to tirz. It took six months to reach 7.5 mg, the first level that really cut the urge to eat and where overeating would likely feel bad.

ClearLantern70archiveJul 10
↳ replying to @LevelPebble88

Thanks for telling me about what happened with you.

IronKettle95archiveJul 10
↳ replying to @AmberMeadow80

Last night on a forest trail with my dogs an older man jogged past. He stood about six feet and looked around 275 to 300 pounds. It seemed painful and unhealthy. My dogs and I walk an hour daily and that works fine for us.

IronKettle95archiveJul 10
↳ replying to @ClearLantern70 (opening post)

Someone I know has taken mounjaro for years yet gained weight. He eats donuts every day plus slim jims and other processed items. He says the drug does not work but shows no sign of adjusting his eating or movement. My PCP offered no guidance on food choices or activity. It is simple to treat these as magic pills that let you eat anything and still get in shape.

NorthWillow72archiveJul 11
↳ replying to @ClearLantern70 (opening post)

A single twenty-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola holds roughly sixty-five grams of sugar, about the same as three to six glazed donuts depending on size. The soda has around two hundred forty calories while three to six donuts range from five hundred seventy to over fifteen hundred.

GreyHarbour88archiveJul 11

Hard to tell what is happening with the coworker. Many of us track numbers constantly during this process such as ounces of water, milligrams, calories, macros, and weekly injection timing. This person instead tracks donuts per hour. Maybe he simply does not understand how the medication functions. I once knew a roommate who treated slim fast as a magic drink and added one to every meal instead of replacing one, probably adding a thousand extra calories a day.

SteadySparrow75archiveJul 11
↳ replying to @LevelAlder29

That is one of my usual lines too. I may need to reconsider things now.

LevelAlder29archiveJul 11
↳ replying to @SteadySparrow75

The situation changes everything. My husband uses the phrase and it leads to good results. When younger I liked respectful compliments from men such as calling me queen. I offer compliments to strangers but keep them to neutral things like clothing or hair. I avoid body comments unless I know the person extremely well and know they would welcome it. Even remarks about getting thinner can be risky if the cause is illness.

ClearLantern70archiveJul 11
↳ replying to @GreyHarbour88

I knew someone who did exactly that with slim fast at every meal and once mentioned adding one between meals. I tried to explain the idea when we were both young. It is unclear if ego or the way I said it kept him from hearing. You cannot know what you have not learned and without curiosity life becomes difficult.

IronKettle44archiveJul 11
↳ replying to @SteadySparrow75

That made me laugh out loud, exactly how I behaved on my last vacation.

ClearLantern70archiveAug 6
↳ replying to @LevelAlder29

You are right, he approached me. We met again today for the first time since the earlier talk. He noticed my weight loss and I answered that the medication makes eating properly simpler, then asked how his own progress was going. That led to a long useful discussion. He became curious when I mentioned how affordable the medication can be. We covered food, diet, exercise, these drugs, hunger versus cravings, calorie intake, blood pressure, other health topics, this forum and thread. He did most of the talking and did not seem to remember his doctor advising habit changes. He showed interest because of ongoing stomach issues, took notes, and received a link to this forum. He plans to try the same approach to eating. Everyone's shared experiences helped me enter the conversation without fixed assumptions.

LevelAlder29archiveAug 6
↳ replying to @ClearLantern70

That is great to hear. Helping him like that shows real thoughtfulness and lack of judgment, which probably let him open up comfortably.

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