December 5, 2025
I have never made any secret of the fact that I began taking Mounjaro in order to achieve weight loss. My weight never really got out of hand, but I was one of those people who gained ½ to 1-lb per year and it added up.
And more recently, replaced that with Zepbound. The difference being Mounjaro comes in a pre-loaded delivery needle, Zepbound requires you to load up the needle and inject. Same stuff.
And it worked. I dropped roughly 25 pounds, bringing me down to 200, give or take five. I’ve plateaued at that level and without a new downstroke in caloric intake, I probably won’t lose more. But that’s OK, I dropped four inches from my waist size and feel very good so I’m fine staying where I am.
There is the matter of cost and I am blessed and lucky with the ability to pay for it. When I began, it was $1,200/month, dropped to $1100/month, and now, down to $500/month. I expect the price will drop further as competition increases and volumes begin to flatten out. I believe the cost for the Novo Nordisk production, in its native country of the Netherlands, is <$200, as a finger pointing to the future of pricing?
But the cost is deceiving because it doesn’t reflect the reduced costs you experience. First, your food intake drops and you have to factor in lower costs for food at home. Then, when you do go out, the meal is inevitably cheaper than before…sometimes I’ll just have a salad, for example. M and I will share an entree, very typical. I drink less; I eat less. I don’t know, what is that? $200/month? Finally, I was able to discontinue four medications designed to corral various problems (Meloxicam, etc). What another $50-$100/month?
I’m plugging in my all-in cost at around $250-$300/month.
And then you have to account for the uptick in health. Saying it’s a miracle drug is close to the truth. For example, after struggling for decades with cholesterol and triglycerides and AC1 levels (always dancing but not crossing the diabetes line), all of my blood work metrics have normalized…green across the board. Thus, greatly reduced anxieties about diabetes (rampant in my family), heart, stroke and so forth. What’s that worth?
Some people experience discomfort symptoms but I haven’t had any.
Gym routine has remained pretty much the same, but you do struggle with adequate protein intake. Because you’re consuming less, you need to prioritize protein over carbohydrates. Definitely a challenge on which to focus.
Now honestly, I don’t think any of this is a big deal. I don’t feel like a weight failure because I couldn’t do it on my own. All that food noise in my brain has stopped and I’ve come to realize that I just craved caloric intake and that my brain and body were just wired that way. Not some massive character flaw.
So, I am today completely mystified by first, people who take one and won’t admit to it. And second, people who trash and shame people who take them.
If I read of one more celebrity talking about how they decided to ‘get healthy’ by walking every day and giving up French Fries, I will worry that my eyerolls might permanently fix my eyeballs to the left border of the socket. Puhleese….
“Yes, I’ve lost 240 pounds by eating a heart healthy breakfast and skipping sugared drinks.”
Right.
Here’s an example of where both collide:
Michelle Obama has always been outspoken about the health issues women face, especially post-menopausal. All good. Helpful. But now, she has shown up with an obvious and considerable weight loss. All good also! How did she do it?
“My health has always been paramount,” she shared. “What I eat, working out, I go to regular doctor’s visits.”
“I do all the things that I’m supposed to do, because I value my health and that also allows me to enjoy this time, because I’m not achy, I’m not sore, I’m not sick,” Obama concluded. “I’m as vibrant as I’ve ever been.” Recent podcast interview
I’m not going to doubt Mrs. Obama (no animosity toward her, here). I didn’t see anything that pointed to the elephant in the room…a drug. Social media has been less kind. But I’m still waiting for this from someone:
“I struggled for decades with my weight and the result was an ever-increasing weight. I just didn’t have the rock-hard discipline to live a life in a constant battle with appetite. And that took me to a weight loss drug. So, if you’re in that battle, just understand that its very tough but one you have to keep fighting, best you can. And keep your mind open to a weight loss drug, because even if you can’t afford it today, you will probably be able to afford it in the near future, as prices come down. So, keep the faith!”
OK, so here is the second thing that mystifies me:
“Michelle Obama is slimmer than ever, but the internet isn’t buying it.
The former first lady was accused of taking weight-loss drugs after she shared behind-the-scenes footage of a photo shoot with famous photographer Annie Leibovitz on Instagram over the weekend” NY Post
I’ve thought about that. Initially, I thought it was body-shaming, but I’ve come around to the conclusion that people don’t like what they perceive as half-truth. I think they sense a drug at work and expect the individual to discuss it. Again, I don’t actually know what she’s done, but I do know the reaction to it. And of course, there is a core of people who feel animosity toward her, the common complaint being that for someone who has been so blessed in life, she seems to find a regular litany of complaint.
She recently said that America is not ready for a woman President which I found terribly condescending. Given that the country was certainly ready for an American of African descent to be President, I think the gender hurdle is actually lower. When the right candidate comes along, Americans will vote in enough numbers to elect. But this idea that we are a hugely bigoted country just doesn’t ring true for me. Although I do recognize some (mostly men) won’t accept a woman in that role (I find that ignorant, no other way to put it).
We also have to recognize if you do a photo shoot and put it up on Instagram, you’ve put it into the social media swamp and thereby have absolutely no standing to complain about what’s said about you. I wonder…why did she do that? What is the point of that? She must have known the reaction she’d get.
So, see your doctor, of course, and see if it’s for you. If it is and you can handle the freight, by all means give it a go. But if you do, just don’t fall for the trap of emotional reaction. Either by yourself or others. It’s a straw dog, a thing that shouldn’t even exist, those reactions.
Sometimes, we make things way too complicated.
Thoughts, questions, or reflections? I’d love to hear them. You can reach me anytime at anthony@workingprofit.com
