Zepbound – Top Priority, Ultimate Goals, and Milestones

Goals goals goals. Seems like that’s all anyone wants to hear about these days. And I’m referring to everything/life in general here, not my friends/readers on this topic specifically. I mean, I do have goals in both life and for Zepbound (though I’m trying to think of those more as hopes), but writing them down can still be daunting (says the person who has done 101 Things in 1001 Days five times now). So here are my top priority goals (a.k.a. why am I doing this now?), my ultimate goal(s), and my “step by step” mini-goals and milestones (because you can’t wait until the end to celebrate).

For those familiar with SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound), you may notice one of those components missing here: the “T” – time bound. That’s because how long (or short) this takes isn’t really important. I mean, sooner is better from the perspective of repairing my knee so that I will no longer being in pain, but the surgery itself is not time sensitive. It won’t be any easier or harder to repair if the surgery is done 6 days from now or 6 years from now. (The recovery, on the other hand…. which is the entire point behind losing the weight; it’s not to facilitate the surgery itself, but to allow the recovery and rehabilitation to be successful.) This is one of the few things where it doesn’t really matter how long it takes, it just needs to get done.

Top Priority Goals

Why am I doing this now? Because my knee hurts. Constantly, though it does vary from a little to a lot, depending on the day. And I need knee surgery that my weight is currently disqualifying me for. And if this is all I ever achieve while using Zepbound, it will be enough!

• Get BMI below 45 (loss of 65 lbs/ 29.5kg) to hopefully qualify for knee replacement surgery, though getting to a BMI below 40 (loss of 93 lbs/ 42.2 kg) may be required. Current BMI: 56.9 (311 lbs/ 141 kg)
• Lower my A1C to the normal range (less than 5.7%); current A1C from mid-May 2024: 6.3%

Ultimate Goals

What am I ultimately trying to accomplish, overall weight and health wise? When will I consider myself in maintenance mode?

• Weigh below 150 lbs/ kg; that is the number my doctor gave me; yes, I know how to read a BMI chart, and yes, that number yields a BMI of 27.3, which is “overweight”; if my doctor is happy, then I’m happy, and screw the dumb ass chart with it’s racist misogynistic numbers (you can look it up)
• If that weight is not achievable, then reach some number under 200 lbs (135 kg) that I can maintain with an acceptable amount of effort
• A1C, cholesterol, and triglycerides all in the normal range for 4 consecutive checks; after being high a few times pre-pandemic and then not checked during the pandemic, my cholesterol and triglycerides were both fine at my mid-May 2024 check up, but need to maintain that

Mini-Goals and Milestones

Like I said earlier, you can’t just wait until the end to celebrate, especially when “the end” is months or even years away, or perhaps may never come. Honestly, every pound should be celebrated, probably every 5, and definitely every 10! At some point, losing even a couple of pounds is going to become incredibly difficult if not virtually impossible or unhealthy to accomplish. Celebrating even “small wins” is important. Here are mine, both numerical and “non-scale victories” (in no particular order, because I don’t have a good handle on when/at what point some of these things will occur). I know it looks like a lot, but it’s 55 items total from both categories. 55 important moments worth recognizing on what will be a journey of many (many!) months and possibly years. (I hate the phrase “it is what it is,” but it certainly applies here, whether I like it or not.)

On the Scale

1. 308 (139.7 kg) – down 1 kg and 1% starting body weight (SBW) – hey, you’ve got to start somewhere!
2. 299 (135.6 kg) – being consistently under 300 lbs
3. 295 (133.8 kg) – down 5% SBW
4. 285 (129.2 kg) – my previous “set point” pre-pandemic, 25 lb loss
5. 280 (127 kg) – down 10% SBW
6. 276 (125 kg) – below 125 kg
7. 273 (123.8 kg) – my full term pregnancy weight (weighed myself just before leaving for the hospital)
8. 267 ( kg) – BMI of 49, move from “super morbidly obese” to just “morbidly obese”
9. 261 (118.3 kg) – 50 lb loss, down roughly 15% SBW
10. 253 (114.7 kg) – my lowest weight in the last 15 years
11. 249 (113 kg) – down 20% SBW, below 250 lbs
12. 245 (111 kg) – BMI of 45, contact doctor to see if we can proceed with knee surgery
13. 236 (107 kg) – 75 lb loss
14. 233 (105.7 kg) – down 25% SBW
15. 225 (102 kg) – my pre-pregnancy weight
16. 218 (99 kg) – BMI of 40, under 100 kg, no longer “morbidly obese,” down 30% SBW
17. 211 (95.7 kg) – 100 lb loss
18. 202 (91.6 kg) – down 35% from starting body weight
19. 199 (90.2 kg) – ONE-derland (consistently under 200 lbs), almost under 90 kg
20. 185 (83.9 kg) – my weight when I got married, roughly 125 lb loss, down 40% SBW
21. 176 (80 kg) – 80 kg (I needed something between 40% and 45% SBW! LOL)
22. 171 (77.5 kg) – down 45% SBW
23. 164 (74.3 kg) – BMI under 30, under 75 kg, officially moved from “obese” to “overweight”
24. 161 (73 kg) – 150 lb loss; that’s the equivalent of “one Luke” (my slim 5’11″/ 180 cm son)
25. 155.5 (70.3 kg) – Officially HALF of my starting body weight
26. 149 (67.6 kg) – GOAL!! (my doctor’s ultimate goal for me, if possible)

Non-Scale Victories

1. Have my mom ask if I’ve lost weight
2. Have someone I’m not related to ask if I’ve lost weight (or tell me I look good)
3. Catch sight of myself in the mirror and think “wow, I really have lost weight”
4. Be able to use the pink measuring tape for my hips instead of the longer yellow one (this is not about the actual measurement/number, just the milestone of being small enough to use a tape measure that was too short at the beginning of this journey)
5. Look down while standing (fully dressed) and not see my stomach
6. Notice that the car seatbelt doesn’t “lock” anymore when I buckle in
7. Fly somewhere and not have to ask for a seatbelt extender (typically the clasp and the insert piece can touch (barely) but definitely cannot connect)
8. Sit comfortably at the movie theater
9. Sit in my recliner without my legs touching both arms of the chair
10. Take a Disney cruise and sit in a dining room chair that has arms
11. Notice that I rarely have to move the booth seat or table to sit down
12. Wrap myself in my bath sheet after a shower with no gap
13. Wrap myself in my regular towel (even with a gap)
14. Wrap myself in my regular towel with no gap
15. Have my blood pressure taken with the regular BP cuff instead of the large one
16. Have knuckles showing on the back of my hand instead of dimples
17. Have very clearly defined ankles
18. Wear wide Brooks sneakers instead of extra wide
19. Bend over easily/not feel suffocated while putting on and tying my shoes
20. Wear the beaded dress that was too small on our last cruise
21. Wear the aqua dress I wore to my MIL’s wedding
22. Wear an old pair of capris
23. Wear my wedding dress
24. Wear the blue silk dress (size 14) from my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary
25. Need to buy new underwear
26. Buy and wear something in a size 18 (no more size 20-something)
27. Buy and wear something in a size XL (no more numbers in front of the X)
28. Comfortably wear one of my 18-inch necklaces without an extender
29. Need to buy a new wedding ring in size 9-9.5 (starting ring size is 10-10.5; original is size 8)

If anyone has suggestions for other milestones or NSVs, I’m all ears!