THE NEW (AND OLD!) WEIGHT-LOSS METHODS

There are many ways to lose weight these days. We spoke to four guys about the method they chose, and how it affected their lives.

- RACHEL EPSTEIN AND GARRETT MUNCE

DRUGS

WHAT IT IS: Tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Mounjaro, is one of the latest class of drugs used to improve blood-sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes and, most recently, obesity.

ALL MY LIFE I'VE BEEN husky. I grew up in the age of "clean your plate." I also grew up relatively poor, so when we did eat out, it was fast food and junk food. Fast-forward into my mid-30s, when I had type 2 diabetes and an A1C level of 13 percent. [A healthy range is below 5.7 percent.] I weighed 360 pounds. I went to the doctor and he said to me, "If you continue to do exactly what you're doing, you've probably got about 15 years left."

I have four kids, and they deserve more than that. So I went on this journey of "Let's try Weight Watchers and let's do keto and let's do Whole30." I ended up having a sleeve gastrectomy in 2018, and it dropped me to about 292 pounds, which was a gigantic life improvement. I was in a good place.

Then in December 2022, I thought I had a UTI. I went to my doctor to get an antibiotic and he found glucose in my urine. He said he wanted me to try something relatively new: a once-perweek shot called Mounjaro to help with my blood sugar. He never mentioned weight loss to me. I picked up my prescription the next day. (I pay $25 for a three-month supply with my insurance.) Within ten months, I was down from 289 to 216 pounds.

It's unbelievable to me that today I can get on a treadmill and run for 30 minutes. My A1C level is now around 4.7 percent. I got a buddy who's a trainer and he's helping me eat to train. I've never been that guy. It's fun to be that guy.