How Medication and Mindset Help Me Maintain Weight Loss
Key takeaways:
Shawn Pennix approached his recent attempt to lose weight as a holistic journey. That meant enlisting experts, including a therapist and a nutritionist.
Shawn has been using weight-loss medications for nearly a year, and they’ve been effective. He recently switched from Wegovy to Mounjaro.
The key to successful weight loss, he says, is loving yourself no matter what the scale shows.
Shawn Pennix says he has been a “big boy” since his teens. During college, as life became more stressful, the pounds piled on — and on and on.
At his heaviest, he weighed about 366 lbs. His doctors told him he had high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes. Occasionally, he would drop some weight, only to see it quickly return.
“It would be a yo-yo thing,” he says. “I’d be good for a week and then go right back to the same habits.”
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Then, in February 2023, Shawn, a 31-year-old social worker in Washington, D.C., embarked on a health journey. This time, the weight loss stuck. He resolved to lose 60 lbs in 2023, and he did. His new goal is to lose 100 lbs total. He has 29 more to go — and he’s positive he’ll get there.
A holistic approach to dropping weight
When Shawn set out to drop his excess weight for good, he knew he needed a holistic approach.
“That’s nutrition [but also] my mental health,” he says. He started seeing a therapist, who helped him overcome some of the obstacles that had kept him from losing weight in the past. He recommends therapy to anyone trying to lose weight.
“Truly learn yourself,” he says. “Your weight could come from things like trauma that somebody else inflicted on you.” A therapist can help you figure out what your triggers are and how to handle them, he says.
Shawn also started working with a nutritionist, who taught him what his body needs. The experience helped him learn how to manage his diabetes while eating in a healthy — but still fulfilling — way.
“We talked about carbs, how much protein you need in the day, food suggestions, and certain things you can eat or replace,” he says.
For social support, he documents his journey on TikTok, where he also posts about streetwear fashion for bigger men. At first, he didn’t tell his friends about his account.
“It was mostly for me to document my moves, side effects — things like that — and to hold myself accountable,” he says. “I would watch myself and see the old content, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s working.’ It kept motivating me.”
When he shared his account with people he knew, he was amazed by their support.
“I thought people would say negative things about me. But instead, they’d be like, ‘I’m so happy for you,’ ” he says. Plus, he made a lot of new connections. He regularly talks with people he’s met through TikTok — many who are also trying to lose weight — and they give each other advice and make sure they stay on track.
Weight-loss injections aren’t a magic bullet
In 2023, Shawn started seeing TikTok videos about GLP-1 agonists: popular medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro.
His doctor referred him to a weight-loss clinic, which prescribed Wegovy, a once-weekly injection that’s approved for weight loss. It helped him lose about 50 lbs. But by the end of 2023, he says he felt like he had stalled out. The scale was no longer budging, despite exercise and diet changes.
So he switched to Mounjaro (tirzepatide) — which works similarly to Wegovy by simulating gut hormones in the body and has been more effective for some people than Wegovy. Mounjaro is approved for people with diabetes but not solely for weight loss. Another tirzepatide medication, Zepbound, is approved for weight loss.
So far, Mounjaro is working well for Shawn. He hasn’t experienced any side effects, but he sometimes feels more tired than usual.
Shawn credits Wegovy and Mounjaro as essential tools in his weight-loss journey. But not everyone understands that, he says. Some people have tried to shame him for not losing weight “the natural way.”
“People have a lot of misconceptions,” he says. He wants them to know that weight-loss medications aren’t a magic bullet that removes hard work from the equation.
“I still have to go to the gym. I still have to be mindful of what I eat,” Shawn says. “It’s a tool — it’s no different than somebody taking a vitamin every day.”
What he eats in a day to maintain weight loss
Before embarking on his weight-loss journey, Shawn ate a lot of unhealthy fast food: eggs and bacon for breakfast; McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, or Pizza Hut for lunch; and then at a restaurant for dinner.
“That would be a daily thing,” he says. “Hanging out with my friends and always going to restaurants.”
Now, he practices intermittent fasting: He eats only between noon and 8PM.
When Shawn begins his meals for the day, he’ll often have a protein pancake, a serving of eggs, and turkey bacon. Or he’ll have a protein shake. Later, he’ll re-create healthier versions of some of his old favorites, like pizza made with a low-carb tortilla.
“I really love wings, so instead of frying them, I cook them in the air fryer,” he says. When he craves pasta, he makes ziti — but instead of ground beef, he uses ground turkey. Or he’ll make chicken alfredo, with spinach, lots of chicken, and edamame pasta.
“Today I’m probably going to do broccoli chicken casserole, and I’ll use cauliflower rice,” he says.
Occasionally, Shawn still has cravings for the types of meals he used to enjoy. The weight-loss injections help, he says. When he indulges, he usually feels satisfied after a couple of bites.
“I allow myself to still enjoy life. I feel like when you truly deprive yourself, it may backfire,” he says. “But honestly, in terms of food, there’s nothing under the sun that you can’t make a healthier version of that tastes just as good.”
Shawn has never been a fan of traditional exercise, so he finds ways to make being active more fun. He likes swimming and plays in a dodgeball league. “I might have a scheduled game at 6, but I’ll show up an hour early just in case another team needs a sub,” he says. “So I’ll play two to three games for the night.”
Shawn also competes in challenges with his friends who have an Apple Watch. One month, for example, they competed to see who worked out the most. Shawn says those challenges keep him active because they’re more interesting than exercising alone.
He has reversed his Type 2 diabetes and keeps looking forward
Shawn has lost more than 70 lbs, and his health metrics have improved. His doctors say he’s reversed his Type 2 diabetes, and he no longer needs to take metformin to help manage his blood sugar. His blood pressure is also in the healthy range. He feels more social, self-aware, and confident than ever.
“I’m really in tune with myself,” he says. “I’m cool with myself now.”
Beyond achieving his goal — and dropping 100 lbs — Shawn isn’t sure what the future holds.
He plans to continue eating healthfully, taking his Mounjaro injections, and playing dodgeball.
“What does healthy look like for me?” he wonders. “It might not even be any more numbers, in terms of weight. It might just be, what can I do to improve my health overall?”
He’s thought about what made this attempt to lose weight different from all the others that failed. It comes down to mindset, he says.
“I had to really fall in love with myself,” he says. “Yes, I’m trying to lose weight. But I’m doing it to be healthy, not necessarily to fit into societal norms. When I started, even though I was heavy, I was like, ‘Who you are today is OK.’ The purpose is just to be healthy. So even if you lose 5 lbs and that’s all that comes from this, then that’s fine, you know what I mean? Whatever body I’m in, it’s OK.”
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