After overeating for years, Alexandra Merz says she feels “absolutely amazing” since losing 130 pounds with a GLP-1 weight-loss drug. She exercises every day, calls herself more productive and no longer experiences food noise.
But one big, unexpected joy came in the form of fashion.
Merz was always frustrated by her “bulky legs” and “huge ankles.” As she lost weight with the medication, those body parts slimmed down. Even her shoe size shrank.
For the first time in her life, the mom of five found she could wear over-the-knee boots, so she splurged on a pair.
“You have no idea what a victory that was,” Merz, who lives in Santa Barbara, California, tells TODAY.com.
“It's ridiculous that this 59-year-old woman found this so important, but it is. It just crystallized this whole frustration with my body over so many years.”
She says food is not a reward system for her anymore — chic clothes are, and she enjoys showing them off on social media.
Still, Merz urges others not to think of GLP-1 drugs as an easy solution anyone can take without thinking it through and talking with a doctor.
Weight Gain Was ‘Constant Battle’
Merz, who is German, says her weight struggle began when she was 16 and came to the U.S. as an exchange student for a year. She had a job at McDonald's and gained 70 pounds.
She lost the weight when she returned to Europe, but there were more setbacks to come.
As an adult, she moved to France with her husband, had five children and gained about 70 pounds with each pregnancy. The more kids she had, the more difficult it was to lose extra weight.
“It was a constant battle. My body loved being fat,” Merz says.
Her biggest problem was bread — she couldn’t stop eating anything doughy. Looking back, Merz is amazed at the amount of food she could consume without feeling she’d had enough. If someone gave her two desserts after dinner, she would eat them.
At 5 feet, 10 inches tall, Merz also felt out of proportion in France.
“I was the elephant in the porcelain shop. Everybody else was tiny and beautiful and fashionable, and I was just crazy tall and fat,” she recalls.
About 12 years ago, Merz and her family moved to California, and that came with a more sedentary life than in Europe.
She was walking less and sitting more, “getting bigger and bigger.” A ketogenic diet helped, but she couldn’t stick to it after a while.
Merz reached her highest weight of 270 pounds at the start of 2024.
“I was so exhausted and tired,” she recalls. “I really felt very unproductive.”
Weight Loss with a GLP-1
Merz’s doctor told her she was the ideal candidate for a GLP-1 weight-loss drug and recommended Zepbound, which mimics two hormones the body produces after eating, leading to a reduced appetite.
Merz was reluctant, noting she doesn’t take any medicine, even vitamins, but agreed to take the lowest dose of the prescription drug.
“The first 24 hours were awkward. But then something switched in my brain,” she recalls.
Her side effects included heart palpitations, acid reflux, stomach cramps and nausea, but went away after the first day, Merz says. The most common side effects of the drug include gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and constipation, according to the manufacturer.
She also suddenly became “disgusted by coffee” and couldn’t drink it for 18 months, though she’s now enjoying espresso again.
But Merz found a routine that worked. With her reduced appetite, she now eats two meals per day. Breakfast is whole wheat bagel that provides fiber and “completely satisfies my addiction to bread,” she notes. She completes it with ham to get enough protein.
Her midday meal, eaten at around 3 o'clock, includes fish, steak or another protein, plus vegetables.
She now weighs 140 pounds.
Lifestyle Changes
Merz says she hasn’t touched alcohol since starting the weight loss medication in February 2024, finding it’s just not appealing for her anymore. Her husband is a partner in a vineyard, so it’s “a biggie” for her not to drink wine, she says.
Many people, including Oprah Winfrey, have noticed GLP-1 drugs can curb their desire for alcohol.
When it comes to exercise, Merz works out for one hour every morning, including walking on a treadmill for at least 35 minutes, and using a rowing machine and a vibration plate.
Sticking to a fitness routine is one of the many things she couldn’t do before.
“There was just this weight on me that pulled me down,” Merz says. “(Now), I feel like I've dialed back 20 years of my life.”
She no longer experiences persistent thoughts about her next meal, but the food noise comes back if she goes more than one week between shots of the medication.
Merz and her family love traveling to Italy and other countries just for the food, so she worried about the drug taking pleasure out of dining. But she eats what she can and asks for substitutes, such as spinach or other vegetables instead of potatoes.
She plans to take the GLP-1 drug indefinitely.
“I'm convinced I'll never get off it. ... I do believe I need it for the rest of my life,” Merz says.
“I feel fabulous. I really do. I've hardly felt as happy in my skin as I do now. But I can't recommend it to anybody else because everybody has their own health story and everybody should really check with their own doctor.”
