My name is Courtney Kleinebreil. I’m a 28-year-old mom of three and content creator who lives in Northwest Arkansas.

I’ve always struggled with my weight, on and off. At one point, it felt like I had tried every diet, so I gave up on diet culture. I decided that I was happy where I was.

But things changed after I became a mom. I had two back-to-back pregnancies, and the second was a twin pregnancy. When I was pregnant with my twins in 2019, the doctor was really gracious about my weight—he wouldn’t talk about it unless I brought it up. But I had an embarrassing experience when I went for an ultrasound that changed my view on my weight.

I had a 9-month-old at the time, and a friend came with me to hold my child while I got my scan. During the ultrasound, some of my health information came up on the screen. Under “complications,” it said “morbidly obese” in large letters.

It was a hard moment for me. I knew my friend had seen it, and I was so embarrassed—it was a big reality check. I hadn’t realized my weight had gotten to that point.

But I never really lost the weight after my twins were born. It was during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I had three kids under 18 months old. I wasn’t able to be active and move my body. I just did a lot of sitting around and being with my babies.

When I stopped breastfeeding in 2021, I decided to make a big change.

At the time, I weighed over 300 pounds, and I was determined that whatever change I made, it would stick.

At first, I looked into weight loss surgery because of how much weight I had to lose. I set up a consultation but, right before the appointment, I got scared. I know that weight loss surgery is great for some people, but I had no health complications besides having a BMI that classified me as “morbidly obese,” and I wasn’t sure that it was right for me.

Still, I was fed up with the way I was living, how I felt, and how I looked. I was ready to make a lifestyle change. So, I decided to give myself six months to get healthy, and vowed to give it my all. If I didn’t reach my goal in six months, I would reconsider surgery.

First, I changed my diet. I went low carb, which was pretty easy for me—I still got to indulge in cheese, and I felt like I could stick to it realistically. I also started moving and working out three days a week.

Courtney Kleinebreil shows the results of making healthy lifestyle changes and using weight loss medication.

I lost 60 pounds in six months—but then I plateaued.

I stayed at that weight for a little over a month before I went to see my obstetrician. He noticed that I had lost weight and said that the weight loss drug Wegovy could help me continue my progress. (I had previously considered taking a weight loss drug, but was denied insurance coverage for it. I’m still not sure why.)

I started taking Wegovy, and it jumpstarted my weight loss again. I had a really good experience on the medication. I didn’t have any bad side effects; I just felt like it was able to help me with cravings and food noise.

But three months into taking the medication, my husband had a job change and, with it, we had an insurance change. Suddenly, Wegovy was no longer covered by my new insurance plan. That’s when I started taking Mounjaro. It’s a medication that’s FDA-approved to treat people with type 2 diabetes, but is often used off-label for weight loss.

I got a coupon for Mounjaro and was on it until the beginning of June 2023, when the coupon stopped. I’ve been off it ever since. Overall, I’ve lost 130 pounds during my weight loss journey, with about 70 pounds lost when I was on the medications.

I know many people regain the weight they lose after going off these medications, and I was aware of that as I was coming off of Mounjaro. Still, I wasn’t looking to spend $1,000 a month for the drug. So, I really homed in on my healthy lifestyle, and I became more mindful of what I put into my body.

I’ve found a healthy balance since stopping medication.

It’s been easy for me to continue the habits I formed while taking weight loss medications and, in fact, I lost about five more pounds after going off Mounjaro.

I had a tummy tuck in July to remove remove almost six pounds of excess skin from my stomach.

I’ve also tried to stick with a healthy eating plan. I added carbs back into my diet when I was on Wegovy and Mounjaro, and I now don’t count calories or restrict certain foods. Instead, I try to focus on putting healthy things into my body, and make sure to get enough protein into my diet. I eat mindfully, but I don’t track everything.

I also continue to exercise. I really enjoy taking fitness classes, and I’ve gotten back into playing tennis. I’ve learned to fall in love with moving my body.

Courtney Kleinebreil playing tennis.

That doesn’t mean I was happy to stop taking Mounjaro—it’s hard to get off of something that has been helpful—but I’ve learned to make the most of my situation.

I feel successful on this journey in different ways. I’m now able to get through workout classes and achieve personal fitness goals I couldn’t in the past. In the beginning of my exercise plan, I would have to take breaks during class—I don’t have to do that now. I see my body getting stronger, and I’m proud of that. I’m so happy to see progress.

I also have more energy to be with my kids, and I can now shop in stores that have clothes that wouldn’t fit me in the past. I even noticed changes during a recent flight. I was able to secure the seatbelt buckle and have plenty of extra room in the belt. I remember flying on a plane at my biggest and being barely able to buckle—and being conscious of the people sitting around me. This is a big change for me.

Despite my achievements, this hasn’t been a seamless process. It’s hard to change when you were once overweight and have established habits. I also learned to let go of trying to have the perfect healthy lifestyle—no one can eat perfectly 100 percent of the time and make it to the gym every day. But doing the best you can every is how small, positive changes happen.

It also takes a long time to see results. I definitely went through periods that were really hard, when I didn’t see changes in my body. Sometimes, I would feel really great and strong and, the next day, I would think that I didn’t look any different.

Overall, I’m grateful for where I’m at. I know that everyone is on their own journey, and I’m on mine. I think focusing on how I feel is the key to success. And, right now, I feel great.