Wer ein Ziel hat, nimmt auch schlechte Straßen in Kauf.
Kyrilla Spiecker
After being a relatively heavy smoker for ten years (2009 - 2019) (one bag of rolling tobacco (40g) / day), I decided in February 2019 definitely to quit smoking!
Method: cold withdrawal formula: Intercession sent by email to a monastery, asking for a prayer to stop smoking. Result: Since Ash Wednesday 2019: non-smoker & very happy!
Every year on Ash Wednesday marks the anniversary of my quitting smoking (2019). The above photo was taken on Ash Wednesday, 2024, in Altötting, Bavaria - 5 years of non-smoking!
Setbacks Before that (2009 - 2019), I had already quit two or three times, only to start again after 6-8 weeks because of a cigarette (often after the 2nd beer). This time, I said to myself: "No more alcohol and therefore no more cigarettes!"
Since I quit smoking, I rarely drink alcohol and only under the premise that no one will hand me a cigarette!
Dietary change & running at the train station
At the time of withdrawal, I was working in the data center (IT). With the help of the nutritionist, my diet was gradually changed to a healthy/metabolic diet. (Few carbohydrates, good meat, healthy snacks, good fats and lots of yogurt and sometimes healthy nuts).
I lost around 25 kg by the summer of 2020 (within 16 months).
Then (07/2020), I started working for Deutsche Bahn, and with my job in mobile service, the kilos fell off like a flash (running past)!
42 kg weight loss
Parallel to healthy eating, I now added the running sessions at the train station, which are still like a gift for me today (well-being). - -
I thought: "Just run steadily, and I'll reach the magical 100kg within two years (192kg before)." I think it is a good idea, but to lose weight permanently, you also have to sweat a little when exercising. However, the running speed at the train station was too slow for this. But: "I'd rather run 41km without sweating & take the calories with me (burning), compared to smoker mode." Another stopper was a biological metabolic barrier, which kept my weight at around 150 kg despite running at least 20km per shift!
Conclusion: Through my efforts (without tools), I lost 42 kilograms within three years.
Using Ozempic: -Then, I was prescribed the innovative Ozempic in May 2023. With the insulin, I lost 20 kilograms within ten weeks, reversing my rebound (yo-yo) of around 16 kilograms. As of May 2024, with Ozempic, I have a current and, above all, stable body weight of 145 kg. This means I have lost 47 kilograms of weight since quitting nicotine.
Dzimi with 145kg (May 2024)
In June 2024, I will switch to the latest insulin for weight loss called Mounjaro (already in the fridge)
I hope to lose 20-30 kilograms in 8-12 months.
According to reputable newspaper articles, the Mounjaro is supposed to be 50 percent more effective than the Ozempic
- I am very excited!
Dzimi in February 2024 in Hochfilzen, Austria at cross-counry-skiing
I thought I would lose the 92 kilograms within 3 years - far from it. It is/was a constant up and down in terms of success and morale. The first kilos fall off quickly with the amount & with every impulse (diet, running, insulin & sport), there is a respective boost in weight loss. Fortunately, the insulin Ozempic built me up mentally and stabilized my weight. When the rebound came after almost 12 months of the "Eskimo diet", I asked myself - what else should I do to get to 100 kilograms!
Outlook: I hope to reach around 100kg (145kg) by the beginning of 2026. My lower body (legs) is already very muscular. Now the upper body!
„Don’t be afraid to fail. Anything that I’ve ever attempted I was always willing to fail. You can’t always win, but don’t be afraid of making decisions.“ – Arnold Schwarzenegger –
Recipe for success: Without at least one mentor and doctor, I would not have achieved the success I have now achieved. As always, emotions and motivation had huge ups and downs. When I started my lifestyle change (around 2013), there was an infinitely high mountain to climb! Nevertheless, I have persistently achieved my goals, step by step, even with breaks and phases of great demotivation. "The journey is the destination - and every kilo I lose, every step on the Camino, and every step of professional success shows me how far I am from my status (health, job & prospects) in 2013 and how high I have already climbed the mountain!"
„Be bold, brave and not afraid to fall on your face & ultimatively you will succeed!“ – Richard Branson –
Emotional life: If you take the time from 2007 (second stroke of fate) as a reference, one thing has become clear without a job and, above all, without reasonable health: 'Life rushes past you when you don't have a job and weigh 192 kg!' -> Life happens at work <- The start from 2013 to the first solid job (data center) used up about 75% of my available starting energy. In these 5 years, you must stay firmly in the saddle until you have gained experience, including in the job world instead of university. Maybe you can't restore your health completely, but you can tinker around everywhere to assemble 5% packages from many small steps to become almost healthy overall!
Finally, a personal innovation: Dzimi now flies as a passenger without an additional belt -> The new waist circumference makes it possible!
The breakthrough with 50 kilograms of weight loss (August 2024)
Dzimi in August 2019 in front of St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican (Rome), with a maximum weight of around 192 kg
Dzimi weighed around 192 kg (picture Vatican) in August 2019 (maximum weight even after quitting smoking on Ash Wednesday of that year). This is the mental kick-off for the weight loss, which is still ongoing (August 2024). Conclusion: I believe weight loss is a much more complex project than quitting smoking.
Dzimi with a great hairstyle in selfie mode at the central train station in Frankfurt (August 2024)
Dzimi with exactly 51 kg less in August 2024! I achieved 42 kg on my own, and after that, I used the innovative weight loss insulins in parallel with diet and exercise. First, the Ozempic and now the Mounjaro as a follow-up. The latter has a more rounded effect but can lead to significant mood swings (at least for me). The fluctuations occur at the beginning. Especially in the phase when 1.5kg - 2kg is lost weekly.
In my opinion, I would not use the first Ozempic insulin for longer than 9 months. Reason: The effect wears off after about six months, and you become listless and get mildly depressed.
Conclusion: The first step would be to reduce the weight independently through exercise and a change in diet. Insulin can be used if this strategy no longer works - and there is a risk of yo-yo/rebound.
This is because insulin has a limited effect on reducing weight - for me, between 15-20 kg per insulin, including rebound.
Roland and Stephan from Tyrol congratulate me on losing 50 kg!
My friends and fellow students Roland and Stephan from Tyrol (Austria) congratulate me on losing 50 kg with this great picture!
The two of them have been with me since my strokes of fate, and - I think the result, at least for the weight, is impressive today (August 2024)!
Current weight approx. 140 kg (08/2024) to reach the magical 100 kilograms with the target of autumn 2025, at the latest, New Year 2026!
As an additional incentive, I have a rowing machine (home trainer) with the goal of up to 6 x a week for 20 minutes each. -> After that, you're exhausted!
The video is for my two friends from Austria!
The Cistercian monastery in Vienna (Stift) with a view to the monastery garden (Kreuzgang). Own photo ca. 2016
Dzimi in April 2025 with 130kg and thus 62kg weight loss!
The definitive goal is a total weight of 100kg.
„You can detect right away those that are going to be shaky and that will fall behind and that will not go all the way, and those that are very hungry. And that hunger you have to develop because you have to create a goal for yourself whatever that may be. A short-term goal, and a long-term goal. You got to go after it and if you do not see, and if you do not believe it, who else will? . .“ – Arnold Schwarzenegger –
In 1994, I joined my flying club at the age of 14! After about six months, I was watching with great respect the students who had already flown a solo aircraft (at that time, the K8).
My first personal success was my first solo flight with the ASK21 at the age of 15! Looking back today: A gigantic step and success!
Today, too, the free flyers (first solo flight) get their butts spanked by the entire flying club!
Goal: Only then can the pilot feel the thermals over his backside while gliding! 😉
In December 2024, I tapered off my second insulin (Mounjaro). When I switched to the second insulin, I experienced a small rebound of about 4 kg within 10 days. The reason for the rebound was binge eating like a combine harvester!
Thankfully, with the tapering and prior adjustment of the Mounjaro, the final and much-described complete rebound seems to have been avoided for me (as of April 2025)!
Overall, I was able to lose 30kg with the two insulins within 18 months!
Side effects observed in me:
– Lack of motivation
– Mood swings
– Sleep disorders
Update 09 / 2025:
In July 2025, I started the Ozempic as a first impulse again.
Reason: After 6-8 weeks of discontinuing the fat-releasing insulin (also according to Mounjaro), a rebound started, with the result that I ate like a combine harvester every day (huge amounts of sweet and fatty foods).
Dzimi at work in the break room (selfie) in April 2025 with 62kg weight reduction
For me, the guaranteed recipe for success for weight loss is: the portfolio strategy!
This means that for me there was not one strict variant to the achieved success of losing the current 62 kg, but I either used several techniques at the same time (e.g. changing my diet and exercising (running)) or changed the technique depending on the season.
Over the last 5 years, the following seasonal concept has been established for me-
I. The effective weight loss phase is from approximately March to October of the year (summer half of the year)
II. From October is the recovery phase (regeneration for the body) until around January (i.e. slight weight gain, at best weight stagnation).
III. February – March of each year is Lent, meaning I abstain from my personal fattening foods like chocolate and especially baked goods! Instead, I eat protein-rich foods with high amounts of legumes and healthy fats (e.g., walnuts).
…Patience! Despite the Eskimo diet, I gained another 10 kg (approx. 2023)
Mistake: My diet was too one-sided but I had a limit/block at 150kg due to my medication.
Solution: Weight loss insulins the Gamechanger 😉 in weight reduction!
If weight loss isn't working, the body needs regeneration! Ideally, the weight will stay stable (stagnant) for six months or more.
According to my nutritionist, since 2019 I have significantly transformed my relationship (profile) regarding fat percentage and muscle mass for the better (muscles)!
Sport (sweating) always pays off in the long run!
My goal for 2025 is, in addition to the running sessions (20km or more per shift) at work (mobile service) at Frankfurt Central Station, to do more sports sessions in my free time that put strain on and train my upper body.
For example: rowing, fitness boxing or strength training.
A typical day of running during a 9.5-hour shift at my train station in Frankfurt! 😉
Last Update: April 2025
If you want to reach your destination, you can take a stagecoach, but if you want to travel properly, you should walk. – Jean-Jacques Rousseau –
One hour of patience is worth more than several days of fasting.
– Priest of Ars –
With the rebound, triggered by stopping the fat-removal insulin, I gained at least 10 kg (about 140 kg to 130 kg). Now in my sixth year of weight loss, I can afford to have a bad six months (a cheat semester).
I have made a firm decision to be very strict with my diet again, and to do some upper body exercise (rowing) in addition to running around the train station!
Since I had to postpone my finish in front of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela until summer 2026, the 100kg target is still achievable (130kg to 100kg).
September 2025
