How Author Mary Kay Andrews, 71, Lost 65 Lbs. Microdosing GLP-1s—and Saved Money, Too
Plus see the yard sale and Costco finds that slashed the cost of her weight-loss journey
Key Takeaways
- Mary Kay Andrews lost 65 pounds while staying on a low dose of GLP-1 Zepbound.
- Cheap home gym equipment from Facebook & yard sales helped her build strength and stay active.
- Protein shakes and walking helped her preserve her lean muscle mass during weight loss.
If you’ve struggled mightily to lose weight and keep it off long term, bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews, 71, can relate—and she may even give you hope for a healthier future. Because after decades of yo-yoing, she’s down 65 pounds and is maintaining with ease. Her secret? Pairing budget-friendly Costco and yard-sale strategies for protein shakes and home gym equipment with microdosing GLP-1 medication to keep costs down. “It has been a game changer for me,” shares the Georgia grandmother. Keep reading for her inspiring story.
Mary Kay’s late mom motivated her to make changes
The “Queen of the Beach Read,” Mary Kay has penned 33 titles, her newest being the secrets-and-sexy-Irishmen romp Road Trip. When she was promoting Summers at the Saint in 2024, Mary Kay was well over 200 pounds, recovering from a knee replacement and using her asthma rescue inhaler five times a day. “I was about to turn 70, and my mom died of a heart attack at that age,” she shares. “I started thinking, ‘I need to make changes.’”
The hitch: She’d already been exercising regularly with a physical therapist and the scale hadn’t budged. As for her diet, she’d been trying to eat better for most of her life. What else could she do? She started researching, and the internet suggested trying a telehealth service to get started on GLP-1 therapy. She figured it couldn’t hurt. After signing up, she was put on the lowest dose of the weight-loss drug Zepbound. It was just a “microdose” meant to give her body time to adjust to the medication. But it had a huge impact.
Woman's World Answers
Microdosing GLP-1 can mean huge savings
Like the drugs Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, Zepbound spikes the hormone GLP-1 to kill appetite and dramatically improve blood sugar. Insurance often won’t cover the pricey prescriptions, which run about $449 per month. But Mary Kay’s 2.5 mg mini-dose is usually $299, with some companies selling a generic (tirzepatide) for $199. It’s still not cheap, yet, says Mary Kay, “it’s way cheaper than all the meds I’d need if I didn’t lose weight.” And lose she did: 12 pounds that first month, 65 pounds in a year, all on the 2.5-mg dose of the medicine.
Will a low dose work for everyone? No, others still require higher doses to see results. But there’s a chance it’ll be just the boost you need, especially if you’re over age 50. “Older adults may be more sensitive to medications, so lower doses can provide meaningful appetite regulation and weight loss,” notes Cuilan Li, MD, PhD, a women’s health expert who shares GLP-1 expertise on JustAnswer.com.
For Mary Kay, microdosing her GLP-1 with weekly injections eased hunger so much that “sometimes I’d forget to eat,” she says. It also took the edge off her obsession with carbs. In the past, “I’d say, ‘If I write 500 words, I can have a bag of M&Ms,’” she recalls. And now? “I still like sweets, but I’m happy with smaller amounts less often.” So she was finally able to stick to commonsense choices, building meals around protein and produce with healthy fat or fiber-rich starch on the side. There was also her new go-to morning meal…
How a $2 Costco shake speeds fat loss
Everyone on a GLP-1 is told to keep protein intake up as appetite drops. Why? Because if you skimp, your body breaks down muscle to meet its needs, which tanks strength and metabolism, says Dr. Li.
Duke University research shows that older adults who get about 1 gram of protein for every pound of their body weight preserve muscle and lose weight fastest. So Mary Kay started stocking up on Premier Protein shakes from Costco that cost around $2 each. “I’ll blend it with kale, maybe half a banana,” she says. The drink is tasty and a perfect way to get protein when she’s not hungry for a full meal.
Mary Kay’s secret to scoring cheap home gym equipment
Beyond microdosing a GLP-1 and filing up on protein, Mary Kay also learned activating her muscles was key. She started small, just walking as far as she could manage. But as pounds came off and her pain and breathing got better, she found herself aiming for 10,000 steps a day. “I walk to Dateline podcasts,” she shares. “I don’t want to stop until I know what happens to the murderer!”
She didn’t stop there. “My orthopedist recommended an exercise bike,” she recalls. “I got one on Facebook Marketplace for $50!” Mary Kay, who loves to hunt for treasures at places like flea markets and estate sales, was so thrilled, she set out to find more cheap home gym equipment. At a yard sale, she found “a nice treadmill for next to nothing.” She later scored a cheap weight bench. She adds that Facebook’s local “Buy Nothing” pages often have weights free for the taking.
And the benefits go beyond your wallet: A combo of muscle-building activity and eating plenty of protein helps maintain bone density in older women, says Jennifer Cheng, DO, chief of endocrinology at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. It also provides extra protection for muscles, “ensuring the weight you lose is primarily fat.” A New England Journal of Medicine study of GLP-1 users found exercise doubles body fat loss compared to meds alone.
“I’ve gotten so much stronger,” marvels Mary Kay. “I could barely lift a soda can when I started!”
From size 18 to size 8: Why she’s going public
This is the first time Mary Kay is publicly sharing the full details of her health journey. For a while, she held back. She knows some folks have biases against GLP-1s and she wasn’t ready for criticism. But now she feels changed.
“Taking charge of my health has made me more confident,” she says. “It’s made me more assertive in saying, ‘I’m worthy of respect and love.’” And as she gets ready to promote her book Road Trip, she wants to pay her good fortune forward. Do you see a little of yourself in Mary Kay? “Then I think the big message is: Don’t count yourself out. It’s never too late to take control of your health. And it feels so good!”
Check out Mary Kay’s new book Road Trip
This story originally appeared in the June 8, 2026 issue of Woman’s World
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