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Children are like sponges. This common phrase supports the idea that whatever languages, information, habits, etc. are introduced to kids, stick—for better or for worse.
From a young age, Zac Shenkal found himself familiar with restricted food sources. This lack of edible abundance in his upbringing became apparent later on, as well. “So that, I think, has led to a lot of that mental stigma and the way that my brain thinks about and handles food—that scarcity mindset,” he said.
For Zac, eating food meant safety and comfort. As an adult, he finally had control and access to this edible safety and comfort. Even later, in marriage, this mindset made its presence known.
Every time his wife didn’t finish her food, he felt the need to eat the rest so it wouldn’t go to waste. Eating a portion and a half each meal became normal for Zac, only worsening when he became a dad and was finishing the meals of two—plus his own.
Zac noticed a steady decline in his health. Between getting winded and tired from running around with his son, Banks, and using food as a stress coping mechanism, he made the decision to improve his lifestyle.
“The main driver for that, for me,” Zac said, “was I want to be in better shape so that I can be not just a better example for my child and future children, but also so that I can play, and be present, and be part of his life in the way that I want to.”
For Zac, this began with honing in on diet and rest. He cut out most sugar, most carbs, and didn’t eat after 6:00 p.m.—if he wanted to eat after this time, baby carrots were the only self-allowed option.
He tracked his protein and calorie intake, made sure to get good sleep, and without putting too many restrictions on himself, simply tried to be better each day. He calculated his intake roughly, so as not to make it too difficult. Zac felt if the barrier to entry was too great, he’d fail to make it sustainable. “I wanted to build the habit and make it easy and approachable for myself.”
While seeing success, this period meant going to bed hungry to be in a calorie deficit and fighting the pain he was feeling. “I was tired from it,” Zac said.
With some encouragement from his wife, he made the hesitant decision to take tirzepatide through Shed in mid February of 2025. This, Zac explained, made it much easier, because he no longer had to deal with the weight of heavy cravings. If he wanted to eat he could, but didn’t have to avoid any foods.
Plus, despite side effect concerns, he experienced very minimal symptoms and the medication worked “really, really well” and he “could tell that it was helping.” While his initial goal was to lose as much weight as possible, Zac eventually began to incorporate weight lifting to build muscle.
At his heaviest, he weighed 252 pounds in January of 2024. Through his own efforts, he lost 12 pounds, and in January 2025, at 240 pounds, began taking tirzepatide. July 23, 2025—Zac’s most recent weigh-in? 192 pounds. (THAT’S 60 POUNDS!)
He has since begun more weight lifting and at-home exercise like calisthenics, HIIT (high-intensity interval training), and guided workout programs, also planning to join a gym soon.
Zac’s health improvements have impacted more than just himself, though. He’s received nothing but positive encouragement from friends and family, expressing how proud of him they are.
He commented on his wife’s compliments and how amazing he looks. “My relationship with Banks has really been positively impacted, because now I can run with him,” Zac said. “I can do all the things I want to.”
On a recent trip to St. George, Utah, he realized he was able to swim and keep up with his son for three days straight. Not only did he not feel tired, but Zac even felt like he could've kept going.
Zac noted that Banks won’t remember the overweight version of his dad. He’ll now have the ability to show Banks that example and eventually practice that healthy lifestyle alongside his son, whether that be through future sporting events or hikes, which he wouldn’t have originally been able to do.
Within himself, the relationship has improved by leaps and pounds. Zac described how the experience has impacted both his mind and body positively. However, Zac’s not done with his health journey.
No, he doesn’t have aspirations to be a bodybuilder, but he’s ready to take it further at a maintainable pace. Now, he feels much more comfortable moving forward, because there’s less stress around food, having already created healthy habits.
When asked if he’d recommend his Shed weight-loss journey with others, the response was “100%.” He said he no longer had to rely solely on willpower to refrain from old eating habits. Rather, he didn’t think about it, which made it so much easier.
While he recognized many have uncertainties about GLP-1s, he advised to “just try it,” explaining that even if an individual lost a fraction of the weight he has, it will help and it is worth it.
“When you look in the mirror and you're happy or happier with what you see, then that frees up your mind to focus on other things and almost empowers you, to an extent, to keep going,” Zac said. “It motivates you and also motivates you to do other things and achieve even further. It's like, ‘Okay, if I can do this, what more can I do? What's stopping me now?’”
