Peptalk: Peptides Unpacked

#3 Seven Surgeries, One Comeback: How BPC-157 and GLP-1s Saved Jimmy's Life

• Dr. Kylie Burton & Jessica Briecke • Season 1 • Episode 3

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A former Marine and NYPD officer. Seven shoulder surgeries. A trophy physique that hid organ failure. And a decision that changed everything.

In this episode, we sit down with Jimmy—a man who traded extremes for evidence, intention, and a second chance at life.

Jimmy's story isn't just about recovery—it's about what happens when the body breaks under years of pushing too hard, and what it takes to rebuild from the inside out. From BPC-157 restoring mobility after multiple reconstructions to tirzepatide saving his kidneys and heart, this is a masterclass in using peptides responsibly, intelligently, and with medical guidance.

What We Cover:

  • How BPC-157 restored mobility after seven shoulder surgeries—and why subcutaneous injections near the injury site made all the difference
  • Why Jimmy chose tirzepatide to protect his kidneys and heart, not just for weight loss
  • His dosing journey: starting at 2.5 mg, titrating to 7.5 mg, and maintaining at 2.5 mg—with real lab results including restored eGFR and normalized heart function
  • Pairing peptides with data: CGM tracking, body composition analysis, and routine labs to guide decisions
  • The PTSD factor: how trauma drives all-or-nothing behavior, and why healing the body creates bandwidth to heal the mind
  • Practical takeaways: delivery methods, dosing strategies, protein-forward nutrition, and mindset shifts that build instead of burn

For Anyone Curious About BPC-157, GLP-1s, Gut Health, or Sustainable Weight Loss: Peptides aren't magic—but used safely with smart dosing and trusted sourcing, with proper guidance, they help the body remember how to heal.

Jimmy's story is proof that comeback is possible.

Want to connect more with the hosts? We'd love it! Connect with Jess at B2BwithJess.com or on Instagram @JessB_LMT_NC. Connect with Dr. Kylie at her other podcast Unshakeable Brain where new episodes are posted weekly.

Ready to explore peptide therapy for yourself? Visit the company we recommend for advanced peptide therapy and one-on-one support at drkylieburton.com/peptides

Want to offer peptide therapy in your business? Whether you're adding it to your existing practice or building something new, learn how to get started—and how we'll help you make the sales and marketing much easier—at drkylieburton.com/peptides

Legal Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new health protocol. Dr. Kylie Burton and Jessica Briecke are affiliates and may receive compensation for referrals. Individual results may vary.

You have the science. You have the tools. Now it's time to take the next step.

This is PepTalk: Peptides Unpacked—science made simple, results made real.

SPEAKER_02:

Peptides are powerful and often misunderstood. But we're gonna change that. I'm Dr. Kylie Burton. And I'm Jessica Brickie. This is Peptoc. Peptides Unpacked. Science made simple. Results made real. Here's a powerful stat for you. Since 2020, more than 9 million Americans have used GLP1 medications, and for many, they've been more than just weight loss tools.

SPEAKER_01:

For some, they've truly been life-saving. And today's guest happens to be one of our closest friends, my husband's former NYPD partner, Jim Emery.

SPEAKER_02:

Jim's story is incredible. He started using semaglutide to turn his health around, and what's happened since has been nothing short of transformative.

SPEAKER_01:

He's opening about up about his journey, the challenges, the mindset shifts, and how using trisepatide helped him get back to living again. And if that wasn't enough, Jim also shares how BPC 157 supported his shoulder recovery after multiple injuries. Just another reminder that healing isn't one size fits all.

SPEAKER_02:

This episode is more than about more than medications or molecules. It's about resilience, redemption, and what's possible when you give your body the right tools to do what it's designed to do.

SPEAKER_01:

So grab your coffee, settle in, and join us for a conversation that's real, raw, and genuinely inspiring. So let's dive into Jim's story. Welcome, Jim.

SPEAKER_00:

Hi guys, thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, we're really glad you're here.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. I'm excited to hear stories because I've heard snippets of them from Jess, but we want to get in. So Jess, I'm going to let you take over.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so um just to give a little background, Jim and I have known each other for many, many, many years. One of our closest friends. So I have certainly had an inside front row seat, let's say, to everything that Jim has been through, the good, the bad, and everything in between. And watching this journey with peptides has been really pretty amazing. And the story that led him to make this decision is also something pretty powerful. So I'm gonna actually just let Jim tell his why first. We're gonna start there. So um if you don't mind, Jim, just why don't you tell us what led you to even start considering peptides in your life?

SPEAKER_00:

Sure. Um, so just real quick, a little bit of background. Um, super, super tough on my body my whole life, right? You mentioned quickly, um, you know, I was your husband's NYPD partner for a number of years. But prior to that, I spent 10 years in the United States Marine Corps. Um, beat my body up. You know, I was always an athlete. I was always, you know, uh on the go and moving, and it's always hard on myself, uh, hard on my body, in particular on my joints. Um, so that type of lifestyle led to about seven reconstructive shoulder surgeries and many other problems as well. Uh, but we'll start with the shoulders because that kind of is what turned me on to uh the peptides later on. Um, shoulder surgery after shoulder surgery after shoulder surgery. And there's not so much they can do, you know, after they've quote unquote put you back together so many times, right? So I was lacking, you know, a lot of mobility, lacking a lot of strength, lacking, you know, everything in that area. And uh, so I started doing a little bit of research and I quite honestly leaned on you a little bit and we started talking about stem cells and uh, you know, would that be beneficial to me? Uh so that led me down the road to you know the peptides, and that's how my journey began with them and specifically BPC 157 uh in the beginning.

SPEAKER_01:

When you did BPC 157, because that was a couple of years ago, it was certainly before everybody was talking about it like they are now. Um, it's pretty common. People are only just now really getting hot about BPC. So you were doing something really, I mean, it's cutting edge still, but you were way ahead of it when you were doing a couple years ago. So when you decided to say yes, how was it even brought to your attention? Who was the doctor? Like who brought it to you? Was your research, or did a doctor have some uh insight to that?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, both. Uh uh, uh great question. And I'm sure you're not gonna be surprised to to hear that you had a lot to do with that, right? Um, not not uh not saying that there was any other uh research that wasn't done or doctors or that, but you know, listening to you and how you dive into things kind of motivated me to look into my own issues as well, right? So my problems, my everything that was going on inside me is unique to me, it's germane to me. Um, but how I went about trying to fix those things and how I uh you know approach that was directly because of you, right? Doing the research, doing the homework. Um, so then you know, just in speaking with surgeons and speaking with you, uh, people that I trust, right? You know me as well, again, uh as well as anybody. I have to trust someone uh in order to kind of hand my myself over to them. Um and it just kind of kept leading back to these peptides, right? And and actually what a peptide is. So once I kind of focused on that and really kind of figured out that it was just proteins and amino acids, things that are in my wheelhouse, things that I know about, it was an easy, an easy leap to uh to go ahead and try them.

SPEAKER_01:

So, what was your experience? Did you use it, was it daily? Was it for short term? Because I mean, I I certainly know from my perspective that pretty much when we're using BPC, which stands, by the way, these names, guys, on these peptides, they actually do have real names. I know we talk about these acronyms and these numbers, and it's pretty confusing, but BPC actually stands for body protection compound. So there is a real name behind it, but we're just gonna shorten it, call it BPC. But my research shows that it can be done in multiple ways. Most of the time, it has a short lifespan, so you're only using it once a day. Some people are using it more than once a day, um, but for a short period of time, meaning like a six or eight-week course, and that is it. Is that what your experience was?

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. So initially, right? You you mentioned that it was this was a few years ago. So initially, uh, when I first got started with BP1, uh BPC 157, it was nasal, right? So it was a nasal spray that I would take twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. Now, I don't know if the effect of the nasal BPC 157 was as uh as good for me as the subcutaneous route, which we did later on. Um, and there may have been some placebo stuff in there too, but uh it certainly put me in a better place in a mindset where you know I wasn't as tight, I wasn't as sore, and I was able to do some things. Once we started subcutaneous, life changer. Absolute game changer, absolute game changer. It was I was instructed to uh inject uh within one to three inches of the uh of the site, of the injury site, and literally within four days, I felt um, you know, the stretchiness coming back, the elasticity coming back, the range of motion coming back, um, and then the confidence uh and the strength and the ability to to then work on it structurally. Uh so to come at it, I guess from two modalities, right? Uh medically and then structurally.

SPEAKER_01:

Right. You were able to start working out and doing things to strengthen it that have been so compromised with seven certain, well, two shoulders, seven shoulder surgeries total between the two. Um, so just to explain to people a couple of things. Number one, you mentioned the nasal spray versus subcutaneous. So subcutaneous, for those that don't know, is an injection that we're doing into like the fatty tissue, usually the belly, the thighs, the arms. With BPC 157, it can be done two different ways as far as sub Q. It can be put into any of those areas. It can also be put into the area of injury. Sometimes that area of injury, though, is a little bit difficult. So, like right now, I'm taking it for an ankle injury. And can you imagine doing a little needle in the ankle? That would be there's not a lot to put in there, um, as far as you know, not hitting a bone or something like that, and it would hurt. So while it does seem to do a little bit better when you inject near the injury, it does also work just fine if you're putting it anywhere in the body. Number one. Number two, when we are looking at a nasal spray or an oral compound of a peptide versus a sub Q, um, we are gonna absorb and use it significantly better, as was your experience. We just absorb it better. We break down those pop, those molecules a little bit better. However, if there is somebody that is really needle phobic and it's a matter of using a peptide that's gonna be a nasal spray or an oral that it might have a little bit less absorption versus a needle because they're really afraid of it. All day long, I'm gonna say, go ahead, do the nasal spray or do the do the oral compound of it because even if it's 20% less absorption, that's 80% more than you're getting if you weren't doing it at all. So, yes, sub Q is going to do better, and it's even better if you can do it by the site, but there's so much room for use.

SPEAKER_02:

So let me just throw an overview real quick. Yep. BPP1 BPC157, body protective composite composition, compound, compound, okay? Yep. Um, body protective compound. You guys are using it primarily for joints and injuries and recovery.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, but not just joints. So um surgical injury, like if you're if you're coming out of surgery, it's gonna help with that. Uh, just a little tweak, a tear, uh, joint pain, joint replacement. The the the list of what it does because it is regenerative for soft tissue, also really, really good for the gut lining. Really good for the gut lining, which as we know, so much of our body.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, it could be like for Crohn's and I and IBC and IBD and yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, from an inflammation standpoint, um equal, you know, I don't know the you know, the ins and the outs as much as you guys do, but I do know that you know from an inflammation standpoint, game changer, absolute life changer. I mean, as good if not better than that.

SPEAKER_02:

You're coming like this.

SPEAKER_00:

Is coming from an athlete.

SPEAKER_02:

Jim, how old are you?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh 51.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, so an athlete in their 50s who is still treating their body like they're 20, being very physical, I can imagine. But uh like I have three younger brothers and they all did track and failed. And two of them, one of them specifically, his career was terminated because of a hamstring tear. And I think, you know, he was like doing college, top of his top hundred in the state, or not even the state, in the nation. But I think if someone's listening to this, and as a mom, if I have someone who's in high school football, soccer, tennis, whatever the sport is track and field, and I know a lot of track and field athletes struggle with hamstring tears. Is this something that they should be looking into?

SPEAKER_00:

100%. And I would say this too. Um, it's you know, the delivery of what it is we're talking about, right? So when when talking about athletes, um you know, for me, how it resonated with me and it made sense for me, is we talk about you know what is a peptide? It's a protein, right? It's it's that, it's a it's a protein, it's an amino acid. Um, and we know as athletes what those two things do to our muscles, right? We need the protein, uh, we need the amino acids, especially the nine essential ones. So if you come at an athlete that way and you're saying this BPC157 is going to check all of those boxes for you, right? They're gonna dive into it because that resonates. They they hear that. They, okay, protein, got it, muscle mass, got it. This is what I need to grow that, got it. And then they're gonna do their own research and hammer down. It's it's amazing.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I think we're gonna I love it for not just the the teenagers, the young adults, but for the crossfitters, the marathoners, anybody who wants to keep be physically active, like all three of us want to be physically active in our adult lives, the same applications apply.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, for sure. I I think that BPC is well, they they've nicknamed it the Wolverine. So, you know, the Marvel character Wolverine who has this amazing ability to heal. There's a reason why it's been nicknamed Wolverine because it it really does help people that much. Now, I will also say before we moved on to the next part of Jim's story, is that we know that peptides are manufactured in the gut, right? In the small intestines. And so we make these things naturally. But over my career, and Kylie, I've been in practice as long as you've been alive. I laugh about this all the time because I'm so old in comparison. But in my lifetime in practice, I 30 something years ago would rarely see a knee injury, a shoulder tear, any of those things. And for a long time, I equated that to, and I still do, equated it to the way that people were nourishing their body, right? They weren't eating prioritizing protein in general, and what they were was just breaking garbage. Um, too many carbohydrates, they're just breaking down their tissue on multiple levels. But as time goes on, I've learned more, I've seen more, and whatnot. So I'd have to believe that a large part of why we're seeing all of these joints break down this way or be so at risk is because our gut health is really lousy. So even in young people where we would expect them to have maybe not have an injury or as many as they do, or be able to recover easier on their own, um, they're not. And it goes back to this foundational wellness, which just isn't existing. People are hungry for it, they're looking for change. But BPC is going to do twofold. One, it's going to help with the injury. Two, it's going to have a drastic improvement on that gut health that we need for a better immune system, for a better mindset, and all these things that we'll build on top of that. So anyway, we could talk about BPC for forever, but why don't we like skip into what I think is an even more? I mean, listen, Jim suffered for many years. So I know that the shoulder part is super exciting for him to have seen so much benefit there. But this next part of his story to me is just absolutely remarkable. So, Jim, I'm gonna ask you to start with maybe take us back to a year ago or so, where your health was and what was going on, if that's okay, before we jump into getting right to the peptides.

SPEAKER_00:

Sure. Um so you know, my story is just that. It's my story. Um, and I have no issues, you know, kind of diving into it and talking about it. But I think it's important to kind of understand who I am first, right? My mindset. I am all or nothing. I'm a million miles an hour, right? Or nothing. If I see something that's good for me, I want it, I want all of it. Um it's just kind of like my personality, it's who I am. So when I when I got into uh physical fitness and I started and I started really kind of hitting it hard a few years ago, it was 100 miles an hour and it was you know 7,000 calories a day, and it was four or five hours a day in the gym. And it was really just kind of trying to focus on on getting everything accomplished in such a short amount of time. What I didn't realize was I was killing myself inside. Everything that I was doing, everything that I was taking from a what I thought was a healthy standpoint, and everything that I was doing was so negative for me that it kind of put my health into a tailspin. Um, I won that competition, I won a national Ghost Gym competition at 247 pounds for 50-year-old men. Within six weeks of that competition, I was diagnosed with kidney disease, I was diagnosed with heart disease, I was diagnosed with severe PTSD. Um, and it's been a struggle since then. Um, with your help, with my wife's help, um, and you know, a bunch of different doctors and people that genuinely care about me, we were able to turn things around. So I'm gonna take you from a place two years ago, 247 pounds, to today 165 pounds. My kidneys are functioning properly, my health is functioning properly, my heart, excuse me, is functioning properly, my mindset is a thousand times better. I'm a better dad, I'm a better husband, I'm a better friend. And that's because I was able to kind of focus on things and get myself back to where I needed to be and listen to people that care about me and do things the right way as opposed to how I wanted to do them. So yeah, ask away.

SPEAKER_01:

I don't know that it was necessarily a right or a wrong way when I, you know, knowing the inside track, I think that was your journey and these were things that you needed to learn for yourself. I mean, sometimes we have to get beat over the head a few times to learn some of these, you know, some of these life lessons. I think for me on the outside, it was really scary. Um, it was really scary to watch your body go through what it was going through. And I knew what was happening inside too. And the other thing is too, I talk about this a lot. You were putting on a lot of muscle, right? You were gaining mass doing what you were doing. I mean, Kylie, if you saw the pictures of him, and uh you wouldn't believe he was just massive. Um, not massive, like his muscles were just tremendous. Like a bodybuilder, massive. Yeah. So, but for me, I always look at a lot of people and I think, well, that looks good in a photograph, or that might look good on on the scale or the number or those wins there that measurable things in that way, but you can be skinny fat and so unhealthy on the inside. And that is always the thing that scares me the most. And that certainly was the thing that scared you. I think that in all of these things, the heart thing is scary, the you know, your mental wellness, super scary. Um, the kidney disease for you, Jim, I think was probably one of the scariest of all of your diagnoses. They were all, they were all heavy. That was probably the scariest.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. When you are focused on um, you know, doing things for yourself that you think are beneficial, right? And then you find out that no, you know, you were doing it wrong the whole time. Everything you ever thought you knew um was wrong. That's that's tough to hear, but to hear it through a health diagnosis is even worse, right? It it's it's it's much worse. Um, you touched real quick on mindset, mental mindset, man, how how imperative that was. But you're right, when I got that kidney diagnosis, I didn't have that. I I was a tailspin. I went down a rabbit hole. I went to a place that I never want to go to again, right? Um the sense of self-uh worthlessness and everything in between, because I I knew that I did that to myself, not intentionally, but I knew that everything that I had done up until that point led me to right where I was. And at that point in time, it was all dark. I didn't see a way out. I didn't know that there was a way out.

SPEAKER_01:

Right. So that brings us to the decision for peptides. That was something that one of your doctors thought that it was um a good option to be cardiovascular protective. And one thing that people don't talk about because it's not FDA approved, is how it is helping people that are in, you know, later stage kidney disease, stage three, even stage four, um, how it can help bring people back. Is it going to cure people with kidney disease? I am not proclaiming that, right? Sure. You can certainly speak to your story and your experience and what staging you were at, but using a GLP one and a GIP, which was your combination, trusepitide, um was something that really was the kidney changer for you, right?

SPEAKER_00:

No question. Yeah, no question. And and immediately after that, right to the heart, right? So, I mean, it was doing its thing in conjunction, but you know, one happened and then the other came, you know, snapped back right away. But, you know, also I want to mention that there were liver issues too, right? Everything that I was doing was, you know, it was kind of focusing on everything. It was really, it was so detrimental in the long run. So yeah, so the decision was made. Uh, I was talking with a nephrologist, and then, you know, I was seeing my heart doctor, my cardiologist, I was seeing everyone. And it was my primary care physician that sat me down and he said, you know, at 50 years old right now, you know, what do you want to do? What does tomorrow look like for you? You know, he said, do me a favor, scratch your back. I said, Do what? He says, scratch your back. And he put his finger in the middle of my back. I couldn't reach my hand around. I, you know, my flank I could get to. And he's like, You look good, you look great. He said, But you're killing yourself inside. So this is what I want to do. And he laid out a plan. And the more I looked at it and the more I talked about it, and the more I thought about it, we got after it. And uh, you know, from that day forward, life has been exponentially better. When I say exponentially better, I mean in every single facet. I'll get you two girls my numbers uh just so that you can add it to your podcast. But the change was so drastic that I have been contacted by that doctor and his team of public affair, uh, public affairs people, and they want to write a book based solely on the changes that occurred with me and the time frame in which they took place. Um, but yeah, and everything is a direct result. Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you when that book gets out for sure. Let us know. And Jim, I just want to let you know, too, that you're not alone in this matter. I had a patient early on in practice, an extended family member, where it's one of those like of some someone, of someone, of someone, and she was a marathoner, and she ran herself almost to death. And she'd go out like four or five. I mean, we're in Utah where the elevation is high, and she'd go hiking for day days at a time, calling it exercise, and it's healthy for me. When then I had to have a conversation with her, like, look, I know what you think, you're doing great things, but in the inside of your body, you're the skinny fat. You're on you are falling apart left and right. Now, unfortunately for her, she didn't listen, but you did, and because of that, you have changed your life. And like you said earlier, you're a better dad, you're a better friend, you're a better everything else because of the way you feel on the inside. And I feel like that's a lot that everybody needs to realize that if you're not taking care of you, you're not gonna take care of anybody else either. Your relationships are suffering because the inside of you is suffering.

SPEAKER_00:

100%, 100%. Um PTSD, Carly, I want to talk about that real quick too, uh, is a huge um, I don't even want to say underlying factor because I believe that kind of diminishes the role that it plays. It is at the forefront of my mind and my journey, right? So my time in the Marine Corps was stressful, very stressful. I struggle with that, right? Um, which is why my personality isn't the way that it is. That's why I dived into things a million miles an hour looking for.

SPEAKER_02:

You're a Marine at heart.

SPEAKER_00:

That's it. I just got to find it the exact same way. I get it. Right? Yeah. So uh, so yeah, so everything about me is is is full tilt. Um, but that means the bad two, right? That means the bad two. So I have to, it didn't start changing for me upstairs until I realized that I played such a huge role in everything that's going on with me, right? I played such a true my my actions dictated where I'm at today, right? And it was only because of other people like Jess and people such as yourself and my doctors that kind of made me see and then bring me, you know, kind of snap me back around and and dive into this this aspect of things. And so here we are.

SPEAKER_01:

Let's talk about the actual mechanisms of you using the the trisepatite for you, Jim, because um certainly for a suggestion about the question, can you correlate it to your PTSD?

SPEAKER_02:

Like bring in how the peptides not just helped you from a physical perspective, but also from that mental.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, let's let's yeah, let's do that first. Yeah.

unknown:

Sure.

SPEAKER_02:

So you want to I know I know peptides are helping drastically from the physical rebuilding of the body, but when you talk about PTSD, I mean for someone to get diagnosed with it, quote unquote, takes a certain level. But I feel like every single person who lives on the planet Earth experiences trauma. Whether it's big T trauma or little T trauma, anything in between, like we all experience it. And the moment we can understand that in humanity, the much better we're gonna be, and the much better we're gonna treat each other. So from your experience, having been in the Marine Corps and NYPD, which I know from Jess's story with her husband, were you there on 9-11?

SPEAKER_00:

I was not, I was in the academy.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, but still you're around those individuals. Sure. Go for it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so I think you know, where do you carry those stressors that you talked about, right? Those those that trauma, right? How do you carry it? Where do you carry it? And then how do you effectively release it, right? So if we're gonna talk about PTSD and how that kind of rolls into peptides and and my journey, um me it was all about you know, focusing on one thing, whether it was good or bad for me. That's how that was my outlet. It Dr. Carly, it could have been fishing, it could have been tying my shoes, it could have been it, it didn't matter. It didn't, it really didn't matter what it was, coaching kids. Um I've had probably 15 jobs since I've retired from uh the Marine Corps in the police department. It's only because I'm still trying to like scratch that itch, right? I'm trying to find that one thing that kind of makes me whole. Um, and that's a direct result of my PTSD. So where do you carry that stress? Where do you carry that trauma? And then how do you get rid of it in a healthy way? Which is why I think your friend was probably running like like she was, which is why I was lifting like I did.

SPEAKER_02:

Um that's why my husband lifted like he did once upon a time. Right. Now he hunts. His main thing is hunting, and he is all in hunting.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. So how do you how do you effectively release all that stuff and and and do it healthy, right? So PTSD for me has always been a stressor, has always been a struggle for me. Always. Um but learning to to deal with that um as opposed to hide it, that's I think when I turned a corner, right? When I when I kind of understood what it was and how it affected me, it rewired my brain, right? So I don't necessarily think about things um that like I used to. So I have a direct, I know how I used to focus on things prior to the Marine Corps, right? I know how I used to deal with things. It's completely different now. My brain is so rewired. Uh, and it was just a matter of learning to kind of live that way or live with those things. Um and then yeah, and then I think the the peptides and the amino acids and the and everything that the weight loss and everything that kind of brought me around to this one place has been miraculous for me. Miraculous.

SPEAKER_01:

So you wouldn't say that the peptides were the because listen, when when we're and because I know your backstory, um we're talking big T. So when we're talking about your PTSD, it's not like it just disappears. It's not like Jim took started taking peptides and suddenly this is like he's all fixed. So I want to make that very clear that it's definitely not where you are, but um, from an outsider looking in, it helped you start to realize that you had, you know, as you're unraveling, as you're healing, as you're walking through this, believe it or not, as these things are healing your gut, which is directly linked to brain health, it's bringing this stuff probably even more to the forefront, but not only in the for to the forefront, like holy, holy crap, I have to, this has happened to me. This is something I have to deal with and talk about, but also in a way that you are able to now talk about it, that maybe you weren't five years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago. Is it because the peptides helped to heal certain things? Maybe. Is it because you were on this journey of wellness in general? Maybe it's the whole picture. So I want to make it clear peptides didn't or haven't fixed that, but they've been part of your healing journey with that. Was is that fair to say?

SPEAKER_00:

I would take it a step further and I would say it is um an overwhelming part of my journey, right? So if it looks like a duck and walks like a dog, right? So once I started this weight loss journey with these peptides and with this, the GLP1, the trisepatide, um, and healing from the inside out, right? Does that sound familiar? Have you told me that a time or two? Uh healing from the inside out, uh, my mental health got exponentially better, right? So I don't know numerically what the correlation is or what the numbers are. I don't. I know in my head that it's 100%, right? And I know that because of X, Y happened, right? So with PTSD, there's a thing called an impact statement that they want you to write immediately. So I've struggled with it for about 20 years. I've never written that impact statement. I still can't bring myself to do it. But the fact that I am talking to you about it right now, or the fact that there are now two people in my world that know my story, as opposed to just me. Right. That's huge. That's huge. And I am we're making strides every single day, right? And I owe that all to my health, my mental health. Health. So my mental health started with my physical health. My physical health, you know, that's what we had to work on. Uh on I mean, you know, my EGFR was in the 30s. Yeah. My kidneys. In the 30s.

SPEAKER_01:

And what people know it should be 80 and above.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, stage five kidney disease. And, you know, talking about getting on a transplant list. 247 pounds, just having won a national competition, looking at myself in the mirror and seeing everything I'd ever wanted to see. Inside I was dying.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I'm certainly grateful that you had were able to find somebody that led you here and you were able to do use them. I want to, I want to finish up a little bit and talk about your dosing. Um, because I'm a big proponent of micro-dosing. I'm a big proponent of um, and microdosing doesn't mean that that is what is needed for everybody, because I think when you have larger weight loss goals like you did, I do think you need to get to standard dosing. However, um, I feel like a lot of times we go in with the standard dosing. It's like drinking from a fire hose. Um, it's a lot on the body. But when you started this, that was the option. Like nobody, well, there were people talking about it, but that wasn't something that people in your world were talking about. So you went right in with standard dosing on trusepatide. You went up in your dose during your journey. I don't know where you're you're at right now, um, what that looks like for you. But if you can walk us through that a little bit and maybe even how your body responded initially, because you know, trzepatide has less symptoms and side effects than just a semiglutide, but they still exist.

SPEAKER_00:

Sure. So it's my understanding, uh, and you guys will be much better versed than this, but it's my understanding that the trusepatide is dual modality, right? It comes at it from two, right, two antagonists. Yeah. Um, so which that's why the decision was made, um, you know, for me to do that as opposed to a semaglutide, which uh is the the ozempic, right? And and we'll go v things like that. Yeah. So initially, the the initial consultation wasn't let's get this muscle and this weight off you. It was let's let's kind of see how we can fix this um and fix your kidneys. So that's why we initially looked at a trazepatide, right? The dual modalities, it can kind of help with my kidney disease a little bit. A byproduct was, you know, I started feeling better right away, started looking a little bit better, started, you know, everything, a little bit of weight started coming off. And that was at two and a half milligrams, that which is it's my belief, is the lowest dose of the manjaro, which was that's a standard starting dose.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, yep. So, you know, with that, no side effects, no nauseousness, no constipation, no nothing. Um, felt relatively good, but the weight wasn't necessarily coming off. And then the kidney numbers were starting to tick in the right direction. So we did that for probably about three or four months. And then the decision was made let's bump you up, let's double that dose, let's get you to five, and let's see if we can start getting those kidney numbers to tick back in the right direction again, you know, get them moving a little bit more. So, again, almost the same exact kind of procedure, you know, four or five months in, same, no, no um side effects, no, you know, ill effect, nothing at all. I felt really good. Um, but with the five, the weight started coming off a little bit more. We started noticing about a pound and a half a week. So, what I think is unique about what my doctor did too is he made sure that I was on a rentful scale. Um, and about every three days, we would look at um about 30 different numbers.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you're recomposition.

SPEAKER_00:

Everything, right? He had me on um uh the glucose monitors, right? So he had direct access to that. I had to grant that access. So every day he could look at what that I had to hop on the scale every morning. He could see every single good data along this. I do, I mean, I really do. So he was able to see every single day from a scale standpoint and all of that, those numbers, and then um from a glucose uh monitor standpoint what was happening, and then the blood tests as well. So we were able to kind of just look at things going on. So after about six months of five percent, the the data was so overwhelmingly positive that my body was just reacting in such a manner that he said, let's go for, let's try this, right? Let's let's do the seven and a half and let's see where we get your kidneys. Two months on the seven and a half, and my EGFR was back to normal. My um, my left ventricle in my heart uh was not doing what it was supposed to do. It was only acting at about 28%. It's back up into the 90s, what it's supposed to be doing now. So once we got to that seven and a half, and you know, that it started doing what it was doing inside my body, everything just snapped around. But then that one and a half to two pounds turned into some weeks like five pounds, you know, because what I had to do was kind of focused on my appetite. What happens, and I think a lot of people don't understand, is you still got to eat. You can't eat like a gavon, which hello guilty. Um, you know, when you're when you're lifted as much as I did and eating 7,000 calories a day, there wasn't much that you couldn't eat, right? So you develop some unhealthy lifestyle habits and whatnot, but I had to remind myself to eat because the hunger was just not there. Um, so kind of focused on these terrible tasting drinks that Jessica makes me drink from my stomach and my prebiotic stuff. Um but yeah, kind of focusing on those things and just eating healthier in general, right?

SPEAKER_02:

Um so I think in another episode we mentioned how make every bite count. Yeah. Yeah, that's really what you had to do was you transition from 7,000 calories a day to whatever the calorie count was. Yeah, but that wasn't happening. It was like this bite needs to count.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that wasn't happening for Jim, right?

SPEAKER_00:

So not even remotely close, and I don't even know that it's happening now, if I'm being completely honest. Uh if I'm making a bite count, it's gonna be a three peanut butter cup. Um, right? But no, so I know I do make better.

SPEAKER_01:

Can we just put this is where we stamp a big F on the screen over my face?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so uh so I work at it, I struggle with it. Um, I've never met a chocolate powder radiant that I didn't like. Um but decisions are much better now. They're they're certainly made from a point of um knowledge, right? It's a knowledge-based decision now, as opposed to a gratification-based decision. What do I want? Now it's more along the lines of, hey, what do I need today? What do what does my body need to continue to feel this way? Because I like this, right? I like this me. I like this version of me. I like my mindset, I like my health, um, I like how I look. So now it's it's just a knowledge base, right? Where what do I need to eat today to make sure that I maintain where I'm at today and I continue to feel this great, right? Pretty simple for me, but it wasn't that way.

SPEAKER_01:

I think we're all a work in progress, Jim, right? And you this year in 2025 um has been such an awakening for you, and these are layers. So if I were to walk you through a day, I would nourish you completely different than you're nourishing yourself. But I think you know that, right? I think that you you know that I'm I I want more for you, but I know that that's coming. I know that that is gonna be part of your story at some point. Um, I want to just back up a little bit in this. So when we talk about Jim losing five pounds a week, guys, that is not the goal here. It is really nice and also addictive to look at those wins on the scale. Weight loss can be incredibly addictive. I'm not saying that it was for you. I'm just saying in general, it feels really good when you've struggled with your weight, when when you see these things happening and you just want more and more and more of it. You just kind of like want all in. But when we're losing weight quickly, one of the things that we do see that happens is we are going to lose not just the fat in our body, but we will lose muscle mass in our body. And so we want to be protective of that. And that's where the every bite matters kind of comes in because what we do know is anytime somebody loses weight, you will lose some muscle mass. But when you lose it with it, Jim, too, it's it's mostly muscle. Well, yes and no. Um, it depends on what you're doing to kind of nourish that, right? So in this particular case with Jim, there was a lot of fat release, obviously, because there's a lot of stored fat in there as well, um, which brings its own toxins that get released into that's a whole nother conversation, right? That's a whole nother detox thing that was happening within his body. But do you see that weight loss? I just want to like emphasize that one pound initially, one and a half pound initially when he was doing it in the beginning, that's fantastic. And also it's common to see people not respond from a weight loss perspective. Maybe for some people, it might be month two, month three, month before, before their body recognizes once again how to communicate. Oh, that's right. We used to make these things once upon a time. This is what we do with them, this is how we roll. And so some people are going to have this kind of slow response where initially there's nothing happening and then it kind of starts to work. One to one and a half pounds was a perfect weight loss. When we get into like five pounds a week, that's scary weight loss. We're not looking for that. But going forward, I think in Jim's story, his next layer of healing is to continue doing all the wonderful things that he's doing. And I don't know where you're at, and I will ask your maintenance, um, to start making those bites count so that we're prioritizing protein and fiber and getting the things in there so that now we don't end up with another layer of metabolic dysfunction because that does happen with people. There's, you know, rebound weight will happen. We can, I think, uh desensitize our body to the peptides, just like we did with insulin, which brought most people here. So what is uh what is the what does it look like now? Are you on a maintenance dose, Jim?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, uh, but it I just want to back up one second and clarify too. So there was not one medical doctor in my team of you know, my caregivers uh that were happy with the five pounds a week, right? Nobody, there wasn't one of them that looked at that and said, Yeah, that's healthy. We want to continue doing that. I think, and I'll show again I'll I'll share the numbers with you guys, but when that dose went up to seven and a half, the the um the beneficial um benefits that it gave my kidneys and it gave my heart were so good that they were willing to let my body lose that five pounds a week. And also, I want to mention to you that I didn't want to lose five pounds a week. Um, when I started, you know, I was wearing double XL shirts and they were tight in the arms, and now I'm in an extra medium, you know. So when I was losing that weight, I was like, oh no, you know, uh, this is this is not necessarily what I want.

SPEAKER_02:

All my hard work is going.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, right. This is not what I want. Um, but the numbers don't lie. So when they were showing me what is what was happening to my, you know, my my blood, my kidneys, my heart, when they were showing me everything that was happening from a metabolic standpoint. Yes, it it was just like, okay, I I'll I'll deal with the you know, losing a ton of weight, right? Whoa, it was me. Um, but yeah, I didn't want to lose the weight.

SPEAKER_01:

Um I want I the only reason bring that up, Jim, is really just because peptides are so accessible now for people to get them. And I and those people that their sole goal is weight loss. I wanted to emphasize yeah, that's not normal. I wreck everybody's person, everybody's story is so individual, which is why I love another reason why I like compounded peptides, because people can figure out, you know, where they need to be, which is not necessarily these specific going up every two and two and a half milliliters, every, you know, whatever it is. Um so I just wanted to emphasize that while it's really cool to think we could lose that weight that quickly, in most cases, that is not ideal. Yours is specific because of the the cardiovascular and the kidney issues.

SPEAKER_00:

Sure. So you asked real quick um about a maintenance though. So yes, it's two and a half now, but you know, I think it's important that we talk about how we got to that and why we got to that, right? I mentioned that scale that I utilize. Um so the numbers that that gives me, and it gives that that my team, um, and I say team because there really is just like five or six people that are just have bought all into you know what I got going on.

SPEAKER_02:

Um and Jim, I want to I want to emphasize that too, because a lot of people will they'll come to Jess or they'll come to me or they'll go to whoever it is, and they'll think, oh, you're my provider. No, we are a team, we're part of your team. We may not all be in the same office.

unknown:

Sure.

SPEAKER_02:

And especially when we talk about we're uh getting these peptides from another source, like that practitioner, that clinician who's providing you the peptides is a member of your team, along with your primary care physician and everybody else you choose. So you're no different. You just had a team very paying very close attention to your organ numbers.

SPEAKER_00:

Sure, sure. But that's so that those numbers in that scale were able to give me, you know, the exact me and them, that team, the exact feedback that they were looking for, right? So when I went down to a maintenance dose, which right now is 2.5 a week, um, and I've not gained an ounce of weight, I've not lost any weight. Um, you know, I'm I eat normally, uh, I it's not, you know, I don't go crazy, we don't eat out a lot. Um I'm focused on what's going into my mouth, right? So that maintenance dose of two and a half um really was just once we saw the numbers get to where they wanted to be, where we wanted to be, we were able to look at them all and say, okay, we want your BMI down to you know 14%, we want your muscle mass down to this, we want, you know, X, Y, and Z down to these numbers. Once we got there, that was that was the the motivator to go down to the maintenance dose, not what the number on the scale said from a pounds standpoint, what it was saying about me metabolically. That's you know, that's how we determined, hey, this is where we want to get to, you know, input from the cardiologist, input from the nephrologist, input from myself, where am I comfortable? Um and once we got there, that's when the maintenance dose started.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I think that to wrap this up, for me, when I talk about your story, when I when I hear you talk about your story, I mean, I mean, I don't know a lot of people, a lot of people keep their story quiet for a long time because they feel a shame and embarrassment to use these um these therapies, which they are. It's no different than missing thyroid hormone. It's no different than using HRT. It's no different, right? This is something that our body needs to live better, to live longer, to heal. And there is a lot of shame and embarrassment, especially for me. As a nutritionist, when I I mean, I did it for the the neuroprotective benefits, but for me, it was like, I can't figure this out on my own. This is what I do for a living. How could I need these things? So there's a lot of shame in us not talking about it. But your story is amazing. It's gonna help a lot of people. It's important to know that it is not just about weight loss, which is all we pretty much hear when it comes to using these peptides. And I think that your story emphasizes that yes, you certainly lost. I don't know what the number is, just shy of 100 pounds, whatever it is, 80 pounds. I don't know. What is it? What is the number?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh 92.

SPEAKER_01:

92 pounds. That's a lot, right? And so when you hear somebody say that, you're like, oh my God, I'd do anything to lose the weight. This is great. It is so much more than weight loss. We have receptor sites on every organ in our body. We have receptor sites in our joints. We manufacture them in our gut. It is in this particular case supporting our liver health, which we didn't even get to, but that's okay because we'll talk about it in another episode. Our gut health, all of these things that are so incredibly neglected and probably destroyed, that these things get to help you regenerate and recover from. So it's a bigger picture than just weight loss, as you've so graciously shared your story with us to explain that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, 100%. I'm actually, you know, to be quite honest, a little off topic, but I'm looking forward to you know what it's going to do for like infertility and things like that. I mean, these these peptides which the body produces, right? And then we have learned to kind of synthesize a little bit too, are from nootropic standpoints, from infertility, uh muscle mass, everything. It's it's amazing what it what it what it can do if used properly. But I want to uh uh you know, real quick emphasize if you don't change kind of up here how you're thinking about it and how you approach every day, you're gonna go back right back to where you were, right? I mean, so yeah. It's uh you got you have to change, you gotta be willing to change. Um, you have to look at it uh and take it for what it's worth, and you gotta be doing it for the right reasons, I think. And if you are, well then you realize the benefits.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, listen, every time I hear Jim talk about his journey, I am reminded why these conversations matter so much. It's not just about the science, it's about people taking back their health one decision at a time.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. Peptides like semi-glutide and BPC157 aren't magic, but when they're used safely and intentionally, they can help the body remember how to heal. Jim's story shows what happens when you pair the right tool with the right mindset.

SPEAKER_01:

And just a quick reminder always work with a qualified provider or telemedicine partner when exploring peptides. Safe sourcing and personalized dosing make all the difference.

SPEAKER_02:

If Jim's story inspired you, make sure you're following the show so you don't miss what's next. In our upcoming episode, we're diving into peptides for gut health and mood. As we have learned today, they're more powerful than just for even healing joints and weight loss. This powerful connection between your microbiome and your mind.

SPEAKER_01:

So you can find me, Jess, on my website, b2bwithess.com. It's B number to B with Jess. And then you can also find me on my Instagram. That's Jess B underscore L M T underscore N C.

SPEAKER_02:

Jim, real quick, if people are looking to find your story, where can they learn more about it?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, eventually. Uh we're we're uh eventually in a book. We're kind of working on one now and uh we're trying to figure out how to tie things together. But yeah, um, I would just say this I would reach out uh to Jessica. She can get a hold of me anytime. Um and yeah, I'd be be more than happy to come on again with you guys and share uh even more so uh or whatever it is you guys need from me. I'm an open book, and uh if I can help somebody, that'd be great. And God bless.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I'm sure you've helped many people who are listening to this. And if this resonates with you guys, please share this episode on your social media, on your YouTube, wherever it is, because people, as Jess and I have tried to reiterate again and again and again, peptides are used for more than just weight loss, they have some powerful healing tools. So, what if you're struggling with help with your health? Who knows? Maybe this will be the key that unlocks the door to your body healing. If you are interested in learning more about me, you can go to drkylieburton.com. You can check out drkylyburton.com slash peptides to start your journey or find me on the Unshakable Brain podcast. This is Pep Talk, Peptides Unpacked. Science made simple, results made real. See you next time. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00:

Thanks, guys, have a great day.