NEED TO KNOW
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Tim Bo Mack tells PEOPLE that he struggled with his weight for many years, despite trying numerous diets and working with a trainer
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In January 2024, the hairstylist started taking GLP-1 medication Zepbound and was able to lose a “significant amount” of weight with help from the injection medication
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After transforming his approach to health, he now feels better than ever and is training for his first marathon
Texas hairstylist Tim Bo Mack will never forget the moment that became the catalyst for his decades-long weight loss journey. It was December 2003 when the salon owner came across a photo of himself on social media that left him stunned.
“It literally hit me in my gut. I didn’t recognize myself. As a stylist I’m trying to empower people by transforming their hair—and this is what they see?” recalls Mack, now 42.
He admits the photo haunted him for another three years before he finally decided to do something about it — shortly after he and his wife, Stephanie, were married in 2006. For the next two decades Mack struggled to lose weight.
“I’ve tried every diet you can think of,” says Mack, who lives with Stephanie, 42, and their 17-year-old daughter, Keily, in Corpus Christi, Texas. “I just wasn’t seeing the results.”
That all changed in January 2024, when Mack’s (now) endocrinologist introduced him to Zepbound, an FDA-approved GLP-1 medication for adults with chronic obesity. It’s a brand name for tirzepatide, which is highly effective for weight loss by reducing appetite and improving how the body breaks down sugar and fat. “When I started it, I’ll be honest, I was nervous,” he says. “But I didn’t have to do anything that was a major adjustment. I just had to incorporate it into my routine.”
Since then, he’s lost a “significant amount” of weight — and kept it off — thanks to his commitment to a healthy diet, daily exercise and his weekly injections. He credits his team — including his trainer, primary care physician and endocrinologist — with keeping him motivated and on track.
“I didn’t feel alone because they kept saying, ‘We’re going to do this together.’ And we really did,” says Mack, adding that he’s loving this new version of himself. “I have an infectious smile that I cannot get rid of. I’m energized, I have opportunities — just because I love getting up in the morning. I feel like I’m really living now.”
Eli Lilly and Company
Tim ‘Bo’ Mack
Weight had always been a challenge for Mack, who grew up in Texas, in a “teeny, tiny town” called Beeville, where his father Timmie, 63, was in the military, and his mother, Letricia, 63, is a nurse. “We always ate well, and we were very active, but there was something still slightly off,” recalls Mack. “My younger brothers and I, we’re big boys. And same thing with my older sister — she’s a curvy girl.”
Even so, weight management was never a priority for Mack growing up. In the South, he says, “family being first, we were always told taking care of yourself was probably considered selfish.”
Instead, Mack took an interest early on in hairstyling. His dad always required a “clean cut, military type of look,” and after his parents bought him a pair of clippers, he started cutting his and his brothers’ hair. Before long, he added kids from the neighborhood to his clientele — “and all in my mom’s kitchen. I was a kitchen beautician,” quips Mack, who loved tagging along with his mom to different salons, where he became fascinated with hair color, extensions, braiding — and the idea of helping people feel good about themselves. “To transform somebody’s life by just changing their hair — I was, like, ‘Man, I really want to do this.’”
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His passion led him to attend Coastal Bend College, where he graduated with a degree in cosmetology — and met his wife Stephanie (“She’s watched my fails and seen me through my triumphs”) in 2004. They were married 2 years later, and welcomed their daughter Keily in 2008. In the meantime, Mack’s career was also taking off; he started traveling for professional hair shows — promoting products, demonstrating his techniques and leading educational seminars — and eventually opened his own salon, Aspire Studios.
“I feel like I’ve truly gotten the golden ticket,” he says. “I’m focused on doing really, really great hair but also connecting with people from what I call my sacred space, my salon chair. So being able to do it globally now from all over the world is really, really cool.”
Eli Lilly and Company
Tim ‘Bo’ Mack walking with his dog Princess
While Mack’s professional life was thriving, his weight — and his health — continued to be a struggle. “As I started getting older, I was having more challenges here and there, not being able to do things and seeing the doctor more frequently,” he explains. “And it all went back to one universal thing, my weight management.”
Determined to make a change — and still devastated by the memory of that embarrassing 2003 photo — he says he invested “countless dollars” in trainers and gym memberships, and tried every diet imaginable.
“I was gifted the wisdom [from my parents] that if you work hard, you’ll get the result,” says Mack. “One time I did a diet that required me to eat a cracker a day. It’s embarrassing to say it now, but I did it. I pretty much starved myself. I don’t know how I got to that point, but it just solidified how desperate I was to get it under control.”
But the frustration from his failed attempts eventually left Mack struggling mentally. “I call it my dark place,” he says. “It’s where doubt lives, where you kick yourself even when you’re already down…When you’re not getting those results, you can easily get defeated. It started to leave me feeling bad about myself. After a while I was like, ‘Is it worth it?’”
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What got him through was encouragement from friends and family — especially Stephanie. “There were times when I wanted to throw in the towel, when I’d feel sorry for myself, and she wouldn’t let me,” he says. “She was always that person who kept pushing me.”
Mack’s breakthrough finally came in late 2023, during a hair show, where one of his guests turned out to be a weight-loss management doctor (who later became his endocrinologist). “She said, ‘I think I can help you,’” he says, recalling how she introduced him to Zepbound.
“I had never heard of it ever in my life. But she said that sometimes we need a little bit of help,” says Mack, a Zepbound patient who’s been compensated by Lilly for his time.
He started the weekly injections on January 6, 2024, and says “it literally changed my life.”
Eli Lilly and Company
Tim ‘Bo’ Mack at his hair salon
With his doctor’s help, he’s adjusted his diet and workout regimen, and considers the GLP-1 medication (which can cause side effects, including nausea, diarrhea, injection site reactions, hair loss, and heartburn, among others) a “tool” that’s helped him make real progress towards a healthier lifestyle. “I’ve learned how to properly cook for myself, what portion control is all about and what real good exercise really feels like,” says Mack, whose daily fitness regimen includes yoga or Pilates, and walks with the family dog, Princess.
“Exercising before was grueling, it felt like work. But now it’s something I need every single day,” he adds. “I was able to customize my journey just for me, and that was the real change.”
Even so, it’s the everyday milestones that have meant the most to him — like the day his daughter Keily was able to wrap her arms around him for the first time in her life, or when he realized he could take the trash out at his salon without feeling winded. “A lot of people see the outside result, but the change is really on the inside,” he says.
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Mack admits that his “dark place” still surfaces from time to time, but he’s learned not to let it consume him. “I’m living for today, right now where my feet are planted. And if everyone learns that simple rule, they’re going to completely transform their lives,” he says. “We don’t know what tomorrow’s going to hold. Let’s just conquer today.”
His new mindset and lifestyle have also been an example — and an inspiration — to his family. “We’ve flipped,” he says proudly. “Taking care of yourself is actually a good thing in our family now. Obesity is a disease. It’s something I’ve struggled with my entire life and I didn’t even realize. I’m proud of anybody who’s willing to take that first step, and just put a little time into themselves.”
It’s a practice he’s learned to live by — which is why, in addition to running his salon and traveling to hair shows (he’s currently on an eight-city tour in Latin America), Mack has set a new goal for himself: running the Beach to Bay marathon next year in Corpus Christi, and sharing his journey on social media.
“The old Tim Bo would’ve been like, ‘No, I’m not doing that. I can’t do that,’” he says. “It was always ‘can’t.’ But now I’m playing with the words ‘gifted the opportunity.’ Even if I fail, I still want to try. That makes me feel good… I feel like anything is possible.”
This article was written independently by PEOPLE’s editorial team and meets our editorial standards. Zepbound is a paid advertising partner with PEOPLE.
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