My weight is steady; neither a loss or gain, still at 18 and holding. I feel in control of my eating and have changed some of the ideas about what is right for me. Dare I say I am seeing meals as function over reward? Perhaps, and I don't think that's a bad thing. I had a discussion with my traveling partner SIL who is doing the WW points thing, and we compared notes about our meals and ideas. She and I have been "plate watching" each other for years in an invisible competition. Last night in our NJ diner dinning, I watched her do what I would have done six months ago; take DH's fruit bowl, eat two thirds of the fish tacos to take the rest home, pick at the sides. I didn't. My grilled Rueben was not so grilled as it was laid on the griddle to cook to dryness, without butter. It was lacking the usual mega meat-covered-dripping-cheese fullness expected on TV shows about NJ diners The Russian dressing was in a side cup and sparingly used. In another life I wou...
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I did not go forward with the higher dose drug. The lowest dose is still curbing my appetite and food noise. I am free of 18.4 pounds. It's take 14 weeks to get here, a little over a pound a week. I thinks that's an adequate pace and maybe even a bit fast. After all, it took me 30 plus years to gather as much weight as I did. I still continue to marvel that the little bits here and there, an extra spoonful of this or that could be so damaging. After all, I was not a a junk food, soda swigging, large helping eater. I'm fairly a whole food cook. I eat clean. DH is slowly recovering. His new platinum coils plugging the leaking artery have proved to work as his CT showed decrease in the hematoma and no mid-line shift. He remarked he hasn't felt "off" or dizzy in the past few days. You don't know how much something affects you until it doesn't. Now if I could just get him off the couch. We've finally had some nice weather and I was able to workout in m...
Here I am at week 14 and I am down a solid 17 pounds and holding. It's not been easy, yet it has. For those of you who know my weight journey, this has been a win. I have one more week to finish the first dose of the pill, and I should increase the concentration next week. I am crossing my fingers and toes that I don't react like I did with the injection! You may have read my previous blog. DH is still doing well. I think the severity of the issue finally hit home for me and even with the medication, I overate last night, if a 3/4 cup of yogurt as a snack is overeating, and woke up a 3 with a belly that wanted to rebel. A goodly amount of water and some sitting in a chair created the noises that said food is moving, and I felt better. That's the meds slowing everything down. Lesson learned. Throughout all these medicalizing sessions, I've not looked for food which without it I would have had my head and hand in anything edible. I think I'm saying these drugs are ...
A brief note. Monday I took DH for his repeat CT after last weeks' stint in ICU. We had breakfast waiting on the counter at home. They took him immediately to the ER. They transferred him to the major hospital in Philadelphia. He was hoping for the helicopter ride. I was hoping for a break. He settled for an ambulance with a nurse and lots of monitors. He had what only could be called "minor" brain surgery on Tuesday. They did an embolization using coils to plug up the bleeding artery by going through his wrist. Technology! I brought him home Wednesday and yesterday we went to lunch with siblings. Phew.
I guess it's time for my weekly update. My weight has remained the same, and thank goodness! In addition to caring for my recovering spouse, I had control of a teen and a pre-teen for a few days while their mom and dad took a break. The eldest is on a trip with a classmates so it was the younger grandkids. I also had their dog! Poor doggie has a non-malignant tumor on her leg that needs constant bandaging and she needs to be a bit drugged to keep her from "worrying" it. She plays dead when it's time to go back in her crate. Serious dead. I said let's go, and she dropped and rolled on her back! My grandson videoed the play for his mom. I ended up incrementally lifting/dragging the 57 pound beast on the wood floor by her harness until she got near her crate. I swear she was smiling the whole time. Once near, she flipped over, tail wagging, and got in. I said Grrrrrr. Having a 13 year old and ten year old who are bored to death is loads of fun. Crayons no longer w...
Here's one of my PSAs for all 5 of you folks who read my musings. My man is now home, his usual self,. This is for strokes, but can be applied to any brain issue. BE FAST B - Balance: Sudden loss of balance, coordination, or difficulty walking. E - Eyes: Sudden changes in vision, such as blurriness, double vision, or vision loss. F - Face: Sudden facial drooping or numbness; ask the person to smile to check. A - Arm: Sudden weakness or numbness in one arm; ask the person to raise both arms to see if one drifts downward. S - Speech: Sudden slurred speech, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding; ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. T - Time: Time to call 911 immediately if you observe any of these Feeling fatigued and dizzy on occasion set a repeat CT scan in motion, but it took several weeks to schedule. DH took the recycling can out Monday night in the twilight. When he came in he said "I want you to know I walked up the (50ft ) driveway and found I ...
Hasn't this been a banger of a week? Happy Independence Day. I am independent of 16.3 pounds. The pill I am now taking has less of an impact on my entire system and I am more comfortable than I was with even the lowest dose shot. I don't need a rocket ship, a canoe works fine. After all, it took me 20 years to reach my highest weight. I shouldn't take a couple of months to remove it; a slow and steady drop is healthy. There is definitely something in one of the mechanics that increases insulin or glucose removal from your system. I equate this to my needing thyroid medication. I readily accepted that I needed meds. Why would a defect of some sort in these dietary hormones be considered any different? I'm doing the defensive work in creating a better dietary outlook for myself, the hormone replacement is fixing what I've lost. A forever-medication doesn't seem so unbelievable if I use it like my other replacement meds. I am still measuring as I have for years, i...
It's that time of week, weighing in on weighing in. First off, I started taking the weight loss pill, Foundayo on Friday. It's the same manufacturer of Zepbound, but the pill only has one ingredient, not two. Don't ask me what, I forget. It works immediately. By the time lunch rolled around, I didn't care. I stopped visiting the refrigerator. Let me digress... Thursday night I had the human equivalent of the "zoomies" in the kitchen. I've hurt my back last weekend drilling and screwing the new pool steps in. It has gotten better, but it hurts. I received several pieces of mail related to DH's accident, insurance-wise, and I was PO'd. I hate insurance. So, there I was at the end of the day and my rope, in the kitchen with a tin of brownies and bag of newly opened hot and sweet beef jerky. When the damage was done and I tallied my fit in Cronometer, I had eaten maybe 1400 calories for the day. Big deal. Not a thing. Minor. But it was the action, not...
Please enjoy the fathers in your life today and the memories of yours. Memories and words of my dad are frequently evoked, as he had a wonderful impact on all our lives. Right now his ashes are fluttering in the current political upheaval. Here I am, I think this is week 11, in my current weight loss quest. My numbers are holding steady, still around 13 pounds down. Without the benefit of GLP-1 drugs, I'm noticing food. I've opened the refrigerator looking for "something", but have so far left empty-handed. I also think about what I might have in a next meal, which was a quality missing when on the drug. Interesting. I've invested some effort in recipes that are high protein and storable for several day's meals. I've mentioned before, I like the Eating Well website. You can adjust the servings of a recipe by the click of a button, no calculations necessary. Yesterday I made a tofu and zucchini picatta, a play on chicken picatta, with chickpea pasta. I mar...
The GLP-1 judge is considering a mistrial. The jury has been deliberating for 9 weeks and can't come to an agreement. There have been all-night sessions of why and is this worth it, to a full bomb scare and evacuation (pardon the pun) resulting in a brief stint in the ER. What I have to show for the work is a 12.2 pound loss, and a bill that thankfully Medicare and supplementary insurance will pay, or do they not pay for "self-inflicted" illness? Mind you, that's a good amount of weight removal for any time I've been on a diet. I'm surprised that the week-long disaster with the new dose of not eating and toileting resulted in a gain. It shows my body has some serious survival tactics! I consumed an average of 500 calories a day for the week. Three days it was less than 300. In theory, as I had taken the higher dose, it should have continued to work throughout the week and I would have seen at least a .5 pound deficit for the week. I'll claim it's wate...
How predictive was that article about Miyam Bialik's experience with GLP-1? Spot on. On the higher dose, I started to experience some intestinal distress. I was not prepared for how intense it would get, but ingested Imodium along with my electrolyte drinks. I can tough this out. Day 4 it got worse. Since my appetite is extremely suppressed, it was getting hard to find anything to eat that would help. Day 5, I took a ride in the big rig with flashing red and blue lights to the Emergency Room! I was so dehydrated, I could only walk about 15 feet which was my advantage point to the bathroom. I was not going to rely on my own two feet to get into DH's car, drive through 7AM rush hour traffic at a snails pace all the while "holding it in", and then sit in the ER waiting room. Notable things that happened: DH turned on his scanner as soon as he made the call for the ambulance. The dispatcher clearly announced "an elderly 72 year old with dehydration, can't walk...
196.7 Hmm, in 1967 I entered the 8th grade. It also means I've now lost 12.5 pounds. š This is not an easy road. I started the increased dose this Friday. My choice to move my injection date was a good one. We don't do much on weekends and it gives me a chance to "suffer through" the immediate side effects. I am lucky as don't have the digestive issues some get. I get fatigue and and overall feeling of coming down with something. And oh, the lack of interest in food is there. I had to push to eat yesterday and didn't meet my goals. Perhaps TMI, the dinner I ate last night sat in my stomach all night and a morning burp reminded me what I had eaten, untainted with stomach enzymes. That's one of the ways this med works, it slows digestion to a crawl. It's a fight to get all the nutrients in. The extreme feelings subside in a few days and my last week on the lowest dose was no problem. Well, not quite. I get dehydrated very easily. There are learning c...
It's mid-week and I have a slight update for the curious. I took a chance and stepped on the scale. 198.5, so I'm still loosing on the initial dose. I have no idea how I will do on the next higher one. It's the therapeutic dose. Well, heck, my appetite's been whacked with the initial (get used to the feeling) one! I still walk into the kitchen and act like a dog with a stuffed up nose. No sniffing around cabinets. I'm game to try it in hopes that most of it is the mental food police, not the stomach upset reaction. I now find certain things give me exceptional heartburn, easily treated with a bubbly drink or antacid tablet; whatever brings on a burp. I've been hit with days of exhaustion. Yesterday at the gym, I got my trainer to go along with my idea of 2 sets of each exercise instead of three. I went through the paces, but ended up having to sit for straight and hammer bicep curls. I just felt wiped, if wiped is spending an hour exercising then finishing with...
199.0000000 A solid 199. So officially I've lost 10.2 pounds in seven weeks. I took the last of my "starter dose" jabs on Friday, weight day is Sunday. I can see a difference, and I like it. Everything fits a bit better. I keep in mind my gym work and activity level have increased so I also have built a bit of heavier muscle in those seven weeks. DH thinks I've lost a lot more but my body changes rapidly in a scenario like this (how many times has THIS happened?). Lack of appetite is also lack of interest in cooking and I've fallen off the food prep wagon. Fortunately when I do prepare, the freezer gets portions. Last night's dinner was a chicken Florentine which I might make again today. I am still not eating enough and I'm working on it. I will make a huge effort to cook/stock up on items this week as my next dose is increased. yay
I'll take it. The scale told me 199.4 this morning, so I'm still in Onederland. I grumbled quite a bit yesterday to DH as this particular injection, my 5th, knocked me down. Last week's barely registered on the uncomfortable scale. I sat under my heated throw and dozed or did my volunteer job on the computer all day. I changed my shot day to Friday as the first two days make me sluggish and a bit "aware" of my stomach, although not nauseous. It was interfering with my Tuesday trainer workout. I follow Dave around like a puppy and let him set the weights. To my delight, he added 10 pounds to my glute pushback and I didn't notice. Pre-surgery I was kicking 50 lbs, last week I hit 35. I'm getting there. Apparently I'm impressing him. The rest of my workout he's tweaked and I couldn't tell you what I was doing, but the DOMS are awesome the next day. For those (3 or 4) who know me, have I ever mentioned the family ties to exercise? DNA results sh...
Here I am starting week six. I lost no weight. I was expecting to see something. It feels like deja vu. I loose, I plateau. I (eventually) regain. I am not discouraged. I've been doing it incorrectly these past few weeks. I'm not eating enough. How many times have I heard that from experts and lay-persons? I should shoot for 1200 calories. I've use Cronometer to track my food and fitness, and I have been obsessive. I thought my daily average of calories was 890-1000, I knew that was low but I've felt fine. Creating meals has been problematic, for one because I feel so out of touch with food, and for another, life has gotten a bit messier here. No details for you. What I was doing wrong was not reviewing my intake! Lo and behold, it appears I'm starving myself! I was paying attention to my protein and water intake but not the overall picture. What's missing here is my caloric expenditures, and that's been pretty high. I've run an average of 600 calorie ...
199.8 I'm starting week five and am down 9.8 pounds. That took me into Onederland for the first time in 22 years. If Spark People were still viable, I'd be receiving all kinds of virtual gifts for my feat and celebratory messages. I could post a banner proclaiming the news. My DH said "Woo-hoo!" I don't feel "woo-hoo", I almost feel let-down. Yeah, that's it. My brain is asking why couldn't I eat like I have been eating for the past four weeks without needing drug support. I certainly didn't believe I'd fall into the guilt trip trap, yet here I am. I also know this is temporary, perhaps very temporary and by this afternoon a smile will be on my face when I become smug and pleased with myself. I understand it's more than eating right. In 2002 I had the last vestige of lady hormones surgically removed. I started taking beta-blockers and thyroid meds. The trifecta of slower metabolism. I combined that with a job requiring sever...
A day late, but here's week 4 of jabs. The scale was kind and showed me I had lost seven pounds at the end of three weeks. I'm now back to where I was in the beginning of December when I swore I could get under 200 pounds by NYE, at 202. I then gained 2 pounds and started the new year a bit grumpy that I couldn't do right. Deja vu, all over againš¬. My surgical weight was 204 and when I started the drug, I was 209. The creep. It's followed me all my life. I am consuming the same kind of meals I normally would. The volumes are a bit less and I have to force myself to eat the required amounts that are healthy for me; like adding two ounces of chicken to my salad is a chore. I find I hesitate to fill up on my beloved veggies as I need room for the protein. That 1/2 cup of elbow macaroni, three small meatballs and about 1/3 cup of sauce was hard to finish. After years of dieting I can tell a 1/3 cup of food from a 1/2 cup of food from a mile away. I can split a bagged sal...
Here I am staring week 3. The scale pronounced me down 5.2 pounds in two weeks. If I were on my own and vigilant, I might have been able to lose that on my own. I might have been able to avoid hitting the kitchen cabinets for snacks. Perhaps I'd be more appreciative as to how much I'd put on my plate. I'd avoid trigger foods because, well, they trigger. I have little desire to rummage around to find something to munch. I put back half of my breakfast yesterday and had the rest for lunch. I discarded the last few tablespoons of tuna salad as I had no desire to eat it. I had one of my favorite pizza slices for dinner and in a fit of "OMG this is good", found the smallest slice left and ate it, too. I was uncomfortable all night and probably won't try that again. This is chemical behavior modification doing it's thing. I drink a LOT, something I never did. I always took my water like my whiskey: straight, no ice. Electrolyte powder is now a thing for me. I ...
Week 2, shot 2, details. Homage to SP. The scale says I'm down 2.7 pounds. That could happen routinely, so I'm not considering this quite a miracle. I went back to tracking on Cronometer, I miss the SP tracker, and noticed I had a calorie deficit on all days, some as much as the recommended 500 calories. That means I quit larger portions and snacking! What I also have done is created a higher protein diet and am scrambling to find higher fiber foods as filling myself up on veggies, my usual go-to, does not supply enough nutrient roughage. Chick pea pasta is my go-to as is steel-cut oatmeal. Small details: It seems as the drug kicks in, I don't want to eat at all and have to force myself. The thought of eating 2 eggs with avocado and tomatoes is gagging. The 30g protein drink might work better, but I bet I could skip eating all day the way I feel right now. Peppermint tea was was my first drink this morning. The drug wore off slowly all week and I felt great yesterday morn...