Week Three Weigh In

 Well, this week was my 40th birthday- I will be 100% straight up that I have NOT been eating on plan! For my birthday dinner, we had takeout Chinese food, and it was delicious. I still had everything I wanted, but I was satisfied with a smaller portion. And for dessert, we had an amazing lemon buttercream cake. It was worth every bite! On the weekend, I also had a party, so I drank chocolate martinis and enjoyed pizza and other salty foods.

So, to no one's surprise, I gained 2lbs this week. Do I think I really ate 7000 calories over what I burned? No. I'm sure some of it is sodium retention. I can actually feel the bloat from what I've been eating and it's a little uncomfortable. 

That being said, I read in the Facebook Ozempic group all the time that people are finding they can no longer eat certain items, and that hasn't been my experience at all. I wholeheartedly enjoyed the food I had for my birthday weekend, and honestly I'm ready to get back on track counting calories again. 

I don't know how this medication manages to change those neural pathways about food, but I find that truly magical. That I can have a small portion of something, enjoy it to the utmost, and feel satisfied afterwards. Even that I can eyeball a portion that I previously thought was too small, and think maybe now that it's too large for me. I think this really is the key lesson and way to keep the weight off longterm, if I can keep these habits going.

Today is my 4th injection of 0.25mg. My doctor wants me to follow the standard dose progression, so I'm expected to move up next week to 0.5mg. I have been having mixed feelings about this because I know I have a lot of weight to lose, so I worry that I'll get to a point where I stall and not be able to increase the dose. I am not sure that increases past 1mg will be covered for me, so I am wondering if a slower progression would be better. I'll have to ask her about that.

Either way though, I am grateful for the help I'm getting from Ozempic to make healthier habits, and hope that this will be the key to helping me reach and maintain a healthy body weight.

OZ Week 1 loss: 3.4lbs

OZ Week 2 loss: 2.2 lbs
OZ Week 3 gain: 2.0lbs

Week Two Weigh In!

 So the weekend wound up proceeding differently than I expected, too. I was hungry on Friday, which was similar to the first week, so I figured the weekend would be similar. I was surprised to find that I wasn't all that hungry on the weekend either. Maybe the baseline effects of the medication are starting to take hold?

I had a check in appointment with my doctor this morning. I was supposed to be on my fourth injection by now, but because I was sick I delayed starting (today will be my third injection). She checked my vital stats and they are surprisingly good! My fasting glucose was 5.6 this morning, and my blood pressure (although taken from a pharmacy machine which may be somewhat unreliable, I'm still waiting for my home unit) was 129/79; both great numbers showing improvement! 

And I lost another 2.2lbs this week, which brings my Ozempic total to 5.6lbs in two weeks! My doctor was very pleased with these results and wants me to continue with the standard dose progression. So far I'm not experiencing a great deal in terms of side effects, minus the possible beneficial one of counteracting my insomnia. I find myself getting not just tired but sleepy earlier in the evening, and if I can fall asleep earlier and gain some quality sleep, that would be fantastic.

I have had a couple of what I'm calling shadow or ghost side effects... they're so mild they are barely there. A headache or two, and yesterday some very mild nausea that went away when I had dinner. But if it stays manageable that will be just fine because it looks like this medication is working well so far and I hope it continues to do so.

The ticker at the top of my blog is for my total weight loss this time around; I'm just as proud of the pounds I lost on Ozempic as I am of the pounds I worked to lose myself, because I'm still working to lose these too!

OZ Week 1 loss: 3.4lbs
OZ Week 2 loss: 2.2 lbs

Mid Week Check-in!

 So this week, I injected my 0.25mg dose into my thigh. I was curious to find if it was different than week one, where I injected into my stomach. While I didn't really have any side effects this week and very minimal last week, I found so far that I felt that the medication worked better when I injected it into my stomach, and I plan to return to that. 

While I still found myself getting full sooner, I didn't "notice" the medication as much and I had to pay closer attention to finding the right stopping point while I'm eating. At least at the beginning of my Ozempic journey, I do like feeling that very clear signal when I should stop eating, because I feel like that will help me learn that point on my own.

I have been wondering for a while now if what I think of as "full" is actually what a person without food issues would think of as "stuffed". Because if I was eating something delicious, of course I'd want to keep eating it until I was full. I mean, it was delicious, right? I don't think I was able to enjoy the portion I had without at least thinking wistfully of more, if I still had "room". This week, I bought myself a Lindt white chocolate bar with caramelized almonds. It had ten squares, each square being 90 calories. Before Ozempic, I probably would have polished off at least half the bar at once, possibly the whole thing. I mean, who eats a chocolate bar in servings? This week, I ate one square in little bites, enjoyed every bite, and didn't feel the need to eat a second square; I got the pleasure and enjoyment without the push to eat more of it. That feeling is amazing, and that's what I think will help keep the weight off long term; if I learn to enjoy food without craving more. I hope my time on Ozempic will help with that.

I've read a lot of posts about people no longer being able to enjoy certain foods, and I haven't experienced any of that to date. I'm not eating large portions of anything (and I'm counting calories so I know exactly how much I'm eating), but I've had lots of things that could be considered treats. One day I had homemade pizza, and I used to eat 3-4 slices. On Ozempic, I had one slice and wanted a second one but figured two would be too much so I asked for a half slice and found that I actually only wanted another couple of bites and didn't finish the half slice. I've had a very small bowl of ice cream (1/4 cup). I've had chocolate, wine, melted cheese... no negative reactions thankfully. So don't assume that you'll have to give up or stop eating your favourite foods, because so far, I haven't.

On Friday last week, I noticed the medication wearing off a bit in the sense of appetite control, and I did find myself hungrier on the weekends. Last week I was around 1500 calories on the weekend and closer to 1100-1200 during the week. Since calorie cycling can be a good thing for your metabolism, I didn't really worry about it.

Looking forward to stepping on the scale on Monday- I've committed to only weighing myself once a week so that I don't fuss about the perfectly normal up and down fluctuations. Hopefully I continue to have good results, but if nothing else, this new pattern of eating smaller meals more often is likely much better for my blood sugar and hopefully will teach me healthier patterns, and that's a win regardless.

Week One Weigh In

 So it's been an interesting week learning how this works!

I didn't experience much at all in the way of Ozempic side effects, which is great! I did experience the appetite suppression, which seemed to wane as the week went on. That makes sense- I assume my body was metabolizing it. Early in the week, I was struggling to reach my daily calorie target and by the end of the week it certainly became easier to snack and I'd start to get hungry again. I will take my second shot tonight, and we'll see how it works next week.

Recently I saw a study that showed that people taking Ozempic and Wegovy do have different side effects based on where they inject their dose, but it's different for every person. There is no one better place to take your shot to minimize side effects without trying out different locations. I took my week one shot in my lower right belly, since my doctor recommended my stomach. The shot can go anywhere into fat tissue. I was thinking I would try a different location for my week two shot just to see if there are any differences.

I wear an Apple Watch to track my active calories, and I record all the food I eat in the Lose It app. I really like the interface and how easy it is to scan food items, as well as build my own recipes to save time when I eat the same meal in the future.

Generally from following the Nutrisystem program in the past, I know that about 1500 calories is the right amount for me to eat when I have 100 pounds or more to lose, and then I'd decrease that number to no fewer than 1200 daily. It's looking like I can't make that target easily in the first few days after my shot, so I may use the function on Lose It for their "weekender" plan, which uses the same total amount of weekly calories but shifts more to the weekend days and fewer on weekdays. I think that makes the most sense for me right now.

Stepping on the scale this morning showed me that the combination of the medication and the counting calories is working; I am down 3.4lbs this week! While I admit that I was hoping for more than that, it's still a great weekly number and it's hard to be disappointed when it exceeds the recommended amount of healthy weight loss of 1-2lbs per week. I know that some weeks will be better than others and this will be one of the better ones. The weight didn't come on in a week and it won't be lost in a week either.

Last night I made another delicious recipe from my Goodfood meal box subscription- if you haven't tried the service yet I can give you $40 off your first order! This salad is filling, delicious, high protein and low calorie, as well as low glycemic index. It fits perfectly into the Nutrisystem program as well as being a good choice for people taking Ozempic or Wegovy.

Fall Panzanella Salad:

2 tilapia fillets, approximately 5oz each
4 cups baby greens mix

200g diced butternut squash

2 tsp olive oil

12g pine nuts 

15g garlic & bell pepper spice mix

4 tbsp fat free italian dressing (or your choice of dressing in that similar palate)

if desired, a couple of thinly sliced black olives for garnish

Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan on medium, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Set them aside. Put the cubed squash in a Tupperware container with 1 tsp olive oil and 5g of the spice blend and shake until the cubes are covered. Saute in a large frying pan over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until tender. Transfer to a covered bowl to keep warm and reserve the pan. Heat your remaining oil on medium. Use the remaining seasoning blend on the tilapia fillets, and pan fry 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through.

Assemble your beautiful and delicious salad! Greens at the bottom, top with the cubed squash and pine nuts, fish on top, and drizzle with 2 tbsp of salad dressing. Garnish with olives as desired. Serves two.

This is such a delicious, flavour packed salad and rings in at 326 calories, 11.5g of fat, 28g of carbohydrates, and 32g of protein. If you're on the Nutrisystem program, count it as a dinner entree plus 2 veggie servings and one extra.

Looking forward to seeing what week 2 brings!

It's Been A While...

 I didn't mean to let things get away with me... either my weight or writing in this blog, but it hasn't been easy. With the 2+ years of dealing with the pandemic and life, my mental health has been suffering and I simply didn't have the energy to deal with weight loss.

I hate writing that, because I know that when you are able to make the effort to be healthier, that the effects snowball, and you start feeling better which makes it all easier. But sometimes, we just can't. Depression is an ugly reality, and sometimes we have to get out of the pit and prioritize survival ahead of self improvement. One day at a time.

So while it's embarrassing that this blog has been going on for 12 years and I haven't achieved my goal, I am proud that I keep coming back and doing my best to become a healthier version of myself. I'm not doing this to look better; I want to lose weight for my health, so that I don't die. I remember once hearing someone say offhand that you don't see many old fat people, and that really stuck with me. I'm coming up on my 40th birthday and I was just diagnosed with several new medical conditions that are almost certainly the result of not taking care of myself. I want to live to see my son grow up and there are many things I still want to do with my life.

I'm here, and I'm ready to get back to work.

With that being said, the scope of this blog is going to broaden a bit. I haven't been able to get Nutrisystem products for a while unfortunately because I haven't crossed the border to my mailbox. I really do miss those pepperoni pizza melts! I'm hoping to get them again sometime soon. So I've been counting calories using the Lose It app and trying to stick with basically a flex version of the NS program, similar calories and macros.

I started in April, counting calories and exercising, and I managed to lose quite a bit of weight that way! I was down 27.2 lbs and although I can't see much of a physical difference, I liked seeing the numbers on the scale go down. Recently I caught covid for the second time, and this time around it was pretty severe, likely because of my comorbidities. I was sick for six weeks and I'm still having symptoms crop up, and my energy levels haven't returned. As a result of being so sick, I've been eating a lot of comfort food, haven't had energy to exercise, and so I've been feeling stuck.

I've got another arrow in my quiver this time fortunately, because all this has shown me that weight loss is hard and I can use all the help that I can get. My doctor prescribed me Ozempic, which is a medication for type 2 diabetics to help get their blood sugar under control, and which also has the lovely side effect of weight loss. The same med is also marketed for weight loss only under the brand name Wegovy, at different dose schedules. My starting A1C is 7.0, so I definitely have some work to do to get healthier.

Last night, I took my first dose of 0.25mg. While I was a little uncomfortable using an injectable medication, I thought it couldn't be much different than the little needle pen I use to prick my finger for blood sugar readings. It is actually a little different and you do have to poke yourself with the needle rather than just push a button and get auto-injected, it's really not that bad except that the pen is loud while it's counting down the medication! The needle is short and very fine, and you just have to stick it into fat tissue anywhere, so you don't really have to worry about location either.

I woke up this morning with a slight headache that may or may not have been a side effect, but it went away pretty quickly with an Advil. Much to my pleasant surprise, the appetite control effects were present immediately. While I can still generally read my body's responses to know when I need to eat food, I never really got hunger pangs all day, and I felt satisfied with much smaller portions. I never really felt "full" per se but I am starting to think that maybe what I think of as full is actually more like stuffed. Perhaps full means satiated? We'll see as time goes on.

I started my day with Nutrisystem High Protein Pancake mix, which I cooked in my waffle iron for some variety. I added fresh blueberries and used 1 tbsp of real maple syrup- the sugar free stuff is an abomination, sorry!

Around 2pm, I noticed I hadn't had lunch yet, much to my surprise. I was pretty caught up in my work but generally my stomach reminds me! I did start to feel a bit lightheaded though, so that was my cue to get something else to eat. I love the TacoTime Chicken Quesadillas that you can buy frozen from Costco- it helps when I can't get my melts! One quesadilla is 190 calories, 8g fat, 20g carbs, and 10g protein so it's pretty comparable to a melt.

For dinner, I had a Goodfood meal box that I was really looking forward to!

Cod & Cauliflower Shaksuka:

2 cod fillets, approximately 5 oz each

200g cauliflower rice

2 eggs

1 shallot (or sweet onion)

213mL tomato sauce

2 roasted red peppers, diced thinly

1 bunch of chives

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tsp olive oil

spice mix (Hungarian sweet paprika, coriander, turmeric, cumin, kosher salt)

Start by mincing the shallot and thinly slicing the chives. In a large pan, heat the olive oil on medium. Saute the cauliflower rice 1 to 2 minutes until beginning to soften. Season with black pepper to taste. Pat the cod fillets dry, and season with a little of your spice mix. Add the shallot and garlic to the cauliflower rice, and saute for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, roasted red peppers, and 8 grams of spice mix to your pan as well as 1/4 cup of water and bring to a boil. When it's bubbling away, you can reduce the heat to medium. Add the cod to the pan, and make two little holes with your spatula and crack the eggs into the holes. Cook, partially covered, for 5-6 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the cod and eggs are both cooked. I like my eggs a little runny in this dish but definitely make sure the fish is cooked! A thick piece of fish may need to be started before you cook the eggs. Garnish with chives and serve!

I doubled the recipe to make four servings. It was delicious and had incredibly low calories! 300 calories, 9g fat, 23g carbs, and 38g of protein, plus it's quick, easy, and tastes fabulous. For my NS friends, count this as 2 Powerfuels, 2 vegetables, and 1 extra. Add a SmartCarb serving to make it into a dinner- maybe a slice of whole wheat toast to mop up the sauce? 

So my first day went really well! Not hungry, not really any side effects, and stayed in my calorie range. One day at a time, right?