This is my journey to become a healthier me. It began on January 26, 2010 and stalled out... I got a type 2 diabetes diagnosis on March 30, 2022 and started to focus on my health again. On November 8, 2022 I added Ozempic to my toolbox to help me shed some pounds and inches!

Monday, February 26, 2024

Week 68 Weigh-in and Milestone!!!

 


Well, look y'all!! I'm in ONEderland!!! It's been slow for the last six months- I'm averaging only a couple of pounds of loss per month. But the scale is still moving and I'm okay with that. I'm not willing to cut calories further to speed things up a bit because I'm happy and not feeling deprived at my average ~1500-1700 per day, depending on how active I've been. I do have the occasional day where I just have what I like, and that's okay too. It's not a cheat day- it's part of life.

Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. If I get to the finish line a few months sooner, I'll only see that it's not a finish line but only another starting line- and one that doesn't have an end. If you view it as an end to achieve your goal and go back to your previous eating habits, you'll find yourself back at your original starting point or worse!

Maintenance is tricky, which is why the vast majority of weight loss ultimately fails. I'm not there yet, but when I originally lost the weight in 2010 (although I petered out before I hit my goal weight at the time, which I now see as unrealistic) I did keep it off for over six years, which gives me confidence that I'll be able to do that again. I hit enough life stress that I just stopped caring. And that's going to happen again, one way or the other, so I'll have to have a plan to deal with it.

In the meantime though, I still have more than 30lbs to go before I see how I'm feeling in terms of my goal weight. So, I'll keep on the way I've been going and keep taking things one day at a time.

But for today? I'm happy! It's just a number, and I'm not going to vow that I'll never see that 2 in front again (let's be realistic, my weight could easily fluctuate around here for several weeks!), but I'm going to do my best to make sure that this is the last time I ride this weight loss rollercoaster in this way. Yo-yo dieting produces way too much stress on my body and my health won't be able to handle it. I've already got enough medical conditions that the last thing I need is to regain all this weight. Since I'm diabetic, I may be on Ozempic or a similar product for the rest of my life, and I'm okay with that. Do I love giving myself injections? No, but it's better than needing insulin shots to control my diabetes.

I'll take the small victory and be positive about it.




OZ Week 53 gain: 1.4 lbs continuing dose at 0.75mg
OZ Week 55 gain: 1.6 lbs
OZ Week 56 loss: 0.6 lbs
OZ Week 57 loss: 2.0 lbs
OZ Week 58 loss: 2.4 lbs
OZ Week 61 gain: 5.4 lbs
OZ Week 62 loss: 1.4 lbs
OZ Week 63 loss: 3.0 lbs
OZ Week 64 loss: 1.0 lb
OZ Week 65 loss: 0.4 lbs
OZ Week 66 loss: 1.8 lbs
OZ Week 67 loss: 0 lbs
OZ Week 68 loss: 1.4 lbs

Total loss on Ozempic so far: 73.6 lbs


Monday, February 19, 2024

Week 67 Weigh In!

 Well, looks like I have a bit longer to wait for my other milestone!

I'm OK with that. I'm just glad that the scale has been moving again! It's been giving me a little more focus and determination. I did have a few days last week where I knew I'd be going over on my calories- I went out for hotpot with my family which I love, and while it's not really that bad a choice for takeout I know I overate to "get my money's worth". I also had fish and chips one day since I was really craving them and decided to go with it. So realistically given the amount of sodium I consumed? I'm pretty happy with no gain. I'll be patient, drink more water, and keep up with my exercise and I'm sure in a week or two I'll see Onederland on the scale!




OZ Week 53 gain: 1.4 lbs continuing dose at 0.75mg
OZ Week 55 gain: 1.6 lbs
OZ Week 56 loss: 0.6 lbs
OZ Week 57 loss: 2.0 lbs
OZ Week 58 loss: 2.4 lbs
OZ Week 61 gain: 5.4 lbs
OZ Week 62 loss: 1.4 lbs
OZ Week 63 loss: 3.0 lbs
OZ Week 64 loss: 1.0 lb
OZ Week 65 loss: 0.4 lbs
OZ Week 66 loss: 1.8 lbs
OZ Week 67 loss: 0 lbs

Total loss on Ozempic so far: 72.2 lbs

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Midweek Milestone!

 Ok, it's not a weekly weigh in, but I know I've been close, so I couldn't resist getting on the scale and sharing the news this morning. Yup, I know it's a bit much to focus on the number when all the other health factors are important- but this milestone is a very big and important one, and the next is only a small fraction away.


Y'all, I'm down 100 lbs from the day I got my type 2 diabetes diagnosis and started trying to lose weight. According to Lose It, that's the weight of $5 million dollars in $100 bills. Would be nice if streamers and confetti fell from the ceiling when I got on the scale and maybe showered me with those $100 bills, but I guess I'll have to manufacture my own cheer!

As a "celebration", I went to the gym today. I don't normally go on Wednesdays because they're cardio days and I'd prefer to save my classes for the weights days, since I can do cardio at home. But I wanted to share this moment with my trainer and she was super excited for me! And then she kicked my butt in the class, which I guess I was asking for! But I'm glad I went. I feel good, even if I'm exhausted.

There's still a ways yet to go, but I'll get there. And I'll be healthier, stronger, and fitter.

Monday, February 12, 2024

Week 66 Weigh In!

Well, after that long slow spell I've been having, it's nice to see things get back on track. But let's be realistic- it's not entirely passive about "things getting back on track". It's been ME getting back on track. I was the one who had slowed down on my exercise and wasn't tracking my intake as closely (or else just wasn't really trying to hit my target if I was), and I am the one who made the decision to get back to it. If I'm going to be hard on myself, I have to remember to give myself the praise when I make better choices. Can't have it both ways!

I'm a daily weigher, so I'm used to seeing fluctuations on the scale. I am actually a little surprised this week to see such a large loss. I had one day where I was out at a special event and I indulged in some delicious but calorie laden foods, and the next day the scale spiked a bit. I wasn't expecting it to come all the way back down and then some, but it was nice to see!

I know I say it nearly every week, but weight loss really is all about baby steps and just putting our heads down and keeping on going even when things aren't working the way we want. In the last 6 months I've only lost 14.6lbs, which isn't ideal. But things like that are going to happen- bodies are stubborn and want to keep us with lots of fat stores in case the next big famine hits. I could give up, or I could keep going. Giving up will just take me back to the starting line and make it even harder to lose in the future. So I'm not going to give up, even if my loss slows to a crawl. While looking good would be a nice perk, ultimately my goal here is better health. So it's OK to lose slowly, as long as I don't give up.

I just did a 45 minute video on the Walk at Home app to "celebrate" feeling stronger and the scale going down. Yup, I still hate exercise... but it's worth it.




OZ Week 53 gain: 1.4 lbs continuing dose at 0.75mg
OZ Week 55 gain: 1.6 lbs
OZ Week 56 loss: 0.6 lbs
OZ Week 57 loss: 2.0 lbs
OZ Week 58 loss: 2.4 lbs
OZ Week 61 gain: 5.4 lbs
OZ Week 62 loss: 1.4 lbs
OZ Week 63 loss: 3.0 lbs
OZ Week 64 loss: 1.0 lb
OZ Week 65 loss: 0.4 lbs
OZ Week 66 loss: 1.8 lbs

Total loss on Ozempic so far: 72.2 lbs

Monday, February 5, 2024

Week 65 Weigh In!

I've still been experiencing a little bit of side effects lately, much to my surprise. Nothing major, just a little bit of faint nausea and some bloating. I guess I figured once they started to go away that they wouldn't return without a dose increase, but I guess it just happens sometimes. My diet hasn't changed, so I don't see any relation there. As a matter of fact the side effects came back when I was getting back on track after the holidays, so if anything they're returning when I am eating more healthfully.

My exercise has been on track- I worked out 5 times last week, and 3 days were using strength training. I do feel that my losses at this point are coming mostly from the exercise as opposed to just the medication. While it's a well known fact that you can't exercise off a bad diet and that the bottom line of your net intake/output is coming mostly from what you eat, you also have to take into account the fact that ongoing exercise that builds muscle will increase your metabolism.

One major problem with obesity is that it seems to permanently slow down your metabolism, even when you have reached a healthy body weight. It's one of those frustrating quirks that makes weight so difficult to lose and so easy to regain. However, muscle mass does give your metabolism a boost, so while you may never have the same metabolic rate that a person who has never been obese would have, it's still a major improvement over being "skinny fat". There has been a lot of concerns in the media about weight loss medications causing increased muscle loss even over and above diet and exercise, although I'm not sure if that has actually been studied, but whether or not you lose more muscle on medication, it's absolutely normal to lose muscle anytime you lose weight along with fat, which isn't great for your body. It's important to exercise even just to maintain the muscle tissue you have, let alone to gain muscle and boost your metabolism.

Not to mention that it does help with loose skin, at least over time. I'm hoping that continued weight training will help tighten up some of the skin in my problem areas, although I'm well aware that at my age my skin won't bounce back as well as it did in my 20s when I was losing weight. I have batwings that I don't love, and the other day when I was doing some yoga for cooldown I saw some pretty scary skin hanging off my thighs when I was doing downward dog- haven't seen them look that bad at any other angle so I guess I'll try not to worry about it! At the end of the day I'd rather have loose skin than skin filled with fat, but I am hoping to tighten some of it up over time and with increased muscle definition.

Again, baby steps. This is the fourth week in a row of losses so I'm happy with that! Also, this is a new low for my current weight loss journey. So close to my next milestones!! Hopefully soon!

I also scored a major NSV this week- I had my quarterly bloodwork done and my A1C came back at 4.9!!! This medication is literally lifesaving for me, well beyond the scale. While of course I'm eating healthier- have a look at my Recipes page for great ideas!- I am still eating a balanced diet that includes carbs as well as sweets. Those of you who have looked at my Full Day Meal Plans will note that I eat some kind of dessert item every single day, whether it's salty or sweet. Part of what makes it easier to stick to eating healthy is not feeling deprived, so rather than having "cheat days" I'd rather just focus on developing a healthier normal where I can have small portions of the things I love, or work on finding healthier substitutes for the things I love. My body is clearly happy with the choices I've been making if I can still eat chocolate and cheesecake and have a 4.9 A1C, so I'm going to stick with it and keep doing what I'm doing!




OZ Week 53 gain: 1.4 lbs continuing dose at 0.75mg
OZ Week 55 gain: 1.6 lbs
OZ Week 56 loss: 0.6 lbs
OZ Week 57 loss: 2.0 lbs
OZ Week 58 loss: 2.4 lbs
OZ Week 61 gain: 5.4 lbs
OZ Week 62 loss: 1.4 lbs
OZ Week 63 loss: 3.0 lbs
OZ Week 64 loss: 1.0 lb
OZ Week 65 loss: 0.4 lbs

Total loss on Ozempic so far: 70.4 lbs