Week 63 Weigh In!

 Well, it's nice to get some positive reinforcement for sticking to the program! While I'm not back at the lowest weight I'd reached on Ozempic, at least things are moving in the right direction. I am hopeful that my body is starting to do some recomposition since I've been keeping up the exercise. Last week I did work out five days out of seven, which is great! My trainer at F45 has been telling me not to worry about the scale and that it will catch up, and I suppose it isn't a surprise that she knows what she is talking about.

I have definitely gained lean muscle mass, although I don't know how much and I don't think I have lost much in the way of inches. I don't take measurements, so I've just gone off the way my clothes fit. I can comfortably wear a pair of jeans that was a little too tight at the waist in early December but that would be a pretty small change. That being said- any change in the right direction is a good change!

Sometimes, overreading news or social media is not great for our individual journies. I read an article about semaglutide creating a new set point for your body that happened to be about 18-20% below starting weight and that you'd plateau there even with diet, exercise, and other interventions. I'm past that, but I figured it could still be coming. My loss has slowed down dramatically in the past six months, even more sharply in the past three months, so I can see the rest of my journey will be much more of a struggle. 

I'm thinking that strength training is going to be the key to reaching my health and fitness goals, and hopefully to winning my second HealthyWager! Hopefully the Ozempic will help even if it's not as effective as it was before. I am hoping very much that saving that last increase to 1mg will be helpful when I hit the next plateau closer to my goal weight.

It's hard to admit, but I'm starting to enjoy hating the gym, if that makes any sense. The workouts are intense, and a lot of the time I feel like I'm going to die while I'm doing them. But once I finish I get that sense of accomplishment for toughing it out... and it's been pretty cool to see that my strength has been increasing. I can lift heavier dumbbells than I was just a few short months ago when I first started going. So even though I feel exhausted and worn out and sore afterwards, I'm at least doing something with visible results that I know is helping my body and my health. I try to plan my day around going, rather than not going. Those are all really positive things! Even when I'm frustrated, I need to make sure I'm reminding myself of the progress I'm making.

I'm not going to be the same person when I'm finished, just slimmer. I want to be a person who cares about my health so that I can live longer. I still plan to occasionally indulge in my favourite foods, because not only is food social but it's also a pleasure (no, Ozempic hasn't reduced my pleasure from food despite the comments some people make!) and I enjoy eating- it's just the quantity and frequency that has changed. But I believe to be successful, my whole mindset will have to shift and adjust so that I'm no longer a fat person who will happen to temporarily reside in a thinner body, but a person who understands how to maintain that not only thinner but healthier body.

OZ Year 1 loss: 68lbs (click here to see the week-by-week tracker!) 

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 lbs

Total loss on Ozempic so far: 69 lbs

Week 62 Weigh In

Today I'm feeling frustrated, so instead of putting on an upbeat tone, I'm going to vent a little bit (yay hormones!).

It's really annoying when bodies don't work like they're supposed to! It's just another reminder that weight loss isn't linear. It's been two months since my one year weigh in, and I still weigh more today than I did then. And it sucks. It's partly my fault for overeating on the holidays more than I should have, and partly I just think I'm at the point where weight loss is going to be more difficult. While I still have around 40-50lbs left to lose and that's not a small amount of weight, I'm already over the 15-20% loss that most people lose on Ozempic and that's when it tends to slow down. If I was on for weight loss only and didn't have insurance coverage for Ozempic, I'd consider asking to switch to Mounjaro since studies are showing it as being more effective for weight loss (although apparently slightly less effective for blood sugar control). Realistically though? The Ozempic is doing wonders for my blood sugar (fasting glucose this morning was 4.5) and I'll just have to keep working at the weight loss myself. I'm still holding off on increasing my Ozempic dose because if I go to 1mg, I don't think my doctor will prescribe anything higher. While Health Canada has approved Ozempic up to 2mg, my blood sugar is well controlled at this dose and so it is unlikely that my insurance would approve going above 1mg since it doubles the cost to require a second pen and it's not necessary to treat my T2 diabetes.

I know my body composition is changing; I definitely have more muscle than I did even just a few months ago. Working out at the F45 gym has made a difference! I would love to go more often, but because of the price right now I'm limited to once or twice a week, so I choose to go only on the weights days and to do Walk at Home for my cardio. Ultimately though, that means that even if the number on the scale isn't dropping, I'm still losing pounds of fat and gaining pounds of muscle, and that's not a bad thing even if I could wish to see more concrete results. I haven't done any body composition testing, so I don't have any firm numbers to remind me of my progress, but I can see and feel the difference. Since gaining muscle boosts metabolism and burns more calories, I'm sure that down the road, the fat pounds will start dropping off, and until then I'll just be patient, keep aiming for higher protein on my weight training days, and to keep doing what I'm doing. It's okay to be frustrated; it's not okay to give up!

I've come so far already. I might be feeling cranky and annoyed today, but even with my regains I'm still down over 90lbs since April 2022, and that's amazing! I give myself permission to feel what I'm feeling. I am NOT going to eat my feelings. I think I'll do a longer workout video today and see if I can generate some endorphins and shake off these negative feelings.

Stay warm today, everyone!!

OZ Year 1 loss: 68lbs (click here to see the week-by-week tracker!) 

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

Total loss on Ozempic so far: 66 lbs

New Recipes!

 I haven't been posting as many recipes as I'd like lately because life has just been very hectic. I am going to try and focus on finding more to share with you, though.

One of the things I've experienced on Ozempic along with the decreased food noise is simply a lack of desire to menu plan. It really is difficult to not only figure out what sounds appetizing (not only to you, but to your family as well if you cook for multiple people!) and then go grocery shopping and actually summon up the will to cook it. 

My family has a weekly erasable menu board on the fridge so we try and plan things out so that not only am I not constantly being asked what's for dinner, but this way we don't overbuy groceries and also make sure that it's relatively balanced in terms of variety. I don't love having a ton of leftovers and eating the same thing for days on end and my son definitely won't eat something more than twice, so big batch cooking doesn't work for us.

One of the solutions that has worked really well lately is ordering meal box delivery services. Because you can order the number of portions that works for your family, you don't have to worry about a lot of leftovers (except maybe in my case since I find I eat about 1/2 to 2/3 of a portion, so I tend to have lunch the next day!). It means I don't have to worry about buying groceries except to have things in the house for snacks and lunches, or buying a whole container of something if I only need a little bit (and the rest going to waste).

Lately I've been ordering Goodfood a lot, because not only do they have a wide variety of good tasting recipes, but they also have recipes suited to various dietary programs. Every week I see calorie reduced recipes, keto friendly, paleo friendly, and organic meals- and they try to make the meals interesting but also family friendly. If you haven't had a look at them yet, you can order your first box absolutely free through my referral link! You'll get a box of 3 meals for 2 people, and if that size doesn't work for your family you can pay a small fee to upgrade to 2 meals for 4 people. And you can order a double meal, so taking the free box can get you one meal for 4 people and one meal for 2 people absolutely free. I'd definitely recommend giving them a try.

Here's one of the dinners we have had lately- quick, easy, and low glycemic so it doesn't spike your blood sugar!

Speedy Provencal Style Shrimp with Bulgur

450g Shrimp 

15ml Minced garlic 

240g Baby greens (baby spinach or kale) 

2 Sweet peppers 

160g Bulgur 

15ml Tomato paste 

30ml Vegetable or seafood demi-glace 

20g Mediterranean spice mix (paprika, garlic, salt, roasted garlic, black pepper, sun-dried tomato, tomato, red bell pepper, oregano, mustard, rosemary)

In a medium pot, combine the bulgur, 1.5 cups water, 1/2 the spices and a big pinch of salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer, 6 to 8 min., until the bulgur is tender and the water has been absorbed. Add 2 tbsp butter, fluff the bulgur and keep warm.

Meanwhile, core and medium-dice the sweet peppers. In a large, high-sided pan, heat 1 tbsp oil on medium-high. Add the sweet peppers and sauté, 2 to 3 min., until beginning to soften. Pat the shrimp dry and remove the shells from the tails if desired; season with the remaining spices. 

To the pan of sweet peppers, add the shrimp, garlic and tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 4 min., until opaque and cooked through. Add the spinach, demi-glace, and 1/4 cup water. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 min., until the spinach has wilted. Divide the bulgur between four plates. Top with the shrimp and sauce. Enjoy!

This delicious meal has only 350 calories, 11g fat, 44g of low glycemic carbs, and 24g of protein. You can swap out the shrimp if you like for any other lean protein as well.

Less Moderate, but OK!

 I was about to say that I wasn't going to weigh in this week, because I've only been back on my usual calorie deficit plan for four days, but then I realized that maybe posting my gain will help someone else realize that a little indulgence is not the end of the world. Did I indulge a little more than I planned? Yup. Do I regret it? Not really. As I said before, ultimately, a week or two doesn't matter in the long run, as long as you get back on track.

Much to my surprise? By the time I had my planned final decadent meal, I was starting not to enjoy it as much. I had eaten so much rich food lately that it just wasn't as special or appealing. It still tasted good but didn't have the draw it normally would and I'm okay with that because it makes it much easier to refocus and start eating the portions and kind of food that my body wants again.

This week it has also, to my surprise, felt easier to get back into exercise. It's almost like I hit a point and my body is ready to get back into self care again. Funny how self care has gone from greasy food on bad days (well, still occasionally!) to exercise and eating right. But that's definitely not a bad thing! 

I'm still keeping my dose at 0.75mg as I don't see any need to increase it further for now. I've been hoping that I didn't "waste" the increase and had my body acclimatize with no weight loss since I was indulging over my birthday and the holidays. In hindsight, maybe I should have stayed lower and saved the boost for now. I don't want to go up to 1mg if it's not necessary because I likely won't get a prescription higher than that. I am type 2 diabetic and on Ozempic for my diabetes, not for weight loss. Since my A1C is well controlled by my current dosage of Ozempic, it's unlikely that I'll be able to get a higher dose and that's more than reasonable. It just means I'll have to keep putting the effort in, follow plateau breaking techniques when necessary, and keep up the strength training and cardio! Hopefully I won't need the 1mg until much closer to the end of my weight loss journey- after all, I have that Healthywager to win!

I haven't posted any recipes for a while, but here is a good one that I received from Hellofresh and modified slightly. So delicious, and my son enjoyed it too! You can get a completely free box from Hellofresh to try with either 5 meals for 2 people or 3 meals for 4 people if you click through my link- and they also have calorie smart and carb smart recipes to choose from every single week!

Turkey Cheeseburger Tacos:

8 oz ground turkey

2 large flour tortillas (feel free to use whole wheat or carb smart wraps instead!)

2 tbsp worcestershire sauce

2 oz shredded cheddar-monterey jack cheese (or sub your favourite burger cheese)

1 tomato, thinly sliced

romaine lettuce, shredded

1 yellow onion, minced

3 large dill pickles, 2 cut into coins, one finely chopped

1 tbsp light or fat free mayo

2 tbsp light 1000 island dressing

In a small bowl, stir to combine mayonnaise, all the chopped dill pickles, and the 1000 island dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spray a medium skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high. Add turkey and the sliced onions; cook, breaking meat up into large pieces, until cooked through, 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel; microwave in 30-second increments until warmed through.

Add Worcestershire sauce to skillet with turkey. Cook, stirring, until thickened and glossy, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low. Sprinkle shredded cheddar-jack blend over turkey, then cover and cook, undisturbed, until cheese is melted, about 1 minute more.

Fill tortillas with turkey mixture, then top with lettuce, tomatoes, and remaining pickles. Drizzle with special sauce, and enjoy! Serves 2 portions. Since you can't see much when the tortilla is closed, here is a pic of mine before I wrapped it up. It was delicious, high protein, and relatively low calorie too! One portion is 480 calories, 21g fat, 35g carbs, and 36g protein.

Whether you indulged or not over the holidays, get back on track with me! One day at a time.

OZ Year 1 loss: 68lbs (click here to see the week-by-week tracker!) 

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

Total loss on Ozempic so far: 64.6 lbs

Holidays in Moderation

 I've seen so many comments about people worrying about how to handle the holidays while trying to lose weight. I must admit that I'm bothered by them, because it worries me that people feel the need to be all or nothing. While the holidays aren't specifically about food, food is often a major part of how we celebrate with family and friends and really there isn't anything wrong with that. 

It's not the calories between Christmas and New Year's that make you gain weight; it's the calories between New Year's and Christmas. As long as you're making good choices the majority of the time, go ahead and have the cookie or the cornbread stuffing or whatever particular holiday food looks delicious. Try to have a sensible portion and enjoy it, but if you overindulge a bit? Don't worry about it. It's one day- just move on.

Realistically, we're trying to lose weight for the rest of our lives. If you reach that number you have set as your goal weight a week or two sooner, what affect does that really have on your life? Nothing. It's whether you'll be able to maintain your loss over time, not about the date on the calendar when you finally reach there. 

And if you learn to indulge in moderation, even if your loss is slower, it makes it far more likely that you'll be able to maintain it because you'll have learned a better way to balance food in your life. All or nothing diets don't work, and there's a lot of studies that show that. People can only handle feeling deprived for so long, and then their willpower fades and they start eating those foods again, and in greater quantity because they feel like they've missed out. And that's when the pounds start coming back on.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying your favourite treats during the holidays, or for a birthday, or on vacation, as long as the rest of the time you're doing your best to be more sensible.

So I've chosen not to do my weigh ins during the holidays this year. I know the scale will be going up with the salt and whatnot, and I'm okay with that. And I'll be ready to get my focus back again once the holiday break is over.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, however you choose to celebrate it! And have a cookie for me, too!

Exercise Update!

 

I just love this comic (by Sarah Anderson)! It's so true for many things in life, and really shows you how just a little bit of sustained effort can really pay off.

It has been about a year now since I started exercising, and I'm really proud of how far I've come. This is the first time in my life where I've managed to sustain an exercise program for more than a few weeks. While I have had my battles, especially with trying to restart again after I got sick in August, I've managed to keep fighting and even paid for those gym classes at F45 so that I really do have to go or lose the money! Yesterday I really, really wasn't feeling it- but if you cancel with less than 24 hours' notice you forfeit the class credit. They're far too expensive for me to do that, so I got up and I went and I let my trainer kick my butt.

Admittedly, I did make the mistake of telling her that she was right! A few weeks ago when I was in, she told me she thought I was getting stronger already. I didn't believe her- it's been what, a month? And now that my 2 week trial offer is over, I can only really afford to go once or twice a week at most. How could I possibly have gotten stronger that quickly? But then I did a Walk at Home video the other day that incorporated a resistance band, and I pulled out my trusty blue band that has been working just fine for me the whole time... and this time, I could tell it wasn't giving me enough resistance for a good workout. Well shucks- guess the professional that I pay to see is right about something! And now I need to get a stronger resistance band to use on the days I'm at home! 

Why did I call it a mistake to tell her that? Well, the outcome is that for some reason, the smaller weight dumbbells disappeared from the circuit today. Oops. At home, I started with 3lb dumbbells a year ago, and moved up to 5lb weights not too long after. I think I was starting to work up to 8lb weights when I got sick, so I hadn't had much time working with them yet. Well, my trainer had started me with 4kg weights which is close to the 8lbs and I figured I'd be there for a while, but after the first week the smallest weights were now 5kg weights. Then each session she was pushing me on the final set to move up to 6kg weights. Note the change from lbs to kg which is a big difference! And yesterday? Somehow, the smaller weights weren't there and the only ones out for me were 7kg! I've been trying to stick to that suggestion and do at least one set with a heavier weight each time but I wasn't expecting to move up that quickly. She told me she wants to see me at 10kg by the end of January. I think that's not going to happen since the bad weather will likely keep me from going as often as I'd like (it's a half hour walk each way to the gym) but it was certainly scary!

The biggest change, though, I think is my attitude. I still don't like exercising, but it's starting to feel like me time. Like something I am doing for self care, whether I like it or not. And that's really important, and I think it's helping me keep it up. This is something that I need to do for my body. It's good for me, and ultimately it will help me feel better and be a better version of myself, which is far more important than a little boredom or temporary discomfort. My heart will be stronger and work better. I'll have more energy. I'll be able to do things for myself around the house rather than asking for help (if I can press 10kg dumbbells, I will certainly be able to lift the 30lb jugs of water onto my water cooler by myself!), and it will boost my metabolic rate which means that even when I'm done losing weight, I won't have to go to a very low level of calories for maintenance. A body with a higher percentage of muscle burns more calories than one with a lower percentage of muscle, even at the identical weight. Even before maintenance- I should burn calories quicker, lose more weight, and my body will be more toned and have more inch loss because a pound of muscle is smaller than a pound of fat.

So do I still dislike exercise, even after a year? Yup. I don't like being all sweaty and there are always other things that need doing. Am I going to keep doing it? Absolutely. If you're able to- just get started! You don't have to buy a fancy gym membership or expensive equipment. There's lots of free bodyweight workouts on YouTube, or you can try a free week of the Walk at Home program and if you decide you like it, it's only $8.99 a month so not a big outlay. And you can do everything in the privacy of your own home!

I spent years ignoring what my body needed and instead did what I wanted. Now that I'm getting older, taking care of my body is not only a quality of life issue, but a quantity of life issue. My doctor told me when I got my T2 diabetes diagnosis that if I kept on the way I was going that I would die young. That was quite the reality check! Humans are very well known for having difficulty appreciating long term consequences. We should change now because something *might* happen in the distant future? Our brains simply aren't wired to fully recognize the gravity of the situation when it's so far from being immediate. I wish I had been taking better care of myself all along so that I wouldn't have gotten to the point I was, because there's certainly some damage that can't be repaired. I can't undo the past... but I can rewrite the future.

Things that have helped me keep going: The first one is wearing a fitness tracker. That little bit of feedback that reminds you to move your body, and to keep track of how you're doing over time really is a helpful push! Secondly, having a friend as an exercise supporter. It doesn't even have to be someone who is local to you- just someone who you can chat with about how you're doing and your struggles. And you can always do the same exercise video online wearing a headset with a friend who's far away (ask me how I know!!) and suffer together! Thirdly, finding something that challenges you without overwhelming you. I learned from the past if I try to do something that's just too hard to willpower through it, at some point I just won't be able to keep going, and then I give up entirely. By starting smaller and slowly ramping up to suit my fitness and energy levels, I can still make a lot of progress over time! I'm not Superman, and I can't leap tall buildings in a single bound no matter how hard I try to force myself to. But maybe I can jump higher and higher over time (OK, we all know I'm never going to be Superman, but I might just be able to be Super Susie!).

So take that first baby step... even when you hit the inevitable snags, have to backtrack a little, or stay in place for a while... you might be surprised at how far you can come in a year.

Week 58 Weigh In!

Well, at least it looks like being consistent is working for me again! I have tried very hard to get my exercise in and stay in a reasonable calorie deficit this week and it's nice to see some results! I'll enjoy it for now since I know that doesn't always have a direct payoff.

Not to mention this week has all the holiday events, and I plan to enjoy myself in moderation. After all, balance isn't about deprivation. It's simply making sure to get right back on track after an occasional indulgence.

I have had a hard time lately getting back on track, so I have to commit to focusing this time. To that end, I signed up for the (totally free) $5,000 HealthyWage Jackpot Challenge. Unlike when you make a wager to lose weight, for this challenge HealthyWage puts up a $5,000 pot and anyone can sign up for it. However many people achieve their weight loss will split that prize pool. Is it going to be a lot? No, but it might be more than usual around the holidays, and free money is free money! The challenge starts today and goes until March 11. Feel free to join me! It's a great way to try out HealthyWage without having to spend any of your own money.

I do have a very busy week ahead since I'm hosting Christmas this year, but if I have time I'll try to share some healthy appetizer recipes for events that I have found everyone likes, whether they're trying to cut calories or not.

Hope you all have a very happy holiday season, whatever you are celebrating!

OZ Year 1 loss: 68lbs (click here to see the week-by-week tracker!) 

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

Total loss on Ozempic so far: 70 lbs