Week 115 Weigh In!

 Well, this week has gotten away from me a little bit. The grief rollercoaster is not a fun ride. I meant to be writing more but just haven't gotten to it. I do have a partially written post about Creami recipes I've been playing with and when I get a couple more, I'll definitely share them. It's been a fun toy to distract me and can also make delicious and healthy desserts!

I've still got a ways to go before I'm back to my pre-grief trauma weight, but I'm doing my best. I'm glad to see that between getting my butt back to F45, back on track with my calorie counting, and upping my dose to 1mg, that the scale has been cooperating. I hope it continues to do so because I still haven't given up on my HealthyWager, although the timing is getting very tight now. I had no idea that this past year was going to be such a disaster, obviously, or I wouldn't even have considered placing a wager. But I think the fact that I haven't given up yet and I'm not completely out of it is a really positive sign. Life might be really hard and I'm struggling, but I'm trying equally hard not to quit on myself. Depression really can be a slippery slope and I don't want to regain all this weight again. That's not the legacy that my loved ones would have wanted to leave me with. So one day at a time, I'm just doing the best that I can.

My Nutrisystem order arrived yesterday! I forgot how much space it can take up in the freezer but I think it'll be nice to have it for a while. I wouldn't want to be on this plan long term especially at full price, and it seems a lot of their rules have changed, but I do like several of the foods. I don't like that you can't just buy what you want a la carte anymore, or even that they don't allow you to add whatever you want to your monthly order- you can pick from the full menu for your monthly meals, but if you want to add more than that there's only a small menu to choose from. I have no idea why or how that makes sense, since I wanted to order extra pepperoni pizza melts, but apparently that isn't possible without buying an Advantage membership where you pay $69 for six months for the privilege of being able to order a la carte. If you're in the US I think you get a shipping discount but that doesn't help Canadians. That being said? At least I can order at all, so there's a plus.

I'm curious to see how else they've modified the actual plan since the last time I ordered. It looks like now they're actually calculating individual calories, which I found interesting, and considerably higher than they were before. Last time, the women's plan was 1100-1400 calories if you had less than 100lbs to lose (add 200 calories if you were very active) and 1500-1700 if you had more than 100lbs to lose. The Numi app is showing 1834 for me, which seems a lot more reasonable and closer to what I've been consuming given the amount of exercise I'm doing at the gym. I don't plan to follow their program exactly but it's a good general guideline! Here is the plan it's given me:

Breakfast: 1 breakfast NS entree, 2 protein servings, 1 low GI carb serving

Morning snack: 1 protein serving, 1 low GI carb serving

Lunch: 1 lunch NS entree, 1 protein serving, 1 low GI carb serving

Afternoon snack: 1 protein serving, 1 low GI carb serving

Dinner: 1 dinner NS entree, 1 protein serving

Dessert: 1 snack NS entree

I can also have up to 3 "extras" a day (up to 35 calories each, so stuff like salad dressing, oil etc) and unlimited free foods (less than 10 calories per serving, stuff like spices and condiments). If you're curious, breakfast, lunch, and snack entrees all are composed of one protein serving and one low GI carb serving, and dinner entrees have one additional protein serving.

Even while not following their program, I have tried to subscribe to this method of spacing out smaller meals. I find with the Ozempic that my stomach is much happier when I eat small meals more frequently. It helps my body learn to be satisfied with smaller portions and also keeps my blood sugars level.

For now, I'm probably just using the NS foods to manage meals where there is nothing planned and I don't have the mental and emotional energy to figure out what I want to eat. Just being able to grab something will make my life a lot easier, I think. Plus- I really like those pepperoni melts and I would totally just buy those if they'd let me! I can't find a comparable substitute being sold anywhere, sadly.

So, onwards. Continuing taking steps forward the best I can, and hopefully the scale continues to cooperate so I can win that prize!

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

OZ Year 2 loss: 19.8 lbs (click here to see the week-by-week tracker!)

OZ Weeks 105- 112: on hiatus due to grief

OZ Week 113 gain: 18 lbs raised dose to 1 mg

OZ Week 114 loss: 9.2 lbs

OZ Week 115 loss: 3.4 lbs

Total loss on Ozempic so far: 81.8 lbs

Still Trouble Cooking

 You'd think (or maybe you'd be smart and you wouldn't) that after 8 months of grief and 2 months of a second wave of grief, that I'd be getting back to normal right? Actually no. Even just writing that looks pretty preposterous.

I'm still drowning and having struggles just trying to be a person. I'm angry at how hard it is to do even the smallest things, and sometimes I can't even say why they're hard- I just can't do them. I'm proud that I'm still here, haven't regained all my weight, and still going to the gym. It's at least something for me to focus on.

But I am still really struggling with things like cooking, which makes it difficult to eat reasonably healthy. I'm eating a lot of processed food which also gets expensive, but I just remind myself that this isn't forever and I'm doing my best.

I have been considering restarting Nutrisystem again, just to have the premade food available so that I don't have to wonder what I'm going to eat. It's certainly more expensive than it used to be and with fewer meals, but it might be interesting to try it again and check out the new foods. And they still have pepperoni pizza pockets, which I love. While they do now ship frozen food to Canada (yay!) they only ship monthly deliveries, not a la carte, so instead of just getting breakfasts and lunches which I'd prefer, I'll have to get the 20 meals of each kind plan. I don't love that. But it might be worth it for the convenience. The ready meals I have been ordering are much more expensive per meal, but I tend to buy only lunches and they're a complete lunch with veggies as well. I'd have to add my own for the NS meals. It's something to think about. That being said, if I do sign up there are quite a few promotions active right now. And Nutrisystem lets you stack as many as you can which is always great!

First of all, you can always buy the NS savings cards at Costco US where you pay $79.99 for a $100 gift card ($59.99 when they're on sale!). The Uniquely Yours plan is on sale for $229 for 20 days of meals, plus here are promo codes for free things! HYDRATE gets you a free water bottle, CHOCOLATE gets a chocolate lovers pack, FREESHAKER gets a free shaker bottle, FREECOOKIES gets a 5 pack of cookies, VP224 gets you free chocolate shakes, DMDEC42 gets you something marked "special offer" whatever that is, CART50 gets $50 off, LEAPYEAR reduces the regular price of the plan if you don't have the link for $229, FREESHIPPING7 takes off $49.99 shipping, NS80 takes off $80, HOLIDAYS took off another $50, START gives a protein bar pack, 10SNACKS gives a salty snack pack, RP124 gives a free gift of some sort, SAVE30 takes off $30, FREE10 takes another $10 off. The bottom line is that I got the price down to $109 US and it claims free shipping as well! It's hard to resist honestly.

I've tried several other ready meal programs and I do like them but find them all very expensive. I think Factor is my favourite so far. I buy the Costco gift cards for them too, same rates, but it winds up being $91 CDN for 8 meals. They make great lunches I don't have to think about, they taste a lot better than frozen food, and the macros are well balanced for working out. If you want to give them a try here is a link to save $80 off your order!

Today I just received my first Cook It ready meals order. They look quite nice and with the first few orders promo the value is good. If you would like $45 off your order, please use my link! I haven't tried the meals yet but the portion looks similar to Factor and good in terms of fresh vegetables, etc. I will try them as long as they're discounted (my first order of 4 meals was only $14 delivered), but once they go to the regular price of ~$14 per meal, it's both too expensive for me and not enough value. I could almost go to a restaurant or order takeout for that price. That being said, I'd always get the cheap meals!

I've also tried Instameals, and wasn't super impressed but when they were $5 a meal, I ordered every week. They also are full meals and while they do Indian and South Asian meals very well, it seems like that spice palette gets into everything and it's a little weird to eat a lasagna or stuffed peppers tasting like turmeric or curry powder or the like. I didn't love their food but gave it about a C rating compared to the other services, but that being said you couldn't beat the price. To have ready made meals, including offerings for low carb and high protein, delivered to my door for $5 each, I was willing to eat food that wasn't top tier. Sadly, they've recently increased their price to $10 a meal and so I canceled my subscription after 2 months. There's no referral benefit that I'm aware of, so I can't recommend them at this price.

Hellofresh also has premade meals, which are (surprise!) Factor meals on a more limited menu. That being said, it's a great way to double dip and get a deal on Factor meals twice! If you'd like a totally free week of Hellofresh meals which you can use to pick premade meals (just pay $9.99 shipping), follow my link!

There are a number of other services out there I haven't tried yet. Most of them are outside my price range. While I understand paying for convenience, I just can't spend $12+ on a lunch every day, much as I'd like to. And while the idea of making a crock pot of something sounds easy, it just isn't working for me so I keep looking for other options. I may end up trying other services as they offer promotions, and if I do, I'll definitely update here for other people who are in my situation and struggle to cook for various reasons. 

Honestly at the price, I think I've talked myself into ordering Nutrisystem again. It's only a bit more for 20 days of Nutrisystem than for 8 lunches with Factor, and I do really like some of the meals. And maybe doing no-brain for a while will help. I know I'll still need to add quite a bit of food to make up to my 1800ish daily calories on workout days, but I'll figure it out at that price. Guess I can enjoy more protein Creamis!

Week 114 Weigh In!

 I gotta say, one of the "perks" to being sodium sensitive is that even though I tend to gain a LOT when eating salty foods, it does come right back off. That helps make it feel easier to indulge occasionally because I know it doesn't cost long term and life is supposed to be about balance. Realistically I could use some good stuff in the balance lately. Food isn't supposed to be that, but for a little while? I'm okay with that.

I think it was finally time for that dose increase, too. Last week before the boost, I was just ravenous. I don't know if being out of my good eating habits for so long contributed, but it really is very difficult to stay disciplined when you are hungry all the time. While Ozempic is more than just an appetite suppressant, it definitely does help that it tones down the food noise enough to create space to make healthier choices. I still had hunger pangs this past week, but they weren't insistently loud to the point where they drowned out everything else, like they were the week before. Now? It was just a normal signal that it was time to eat a normal sized portion. I still find I do better eating smaller servings more often, so I'm trying to work with that.

One lesson I learned; taking 3 weeks off the gym really costs you! I didn't think it would be that bad! But man I was exhausted on my first workout back. I only made it twice last week, but I was still recovering from being sick, and also found it THAT taxing. I guess it does make sense to assume I wouldn't be able to go back full throttle immediately but only twice is a little disappointing. I am hoping to go 4-5 times this week and then get back to normal. Now that I've paid for a year upfront (to get two free months!) I definitely need to make sure that I make use of the membership!

I also bought myself a new toy- a Ninja Creami! I figured it would be something to distract me from my grief and it has been a little fun, if nothing else. I'll make a post this week and share some of the healthy and surprisingly delicious recipes that I've tried lately!

Still a long way to go... and now I'm feeling the pressure because of my wager. I'm not actually sure if my body can drop weight quickly enough to win anymore. I gave myself so much time when I made the bet, but I wasn't expecting to lose two family members in the same year. So I'm going to do the best I can and realistically, that's all I can do. I don't plan to do any crazy crash diets, or fasts, or anything like that. I'll stay in my calories and work out and hopefully my body will cooperate. I know that next week I'm not going to post another big loss like this because that was all sodium retention loss, but I will just keep putting one foot in front of the other and see what happens. Maybe this year I will finally reach my intended goal weight, and see how that works out for me.

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

OZ Year 2 loss: 19.8 lbs (click here to see the week-by-week tracker!)

OZ Weeks 105- 112: on hiatus due to grief

OZ Week 113 gain: 18 lbs raised dose to 1 mg

OZ Week 114 loss: 9.2 lbs

Total loss on Ozempic so far: 78.4 lbs

Week 113 Weigh In!

 Well, readers (not sure who is still reading, but I need to write for me), it's been a rough few months. Funny how losing two of the most important people in your life can derail just about everything else. I gained a few pounds back, and fighting to regain at least enough of my balance to keep going. I do not want to regain all this weight again. It's embarrassing to have gained so much back in such a short time, but I am hopeful that I'll be able to put on the brakes and get back on track.

Honestly, with all the exhaustion around grief, I'm finding myself missing the convenience of Nutrisystem. I love Factor but it's a little pricey. Nutrisystem is cheaper but since we can't get the frozen food here in Canada without shenanigans, it really does need to be doctored up a bit to be good eats, and at that point I may as well just cook for myself. I'm looking for food that is quick and easy while I try to heal from all the pain I am in.

This was not how I envisioned my weight loss journey. I would have expected to be at goal or close to it by now, working on maintenance. Now I've wiped out my entire second year worth of work. My doctor has reminded me to be kind to myself. I've suffered a lot of trauma in 2024 and struggling to survive is taking a lot of my energy.

That being said, I did prepay for a year's membership at F45, so I plan to get my money's worth. I haven't been yet this year because I am sick and I don't want to be That Person making everyone else sick too. I'm hoping I'll feel well enough to go tomorrow because it's one of my favourite workouts on the schedule. And I'm back to calorie counting on the Lose It app so that I can kick my butt in gear.

I also did finally raise my dose of Ozempic to 1mg. Finally at the therapeutic dose after more than 2 years. I hope it will give my body enough of a kick to start the scale dropping again. I did notice a big change in my hunger levels the day after the new dose, so that's a positive sign. I overate quite a bit during the holidays (although less than I usually would) and noticed I was hungry quite a bit more often than I really needed to be. I would like not to have to fight my body in addition to the emotional eating because now I have a long, long way to go again.

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

OZ Year 2 loss: 19.8 lbs (click here to see the week-by-week tracker!)

OZ Weeks 105- 112: on hiatus due to grief

OZ Week 113: gain 18 lbs raised dose to 1 mg

Total loss on Ozempic so far: 69.2 lbs

Two Year Weigh In

 

This has been, by far, the worst year of my life. The fact that I'm still standing and still managed to lose weight is not inspirational. This is not a motivational post. It's simply been about survival.

That being said, I've still come a long way, and I'm proud that I'm doing my best, even if my best can fluctuate from day to day. Here is a before pic, and a current one.

Yup, you can see that loose skin hanging on my arms. It's also on my belly and thighs, and yes that's with strength training and collagen and whatever else they recommend. Do I love it? No. Am I much happier to have loose skin than taut skin filled with fat? Heck yes- not even a question. It's always possible it will tighten a bit over time and with continued weightlifting, but it's not my priority.

Was this the kind of weight loss I wanted to see this year? In isolation, no- of course not! I was hoping to be at my goal weight by now. Given the year I've had? I think it's bloody amazing that I lost any weight at all and didn't put myself back on the track to regaining.

In May, I lost my life partner suddenly and unexpectedly, and I have a parent in palliative care and I'm expecting a phone call any day now. I still have my child to care for, and trying to take care of myself too when I'm deeply grieving has been beyond difficult. Weight loss at this point has become one of the least important things in my life. 

I have tried to solve as much as I can. I don't have the emotional or physical energy to cook or plan meals, so I've been ordering meals from Factor so that I have something reasonably healthy I can grab from the fridge without having to meal plan/grocery shop/mise en place/cook/clean and then still have to want to eat at the end of it. I'm 100% sure that having food I could just grab that isn't fast food/horribly unhealthy frozen food is one of the main reasons I haven't gained back a lot of my weight.

Secondly, I'm looking at F45 as a coping mechanism at this point. Going to the gym lets me forget, for that 45ish minutes a day, all the pain and sadness in my life and instead I get to focus in the very purest sense, simply on breathing. Seriously, because apparently my body actually does forget to breathe when I'm weightlifting and I need to be reminded!

My body still hasn't made a full recovery from all the damage that grief has inflicted. As I've said in previous posts, I found it shocking what kind of physical impact grief and stress hormones actually have on the body; while you read about it, it's kind of hard to believe and accept that it's not purely psychological. When my partner died, I immediately lost so much physical strength that I had to drop the weights I was lifting to about half of what they were before. It's been nearly six months now, and I was just starting to get back to that level again when my parent went downhill much more rapidly than expected and while the hit wasn't as bad as before since this was at least on my radar, it has set back my progress. Instead of using the weight I'm lifting as my progress monitor though, I'm instead just making sure I show up. 

Regardless of how my body is responding to stress, which is not something that's in my control- neither are the stress hormones that affect the scale- I can control the choice to go to the gym or not. And whether or not I can lift heavy, whether or not I get endorphins (I usually don't anymore, which I think is the grief and depression), I still get that short window of reprieve where all I have to focus on is that next 30 or 45 or 60 second set, and just breathing. 

That being said, I have hit a couple of milestones at F45 that I'm proud of. Just yesterday, I was doing a set that incorporated pushups, and the trainer said to me that the progress I've made since I started is incredible. She said it's too bad I don't have a video of me doing a pushup when I started to compare it to now. Before, I was doing pushups on my knees and still struggling. Now, I can do pushups on my feet. They're not perfect, and when I get tired I still do drop to my knees, but my form is much better and most of the time I can finish the station on my feet. Secondly, I did my first chin up just yesterday! Granted, I was using resistance bands for additional support, but I managed to get my chin over the damn bar, and that's a heck of a lot more than I could do when I first started. It's a pretty awesome improvement, and I'm going to keep working at it.

I have abs! I find that kind of crazy, since with as much body fat as I still have, I'd figure they'd be covered up. Also, I still have a pretty weak core and struggle with quite a few movements. But looking at myself in workout gear leaves no ability to deny there has been a change in my body, even with my dysmorphia.

In other nonscale victories, I'm down a few more clothing sizes. I'm not quite to the very bottom of my smallest clothes yet, but I'm getting there. I'm wearing jeans from the late 90s/early 2000s and my main lament is that the pockets definitely are NOT designed for smartphones! That being said, I like the fit better than a lot of jeans I've seen out there, so I'm going to keep these as long as they're still fitting. Love my Gap 1969s! 

My diabetes is in remission; my last A1C was 4.9 which isn't even at risk; it's a normal, healthy A1C. My blood pressure is down. My cholesterol is down. All the markers my doctor was monitoring are becoming healthier. BMI is still obese at 31.9, which I find kind of crazy, but there it is. I am not sure I'll even get down to their healthy range, especially with the weightlifting, but we'll see how it goes. I would like to at least be into the "overweight" category rather than "obese".

The only part where I'm even really paying attention to the scale is so that I don't lose my HealthyWager. I won my first wager last year, and placed a second one because I knew I was going to be able to keep up my healthier habits this time. That being said, I had no idea this year was going to bring so much trauma, and I'm beyond grateful that I kept my goal fairly conservative. I still have concerns about reaching it in time given that I can't control the damage that stress hormones are doing and will continue to do to my body. I still have 16lbs to lose by the end of April 2025, and the holidays are looming. I guess we'll see how it goes. I'm already struggling with the idea of the holidays missing two pillars of my life, and I don't think that further restriction will be mentally healthy for me. That being said, I don't want to eat myself into a food coma, either. That's how I got to where I was in the first place, and I'm never going back to that. So, I'm back to taking things one day at a time and doing the best that I can. Baby steps can take you a long way- as you can see from those photos above! 

I'm still taking a dose of 0.85mg, and I haven't felt the need to increase it. I have gotten food noise on bad grief days, but I don't think that's abnormal. I didn't realize I've only increased by 0.10mg this year though. At some point I will raise to 1mg- possibly after the New Year so I can really buckle down to win my wager. My side effects are very minor at this point. I occasionally have a small bout of nausea, but sucking on sugarfree mints always takes care of it. Occasional minor constipation. My main side effects were headaches and nausea, and both are fairly rare now. I never vomited or had sulphur burps or anything like that, partly which I think has been due to my very slow progression with dose increase. I'm glad that I chose to increase more slowly, as it's been this far and I haven't even reached the therapeutic dose yet, which hopefully will give me a boost when I need it.

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

OZ Year 2 loss: 19.8 lbs

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

OZ Week 69 gain: 0.2 lbs

OZ Week 70 gain: 2.2 lbs

OZ Week 71 loss: 2.4 lbs

OZ Week 72 loss: 2.2 lbs

OZ Week 73 loss: 2.2 lbs

OZ Week 74 loss: 1.0 lb

OZ Week 75 loss: 0.8 lb

OS Week 76 gain: 1.4 lbs

OZ Week 77 loss: 5.0 lbs

OZ Week 78 gain: 0.4 lbs

OZ Week 79 loss: 4.0 lbs

OZ Week 80-87: on hiatus due to grief

OZ Week 88 gain: 9.4 lbs

OZ Week 89 loss: 0.4 lbs raised dose to 0.85mg

OZ Week 90 loss: 1.8 lbs

OZ Week 91 loss: 5.2 lbs

OZ Week 92 gain: 0.6 lbs

OZ Week 93: no weigh in

OZ Week 94: gain: 2.2 lbs

OZ Week 95 loss: 1.0 lb

OZ Week 96 loss: 0.2 lb

OZ Week 97 loss: 3 lbs

OZ Week 98 loss: 1.8 lbs
OZ Week 99 loss: 1.8 lbs

OZ Week 100 gain: 1.8 lbs
OZ Week 101: no weigh in
OZ Week 102 loss: 0.6 lbs

OZ Week 103: no weigh in

OZ Week 104 gain: 1.6 lbs

Total loss on Ozempic so far: 87.2 lbs

Total loss since I started trying to lose weight: 114.2 lbs

Week 103

 I can't call this a weigh in post, because I'm not weighing in. Much as I hate the timing since next week is two years, some things in life are out of my control. Most things, honestly.

I just lost another very dear person in my life. Grief is overwhelming. It's hard to keep putting one foot in front of the other, let alone anything else.

I'll update when I can. This year... it's been awful.

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: 3.0 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

OZ Week 69 gain: 0.2 lbs

OZ Week 70 gain: 2.2 lbs

OZ Week 71 loss: 2.4 lbs

OZ Week 72 loss: 2.2 lbs

OZ Week 73 loss: 2.2 lbs

OZ Week 74 loss: 1.0 lb

OZ Week 75 loss: 0.8 lb

OS Week 76 gain: 1.4 lbs

OZ Week 77 loss: 5.0 lbs

OZ Week 78 gain: 0.4 lbs

OZ Week 79 loss: 4.0 lbs

OZ Week 80-87: on hiatus due to grief

OZ Week 88 gain: 9.4 lbs

OZ Week 89 loss: 0.4 lbs raised dose to 0.85mg

OZ Week 90 loss: 1.8 lbs

OZ Week 91 loss: 5.2 lbs

OZ Week 92 gain: 0.6 lbs

OZ Week 93: no weigh in

OZ Week 94: gain: 2.2 lbs

OZ Week 95 loss: 1.0 lb

OZ Week 96 loss: 0.2 lb

OZ Week 97 loss: 3 lbs

OZ Week 98 loss: 1.8 lbs
OZ Week 99 loss: 1.8 lbs

OZ Week 100 gain: 1.8 lbs
OZ Week 101: no weigh in
OZ Week 102 loss: 0.6 lbs

OZ Week 103: no weigh in

Total loss on Ozempic so far: 88.8 lbs

Week 102 Weigh In

 Grief and stress hormones sure are fun, aren't they? The week counter is right; I didn't post a weigh in last week. Between my emotional struggles with missing family members at Thanksgiving and another family member going into hospice care this past week, the number on the scale has been by far the least of my concerns. 

I really am tired of everything being so stressful. It feels like I'll never catch a break. It's the beginning of the day and I'm already exhausted.

While I haven't been overeating and I have still been going to the gym (thank you F45 for starting the Fall Frenzy challenge!), it can be hard to lose weight when you're under stress and not sleeping well. This past month has been far from ideal for weight loss, and I've got to get things moving again so I win my HealthyWager. Grief or no grief, that's a lot of money and I've got to finish it.

Today is the start of week two in Fall Frenzy. It's not as intense as 45 Strong, thankfully. Fall Frenzy has no other requirements than doing workouts a minimum of four days a week, and you can also earn one extra point by doing the bonus challenge that they email you. I haven't seen this week's challenge yet but I hope it's attainable. This is a team challenge so I guess it'll be interesting to see how it shakes out but all I can do is my best. It goes until November 24.

I'd like to see a little more loss before I hit the two year marker, but if my body is stubborn there won't be much I can do. I don't think I'm ready to go up to 1mg yet but I'll consider it. I haven't really been hungrier than usual or craving more, so not sure I see the point. It looks like I was generally losing well since I increased to 0.85mg so I don't think dose is the problem. Diet is mostly on point, at least following the 80/20 rule. And I've been working out. So eventually if I keep doing what I'm doing things will pick up again. If only the damn cortisol would let go of me a little bit. Or maybe if life got a little bit better- that would be really nice. I'm not sure how much pain I can take in one year.

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: 3.0 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

OZ Week 69 gain: 0.2 lbs

OZ Week 70 gain: 2.2 lbs

OZ Week 71 loss: 2.4 lbs

OZ Week 72 loss: 2.2 lbs

OZ Week 73 loss: 2.2 lbs

OZ Week 74 loss: 1.0 lb

OZ Week 75 loss: 0.8 lb

OS Week 76 gain: 1.4 lbs

OZ Week 77 loss: 5.0 lbs

OZ Week 78 gain: 0.4 lbs

OZ Week 79 loss: 4.0 lbs

OZ Week 80-87: on hiatus due to grief

OZ Week 88 gain: 9.4 lbs

OZ Week 89 loss: 0.4 lbs raised dose to 0.85mg

OZ Week 90 loss: 1.8 lbs

OZ Week 91 loss: 5.2 lbs

OZ Week 92 gain: 0.6 lbs

OZ Week 93: no weigh in

OZ Week 94: gain: 2.2 lbs

OZ Week 95 loss: 1.0 lb

OZ Week 96 loss: 0.2 lb

OZ Week 97 loss: 3 lbs

OZ Week 98 loss: 1.8 lbs
OZ Week 99 loss: 1.8 lbs

OZ Week 100 gain: 1.8 lbs
OZ Week 101- no weigh in
OZ Week 102 loss: 0.6 lbs

Total loss on Ozempic so far: 88.8 lbs