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!
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