My weight loss journey updates

 Today is July 10. I started Ozempic in May and am thrilled to say I have lost 15.6 lbs since then. I weigh myself each day sometimes. It's just a fraction, sometimes an entire pound. Tomorrow I will take the 1.0 dosage amount. I will continue to update as I go. One day, I will post before-and-after pics. I am not ready to do that just yet.

July 20, I haven't lost any additional weight; this was week two of the 1.0 dosage. I did feel nauseous yesterday evening and into the wee hours, and I could not sleep for a couple of hours due to sickness. I will keep updating you as the days go by.

Already, I am experiencing less pain in my knees, and my husband noted I no longer snore. I am taking glucosamine, which is probably helping with joint pain. I also noticed my pants aren't quite as tight, and I see most of the looseness on my hips. No one else has noticed, so it must not be significant enough; when other people notice, it will be confirmed, right? But I am doing this for myself and no one else, but I am hopeful I will continue to lose weight because my knees appreciate it.

As of this morning, 

July 22, I am down 17 lbs. I notice my weight fluctuates by 3-5lbs every single day. I weigh myself each morning once I am out of the shower.

I was told it takes 4 weeks to notice weight loss in yourself, 8 weeks for friends and family, and 12 weeks for the rest of the world!

I know telling someone they has lost weight is a touchy subject; it could be that person is sick, and you don't want to offend them, so I get it, it's touchy, and if you see the same people every day, they won't see the changes that you do, but eventually, they will see it!  

July 29: another 2 lbs lost, bringing total to 19 lbs. Wow, this is amazing. Imagine if I did more in the workout area or ate better all the time. I eat relatively healthily. Since I can't eat much, I may eat healthily, so I don't lose out on essential nutrients. Sundays are my cheat date. I mean, it's bad choices all day long, but I still manage to lose with my one-day eat like crap day. This last Sunday, I got yogurts, cheesecakes, puddings, and candy. It was a ridiculous wish I had someone to say, WTH, lady, what are you doing, but if you knew me, I probably would have done it anyway. I couldn't eat the candy, and the pudding might have tasted strange due to its high sugar content.

I take whatever loss I get. I would love to be down 30 lbs when we head to the ocean at the end of September, but I will be okay if that doesn't happen because I will still be down from where I started. We are heading out camping after work today, so it will be burgers and chips, and breakfasts. I didn't think about lunch, but I could skip a meal with all that I will eat for breakfast and again at dinner.

I had a fun-size Snickers, and it tasted weird. It does change the taste of sweets; you don't crave them, but someone gave me a Snickers bar, and I thought, ah, what the heck, I haven't had one in a long time.  

I did want to mention that the 1.0 shots burn quite a bit after the injection, but nothing too crazy, and nothing I can't handle, just thought it was worth mentioning. I have lost 19 lbs, and I don't feel much change in my overall weight. I can tell my stomach isn't as large, but it's not 19 lbs worth of loss. My pants fit the same, but the shirts were a little roomier than before. I thought this loss would be so much more noticeable. Oh well, onward and upward, as they say in this case, downward.

August 5, I AM DOWN 20 lbs!!! I never thought I would ever get to this point. I am celebrating this weekend by going out of town and spending time with friends. I am super excited we are staying at a lovely hotel and going to a show. I have a Dr. Appt. on August 17 to follow up with the Dr on how the weight loss is coming and discuss my Hiatal hernia; it might be time to discuss fixing it; it hurts all the time, mainly when I lie down. Well, that's all for now; slow and steady wins the race!

August 15, I am down 23 lbs as of this morning. Once the weather cools, I will start walking in the evenings.

9-12-2022 I am officially down 30 lbs and half my desired goal of 60 lbs. I cannot even believe it. I weigh myself every morning, and it's been consistent with the 1lb weight loss I see each week. Although my loss has been slow for 4 months and a week, it feels good. I can tell the difference, but the next 30 will be WOW to me and anyone else who sees me. Once I am at my goal weight, I get a tummy tuck!

I lost some of my chin.  

9-22-2022 I am down 32.6 lbs as of this morning. I went out Friday and Saturday with friends and made some not-so-good food and drink choices. LOL, and I had put on some weight, but lo and behold, another two pounds had come off after that. I was scared the Ozempic had stopped working, but it was still working. I can't have those weekends too often. I also walked over 7 miles that same weekend; it was more than I had walked in a long time. I had foot issues that eventually led to foot surgery and two years to recover completely, which didn't help with my weight. But I survived, and my feet throbbed that evening. I soaked them in some Epsom salt; surprisingly, they didn't hurt after that evening. That is huge for me!! I am camping this weekend and plan to do some more walking.

Had lunch with a friend this week. I hadn't seen her in a year, and she didn't even notice my 30 lb weight loss. I didn't mention it because it seemed like she should have seen. I sent my mom a picture of my chin, and she even noticed from the photo that my face had thinned out and my fat neck was gone, LOL. I have lost inches on my chest, and I can tell my legs and hips are thinner. Other than that, it's all about the same. Anyway, have a great weekend. I intend to. We are camping this weekend, and next weekend we head to Florida to see some friends, the same gal I just had lunch with. I will put this body in a swimsuit for the first time in over a year. YIKES!

10-4-2022 Well, Florida was a bust; we should get all our money back, so we went camping instead. I prefer camping to just about everything; maybe it's just the quiet I appreciate. I am down 32 lbs. I hit a plateau (most likely due to bad choices, LOL). Once in a while, I forget what I have learned and fall off the wagon, but I am back at it!!

This isn't a competition for me; I am just sharing my journey because people are curious about the shots. So this is me sharing, being vulnerable, and learning as I go. Some people want you to fail; put those people out of your mind; those people are not your people.   

10-5-2022

35lbs DOWN! I genuinely love Ozempic! I walked six blocks last night, which is huge for me, and I did well. I am definitely out of shape, but how could I not be? I sit all day at work, and now that the kids aren't living with us (they're adults now), I come home and sit some more.

10-7-2022 37lbs down!

10-12-2022 38 lbs down! Just moving along. It's crunch time to get things done for my son's wedding reception. I like to wait until the last moment LOL, so there's not much to report as I am busy with that now.

10-20-2022 40lbs down today!! Given how much bread I have eaten over the past couple of weeks, I am surprised I lost any. Bread, ugh, my love-hate relationship is complicated; even though I know it will cause my stomach to hurt, I ate it anyway. What is wrong with me? Well, when I crave something, I go all in.

Again, I must reiterate I DO NOT, NOR HAVE I EVER HAD DIABETES!!! I HAVE NEVER HAD DIABETES. I DO NOT, NOR HAVE I EVER HAD HIGH CHOLESTEROL. Let's stop thinking that all fat people have prediabetes, diabetes, or high cholesterol because that is false. I know skinny people who are very unhealthy. Please stop asking because I take Ozempic if I have diabetes. Again, I have never had it, nor has anyone in my entire family on either side. My blood pressure is no longer an issue, and I have never had high cholesterol. I would say I am pretty darn healthy. I have blood work done yearly and sometimes more. I feel amazing!! I also know sometimes jealousy plays a large part in why people say dumb shit. I also know some people don't really support you. It's okay. I have learned to live without support, and I probably always will.

11-1-2022 42.2 lbs down!!!

11-8-2022 No change in weight either way. My ears have been ringing, so that has taken over my life.

11-28-2022 44 lbs down. I have been super busy, hence the need for updates. I rented out a booth at a local thrift store to sell my crafted items. I go in on the 30th to see what I sold, pay booth rent, and gear up to make more stuff. I am making some ottoman boards at the moment. One will be a lazy Susan-style board. I am stoked to actually be doing something like this. It took me a long time to get up the nerve, but I did it. It's been keeping me busy these days.

My husband is my support; he is my cheer team; he is the person who pushes me to get through. Everyone needs real support, not fake stuff people throw around to pretend they're a good person. Stop; people can see right through it. Say nothing at all if you cannot support a person. Your lack of words says it all, so there is no need to twist the knife and say mean and awful things to people.

Gee, I should start a new post about my crafting.

I have been extra cold lately; I am chalking it up to all the weight I have lost. I sometimes take a hot shower when I get home to warm up. I don't recall ever being so cold. Anywhoo, that is all that's new with me.

12-9-2022 I am 45 lbs down! Got all our Christmas shopping done; just waiting for the packages to arrive. I made my mom and his mom their presents. I hope they like them.  

Oh yeah, the craft booth; well, my first month, I made $150, not too shabby, and that was after booth rent ($60 a month) and 10% of the sales they took out. I have already sold enough to pay December's rent. I love it. It keeps me busy and my mind off anything else.

So far, I have made around $365.00 on my booth, which is terrific in itself. I am so proud of myself. I last visited my booth early in the week of Christmas, so I hope more items have been gone by now. I will pack up some things tonight and put them into my car to take for my lunch tomorrow.

46lbs down! It has been slow lately with all the food and stress I have been dealing with, the ED (estranged daughter). I spent three days crying over Christmas; another story for another day.

6-21-2023 I finally upped my Ozempic to 2 mg. I am at 49 lbs down, and the scale wasn't moving, so we'll see what this does for me. I have until November; whatever loss I have will be where I will be, and I will accept it as such. I have an appointment with a surgeon on November 2, 2023, to take pictures of my pannus removal surgery. I will know shortly after this appointment when my surgery will be. I will be off for 4-6 weeks. So I have a lot to get done around my home before then. I have been struggling with lower back pain and bladder pain due to the heaviness of the pannus. Who knew losing weight would hurt? So, I am having this surgery in hopes that the pain will go away for good. I assume it will; it is some heavy-ass skin.

After this appointment, I discussed with the surgeon holding off to see if I could get a few more lbs off, and I was able to get another four off; we again met in November to start the approval process and take photos (YUCK)

December 2023: I am down 53 lbs and holding. I feel great. I found my perfect weight. I saw the surgeon; we are both waiting for insurance approval for the surgery, and once we hear back, they will call me to schedule it. I will be down for 2-3 weeks, and once I am back to work over the next 3-4 weeks, I will be working part-time. I am ready. I have had chronic back pain, bladder infections, and UTIs from the weight of the loose skin on my bladder.

December 2025, I am under 200 lbs, and I am happy where I am at. In April of 2024, I had some excess skin removed from my stomach, which was causing me to have some back pain and bladder issues. Since it was removed, I feel great, and I wouldn't change a thing. My labs are always good, and my heart issues are lessened with every lb lost. I want to be here to see my grandchild graduate and get married (if they choose). I want to retire and be able to get around, and if I had stayed at the weight I was, I would not be here to see any of it. I stopped listening to all the grumbling people make about Ozempic because this isn't their life, it's MINE, and no one has a say about it. I am healthier, and had I continued the path I was on, I would have been over 300lbs. I have no doubt that's a lot of stress on a person's heart, and heart disease in my family is the number one killer. I had to do something about it; you don't have to like it. I couldn't care less your opinion about it means nothing to me, not anymore, because this is my health, I AM IN CHARGE of it, not you.

My weight loss journey

 I started taking Ozempic and have been on it for a couple months. Next week I will move up to the 1.0 dosage, and I was scared when I went from.25 mg to .50 mg. I could tell a big difference; the bloating is sometimes painful, I won't lie, but that's on me. I have to change how I eat and what I eat. I am finding that the foods I love do not agree with me anymore, so I am on this journey to make it as painful as possible. 

For the past two weeks, I have dropped eight pounds and have managed to keep it off. Food doesn't taste as good as it did before Ozempic, and that's a good thing. It curbs your appetite. The amount of food I should be eating instead of what I used to eat has dramatically decreased. I am fuller, and longer, which is where the bloat comes into and eating protein for breakfast makes a difference.   don't drink the shakes; my thought is, why put all that garbage in?   am eating more whole/fresh foods, and protein seems best for my stomach.   prefer food over filling my belly full of liquids.   drink enough water to sink a boat, so I am getting enough fluids.   don't need to add more of that.  

I chose this route because it was the safest route for me. Three friends had their stomachs removed, and 2 out of three had severe complications that are truly scary and have altered their lives forever. I  an stop taking this injection anytime if, for some reason, it is not for me; there is no going back once you remove part of your stomach.

I am excited to lose weight. Ei ht pounds don't seem like a lot, but my knees can tell. I  an down the stairs this morning last it has been some time since I have been able to do that.

My biggest fear is how much I notice people change and look extremely old after losing weight; it scares me to death to look that old, especially when I am 50 and don't look it. I  now that sounds superficial, and for those that truly know me to know that I am not shallow in any way, but when you get older, you don't want to go through all this weight loss only to come out looking like you aged 15 years. I  till dye my hair to cover my grays; it is what it is.  

So here I go on a journey of losing some weight. I  m not looking to lose so much; I look like I am anorexic, but I need to lose 50 lbs to be at my ideal weight; not the doctor's and not the world's idea, and no one but me decides when I have lost enough. 

AND NO, I DON'T HAVE DIABETES. Th re is a terrible myth that all fat people have diabetes; well, I am here to say I don't have it; I don't have high cholesterol either; in fact, I am pretty healthy other than I need to lose some weight.  

My plan is to record here and with pictures of my journey. I   scared but excited.

Depression is a BITCH!!

 I finally got off my butt & finished a project I started weeks ago (dragonfly). I lost my oomph. I have been hit with so much these past 6 months I just don't want any more bad news; it's been a long, long time since I have been hit with so many things all at once, so I got in the dumps, and it just spiraled not to say I am out of the dumps, but I am climbing my way out one day at a time.

I know people are dealing with so much more, but in my world, so am I. I get to complain for a minute, and that's okay. I am not comparing anyone's stuff to my stuff.

You can't explain to someone who has never suffered from depression to understand the doom and gloom one feels. It takes hold and speaks for you when you know it isn't true what your depression is sometimes saying, you can't stop it, and you feel so overwhelmed with everything that even the most minor task is difficult as hell.

I am so very grateful I haven't had this low in a long, long time, but man, when it happens, you can't stop it; even the most intelligent people can't stop depression; she is a sneaky bitch, but when she takes hold it's all you can do to get away from it!!

So I probably overdid it last night because I am getting over bronchitis on top of being sad, so that doesn't help my mood. I swept and mopped the kitchen and bathroom and picked up the office and the living room; all the clutter had been removed. LOL, for now, until I can deal with all my stuff. Crafting is messy, and I am spread out all over the house, which doesn't help me be the organized self that I love. The youngest is preparing to move out, so there's that which has me in a range of emotions I can't even explain, literally proud to sad AF.

 Okay, enough of all that. I know some of you are worried about me, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart, but I am okay, and I will be okay. 

Do you know why it took me weeks to make this damn dragonfly? I am my own worst critic, and I could never get something just right? Finally, I said F'it, it's beautiful the way it is, and yes, she's not perfect, but she is so pretty! Hell, even her antenna glows in the dark, which is cool as shit!!

Helper

 I used to be that person who would help everyone, even if it meant putting off ME time.  If someone asked me to help them move, I obliged.  If they needed a ride, I gave them a ride.  What I found is that no one ever asked if I needed anything.  So with time and possibly age, I stopped saying yes as much.  I allowed myself the ME time I craved and needed.   

I started saying no to many events I had no desire to attend, and if I had already made plans, I kept them.  

Now I am very fortunate to have a few really great friends who will help me when I ask, and they do ask.  Those people are your people, those you hold onto tightly.  Less is more.  I prefer quality over quantity any day!

Skinny isn't always synonymous with happy!!

 

When you suggest to someone larger, okay, let's just say it OBESE that they have diabetes, you're an asshole. When you suggest that someone should have surgery to lose weight, yup, you are an asshole. How would you like it if I told you to eat a cake? You need some meat on those bones, or here's a sandwich. You wouldn't like it. 

Just because a person is overweight doesn't mean they lack confidence or happiness. Just because you are skinny doesn't make you confident, nor does it make you happy. If you start out unhappy and unconfident, chances are good; you still are unhappy and lack confidence. 

Stop living up to everyone else's standards; you are GOOD ENOUGH!! Making weight the motivating factor in your self-worth does not equal loving yourself.

No, I am not suggesting anyone go out and gain weight. Your happiness should not be measured by your weight; learn to love yourself!!! Be with people who love you and want to celebrate you no matter your size.  

We are all so different, and by learning that it is okay, you will learn to appreciate yourself and love yourself. I know I do!