Wednesday, January 17, 2024

I'm Back, Again!


Howdy, friends! 

I know it's been a long time since I've checked in.  The good news is I haven't fallen off the wagon.  But, my wagon has been broken for the longest time.  

Week after week the scale wouldn't budget despite my healthy diet and exercise. I just didn't have the heart to blog when I had no updates.

Then, towards the last half of 2023, I started gaining weight, little by little.  To say I was defeated and discouraged is an understatement. However, I continued to stay the course even when it felt like all hope was gone.  

In December 2023 my Psychiatrist ordered blood work to make sure my blood glucose was within normal ranges because my medication can cause diabetes.

Although I didn't really have any symptoms, my bloodwork came back that I was officially a type 2 diabetic.  Enter all of the feelings...

I was frustrated because I expressed concern the prior year that I was headed in the direction of diabetes since my blood work didn't show improvements despite the healthy diet and exercise.  Unfortunately, because I only had pre-diabetes at the time, there was nothing Kaiser would do. I was simply told to continue to diet and exercise.  *eye roll*

On the other hand, I was also a little relieved.  I felt like a puzzle piece finally fell into place.  Maybe the reason I wasn't losing and slowly gaining weight was that I was insulin-resistant/diabetic.  I needed medical help that I wasn't getting but now finally qualified for.

For months I had heard a lot about GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) on TikTok for the treatment of diabetes and obesity and how it can greatly assist in weight loss in addition to controlling diabetes.  I dared to hope.  

Sadly, my doctor with Kaiser couldn't prescribe a GLP-1 medication without me first trying 2 alternative medications.  Why?  Well, GLP-1 medications are VERY expensive and Kaiser doesn't want to cover them without proof that other medications have failed.  So, I was started on Metformin (the gold standard medication for type 2 diabetes).  

I was also prescribed Phentermine for appetite suppression. I knew immediately that the Phentermine wouldn't help because I didn't have an appetite problem.  Most days I "accidentally" do intermittent fasting because I'm just not hungry in the mornings so I don't typically "eat" until 12 or 1 pm - and even then, I have a  healthy homemade protein smoothie.  I tried the Phentermine for a week and it did nothing, just as I had expected.

That's when I decided to take matters into my own hands.  I began to research a variety of telehealth companies and found JoinFridays.  I began the journey to get prescribed a GLP-1 and pay out of pocket for the doctor and medication.  After my appointment, JoinFridays agreed I was a good candidate for the GLP-1 medication Tirzepatide (aka Mounjaro or Zepbound).  

Since I would be paying out of pocket, they recommended I go with compound Tirzepatide (which is the generic form of the name-brand medication).  This would make it more cost-effective (~$325/month vs over $1,000).  



And, here I am today, January 17th.  My medication arrived in the mail today and I took my first shot of the medication.  I'm really hoping this medication will finally help me overcome the hurdles I've stumbled through this past year.  

I welcome you to follow this new journey with me.  


Here are my stats for Week 1

 *cringe*

Highest Weight: 309.8 lbs 

Starting Weight: 297.8 lbs

I lost about 10 pounds after starting Metformin but my weight stalled at 297 and has been fluctuating between 297 and 298 this past week. I'm glad I got below 300 pounds because I was devastated when I broke the 300s.    

Here goes nothing!  




Thursday, March 16, 2023

Peek-a-boo!

Hello, everyone!

I know, I know... it's been a LONG time since I've checked in.  I sort of fell off the face of the earth for the last several months.

The good news is that I haven't given up; I'm still committed to losing weight and I've been exercising regularly over the last several months.  Exercise has done wonders for my anxiety for the most part.

My nutrition on the other hand has seen some ups and downs.  Overall, I was managing to eat relatively healthily but would binge eat every once in a while.  

The bad news is that I've hit a plateau that I can't seem to get past.  I've been weighing 284 pounds for MONTHS and it's incredibly frustrating and really discouraging.  This is one of the reasons why I stopped posting anything because I was stuck in a rut.  

Intermittent fasting sounded like a good plan for me because I did NOT want to count calories.  But, I struggled with hunger in the mornings and was ravenous by lunchtime.  Also, I knew I wasn't eating enough which I suspect was contributing to the plateau.  My body does not do well with extreme caloric deficits.

So, in an effort to change things up, I decided to give up intermittent fasting for now.   Instead, I'm starting to focus on macronutrients, primarily fiber, and protein.  My goal is to get at least 100g of protein and as much fiber as possible.

I'm hoping that focusing more on my nutrition will be just what I need to break through this plateau and start seeing progress.  Of course, I make this decision with Ramadan right around the corner when I'll be obliged to fast from dawn until sunset.  It will be interesting to see how I'm going to manage my protein and fiber with so few meals.  

I'll keep you all posted. Thanks for following my journey and rooting me on.  It means a lot to have people in my corner cheering for me.