You all know I've been on this weight loss journey for years, actually, it's officially been over a decade with this blog now. And I feel like I've done it all except a few things.
For exercise, In 2009 I worked with a personal trainer who helped me learn how strong I was and get comfortable with using free weights and gym equipment. But it turned into excessive cardio with a massive calorie deficit which helped me lose weight but it wasn't sustainable. The lowest weight I got to was 195 pounds. Once I got pregnant in 2010 I gained a lot of weight very quickly because I started eating foods again. 2012 I worked specifically with a nutritionist. Again, it was great and lost weight, I went from 240 pounds down to 205, but it wasn't a sustainable eating pattern for me (too restrictive) . I started running the summer of 2013 which taught me endurance and I even participated in my first half marathon at 29 weeks pregnant with my second child.
A couple months after I had my second kid I started consistently exercising following various workouts available through Beachbody. I became a coach and helped others on their journey. I gained a lost the same 15 pounds, over and over again. And when I had Elyse my weight was at the highest at 265 pounds. I worked really hard to lose the weight with her and brought it back down to about 240 consistently for years. But I'd start a new program, have some weight loss, adjust my eating, whatever and lose weight but I couldn't get lower than 235. I even became a certified personal trainer and nutritionist because I thought that there was this secret code that I wasn't being told and I wanted to learn if I could crack it. Seriously.
Through this whole process, I talked to my doctors. I already knew I had PCOS and that alone makes it super hard to lose weight unless I basically eat chicken and broccoli every evening. I got multiple tests taken. I came back as menopausal, and did hormone replacement therapy until my hormones were fine on their own. I did an allergy test. I did countless blood tests. I did the Everlywell food sensitivity test. I've discussed options with my primary care physician about other options. Surgery was off the table. I didn't want to do any balloons, lapbands or bypass surgery. I wanted to figure out a way without having to make that drastic of a change to my body. It wasn't until last year I talked with a friend who had success with the new Semeglutide injections. After talking to my doctor she agreed, but I couldn't get any access because they were out of stock and the $1500 a month freaked me out. Then another friend who also had been doing the injections said that our insurance just started covering it a few months after I had initially looked. At that point, I went back to my doc, who ended up being a new doc for me and she has been amazing. We talked about it in detail. She felt it was a perfect fit for me because I was already doing all the right things. I was exercising. Eating right. Yeah, I had some treats but occasionally and nothing like I had done 10 years ago. The only thing was there seemed to be a disconnect from my brain to my hormones. Another hormone imbalance.
After I went through all the steps to get approved with insurance (I called insurance, talked to them personally) and got prior approval for insurance to cover the cost of the medicine. I also called pharmacy after pharmacy trying to find where my Rx was in stock. There was nothing available. AT ALL. Everything was backordered. I went through the holidays, still exercising. Still eating better. Making protein a priority. On my birthday in early December, I was diagnosed with Endometriosis in my uterine muscle. And by the end of January, I had surgery to have a hysterectomy. We kept my ovaries so I still had the hormones I worked so hard to turn back on.
At that point, my Rx was slowly becoming more available. I was educating myself so that I was informed about all the ins and outs of the medication my doc prescribed for me. After 4 weeks of recovery, my doctor approved me to start the shots and my journey began, with just the shots and nutrition. I couldn't exercise for a few more weeks (ended up being 6 more weeks after that) and then when I did exercise it was super slow and starting at the beginning yet again.
I was 247 pounds when I began. I had gained weight post surgery with the inflammation. Within the first week of taking the shots, I felt so different. I no longer had "food noise". Something I have had for as long as I can remember. Always hunger. Always looking for food. Never fully satiated, even after I ate unless I super stuffed myself and then in about an hour I was hungry again. It was a constant deprivation effect for me. But now, I eat when I know I need to eat, protein and fiber are my priorities when I do eat and I don't graze. Actually, sometimes I have to set a timer to remind myself to eat because I forget. Not gonna lie, the first couple months were frustrating because I wasn't losing weight like all the stories I heard. It was super slow and inconsistent. It wasn't until I got to the 3rd dosing level that I noticed a big change and the weight started to fall off. And I've stayed on that dosing level for a couple months now and the weight is just falling off. I've lost 32 pounds since February 27 and my first shot.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still exercising. May, I did strength training. June I did a mixture of strength training and cardio. This month I'm doing yoga/pilates and adding in strength training. (notice the theme, strength training). I'm also still having sweet treats or whatever but in moderation. And I can't eat more than a few bites of it because it's just too sweet or I get my fill and I'm done. With working with my Doc we came up with a plan on how much protein I need to eat at minimum every day, how many days I should be exercising a week and I'm really determined to keep as much muscle as I can. I started with 126 pounds of muscle and I'm currently at 125 pounds of muscle. I have accepted that to get to my goal weight I will be losing some muscle, but that's why I strength train to keep as much lean muscle mass as I can. Oh and my goal weight isn't actually a weight so much as it is a body fat % I want to achieve and based on my calculations, that's what has determined my goal weight. And it's always been the same. 175 pounds. I'm not looking to get thin. I'm looking to be healthy, physically fit and not carrying around excess fat.
So to break it down here's what I'm doing:
Weekly shots in my belly for the Semeglutide injections
Exercise - 5 days a week. I'm determined to follow Bodi Lava this month. And also adding in 2 days of strength training.1 day upper, 1 day lower from any program of choice in my online library of workouts. I want to start adding in walking daily, but I haven't made it a consistent habit yet, but I will.
Nutrition- Aim for 100-125g of protein a day. Also, lots of fiber, coming mostly from fruits and veggies. But protein is the star of the show at my meals. I also drink about 100-120oz of water. I've learned breads and pastas fill me up super fast so I don't eat a lot of those. Even veggies fill me up too fast so I sneak veggies into my main part of the meal. I am really eating half of what I used to eat so that's why I'm so invested in what I'm eating to make sure I'm hitting my goals. (The Fairlife 42g protein drink is a game changer for me making sure I hit my protein goals a day)
Sleep and Self Care- are still at the top of my priority list. I try to sleep at least 8 hours a night. I listen to meditation when I go to sleep most nights to help me have a deeper sleep. Self care wise, I get regular massages. I plan quiet time with my kids being home for the summer during the days for some personal private time for meditation and reflection. I've even had a weekend away from the kids while I did my musician thing, which was super nice. Oh and regular date nights with the hub. We have been going out weekly all summer and it has been nice. I also listen to books and podcasts to help with the mental changes I'm going through and to educate myself on the semeglutide injections.
Supplements - I take a daily multivitamin to make sure I'm filling in the blanks of my nutrition. I have pre and probiotics that I take to help make sure I have good gut health. Plus I want longer hair and take all the supplements specific for hair growth. Plus some magnesium to help with gut motility.
This medicine has been a miracle for me. The lack of food noise alone, is incredible. I mentally feel so different about food. I no longer feel like food is in control. I ask my husband all the time, "is it weird seeing me get smaller?" "Is it weird seeing me not eat how I used to?" - like I ordered my favorite sandwich from a local shop here and I normally eat the whole thing, but now, I can only eat half and I save the other half for later. I just don't need as much food to feel satiated, not stuffed or even full, anymore like I used to. This is how it is supposed to be. This is how other people are. I now know that my body wasn't communicating the way it was supposed to...oh wait, I've been here before with fertility treatment, having to use medicine to help me ovulate. To jump start my hormones after I was menopausal. I have PCOS which I already know is creating a hormone imbalance in my body. For me, I'm just wired different and I'm so thankful for modern medicine that is available. Because it's changing my life, again.
Any questions, just send me an email and let's chat! connectthedotsginger@gmail.com
