Weight loss

Last Saturday I had my first experience of noticing the moment that the food noise switched off. I think that previously I have not noticed it either because I have had the jab late in the evening, or the food suppression was still strong when I took the next dose, or I have often taken it on a Sunday morning and then gone out for a big lunch and by teatime I wasn’t hungry. But last week was different.

Someone commented on one of the Facebook groups I’m in, that most of the posts are people on 2.5mg and 5mg, and there doesn’t seem to be many people commenting that have been on this for longer. I think it’s because, once the initial excitement has gone off, and the process of injecting becomes something you do without thinking about, and the weight loss becomes slow but steady, you enter the ‘business as usual zone’. And do not feel the need to comment and respond to every post.

I think I am there.

It’s been another effortless week. No symptoms, good appetite suppression, and another 1.6lbs off.

And I’m back into my size 16s!  I had a whole rail of jeans and trousers from a previous weight loss period, years ago. I tried them on and they all fit. It feels so good.

I have, however, noticed the start of the sag. My upper arms and my thighs are a bit crepey.  I went to wear a sleeveless dress, and did not feel comfortable, so chose one with sleeves, and found myself googling upper arm surgery.

It’s been a very busy week. I have not had a moment to think about how I am feeling or symptoms, it has just whizzed by.

I saw my weight dip below 15 stone for the first time in about 9 years. It was a big moment.

I am now having a weekend of carbs and treats. On Thursday I had afternoon tea at The Lanesborough Hotel in London, Friday was a picnic at Glyndebourne, today I am off to an open air cinema night, where I have promised myself a burger, then tomorrow I’m having barbeque in my brothers garden to celebrate my Mum’s 80th birthday.

I have hit 2.5 stones! And it is wonderful to see that number on the scale, but that is not the only evidence of success. I’ve talked a lot about my relationship with the scales, now it’s time to talk about the wonder that is the NSV, the Non-Scale Victories!

This week I have been the most unwell since I started on the jab. The diarrhoea that began last Saturday night is only just subsiding now, a week later.

If this was how I felt from week 1 I would definitely be asking myself “is this worth it?” And I have seen reports of people who have felt like this from the start. Thankfully, as I am 11 weeks in, I feel confident that this will pass. And with this weight loss, YES, it’s worth it!!

I kept reading in the Facebook groups about people experiencing diarrhoea.  I admit to thinking, I wish, at least with that you lose weight, unlike constipation where you seem to hang on to it. But oh my, be careful what you wish for. It has not been too bad, it has only lasted 24 hours, so far, and I am starting to feel better.

I have just finished reading this book and I can highly recommend it if you are interested in the background, science, and future of weight loss jabs.It’s a book about weight loss, why we gain weight, the impact of ultra processed food, why diets often don’t work, it covers a wide range of topics, and all through the lens of weight loss injections.

Today I hit my 2 stone weight loss. I actually hit it on Wednesday, then it went up a bit, down a bit and finally settled back to exactly 2 stone today. I saw the first photo of myself where I didn’t immediately hate myself. I zoomed in and thought, hey, not bad.

This week I have reached 2 milestones, I have lost 10% of my body weight and I am the lowest weight I have been since at least 2020. I was hoping for 3 milestones at once, I only need to lose just over 1lb to hit my 2 stone goal, hopefully that will be next week. But I have to admit it doesn’t feel very ‘milestoney’, and it’s because I have been here before, many times.