Sunday, April 30, 2023

Early Wegovy Report and Thoughts

 


I've started this entry at a little after midnight on Thursday night, but I'm going to keep it going a little bit before posting. I just want to update, after a little bit of time, about the first few days on Wegovy. 

When I got up on Thursday, around 6:30a, I didn't feel any significant difference. I felt normal, and even a little hungry, which I didn't think I would. I went through my normal routine, getting E some breakfast before school, etc. I had to take him to school, which B usually does, and came home around 7:45a. I felt tired but I'm usually tired in the morning. My friend was coming over to walk with me at 10a, so I did some work on my laptop, I wrote the first entry about all this, and then it was time for her to come over. 

She got to me at around 10:15 and we walked about three and a quarter miles. I was up to a little over ten thousand steps by the time we were done at about 11:40a. I did work until about 12:15p and then I was hungry. I was a little disappointed because I usually don't get hungry until around 1p. I had this idea that I wasn't going to think about food as much. Instead I was still obsessing. I made two scrambled eggs. 

You'd have to know my food habits to understand that this wasn't any kind of limited meal. I have a thing where I don't really know what to eat during the day. Sometimes I have a small bowl of Raisin Bran, but other times, I just have a Zone Bar because I don't want to make anything, I'm not really hungry during the day, and everything seems like a hassle. Sometimes, because food is her love language, my friend Alex makes food for me that I call walking or car food. Food on the go, basically. Stuff I can eat while walking or driving. I'm like her other child even though I'm older. For me to make eggs, and just eat that- well, that was like a gourmet event. 

After that, at around 12:45p, I actually wasn't really hungry. I had to do work, go to walk to the post office and back, and I knew I had to pick E and his friend up from school at about 2:30p, so I had to really hop to it. By the time I got the boys home it was 3:10p. I did some stuff, but I was REALLY tired. This happens to me sometimes though normally, so I didn't know if it was the Wegovy or just the weather. It was gray and kind of gross. At 3:36p I went to lay on the couch and I fell asleep until about 4:30p. I woke up with a wicked headache. Again though, I'm not sure if that was Wegovy or my normal migraine. 

Once I was awake, I was just watching TV for awhile, until I heard the tutor was leaving. I went to say hello and make sure he got his money. We talked for a little bit, he left, then E's friend left and that left E and I to eat dinner around 5:45p. 

I'm eating Factor meals- which are a step up from Lean Cuisine or Jenny Craig. It's still portion control though. One side of the container is the entree and the other side is the vegetable. This was grilled chicken Parmesan and broccoli with something on it (I don't know what was on it). This is where it got interesting. 

I normally eat the whole thing, like scarf it all down because I'm starving. I also normally would eat a roll and butter with it if I have rolls. E and I watch General Hospital while we eat. I guess I was paying attention more to the show and didn't see all the broccoli, but I didn't finish it. Then when I realized I didn't finish it, I didn't really want it. I didn't get a roll, even though they were there. I didn't miss it either. I just was kind of ambivalent. Whatever I ate felt like enough. 

At 6:30p, E went downstairs to do homework and I went to the sunroom to sit and watch TV. B wasn't around because he had stuff to do for work down by Rutgers. I didn't know when he was coming home. I had a Skinny Cow ice cream cone. I usually don't feel like that's enough. B didn't come home until nine o'clock. Normally by that time, I would've been looking for something else to eat. Maybe out of hunger, maybe out of habit. The urge to forage for food wasn't as strong as the laziness to continue to sit on the couch. 

We went up to the bedroom around 10:30p. I have candy here. I did want the candy, I thought. I just got an Amazon Subscribe and Save delivery with blue raspberry licorice. Usually I have to slap my own hand away after eating like six of them, which are decent sized twists. Thicker than a Twizzler. I had three and truthfully, I feel a little grossed out. I went and brushed my teeth right after thinking that would stop me even if I didn't have willpower, but it's now 12:30a and I don't even want them. 

I now know two people who have been on Wegovy and I spoke to both tonight. One said she lost twelve pounds right away, was on it about a year, and lost a total of twenty-five. Then it stopped working. I didn't read about that happening, so I will have to do more research on that. I need to know what you do if it just stops working at the highest dosage. She also said she was tired all the time. I'm also taking Provitalize, an over the counter vitamin/supplement to help combat the effects of pre/menopause. I can't get a good read online whether it's a scam or not, but maybe that will help with fatigue. I don't know. 

I'm going to sleep now and will continue this on Friday at some point. 

Friday: I felt fine, a little less hungry in the morning. But I did NOT sleep well. I don't know if it had to do with Wegovy or not. I was hot. I also had something irrelevant to this conversation on my mind so I don't know if that contributed to my lack of sleep. I only slept four hours and twelve minutes and I think Fitbit told me I only had eighteen minutes of deep or restorative sleep. 

I went back to sleep at 8a until around 9:30a. I had to get up because I had stuff to do. Around 1p, my stomach was bothering me a little. I had some Raisin Bran but it didn't sit right. I walked to the post office, and didn't feel great but it went away before 2:30p, when I went to pick E up from school. I felt fine after that for the rest of the day and evening. 

I had to take E somewhere from about 4p until 8p. I had one Zone bar and it was fine. I wasn't starving when we left the event at around 7:45p. I told E we could stop at Wendy's. It's the only fast food he's ever eaten because B and I don't eat fast food. But, when in need or craving, a Wendy's grilled chicken sandwich will hit the spot. It's my go-to. EXCEPT, that who knew, about twenty days ago or so, WENDY'S DISCONTINUED THE GRILLED CHICKEN SANDWICH. Don't they know you're supposed to ADD to the menu, not subtract the stuff people LIKE. They traded it out for a chicken ranch wrap. Nobody wants that!

Anyway, I opted out of getting anything. I think if I wasn't on Wegovy, I would've caved and just got a burger. I was more annoyed than hungry at that point and figured I'd eat a Factor meal when I got home. Which, I did, put a Factor meal in the microwave, only to pull it out and see that all the shrimp was missing from my shrimp meal. WTF. I made another meal at that point but I didn't even finish it. 

I had gotten a really small cupcake at a bakery near the event I was at with E. I ate that for dessert. I got a cookie too but I tasted it, it wasn't good, I threw it out and didn't care. I'm in bed now, at 11:46p. I did eat three licorice twists since I got in bed at around 10p. But now I feel really full and wouldn't eat another one. 

All in all, it's been a fine full forty-eight hours. I do have a bit of dull headache, that I've had since Thursday, which I took Excedrin Extra Strength for at around 4p. It's not bad enough now to do anything about but it's there. 

Saturday, around 2:30p. I feel fine. I don't feel hungry but just had two scrambled eggs because I know I'm supposed to eat during the day whether I'm hungry or not. B had a bowl of cheerios with banana and when I walked into the room he'd eaten it, it smelled really potent and kind of grossed me out. Normally I might smell it, but I wouldn't have noticed the way I did today. 

Saturday evening- dinner with friends. Ordered Italian. I ordered lobster ravioli in vodka sauce and garlic knots. They didn't really have any healthy options. We didn't order until 7p and the food didn't get there until maybe 8:15p. I didn't care. Normally, I'd have been ready to eat my own arm by that time. I had some Tostitos that my friend put out, but not many. I ate half my ravioli- let's say- three out of six. I had two garlic knots out of five. Granted, these were much bigger garlic knots than standard, but I still would've had more if I wasn't on Wegovy. I couldn't eat another bite. I also would've probably had some kind of salad or appetizer but I didn't order one. 

My friend had brownies, strawberries, and whipped cream for dessert. Normally, I would've had one brownie but wanted another- I might have even had a half of a second one. It took me way longer to eat the one and there was no way I could've eaten another one. I had a few strawberries but definitely less than I would have had. 

Sunday: I got up late, at about 9:40a. I had a headache. That is not unusual at all as I just finished the blue pills of Lo Loestrin, laying in bed too long hurts my back and can give me a headache, and it's been raining for almost forty-eight hours. I felt a little nauseous since I got up, but that could also be taking Excedrin on an empty stomach. It's 2:20p and I just ate about a cup of Raisin Bran. I actually threw some of it away. I don't like when there are no raisins left on any day, but I don't know, I was kind of grossed out by the remainder so I just threw it away. 

My takeaway from this week is that food is just....less enjoyable. It doesn't taste bad. It just isn't as appetizing. I asked one of the women I know who were on it but are on a break right now, if she still enjoyed food. She said yes. My feeling is that I want the food when I'm ordering it, or heating it up, it's just when I'm eating it, I'm not thinking, oh yeah, this is hitting the spot!, as I'm eating it. I'm eating it, and it tastes good, but I just don't care about it, and if I get distracted, as I often do, I just stop eating. That's never happened before. With my Factor meals, because it's supposed to help with portion control, obviously, because it's a portioned meal made for you that way, I was scraping the sides to get every bit. Now, it's just not like that. I eat the main meal, eat some of the vegetables, and throw it away. 

I've been tired. I think a little more than usual. But again, I don't know because it's also been raining, I hadn't been sleeping well, and the weather has SUCKED. Most people feel tired when it's rainy and cold. My one friend said she had a lot of fatigue on Wegovy so that might be the culprit. 

That's about it. I'm going to stop here because no one needs a play by play. I'll update again when I have something to tell!

Thursday, April 27, 2023

No Spring Chicken

 


No one I knew was really talking about aging seriously, but then again, who do I really talk to that much where I'd be having any serious conversation about that? B and I get up every day with our aches and pains and just kind of joke through it. Stuff was getting real though when I got these beautiful new comforters for the bed - two separate because while B and I sleep in the same bed, we don't share our blanket. I spent a little more this time because our comforters were almost sixteen years old and from sending them to the cleaners, they weren't holding up well anymore. 

Well. I'm inching closer to fifty and I was starting to feel like it was Africa hot in the bed every night. I started opening windows, with the fan on, and I started waking up in the middle of the night, sweating. One night, I grabbed one of E's old bed-in-a-bag cheap $25 comforters that he used for his first year of camp. It was light as a feather and felt like heaven. 

As far as exercise- I don't go to a gym but I walk every single day. I barely even drive. I don't go on the treadmill like I used to for an hour or hour and a half a day, but I do get up to anywhere from twelve thousand to twenty-something steps a day. It's not like I'm sedentary. I also barely eat during the day. Yeah, yeah, I know that you still have to eat. I'm busy and it takes awhile to jumpstart my eating during the day. I'm not trying to starve- I just don't think about it first thing.

I started getting Factor meal delivery to manage my dinner portions and not have to deal with dinner for myself. I can get out of control if left to my own devices. Had Jenny Craig not closed my closest center, and then continuously discontinued my favorite meals, I probably would've stuck with it forever. It was SO easy. I get Factor meals for dinner and maybe eat some Raisin Bran at some point during the day and/or a Zone Bar. I don't really snack during the day. I do, often, have brown bread (The Cheesecake Factory rolls) and butter with my Factor meal and I do have dessert every night. Usually a big cookie and milk. Then, I do eat candy in bed. Like, sugar candy- gummies of some kind. Gummy bears, blue raspberry licorice. or whatever. 

It's not like I'm sitting around on my ass eating bon bons all day. I'm active. I feel like I have to be able to live a little and enjoy some cookies or some candy. I didn't even gain weight during the pandemic. I lost weight. I wasn't having to get up so early, pack a bag of food for work, so I was just naturally eating less. Something about the past year inching toward forty-nine though, I am just gaining weight. I thought it must be pre-menopause kind of stuff. 

I saw a post on my local moms group the other night about this. So many women I know were coming out of the woodwork with the same issues, complaints, aches, pains and weight gain. I was like, okay, it isn't just me. There were so many books, life coaches, websites, webinars, that were recommended, that while I know people meant well, it was too overwhelming. Honestly, I also have the attention span of a fruit fly and I don't want to read a book or watch a webinar. I know myself, what I'm willing to do and my level of participation.

Of course I've seen all the chatter on TV and online about OzempicMounjaro and Wegovy. Who wouldn't be curious. I didn't know if I'd be able to get it because of insurance. Last time I went to the doctor, in November 2022, which I wrote about, she told me my BMI was higher than she'd like but I didn't have diabetes or anything. I'm one of those people who fall into the zone of holding on to extra weight but not enough to qualify me for anything, or so I assumed.

I did a little research on the three wonder drugs that all the Real Housewives seem to be on. I messaged my doctor and asked if I could have a scrip for Mounjaro. She said she'd put it in but it would be likely my insurance would deny. They did. There is no rhyme or reason to what they approve and deny. She then put in a scrip for Wegovy, which is Ozempic for people who don't have diabetes and just want it for weight loss. Surprise of all surprises, it was approved!

It was approved, but of course CVS was out of it on Tuesday. I was on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I wanted to do it it but there was definitely a bit of nerves. Now I had to psych myself up to do self-injections? What, now? 

CVS texted me yesterday, Wednesday, and said my Wegovy was in. Alrighty. I messaged someone I know who has been on it and she gave me some tips. She told me she takes it at night in case there is nausea, she'd sleep through it. I figured I'd try the same thing. 

I went to CVS and picked up my box of four needle pens. I read the directions. I waited until midnight - not for any reason except for that being a normal time I go to sleep. I went into the bathroom, wiped an area on my belly with an alcohol swab and followed the directions for injection. 

It wasn't hard and it didn't hurt- just a small pinch. Of course I was like, omg, I think I might feel nauseous. I don't think I really did though. I just went to sleep. I was really tired. 

This morning, it's almost nine o'clock and I feel fine. I don't feel hungry but I never do in the morning. I'm a little afraid to drink my Crystal Light because it has fake sugar in it. The person I spoke to who is also on Wegovy said I'd probably feel crappy and maybe have gastrointestinal issues if I had too much. I guess that's how you make better food and drink decisions while on this to aid the weight loss - out of fear. Good, old fashioned fear of throwing up or worse. 

I'm going to chronicle my use here for anyone interested. I want to lose about twenty five pounds in total. I see people online in my Bergen County Moms group who get crazy when someone asks about going on any of these three drugs. There is so much judgement- I don't know if it's out of jealousy, fear of doing it themselves, not being able to do it because of pre-existing conditions, being in the MLM diet biz- I have no idea. But there are definitely haters. There's a lot of the following when it gets brought up:

You'll have to be on it for the rest of your life, if you go off it you'll gain it all back, do it with diet and exercise, talk to this MLM bullshit coach and do xyz expensive program instead, you don't know what could happen, do intermittent fasting instead, you don't know what the side effects will be down the road, etc etc etc. I saw someone I know say something negative and my first thought was - Bitch, you're maybe a size 4 and you've never had an extra pound in your life. You're the same size now you were in high school. YOU. DON'T. KNOW.

Some of us are willing to try stuff and see what happens. I'm one of those people. For those of us that weight has always been an issue- we're in a club we don't want to be in. Some of us ruined our metabolism in the 80's/90's/00's with over the counter weight loss drugs - like Kelly Taylor on 90210. Stackers, Hydroxycut, and I can't remember the other big one when I was in college or just after. And then with Phentermine and other prescriptions, yo-yo dieting, starving, and worse. Some of us need some extra help now, especially in the pre-menopause stage of life. 

I'm always game to try something. I told the good, bad, and ugly all about my mommy makeover sessions about five or so years ago. I'll do the same here. Hopefully there won't be too much bad or ugly. I'll let you know....