I lost 40 pounds nearly 5 years ago and have kept much of it off. I always intended to lose another 20-30 pounds using the same Weight Watcher diet but a couple of health issues got in the way: persistent loss of taste from Covid and onset of a variation of irritable bowel syndrome which makes eating the same foods I used for weight loss more difficult. I didn’t really gain back weight until I started cooking and baking for Craig.
I had my routine colonoscopy a month ago with a hope that colon biopsies might reveal a treatable cause for the IBS. The good news is that I had NO polyps for the first time ever. The bad news – no colitis. The cause of my IBS remains unclear and I will continue to manage it.
So after months of making attempts to eat less, the plantar fasciitis set in which curtailed activity for several months and I gained 8 pounds over the winter.
I have a couple of friends who had used GLP-1 receptor agonists with good results. They both talked about the significant constipation as an undesirable side-effect. For me that would be a benefit and not a bad thing. So at may annual Medicare Wellness visit a couple of weeks ago, I asked my doctor what she thought me using the GLP-1 receptor agonist for weight loss. She said the following – obesity is a chronic condition and if I am successful with getting off the 30-40 pounds I would like, I would have to work very hard to keep it off and may need the injections chronically to maintain it. In addition to losing fat, I would lose muscle mass and the potential for nausea, diarrhea or more likely constipation. She said she had avoided giving me a diagnosis of obesity so she was not sure if insurance would cover it. She suggested Wegovy, (ozempic specifically approved for weight loss) and I waited to see if insurance would cover it. I still wasn’t sure if I was going to ahead or not.
My main rationale for doing it is that this is my 70th year and while I hope to have a couple of more “healthy” decades, I am most concerned about the wear and tear on my joints as the major impediment to maintaining good health over time. The weight loss will be very beneficial for my joints and for my enjoyment of physical activities which are crucial for my mental and physical health and keeping the weight off. Also I am hoping for constipation and the potential of a “reset” to my dysfunctional intestines.
Insurance is covering 50% of the cost so I decided to “go for maximum health” in my 70th year. This is smart for my insurance company because if successful, I should be able to avoid a knee replacement.
Wegovy has weekly injections and I didn’t feel the needle at all. I wouldn’t have minded daily injections because if there are significant side-effects, they won’t last as long. Wegovy starts at half dose for 2 months and then dose is increased. So far I have not really noted anything – except perhaps a slight nausea after eating. I have decreased portion sizes as suggested and am doing some form of exercise every day to help minimize the muscle loss.
I am only going to weigh weekly.
The journey has begun.
Tamara Unleashed 