SandTiger's work in progress thread - starting weight 245

Sand_TIger · September 2023

One more yhing- they also cost half as much as the low cal tortillas I use so that was a real bonus.

Mollyperfect · September 2023

@Sand_TIger you were doing so well - how are you now?

Sand_TIger · September 2023

Mollyperfect wrote: »

@Sand_TIger you were doing so well - how are you now?

Not too bad, actually! When I put a pause on my weight loss efforts I was roughly 155 pounds. I then had many months of very high stress at work so I basically tried to maintain with occasional indulgences. After that, when I weighed in again I was about 165. That is just so much better than the last time this type of thing happened when I gained it all back and more. Right now I'm 162.5 so the weight is already coming off, and I'm on day 9 of making sure to exercise each day and eat within goals.

I do have a couple of things that have changed - no more access to a pool, my pedaler or daily walks, but since my stress levels are so much farther down I am trying to replace that with more strength training and indoor aerobics supplemented by yard work. Thanks for asking... how are you?

Sand_TIger · September 2023

Since MFP got rid of its blogs I'll be putting my random musings here instead.

Random thought for the day: As I get back into really watching what I eat, I find that it's going along with both decluttering and getting on top of my financial budget. I am noticing that as I do one, the others get easier, and all three kind of go together. thinking a little more about it, I see a common factor with all three - VALUE.

With food, I want to take in those things that nourish my body with the calories I have to "spend" so I look for high value foods not junk. It needs to not only nourish me but also satisfy me. I don't want to waste calories on something that will make me hungrier later!

WIth decluttering I think of my space as a precious thing and consider what's really worth keeping, or carrying if I have to move. I think about what I actually use? What I have a likelihood of using in the future? What serves me, and what does not?

With budgeting I think about what's really worth spending, and what would be better put toward a big project in the future. Like the food I think all the time "is spending this amount worth slowing down this goal I'm working toward? Which would serve me better in the long run?

In all cases I'm making my choices using value as a filter, all with an eye toward a future goal. Thinking about it this way helps keep me out of a deprivation mindset and keeps that aim in mind, so I can focus on the good I'm doing myself and by extension my family. I think it's actually kind of cool so figured I'd share this thought in case it resonates with anyone, or helps them.

Sand_TIger · October 18

Despite the lack of blogs and a newsfeed, I am in need of MFPs tracking tools again so I'm back. My new starting weight is 185 so I gained some weight back, but I'm very glad I never got back up to 245 like I was a few years ago. I had a ton of distractions and work stress and pretty much everyone knows how it goes.

I started trying to lose weight again a few months back but had a really hard time limiting my portions to as low as I need to be to lose weight. So I decided to try tirzepatide, and am coming up on my fifth day on the medication. This time I need the tracking features so I can make sure I'm getting the right nutritional balance, since I otherwise might forget to eat enough!

I've got to say though, I LOVE this medication. I have no wonky side effects other than a bit of fatigue in the beginning, and my appetite is down to a very low level. I'm on the lowest dose, of course. I have no problem meeting calorie goals and though I was a bit tired the first few days I'm even starting to get more energy.

The most amazing thing to me right now is how food is something I eat, and enjoy to fuel myself but I'm not constantly wondering when I'm going to get the next small meal. It puts the eating priority down to where it should be! I'm not worrying about low carb or anything like that but I'm making sure I get protein because I don't want to lose too much muscle mass. So far this is actually really great. It's just what I needed. Because of the high cost of medication I went with a legitimate compounding pharmacy and so the price is down to around $400 a month rather than $1200 or so. Still expensive but much better than it was.

So - I'm back.

walkintofit · October 18

That is good its working. It taking out the noise of what is to eat, when to eat and fantasizing bout food! amazing stuff! it is so expensive, 400 is better. Keep on movin and posting!

Sand_TIger · October 18

Thanks walkintofit! Exactly. I figure I make roughly half the money back in buying less food, and ultimately it'll be a huge savings in health expenses. I'll come back to this thread more often now because it really does help me stay focused and motivated.

Sand_TIger · October 19

Bit of an update - because of pharmacy issues my next dose will be a couple days late. However, since the half life of Tirzepatide is 5 days according to the manufacturer, I'll still have some medication in my system even if it's late.

Strategies: I may bump up my calories a little to help with satiety during that last day or two but I don't want to go over maintenance. I've been making sure that my portions have been fairly small in volume so that will help me stay on track since my stomach is used to small amounts, and it'll be hard to overeat. All I have to do is stay away from calorie dense foods. I'll continue prioritizing protein and fiber to help with fullness even as the effects of the medication fade, so I think I'll be okay. If I start the weekly dose on tuesday or wednesday instead of monday, I should be able to get right back on track.

Just posting this as hopefully useful information in case someone else has the same situation with tirzepatide/Mounjaro! :-D

faurotann · October 19

I'm glad to see you're back. I've missed you. I couldn't find your old blog which I wanted to re-read since I figured you had not posted anything new.

Sand_TIger · October 19

faurotann wrote: »

I'm glad to see you're back. I've missed you. I couldn't find your old blog which I wanted to re-read since I figured you had not posted anything new.

Thank you - that's sweet! Yeah, MFP deleted ALL the blogs so this thread is about all that's left. I think I managed to save all the content but there's nowhere here to post it! Unless I set up a "blog thread?" That might be an idea. I have a blog site over on Wordpress but I don't want to ask people to go to outside links.

Sand_TIger · October 20

Thoughts on my current experience on Tirzepatide (generic Mounjaro):

I've just closed out my first week on it. I'm starting to get a little hungry today but not bad, nothing like the hunger I usually feel. I'm using this as a tool to help me re-learn what my actual portion sizes should be, which is working out well because I actually feel satisfied with the listed serving sizes. For example, 60 grams of multi grain raisin bran cereal with one cup of skim milk seems like a good amount instead of the way it would usually feel, a good start and I want three times as much.

I've done this before without any medical help but it was so hard to go back to extreme restriction. In order to lose anything I need to cut my calories to around 1500 or less, considering the fact that I'm short and fine boned. That can be really frustrating and tiring especially when I'm also dealing with work stress! So it feels good to have something to take my mind off of food and just let me get on with the business of losing weight.

I did something I slightly regret yesterday, though it was a very valuable learning experience. The spouse really wanted deep fried cod and fries last night. It sounded good to me too so I measured out portions and made sure I wasn't going to over-indulge. However I noticed three things: The fries tasted sweet for some reason, even though I didn't even use ketchup. The cod tasted like it had been marinated in chlorine, even though it had been really good wild caught stuff. And the oil gave me indigestion. My spouse is on the same medication but noticed none of these things. It ways day 6 since our latest dose and it wears off on her faster. So I told the spouse that I'd be willing to make this again if she wanted some but I wasn't having any more cod till I'm off this medication! Live and learn.

So far today I'm still on track and I'm looking forward to the rest of this journey. Funny how less junk tries to leap into my cart when I'm out shopping!

SbetaK · October 21

I didn't know that besides the news feed, they also removed the blogs! I used to read yours. I sure wish the new "investors" of this site would sell it to a different entity, a group who listens to their members, sees that most of us really liked and used the features that the current group removed, and reinstates them. Seems a very large number of people have dropped the premium pay and returned to the free one as it has lost the reasons that many of us enjoyed and needed. I feel like the news feed and the blogs played a big part for many members. It helped us be motivated, inspired, boosted up when feeling down, and cheered on. It was a draw that helped keep us coming back. Anyway, rant rant.... Glad to see you back, wondered how you were doing. Good job on getting back on track with something that works for you while you've only had a little back-peddling. And thanks for sharing.

Sand_TIger · October 21

I hear you! I'd actually pay for premium if it got me the blogs and news feed back. This site is about half as usuful to me as it used to be. Thanks for being here and I appreciate your kind thoughts!

Sand_TIger · October 31

Happy Halloween everyone!

Here's what I've experienced so far on tirzepatide, I'm still on the starting dose:

Good sustained weight loss (so far 2-3 pounds a week)
Reduced sugar cravings, and I when I do eat sugar it's not quite as good
Increased preference for whole grains and protein
Improved sense of smell for whatever reason
Increased energy
Slightly elevated thirst

I notice that it starts wearing off Friday or Saturday, if I've taken it Monday, which makes sense because it's going to be half as effective 5 days after the dose. (Half life of Tirzepatide is 5 days) I still have some effect though, I just have to be more careful about what I eat and not over-do.

Also the medication works a LOT better if I have a couple large cups of coffee early in the day, and prioritize protein and fiber. It's night and day if I do that. My hunger is so manageable it's just wonderful.

The only truly negative side effect I've had is persistent heartburn if I have too much fat. That's not too big a problem for me though. Onward and downward!

SandTiger's work in progress thread - starting weight 245

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