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Pamelaory’s journey

pamelaory
pamelaory Posts: 31 Member
in Social Groups
Hello!
I am here because I need to make some serious life changes and can use all the support I can get. About a month ago, I had a doctors apt. And discovered that my a1c has risen to 8.something. Last year, I went from being a pre-diabetic to being a full blown diabetic and they put me on additional meds then too. This time they prescribed Ozempic. I had no idea what I was in for. (I had never heard of it before)but even with my fear of needles, I was willing because my a1c was high as well as my cholesterol and triglycerides. Not to mention the almost 10 pounds I put on over the holidays. I know i need to make a change.

Sw: 225.2
Gw: 148
Cw: 219.8

My hope is that the decreased appetite from the Ozempic will buy me some time to learn better food and exercise habits. I’ve jumped right in. In the last month, I have joined Curves and am committed to going at least 3x week (I’ve been going 5 so far). I started seeing a nutritionist, I made a habit goal of exercising for at least 5 minutes every day, and I’m logging all my food.
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Replies

  • CaityP27
    CaityP27 Posts: 36 Member
    Welcome! It sounds like you're heading in the right direction. One tip that's helped me a lot has been to use a food scale when you're making food and to aim for mostly whole foods in your diet rather than processed stuff. Xx
  • megd44
    megd44 Posts: 351 Member
    Welcome! Agree with @CaityP27 on a food scale. That was an absolute game changer for me. That's great that you are working with a nutritionist. Hopefully that will help with your current phase as well as providing strong habits for the futre.
  • pamelaory
    pamelaory Posts: 31 Member

    thanks for the suggestions @megd44 and @CaityP27 . We have a food scale because one of our sons is a type 1 diabetic. Measuring out my portions is a good idea.
    I have an appointment with my nutritionist this morning. She told me that I would be struggling to eat enough on the Ozempic and at first, I wasn’t, and I still had terrible food noise and cravings. But when I switched from .25 to .50 dose, it was like the flip of a switch. Suddenly I was forgetting to eat and I have been getting to the end of the day with not enough consumed to complete my diary. I just don’t feel hungry, at all. I do feel better after I eat a small balanced meal though. I’ve been so focused on getting enough protein that I wasn’t eating enough carbs. Eating a protein heavy meal with no carbs leaves me feeling off, it’s hard to describe, but it’s like I’m starving somehow.
    so…. My word for today is balanced. I’m striving to eat a balanced diet with plenty of protein AND carbs. I do want to be in a calorie deficit but I don’t want my body to be in starvation mode.
    ‘

  • totameafox
    totameafox Posts: 825 Member

    Welcome to the group Pamela. I am glad you started a diary and that you are on the road to a healthier life. I am also a diabetic.

    I can tell you that carbs, even as a diabetic isn't that big of a deal. I did go very low carb a time before. It worked so well at controlling my blood sugar that if I didn't measure before going to bed, my meds might have dropped me too low. But this time I am not specifically cutting out high glycemic food. While I don't buy bread or potatoes for my house. I'm eating rice and corn. Watching the amount of calories I eat, keeps things under control. With my medicine (metformin and glipizide) my blood sugar is normally between 80 and 110.

    I don't count carbs at all though depending on the menu I can range from 50g to 140g. I would recommend that if you are going to go with more than 150 carbs a day that you keep your fiber high. It is completely doable on 1200 calories a day. mfp has my goal at 21g. I stopped pushing it because I was tired of eating that much food. But fiber does slow the digestion which slows the blood sugar change after you eat.

    I would ask if there is a medical reason to proscribe Ozempic over traditional medication though. I don't know how tall you are but our weight is only a few pounds a part at the moment. I'm not saying one is better than the other but with other diabetic medication there is a longer history of what the side affects are.

    As for 'food noise'. I don't really have a hunger drive. I might feel woozy at some point if I go too long without eating. So I developed a habit of eating by the clock. Eat at certain times of the day, if you are hungry or not. Since I am eating only twice a day at the moment I eat between 10:30 and 12. Then I eat at 5pm.

    Good luck to you. We can reach our goals together!

  • pamelaory
    pamelaory Posts: 31 Member

    thanks for the welcome @totameafox! I am glad to be here.
    ‘to answer your question, I am actually on 3 diabetes medications and have a family history that includes lots of complications. My other two medications are at what my dr. Calls “optimal” doses. (I think it means I’m maxed out on them). I take metformin and jardiance as well as a med for my cholesterol which is also through the roof. Even with all those, my a1c was still rising, that’s why they put me on the Ozempic.

    I had no idea what I was in for when she prescribed it. I just know I have to do something, and I became willing to do whatever it takes to try to reclaim my life.

    I used to be relatively healthy and I was more active but as time has gone on, my chronic pain issues have made it harder and harder to stay active. I also suffer from chronic migraines and for a lot of years, I just gave up trying to do anything because it seemed like anything I tried, ended in a migraine. Now, I’ve joined curves and even though I have to modify how I do a few of the machines, so far (knock on wood) the exercise hasn’t triggered a migraine.

  • totameafox
    totameafox Posts: 825 Member

    I haven't had migraine in years (also knock on wood) I was also blessed in that I could head them off at the pass. I know I have a migraine if my head hurts. I never get headaches. so if my noodle is twinging I take migraine meds and skip the rest of the fun that goes with it. I do understand chronic pain as I live with that myself. We can only do what we can do <3

    Hopefully a dietary change will help you come off ozempic. I was also prescribed jardiance but I took myself off of it when I made the dietary change. I think I took it for a month before getting my butt back in gear to be healthy. I will definitely love to hear of your progress. I think I'm going to reschedule my doctor's appointment in a couple of weeks. I want a couple more months or so to lose more weight.

  • pamelaory
    pamelaory Posts: 31 Member

    Patience is my word for the day today. Patience.
    I don’t have any. I want to lose this weight right. Now. Or at least some of it. I keep reading stories about the signs of early success in weight loss and I’m feeling left out. For example, one success I read this morning, the author had tried on a pair of pants that previously were too tight and now, they are too loose! Scale hasn’t moved a ton, but the evidence is there, in her closet. For me, that’s not working, my clothes are still too tight. Let me explain.

    For years I have weighed 215, or abouts there. But for some crazy reason, I went on a big ol’ sugar bender around thanksgiving of last year and didn’t stop until I went to the dr. In late January and discovered my a1c was up to 8.4 and my weight had ballooned up to 228! So…. Technically, I am down 8 pounds but my clothes are all still too tight, no one has noticed that I look any different, (because I don’t look any different). And I still feel like I have 5 more pounds of crazy-what-was-I-thinking-fat to lose before I can dig in and lose my “real” fat.
    So, I tell myself “be patient”. The rewards are coming. My clothes should start to feel loose in maybe another 10 pounds? I’m playing a little game with myself to see who notices my weight loss first. My husband is the only one who knows I am losing weight. My son is coming for a visit next week, maybe he will notice? I’m also curious how much I will have to lose before someone notices. Will it be 15 pounds, 20, or more?
    SW 227, CW 219.8, GW 147

  • Sunrise0123
    Sunrise0123 Posts: 124 Member

    Patience.

    Pamela, I'm sorry you're having a rough time. I'm in a similar boat. I've lost 11 lbs, but no one has noticed. It's not noticable yet in reality. I feel like my pants are a tiny bit less tight in the waist. Not much.

    I do feel better though. I have more energy, and I feel better mentally in that I know I'm healthier. I may not have patience, but I have hope for a better future.

    Maybe buy a new outfit to wear for your son's visit, something that is flattering and makes you feel better?

    From past dieting, I think people started noticing at 15-20 lbs. It also depends on what you wear.

    I hope you have a great visit with your son!

  • pamelaory
    pamelaory Posts: 31 Member

    thanks for the encouragement @Sunrise0123 ! I feel better knowing I’m not the only one waiting for some of those rewarding moments. I have noticed that even though my clothes aren’t any looser, I am wearing them with a bit more confidence. Especially my work out clothes. Ironically, before I started working out, I wouldn’t have been caught dead in stretchy pants (unless I had a long baggy shirt hiding all my flaws) but now I’m walking right into the post office after my workout. All my flabby flaws SHOWING, Haters be damned!

  • Sunrise0123
    Sunrise0123 Posts: 124 Member

    You're welcome, Pamela. Congrats on your newfound confidence!! 👏

    I haven't gone to the gym in a long time, but I remember how my feelings changed about myself in that way, too. I wasn't so self-conscious.

  • megd44
    megd44 Posts: 351 Member

    That is tough Pamela. This is a marathon and not a sprint. You will get there, and patience may be your best friend. I'm getting close to my goal weight and still have clothes I that are tight. Not sure if they ever won't be, but I feel so much better now that I am ok if I have to pass them along.

    It's great that you have the confidence to be in leggings as you are. You are showing the world a strong, proud woman. You do you and let any haters hate.

  • totameafox
    totameafox Posts: 825 Member

    We are all in this together. And we are in it for life. I do remember the wonderful feeling of shrinking and buying smaller clothes. Would you believe that I was thin shamed at one point for going into a lane bryant. I was a size 14. Got a brown pair of pants. I think they were on sale. But that was long ago.

    You will get where you want to go by continuing the journey. My family says they can tell I have lost weight. I've got a picture at 5lbs, 10lbs and 15lbs of loss and I can't see the difference. I do think some of my shorts are fitting a little looser but my clothes are oversized anyway. I probably should have taken measurements but my goals have shifted with age. Back in 2008 I was horrified to be 192lbs. Now 192 sounds quite good.

    Make a small goal. Accomplish that and then make another. 8lbs is awesome. That is still a win. You will keep winning.

  • pamelaory
    pamelaory Posts: 31 Member

    today is a YAY day!
    Sw: 227 cw: 217 Gw:147

    I’ve dropped a few more pounds! I’m now only 2 pounds away from being back to my regular overweight self. Only 2 more what-was-I-thinking pounds to lose.
    I did something kind of crazy yesterday. I’m a little hesitant to post about it because it feels pretty vulnerable to confess that I’m this confident. Well, confident isn’t the right word, not sure what the right word is though. Maybe determined? Anyway, this is what I did.
    I preordered clothes in the next size down. I wear a brand of clothes from a designer named Gudrun Sjoden. She’s a Swedish designer who makes colorful, whimsical clothes that I adore. I’ve been wearing her clothes for several years now and they are on the spendy side so I have to buy used, sales, etc. to be able to afford them. A few days ago they sent me a VIP offer for the fall line, which means I get to order from the fall collection and get 20% off my order. So I did. I ordered things in a size down anticipating that by fall, that is what size I will be. At my appointment with my nutritionist this week, she helped me calculate when (if I lose 2 pound a week) I will reach my goal weight of 147, and it will be November 23rd. It seems so soon! Anyway, the clothes are easy enough to return if I fail and they don’t charge me for them until they ship them so there is very little risk and I have plenty of time to sell my current sized wardrobe to cover the cost if I am successful which, I am determined to be.

  • Sunrise0123
    Sunrise0123 Posts: 124 Member

    Congratulations! I think it's a great idea. Sounds like you're determined and happy!

  • Sunrise0123
    Sunrise0123 Posts: 124 Member

    I just looked up the designer. Absolutely beautiful clothing!

  • totameafox
    totameafox Posts: 825 Member

    You may not be 147 pounds by November 23rd. but you will get there. Congrats on the happy news! and there is nothing wrong with adding extra motivation 😊

  • megd44
    megd44 Posts: 351 Member

    That is great motivation. 2 pounds a week right now is great, but as you get closer to your goals weight, it may be smaller. But you will get there and you will look fabulous is those clothes. I have one pair of jeans that I have used for motivation. It us fun to see how they fit the closer I get to goal.

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