Wowza! I'm over here trying not to be fat anymore and y'all are making my head swell so much I may be retaining weight. ;)

In all seriousness, I appreciate all the messages, calls, and social media posts in response to my first blog entry. I also love the 8 PEOPLE that have already signed up at our clinic to go along this journey with me. Woohoo!!

So here I am 5 days in to this new weight loss medication and I'm down 6 pounds so far (in case you were ready for a super early update). While I don't have intentions of weighing everyday, I was curious to see if there was an initial change. 

Fortunately, I haven't had any side effects or anything to note--no nausea, extreme fatigue, etc. I even ate some fried cheese balls (omg, BWs) almost as a dare to see how my body responded. Truthfully, I was hoping it made me ill to teach me a lesson, but nothing happened! (Reminder: I've just started the loading dose and that can change as I increase.)

The only thing I've really noticed is that I'm saving enough money in food to cover the cost of my script! My meals make 3-4 portions, so I've only bought two "meals" since I started (in case you're wondering how to fit the program into your budget). 

So far so good. I'm just moving on down...

Cheers,
K

Most women get a bit squeamish talking about their weight. I've certainly never been the contradiction, but I've also laughed at myself--as if y'all wouldn't know I was fat if you didn't see the scale reading (face palm, eye roll, laughing emojis). To make it all more awkward, if you've known me for longer than the last few years, you've seen me lose a person, gain a person (and then gain her twin, too) to the tune of about 170 pounds.

What a roller coaster of depression-causing, joint-aching, blood pressure-rising, embarrassment-boosting ridiculousness!

It's become so easy to make excuses: childhood trauma, horrific first marriage, crappy bosses, lost jobs, moving to a tiny town you hate, "but PCOS makes me fat; it's not my fault." The reality is I place all my energy and efforts in the wrong things because depression and anxiety are real and they can be debilitating. Who knew ADHD diagnosis/medication in my late 30s could clear some cob webs and fuel me to BE better, try harder, matter more...

To be clear, I find myself to be extremely smart. (Like, it's not even fair to be this funny, quick-witted, AND a genius--yet here I am.) Knowing I'm not a complete idiot does make it even more frustrating to reflect on how I treat myself (I should know better). There's generally a stigma related to morbid obesity correlating with lack of education, ignorance, laziness, etc. So I just wanted to clarify: not an idiot, but just make a lot of really bad decisions. 

So here we are... the polarizing decision. To be clear, I don't need to know if what you think I'm doing is a good idea or not. I don't care if you have a 45-minute story of how you're happy and healthy because you sleep 8 hours each night and only eat chia seeds and dirt. The reality is, I self-sabotage anytime I hit a mental health slump and right now I need a little kick to get this ball rolling (in the interest of not dying before I turn 40).

Enter the prescription.

While I'll never champion a quick-fix fad or pill and I do understand required life changes and nutritional support, I also believe that sometimes we just need help. I need help. Lots of us need help. I started this new medication yesterday (FDA approved for chronic weight loss) and I'm feeling hopeful, but I think accountability (in a BIG WAY here) is just what I need. So, I'm telling all of you!

I want to share the experience--the ups and downs of medical weight loss (side effects, victories, battles). If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm fine with humiliating myself in the interest of sharing information. I'm also excited for people to join in along the way.

So here goes nothing... wait, I mean, "here goes a whole bunch of pounds."

Day one: 324 lbs

Feel free to cheer me on instead of waiting for me to fail; I can feel the energy either way.

Cheers,
Kalin