Emma’s story

First month nailed! Today was the day of my first official weigh-in and measuring session, and I was eager to see the results. For once in my life, could it possibly be that the workouts combined with healthy eating actually worked? Will my efforts pay off?

I admit, even before I stood on the scales, I did feel a bit slimmer. But I won’t kid myself; this has happened before. I always ‘felt’ like some pounds must have melted away at the start of whatever latest scheme I had employed to shrink myself. It would go like this: I would step on the sad step, aka the scales, only to find the nasty needle of doom had not budged an inch. An inch would be amazing actually. I should say, the needle would not have budged a micromillimeter. Occasionally, I would see a pound or two off, sometimes even three or four pounds, but that might be ‘water weight’ or bloating. Following that miracle at the start of a diet, where you shift a couple of pounds, comes stagnation. This is when you lose no more or very little, at best. After stagnation comes the ‘sod this’ phase of the cycle, where my motivation sinks into my shoes, and I think to myself, I may as well eat the things I want and crave because eating plates of salad and cottage cheese isn’t working anyway. Off to the cupboard I would go, seeking out the mega-sized bags of sharing crisps (Sharing? Are you kidding me – I’ll eat the lot), the doughnuts, the hot cross buns smothered in butter. Anything will do really at that stage!

Anyway, I’ll stop blathering about times gone by. Today, I have good news! It worked! I have lost a colossal (for me anyway) nine pounds. On top of that, some inches have melted away. You can see the stats at the top of this blog if you’re a geek like me and need to see results in numbers. I’m still classed as obese but am on the way down, so that is only positive. I’m going to pat myself on the back here and also give a huge shout-out to CheqUp and the medication, as this would not have been possible without them.
So, let’s take a look back at the month as a whole. You last heard from me at the end of week one where I shared my thoughts on that very first week. Since then, I have definitely made some changes to my diet which have obviously worked. I want to share these thoughts with you in the hope they might be helpful to motivate you.

The upsides

A slightly odd side effect I have noticed in the last month, I am not rushing off to the loo as much. Since having the injection I have been drinking far more liquid, but for the most part, it is water and herbal teas rather than caffeinated coffee and tea. Strange I know, but it seems to be the way. Maybe my bladder is happier too.?

As for other side effects, there have been few. I was a bit nauseous in the first week but that’s probably also down to litres of water and very little food. There was also a bit of heartburn for a couple of weeks. Both soon passed and I have noticed no other problems (except for a self-inflicted one which I’ll come to soon).
The app is very helpful! My health coach, Clare, advised me to increase my protein intake. This is not an easy task for a vegetarian, I can tell you. Carbs are our go-to! But until I started using the support app I didn’t realise how little protein I was eating. I admit, I have to work on this. I am still nowhere near hitting my targets, but I’m better than I was. Clare has given me some useful ideas for sneaking protein in my diet. For example, adding ground-up flax seeds and extra pumpkin seeds to salad and protein shakes. I will have to go shopping again!

The downsides

Whilst my appetite did initially disappear, over the course of the first month I noticed it did creep back. I quite enjoyed not being a slave to my appetite for the first couple of weeks, but it was also hard because there was no real joy in eating. Well, maybe for a couple of mouthfuls, and then I had to force myself as I knew only two mouthfuls of a meal was not sustainable. Anyway, that total lack of hunger didn’t last! I found I could eat more again in the last week or so. Not huge portions but still more than at the start of the month. The food noise was getting a bit louder again. A worry crept in – is the medication not working anymore? Will I go back to ‘before’?

After chatting with my Health Coach, she reassured me this was all normal. Most people need to up their dose after the first month. The starting dose is primarily designed to acclimatise you to the medication. Apparently, some people won’t notice any difference in their appetite or food noise in the first month, so I am grateful. It is working! Onwards and upwards as they say.

Another not-so-pleasant side effect, which in a way is also a good thing, is what happens if you over-indulge. This happened to me in week three, and I will be talking more about it in my next blog which is all about holidays. Let’s just say, if you eat a plate (well, half) of deliciously, unctuous four-cheese pasta, you will probably not feel great afterwards. For twenty-four hours, I felt like I had a brick of stodgy cheese stuck in my gut. My energy dropped so badly I could barely stay awake and after walking up 50 steps from the beach I was done in. This is not like me at all. It was not a pleasant experience and I now know what it must be like to have a proper glucose crash. Stay away from the high-fat food. Lesson learnt!

Motivation talk – for me and for you!

Having read numerous accounts of other people’s journeys during my research, I have realised this is not going to be a quick fix. There’s no magic wand to rid yourself of your excess weight (if only!) An injection is not going to melt your fat away while you carry on with business as normal. That’s not how it works. I’m saying this to be honest with myself and with all of you. There’s no judgment here as we’re all in this together, but I don’t want anyone to see this as an easy-peasy solution only to fail. The medication is like a big helping hand. If you make changes to your lifestyle (including healthy eating and exercise), it will give you the boost you need and make your dieting life so much easier.

This is a change for life, but it’s 100% going to improve things for you and I, if we go all in. In addition to losing weight, we’ll also improve our health. Down go the scales and with it, the risks for heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and certain types of cancer. I have read plenty of information about people even being able to reverse their type 2 diabetes by slimming down, which is, of course, a great result.

We’ve all ended up here for different reasons, but the end result we are all hoping for is the same. We want to be slimmer and healthier. Everyone reacts differently to the medication.. For some of us, the results will be instant; for others, it may take a month or two to really get going, but I’m going to trust the journey and follow my Health Coach’s advice. I hope I’ll be reading your success stories, somewhere online in no time!

It’s officially summertime here in the UK. As I write this blog it is blazing hot and, gulp, a time which strikes fear into many of us thinking of having to bare our flesh in public again. Goodbye forgiving baggy hoodies and comfy leggings – you’re going back in the wardrobe for now. Hello skin on show! Of course, I may point out, British summertime can also be a time of torrential rain and chilly temperatures, as we all know too well, but so far this year it’s been pretty warm and very dry.

Another issue with summer is hot weather cuisine. I’m talking sizzling barbeques stacked with grease-laden burgers, sausages and ribs, thirst quenching cocktails which go down so well you find you’ve consumed way too much before you know it, pints of ice-cold beer or cider. And that’s before we talk about ice creams, cream teas and all that jazz. It’s a literal smorgasbord of calories. A dieter’s nightmare. The trouble is, it all tastes so good so even if you are hyper aware of not eating stuff like that, as I am, I don’t want to deny myself. However, all it takes is one evening of having fun with friends or family and letting yourself off the hook et voila, there’s another pound of fat on the hips. I’ve spoken of the guilt I feel which is associated with eating anything other than a plate of raw salad before. Summer is a time when that guilt is rife.

I’m not a big drinker. I do however like a pint or two of lager on a hot day and if you offer me a Pimms or three and I’m not driving, I’m in. However, this isn’t a regular occurrence. Weeks can go by between me drinking alcohol and part of the reason is the little chattering monkeys in my head telling me ‘There’s loads of calories in that’ and ‘don’t do it.’ I’m also a vegetarian so generally a veggie bbq is not quite as bad as a meat one, but, don’t get me wrong, I can do a lot of damage if there’s things like coleslaw, potato salad or halloumi cheese on offer. What I’m trying to say is, it doesn’t take much to ‘go wrong’. One night off the dieting cards can undo a week of early morning workouts and walking 12 000 steps a day. That’s just the way it is for those of us who can’t eat as much as normal people. Add in the dreaded peri-menopause where your metabolism drops off a shelf as deep as the Mariana Trench and you’ve had it. Back into the winter clothing wardrobe to find those forgiving, stretchy leggings again and pray for rain and cold!

Let’s talk about holidays

This year, I had a week’s holiday in Croatia, taken at the end of May to coincide with the kid’s half-term holidays. We stayed in a self-catering cabin on a large campsite on the Istrian peninsula. If you’ve been reading my other blogs, you will have seen me talk about it as it happened to coincide with my second week on weight loss medication. I’m not going to lie; I was a bit concerned about how I was going to cope with it being so early on in my journey. I don’t want to parrot what I have already written but being on holiday did make me think, this is a topic deserving of a blog all of its own. So, here we are! Let’s talk about holidaying with weight loss meds and how it went.

Don’t forget to take your pen with you!

First things first, take your pen with you! It can be stored out of the fridge for up to 30 days if you need it to be but, be aware, it can’t be stored at temperatures over 30 degrees. I had a fridge in my cabin so I just popped it in there for the duration of my holiday – no worries. If you are on a road trip or camping you might have to be a bit creative with gel packs but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Another thing to mention, if you are flying, ask your Health Coach for a medication certificate. You can then pop it in your hand luggage and if customs decide to root through your belongings, you can just show them the certificate and all will be fine. No one batted an eyelid at mine!

Whatever your destination, the same rules apply

Now, I realise not all people get to choose where they go on holiday and what type of break you have. It’s very much dependent on budget and who you go with. The principles of eating healthily while on weight loss medication remain the same whether you are heading for an all-you-can-eat buffet in Vegas or for a walking holiday in the Lake District. Don’t panic if you are going to an all-inclusive hotel either. In fact, it makes things a whole lot easier as you will have choices over what you eat.

Before we come to the little principles I followed on holiday, let me just remind you about the beauty of weight loss medication. It makes the healthy eating rules so much easier to adhere to. With the food noise much diminished I found I didn’t want to choose the junk food so much. Even if I did fancy something smothered in cheese (Croatian food is very much influenced by Italy) I found I only needed a small portion to be satiated. It was great! Only two slices of pizza was enough. That has NEVER happened before.

I did have a fresh croissant from the bakery a couple of times but I have to admit, I didn’t really enjoy it so I just didn’t eat it all. I did however really enjoy the fresh, juicy strawberries on offer and was totally happy with a bowl of salad for lunch or dinner.
Treat yourself!

Be prepared to not eat everything on your plate. Chances are you won’t be able to. When it came to pizza, I just asked for a box to take the remains back to the cabin for the rest of the family to scoff. One day I decided to have an iced coffee, heavily laced with ice cream. I really fancied it, even though I knew I probably shouldn’t, but as it turned out I could only manage half. I enjoyed every slurp whilst listening to the voice in my head telling me I was full and ended up giving the other half to my other half. He has no problems consuming vast amounts of sugar and was quite happy with this situation.

Have a drink if you want to! Why not, you are on holiday. But, if the medication is doing its job you may well find you only want one or two. I had a beer on the first night and to be honest, I didn’t fancy another. I was quite satisfied with sparkling water (weird, I know!) Not everyone will feel this way but from what I have read, a lot of people find they automatically cut back on alcohol without feeling they are missing out – yet another bonus!

Don’t forget your water bottle

Whilst on the subject of drink, may I remind you about water. Drink lots! Apart from needing two litres a day when on medication, flying and travelling in general can make you more dehydrated, plus if you are somewhere hot, you’ll need even more. Keep drinking. Your digestive system will thank you for it.

I should mention, on my last day I did choose a four-cheese pasta for lunch. It was a big mistake. It was way too heavy for my belly and even though I only ate half a bowl I found myself feeling sick afterwards. In addition to that I also felt incredibly tired, the type of fatigue you experience after a mega Christmas dinner. I barely had any energy, my legs felt like lead and I had to sleep off the food coma of my own making. That evening, I could only manage the smallest salad for tea and the next day I felt like I had eaten a brick. It was not a nice feeling, but a lesson learnt – if I plan on having something as rich as that in the future, I will only have the tiniest amount. To be honest though, I think I have been put right off.

So, in summary, I didn’t find holidaying with weight loss medication any problem at all. In fact, it kind of helped. I didn’t overeat (except for pasta-gate of course) so I had no food guilt. I wasn’t bloated so felt marginally better parading around in my swimming costume and I saved some money on food to boot (Croatia is not cheap). I’d say the main thing to bear in mind when you head off on your summer hols is to be sensible. Don’t deny yourself anything but listen to your body so you don’t end up overdoing it. And, no matter how crappy you feel this year about being overweight, just remember, if you stick with CheqUp, by next year all your efforts will be totally and utterly worth it!