It’s been 40 weeks on Ozempic. I have learned a great deal in the past 10 months since I started taking my weekly injection shots.
It has been a long journey, but a fulfilling one.
This post is my Week 40 update. If you would like to read about my journey from the beginning, please click here to access all of my Ozempic posts.
Side Effects:
I have committed to full disclosure on this blog. Because of that, I have to tell you that I threw up a couple of days ago.
It was completely an ‘Ozempic’ throw up, as opposed to something I ate or a stomach ‘bug.’ It has happened now probably 4-5 times since I began this journey last September. I have had numerous bouts of nausea, but rarely do I actually throw up.
I know I was sick due to Ozempic because of the steps of it. We had pasta salad one evening. I had a small portion of it, but I should have known better. Pasta has not been the best choice for me while on Ozempic. Prior to the pasta, I had a cheeseburger, along with a couple of granola bars. (We just started a week-long family vacation and our eating schedule is a little out of whack.)
I was feeling okay when I went to sleep, however in the middle of the night, I could tell I was all bloated and gassy. When I woke up, I felt like I had a huge burp that I needed to let out. I didn’t think I could trust it, so I went with my ‘gut’ (haha) and ran to the bathroom to burp while holding the waste basket.
It was a good choice because the pasta noodles came right up with the rumbling burp. I did the same a couple more times and then that was it. My stomach issues were fine after that, except for a little bit of soreness from the muscles contracting.
I’m not sure this is correct or not, but it’s almost like my stomach could not fit the noodles, as well as the gassy air at the same time. The pressure felt so great that I knew my stomach was going to unload once I burped.
Beyond that particular incident, the rest of the week was fairly uneventful. If I was nauseous, it would just come and go. I did have the burping and bloating feeling, but that’s fairly normal with how my journey has been going.
Sugar Levels:
I took my sugar a little while ago and it was 93! That is unheard of for me.
I still have higher than normal sugar in the morning, however the numbers are always in the 100s now.
It is such a relief to not have to deal with the headaches and dizziness that I associated with my high glucose levels from the past. I have this sense of accomplishment knowing that something positive is happening with my body. I’m the kind of person that will go to one doctor’s appointment, and leave with three more because of all the things that seem to go wrong with me.
For me, taking Ozempic has been a step in the right direction.
Weight Loss:
I lost 1.2 pounds this past week. There’s been a nice pattern of losing weight, however I’m anticipating that to change next week due to me being on vacation with the family. I’ll attempt to behave, but we will see if that holds true.
- Week 1: -4.5 lbs
- Week 2: –1.5 lbs
- Week 3: -1 lb
- Week 4: -2.8 lbs
- Week 5: -1.6 lbs
- Week 6: +1 lb
- Week 7: +1 lb
- Week 8: +/- 0 lbs
- Week 9-11: – Didn’t Weigh In
- Week 12: -3 lbs
- Week 14: -3.4 lbs
- Week 15: -1.4 lbs
- Week 16: -2 lbs
- Week 17: +1 lb
- Week 18: -0.8 lb
- Week 19: -2 lb
- Week 20: -1.4 lbs
- Week 21: + 1.2 lbs
- Week 22: Didn’t Weigh In
- Week 23: -1.6 lbs
- Week 24: -1 lb
- Week 25: -1.2 lbs
- Week 26: +0.8 lbs
- Week 27: Didn’t Weigh In
- Week 28: +1.2 lbs
- Week 29: -1 lb
- Week 30: Didn’t Weigh In
- Week 31: -1.4
- Week 32: Didn’t Weigh In
- Week 33: +1 lb
- Week 34: +/- 0 lbs
- Week 35: – 0.8 lbs
- Week 36: -1.2 lbs
- Week 37: Didn’t Weigh In
- Week 38: -0.6 lbs
- Week 39: -2.4 lbs
- Week 40: -1.2 lbs
- Total Lost: -30.6 lbs
Is there a psychological aspect of taking Ozempic?
I came across an article recently regarding Ozempic. I don’t tend to read them, and I never did prior to my journey beginning last year, however I thought I’d skim it and see what it was about.
The person being interviewed in the article, Johann Hari, states that he lost 42 pounds and was surprised at how full he felt so quickly after he started eating. I could relate to that, so I continued to read on. The title of the article states that J. Hari was ‘shaken by the drug’s psychological toll.’ I wanted to see where he was going with this.
Basically, towards the end of the article, Johann states that he was unable to use food as a coping mechanism to feel better anymore and that bothered him.
There’s a part of me that understands this, however it’s also the whole point of people being on the drug for weight loss. The idea is to feel full faster.
I do remember telling a co-worker around Christmas time that it was a little sad to lose the ability to eat some of your favorite foods. Holiday meals are not as exciting anymore because you can’t eat more than a couple spoonfuls of your favorite dish before you are full.
I can see both sides to this argument, however if you know prior to taking the medication that it will make you not be able to eat as much, you shouldn’t complain when it does just that.
Am I wrong in this? Maybe I’m just showing my Gen X attitude in regards to what comes off as complaining to me.
Goals for Today:
- Go Fishing
- Bake Cookies
- Sit on the Balcony and Look at the Lake