This blog post is a Week 20 update on my use of Ozempic. If you would like to follow my entire journey with Ozempic, please feel free to click here.
I am officially into month five of using Ozempic to lower my A1C and help aid weight loss. There have definitely been pros and cons along the way, however, overall I am excited about the results that I’m seeing.
Side Effects:
I realize this information may be repetitive if you have read my earlier posts, but some of it is worth mentioning again.
The biggest side effect that I continue to see is the loss of appetite. This doesn’t mean that I don’t get hungry. I do. I even sometimes still feel like I’m starving, but this is definitely less often than before.
Many times I will be hungry, cook something, take a few bites, and then feel full. Other days, I will go until the evening time and not eat a thing simply because I don’t feel the need to.
I believe I talked about it in an earlier post, but I’m learning to not eat just because it’s lunch time or dinner time. First off, I don’t need it, and second, if I eat too much, I get sick.
The other big side effect that I am seeing with Ozempic is the nausea.
If I eat too much, especially close to my injection day (which is once a week), then I will get very nauseous. I have thrown up twice since beginning my journey with Ozempic. If I remember to think about my food choices (and not just eat because I think it’s time to eat) then I can usually help control this piece.
One other side effect I would mention to someone if they told me they were starting Ozempic tomorrow would be the Ozempic burps/gas.
It’s a real thing.
It sounds weird, but your burps smell awful (sometimes, not always) and you just seem to burp exponentially more when on Ozempic than you ever did before.
I read an article about how Ozempic changes the rate of how food leaves your stomach. Because it stays there longer, you feel full more often, and it also triggers your body to create more acid to break down the food particles. I don’t know if this is true or not, however I do know it feels like your body is bloated and filled with air/gasses that need to escape in some way or another (burps or toots).
If you have had a day where you have not ate that much food, the bloating is not there and the burps are less.
Okay – enough blog talk about burping.
Sugar Levels:
I made a goal to start checking my sugar at least twice a day. I’ve been sticking with that and have been pleasantly surprised.
I took my sugar a couple of mornings ago and it was 97! I haven’t seen a number under 100 in ages. A few other times this past week I had 104, 117, etc…
Overall, my sugar has been great.
Now, the other day, I had a drumstick. I’m not talking about a chicken leg or a stick that a drummer might use to rock out the beat to a Springsteen song.
I’m talking about ice cream – in a waffle cone, topped with a hard chocolate shell, covered in nuts, and filled with creamy vanilla ice cream goodness in the center. Then there’s the bottom of the cone – that last bite that is filled with chocolate. I have a yearning for them sometimes.
Well, I took my sugar after eating a drumstick the other day and it was 225. I think it was my only time I had a number in the 200s this past week (when I checked), but I should note that it did happen.
It’s okay. It was worth it.
Weight Loss:
- 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
- Total Lost: -22.4 lbs
Enjoying the Results!
I’m not sure what it was about this past week, but I’m happier than I’ve been in awhile.
I haven’t had the headaches that I used to have with my high blood sugar levels. My face hasn’t felt flushed and heated in awhile, which was another side effect for me with high sugar levels.
I’m beginning to see results with the weight loss. I mentioned in a prior post that my rings are loose on my hands. My clothes are also fitting better and it just feels easier to move around and do things.
Now, the sun has been out as well this past week. I’m wondering if the warmer temps have also played a role in my uplifting mood.
I’m not sure what it is, but I’m glad I’m feeling better, both in body and mind.
I think my family is, too. I haven’t been as grumpy lately, and that’s good for all of us.
Goals for Today:
- Make a Veggie Tray for the Super Bowl
- Work in my Cabin
- Sit by the Fireplace & Watch Football