stevenpiziks (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
stevenpiziks) wrote2022-09-18 11:17 am
stevenpiziks) wrote2022-09-18 11:17 am
Entry tags:
The Garanteed, Never-Fail, Totally True, No-Fun Way To Lose Weight
I take a lot of meds. They manage kidney stones, diabetes (though I'm barely diabetic), and anxiety/depression.
These meds are replete with side-effects, though, and I'm starting to wonder if the side-effects are worse than what they're treating. Three meds I'm on can cause dry mouth, and at least one of them does. Two others can cause dizziness, and they do. When I'm going a good clip on my treadmill and stop suddenly, I sometimes get dizzy and my vision dims. It never lasts more than few moments, but it's unnerving and definitely no fun.
And one medication causes nausea and loss of appetite. That's supposed to wear off in a week or two as the body adjusts. It hasn't for me. I have this continual, low-grade nausea, and I only rarely actually feel hungry. Often just the thought of food makes me grimace.
I don't feel up to eating breakfast most days. I bring a bagel sandwich to work, in case I suddenly feel like eating, and I always still have it by the end of the school day. For lunch, my habit is to bring a frozen microwavable meal, and I brought one on the first day of school, but I had no interest in it by the time lunch came around. A couple days later, I finally put it in the work room freezer, where it can stay until I feel like eating it. Most days, I make myself eat some sandwich crackers.
After work, I sometimes feel a bit hungry, and I'll nibble the bagel sandwich. Sometimes I can eat the whole thing, but often I can only stand half of it. Evenings I do get more hungry, but never so much that I feel like cooking. I make small, easy meals, and I eat maybe half of what I normally do.
The foods I can stomach most easily are simple carbs (which is the polar opposite of what diabetics are supposed to eat). Sugary kid cereals sound good, so I eat them for a snack, and make myself drink all the milk.
I still run, and I still have physical therapy. The latter has become more strength-based instead of movement-based, and my smart watch tells me that I get about a half hour of aerobic exercise, so on PT days, I cut my run down from three miles to two.
All this means that I'm losing weight. Since going on this drug, I've lost seven pounds. This morning, I weighed myself and saw I'd lost another half pound. I now weigh 180. I was at 187 when I started the medication. (At my heaviest, I was at 215.)
This is good and bad. The weight loss is good. While I'm outwardly happy in the mid-180s and have sworn never to get above 190 again, my inner "it would be nice, but don't kill yourself for it" goal is the mid-170s. That looks within easy reach now.
The food part is bad. I worry that I'll lose too much weight! I also don't LIKE this new relationship with food. I love to cook, but not when I'm nauseated. I've basically lost interest in what's been a major hobby for a big part of my life.
Today, for example, I managed a bowl of cereal for breakfast and a banana for lunch. I ate half the banana, put it down, and forgot about it. When I realized what I'd done, I made myself eat the rest. I checked my blood sugar. It was 87. And I'm not at all hungry.
I have an appointment with my endocrinologist next week, and I think we need to talk alternatives to this drug. I'm also going to make appointments with my other doctors about the other side-effects.
These meds are replete with side-effects, though, and I'm starting to wonder if the side-effects are worse than what they're treating. Three meds I'm on can cause dry mouth, and at least one of them does. Two others can cause dizziness, and they do. When I'm going a good clip on my treadmill and stop suddenly, I sometimes get dizzy and my vision dims. It never lasts more than few moments, but it's unnerving and definitely no fun.
And one medication causes nausea and loss of appetite. That's supposed to wear off in a week or two as the body adjusts. It hasn't for me. I have this continual, low-grade nausea, and I only rarely actually feel hungry. Often just the thought of food makes me grimace.
I don't feel up to eating breakfast most days. I bring a bagel sandwich to work, in case I suddenly feel like eating, and I always still have it by the end of the school day. For lunch, my habit is to bring a frozen microwavable meal, and I brought one on the first day of school, but I had no interest in it by the time lunch came around. A couple days later, I finally put it in the work room freezer, where it can stay until I feel like eating it. Most days, I make myself eat some sandwich crackers.
After work, I sometimes feel a bit hungry, and I'll nibble the bagel sandwich. Sometimes I can eat the whole thing, but often I can only stand half of it. Evenings I do get more hungry, but never so much that I feel like cooking. I make small, easy meals, and I eat maybe half of what I normally do.
The foods I can stomach most easily are simple carbs (which is the polar opposite of what diabetics are supposed to eat). Sugary kid cereals sound good, so I eat them for a snack, and make myself drink all the milk.
I still run, and I still have physical therapy. The latter has become more strength-based instead of movement-based, and my smart watch tells me that I get about a half hour of aerobic exercise, so on PT days, I cut my run down from three miles to two.
All this means that I'm losing weight. Since going on this drug, I've lost seven pounds. This morning, I weighed myself and saw I'd lost another half pound. I now weigh 180. I was at 187 when I started the medication. (At my heaviest, I was at 215.)
This is good and bad. The weight loss is good. While I'm outwardly happy in the mid-180s and have sworn never to get above 190 again, my inner "it would be nice, but don't kill yourself for it" goal is the mid-170s. That looks within easy reach now.
The food part is bad. I worry that I'll lose too much weight! I also don't LIKE this new relationship with food. I love to cook, but not when I'm nauseated. I've basically lost interest in what's been a major hobby for a big part of my life.
Today, for example, I managed a bowl of cereal for breakfast and a banana for lunch. I ate half the banana, put it down, and forgot about it. When I realized what I'd done, I made myself eat the rest. I checked my blood sugar. It was 87. And I'm not at all hungry.
I have an appointment with my endocrinologist next week, and I think we need to talk alternatives to this drug. I'm also going to make appointments with my other doctors about the other side-effects.