GLP-1

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is a hormone produced in the small intestine and colon in response to food intake. It has many functions in the gastrointestinal tract, including:

- Regulating appetite: GLP-1 acts on the hypothalamus to increase satiety and slows down gut motility.
- Inhibiting gastric emptying: GLP-1 delays the emptying of the stomach.
- Inhibiting gastric acid secretion: GLP-1 may also inhibit the secretion of gastric acid.

The main side effects are gastrointestinal. Some people are affected more than others. Mine could be worse. It’s definitely there (constipation…sorry if TMI lol), but not SO bad Magnesium Citrate is a big help. That’s the brand I use and it’s a capsule instead of nasty-tasting liquid. Also, you learn to take your shot on a day you don’t have to be away from home much the next day, just in case. (It’s injectable once a week)

Some patients count calories, but it seems most do not till they get pretty close to goal. I haven’t so far because the protein, water, and fiber are enough to track, and the GLP-1 drug really works well without calorie counting (assuming you aren’t binging or something). But these drugs really turn off the food noise in your brain that make you think about food so much, so you really aren’t likely to be binging anyway.

For me, it’s difficult at times to make myself eat. There is like 90% no hunger now. That’s due in part to the slowing down of your digestive tract making you feel full a lot longer (thus the digestive issues).

ELECTROLYTES:

It’s a good idea to increase electrolytes as well. I put flavored electrolyte powder (linked below) to help my water taste better which makes me want to drink more water too.

Here’s what AI brought up in a google search about it:

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a hormone that plays a role in sodium and water homeostasis in humans. It increases sodium excretion by the kidneys and may reduce sodium absorption by the gastrointestinal tract to control extracellular volume expansion. Staying hydrated can help with some of the gastrointestinal (GI) side effects that people experience while taking GLP-1 medications, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. To stay hydrated, you can try sprinkling salt (real mineral salt like Redmond’s Real Salt) or adding an electrolyte powder to your water. Electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and chloride help deliver water to your cells.

EXERCISE:

Any calorie burning is a good idea when you are trying to lose weight, so working up a cardio sweat is beneficial. But what is really promoted with those of us taking the GLP-` drugs is STRENGTH TRAINING. Strength training can help maintain or regain muscle mass, boost metabolism, and improve bone density, among other reasons.

I plan to get back to freezer cooking and have meals ready to go in the freezer and just pull them out the the night before. That really helps! That’s the topic for a future post 🙂

Hello friends 🙂

This is the first of what I hope to be many installments about weight loss, nutrition, and anything that affects either one along the way.

It’s high time I expand my blog a bit, and since I’m on a new weight loss journey, I decided to share the journey with you, as I mentioned in my previous post. For several reasons, really: accountability for me, inspiration for those on the same journey as myself, to (hopefully) bring glory to God for guiding me along the way, step by step, and for His many blessings.

HISTORY

Here’s a picture share for a little history. Highest weight, till the day of this posting:

I shared my past weight battle here in my video HERE.

NEW JOURNEY

This NEW journey (as I’ve fought this battle my entire life from teenage years to now) began in January of this year, as so many of my most successful efforts have. I’ll fill you in on it chronologically 🙂

The past four years or so ago, I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid. I was put on levothyroxine to manage that and through the last four years my doctor had to keep increasing the dose as lab results showed that the levels were still way too low.

This past January I got my eating (and my brain -my resolve) on track and got busy trying my hardest to lose weight and get healthier.

January came and went…February…March…April. I lost a whopping 8 (eight) pounds from the beginning of January till the beginning of May. Two pounds a MONTH. So at my recent yearly checkup, I talked to my primary care physician and told her how hard I’d been working and the little results I achieved. She gave me a referral to Akron General Hospital/Cleveland Clinic’s weight loss clinic.

When the appointment (virtual) came, the doctor was my previous primary care doctor who had left to go into obesity medicine, so we were already acquainted with each other. That made it such an easier talk and I felt much more comfortable as I have always liked her.

The appointment began with her advising me on fat and fiber (been there, done that…) and gut health. Ok now…I’m familiar with researching “Leaky Gut Syndrome” when my son’s autism became apparent. But I’d never heard it in relation to weight loss. I was intrigued.

I’ll link you to more info on that HERE.

When I filled out the forms for the clinic before hand, I had to tick a box either for surgical or non-surgical methods. I chose non-surgical as I’d already had the Roux-En-Y gastric bypass about 20 years ago. I’d lost 157 pounds then. You see my video about the history of all that HERE.

I felt myself thinking, “Is this all this appointment is going to come to? Just information?” But then she asked me, “Have you ever considered injectable weight loss medications?” I explained that they made me nervous because my friend Sherril had taken Phen-Phen years ago and it resulted in serious heart problems she suffered for years and that she had passed away a few years ago (she sang at my husband’s funeral almost five years ago now).

She went on to explain the improvements in obesity medicine since then and explained to me about MOUNJARO (tirzepatide, a GLP-1 drug) and how that works. Again, I’ll refer you to HERE to understand that. She told me it’s a newer drug than Ozempic and how she felt it worked much better as it has two more hormones in it than Ozempic does. Hormones your stomach is supposed to create naturally and many obese patients are lacking in that. GLP-1 is Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar, digestion and appetite.

So I went to the pharmacy and picked up the prescription and came home and put it in the refrigerator and hopped online to research it all as thoroughly as I could.

I took my first 2.5 mg dose a few days later. It was May 6th, 2024. It’s injectable, but it’s a pen, not a needle and vial and it couldn’t be easier to inject. Even a squeamish person could do it.

A month went by and it was time to increase to the 5 mg. dose, but the whole country was stuck under backorders of it due to shortages. I was able to remain on the 2.5 for three weeks then the 5 mg was finally available.

I’ve been on the 5 mg. dose for three weeks now, and I just got a message from my doctor today that she had sent in the prescription for the next higher dose, 7.5. Soon afterwards, I got a text from the pharmacy that it was ready for pick up. That brings me to this moment as I type. I’ll be picking up my prescription in a few hours. Tomorrow is my normal injection day so I’ll start on the 7.5!

I’m thrilled about that, because in my research recently, I discovered that the 2.5 mg dose and the 5 mg. dose both are introductory doses to make sure your body can handle it. Then from 7.5 and up to 15 mg is the weight loss doses.

I have lost 27 1/2 pounds since January, however. (Eight pounds of that before the Mounjaro).

Mounjaro is supposed to suppress your appetite, and BOY has it. I have to remind myself to eat and I usually don’t really feel like it when I do. I’ve had to increase my protein intake and fiber (both a necessity when on Mounjaro especially) to avoid your weight loss being muscle weight and not true fat weight.

Although I had sworn off TikTok, I found a lot bigger Mounjaro community there and a lot more videos that educated me about it, so I’m active there now as well.

My journey continues…

Sincerely, Sapphire (Helen)