The GLP-1 Miracle

 Wow -- and just like that, another two plus years have passed.  A lot has happened.  I did get that GLP-1 I talked about in March 2024.  In June 2024, I started Ozempic (semaglutide) shots.  I lost about 30-ish pounds over a year and three months.  Then my doctor cut me off.  She told me she was concerned about my lipase and amylase.  However, many other Kaiser patients were telling me that Kaiser-the-insurance-company was refusing to cover GLP-1's for non-diabetic patients (i.e., for weight loss only patients).  My last shot was in September 2025.  My weight stayed stable for a couple of months, and then the yo-yo began again.

As an aside, I did start Pilates reformer in May 2025.  I was so excited and quickly got up to three to four classes a week.  Unfortunately, even that couldn't save me from the dreaded weight gain.  

I put on about 10 pounds right before Christmas, which was a bummer.  I was getting married in January 2026 and my dress was fitted to my lower weight.  Then the universe stepped in and gave me the worst flu I have ever had in my life.  I dropped that weight like a hot potato.  I was also so sick that one week before we were scheduled to fly out, I wasn't sure I could get on a plane.  Finally, the doctor sent me for a chest x-ray, confirmed pneumonia, and got me the right meds.  The wedding was in Hawaii and it was exactly the day I had hoped for.  I only wish I could have slowed it down to enjoy it more.  

Once I got home, the weight just packed back on.  I put about 25 pounds on between February and May 2026.  Gaining weight that quickly is pretty hard on your body.  I was also back up to a weight that is very painful and uncomfortable for me.  On top of that, I fell while hiking and fractured my ankle in April 2026.  I was just not feeling my best.  And Kaiser had no interest in prescribing Ozempic again.  I decided to bite the bullet and pay out of pocket.  I also decided if I am going to pay for it myself, I am going to go for tirzepatide.  It seems to be the superior GLP (2), and I have heard of people having higher success on it.  I did start those shots in May, and lost 12 pounds in the first couple of weeks.

As a lifetime fat person, it is hard to explain what the GLP's do for me.  When people talk about taking away food noise, it is life changing.  If a thin person tells a fat person to just eat less, it's impossible for some.  This helps you.  I can sometimes eat breakfast in the morning, and then at 6 PM, I'll think, oh I should eat dinner.  Not because I am hungry, but because I realize I need to provide nutrition to my body.  Is this how it is for thin people all the time??  These medications help by quieting the food noise, helping you feel full faster and stay full longer.  While on Ozempic, I also stopped desiring any kind of alcohol and stopped impulse shopping online.  

It really frustrates me to think I may have to pay for these medications for the rest of my life.  However, it is easy enough for me to drop $20 here and there on things I don't need off Tik Tok shop.  I might as well invest in my future health.  I have always said I would rather be fat than yo-yo up and down.  However, past a certain weight, my body hurts too much.  I'm turning 50 this year, and my hips already hurt a lot.  So, I am on this path, and hope that the miracle continues for me.  

I know the decision to take these medications should not be taken lightly.  There are side effects.  Luckily for me, those side effects have been mild (slight constipation and muscle spasms, controlled with magnesium supplements).  But the benefits have far outweighed those side effects.  These shots also bring down inflammation, which has lowered my joint pain and psoriasis flare ups considerably.  The shots have also been approved to treat whatever the new name is for non-alcoholic fatty liver, which I apparently have again.  There seems to be a lot of upsides to taking this medication (for me).  

Anyway, that's what I have been up to for the last couple of years.  I hope you are all well!  Please feel free to leave a comment to let me know.

Uncomfortable topics no one wants to discuss after gastric bypass

After you have weight loss surgery, a lot of things will change.  Most of them will be positive changes, but there are a lot of possible issues that people don't like to talk about.  Everyone will have their own issues to deal with. Here are a compilation of issues I have either run into myself or have had my support group members bring up.

     1.     Relationships will change.  Prior to surgery, I attempted to pinpoint who might be a "problem" in my life.  Post-surgery, I was wrong.  People I expected to be jealous were very supportive.  Others I didn't foresee being a problem caused a lot of drama in my life.  After you lose a lot of weight, relationships with significant others, friends and family will change.  Many people accused me of becoming a bitch after I lost weight.  I just realized how many people were using me and started standing up for myself. 

     2.     You will feel hunger again.  Many people believe they will never feel the sensation of hunger again.  The feeling will return.  The timeframe is different for everyone.  For me, it took a year or so.  For others, its right away.  The feeling can be scary for some of us.  For me, an empty stomach was almost painful, even though I wasn't in any real pain.  So learning that its ok to feel a little hungry was important.

     3.     Therapy should be a requirement.  Most of us don't actually ever feel true hunger.  We eat constantly to avoid that feeling.  But we feel "head hunger."  We generally over-ate for emotional reasons.  The surgery will not fix this.  I strongly suggest therapy to every single person who has weight loss surgery. 

     4.     Vitamins are more important than you think.  If you have gastric bypass specifically, vitamins are extremely important.  We are malabsorptive post-surgery and won't get our vitamins from food.  You should have blood tests every single year.  Here are the blood labs I still have my doctor run every year:  CBC; serum iron; serum folate; liver panel - AST, ALT, Alk, Phos, Tbili, direct bili, albumin; B12; serum calcium, electrolytes and cholesterol panel.

Here are some other posts on the subject.

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/11/taking-care-of-ourselves-in-gastric.html

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/04/vitamins-and-gastric-bypass-surgery.html

The only update is that this year I was found to be anemic so I do take iron on a daily basis now.

     5.     Constipation hurts.  No way around this one.  It's an uncomfortable subject but it's one I wish someone had warned me about.  Take a stool softener earlier rather than later.  The pain is unbearable.  I now add whole ground flax seed to my protein shake, which helps with the issue. 

     6.     Your hair will fall out.  But you won't go bald.  Get your protein and vitamins in.  If you are really worried, you can use a shampoo like Nioxin.  But mostly just change your hairstyle, wait it out, and your gorgeous hair will return. 

     7.     You will deal with weight gain at some point.  We all do.  Some have bigger issues than others with it.  But we will all come to a point where the surgery is no longer "working" for us and we have to do it on our own.  When it does happen, take care of it when its only five pounds.  Don't wait until its 20, 50 or 100.   

     8.     Exercise is key.  I should have made this number one.  The minute you can get out of the hospital bed, start exercising and never, never, never ever stop. 

     9.     Addiction transfer is very real.  You ate for a reason.  When you can't eat anymore, you may pick another bad habit.  Alcohol.  Shopping.  Be aware of it and refer back to Item Number 3.

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2010/03/pick-your-poison.html

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2010/07/swapping-problems.html

     10.  Support groups are a life line.  Some people come to a meeting or two and then think they don't need a support group.  Other people stop going once they gain a little weight.  They are embarrassed or think they have failed.  But that's exactly when they should be asking for help.  

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/04/gastric-bypass-support-group.html

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/10/bari-buddies-walnut-creek-weight-loss.html

     11.     Plastic surgery is your choice and only you can decide if it's right for you.  It's a choice I made.  I didn't like feeling like a Shar-pei.  I also feel like it is what helps "keep me honest."  Gaining weight once everything has been tightened hurts. 

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/04/hurt-like-bitch.html

******

Here is a post I wrote in March 2011 on my 7th surgiversary, which lists all of my gastric bypass blogs for the previous year.  http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/03/i-am-seven.html

Here is another post about a book that might be helpful.  http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/02/habits-of-successful-weight-loss.html

Weight loss surgery (gastric bypass, lap-band, gastric sleeve, etc.) is a tool.  I've heard many, many statistics about how many people actually keep their weight off after surgery.  None are very encouraging.  Most say that a lot of people only maintain 50% of their weight loss at five years out.  That's depressing to me.  That also tells me that a lot of people are not taking surgery very seriously.  Be smart and work your program as hard as you can so that you can be a successful weight loss surgery patient. 

*Day 10 of 30 day blogging challenge*