Corona Virus Crapola, GLP-1 fun and Latest Update (2023)

It has been a couple of years since the failed bootcamp scenario, I have to say again the failure was really on my part for not maintaining the weight loss. I regained weight when I returned to my normal stressful life scenario of working, eating, and not moving. Since my bariatric surgery was cancelled during the COVID lockdown I basically went into neutral and did nothing to address my weight issues and by January 1st, 2022, I was once again knocking at the door for 400 pounders.

So, what have I done so far? I could have rescheduled bariatric surgery; I was ready to self-pay back in 2019 so why not just do it in 2022? The short story is I got “cold feet” since two friends who previously had bariatric surgery 3 or more years ago were either having complications or gained most of the weight back.

So, I am basically back to square one, trying everything that is current in the weight loss industry. Here is a quick list of what I have done so far:

Rejoined Weight Watchers in February 2022, went to weekend meetings for several months, weight went from 396 to 379. Would have stayed in the program but the local chapter went belly-up, and the other nearest weekend meeting was over 35 miles away. Tried to just use the app but was not successful and my mid-year 2022 I was back to 390+

During the summer of 2022 I tried going Keto, it worked when I stayed on but it’s simply not sustainable for a person who suffers from a serious lack of control when it comes to eating. I would stay in low cab mode for a period of 3 weeks, lose 10 sometimes 20 pounds then stop for 1 or 2 weeks, and the weight would come screaming back. My roller coaster weight chart would show a rise and fall of an average of 20 to 30 pounds, this went on till the Holidays and in January of 2023 I was knocking on 400 pounds once again.

This year I tried the newest trend, using diabetic GLP-1 medications to control my cravings and appetite. Sure, sounded good on paper, my primary physician refused to provide a prescription, he was not a fan of using GLP-1 medications even though Saxenda was FDA approved. So, I went the on-line pharmacy route. Unfortunately, my insurance did not cover the cost, with the “discount card” a months’ worth of Saxenda daily shots was just over $600.

Did the shots work? Well from a weight loss perspective I would have to say yes, from February to May of 2023 I lost 35 pounds. Unfortunately, the side-effects were simply too much for me to handle, the daily injections were a pain in the ass and after the first week, I constantly felt nauseous and lethargic, like I wasn’t getting enough sleep.

I took a month off, regained 12 of the 35 pounds I had lost on Saxenda and switched to Wegovy which is a “once a week” dosage. After two months I had dropped down to 358, near the weight I was at when I started the weight loss bootcamp in 2019. But the side effects were just as bad, and the cost was higher, non-insurance cost was close to $1000 a month.

I stopped taking GLP-1’s in  August of this year, most of the weight came back, as of October 2023, I am back to 390lbs.

So what am I doing today, a I am trying, not one but TWO different on-line weight loss programs, both are pre-paid from work related health benefits.

NOOM and Omada.

I will be providing updates on both as the rest of this year progresses.