Friday, March 1, 2024

Welcome to March! Theoretically it comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Maybe true in some places but of course in Florida it is a lamb at both ends and in Massachusetts it is mostly a lion. Regardless it is nice to know that spring is coming.

CC's articles on ultra-processed foods sure spiked a lot of conversation in our household. Part of the discussion was around what isn't processed at all? If you wash and cut up a vegetable it becomes processed right? I think processed is now okay, but ultra-processed is the truly bad stuff to eat?

My DD told me she asked her brother to do the Father-Daughter dance with her at her wedding. Really sweet to see my two youngest acting like siblings after all the younger years of fighting.

I weighed this morning one week after the last time and was down .8. I'll take it since I did do a lot of going out this week. I tried to make good choices and not snack too much so I guess that worked.

Time for the Justice walk, then the day revolves around ladies time. DH is going to do his own thing which might not be much due to sciatica pain. Have a fantastic Friday!

True about most things being processed in some way. I thought the guy's definition in the first article was a good rule of thumb. If it contains unpronounceable ingredients you wouldn't keep in your kitchen, it's likely a UPF.

Great job on the nearly a pound, Liz! With eating out too. I only gain when I eat out a lot.

My prescription went through! Hallelujah! Should be here in time for Tuesday.

But I did also have a telehealth conference with JoinFridays.com, which I set up when I didn't think I could get my regular meds. I met with a nurse practitioner. Very professional. They are going to send me compounded tirzepatide. They use local compounding pharmacies and only ship one month at a time. Peps got 3 months I believe.

For the two lowest doses (2.5 and 5, I'm starting 5) it's $179 a month plus a $99 telehealth appointment. For your first meeting if you use the code QUEEN it's $74. So way cheaper than the $550 a month. Even the highest dose plus the $99 appointment fee is less than the Zepbound savings card price.

If it works just as well (no reason to think it won't) and if I can psych myself up to give myself a regular shot (unclear at this point), I might just switch going forward. But at this point I will have a month's backup supply, which makes me feel so much better.

As of this morning I am down 12.6. This stuff is pretty amazing. I sent Peps an article about another drug being developed by Viking pharmaceuticals under review by the FDA that works 5 times as fast as Zepbound and Wegovy with test subjects losing 32 pounds on average in 13 weeks. That's nuts! We said how do we sign up to be guinea pigs!?

Today my trees get fertilized, my burrowing rodents get murdered, and I get some purple trailing lantana planted in the backyard. They did yard clean up yesterday.

We went to Kirby's class yesterday and true to my last experience, she talked at me about nothing dog related for an hour and a half. It's only an hour class. I finally said I had to go. Nothing with Kirby. I'm so frustrated, but I would see her every time I go to Petsmart, so I don't want to make that uncomfortable. But I think we need better training from someone else. I will look into that.

Aside from that, just walking the dog today and no other plans. I think we'll do the longer one to wear him out.

Take care everyone!

At some point maybe some feedback to the manager at Petsmart might be good?

That would be the right thing, but not the easy one! I think the best thing to do next time is she's off on a tangent is to ask her if we can go back to dog stuff because we need help. Redirect...

Hopefully that will work!

UPF article sure did pique my interest. I label read last night. Neither one of my frozen chicken staples count as UPFs. I found that to be a huge win, because I really like them and they are such easy ways for me to get protein.

WLS vs Semaglutide.....

WLS Week one: down 11 pounds, sipping water 24/7, protein drinks three times per day, soft foods (yogurt, ricotta bake, etc...), physical discomfort, and I thought a lot about food and missed eating on an emotional level. Oh, and freezing cold all the time - so glad that is over with!

Semaglutide Week one: 9.3 pounds lost. No post surgery issues (water, liquid & soft food diet, freezing cold...), no food noise, some nausea/queasiness, 1 vomiting event, some grumbly tummy and bloating, and yesterday gut cramps (not sure if that was Ozempic related or not).

Took my second shot last night before bed. Hoping side effects are less this week. We shall see. The second day last week was the strongest day of side effects. I observed yesterday that I had a little bit of after dinner cravings last night. I had a Belvita biscuit and that did the trick. I think there is a lessened effect of the med as the week goes on.

Apparently Oprah has stepped away from Weigh****chers. I don't know details, but WW stock took a hit due to her departure. She is singing the praises of the new WL meds. Can't say I disagree. Perhaps I am in the pink cloud phase, but I'm okay with that. Like DD, I can see this med becoming a life long staple. If it doesn't become available through insurance and later medicare, I will budget for it. Diane S. perhaps you should look into it, too! I agree with you that there is a biochemical component to our weight issues.

I like Web MD's definition of minimally processed, processed and ultra processed foods. https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-are-processed-foods A washed carrot is not processed. A peeled carrot is, but is still healthy, but a little less so than an unpeeled carrot. Technically a chicken breast is processed, but it is considered minimally processed and still healthy.

I have a shortened day today! Done at 11:30. YIPEE!!!!!

What chicken do you use?

Another article just popped up for me:

https://www.realsimple.com/what-are-processed-foods-and-ultr a-processed-foods-7484243

For me the challenge is minimally or unprocessed foods take effort. To shop, clean, prepare, cook, store... And then they are not always as tasty or satisfying or comforting as garbage foods. Which is entirely the point of why they make them so enticing to make me want more of them.

I liked the advice to eat foods that can remember what they were. A baked potato instead of potato chips etc.

Now it's my turn to be envious! Its taken months and months to lose 30 pounds. And I'm eating so little. I know it's the tamoxifen. So I need to remember again that tamoxifen is not my enemy, it's helping to prevent a cancer reoccurrence but geez louis. 3 pounds a month, from month 1. And yes, I am ALWAYS cold. Some of the cold I attribute to the loss of the thermogenics required to digest food.

Liz, today one of my co workers was wearing Hoka sneakers. I asked her if she liked them, and she said yes, the days she wears them her knees hurt much less. ( she has arthritis, and has already had one surgery). Thought I'd pass that along.

Record breaking weather, the good kinds of records, continues. Might hit 70 on Sunday. If it does, that will be the earliest 70 ever.

Tomorrow were going out with some friends (DHs bff) and having a grown up sleep over after. Nothing tonight, which is good.