From Dr. Schmerge: Hillary has offered to share her story as she works with me on losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Weight loss, nutrition and physical activity look different for everyone. Please do not start a new regimen without consulting a medical professional first. Equity Health is here for YOU and your journey.
Recap
I crossed the 160-pound line on the scale. I knew it was time for a change.
I got under 160 pounds on my own!  I did it! I got to 155 pounds. But then the scale didn't move. At all. And I was feeling really frustrated.
First visit to Michelle: 155 lbs
Second visit: 153 lbs
Third visit: 152 lbs
Week two - three
I'm visiting Michelle once a week for the first month. Follow-up visits after the first four weeks will be determined by how I'm feeling, weight loss and overall strategy for long term health and weight management.
The biggest change continues to be the decreased appetite. I was seriously questioning how I could possibly not feel hungry or not even want to eat because, let's be honest, I'm an eater.
I'm fidgety and can't sit too long at the computer before feeling snacky.
I'm also an emotional eater.
So now when the snacky-feels do hit me, they're not so bad. I grab a handful of my favorite gluten free crackers. I also love hummus and veggies. Even a veggie wrap with a few sliced of ham do the trick.
I've enjoyed some sweets. My husband has a thing for dark chocolate chips and they're in the house regularly. I've never been too tempted by them, but they certainly do the trick when I feel the need for a small bite of sweetness. I also had soft serve vanilla ice cream when the sweet lady at Sam's Club mistook my yogurt parfait order for ice cream. Innocent mistake!
A bonus side effect of a decreased appetite and fewer cravings: I'm getting more work done in one sitting. Not feeling hunger pains - or what I used to think were hunger pains - helps me stay in my seat a little longer.
Of course, coffee continues to be my constant companion. To make the experience even better, I splurged on a milk steamer and it's a game changer! It makes a great cup of coffee even better.
Side effects
My dosage was low for the first two shots. No side effects!
Michelle increased the dosage with my third shot this week. Ramping up dosage is common but also depends on the individual and their response to the shots. The next day I felt exhausted. Not so much nauseous, just really, really tired.
There have been a few moments of light nausea this week. A few nights I was more tired than usual. But generally, the side effects have been minimal.
Exercise
I'm still walking almost daily. But I cannot get into the Y.
Why? I work for myself, from home, and have a lot of flexibility. So I should be able to schedule an hour at the Y (it's a seven minute drive from my house).
Excuses, excuses.
My work keeps me really busy .... and then there's laundry and the veggie garden I'm trying to get started .... and I'd love to start meditating ten minutes a day .... and dinner needs to be prepped. So that's where I get stuck.
But my legs keep telling me they'd like to get stronger, so my goal is to report back next week with a positive leg update.
I'm back in Michelle's office in four days and excited to track my progress - and I know I'm making progress because I can feel it.
- Hillary
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