When the NP drinks the Kool-aid: Caroline's GLP-1 journey begins

On a GLP-1 – WEEK 1

I try not to be a hypocrite so, yes, I drank the Kool-Aid and started Zepbound, as a scientific study

that I could offer my patients- yeah, right; it was totally intentional. I certainly could use it for

weight loss having gained 25lbs in Menopause. But I also did nothing to slow or stop the gain. I had

NO ENERGY, NO MOTIVATION. Come to find out I also had low testosterone, but that’s a

different Blog altogether. Stay tuned...

I thought I would write about my experience in the attempt to minimize “the freak out” about

Zepbound. As I do with most things, I sat on the Zepbound box for a day or two. The beautiful

white box with green lettering stood out like a flashing neon sign in the refrigerator so I was forced

to let my husband know what I was doing. Knowing I am menopausal and ripe to unleash my inner

Vecna, he just gave me the open-eyed look of “are you sure?” coupled with quiet disapproval. The

great thing about menopause is that you just don’t care anymore and when you decide on

something, the road better be clear or there will be carnage. So, I took out the vial and injected

myself. That decision was the hardest thing in this adventure so far and I sat back ready to welcome

the certain nausea, vomiting and diarrhea that I had prepared for. On the flip side I also expected

immediate results. After all, I had made this decision to enter the cult of Zepbound; I should be

rewarded with instant results. Alas, no- but I did lose 2 magnificent pounds. I will attribute that loss

to the magic of Zepbound but we all know it could be from an extra bowel movement on scale day

or fluid fluctuation. I took it as a win anyway! And, aside from a little bit of nausea, I did not have

any concerning side effects. What I did notice, however, was the absence of “food noise”. I did not

have any desire to have that dessert every night; my daily reward for whatever my brain thought I

did good that day. My portion sizes decreased significantly too. I had to make myself eat enough

protein (100grams per day) which was hard but I kept thinking that if I didn’t eat the protein, I

would end up like a shrinking head doll with hollowed out eyes, a direct result of the muscle loss in

the face. That scary visual inspired me to put protein in every drink and meal I could tolerate.

The last thing that I should come clean with is the return of “food noise”, the nightly reward. The

night before I was to take my second injection, I shoveled a whole Butterfinger candy bar (not the

lame mini-Halloween candy size) purchased from the high school musical concession stand into my

mouth without even tasting it. Then I went home and had a glass of prosecco and some pretzels all

in the vein of rewarding myself for being good all week. Yikes! When the Zepbound leaves the

building, it really leaves the building! Thankfully I was meeting with Kim Lovely, the dietician and

life coach, the next day and she set me straight. It’s not about the medication, it’s about changing my

thoughts about food which, apparently, were cemented in my brain in childhood. That’s why we all

need a multidisciplinary approach to this. And that was my “freak out!”

See you next week