As with most women, I have never had a great relationship with food. I was always picky which led to me defaulting to the plain options like pasta, pizza, or even just sticking with a chocolate dessert instead of a meal because I didn't like anything else at the event. I do like salads, which is something. I started getting older, started to drink soda again, and got diagnosed with PCOS and everything health wise just went downhill.
Before starting grad school, I tried a fitness program with a strict calorie counting, no processed food, no dairy, only whole grains, etc diet and working out for 1 hour 5 days a week. In 2 months, I lost about 2 pounds. Yes, I gained muscle but I was at a weight where I should have been gaining muscle and losing weight. It was extremely demotivating. I think that is something a lot of people don't understand. That you can be following all "the rules" and it just doesn't work. Even when I wasn't eating healthy food, I still wasn't snacking much or eating a crazy amount of calories. Once school started, I gained more. I'm not sure how much because I actively avoided the scale but at my max I was around 185. I'm only 5'1 so I was officially in obese territory even though I would never admit that to myself at the time. I hated pictures, I hated mirrors. I just tried to ignore it.
I was at the point where I was potentially considering weight loss surgery because I was just getting more unhealthy. Standing for too long resulted in my feet literally feeling like they were on fire. My doctor thinks I may have had multiple micro-fractures from the weight and the standing.
Before surgery, he recommended I try Saxenda. Its the name brand of liraglutide, which was originally used as a diabetes drug. It works by decreasing stomach emptying so you feel full longer and somehow reduces cravings. It also has a glucose dependent insulin release mechanism, which I would imagine helped with some insulin resistance I had built up due to my weight.
I have been using Saxenda for about 5 months and have lost around 40 pounds. It really does feel like a miracle. I don't have the best habits still. I drink a can of soda every day and still eat pizza, pasta, desserts, etc but just way less of everything. Sometimes I'll only drink 25% of the can and just be done with it while before I would finish one and crave 2 more.
With COVID, I haven't gotten to a gym but did a decent amount of standing/walking for school. That helped but it is 95% the medicine and eating less.
The craziest part is that I used to have the worst cravings. I'd literally have a longing for chocolate, soda, cookies, etc. I am definitely a dessert person. Now, I can look at an ice cream bar and just not want it. I didn't know that was possible. It really did feel like some of it was an addiction looking back. I knew I shouldn't eat the candy but I just had this nagging urge to eat it that wouldn't go away until I did. Repeat for an entire bag and its a disaster.
There were some side effects. Nausea and weakness (probably from not eating enough because I just couldn't figure out what I wanted and decided on nothing) were the 2 big ones. Also it is an injection and I had the worst fear of needles. Now I stab myself in the leg every night. But it is 100% worth it. I actually have bones? I forgot what they felt like.
I would always read posts like this and think I'd never be in that position. But I think my experience highlights that different ways work for different people. If you've tried everything else and nothing has worked, maybe as your doctor about it and see what they think. It is still relatively new so some might not even know it exists.
A few last points. I have a friend on the medication and it has barely helped, so its not a miracle drug. Plus its super expensive (yay US healthcare) so please check to see if your insurance covers it or helps with the cost before getting your hopes up.
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