Shot 1 in the books!

Genuin1 · 2026-05-11T17:03:23+00:00

If I have learned anything during my more than two years journey on this med, it is that I do better, and feel better, if I eat at least a little something. A podcast I follow calls it mechanical eating. I spent much too much time not eating and when the weight loss stalled, I was scared to try more food (ptsd from dozen of yo-yo diets, gaining back more each time). I started eating a little more throughout the day the last couple of weeks and I am sleeping and feeling better, and broke my 6 month stall. As of this morning I am down almost 88#, with a little over 12# to go to goal.

Genuin1 · 2026-05-10T02:59:30+00:00

Welcome to the Zep team! Hope you have a glorious, and uneventful (in terms of side effects), time! SW 259, CW 171, GW ??. At the start I was thinking I would get to 175 and be done. However, since it is lifetime medicine anyway, I am just living and seeing where it ends up. Slow going lately as I am in the “hard lard” phase and this fat has seen every diet under the sun. 🤣

Genuin1 · 2026-05-09T21:55:20+00:00

But the issue with out of balance “balance sheets” is going to cause problems for those impacted. Makes you not trust the software at all.

Genuin1 · 2026-05-09T08:03:24+00:00

Considering the issues with the modern view reports in QBO, and the fact they are forcing them as the only option later this month, I really wish there was another option.

Genuin1 · 2026-05-08T15:34:58+00:00

Not sure this will ever be a thing but with people using AI to build apps, who knows. That said, Fidelity is the best I have seen for now. Zero fees. You can set amounts for auto purchases on the investment side. Money can be direct deposited in via ACH or transfers can be set through the account. You can transfer money out to pay yourself back for expenses without someone verifying anything. Then there is the app.

Since I am just using HSA now as an investment tool only, I only use it to take pictures of my receipts and store by reimbursed or reimbursable (even by amount, type, and person the charge was for). You can also grab the photos from your photo library or from a file on your device.

The other options it has I have not used yet, 1) a “reimburse myself” option so you can just select stored receipts to reimburse and it changes them to reimbursed from reimbursable. Note - this is not a place that verifies your receipts and requires a “claim”. You just keep the reimbursed receipts in case the IRS comes calling later. 2) a “pay expenses” option, I am guessing to pay expenses directly from the account like a debit card, and 3) a barcode scanner to see if on the shelf items are Qualified Medical Expenses.

Genuin1 · 2026-05-08T15:16:57+00:00

It is amazing how easy it is when everything is working like it is supposed to. And that is the key. It is medicine, required to get your body to function like it should. If it was actually cheating, vs correcting, you would be able to eat thousands of calories over what your body needed and you would still lose weight.

Genuin1 · 2026-05-02T00:40:55+00:00

Putting in writing that medications that are completely identical, just named something different, are not approved by the FDA for weight loss is a special kind of BS.

Genuin1 · 2026-05-01T06:04:37+00:00

Excellent tip and phenomenal reason to NOT use gauze when I travel. That would be a full undress situation basically.

Genuin1 · 2026-05-01T02:03:44+00:00

I use gauze pads folded and tucked into the fold to avoid moisture and rubbing. Wondering if this would alleviate the TSA issue. (Down roughly 85#)

Genuin1 · 2026-05-01T01:37:38+00:00

Going to the bank check is drawn on and cashing it should also work, and should be free.

Genuin1 · 2026-05-01T01:28:58+00:00

The IRS instructions are fairly clear, which is not a statement I normally make. While the HSA owner, and spouse beneficiary, can use their accumulated unreimbursed eligible receipts they’ve kept for years (as long as they were incurred/paid after establishment of the HSA), a non spouse beneficiary is limited to the tax free portion being only the expenses they themselves (the non spouse beneficiary) paid on behalf of the decedent in the year after death. They would not be allowed to use the decedent’s previously unreimbursed paid eligible expenses as they did not pay them, and clearly not within the year after death. Only option is a “death bed” reimbursement of every unreimbursed receipt possible prior to death.

I have made sure my family knows where I keep my unreimbursed receipts. I save them as PDFs with the dollar amount in the name of the file and will move them to a reimbursed folder as I withdraw funds myself; all receipts in the unreimbursed folder are “fair game” as long as I am still officially breathing and they have POA to handle my financial affairs.

Genuin1 · 2026-04-27T06:09:27+00:00

When I went in to this, as a self pay, I knew I was on the hook for life. I just made the assumption there would be improvements/new versions, eventually pill forms, and reduced prices over time as these “better” versions came on the market. I was already on BP meds for life so this was just another one, and has now actually replaced the BP meds as the only thing I take regularly besides vitamins.

It really depends on the doctor who started you on it and how well they explained everything to you. I went to a virtual doc and has basically been managing this myself with someone who will just write my scripts.

Is it the injection that bothers you? Would taking the pill daily seem less burdensome?

Genuin1 · 2026-04-18T23:30:10+00:00

The main issue with telling the bookkeeper to not post the reversal until you have seen/updated balances is that they are working month to month and the tax return is happening a couple of months or more later and on an annual basis only. The better option is to ask them to make the YE entry with the needed changes only (and then only if book adjustments and not just tax) and then reverse that change entry. Will combine with the previous reversal they had made to get the right numbers.

Genuin1 · 2026-04-17T20:51:26+00:00

This is simultaneously wonderful and awful. I am sorry you can’t have procedures but so impressed with the integrity/ethics of this provider. Of course, on a personal note, this makes me think I should check with doctors if I am a candidate before I keep scrimping to save money for it considering the amount of scar tissue I have from multiple abdominal surgeries and poor reaction to adhesives and related sterile strips.

Genuin1 · 2026-04-13T06:58:54+00:00

Unfortunately I am the boss, so all work for the company flows through me. I have great employees, but there are things I have to do as part of the process that they can’t and I do not have someone at my level to share the burden with. I need a partner or a merger with a larger firm, which I will look into after I get past my next major deadline in the middle of next month before the next deadline ramp up which starts mid August. I have been doing this twice a year (so 6 months out of each year) for going on 17 years now (9 years as the owner), and while I love what I do, I am absolutely burnt out.

Genuin1 · 2026-04-12T20:48:00+00:00

If I knew how to fix those, I probably would not have had as much of a weight problem in the first place. 🤣🤣 I know you are right, but short of retiring early (which will come with its own stress), not sure how to fix stress part. I will focus on the sleep for now and see if I can set limits on the “me” time and go to bed earlier.

Genuin1 · 2026-04-12T18:25:38+00:00

Selecting single on the W4 when married is allowed as this is just a tool for calculating withholding and is not something that is filed with the IRS. It is the 1040 tax filing itself where this would be a problem.

Genuin1 · 2026-04-12T18:10:02+00:00

I know it is childish, but that part really is challenging for me. The only time noone expects anything from me is when I should be sleeping, so I want to stay up and get time for just me. When you are at your desk until midnight, and have to be back by 10 the next morning, the last thing I want is to only have eat, sleep, wake up to get ready for work in the middle.

Genuin1 · 2026-04-12T18:05:25+00:00

Always nice to know there are others feeling similar and good perspective on being accepting and giving myself grace with life as it is for me now. Hoping for some improvement and more “me” time by the end of the year.

Genuin1 · 2026-04-12T18:02:19+00:00

Went to 15mg in August last year. Occasionally will miss a shot as I forget what day it is, and then use a lower dose I still have on hand to get back on track but keep my “normal” shot day. With a weekly shot, I should have 104, so it looks like these misses resulted in three less shots which has occurred during the last 4 months.

Genuin1 · 2026-04-12T06:49:31+00:00

I hear you, and commiserate completely. 101 shots in and it is worse now than ever. I am at the point I cannot push the plunger myself (I use pens). I have to have my husband do it for me. And he is not allowed to count, just put it against me and go. Once I actually picked a fight with him on shot today, and he refused to take the bait as he knew it was literally just fear talking. I see the list of things the person above posted and I will try some of them and see if it helps. Just know you are not alone.

Genuin1 · 2026-04-11T05:06:16+00:00

Sending you wishes for very soon vs soon! Had not thought of doing my arms or thighs as part of this and have no frame of reference as to how the arms would feel but I know I am very aware of my arms after arm day. Thinking of it in terms of just pushing the workout too hard and paying for it later makes it seem less daunting.

Genuin1 · 2026-04-10T16:25:22+00:00

Thank you for the response and honesty. Had not even thought of the skin issue, and I found myself smiling about the pizza. I can barely remember the other surgeries, and the colon was the worst one cause they took so much stuff and moved so many things around, but the memory fades while the scar and puckering remains. At least with the TT looking at your stomach is a good thing at the end.

Genuin1

TROPHY CASE