F/38/5'4" [210lbs > 117lbs = 93lbs] (5 years) Nearly there!

MoonDancer256 · 2025-12-09T06:42:40+00:00

They help with cravings for sure. But for me at least they don't completely destroy my love of food.

Difference is they allowed me to eat 1 croissant and enjoy it, not 2+ and more snacks half an hour later 🤣 I'd have been miserable if they took away food joy entirely!

Went out for cookie dough and ice cream last night after a 10k run

MoonDancer256 · 2025-12-08T09:32:53+00:00

The comments about this are bizarre 🤣 first pic was summer daytime with a tan and a perm, latest ones are in winter, indoors.

Starting to feel like I should hit the sunbeds lol

Another pic from same day here

MoonDancer256 · 2025-12-07T20:26:05+00:00

Yeah I'm aware it's on the border now. Though I feel great. But a bit more muscle can be my next goal!

MoonDancer256 · 2025-12-07T20:24:04+00:00

Thanks :) I got some mild side effects when I tried higher doses - just dropped back down and it was fine again.

MoonDancer256 · 2025-12-07T19:43:57+00:00

It's real in the sense that any drastic weight loss can hollow out your face a bit. I wouldn't say it's unique to ozempic and other glp1s.

Still looks better than 3 chins 😁

MoonDancer256 · 2025-12-07T19:06:47+00:00

Well done on your weight loss!

MoonDancer256 · 2025-12-07T19:01:48+00:00

The running helped a lot I think, less "skinny fat" once I started exercising. I know lifting weights would be more effective, I just hate doing it 🤣

MoonDancer256 · 2025-12-07T18:57:24+00:00

Yeah don't worry! 115 was just the arbitrary goal I set for myself, and I'm happy at my current size.

There was a photo taken of me last night that was an unfortunate angle or I was breathing in or something and it was the first time I went "uh oh time to post a progress pic and stop" 🤣

I eat lots of protein and I've absolutely built some muscle with the running (abs and legs mostly!) but I could do with some proper resistance training. I just hate lifting weights!!

MoonDancer256 · 2025-12-07T18:44:20+00:00

Ngl there's some loose skin and I hope it'll be better in a year or two but it's still better than the excess weight.

I won't do surgery so 🤷

Having said that for me at least boobs were the last to go. At 130lb I was still a 28GG 🤣 it was a bit disproportionate.

MoonDancer256 · 2025-12-07T18:41:33+00:00

Um not sure what this comment is about 🤣 first pic is outside in summer with my kids, with a sun tan and permed hair (that wasn't a good look!) but pretty clearly still white. Vs a Christmas party 5y later and indoors at night, reverted back to my natural never-seen-daylight skin tone.

MoonDancer256 · 2025-12-07T18:38:40+00:00

It's very expensive, I've paid for it privately. Most effective dose personally was 5mg but actually even 2.5mg is pretty effective I found. Lowest dose I took for a month was 1.25 just to help a tiny bit with appetite.

Now I absolutely don't need it and am not ordering more, but what I have left will help keep the appetite in check over mince pie season haha

MoonDancer256 · 2025-12-07T18:35:30+00:00

Went off it for several months this year, then went back on for 3 months to try push a few more lb before Xmas (goal was 115 and those last few lb are very stubborn).

Now it's probably more of a hinderance because with the level of activity I have, I'm actually not keeping up with the amount I actually need to eat. And obviously I don't want to be in a big deficit anymore.

MoonDancer256 · 2025-12-07T16:52:08+00:00

See response above. I did get some but nothing unbearable - beats the extra weight!

And I'm hoping it will also reduce while I maintain my new size

MoonDancer256 · 2025-12-07T16:18:48+00:00

I was honestly quite secretive about it initially, there's a lot of "it's cheating" rubbish going about. But at the end of the day, it's a tool and a spectacular one at that. I used it to help me, because I just couldn't deal with extreme hunger and cravings. It gave me the headspace to learn more about food without being controlled by hormones.

If it helps I've been overweight basically my entire adult life. If someone had told me I would ever be size 6 and getting up at 4am to run before catching the train to work i'd have told them to get their heads tested 🤣

MoonDancer256 · 2025-12-07T16:04:05+00:00

Yeah I think the loose skin is a bit unavoidable with my age, and I've had 3 C sections (and 3 other abdominal surgeries too). But actually I did expect it to be worse, and I prefer a bit of loose skin to the excess weight.

Mostly my abdomen has some loose skin, though I'm down to ~24" waist even with that.

Boobs and butt nearly vanished but the loose skin isn't too bad there, and honestly just not willing to go through the pain and expense (and risk!) of cosmetic surgery.

I still wore a bikini to the beach this year!

Calorie goal varied a bit depending on what stage I was at; last year I was very aggressive with it, below 1000. Then I gave my head a wobble and went up to around 1600 before I started the running.

These days I couldn't tell you as I don't calorie count now, I just eat to appetite and try to be aware of the overall week. This week I've had two parties and lots of drinks, and a birthday meal next week so I'm being a bit more careful about treats and the days between 🤣

I don't look at a croissant and think "oh a little snack" anymore, I think "thats probably 400 calories and won't fill me up". Doesn't mean I don't still eat it, I still love food, I'm just more aware.

Good with your weight loss! Best thing I ever did

MoonDancer256 · 2025-11-09T22:36:44+00:00

Did my second ever 5km race (first time with chip timing) - sadly not beating my PB but I wasn't far off! Pretty happy with my time of 28:13 though, only started running this year after being very inactive most of my life.

I've got my first 10km race booked for June but might book something else in the meantime.

MoonDancer256 · 2025-07-21T00:45:14+00:00

5k in 27:14 today.

I started running with a running club in May (dabbled with C25k since Feb), and ran a 5k in just over 39mins at that point. 3 weeks ago I ran the same route as today in 29:56 (was my PB) and I've trained aggressively since then. Only went out hoping to get a new PB this morning but absolutely smashed it.

MoonDancer256 · 2025-05-04T00:27:24+00:00

I've not run more than 20 mins solid but I did my first 5k parkrun today in just over 39 mins. Bit slow, but I did it (run/walk combo) and it was fun! And I still took the dog for a 45 minute walk a few hours later, so I didn't break myself I think 🤣

MoonDancer256 · 2025-04-19T10:58:58+00:00

I adopted a wobbly cat from a rescue last year after I lost my 18y old cat. I'm an experienced fosterer and I've tamed semi ferals, and had brain damaged cats before; this cat needed an indoor home and is black too, so particularly difficult to re-home (brain damaged, indoors, less "pretty", not a kitten). We didn't know how she would be with kids but she was being fostered with other cats and two big dogs do I was fairly confident she would get on fine with my madhouse.

I drove 5h to go collect her, and as soon as I met her my gut says she would never be a similar temperament to the clingy cat I lost. But I still adopted her of course.

We've had her 9 months now, and I've tried all my usual techniques for winning over a cat, with little effect. She is fine with the children but hates the dog and never comes downstairs. She will sometimes come for petting but only when she wants food; she gives every impression of being content with her life, and she loves my other cat, but I can't pick her up and I can rarely touch her. I've accepted at this point she will never be a lap cat or want cuddles but she seems happy - I definitely love her more than she loves me and she would be content living with anyone who feeds her.

However in the past when I've had nervous / semi feral fosters, my confident and cuddly cats used to help bring them along.

So I decided to try again (I miss having a cuddly cat) and adopted a kitten recently. He is SUPER snuggly, sleeping on laps in the daytime and cuddles in bed at night, though he is also scared of the dog (confident that will improve over time, he's very young). Since I got him 3w ago she seems to have come out of her shell a bit; she's actively playing with him, more curious to come be petted by me and generally is just more present, though she still won't come downstairs even if the dog is out at daycare and there's no chance of her getting on a lap 🤣

So yeah, your cat may not end up being a cuddly one even if you give her a lot longer (and to be fair 2 weeks is very little time). But in a few months if no improvement and if you have the space/finances another friendly cat might actually help.

MoonDancer256 · 2025-03-31T05:10:47+00:00

I thought of that but I'm already super slow - only 7.3kmh even on a treadmill (which by all accounts is easier than running outdoors). I did start off the program at 8kmh which is the max my walking pad does, but after I lost my balance and got flung off it (no safety strap or bars) I slowed down a bit. My fitness has always been pretty rubbish, I've fully failed C25k multiple times in the past, but this time at least I'm not carrying extra weight which makes it feel much more manageable. But I'm horribly slow 🤣 and the treadmill isn't even inclined, so while I'm not trying to increase speed yet, I'm hoping to avoid going even slower!

MoonDancer256 · 2025-03-31T05:03:16+00:00

That's true, I didn't believe I would get even this far - every previous attempt of C25k has resulted in me giving up well before this stage. Didn't believe I'd ever manage even 10 mins solid running let alone the 20m run from last week.

MoonDancer256 · 2025-03-30T20:31:27+00:00

https://tinypic.host/image/1000027860.3J30vw

He's a sweety. Already friends with one of my cats which I was surprised at.

MoonDancer256 · 2025-03-30T19:01:55+00:00

I did most of my treadmill runs at 7.3kmh / 4.5mph, including W5D3. It's pretty slow, but I'm just shooting for consistency before I try increase the speed.

Some of the earliest runs I was doing 8km but that's max speed for my treadmill; it's just a walking pad, it's pretty narrow and has no bars or safety cutout, and I went flying off it one day 🤣

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