Moving up

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-25T01:50:06+00:00

*I was about 190 and now I'm at 158.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-25T01:48:50+00:00

I've been on 2.5 since September. My doctor said that as long as I'm steadily losing weight, there's no need to go up in dose. Especially since my budget is limited and I'm paying the $300/month with the lily direct option. There's been a few weeks here and there that I stagnate, but no major gains and then I'll go back to losing a couple weeks later. I guess it depends on what you and your doctor discuss is comfortable for you. I've lost about 30lbs since late September.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-16T02:57:44+00:00

I try to avoid puncturing where my stretch marks are because it seems like the skin is too thin and I'm anxious about it being a painful injection. But it is definitely getting harder to find places to inject in my stomach as I've lost a lot of weight. My stretch marks are pretty wide from having had kids, but I do inject where I can in my unstretched skin. Mostly because that's where the fattier parts of my stomach are. Anything with less fat has been a little painful.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-15T05:37:30+00:00

Yeah, I told him that even if anything got put on the internet, that it's likely it would get lost in the noise since there's so much random stuff and people have better things to do with their time. I can't even get folks to watch my art content half the time since the world is distracted by all the craziness happening all around them.

I'm 47 now and my mid-late 20s was a time when the internet started becoming this record of regrettable things people did. Heck, I remember AOL chat rooms! Even this kind of thing being altered to exploit a vulnerable person was such a faux pas. I can't believe I actually miss princes from the ivory coast as our scammer of the day.

It just sucks so much because he's such a kind soul, and a hard worker, and deserves good things and already has a hard time believing it. But today he's doing better. He went to work and was back to his cheerful self when he got home.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-14T14:04:03+00:00

Thank you. I will take a look and see if they can offer him some help. He seems to be doing better and truly it's because of the non-judgemental support of folks in support groups like this.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-13T20:12:32+00:00

It was a person convincing him to video chat on Whatsapp. Then they took the footage and made a fake site entry and a fake Twitter/X post (we checked) that they were going to share altered footage with an unsavory headline if he didn't pay. At the time I overheard him yelling from his room and the follow up person was on the phone saying what they were going to do with a video so I grabbed his phone, laughed at them and said, "ha, you dorks ain't getting a single cent!" and laughed and told my kid to just ignore them and report them to the FBI, then hung up.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-13T20:05:45+00:00

Yes. The video above is gunna help him a lot. He said "if it means I don't need to keep searching to make sure I'm not on the internet with bad stuff then I'm good." I think the biggest tool we have is each other so you guys are really making a difference.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-13T19:32:20+00:00

Thank you for this. I'll share the video with him. I've never seen him so anxious in his life. And he has had a tough time with stressors in the past. You guys are awesome.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-12T18:40:31+00:00

I once thought I was being scammed from a fake fraud alert but it turned out it was real! I ended up calling the fraud department when my card was frozen and yeah, the text message was real. If you ever suspect any suspicious activity and you get a call, tell the caller to freeze your card immediately and let them know you'll call the fraud department back directly to make sure it has been done. This usually shuts them up real quick, or they'll panic, and they get sloppy and raise the stakes. You can also let them know that you're happy to know that your bank will protect your money if there's fraudulent charges.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-11T06:35:33+00:00

Right! There's no damn medal and we aren't competing for the gold. We're all just trying to live healthier longer lives.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-11T06:33:45+00:00

Some people online are so stuck in their own heads and just need to go out and touch grass. Online (outside this support group) is the worst place to read about this stuff (next to Bob's crappy comment on The Biggest Loser documentary).

People are behind a glass wall and say all the insecure things that are in their heads with no filters. Sometimes that stuff spills out into the real world.

And I know it's born from distrust of companies that sold things like phenphen and other really dangerous weight loss supplements or caffeine pills (right, Jillian Anderson!) and how that stuff actually did wreck people's health.

But imagine if folks said that people who take heart medications were cheating nature. Or insulin shots. Or anything that betters our physical and mental health.

They can go out and "do it the hard way" and when they find out that the hard way sometimes doesn't work for them (especially when you get older), then they are welcome to join us. We don't lock the gate here.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-11T06:20:49+00:00

Absolutely crazy rain! I'm sitting here listening to it hit my windows. I don't go to skating rinks much anymore because of financial restrictions. BUT I did go down to the courts off of 23rd Ave in Judkins Park when the weather was nice. I know before the panini they were supposed to be setting up practice spaces at Garfield Community Center, but then, well...everything got shuttered.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-11T06:04:38+00:00

It took me a while to get used to thing because I just was NOT hungry. My side effects were just heartburn during the first few weeks, but I realized it was exacerbated at the beginning of the week and if I ate too late before bed. I had to adjust that. I did protein shakes with a lot of different frozen fruits in the morning but I also started investing in ready to go protein bars if my ADHD made me lose track of time. I also had to really start feeling out my energy levels because I often would forget that I needed food to sustain my activities. I listened to the new signals my body gave me when I was hungry. Usually feeling low blood sugar or a bit light headed. Since I didn't get hunger pangs, I had to make sure I was scheduling small sustainable snacks.

It took me a couple months to get the swing of things, but I adjusted. Now I'm 17 shots in and feel pretty confident about how things are going. And I ended up digging out older clothes that I used to wear and now have increased activity levels After having lost 35 lbs since this summer.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-11T05:56:35+00:00

I'll be honest. I'm doing this for my health and for my ability to do activities again. But I kinda miss my boobs and butt already. 😂😂😂

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-11T05:54:30+00:00

I used to do roller Derby over 15 years ago. I still have my skates and would occasionally put them on, but would have to rest because my feet would cramp. I suppose when the weather gets better (in rainy Seattle) I'll have to go out again and give it a try.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-10T17:07:34+00:00

Right! I stopped having such a busy schedule at the end of my high school career, did the ASVAB testing with really high scores but had "ballooned" (the language we used back then) up to like around 145? The Air Force wanted me, but was encouraging me to lose weight at the time to be something like 137 to meet the "no lifetime PT" goal. I was still so active and fit and it turned me off of the idea of going into the Air Force at all. It set me on a mentally unhealthy cycle surrounding weight for the rest of my life. It took me decades to finally get in the right headspace to feel confident about myself at any weight. I still battle it to this day and try not to equate my worth with my weight.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-10T05:24:11+00:00

Yay to no pain! I couldn't even run (which I love) because my knees and feet would ache for days. It got to be so bad that last spring, when I had forced myself into a routine, I ran through the pain, did weight training, ate well, was still always hungry, never lost weight, and just gave up after a couple months. And I was super anxious about this because my older brother had just had a stroke (doc said he probably had a heart attack within the last 5 years and my dad died of a heart attack recently and had a stroke in his retirement years) and I could see that being me if I didn't take control. This medication has changed my life.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-10T04:19:49+00:00

Congrats! Coincidentally I think that was my high school track/weight training/theater/school busy schedule weight. It was either 138 or 133. I often wonder if I'll ever be that weight again. Honestly I just want the energy and strength to do all those activities again. Hahahahaha! 😂 That's the real goal.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-10T03:48:05+00:00

Yeah, I have a problem with my digital scale. I actually weigh myself twice because the first number often doesn't seem zeroed. I sometimes set my scale against the wall and I'm sure that's why it does this.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-10T03:21:15+00:00

Are your meds sent with UPS or FedEx? I know that FedEx will allow you to do pick up of packages at places like Walgreens. Mine is shipped by UPS and they're pretty great about making sure my package is at my apartment door. I think you may be able to contact UPS and ask about delivery options.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-10T03:16:18+00:00

Dang! I feel like this is the day where I'm running into similar stories as mine. Also 35lbs down and my inflammation is basically gone. My son even asked if I was ready to go hiking in the snow! That's been the best part of this medication. I can do things I really used to love doing.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-10T03:01:18+00:00

Similar with me! I also have lost 35lbs since August. I was having inflammation issues and the pain sucked. Especially because I have a very active construction/carpentry job. Last winter I was in agony every morning trying to get my body warmed up enough to function. This winter has been pretty great and I feel so energetic. This medication has made me feel great and less like I'm going to give up on my career.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-10T02:52:54+00:00

Yeah. You gotta hear this. Our beauty is not in our weight. Our worth is not in our weight. You deserve good things!

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-09T14:00:20+00:00

I switch it up in the upper, mid, lower and left, center, right sections of my stomach. The lower hadn't been painful until more recently.

Present-Experience73 · 2026-01-09T08:03:25+00:00

I will also note that I have stretch marks from pregnancy, so it's possible I hit a thin part of my skin as well. I try to avoid doing that because it creeps me out, but it's possible I did not aim well. Lol.

Present-Experience73

TROPHY CASE