May Starters Thread 3 ~ Onwards & Downwards!

[SussexLass87]

Roll up, roll up...thread 3 for the loveliest bunch of losers!

"Onwards & Downwards" has become our little motto for the days when it all feels a bit tough and that wine / chocolate / cake looks a bit too bloody tempting.

Lots of love,
Lass x

I’m eating really well and walk average 16000 steps a day. Let’s hope these help

Ok - observations from my 24 hours away at a spa.

• This swimsuit needs to go. Slightly baggy is not a good look on any of us 😬.
• Stop skipping oily fish, avocados, seeds etc. These seem to disappear from my life on a Friday and they need to be a constant.
• Up the body skin care in terms of dry-brushing and moisturising.
• Up the glute exercises. I’m lifting heavy a couple of times a week but think I need to add some daily lunges and crab walks.
• Remember how great a little break away is for my mental health.

Thanks for this.

Feeling a bit better today after my yoghurt refusal. Still no appetite at all, but feeling less sick after a long walk over the fields.

I am eating so many seeds, and loving them. We live rurally.and have a septic tank. It really wouldn’t surprise me if we ended up with a pumpkin patch growing in the soak away field by autumn!

Oh I am a fiend for coriander at the moment. I buy the pots and go through one a week! Put it in all my salads. Brunch sounds lovely!

Sw 83.7 kg
cw 78.2 kg
bmi was 33 now 31
waist was 109cm now 101cm.

Hi, had my weigh in at the chemist today. I am so pleased with the results. I have been weighing daily, which I’m getting obsessed with and will try and just weigh weekly.
side effects have settled, maybe one or two bouts of diarrhoea, but still very tired most of the time.

stayed on 2.5 dose.

@notgonnafail I'll be interested in how things go with your inflammation. I also have 2 autoimmune conditions (rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia). I have monthly bloods done due to meds and I'm looking forward to seeing if my inflammatory markers are down.
I had blood test 3 days after starting and have another next Mon. Im almost excited 🙄.

Let us know how you get on

@BerfyTigot I had a blood test about a week after starting and my lipids were lower, blood glucose, kidney function, and inflammatory markers all lower than in my last lot of tests 3 months ago - and my inflammatory markers are usually crazy in late spring and summer as I add on the hayfever inflammation to the usual autoimmune stuff, so am usually an absolute mess! I can see less inflammation around my busted up joints (hypermobile Ehler's-Danlos, so they're all rubbish, but especially my left ankle which is almost swelling free now!) and I feel less puffy and exhausted, and my brain feels clearer and has less fog. So far I'm sold and will be happy to stay on this for life as nothing else has helped, ever!

God it's brutal isn't it? It's the one thing that gets me down on this journey.

I've resorted to taking movicol every day in sachets which helps a bit. As a stool softener (not a laxative) it is OK to take every day. I already eat so many prunes and drink 3 litre of water a day and that's just not enough. Chia seeds, kiwi fruit etc. make no difference.

Tomorrow I'm going to Holland and Barratt and going to look for psyluimm husk to see if that helps as well. I need to find something that is Ok to constantly use.

Agree it’s horrible.
if these tablets work I’ll just take them constantly. It’s 2 every day with a big drink so not a big deal

Let's hope they do they trick for you and me both!

@Kipperandarthur @MyScaredCat
I've been taking husk tablets from H&B but they are not working from me.

As the next round I'm trying magnesium citrate tablets & Aloe Vera tablets - both are supposed to be good for constipation.

I just need something to work & willing to try it all😅

I have 2 SE really. I’m also on the constipation train but I find coffee gets it moving the best. I have some movicol sachets from when I had a burst appendix (to help move me along with all the pain meds) and some psyllium husk, but not sure when I should be intervening.

My other SE that I’m desperate to find a non medicated route for is horrible heart burn (like when you’re extra pregnant) after everything I eat and when I lie down at night. Anyone got any food fixes? Or is it just because my stomach is moving too slowly…

You should be able to get Omeprazole from the pharmacy. It really helps with heartburn and acid reflux. Also, gaviscon in all forms - I used to down it in pregnancy.

@Samuraipizzacat I got this in my first couple of weeks when I was just eating 3 meals and no snacks and trying to get enough nutrition in that way.

Food related options are to eat smaller meals, but more frequently (I have 6 much smaller meals sprwad every 3hrs through the day). Don't drink with meals/until 30mins afterwards. Stop eating at least 3hrs before bed. Also raise the head of the bed up and/or sleep well raised up on piĺlows. Mine has eased up a lot doing these things.

MJ works by slowing transit through the digestive system, so smaller meals will pass through more easily than a large one.

If really bad try some heartburn meds, there are plenty you can get over the counter.

Hope it eases up for you x

So weirdly I’m thinking it’s low stomach acid not the other way round. If I take antacids it seems worse, but I just tried a digestive aid and it’s much better.

thanks for all the tips. I’m eating small small portions but maybe not enough.

@notgonnafailif I drink water it almost seems to want to come back up so I’m desperately trying to drink enough. What’s the story around not drinking with food?

@Samuraipizzacat
More often than not, reflux is due to a lack of stomach acid rather than too much it is simply that the amount of food in the stomach pushes the acid up into the oesophagus causing the burning sensation. That's why no drinking around meals (also worth trying not having any 30mons before a meal, too) as it dilutes the acid in your stomach, and slows digestion even further. Drink away from meals, avoid carbonated drinks and make sure you stay sat upright for at least an hour after eating too.

Given the nature of this medication, you may need to make your meals even smaller - I'm not doing any bigger than about 300cals at a sitting, usually closer to 250 ish.

Good luck x

I take apple cider vinegar shot or capsules. Heartburn gone within 10mins.

There is research Ive seen that heartburn is due to low acid not excess!

Just briefly checking in as am off to bed - very early start tomorrow, and WiFi in forrin parts may be variable , but I’ll catch up and drop in
whenever I can .
Just going to rely on willpower for the next five weeks - it may not be pretty …. 🧳 ✈️
Thanks for all the chat , support and camaraderie.
Onwards and downwards ! xxx

Haven't had a chance to read all the recent comments - hope everyone is doing well.
Just began my first experiment with the dosage. I've gone for 20 clicks of 2.5mg and plan to have another 20 clicks in 3 days time - in an attempt to reduce the extreme appetite suppression Vs hardly any suppression at the end of the week. I'll report back. Hopefully my sleep won't be as disrupted either. Is this micro-dosing?

Really useful info @notgonnafail- the only time have I felt really really unwell on this is after carbonated drinks so that makes sense. Felt sick to my stomach! I’m going to start taking digestive enzyme’s with meals also. I seem to hit a wall at around 800 calories a day right now but I’ll work on little and often to see if I can level out calories and keep reflux at bay!

@BrienneMonroegood shout re apple cider vinegar. I’m just thinking the first week I was eating loads of gerkins and didn’t have any heartburn. Back on the pickle juice it is 😆

@ElsieJay I hope you have an amazing trip! Pop in and tell us how it’s going! ✈️

@BrienneMonroe & @Samuraipizzacat I like having some kimchi in the house. I think it definitely helps my tummy. There’s definitely something in the pickles 😆

@dc82ooh good shout - except I can eat an entire tub in a sitting (or could before this jab!)

Just checking in. W6D4 for me today. Down a stone now. Yippee!
I did the w5 bonus dose at 2.5mg and did 45 clicks for 3.75mg of a 5mg pen in W6.
Weekly weight loss has been 6.5, 1.6, 0.9, 3.0, 0.4, and 1.7 lbs so far this week. I’m weighing daily and I find it amazing how much my weight fluctuates but there is a downward trajectory. Trying to trust the process and not worry too much if scales go up. I know I’m in a deficit and it will work… it seems to come in whooshes for me.
I’ve managed to avoid the constipation train so far by taking 1 psyllium husk tablet and a magnesium citrate tablet from the start. I may need to take 2 psyllium husks soon as I’ve noticed things slowing down a bit this week but still regular enough.
SE for me are tiredness on day 2 and I’ve felt faint nausea this week but managing that by eating. Food noise mostly gone but still have appetite. I noticed the food noise coming back on the 5th week at 2.5mg. Think I’ll stay at 3.75mg next week too. Good luck everyone.

@ElsieJay Bon voyage! Have a wonderful time on your travels 🏖🌴

Interesting to read about the fizzy drinks...I love them and have been working so hard to limit myself to once or twice a week.