I'm starting saxenda this week.

[Saxendastarter]

I'm 33.

I'm 1m68 (5ft6)

I don't actually know what I weight and I got rid of my scales last year when getting on them just made me cry every time and I was just too depressed to even try and start loosing weight - I have ordered scales and will weight myself tomorrow.

However last time I weighed myself nearly a year ago I was 94kg (14st 11) and I know that I have gained since then.

I started gaining weight the beginning of covid, before 2019 my very highest weight had been 68kg ( 10st10) and my normal weight had been round 62kg for most of my adult life, so I have massively put on weight over these last four years. (Separation, depression, stress at work, and just general giving up).

My body is ruined by stretch-marks and my boobs that used to be great are now just swollen and saggy and stretch marked.

I'm really depressed by my weight and have decided its time to do something about it.

I have an office job and I'm not at all active.

I've tried to start making small changes, walking to the underground instead of getting the bus, getting the stairs up the one flight to my office instead of the lift but everything feels like a struggle and I have such awful thigh chaffing that walking is often excruciatingly painful.

I how I need to make a change because on top of it being so unhealthy being so over weight just makes me so upset. I've stopped going out as much and have just retreated into a shell.

I also have an appointment with a psychologist tomorrow.

I decided last month that enough is enough and I need to do something about it all.

I've started using face cream, and am finally having laser on my very very hairy thighs and - the point of this thread - I'm going to start saxenda tomorrow.

I thought I'd journal here.

I'm on week 2 so have upped my dosage from 0.6 to 1.2 and am struggling to eat much to be honest as I feel slightly nauseous in the afternoons. My friend has the same and said if you can push past the side effects, after 2 weeks they always improve.
I'm coping ok and glad it's making me not want to eat so much.
Strangely I suffer dreadfully with migraines and have done for years but Saxenda hasn't bothered them at all. Bonus!

Well week 2 has been weird.

I haven't really paid attention to eating "good food" and have eaten as and when. Which has meant nibbling on chocolate and then not having enough appetite for a decent dinner etc. my weight loss has been minimal I think, official weigh in is tomorrow though.

I have to readjust my attitude to food, and prioritise healthy food as on Saxenda I just don't have enough appetite for both healthy and junk. I'm hoping this is the vital mental step I need to change habits, cutting out the sugar and to stop snacking on crap.

Also, I'm eating so little I don't want to "waste" a meal on food that isn't truly appetising. So I'm going to push myself to make more of an effort to prepare "nice" food. So time to hit the recipe books I think!!

Just done injection n°5!

@CocoKenny
Good to know about the headaches! keeping my fingers crossed that they subside - I had one again last night and ended up taking ibuprofen about 2hours after I'd taken paracetamol because it wasn't budging ...
Can I ask how much you've lost ?

@OrderOfTheKookaburra

I've just been eating much of the same again and again. It's strange because normally I eat minimal meat but now I'm eating meat everyday for the protein ... I suppose I could do chickpea salads and stuff but I'm just finding steak haché easier ....

Happy Monday everyone!

The nausea has set in for me this morning and I'm back in the office. I've prepped my meals for work today and have brought

1 small banana
Vanilla protein shake (planning on sipping on this throughout the morning)
Big bottle of water with collagen powder & Inositol powder in (for PCOS)
A small tub of fajita chicken (80g) with about 60g of rice
1 small apple and a handful of grapes

I've also brought some peppermint tea so will have a few cups of that throughout the day

Then for tea I'm planning on doing a cajun chicken salad depending on how I'm feeling and I'll take the dog out for a walk after work providing it's not raining 😂

@CocoKenny That's really good to know about the headaches! I've also suffered with migraines for years so was a bit concerned, so hopefully I have the same response!

@BinnityBoo Good luck with the nausea ... I haven't had nausea luckily, and honestly I think I prefer the night headaches to nausea. Having trouble concentrating at work. Feel restless. Also starting to get constipated. Have ordered psyllium husk.

Does collagen powder help skin? Would you recommend?

Would you share your cajun chicken recipe ?

Thanks.

Oh no! Got caught out by my director.

He walked into my office for the second time this morning, looked at me said "you look like you're away with fairies".
I had to be honest and reply that I just couldn't concentrate.

He sent me off for a walk to collect something on the other side of our campus which is normally an activity reserved for the interns of the secretaries ....told me to have a coffee at the café on the way back. First time in 4 years that he's done this so I must look out of it ...

@Saxendastarter It's not overwhelmingly bad, it's not particularly bothering me but it's definitely there and I feel really full so I guess it's doing it's job! By this time, I'm usually staring at the clock waiting for my dinner break. It's nice/feels a bit weird not to have the constant food chatter going on in my brain.

Maybe try some flax seed/chia seeds (both from aldi) too on the constipation front, I find they usually keep me regular. I usually sprinkle a teaspoon over yoghurt.

Yeah my skin always look a lot more glowy and supple along with my hair when I consistently use the collagen powder, I got these as they were on offer for a bit cheaper at the time Beauty Collagen Powder Stick Packs | MYPROTEIN but also have a bigger bag of collagen powder which is out of stock currently on MP.

The cajun chicken is nothing special I must admit, I'm very much a 'what can I cook really quickly' when I get in from work type of person 😂It's just cajun powder, a little bit of smoked paprika and some garlic granules and I just cook it in a pan with a bit of fry light for about 20 minutes.

Sounds like your director cares though which is nice. Hopefully the walk and the coffee will do you some good 😊

@BinnityBoo I'm still at the café - Thanks for all the tips. I've just ordered collagen from Bulk.

My director cares about efficiency and me making as much money as possible more than anything else!
Honestly he's a bit of an arsehole most of the time - but he's a brilliant scientist and always always uses common sense.
Which is why I know I look out of it because there is no other reason he would have send me off for a couple of hours.

Hey @Saxendastarter . I lost 3 pounds in week 1 and week 2 weigh in is on Friday. I know I've lost weight though as I can 'feel' it you know?
I can't remember who mentioned hypoglycaemia but I suffer with that too and I've often had to eat to stop a migraine from happening. My migraines are bad and I have to carry around Imigran injections - I use around 4 a month usually as well as managing them between attacks.
Since I started Saxenda, my appetite has gone and the nausea has meant my food intake has dropped drastically- usually a migraine trigger - but I've been fine!
I think the nausea will settle but so far I'm impressed. Will defo keep you all posted.
Thanks for making me feel part of this chat btw.

@CocoKenny

Migranes sound rough ! My appetite is still here but certainly less all consuming ...

My first weeks ends Thursday morning so I'll weigh then - I'm hoping for 5 pound even if that is masses.

@Saxendastarter well I hope you enjoyed your couple of hours nonetheless and hopefully he doesn't use it against you. Hope the collagen works for you too, I've been taking it every day for about 6 weeks now.

@CocoKenny that's a great first loss. Keep us updated on week 2 😊
not eating is a migraine trigger for me too, so I'm planning to just eat little and often. I've had a little bit of a headache today but no where near a migraine. Probably just the drop in food. Your migraines sound really bad though, bless you. I have sumatriptan and they usually do the trick for me, but haven't had one in a while.

It's nice to have people to talk to - I haven't actually told anyone I'm starting saxenda, just my partner and don't plan on telling anyone, I find people are quite judgmental about it and I've figured it's nobodies business anyway, so it's good to have this space to talk!

Ah same @BinnityBoo I haven't told anyone either as people give their unsolicited advice and try to make our it's too radical.
Weight loss is a funny one - friends often feel a certain way when someone close changes so they try to 'keep you in your box'.
My box ain't cutting it any more! Haha!
Will defo keep you all posted!

Day 5

Breakfast:
2 coffee with coconut milk
2 Big glasses of sugar free squash
1 flavored San Pellegrino

Snack
Black coffee

Lunch :
2 Big glasses of sugar free squash
1 flavored San Pellegrino
A steak haché with celeriac and cauliflower puree and spinach
1 coffee with coconut milk

Snack
1 flavored San Pellegrino
3 mini madeleines

Supper:
2 mashed boiled eggs with butter
( which is actually an old favorite of mine from when I wasn't overweight at all and I'd forgotten how much I love mashed hardboiled eggs)
1 flavored San Pellegrino
1 Big glass of sugar free squash

@BinnityBoo @CocoKenny

I also haven't told anyone apart from one friend who's also considering taking it and my cleaning lady who was the gracious recipient of all of a massive selection box of chocolates and candy I was given a few weeks ago ( I did keep the sachet of mini madeleines though but they're finished as of this afternoon!).

So, for me too it's really nice to have your company.

My director was actually worried, after lunch he asked me if I was okay because I'd been distracted in the morning and then hadn't had a lot of lunch. I just told him I was tired and not on top form - I left work at 6pm (I'm an hour ahead) and I normally leave at 7.30 ish - I'll do some emails from home this evening. He saw me leaving and came out into the hall to check I was okay ... We've had a spate of resignations at work because it's so stressful at the moment and I think he was worried about that.

Funny thing is that he has prescribing rights here and did offer in a very French way, given that I'm tired and maybe not sleeping to prescribe some melatonin or "un petit benzo" "because sometimes it just helps to reset"...

I didn't take him up on the offer but it did cross my mind to ask him for a renewal prescription for the Saxenda next month to save me going through the shady online pharmacy 😂. Actually on my commute home I hatched an (obviously imaginary) plan to ask him to pay for it too ... I honestly think that half the weight I have gained is due to the constant stress and 10 hours days at work these last 4 years and he has literally seen me double in size ( and also in a very French man in his late 50's way made multiple comments about it !)

I felt hungry when I got home so had my egg supper.

Oh dear, I had a rather large glass of Kir (white wine + cassis liqueur) and quite a few peanuts and 2 small slices of bruschetta. Friends asked me out for Monday drinks ... I did only have one glass though and if not drank fizzy water.

@Saxendastarter - I wouldn't worry about the odd glass of alcohol. Just remember that you are digesting food, and probably alcohol as well, slower. The main warning I had is that alcohol increased the chances of side effects.

I think my 'out of it' was the massive reduction in sugar in my first week. Those going low carb refer to the 'keto flu' which is the body withdrawals from carbs/sugars. If you're eating more protein and veg you are possibly going through a small version of that. Maybe an alcoholic drink has helped counter that?

My weigh in this morning - down to 98. That's another 1.2 kg down, which is pretty awesome. That's 3.5 kg in 2 weeks.

I've been weighing daily though, and it fluctuates a bit so I was sure I'd be somewhere in the 98s but not sure exactly where. As long as the overall trend is downwards, I'm happy!

I go up a dose level tonight. I bought some fleecy sock/slippers so I'll make a point of wearing them tomorrow in case of icy feet again.

I go dress shopping in a month for my nephew's wedding. I think I need to start doing some exercise, at least some sit ups to try to tone my up stomach as that will look much nicer in a dress.

@OrderOfTheKookaburra Thanks for thé support. I think it is keto flu as I’m normally a total sugar junkie, I’m ashamed to admit it but I was having upwards of 2 litres of fizzy drinks a day….

And I think you’re right about the glass of kir countering it because I didn’t have a headache last night.

3.5kg is amazing - are you starting to feel it when you walk ? Also you broke the symbolic 3 digits to get under 100! Well done.

it’s great that you have the dress shopping to look forward to!

I also dug out an old pair of fluffy slippers because as you warned - my feet are freezing the whole time.

I haven’t weighed yet - my day is Thursday. I’m hoping to have lost 2.5kg which is 5.5 pounds ( and also Thankyou so much for going metric ! Stones and pounds are so foreign to me ! - I have to Google translate every time).

I think that’s a big but still some how reasonable loss to expect for the first week. On the other saxenda thread that’s sort of died off some people were loosing 7 pounds or 3kg a week with the same starting weight as you and I …

@Saxendastarter haha, getting him to prescribe you saxenda and pay for it too would be a bonus! Constant stress and long days sound like the likely cause, high cortisol isn't good for you. He owes it to you 😅 I've gained weight too since starting a new job that is a lot more sedentary! I'm a terrible boredom eater.

well done @OrderOfTheKookaburra that's a great loss!

It's funny you've both mentioned about having cold feet, my feet were FREEZING icy cold last night but I just put it down to a slight drop in weather, but I've also been freezing today too! Is it the saxenda?

Always good to have something to look forward to, I'm going to a bottomless brunch at the end of may so hoping to wear a nice dress for that and hopefully be a bit lighter! I'm pretty fed up of not being comfortable in nice clothes.

I weighed in at 83kg this morning, (my scales arrived late!) so going to take that as my starting point and weigh in again next week.

Not feeling the nausea as much today, instead I just don't feel hungry at all really which is nice and no sugar cravings while I've been sat at my desk which feels weird but amazing 😂

Hope you all have a good day!

@BinnityBoo I think the cold feet is Saxenda... I currently have my feet on a hot water bottle in the office, my feet are freezing!

The lack of sugar cravings is amazing isn't it?

I said no to going to restaurant with my director for lunch ( happens very often here - France all that, proper lunches.) He asked if I was on a diet so I did say yes.

He kindly but inappropriately said he been worried about my weight gain and had I checked my thyroid and asked if I'd seen a doctor, I said no just going on a little diet before the summer...

Got back to my desk and he's left a prescription for blood tests for me with a post it on it saying that I don't have to do them but it might be a good idea to check everything is in range and that I can do another one in a couple of months - he's prescribed so many

• complete blood count
• electrolyte serum
• blood calciemia
• liver check
• kidney check
• lipid profile
• fasting blood sugar levels
• THS ( thyroid)
• coagulation report

I think I'll do them anyway - I haven't had any blood checks in ages - I generally avoid doctors as much as I can. But I think the Saxenda might mess up the fasting blood sugar levels ...

We have a running joke in the office that he misses patient practice and prescribing - he has a habit of offering to prescribe very often to all staff members ( i.e - you left the meeting four times to go to the loo, if you have a UTI I can write you a prescription for fosfomycine if you need? or ah, you've got period pain ? do you want flurbiprofen? Ah you're off to India on holiday, did you get your mefloquine or do you want me to write you a quick script? He once offered to prescribe Fluocinolone shampoo to an intern with dandruff (the guy needed it to be honest).

It has it's good sides to be honest, but it is quite intrusive and I don't feel great about him knowing I'm trying to loose weight.

@Saxendastarter - as long as he's not a saboteur like some people are when they find out you're trying to lose weight, then that's good!

Have you tried the cold water fruit tea bags for flavoured water instead? Might come in cheaper than your flavoured water (and given the cost of Saxenda saving money is a good thing....lol!)

You've reminded me, juniper (my Saxenda suppliers) wanted me to do a blood test as well.... sigh, that's annoying. I might just leave it to the weekend.

@BinnityBoo - cold feet definitely from Saxenda. I practically sat on an oil heater that's under my desk at times - mainly on the increased dose day, until my body got used to the new dose. I'm assuming it's to do with the poor circulation side effect they warn you about. So I'll need to be careful tomorrow as I've just gone up to 1.8 dose.

Thanks @OrderOfTheKookaburra - Boss isn't a saboteur, just far too interested in everyones bodily functions - and very into us all being "healthy" with all the possible French legal associated staff benefits ( for example 7 "cycle to work" benefits on top of obligatory public transport reimbursement, free fruit in the office, free top tier extra mental health insurance and free councellig on top of base insurance , sponsored runs etc etc etc ... I really have no excuse!). He's very much "healthy mind in healthy body" makes efficient worker ....

Saxenda remains on the non reimbursable list of drugs in France though and there is basically a rule saying that if social security won't reimburse neither will private health insurance - it sucks! Actually makes me slightly angry.

I must get some fruit tea to cold steep - thats a brilliant idea - the flavored fizzy water was on BOGOF offer last weekend so I bought like 36 cans of assorted flavored Perrier and san pelligriono and then had to lug them up the stairs- but you're right... it's not sustainable financially or ecologically!

Day 6

Breakfast:
2 coffee with coconut milk
1 flavored San Pellegrino

Snack
Black coffee

Lunch :
2 Big glasses of sugar free squash
1 flavored San Pellegrino
Two steak haché with celeriac and cauliflower puree and spinach
1 coffee with coconut milk

Supper:
1 flavored San Pellegrino
1 Big glass of sugar free squash

I was lightly nauseous after Lunch - I had more than previous days and even struggled to drink in the evening. No headache with is good but the absolutely freezing feet saga continues.

Freezing feet solution - cross between slippers and socks. Going to get a couple more pairs of them so that I can throw them into the wash.

@Saxendastarter - you're doing really well with your fluids! I'm not drinking enough and am so thirsty of an evening.

I'm at the point where I think I'll just have an early lunch and not bother with breakfast at all. I just cannot fit 3 meals in. And if I snack I can't even eat a proper dinner.

Given the French obsession with being slim I'm not surprised some companies are like that. It must feel awful being under that scrutiny though.

@Saxendastarter in one way it sounds really handy to be able to get things easily prescribed (especially the way it's going in the UK at the mo!) but overall it sounds incredibly intrusive. Especially with it being your boss. I'm in a similar situation though, I work at a university with lots of professors and doctors and my boss is German, he is lovely 90% of the time, but has very crass views on being overweight despite not sticking to them himself! Myself and my manager are both overweight, and he has reminded us on more than one occasion of the health implications in a rather direct manner.. 😬then 10 minutes later offers us chocolate! 😂

I'm absolutely freezing today! But working from home, so I've got fluffy socks & slippers, a big jumper on and my heated throw 😂meanwhile my partner who is off recovering from surgery is sat in just shorts 😱

Day 3 injection went well, I injected my stomach this morning, today I've got a weird achy feeling in my bowels (sorry for TMI) I've had the lingering of a headache since I started but nothing that paracetamol doesn't help. The reduction in cravings and hunger is just incredible.

I've been hitting around 1000-1400 cals a day and don't want to go any lower than that as feel that is wayyy low enough, I don't want to end up unwell. Ended the day on 1,144 cals yesterday with 2L of water and a few cups of herbal and normal tea.

Looking forward to first weigh in!

@BinnityBoo

Well for TMI - I haven't had a poo for 3 days now and I'm very very gassy - so much so that I decided to work from home today and zoom my meetings rather than have people shut in meeting rooms with me ...
I've tried lactulose and psyllium hulk - so far no luck ...

I'm really not hungry at all today, I had two boiled eggs for breakfast and haven't eaten anything since ...

I might have to have a few coffees though to try and help the no poo situation, I'm a total caffeine addict as well as a sugar addict and can sometimes have 8-10 coffees a day and its always a double expresso either black of with milk - I'd like to try and knock this down a bit as well but I know it'll be rough and cause headaches too.

Ah, well it's good you have the option to work from home when you can. Nothing worse than holding your wind in! Trapped wind is not fun 😅hopefully the luctulose and psyllium husk kick in soon. I'm on a saxenda support group on facebook and have seen a few people mention that they don't inject 1 day a week and it helps them deal with the constipation. If it ever get's to a point it's too bad and making me feel really sluggish, I will probably try that.
I haven't been today and I'm usually very regular!

Nor have I, It's so strange to just not feel hungry at all after spending most of my life ravenously hungry 24/7 😂I was feeling really nauseous mid morning though, so I've had a small apple, a fibre one bar and a 2 egg omelette alongside some peppermint tea and 2L of water so far and that has helped with the nausea.

Maybe try and slowly taper down? Although if you enjoy them and you aren't having sugar in them, I don't think it's bad for you per say. Especially if the coffee helps the poo situation 😂