Ozempic - for those of us a few months in - Part 2

[Peridot1]

Just spotted the other thread had filled up so started I new one.

On a different note, my hunger/food noise is back with a bang today - just eaten crisps for the first time in nearly 7 weeks...

I moved up to 0.5 last week and due next one later today - hoping to feel back on course tomorrow.

I thought the article was poor and she came across really badly. Claiming mainly to only eat salad!! We all know we haven't got fat by eating plain salad. Also I wonder how much wine she drank. She sounded very snobby talking about her food all being organic as if that stops weight gain. I think as ever the DM is just jumping on the bandwagon

Weekly weigh in update:
First dose 31st March
Starting weight 232 lb
Todays weight 211 lb
Loss this week 2 lb
Total loss 21 lb

I read the article too in the DM yesterday. Very hard to feel any sympathy for someone who can’t even get the name of the drug correct. Obviously didn’t do any research.

But @mathis2006 I found your comment that you felt the same way on Saxenda very interesting.

Really hoping that in the future with more of these types of drugs becoming available there will be more education/access through doctors/blood tests etc to maybe ascertain which medication is suitable for the individual.

@mumwheresmyribena - DM also had an article about the foods that have a similar effect to Ozempic.

I weighed in this morning and no change for me this week. It’s been a hard/busy week for various reasons so there was definitely more wine and just grabbing easy food so more carbs than is ideal.

I'm on 0.5mg, I didn't move up to 1mg. But I have been on holiday and have missed two doses. I usually take it on Thursday. How would you go about getting back into it if it was you?

Suffer from side effects quite bad, low level nausea all time and a migraine 24hrs after dosing

I stopped ozempic for a week--my blood glucose was crashing badly and I was in the ridiculous situation of having to force myself to eat sugar or carbs to stop the crash. I have also come off metformin and the glucose is resolving.

I didn't feel appetite return until about day 6. Not getting on the scales though as it was easier to eat and I did have a couple of treats like fish and chips that normally I couldn't tolerate. Back on 1.25 ozempic tonight.

Is anyone experiencing loose skin?

I am happy with the weight loss but my skin feels more wobbly not less.

How much weight have you lost? Are you exercising? It's necessary when losing weight quickily to do something

Yep, I am exercising. I’m on a YouTube exercise video challenge and definitely seeing results - but even so it feels as though the flab is coming off a bit faster than my skin can keep up with.

I have loose skin on my stomach, but I have lost 5st in 20 months since the birth of my daughter.

2st on my own and last 3 with saxenda and ozempic

Does anyone know what dose of Ozempic would be equivalent to 3mg ( top daily dose) of Saxenda?
I've been on Saxenda for 3 months with excellent weight loss results but cannot get Saxenda so have ordered a 4 week pen of Ozempic ( with starting doses of 0.25mg).
My feeling is to go straight to 0.5mg or possibly above...obviously would last a month, I realise that.

would not

It would actually last a month. There are 8 0.25mg doses or 4 0.5 mg doses in both the 0.25 mg and the 0.5 mg pens. No idea about transfer from Saxenda though.

Thanks! Serenade

Personally I tried 0.5ml, did not do much and went to 1ml with better results.

Loose skin can be an issue because of how quickly the weight comes off – I read that the loss is even quicker than what patients experience after bariatric surgery! Which is great for dropping lbs when you're desperate to lose weight, but not so much for your skin.

The worst bit is the baby-stretched stomach like @mathis2006 said. My DC are older, but the skin seems to be sort of gathering above my C-section overhang.

How much weight have you lost so far and in what timeframe? If it's really starting to bother you, is reducing your dose to slow down the process worth considering?

Loose skin isn't always to do with how fast you lose weight, it just depends how big you were to start with. Otherwise the skin would catch up at some point after the weight was lost, and it doesn't.

It's like anything elastic, there's a point of no return if it's stretched too far, and the only solution is surgical removal

I am losing at 2lbs a week and exercising but now I am in my 40s I hadn’t factored in that my skin wouldn’t be youthfully elastic. It took me a while to realise that the skin wasn’t the same texture (?) that I was expecting.

I am liberally rubbing with Palmers and hoping it improves!

Hit my 6 stone loss today - 14st 1.7lbs down from 20st 2. Only 6lbs to go before my BMI is under 30 and I am no longer obese. Starting BMI was 44.3, current is 31.1.

I have very little loose skin but as I still have 3 stone to lose, it's hard to tell. I seem to have very good skin tone and elasticity but I'm pretty sure I'll end up with loose skin on my stomach, thighs and possibly upper arms but it's much easier to live with than 9 stone of extra fat

Athena that's so impressive!! So glad it's worked well for you.

Have you been doing much exercise?

How do you feel about reaching your goal and maybe stopping Ozempic? I'm really nervous about it, although I'm still 3 stone off. If it was cheaper and risk free I would happily take it forever.

I am thinking of doing a few alternate weeks 0.75mg and 1mg. Hope it won’t have too much of a negative affect as it is a long acting drug. This is because I managed to get hold of a 0.5mg pen when I was worried I would be left with nothing and it was too expensive to be used up in two weeks. Although in reality I won’t even be getting three weeks out of that pen at 0.75. (With one dose left in the 1mg pen I could get four 0.75s altogether)

Perhaps I should alternate to 0.66 for 3 alternate weeks with the 0.5 pen. I don’t know.

Has anyone done anything like this and it been ok or had a negative effect?

If I do it it will also mean I won’t be having supply worries again for a bit longer - it is quite stressful trying to get hold of it.

Oh and Wow, Athena, you are inspirational