The Saxenda Sisterhood

[Saxendastarter]

Hi all,

As the last thread is filling up I thought I'd start a new one so we don't get lost.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/4788207-im-starting-saxenda-this-week

This is the follow up from "I'm starting Saxenda this week" I'm personally journaling my way to a hopefully healthier and happier life. I'm journaling what I'm eating, the weight I'm losing (and gaining) and trying to see the positives outweigh the negatives on a daily basis. I'm joined on this thread and journey by many amazing women who are all very supportive and who are also sharing as much or as little as they like.

I'm finding I'm opening this thread instead of opening the cupboards, the fridge and the food delivery app on my phone and feeling less in my struggles and frustration and writing about my days makes me realize my life isn't all bad.

I'm thankful for all the voices in this thread and feel supported by the sisterhood of women from all over facing the same body struggles as I am.

I post some pictures and photos and I really like it when others do too.

If you're new please join us if you want to and let us know how you're getting on with your Saxenda journey. Come here for compliments when you deserve them and commiseration when you need some. You're welcome whatever your age, wherever you are and if you have 1kg or 10 stone to loose.

I've been on Saxenda for 10 weeks and lost 9.2kg (1st 6.2lbs) so far. I started at over 96kg and am now 87 and a bit. I have at least another 20kg to go to be happy with how I look - but knowing that the Saxenda sisterhood is here makes the journey seem less intimidating.

Thanks @Footgoose - good to hear you’re getting there. It’s going to be lovely when you announce to us all that you’ve got to where you want to be. And hopefully having achieved that will help you to stay there.

Hello all, just back from a few days away with the family. Had a great time, been fairly sensible with my food for a holiday so hopefully not too much of a gain.
Went back to where I went to uni, was really weird to see where I lived after 25 years. Lots of not great memories including significant issues with binge eating (seeking dopamine to cope with the depression) which started when I moved there, lots of not great choices. Wish I could go back and hug 18 year old me and say it really will be OK, you will find happiness and you are good enough, just give it time. I wouldn't be a teenager again for all the money in the world, awful time.
Saxenda must be helping, I've still had a good appetite but have been perfectly happy with just the one churro, a taste of my son's ice cream and a third of a milkshake (shared with my littlest) and not felt deprived or guilty at all - just enjoyed the occasion. Two more days of 1.8 then I will increase to 2.1.

Day 84

Breakfast
Coffee with almond milk

Lunch
Cheese board with bread and iced tea

Snack
Gin cocktail
Alcool free cocktail
Pastis with handful of crisps

Supper
White wine spritz

So proud of myself - I want for a proper walk on my own in a forest just next to Paris. Did 15.4km (9.5 miles - 22 953 steps) all by myself. Would have done more but had my new hiking boots on and my feet were killing me. I have a week left to break them in before Compostelle .... I normally walk in my Birkenstock so was quite a change and have small blisters on both feet ...

@Namechange602 If I were you I'd bash on but I understand how stressful it must be. I hope you manage to find some.
@Footgoose The alcohol side is liberating for me too - I'm still drinking probably too much and wouldn't like to have to go through my food diary and count my units but - I am drinking say way less than before - not every drink is alcohol and I'm finding myself ordering soft drinks more and more.
@Everdecreasingcircumferences I would also so love to go and hug the 18 year old me and tell her things will be okay. Great that you're not tempted by food and that you had a nice few days. Let us know how upping your dose goes.

I feel like I'm the only one who went straight to 3mg as per the official guidelines !!!!

And some pictures !

Tell me if I sound crazy, but it's quite a benign kind of nausea, isn't it? Like low-level & lurking but no feeling that you're actually in danger of being sick. Is that what everyone else gets from this?

I want to hug 18 year old you too @Everdecreasingcircumferences - and all of us. Dopamine seeking makes sense.

@Saxendastarter im rubbish at responding to all . I read everything and then every so Ofer something really pings out . I too have been wondering who is on the full 3ml dose. As far as I have noticed so far , it’s you and me but I could be very wrong . I’ve been on 3ml for around 5 weeks I think so I can’t really remember what it felt like not to be on full amount . My experience of the full dose is almost never hungry, no alcohol cravings, and I get by on anything from 400 to 1000 cals a day but mostly somewhere i between . I understand the need to drop the dose due to limited supplies and cost but I kind of feel this medication is working at its optimum for me on the maximum dose .

@Footgoose did you titrate up at the recommended speed?

As a side note, every single day regardless of how long I leave the jab in for… there’s always a small droplet at the end when I remove it and I am annoyed at losing the teeniest tiniest drop of Saxenda considering how hard it is to come by 😂

@JeandeServiette , I did . I’ve been fortunate that I’ve had no side effects that really bother me. I’ve also been lucky with the pens . Availability does pop up from time to time with my original prescriber ( Lloyds) . I also managed to get some from Right Angled pharmacy thanks to a tip off on this thread .

@MsLK14 me too! Even after I’ve stabbed it back in!

@MsLK14 . I get this from time to time as well and yes it’s annoying . Once you gave injected , do you hold the trigger down and count to 10 before removing the needle ? It’s in the instructions somewhere. When I remember to do this there are fewer occasions of the little drop.

@Footgoose i do! I’ve even tried counting to 20 but everytime, there it is. In the grand scheme of things it’s nothing but part of my brain is like “that’s like £1.50 worth of it!” 😂

Would I be stupid to start it today whilst slightly hungover?!

@Saxendastarter I fully expected and planned to work up the dose as per the instructions and be on 3 from 5th week, it just happened that I was away when I should have gone up from 1.8 to 2.4 so I held off for a few days and then found I was fine on it and that almost immediately clashed with when it started to get tricker to get stock. I have been expecting to move up to 2.4 anyday as had levelled off at 1.5lbs a week but has gone back to 2.5-3lbs ish last few weeks… so my conclusion is it’s all a bit random, but I do feel like I’m putting in more effort myself now and if that gets trickier than I will be moving up dose

@freetheunicorn1 . Not sure . If today is a non working day for you then doing your first dose could be a good thing so you can manage the side effects if you get any . Or , if ( like me when I’m hungover ) you will be battling the munchies and have little will power then maybe save the dose and start tomorrow. The first dose is tiny so it’s easy to assume the side effects will be minimal but if you have read further back in this thread you will see that’s not the case for some unfortunate people .

Also on the subject of wasting a little sax after injecting After day 6 the last couple of pens pen have had about 4 clicks of sax left . I’ve thought about saving these pens until the end so I can use the left overs to taper off but they would be slightly over the use by date . It seems a faff to click back 4 times on the next pen and finish the old pen off , but as this is the second time it’s happened I think that what I’ll do! I’ve worked out how much each pound of weight has cost so far and when you look at it like that every drop counts. 😂

1kg off this week, so I’m happy with that. As long as the scales are going down, I’ll take it!

How strict to be have to be about the "discard after 30 days" thing?

I have a single pen here that must be 6 or 8 weeks old, and only took two 0.6 doses from it. It's been in the fridge since.

I then decided to wait until I could get five pens before I got going.

Now the box of pens has arrived, I am really struggling to throw a pen with £97 worth of medicine left in it.

@JeandeServiette , someone with more qualified medical knowledge than me will answer your question hopefully . 6 to 8 weeks is a long time tho’ so I wouldn’t like to give my unqualified opinion . Generally speaking I’m risk averse which is why I wouldn’t use it after 30 days .

@Smokeahontas . Congrats ! Ever loss is a positive . 😊

@Smokeahontas Congrats !!!

Day 85

Breakfast
Coffee with almond milk

Lunch
Mergez and fries
Crepe
Water

Snack
Coffee
Rhubarb and raspberry ice tea

Supper
Mcdonals meal deal

Not a great day food wise with no veg to be seen and McDonalds to boot .... I did walk 18.4km though which is 11.4 miles

By the way this is totally random - but I was walking with a friend today and we walked past this campsite

https://thelisresa.webcamp.fr/list.php?camping=lesrivesdeparis&lang=fr&PHPSESSID=qgmnobcvmh3d55nuv884rabg72&begin=2023-07-16&duration=7&end=2023-07-23&nb_pers=1&type=1&_ga=2.221888280.1491398893.1689537126-1593655200.1689537126#%2F%3FPHPSESSID=qgmnobcvmh3d55nuv884rabg72

It's about a 20 minutes walk from the RER A station Neuilly Plaisance and the station is then only a 25 minute suburban train (RER A again) from Disney - (After nearly 20 years in Paris I have never been to Disney) but - with the friend I was with we noticed pitches with car space + electricity are "only" 175 euros for 5 nights ( 35 euros a night for up to two tents and 6 people with car or 25 a night with no car).

It looked like a pretty cool place and a half hour walk along the water followed by 25 minutes in the RER A either gets you to the centre of Paris or to Disney - The RER trains run every 20 minutes ish to past midnight and there are 1 every 10 minutes ish during the day.

And tiny houses for up to 4 are under 100 euros a night.

Just thought I'd mention it in case anyone is a Disney fan.

Ah better with a direct link to the campsite!

https://camping.lesrivesdeparis.fr