My Mounjaro Journey Week 19 - Non-Scale Victories

Hello everyone

I keep expecting to plateau but I've been really lucky and had a loss every week so far. but I'm going to talk about non-scale victories (NSV's) anyway because it might help some of you.

In one of my earlier blogs I mentioned the fact that we are obsessed with what the scales say but that's not the reason any of us want to lose weight.  Most of us want to look better or feel better and what we weigh is secondary to that.

The SheMed Community has some brilliant examples on NSV's but my favourite will always be the lady who said that she no longer has to dislocate her shoulder in order to wipe her bum! I'm sure a lot of obese people can relate to that because obesity can affect your flexibility.  Personally, I used to struggle putting my socks on or doing my shoelaces up but I'm finding it much easier now.  I'm not joking when I say I literally used to limber up so that it was easier to bend down!

Other physical benefits of losing weight include decreased joint pain, less breathlessness and reduced back pain.  As I've said before, I could barely walk to the local shop because the pain in my back could be excruciating and my ankles and knees hurt.  Now I'm walking two to three miles. sometimes more, almost every day.  That's an amazing NSV.

There are mental health NSV's too.  I'm definitely feeling more confident and my self-esteem has increased.  I feel proud about what I've achieved so far.  Some people have said they're general mood has improved, they feel less stress and have better concentration.

Health benefits are a major NSV.  I had a blood test last week and the results show that my blood sugar has come down again.  I was prediabetic before Christmas with a count of 42.  This came down to 34 in March and is now 31.  My cholesterol has finally dropped below 5 and my blood pressure is no longer high.  I've lowered my chances of having a stroke or a heart attack and developing nine different types of cancer.  How good is that?

Then, of course, there are the NSVs relating to clothes.  I've got clothes that are twenty years old, probably older.  As a yo-yo dieter, I've got clothes that range from size 16/18 up to size 22/24.  There are clothes hanging up in my wardrobe that I haven't been able to fit into for years but, ever the optimist, I always hoped I'd fit into them again so kept hold of them.  A couple of weeks ago, I took a shirt out and planned on wearing it over a t-shirt because I didn't think I'd be able to button it up but, much to my delight, not only could I button it up, it didn't gape, even when I sat down.  That was a good day and Mounjaro gave that to me.

Another NSV I've experienced relate to cooking in the evenings.  I don't just mean throwing a pizza in the oven, I mean proper cooking from scratch.  I would recommend trying Gousto or Hello Fresh to get you started if you're not very confident in the kitchen.  I really enjoy planning my meals for the week and I don't miss takeaways at all. I'm saving an absolute fortune because I'm not spending money in KFC, on bottles of wine or on mountains of snacks, which is funding the jabs.

The point I'm making is that this journey is multifaceted and it's important not to feel down if the scales show no loss or even a gain.  If it helps, write a list of the reasons you wanted to lose weight.  I guarantee not one of your reasons will relate to a number on a scale.  

Now for this week's stats:

Weight  - 13st 10lbs
Mounjaro dose - 7.5mg
BMI - 36.2
Total loss - 2 stone 5lbs
Alcohol free - 150 days

Keep going.  You may not get there as quickly as you hoped, but you will get there.

Until next time x



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