Semaglutide Journey

What a solid start there! Wishing things keep going well from here on.

Hope for your continued success! Sema was my first one and the appetite suppression plus fullness was stronger than other glp-1s, but I dealt with bad constipation. Drink lots of water, add fiber, go for smaller meals more often instead of big ones, and use miralax if things get stuck. I would not want anyone to go through what I did.

First week is nearly done and tomorrow is the next shot. Nothing bad so far. Saturday night was a friend's anniversary party at a tavern with lots of pub food. The usual advice is to eat beforehand so you are not tempted, but that always feels like punishment. This time I had some poached salmon with greens instead and it just felt like a normal meal. Work stress was harder to handle though, and I skipped exercise completely. I need to build in walks or something when I step away from the computer.

Second shot went in yesterday with no leg soreness like the first time. I moved the injection to around noon to slowly shift my dosing day toward Monday. Even with the appetite drop I think I am still eating past my deficit. I have made some food changes but need more. Am I actually hungry at lunch or just following the usual schedule because my partner says it is time to eat? I have the next six days off and want to tighten up my routine before the holidays.

The effect on dopamine is interesting. I took a walk this afternoon without any game or music to keep me occupied. Normally that route feels boring and I need a distraction, but today I did not reach for either and kept going fine. I am going to try another walk tonight.

Rough day after poor sleep, not related to sema. Food noise showed up again this morning, probably from the lack of rest. First negative side effect appeared and it feels cardiac, more like a mild irritation than palpitations. My watch shows normal heart rate and the ECG looks the same. It could be light indigestion. I have seen mentions of GLP receptors in the heart and that glycine in the compound might cause it. Some reports online say the symptom happens on sema but not on tirz, so I am going to get that checked out.

It has been several months so I wanted to add an update. Almost 30 pounds down so far. One worry was how to tell my regular doctor. She was not enthusiastic at first because she carries the legal and ethical responsibility and I was adding something new. At that point I was down about 12 pounds. I have to see her every six months anyway. On the latest visit she seemed more open after seeing 25 pounds gone and my lowest weight in years, though still not back to pre-COVID levels. Blood pressure was 122/80 on meds, better than before. She asked about GI symptoms and I had none. When she asked about constipation I said it stays away if I eat leafy greens, which helps more than usual while on sema.

This seems really great to me. I had a good time checking out the stories you told.

One unexpected benefit has been with arthritis. Genetics put me at risk for it, but the pain has basically disappeared since starting sema. It is not just the weight loss, though that helped a bit. My BMI is still over 30 so I am still obese, just not morbidly so. The real clue is that the pain comes back if I miss or delay a shot, which happened three times because of work travel. It starts a few days later and gets worse until I resume the schedule. These peptides do some interesting things.