Why Losing Weight with GLP-1 and other Medication is not a Cheat Code

Losing weight is not fun, no matter how you look at it. Its tough and its work no matter what path you choose. I've struggled with weight my entire life. A lot of weight problems are genetic. On both my familie's sides we've had really big people. So I have it coming from both directions. Even as a kid I was chubby and growing up in the 80s in a town full of boomers I often heard daily how fat I was.

Even before joining the Marines, one teacher asked me how I plan on surviving the Corps as fat as I am. I came back 50 lbs lighter in my dress blues and noticed he avoided me at every step.

As you get older losing weight is harder. In 2015 our insurance covered weight loss surgery. I opted for the lap band because it was less intrusive than the gastric sleeve. At first it was great and in a year or so I lost around 120 lbs. I was thin and felt great. Then 2 things happened. See, for the lap band it needst to be filled with saline every few weeks other wise it will get loose and weight will come back.

Lap bands fell out of favor with surgeons and our clinic went out of business. No one else would fill our bands and later due to my bipolar I got put on Seroquel which causes massive weight gain.

I ballooned out over the next few years to almost 400 lbs after being down to 250. My lap band didn't even do anything anymore and I was struggling.

A few years ago we were at a Pink concert at the Alamodome. On my way up the stairs, and yes the stadium stairs did kick my ass. But people kept stopping me asking if I was ok. One asked if I needed to sit down. I guess I looked pretty bad. It was a wake up call.

We then asked firmy doctor about going on something like Ozempic. She told me insurance won't cover it but we can get on a GLP-1 through a compounding pharmacy for a fraction of the price. So we tried that. It worked great. Over the next year or so I lost about 75 lbs ,but since then have hit a plateau and gained about 20 or so back. I'm still at around 325, way less than I was. But the GLP-1 stopped working for me.

It did give me some gastric issues and other things which I could deal with while it was working. But its frustrating to put up with while its not working. What's been funny on this journey is how angry people get when they see you using a GLP-1. They will mock you for being fat and lazy and gross. I've had people accuse me of sitting at Mcdonalds and stuffing my face with Big Macs all day.

First of all, I prefer quarter pounders. Second, I don't eat that much fast food. On the GLP -1 I barely would eat at all. I also started walking and hiking more and doing dumbell exercises at home. It's not a "cheat code" but it helps with hunger pains and cravings for sugar and salt which made a huge difference. Until the drug stopped working. Even at a higher dose I was still getting cravings.

So this week I talked to my doctor and she recommended naltrexone which I guess is an ingredient in GLP-1's that helps with cravings and some of the hunger issues. It's also very very cheap because it is so old. We started me on a half tablet the first week and it works great, BUT it makes me extremely groggy. Apparently this ia short term issue that you get used to in in a week or two, but for the first couple days I wayect to come about on these medications to make fat people pay for using them.

Which just speaks to how much they hate fat people. It's never been about us just losing the weight, but they want us to suffer. I've been told over the years to kill myself among other things for "letting myself" get so fat. I won't list all the names I've been called. It seems fatness is one of the things that is still ok to openly mock about someone. Even though things seem to have progressed, just read comments on any picture of a celebrity who has gained weight.

And then if we use a GLP=1 its "Man lose some fucking weight. NO! not like that!!!!" You can't win. So you just have to do what is best for you and fuck anyone who has a problem with it. I've blocked many people and a few good friends because of their shitty comments about my weight or taking medication for it. This has been a tough journey but a positive one and I don't have room for anyone who wants to shit on it.

In the end, while I want to look better, that isn't my motivation. I want to feel better, have energy, be able to do things without being tired and live longer and healthier. I can't do that if my weight is over 400 lbs. My wife is losing weight also and it makes it much easier to have a partner who is on board with the same struggle. We can encourage and support each other.

In the end, whatever path you take in a weight and health journey, talk to your doctor and your family and do what is best for you. People will hate and judge and make stupid comments. They are not you. Even if someone is a doctor or nurse, unless they are YOUR doctor or nurse, they have no business weighing in and their opinion is meaningless. Do what is best for you and everyone else can get on board or get left behind.

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