Gary took me to the Chickpea House for lunch today. We had falafel and hummus, and it was amazing. It’s a Palestinian vegetarian restaurant I’ve been wanting to try because I keep hearing how amazing their food is. Next time, I want to get the hummus fries.

I’m doing so well on my diet right now. I’m eating plenty every day, but I’m eating things that feel really good and just feed my body so well. It makes me feel so much better not to be full of garbage.

I’ve brought my calories up to around 1,800 a day. Some days I still end up closer to 1,600, but I kind of go between the two. At this point, I think it’s mostly about maintaining what I’m doing and continuing to make better choices.

I haven’t increased my shot dosage, and I’m not going to. I don’t want to get to the point where I don’t want to eat or where I’m not having to try. If you do that, I feel like you’re just setting yourself up for future failure. The whole point is to eat better, not starve yourself.

The only reason I would consider increasing my dosage would be if the inflammation in my back started getting worse again.

I’m honestly pretty impressed that both Gary and I have been able to stay on such low doses and still have such extreme success, especially when it comes to pain management. Gary is still taking semaglutide and loves it because he has no shoulder pain anymore, and he’s lost 22 pounds.

Like I said, I don’t intend to ever increase my dose unless my pain becomes a factor.

A good friend of mine, who is also a former classmate I went to high school with, has been battling lupus for a few years. He recently started tirzepatide, and he said it’s been incredible how quickly he lost his moon face and all of his joint pain. I love hearing that it’s helping so many people.

I was also really excited to see that they’re doing a whole lot more research on these medications. I think they’re going to start using them to treat a broader range of illnesses. They’ve already been life-changing for so many people, especially diabetics.

I’m not a person who takes medication lightly. It took a lot of research and a lot of talking to my doctor before I decided to give this a go, but it’s the best thing I’ve done for myself in a long time.

I’m still going to continue doing routine bloodwork, monitoring things, and making sure I don’t have any issues. Most of the symptoms associated with these medications seem to be gastrointestinal.

The thing about gastrointestinal issues is that you usually have a pretty good warning that something is wrong before it becomes extreme. Like with any kind of weight loss, even natural weight loss, gallbladder problems can certainly pose a threat, but that comes from losing weight. It has nothing to do with the actual medication.

I’ve seen a few articles claiming that tirzepatide is making people go blind and causing all kinds of other problems. I know there is some research being done into possible eye issues, but from what I’ve read, most of the concern seems to involve people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes itself already carries a significant risk of eye damage and vision problems, so it’s difficult to know how much of that connection is actually related to the medication. I’ve spoken to my doctor pretty thoroughly about it and researched it through ChatGPT and a few other sources, and I haven’t seen anything proving that tirzepatide itself is causing people to go blind.

For me, the side effects of staying on steroid shots and pain pills for my back are much higher than those of staying on the GLP-1. Pain pills and steroids will wreck your liver. No thanks.

There are a lot of weight-loss drugs that work. There’s no doubt about that. But I would never in a million years consider taking anything that creates blood clots, increases your heart rate, or acts in your body like speed. When you start messing with people’s cardiovascular systems to lose weight, that just feels like dangerous territory. No thanks.

I’d never been interested in trying any of those things, but when this was brought to my attention as something that could help my back issues and help me tackle the last of the weight I’d wanted to get off for years, it felt like a Hail Mary.

For me, the weight loss has almost become a bonus. The pain relief has been the real gift.

It has ended up being so much more than weight loss.

I feel better than I did in my thirties. My head feels clearer, my body feels more agile, my sex drive is stronger, and my energy level has increased tremendously. I think Gary would say the exact same things. It’s made both of us feel younger.

It’s also been amazing to cut out the food noise while still getting to enjoy all the things I love in moderation.

If any of you are considering it, have thought about it, or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to drop them in the comments. I’ll be glad to answer whatever I can.

If you’re trying to find a doctor who can prescribe it for you, it’s also really simple to order it online. I go through my doctor because she has me on a specific compound, but there are some fantastic companies out there that can help you get started if you’re interested.

And no, I’m not selling anything. Lol.