One of the biggest challenges for me is feeling full after eating. It’s become easier with Paleo, but my problem is emotional: I just love to eat large quantities. The eating of food is pleasurable to me, even if the food is mediocre. If someone were to keep putting food on the plate for me, I’d keep eating it.
One of the biggest challenges for me is getting the right amount of food per serving. The weird part is that if I make a small serving, it will sate my appetite as much as a large plate. Finishing the meal is such a rewarding feeling for me, stemming in large part to my upbringing and being told to finish everything on my plate as a kid and being rewarded for it. This served me well as a growing child, but now as an adult, it led me to obesity and a life-long eating disorder.
Now that I’m in my 50’s, it’s strange to think that behaviors in eating I learned as a child still haunt me today. Yet here we are. In the most recent Whole30, I was able to drop around 10 lbs (YAY!), but once back on Paleo, my weight loss stalled. This called for something drastic and dramatic, and something I’ve been avoiding.
SGL-1
Semaglutide, or also known by its name-brand, Ozempic. I wasn’t thrilled about it, but after trying for over a year to get back down to a weight I wanted with no success, I realized I needed something else. Exercise and good eating weren’t enough because no matter how hard I tried, my appetite was working against me. No matter how healthy the food was or how much I tried to have reasonable servings, I would get to a point at a meal where I just couldn’t stick to a small portion because my appetite was too strong.
So, I did it. I took the plunge and went with a company that had the best reviews and price. I received the medicine and followed the instructions and surprisingly found that I immediately felt its effects. With the very first dose, I felt the slight nausea, and then the greatly increased feeling of being full after eating just a little bit of food. Then, I didn’t get as hungry as quickly, and when I did, it was a legitimate hunger. As I went to sate the appetite, I quickly hit a wall where I felt I had eaten enough.
This was revolutionary for me. I don’t remember ever feeling full so quickly. I’m on my third week now, and I’ve already lost an additional 5 lbs. With the extreme limitations on my physical activity right now, this is amazing. I’m hoping to continue with this drug for a while and dropping more weight. I’m hoping it helps to reset my eating habits, too. That’s the most important part of it for me: I need to be psychologically okay with eating small meals or with eating only half or a third of what I’m served (which has now become the new norm for me when my wife and I eat out).
Now when we go out to eat, my wife and I regularly share single dishes, and even then, we find ourselves taking home leftovers. It’s amazing to me that I can feel full so quickly. My wife and I joke that this is what it must feel like being my daughter (who eats like a bird).
So… while I don’t believe in the weight loss pills, powders, or even gastric bypass surgery (too much risk and too many people end up becoming obese by stretching their new smaller stomach back to a large/normal size), I do see the benefits of SGL-1 in reducing appetite and helping those (like me) who have a psychological need to eat more food.
I’m not a doctor, so I would never recommend this for anyone, but for me, it works. It’s been a game-changer, and it’s changed my life. Whole30 started me on this healthy journey, and Paleo has allowed me to keep my weight under control, but SGL-1 is helping me with eating the right amounts. For me, it’s a great combination that’s bringing me amazing results.
Paleo Marine 