Okay. Before I get into the juicy details of this post, allow me to say that, due to personal reasons, this summer has been challenging. I won’t divulge information that’s too personal but, sometimes events happen in life that remain not for sharing. That said, I hope you like this post. Sometimes, we need a little push and the GLP-1 has been that nudge I needed.
We had more challenges than the damage the leaky fridge did!
Pre-menopause, it was easy for me to lose weight if I had gained. Or, it was easy to maintain my weight. I’ve gone from thin to not-so-thin. At my lowest, which is when I was 31 years old 1t 117, to maintaining a pretty decent weight of 137 during the years after giving birth to my daughter and after a few years, reaching a high of 180 pounds after going through a lot of stress.
Oona and me at Long Beach 1992. I was 137 pounds and felt great! At this juncture, I will be happy to reach 145 pounds! Oona was three and I did manage to lose stress weight.
Then came menopause. That special time of life when, thankfully, my periods stopped. And with that came a different quality of life. Hot flashes so intense I pulled over while driving to take off my shirt and drive around in a bra. Headaches that really weren’t in my head but the back of my neck to my shoulders. Having to have a tweezer in the car at all times, and one in each purse because the eyebrows that were shedding were now popping up as misplaced hairs, aka lady whiskers, on my chin.
One would think that living like a walking sauna would provide weight loss. But it didn’t.
My body also changed. It expanded. My once shapely and smaller waist was inflating faster than a tire tube. My belly, of which was always a little sticky-outy, was now one giant mudflap. My upper arms took on the appearance of a pelican’s mouth when full of water and fish. The thighs? Yeah. They became thighnormous! And the weight continued to pack on no matter what I did.
As in the words of my late, great dad: “It must be jelly ’cause jam don’t shake like that”. Yeah. My belly shook!
I joined a gym through work. Went pretty regularly but wasn’t motivated. Then I lost my job and lost the gym membership. I attended one—yes, one Yoga class at the Y. I couldn’t return because people had dirty and disgusting feet and I didn’t want those dawgs anywhere near my precious being. Weight Watchers no longer worked for me because the brand stopped the workshops and went cyber.
Basically, THIS was what made me never return to a yoga class. Dirty and disgusting feet.
It was time to do this on my own. Now, when the weight climbed up to 155, I was barely able to fit into my beloved size 8 pants. Luckily, at that weight, I was able to sort of hide the excess because I am a large-boned individual. I am not a gamine nor am I slight. I got the heavy bones.
But once my weight hit the 165 range, excess body weight couldn’t be hidden anymore. Love handles overflowed from my J. Crew white denim shorts that I wore for many summers. Form-fitting dresses gave the illusion that I was 5 months pregnant—and at my age, it would have been the second coming of Christ if that were so. Even my titties seemed larger. Age after menopause crept up like the itsy-bitsy spider.
Thankfully, my beloved Wynne maxi dress from Lilly Pulitzer has a lot of stretch. From the front, it doesn’t look bad but from the side. OUCH!
Then, two years ago, we attended a birthday party out on Long Island for my brother-in-law. It was quite the bash at my sister’s beach club. And there was quite a crowd. The one thing I noticed was the majority of the women I knew and who were around my age, were skinny as f*ck. I felt like a wildebeest. And, after a few drinks and not-so-deep conversation, I found out these women were on Ozempic. They were chatting the drug up as though it were a miracle worker. I was intrigued but not quite on board.
This is what all those Long Island women looked like after being on Ozempic. I honestly do not know what Kelly Osbourne has taken to loose an incredible amount of weight and with all due respect, her dad passed away, but this is ED skinny and Tom Ford should be ashamed that he is promoting this body type. Look, I want to lose weight but remain healthy.
Later, after a visit with my doctor, I inquired about this Ozempic drug. He gave me a firm “no” and told me to watch what I eat. Men. They don’t get it. I wasn’t asking him to give me the drug because I wanted to be bone thin, I just needed help. In hindsight, he could have been correct but also could have recommended something more substantial than telling me to watch what I eat.
And so, the past two years had me watching what I eat and the scale not moving below 165 pounds. During this time, the primary practice I went to changed into a “concierge” practice, which meant paying an extra $2,000 a year, over what I was paying in medical insurance to have your doctor’s visits be longer and have the doctor pay more attention to you.
I switched practices and now see a nurse-practitioner—and she’s wonderful!
Back to the story. As you know, if you read this blog, my son, Jake, got married last August in Santa Barbara, California. (And he and my DIL gave birth to a very healthy boy two weeks ago!!) The entire time we were there it was blissful. All three kids, my grandsons, the weather, the events—it was never ending happiness!! My husband and I, along with my daughter and SIL and the grandsons had a great day at the beach. Vincent and I were frolicking with the boys to give Oona and Sam a rest. And later on, I saw it. Oona took some photos of us with the boys. There was one of me bending over. My flabber was gasted! Actually, my flab was overflowing from the bottom of my two-piece bathing suit. I realized then and there that I needed to get healthier.
Here’s the proof. I wore the same dress to Jake’s wedding that I did to Oona’s. Look at the difference. And with body shapers, I still looked like a stuffed sausage!
Upon arriving back home, I did have an annual health checkup with my new primary. Went through initial blood tests-and naturally, got weighed. My weight was at 170 pounds. And I didn’t mention wanting Ozempic because, at that time, I was too much in shock at my 5-pound gain and was in a funk.
Blood tests came back with an iron deficiency and borderline high BP and cholesterol. My BP prescription was renewed from my previous doctor, and I received my new prescription. Yet, I remained silent about looking into a GLP-1.
Throughout the year, I tried to lose weight. I walked the hospital campus at lunchtime. I ate smaller portions during the week with only giving myself weekends with my husband to enjoy full meals. And even then, I was still somewhat mindful. However, eating from stress and boredom continued. A bit here. A bit there added up. I wasn’t fooling anyone but myself.
And then, a few weeks ago, I had to have my annual blood draw taken. Everything was in good shape. I also, two weeks ago, had an appointment with my NP. This time, my weight was 167.5 a small drop from last year’s 170. But for the span of 52 weeks, otherwise known as 12 months, otherwise known as one year, I dropped 2.5 pounds. It was time to come clean.
We had a great discussion. I talked. She listened. And listened well. She understood me. She knew what it was like to go through menopause. She understood issues we have with weight. She got it—that I wanted to be healthy not only for me but for my grandsons to enjoy their grandmother!
She explained that the State of Pennsylvania doesn’t allow insurance coverage for medicines for weight loss. I was already aware of this. Yes. If you live in the State of Pennsylvania, you’re cooked. Under my employer, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I have Aetna—and the pricier PPO insurance. Aetna, as well as many of the insurance companies are a sham. You want to get healthy. You want to maintain a healthy weight. One that could get you off medication—but the insurance companies want you unhealthy and sick so they can get their money. It’s a vicious cycle in America. Even with trying send a diagnosis of high BP and cholesterol issues—Aetna said “no”.
Regardless, we spoke about taking a GLP-1. Since I didn’t have a massive amount of weight to lose, it was better for me to start on a low dose. She also stressed the importance of working with the medication. The medication is a tool. It isn’t a miracle drug where I can shove copious amounts of food into my gut and magically the pounds will come off. I need to be mindful of proteins and fiber and lower the carb intake. I need to move. And at this point—I’m ready.
My best option was to go through Eli Lilly direct. I am now taking Foundayo and the lowest dosage possible. The out-of-pocket cost? 149 USD a month. While I’m not thrilled about paying that, it’s better than paying a lot more. Today, August 29, marks exactlya month that I’ve been taking the pill. This morning when I got on the scale, my weight read 156.50 pounds. That’s a loss of 11 pounds in four weeks. And I’m fine with that because I’ve been working along with my GLP-1.
I’m on the lowest dosage of Foundayo. The first month was a nice loss but moving forward, I expect to lose maybe 1 pound a week which is healthier.
The medication’s side effects can be headaches—I’ve had none. Constipation—luckily for me, I poop like a rabid dog so I’m fine. Fatigue-nope. Thirst. YES! I’m very thirsty and H2O is my best friend right now. Truth be told, the best plain water on earth is NYC tap water. I used to drink it by the gallons when I lived in the City. Now, I can only drink water if it is very, very cold. Otherwise, I add Zero Sugar drink mixes or make a big pitcher of Zero Sugar Iced Tea and keep it in the fridge.
Lots and lots of water. Flavored. Plain. Sparkling. Just. Water!
The medication curbs my appetite in a way that I could have never imagined. The only time I’ve never said no to food was when I was in the middle of labor, delivering my children. And even then, I couldn’t wait to deliver my little kiddles because afterwards, I could eat!
Non-fat cottage cheese and figs are my friend these days. This is enough to fill me up.
My husband makes a great carrot rappe. Low in calories and fat and delicious.
As much as I love Biscoff, I have no desire for them right now. The food noise has become silent!
Weekends are my downfall, not with meals but with being home and putzing around the house. Out of boredom, the fridge would be opened at least twenty times with me taking a little piece of ham. Or a cube of cheese. Or a handful of olives. Or some chocolate. Or a sweet. It isn’t happening anymore. To keep momentum up, I’ll have four olives but no desire to continue. I now have boundaries.
Dinner? I’m measuring out my food. I hadn’t done that in four decades. Last night, we had kabobs. I couldn’t finish it. I honestly, could not finish it. I was full. And another thing—Vincent loves his baguettes. With butter. And, naturally, I can’t help myself to a slice or three. I’m not eating any bread. I’m not missing it either. I’m just okay with not eating it. Last Sunday night we had spaghetti. I measured mine out. And lucky for me, I can’t stand tomato sauce. I had mine with salt and pepper and a bit of pasta water and I was satisfied.
I couldn’t finish this kabob. I ate half and will finish the other half tonight for dinner!
Okay. I made salmon rillettes. I had a bit but…
…not on the bread I made. Instead…
I had rillettes on a toasted slice of 647 bread and placed the loaf in the freezer, so I could take out a piece at a time and freezing it will keep it longer.
Moving forward, the weight won’t come off quickly. I will be pleased to lose one to two pounds a week until I hit my goal of—between 145 pounds and 147 pounds. I’m not in this to get skinny. I’m in this to get healthy. In October, I have a follow up appointment. If I’m stalled, I can go up to a slightly higher dosage costing 199 USD a month but I’m hoping this lowest dosage will fulfill my needs.
My clothes are fitting better. Even jeans. Does it look like I lost weight? Not really, but when I turn to the side, it’s apparent my gut is going down in size–and that’s a good thing!
My gut is going down considerably. It’s still there but going down..
Another Wynne maxi shows the shrinking gut. Still there but smaller.
Jeans? I’m in a smaller size–but still have a ways to go to…
Get back into the jeans of yesteryear–glad I kept them!
Sometimes, we need a bit of help to attain goals. Sometimes, we can’t do it alone. Sometimes our bodies need help and it’s okay to seek it and use that help wisely!
Good for you!
Good for you. Same experience, almost exact. Gave myself permission to get help. Lost 25 pounds in 8 months to improve cardiac health. Truth: losing the excess weight allows more physical activity and improved mental health = less medication, happier life. As a 57 year old woman I don’t need to explain my decisions to anyone! You go girl.
Exactly! The weight loss really helps with the mental health!! Congrats on the 25-poound loss!
I’m happy for you, how wonderful that this is helping.
Thanks Vava!
Catherine,
Thanks for sharing your weight loss “journey” (overused, silly term, but here we are😉). Your honesty and directness is really appreciated.
I have been on a GLP for near two years. It has helped not only with weight loss but with inflammation. It has been amazing for me, and freaking expensive. Unlike you my doctor suggested it to me for over a year before I was willing to try it. I’m hypothyroid and the weight gain has been beyond depressing. My weight loss has been slow, which was what I wanted. But I didn’t expect it to help with the arthritis in my back as it has. Helping me to stay active. The cost is the biggest negative-insurance or Medicare will not cover it in my case.
All the many studies done on GLP’s consistently prove it is safe. And if you struggle with your weight you know, if not, lucky you but your opinions on the use of GLP’s lacks validity. Wishing you all the best.
Hi Jacqelyn! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is expensive and I was majorly pissed off that AETNA would not cover it. I was even more pissed off that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, of which I am employeed does not cover it for weight loss. It’s bullshit. We pay into insurance only to be denied a healthy weight. I swear the powers that be want us sick. Medicare is my secondary insurance and I got a no-go from them too. Instead, I’m paying 149 out of pocket. I’m just glad that the medication works. Congrats to the meds bringing your health back!
LOL. I can’t stand the usage of “journey” but I was at a loss for words!!
Catherine-No judgement here-I’m so happy for you! You only turned food away when in labor cracked me up. Because of this post, I’m going to look at Eli Lilly and Foundayo. Our situations are similar and maybe it’ll help me move from 156 to 146. Man, that would make me so happy. As far as other stuff going on in your life, I hope things smooth out for you soon. xo Colleen
Thanks so much Colleen. Yeah. Life certainly loves to throw challenges at us! I appreciate your thoughtfulness. LOL. Definitely look into Eli Lilly. My NP sent the prescription directly to them and it’s been so easy to order through the Ili Lilly Pharmacy!! I highly recommend it!
Happy for your small successes! I feel your pain about this weight gain at our age! My stomach has become swollen and round in the past 6 months… noticeably! After some heart scans and tests, my cardiologist mentioned if I was interested in the GLP 1’s. Thanks for your advice!
Hi Elaine, Definitely consider it. It was impossible for me to go below 165 pounds and it was frustrating and depressing. The fact I’m in the 150’s now is a joyful thing. I’ll be even more joyful when the scale hits into the 140’s!
The Trump administration initiated a GLP bridge program $50 a month with certain qualifications- you can google
Yes. I know. Conditions apply and I am not eligible. I pay OOP.
Good for you! I’ve been on it for over a year. No food noise and any symptoms I had have quieted down. Only downside is my body is an 8 but my skin is a 12. And I’m not as interested in cooking anymore. I didn’t tell my doctor, went through someone else for the meds. I can run up stairs again and my blood pressure went from hypertensive to normal. At 72 it’s not the body I had at 35 but it’s still pretty good.
Hello Ms. Wynne! I love the lack of food noise. Earlier this morning I had to go into my husband’s office for something and I spotted a bag of fun-sized Snickers. Now, pre GLP-1, I would have had a lot of fun turning that bag of candy into a smaller bag because I would have eaten half of them. I looked at the bag and turned around with no desire to eat any of it. Yeah. My ares are crepe paper looking and my thighs are too but overall, the weight loss is a charm!! Congrats on the size 8!
I know, good for you, but the loose skin is problematic, unfortunately!
Cathe,
I can see the weight loss in the photos and you are looking fantastic. My husband has been on Zepbound since January and has lost 60 pounds, is off blood pressure medication and is feeling fantastic. He’s costing us a fortune in buying a new wardrobe, but hey it is well worth it. Keep up the good work in getting healthy for yourself and for those beautiful grandchildren of yours.
HI Toni! Congrats to your husband! LOL! I have all my skinny clothes in bins in the garage.Luckily I won’t have to buy new clothes as the cost OOP for the Foundayo is $149 a month. Honestly, we really need universal health care!
Gurl! This could be my story almost EXACTLY! (Except all my “numbers” are much higher than yours. EEk!) I even welcomed a new grandson 2 weeks ago like you! Menopause hit me hard! And, yepp, I have the jello jiggles.
I was at a baby shower and noticed all the gals I hadn’t seen in a while were all THIN. Every single one of them, (I can personally name 8 of my peers) had been on a GLP-1. I enquired about a GLP-1 with my doctor, but Medicare (I am 66) would not cover it for weight loss, the price was prohibitive. Although it started low enough, it would increase when the dosage increased. I decided to try losing the weight on my own…again.
Back in June, I read about the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program starting July 1, 2026 and high tailed it to my doctor with the information. I am able to get Wegovy pills for $50 a month. I have been on them for 7 weeks now. Currently, I am 3 weeks in on a 4mg dose. I’ve seen a 7 pound loss thus far. My doctor wants me to take this dosage for 3 months and then in October I will have a check-up and new blood work done. It is hoped to keep me on this lower dose for my weight loss. (Better for the heart!) If I can maintain a 1 pound per week weight loss at this low dose, I will be thrilled. The lower dose is likely to have less negative side effects or issues. I am good with that idea!
Yes, it is really weird how I simply DON’T think of food all the time! I have no cravings. And, in fact, I don’t feel hunger. I have to actually make sure I am eating regularly, otherwise, I just go on about the day and then find I have that icky, “Oh, I need to eat something!” feeling. I lean into natural proteins, fiber, low carbs and water, water, water! That and moving, along with some strength training is really showing good results! I am actually able to STOP eating at meals no matter how much I love the meal! LOL Before it was as if it was always the last time I was ever going to have my beloved foods and therefore I had to eat all I could cram in my pie hole!
I too am pleased with this tool and working hard to follow the healthy guidelines required so that I actually LEARN to lose the weight and maintain the loss.
You got this Catherine! Isn’t it wonderful to actually feel like you are in control and finally seeing some results?
Hi Tammy! We have parallel lives here! I wasn’t able to get the medicare bridge. Trust me, I have to work full-time and I have Aetna. In Pennsylvania insurance won’t pay for weight loss meds. It’s such a complicated racket. I also have Medicare but it is my secondary insurance and Medicare will not cover the Gl:P-1 for me. Regardless, I’m thrilled with the weight loss and am hoping to keep the momentum up at a pound a week. The big test will be over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays AND when we head to Paris later in the fall.
I have been on a compounded version for over two years and have lost 50 pounds. When a few people asked if I’d lost weight,I told them the truth. It seems it’s not the thing anymore to ask if someone has lost weight. Anyway,I feel absolutely no shame in using a GLP-1 because I see it as a medication that helped me with a medical issue. I was fat, still overweight as far as those charts are concerned. But, I feel good, and my numbers are all down. I’ve got two siblings with diabetes and a grandmother who passed from it so I knew I needed to lose the weight. The lack of food noise is the greatest gift of this stuff! I had tried going through my doctor, but Medicare wouldn’t cover it. He was fine with the compounded version. Now, that Medicare is covering it, I may look into that. You’ve made wonderful progress in such a short period of time! Congratulations!
Congratulations on the 50 pound weight loss! It actually is a tool in the form of medication. My grandmother was a diabetic in her later years and really had to watch it. I know it will take a while to lose the remainder of the weight but I’m okay with it. I am sitting here answering you with a glass of iced tea (zero sugar) beside me. I went to the fridge to get it and had absolutely no desire to munch or grabe a bite to eat. That’s the best feeling ever! Medicare won’t cover it all. Someone mentioned Trump is allowing it for $50. That’s fake news. One needs to qualify and to qualify it’s an obstacle course. I don’t qualify because I have Aetna and although I do have Medicare, they won’t cover it. It’s a shitshow. On one hand the GLP-1 gets rid of inflamation, lowers sugars in the blood but the insurance companies don’t want you to get healthy through weight loss.
Oh my gosh! First, the amount of joy I feel when I see you have posted deserves a mention. Second, what a wonderful share here.
Your numbers are basically *exactly* what happened to me on the scale along the way, except I took a different highway on the weightloss. I didn’t really blame it on menopause because my symptoms weren’t that bad, BUT I was thinner when that all started due to when Weight Watchers actually worked. (And wouldn’t what’s happened with them make for an interesting essay!) Afterwards the ballooning started. The scale would only go higher until the point of no return. But in my head I was always less than the scale because that was never a struggle before approaching 170. Now I DIE when I see the pictures!
My day of reckoning was a checkup where the Dr. said I was fast approaching the big Pre-D and if it didn’t turn around in 3 months we were going to be talking statins and Pre-D drugs. It scared the crap out of me. Note d-i-a-b-e-t-e-s is something I don’t want to even acknowledge could happen by actually saying the word. Overnight I went mostly Whole Food Plant Based and it has now been 2.5 years and I can occasionally stray, but will never go back.
The pounds dropped effortlessly, food noise went away, taste buds changed and other good stuff while my blood pressure, lipid numbers and other stuff all went down the right direction. I lost 46 pounds without trying before I leveled out and cannot believe how much more overall energy, good sleep and feeling great showed up. You are going to be amazed with yourself in the next few months! My weight now fluctuates between 121-125 pounds. I never DREAMED I would hit these numbers!
I realize now the SAD (Standard American Diet) and processed foods are literally killing people. It’s like the government, the food suppliers and the medical and drug machine are all working to keep us sick to make money off us. Doctors have never been trained in nutrition. They are trained to look at numbers and dispense medicine. I don’t EVEN get why the state of Pennsylvania has these rules for these miracle medicines! I love your approach to use the GLP as a tool along with other behavioral change. Thanks for sharing.
Good for you Cathe! No one should ever need to explain why they’re doing what they’re doing but thank you for sharing and continued success!