How often do you say “no” to things that would interfere with your goals?
During the past three months, I have been really good at saying no to food and drink that I know I should eat sparingly or not at all. Yesterday I didn’t and boy did I suffer. A coworker brought in some garlic focaccia that his wife made. It looked and smelled delicious. Bread of any kind has always been my favorite weakness. I had a 1.5 x 1.5 inch square of warm, fragrant, delicious focaccia. I thoroughly enjoyed it for about half an hour. Then the stomach issues started. Needless to say, today I am sticking to foods that I know won’t bother me. But boy-oh-boy was that little piece of focaccia DELICIOUS!!!
I regret that I didn’t take before photos when I started my healthy journey on December 17, 2025. I decided to try and find a decent face picture from a year ago. The closest I could find is one from May 2025 when I weighted 30 pounds more than today. I’ve lost 25 since December 17, 2025 and I’ve been trying to “see” it when I look at myself. Here is my comparison photo that I just posted to Facebook.
I think I can see it in my face.
I am happy. Still a lot to go but I am very pleased with my progress.
This week, my weight loss stalled with me being down 13.4 pounds. I actually gained 5 pounds recently, but when I started being more strict and I re-lost that 5 plus two more – stalling out at 307.5. (That is very stressful for me to admit) I know I’m still losing, but gaining muscle, which is good. I can tell that I’m losing from the body scans I do using the ZOZOfit app. The app lets you create a video showing the changes in your scans. It is very, VERY motivating when the scale hasn’t moved. I’m trying to hit my first “mini goal” of 300 pounds. I know I can do it!
The doctor upped my dose from .25 to .50. After my first new dose shot….NO APPETITE! I have to make myself eat enough. It is so weird to not be hungry — AT ALL.
My body feels 95% better than it had been feeling. Most of my joint pain has gone.
I am so glad that I decided to do this for myself.
I took my first dose of GLP-1 meds on 1/9/26. I have phone coaching from a nurse, a dietitian, and an exercise coach. I see the doctor every 4 weeks. I have lost 11.2 pounds since my first shot. In total, I have lost 17 pounds since I started eating better and moving more, which was 12/17/25.
Today was the first day that I really just didn’t want to eat – ANYTHING! It was a rough day.
I go to the doctor after work on Thursday. It will be interesting to see what their scale says.
Today’s protein shake reviews are for two really good ones.
First I tried Super Coffee Protein. I wasn’t sure if this one would count toward a chocolate shake. The flavor was mocha. This one was super creamy and it had a nice coffee and chocolate taste. With 150 calories, 25 grams of protein, 8 carbs, 5 grams of fiber and 1 g sugar, this was delicious. I give it 4 stars.
The second shake I tried in this batch was Slate Ultra Protein. At 130 calories and 30 grams of protein, this was a tasty choice. With 3 g of carbs, 1 g fiber, and 1 g sugar, it was a good choice with less calories and sugar. I give this one 4.25 stars out of 5.
Today we are going to taste Fairlife Core Power and Muscle Milk.
First up … Fairlife Core Power. This one has 170 calories, 26 G protein, 8 g carbs, 2 g fiber, and 5 g sugar. It is very creamy and has a nice chocolate flavor. I really liked this one. 4 stars.
Muscle Milk – sounds like something that a body builder would drink, doesn’t it? It has 170 calories, 25 G protein, 11 g carbs, 6 g fiber, and 0 g sugar. I had high hopes for this one. First, the smell is not pleasant. It smells like medicine. While it starts out creamy, it quickly turns chalky. It lacked a chocolaty taste. I had two sips and I was done. This is a pass for me. 0 stars
Is there a “health” food or healthy recipe you would like me to try or compare? Let me know in the comments.
Since starting a GLP-1 three weeks ago, I’ve had to concentrate on getting enough protein. I try to have 30 grams of protein by 9 am. This can be a challenge. One way to do this is to have a protein shake. If I don’t have time to mix one up, I like to grab a bottle or can of already made shake. But, which is my favorite? I decided to get as many shakes as I can for a taste test. I’m going to try two, write my review on them. Then when I have finally made my way through all of them, I will do a summary. To help compare apples to apples, I am sticking with all chocolate flavors.
First up is the Oikos Protein Shake. I love Oikos yogurt, so I have high hopes for this one. With 30 grams of protein, 180 calories, and only 1 gram of sugar, this shake helped me hit my 30 by 9 am. This had a great chocolate taste but was not a creamy experience. For 10 minutes after finishing it, there was a weird aftertaste in my mouth. Passable but not my favorite. 2.5 out of 5.
The second shake I tried was the Nutri Chocolate Milk Shake. This one has 30 grams of protein and 1 g sugar, just like the Oikos but it has 30 less calories. This one was nice and creamy and the chocolate taste was so good. I didn’t get any aftertaste. I will probably try more of this brand. 4 out of 5.
I believe I have 7 more shakes to try. Stay tuned for more chocolate protein shake reviews.
If you have any taste test suggestions, please let me know in the comments.
This {_______} life 