Tag: weight loss journey

My 5-Month GLP-1 Update: 25.6 Pounds Down and 20.4 Inches Lost

Five months ago, I started my GLP-1 journey hoping to improve my health and finally find something that would help me build sustainable habits. Today, I’m celebrating a milestone that feels about so much more than weight loss: I’m down 25.6 pounds and have lost a total of 20.4 inches from my body.

While I’m proud of those numbers, some of my biggest victories can’t be measured on a scale.

The Progress So Far

The weight loss has been exciting, but tracking my measurements has shown me just how much my body is changing. There have been weeks when the scale barely moved, and in the past, that would have completely discouraged me.

Now I know better.

Even during those slower weeks, my body has continued to change. The inches I’ve lost tell a much bigger story than the scale alone ever could.

My Favorite Non-Scale Victories

Some of the moments that have made me stop and smile over the past five months include:

  • Being able to bend down and touch the floor more easily.
  • Reaching my arms behind my back and actually being able to hold my hands together.
  • Walking up stairs without feeling as winded or exhausted.
  • Having energy left after work instead of feeling completely drained.
  • Joining a gym and actually going consistently.
  • Tracking my workouts and seeing my strength and endurance improve over time.
  • Watching my clothes fit differently, even when the scale isn’t moving much.

These are the kinds of changes that remind me this journey is about improving my quality of life, not just chasing a number.

Building New Habits

One of the things I’m most proud of is the consistency I’ve developed.

Instead of constantly starting over, I’ve been showing up for myself. Joining a gym felt intimidating at first, but now it’s become part of my routine. Tracking my workouts has helped me stay motivated because I can see tangible progress in what my body is capable of doing.

I’ve also noticed that healthy choices don’t feel like such a battle anymore. The constant food noise has quieted down, making it easier to focus on fueling my body rather than fighting cravings all day. Even during stressful times, I haven’t wanted to stress eat, and THAT is a miracle.

The Reality of the Journey

This hasn’t been a perfect five months.

There have been plateaus. There have been weeks when I expected the scale to move and it didn’t. There have been moments of frustration and impatience.

But I’ve learned that progress isn’t always reflected by a lower number on weigh-in day.

Sometimes progress looks like another inch lost.
Sometimes it looks like lifting a heavier weight.
Sometimes it looks like climbing stairs without needing a break.
Sometimes it looks like having enough energy to enjoy life after work.

Those wins matter too.

What I’ve Learned After Five Months

If these five months have taught me anything, it’s that success isn’t just about weight loss.

It’s about moving better.
Feeling stronger.
Having more energy.
Building confidence.
Creating habits that I can actually maintain long-term.

The scale is one measurement of progress, but it isn’t the only one.

Looking Ahead

Five months in, I’m incredibly grateful for how far I’ve come. Losing 25.6 pounds and 20.4 inches is something worth celebrating, but what excites me most is how much better I feel physically and mentally.

For the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m building a healthier lifestyle that I can sustain.

I’m looking forward to seeing what the next five months bring, and I’ll continue celebrating every victory—both on and off the scale.

Twenty-five pounds down is exciting. Being able to touch the floor, climb stairs without struggling, and still have energy after work? Those are the victories that have truly changed my life.

More Than a Number: My Weight Loss and Wellness Update.

My wellness journey is a multi-faceted adventure. I have some great updates today – from food tasting notes to some non-scale victories that have shocked me.

First, for my tasting notes: I tried this yogurt. It was very creamy. It had a delicious blueberry flavor. Macros: 170 calories, 3.5 g fat, 9 g carbs, and 25 g of protein. I added some extra blueberries.

I went to the gym today. I did well. Ten minute warm up on the treadmill. I then used the following machines:

  • Seated row – 50 lbs – 3 sets of 10
  • Back – 50 lbs – 3 sets of 10
  • Lat-pull down – 50 lbs – 3 sets of 10
  • Pec fly – 40 lbs – 3 sets of 10
  • Abdominal crunch – 50 lbs – 3 sets of 10

After that, I treated myself (It is free with my membership) to a hydro massage. Apparently this is how to get me to go to the gym and exercise – promise me a hydro massage! LOL

Kathy is enjoying her hydro massage

Some of my recently discovered non-scale victories:

  1. I can bend over and touch the floor.
  2. I can touch my hands behind my back and actually lift them up a little.
  3. I bought some new clothes that fit me and they are at least two sizes smaller than what I’ve been wearing.

I swore I wasn’t going to buy new clothes until I lost another 25 pounds, but my pants were falling down, and I didn’t want to wear rainbow suspenders to keep them up.

I’ve been using my Lumen device almost every day and yesterday I blew a 1 – which means I woke up in fat burn. That means I was burning 80% – 100% fat while sleeping. When I went to bed last night, I blew a 2, which means I was burning 60% – 80% fat.

While my weight loss has slowed a little, I am feeling better and that is a big deal.

My next gym visit will be Thursday. Is it weird to say that I’m looking forward to it?

Thanks for reading.

Progress

The excitement of hitting my recent weight loss goal has me extra inspired. Here are the ways I am supporting and celebrating my goals:

  1. I joined Planet Fitness and will have my first session with a trainer on Tuesday. I am hoping to get a good plan in place to do strength training to support my GLP-1 journey.
  2. Went to the pool today and thoroughly enjoyed some gentle therapeutic movement. I noticed a big change in how my body moves and feels. I used to be so stiff and sore even in the pool. Today showed me how much better I am doing.
  3. I have scheduled a massage for next Saturday. I haven’t had one in a while and I’m really looking forward to it.
  4. I ordered meals from Factor_75. They should be here tomorrow. I will be using these for lunches at work. I’ve had them before and they are yummy.
  5. I have some workout shorts coming tomorrow. Yay.

So, this will be a week full of forward progress.

If you have any tips, I’d love to hear them. Just drop them in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

So close…

I haven’t done an update in a while, so I figure today is as good a day as any.

I am at my lowest weight in many years. This morning my home scale said 300.9 lbs. I’m so close to getting out of the threes and into the twos that I can taste it. It tastes like low carb and strength training. LOL

What am I going to do when I get under 300 lbs? I don’t know yet. I need to celebrate but I don’t want to celebrate with food. I don’t want to buy a bunch of new clothes yet…because I am still losing.

Some ideas I’ve been thinking about:

  1. Purchase good walking shoes to encourage my continued success.
  2. Treat myself to a one-hour massage.
  3. A beauty treatment such as a facial or professional hair coloring.
  4. Go to the local comedy venue with my hubby to see a show.

If you have any suggestions, please share in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

Who knew?

Who knew that the simple act of putting on a sock would make me so happy? Last year at this time, I was struggling to put on my own socks. I couldn’t bend to reach my feet and I couldn’t lift my leg up high enough to put them on. It was so bad that I was using my Dad’s sock tool.

Fast forward to today when I realized that I was not struggling to put my sock on. I am adding that to my NSV list. Woo hoo!

My next NSV happened when I visited the doctor recently. I was able to hop up on the examination table with no problems. I didn’t need assistance. I didn’t need to pause to figure out how I was going to do it. I just did it. I was pretty happy with myself but I didn’t say anything to the doctor. He actually brought it up and said he was impressed how easily I hopped up. I love non-scale victories!!

Today I was looking at clothing in the regular sized section of Walmart. I held up a dress and a skirt in a size I haven’t worn in a long time and, while it wouldn’t fit me yet, I’m getting closer. I can’t wait until I can my my first non-plus sized item. That will be a gigantic NSV.

I have three stubborn pounds to go to get under 300 lbs. I’m being extremely open and honest in my journey. I know how easily that weight came on and I am determined to get it off. I have to start doing more strength training, so that is what I will be investigating next.

Do you have any NSV’s you are excited about? How about some tips/tricks for getting more protein? I’d love to have some interaction and exchanges of ideas here.

Thanks for reading!

Non-scale victory of the day!

Today’s non-scale victory (NSV) is a happy and sad one. I’ve been going through my clothes and doing something I have never done when I’ve lost a little weight – donate or toss what doesn’t fit. And there is a lot that won’t fit me any more. I’m nervous to get rid of things because I’ve always gained the weight I lost back. I’m determined that this is not going to happen this time. Thank you to the doctor, nutritionist, exercise coach, and glp-1 shots. Your support has been amazing. Thanks, also, must go to my husband. Mike has been on team Healthy Kathy since the beginning! I am happy to be losing. I’m even happy to be removing the clothing that doesn’t fit any more. I am sad about one thing. Losing my favorite pants.

Meet my favorite pants. They are the most comfortable pants I’ve ever owned. I got them on a clearance rack at Bealls Outlet. I have worn them dressily and casually. They have been too big at the waist for a long time but I could put waist reducing pins on them so I could still wear them. However, after losing 25 pounds, I can no longer keep them up, even with the pins. And so, after many years of happily wearing these, I am finally passing them on so someone else can enjoy them. I hope they make you feel pretty and as happy as they made me.

Now to find a pair similar to these but in a smaller size.

Thanks for reading!

Three Pounds and a Small Miracle

Celebrate! I did it!

I did it.

Not climbed-a-mountain did it. Not ran-a-marathon did it.

But honestly? This might be harder.

After what felt like the longest, most stubborn, most personality-filled plateau in human history, the scale finally moved… down. Three pounds down.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Three pounds? That’s it?”

Oh no, my friend. That’s not “it.” That’s a full-blown celebration.

Because if you’ve ever been stuck in that weird in-between place—doing everything right, drinking your water, walking your steps, saying no to the second cookie while dramatically staring at it like it personally betrayed you—you know those three pounds are basically a standing ovation from your body.

For weeks (okay… let’s be honest… it felt like years), my body was like,
“Hmm. Interesting. We see your effort. We acknowledge it. We will now do… nothing.”

Cool. Thanks.

But here’s the thing I’m starting to understand:
A plateau isn’t failure. It’s your body having a team meeting.

It’s recalibrating. Adjusting. Figuring out this “new normal” you’ve been building. It’s like your body is saying,
“Wait… we’re really doing this? Okay… let me catch up.”

And then one day—out of nowhere—it lets go.

Three pounds. Gone.

Just like that.

Well… not just like that. More like after patience, consistency, and resisting the urge to throw the scale out the window at least twice a week.

But still.

And you better believe I celebrated. Not with anything wild—no dramatic confetti cannon (although I considered it)—but with something even better: pride.

Pride in sticking with it when it felt like nothing was happening.
Pride in trusting the process when the process was being extremely rude.
Pride in myself for not quitting.

Because that’s the real win here.

The weight loss? Amazing. Love that for me.
But the not giving up? That’s the real transformation.

So yes, I lost three pounds.

3-pound bag of granulated sugar with wooden scoop illustration
3 pounds of disgusting fat

And I gained something even better: proof that if I just keep going—even when it’s slow, even when it’s frustrating, even when it feels like my body is ignoring me—I will break through.

And next time the scale stalls?

Oh, I’ll still complain. Let’s not get crazy.

But I’ll also remember this:
Plateaus don’t mean it’s not working.

They just mean your body is getting ready to surprise you.

And honestly… I love a good plot twist.

What are your plateau buster tips?

Thanks for reading.