How did we get so fat?

Eva (00:06):
You are listening to Less of You. I'm Eva.

Kami (00:09):
My name is Kami.

Eva (00:10):
Come with us as we confront our reasons for being obese while losing weight on semaglutide and roasting our past selves. So you're here because you're about to start the same journey that I started almost exactly one year ago. But the journey really starts when we're little, I think because we didn't start trying to lose weight a year ago. We all started at some point, either when people called us fat or when our mom said, "you shouldn't eat that." And so for me, I've been writing down all my memories of things like this, and I used to shoplift candy at Target and take it in the bathroom and binge it in the bathroom stall. And I think that I was probably seven.

Kami (01:03):
Oh my gosh. Wow.

Eva (01:04):
And I've never admitted that because there's just too much shame. So this isn't about me, it's actually about you, but I am a year ahead of you on what you're about to start, which is to use semaglutide to lose weight. And so I can tell you that I have lost 65 pounds. My whole life is different and not just the outside of me, but the way that I think about myself and my time and what I put my energy into is all different. So I'm excited to hear how you go through it and the questions I have, the unique ability here to ask you the kind of questions that will hopefully be an interesting story for people. So why don't you start by telling us just a little bit about who you are in your life.

Kami (01:52):
So my name is Kami, short for Kameron with a K. My mom got a little creative when she named me, which was something I always really appreciated that my name is something that's not common. Eva, again, also not a very common name. So

Eva (02:09):
I used to ask people to call me Evelyn. I didn't want to be Eva.

Kami (02:14):
Really?

(02:17):
A lot of people think that my name is short for Camille. They're like, "oh, your name's Kami is your full name Camille?" And I'm like, "no, it's actually a boy's name. It's Kameron." And they're like, "but with a K." And I'm like, "yeah. Did I blow your mind?" Okay, so let's see. My brief history. History, I recently turned 44. On the inside, I feel like I'm 13, quite frankly, and I act that way most of the time. I've been blessed with an amazing soulmate, my husband Justin, and we have a beautiful daughter named Cordelia. Again, another unique name that I chose for her.

Eva (02:55):
Were you a Buffy fan?

Kami (02:57):
Yes. Ultimately though it's not the reason that I chose it, but it had popped up on my radar and I kind of always really liked it. I'm like, this is such a unique name. It's not something really common, but people can pronounce it. And my mom did a bunch of work on ancestry.com and found that we have, and I say ancestor, but I want to say she's just a distant relative named Cordelia. And she went by Delia. And I like that it kind of just affirmed that choice for me. I had a couple of other names and we didn't find out her gender until she was born, and my husband's like, "let's not really name her until we see her." I was like, "okay." So I named her Cordelia Marie. Her middle name is the same as my sister's. But yeah, so we're just a little happy little family of three.

Eva (03:50):
And you were also like me. I mean, no one knows this about me either, but I had my first child at 41 and the second one at 44. And you were 39 or 38?

Kami (04:02):
So I had her when I was 37 and I turned 38 a month later. So she's six now. I didn't know that about you either. That's so cool.

Eva (04:10):
Yeah,

Kami (04:11):
I don't regret it at all.

Eva (04:12):
I don't either.

Kami (04:13):
I thought that I would, was like, "oh my God, I'm going to regret being such an old mom." And I feel like I have a lot more patience for things and the ability to not give a shit about shit. That's not important.

Eva (04:32):
I never feel like I'm missing anything. If we were 25, we would've always felt like our friends are out doing other stuff and we're stuck here at home.

Kami (04:41):
So I mean, she's six. She's super high energy, which has its pluses and minuses, but we all just, when it's bedtime, it's my bedtime too. So that's really nice. And she's so thoughtful and sweet, and gosh, she's just a joy for sure.

Eva (05:01):
Do you remember how much you weighed right before you delivered her?

Kami (05:06):
So I had a really weird pregnancy where I lost weight, so I weighed less when I gave birth than when I first got pregnant.

Eva (05:13):
Wow. Why did that happen?

Kami (05:15):
Yeah, because I developed gestational diabetes and I couldn't eat anything. If I walked in the bread aisle, my blood sugar would spike.

Eva (05:28):
Oh my gosh.

Kami (05:29):
And I also had some weird aversions when I was pregnant where I could not eat meat, couldn't do it. I could maybe do a slice or two of bacon every once in a while, but chicken, breast steak, fish couldn't do any of it. So all I was left was vegetables. So that's basically all I ate for four months. And so when I delivered her, I weighed less.

(05:55):
I can't remember by how much, but then as I ended up developing postpartum thyroiditis, which is basically where your thyroid, which basically controls your will to live, stopped working. And so my body was like, "Hey, yo, I gave you a really healthy baby. I'm done now." Okay, so sorry. Yep. So then I ballooned from that because I just was an older mom, which means you don't bounce back. I ended up having an emergency C-section after 36 hours of hard labor. I was a mess. I was a hot mess. And then I was with a provider I worked with to help me regulate the thyroid issue, and that went up and down and I was on way too much, which was causing a whole bunch of other problems. I basically was walking around feeling like I weighed like 700 pounds. I felt just like I walking around with a car, strapped to my back.

(06:53):
It was just terrible. And so once that all got sorted out, some of the weight started coming off. And then on top of all that, I got diagnosed with ADHD. So that diagnosis was a godsend because I'm like, why am I a total lunatic? I can't string two sentences together. My brain fog was out of control. And so that was rough. So I ended up getting on Adderall for that, which does help suppress your appetite. So I've lost some weight from that. That was God a couple of years ago. So everything's been going fine until I was laid off in October, so about two going on three months ago and decided, you know what? Fuck it. I'm going to just eat every feeling I've ever had. And I did. And then I got on the scale. I'm like, "oh, Kami, what have you done? Oh no." I was like, my pants were tight. And I was like, "why are my pants so tight?" Well, it's because you ate a handful of gummy bears before you go to bed. No,

Eva (07:58):
This reminds me of a time when I was much younger. I don't drink anymore at all, but I used to every day and I was like, I am drinking too much. I'm going to switch to light beer. But then I would drink five light beers every night. I gained weight so fast, so then I just went back to rum. It was fine after that.

Kami (08:21):
Yeah. So now that I've kind of gotten through the, I've come out of the midst of unemployment and I've decided to start my own company. I'm going to be a freelance real estate transaction manager working with a specific real estate firm to basically build my business, which is going to give me all the freedom that I want. And so I'm super excited to get started with that. That's all starting. I've laid some of the groundwork, but I'll have my first presentation with all the agents next week sometime, and then I'll be off to the races. And my mom had mentioned, "she's like, Kami, Eva has had a lot of success with this. You should talk to her." And I was like, "well, I've heard of it. I don't know a whole lot about it." And so we started kind of researching providers here in Indiana, and I found one, she's a nurse practitioner. She works for a clinic that pretty much just does this thing. I think they do other things too, but it's weight loss focused and kind of walk me through how the medication works. And because I didn't really understand the science of it, I'm like, okay, you take the shot and then you just,

Eva (09:36):
It's still really mysterious, to be honest. A year later I'm still like, how come this is so magical again?

Kami (09:44):
So she kind of walked me through what I would be getting, how to use it, and I ordered my first dosage or package or so I'll get the medication directly from the compound pharmacy, so they'll ship it directly to me.

Eva (10:00):
That's interesting.

Kami (10:01):
And so it's not pre-measured doses. So I will have to out to do myself, which is fine. But

Eva (10:10):
You had gestational diabetes, you were doing that for that, weren't you?

Kami (10:14):
I was not doing insulin injections for that. I was just taking medication and not eating anything.

Eva (10:22):
So here you are. Did anything that the nurse practitioner say surprised you in this appointment?

Kami (10:28):
No. No. You know what I was asking her? I was like, well, how does this medication actually work? And she says that it delays the release of food out of your stomach, so it makes you feel fuller for longer and in turn regulates your insulin and all of that stuff. So having had gestational diabetes and then being diagnosed later with pre-diabetes, I was like, "Kami, this is not a joke. You got to just get your life together." So happy that I'm talking to you about this, and you can totally relate. But I was like, I don't want to be, because by the time she's maybe going to be graduating from college, I'm going to be early sixties, mid sixties. I'm like, that's how old my mom is now, and I'm 44. I was like, so I think about that a lot. I'm like, okay, what's my life going to look like when I'm 60, 65, 70? And my daughter's in her twenties. So for me, the real motivation, the real reason that I'm doing this is for my long-term health, and it has zero to do with vanity. I don't give two single fucks what I look like. I'll get in a bikini. I don't care. I don't care. What I care about is not sucking wind. When my daughter wants to go do something fun and I'm like, I'm so tired, I can't do it. Fuck that. I'm not. No. Yeah. So that's why I'm doing this.

Eva (11:56):
There's such a great motivation for everything health related, not just this, but this seems to be the center of all the other issues. At least it was for me. And I curious what your weight is now that you're about to start.

Kami (12:10):
I can tell you if you want.

Eva (12:12):
Yeah, tell me.

Kami (12:13):
So right now I am five seven and I weigh 250. So one of the many other reasons is my endocrinologist, which treats my thyroid disorder, wanted to send me for bariatric surgery. I'm like, dude.

Eva (12:29):
Does this guy under a rock? Seriously, this medication is not new.

Kami (12:34):
Right? So he said, he was like, "well, you should consider, he's like, well," I don't know if he used it as a scare tactic, and if he did, it worked. It was scared shitless. I'm like, "bariatric surgery, what?" Freaked out. But then he had mentioned this already, so he already wanted to give me this medication, but he's like, check with your insurance and see if it's covered, which it isn't.

Eva (12:55):
So he did mention it. I was going to say the bariatric surgery industrial complex is very upset right now. And I know this. I have my ear to the ground and the bariatric surgeons are going out of business. I'm just here to tell you they're not going to have anyone to operate on.

Kami (13:11):
Really? Because people are going to take this and Yeah. That's great. Well, why cut someone all up to pieces if you can just

Eva (13:22):
It always seemed so brutal to me. You're going to do what to my stomach? No.

Kami (13:28):
No, absolutely not. Especially having had a major surgery, that was because to me, when people talk about a C-section, it's like I cut myself and I went and got a couple stitches. You are wide open on that table and you have long-term effects from it. The scar that I have is always sore, certain things that I do, if I am running or doing a lot of exercising and I'm moving it in a certain way and it pulls on it, it's painful. She's six years old, that's not going to go away.

Eva (13:59):
So you're at 250, what's your goal weight, do you think? If you can even think that far ahead.

Kami (14:05):
Well, no. I hate to say I'm not sure. I talked with, so my endocrinologist is like, "you need to be at 140." I'm like, "are you kidding? I didn't even weigh that when I was a fetus, sir."

Eva (14:17):
I think I weighed 140 in fifth grade, Kami.

Kami (14:20):
For real. So I was like, that seems a little low. And I've always been proud of my curves. I have always had thinner waist, big booty, big boobs, you know what I mean? And I like the curvy part of myself. I think it's sexy, you know what I mean? It makes me feel good. Right? Very feminine and womanly. And I live it. And I was like 140, I'd be walking around looking like a matchstick.

Eva (14:46):
No, no, thanks. You would.

Kami (14:48):
So I'm thinking that if I got down to 160, 165, I would be thrilled. I did ask the nurse practitioner that same question. I said, "based on my age and my height, where do you think I should be?" And she's like, "that's a very difficult question to answer because there's so many variables that go into it." She's like, "if you're doing a ton of strength training and you're gaining muscle, that's going to affect it." So it's really more about your body fat percentage really than anything else. And I haven't had that checked in a while. I'm like, I don't know if I can face that. It's going to be not great. So.

Eva (15:29):
A year ago right now, I was about to start the Orange Theory transformation challenge for the third time, which is like you have to go to Orange Theory. I forget how many times. It's a lot. It's a minimum of three times a week. It's a very big time commitment when you're busy. And they did my percentage, they put me on the InBody scan, which I learned later isn't really very accurate, but it was.

Kami (15:54):
It's not

Eva (15:55):
Absolutely terrifying. And I have the pictures, we'll put them up at some point because they're my before pictures now, but it was like 41. I think my body fat percent was 41 when I started. I was 280.

Kami (16:08):
Yeah. How tall are you?

Eva (16:11):
5'9.

Kami (16:12):
Oh, see, you're basically in the same, around the same. Where if I'm a little bit shorter than you and weight a little bit less, it is right about the same. So I wouldn't be surprised if my body percentage was something like that.

Eva (16:22):
It might be. And I look at the pictures now and I just can't even believe. I mean, the horrible things I used to say to myself in my mind, if I walked past the mirror, the word that I would gut word I always said was hulking. Who says that about themselves?

Kami (16:39):
That's an odd one. Horrible. That's odd.

Eva (16:42):
Look at you today, girl. You're hulking.

Kami (16:48):
Where did you even come up with that word?

Eva (16:51):
Well, I'm kind of a word person. I make content for a living. I don't know where it came from, but it's like straight from hell.

Kami (17:00):
It was somewhere floating around in there.

Eva (17:02):
You look great today. You're not having a very hulking day today.

Kami (17:07):
Wow. I'm glad you've moved past that. That's just not very good. Yeah. I used to really, really get down on myself about my weight and this, and I was always trying to prove something to myself or prove something to other people that I am worthy and valuable because I've got a smoking body and whatever. And then once I realized, came to realization that it absolutely doesn't fucking matter because you can be thin or fat or somewhere in between and you're still who you are on the inside. People are going to love you for that. And I was like, and why would I want to associate myself with somebody who only wants to be my friend or my boyfriend for my looks? That's stupid. And it took me a while to really come to that conclusion or epiphany or whatever you want to call it. And so I kind am just, I just don't really care what I look like in a bathing suit.

(18:19):
I just don't care. And I don't know if it's just because older now and something happens to you when you're over 40 and you just give less and less of a fuck all the time. But that's where I'm at. I don't negative self-talk anymore. I don't do that. I just kind of had to force myself to stop doing it because it was like, would I ever in a million years say what I say to myself to anybody that I care about? And the answer is absolutely not. So why am I saying it to myself? That's totally counterproductive. And I was like, then I felt like, gosh, this is a really great place to be mentally I should be here more. So that's where I'm at mentally. For me to struggle with my demons of losing weight, it really is. I just want to live longer and I want to be happier is the absolute bottom line.

Eva (19:16):
It's really well said, Kami.

Kami (19:18):
Thank you.

Eva (19:20):
Well, we're excited to go on this journey with you. I am. I mean, I don't care if anybody listens. I'm just excited to hear how things change for you, and I hope that everything goes smoothly. There's weird stuff that comes up, and all I can really tell you right now is just take magnesium gummies every day. Don't skip 'em.

Kami (19:39):
Okay.

Eva (19:40):
You don't want to get backed up. And when people have complications, that's always the number one thing is they're not moving.

Kami (19:48):
Constipated?

Eva (19:49):
Yeah. Stuff doesn't move through fast enough, so you just want to keep it moving. And I personally am anti MiraLax because it strips your gut of all its healthy bacteria. It's basically antifreeze of why would we eat it? I don't quite understand that. When you have alternatives that aren't polyethylene, why would you do that?

Kami (20:10):
Well, you have to send me a link to whatever it is that you bought.

Eva (20:12):
So Calm gummies. Yeah, magnesium. Calm gummies. Yeah, they're

Kami (20:16):
Great.

Eva (20:17):
My kids eat 'em. I eat 'em.

Kami (20:19):
Yeah. I got to get back on a little firmer of a supplement regimen.

Eva (20:25):
I can't take 'em anymore because they don't dissolve fast enough for me. They just kind of sit there and they give me a lot of nausea. So I wish I had done this sooner. I started getting B12 shots also.

Kami (20:40):
I do love a good B complex

Eva (20:42):
And the shot for me, they last about two weeks before they wear off. They're just awesome.

Kami (20:48):
Yeah, I've had that before. I think I had, I got really sick. I had the flu or I had something and ended up getting a infusion and it was a game changer. So

Eva (21:03):
That's funny. This morning I was just listening to people talk about this new hot new med spa trend of IV therapy, and I don't know where I've been. I didn't notice it was out there. It's everywhere.

Kami (21:16):
What IV? What are they taking?

Eva (21:18):
Well, it's just like anything. A friend of mine at a birthday party the other day said, "I got pneumonia during the break, and let me tell you what, this mobile IV guy came to my house and gave me an IV and I felt so much better." I was like, "what?"

Kami (21:31):
Well, what's in it? Is it just depending on what it is that you need or is it just

Eva (21:35):
Like, it's basically like a juice bar, but IVs is what it looks like to me, and they put vitamins and supplements in an IV bag, and you, great for hangovers. Or if you're feeling a little under the weather, just go on in and get an IV.

Kami (21:49):
It seems like an extreme thing for you're just hungover, but

Eva (21:53):
No, it's coming. They're normalizing it like crazy now.

Kami (21:58):
Gosh. Wow.

Eva (21:59):
Now you're going to see it everywhere. Next time I talk to you, I'm going to ask you, did you see anyone?

Kami (22:03):
Yeah. Yeah, probably. Do I have any fears or reservations? Let's see. Not really. My only real fear is that, I know I just said all this shit about me not being vain, but that I'll end up looking like a deflated balloon.

Eva (22:24):
You might, but you know what? You're going to be able to run up the stairs,

Kami (22:28):
Right? So I'm like, okay, you got to kind of take the good, I think it'll be fine. I don't think it's going to be that I have so much extra skin that it's going to be a problem, but we'll see. It's,

Eva (22:41):
I like to think I'd rather look like a deflated balloon than hulking. That's sort of where I'm at with it.

Kami (22:47):
Yeah.

Eva (22:50):
The title of this episode is Hulking.

Kami (22:53):
Yes. I'm never going to forget that. That's pretty great.

Eva (22:56):
Sorry, I know that self-talk is bad. It changes. I'm excited to hear how yours is going to change too. So yeah, let's talk again in two weeks and let's see what happens. When does your medication arrive?

Kami (23:09):
I just ordered it today, so I'm not sure, but I'll keep you posted.

Eva (23:17):
Follow us on Instagram @lessofyoupodcast. Are you confronting the same challenges and have a story to tell? I'd love to hear your story on our Skinny Shot Stories podcast. Contact me for more details at skinnyshotstories.com. If you're a doctor and would like to learn more about sponsoring this or any of our cosmetic surgery and weight loss podcasts, go to lessofyou.com. Less of You is a production of the Axis T-H-E-A-X-I-S.io.