My Life Goal Is To Be Just Overweight

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

Kami (00:08):
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. How much weight have you lost?

Kami (00:20):
15 pounds.

Eva (00:21):
Stop. Really? Okay. What week are you on?

Kami (00:24):
Oh shit.

Eva (00:25):
Like six weeks?

Kami (00:27):
Yes. I was going to say, I think I'm in, yes, six weeks.

Eva (00:31):
Okay. Tell me what you're noticing.

Kami (00:33):
Honestly, it was so funny because my mom asked me, she's like, well, what does it feel like? I was like, it doesn't feel like anything. It just feels like suppresses my appetite and keeps me fuller for longer. Literally, that's it. I don't feel like any other weird side effects like, oh, I'm really wired or tired or, it hasn't changed my life in any other way at all.

Eva (00:59):
It really is non intrusive. But you did text me and tell me that you're having acid reflux. Is that gone?

Kami (01:05):
Yes, that's gone now. It was really intense after I upped my dose, which was two weeks ago, but I just take some Pepcid and call it a day and it's not even anything right now. So yeah, so it went away. And even my anniversary was last Saturday, so we went to one of those really cool movie theaters that serves you like beer and food. And so I was like, you know what? I'm just going to eat whatever I want. This is what I'm going to do. And I still only ate half the burger and half the fries.

Eva (01:40):
Couldn't do it.

Kami (01:41):
And I was really giving myself carte blanche to just pig out if I wanted to, and I was like, I'm done. I'm done. I did have two glasses of beer where I otherwise would probably just only have one, big extra splurge, but it wasn't even anything.

Eva (01:56):
I know we have that Alamo Draft house here too, is our fancy movie theater with the full menu. And I used to get a pretzel with ranch, fried pickles and either the burger or something else. I would get two appetizers and a meal and with ranch with all of it. It all had ranch with it, the pretzel, the pickles, and if I got the burger, I'd have ranch with it.

Kami (02:23):
Yeah, yeah. Oh no. We did do an appetizer. We got the cheese curds, which were not that great, honestly. I was like, this is a waste of calories as I'm shoving them in my mouth. I was like, yes, but yeah, but I still lost, so I'm like, okay. My biggest struggle now is making sure that I actually eat, not making sure that I am controlling what I'm eating because now I'm to the point where I'm like, it is 2:00 PM and I have had zero food today, zero, none. I had coffee and creamer. That is all I've had, so it's not great. Absolutely do not recommend this. Just to be very clear. But I had, A, wasn't sleeping well, so I didn't get up early. I was like, oh, I'm going to give myself another 15 minutes and then I roll out of bed and throw my clothes on and go to class and there's vending machines there, but of course they don't have cash on me, so I'm like, oh my God.

(03:20):
So I'd wait until class is over and then I had an agent that needed help with inputting a listing because she's out of the country and she couldn't log in. So that was the thing. And then I looked at the thing and I was like, I got to get on with Eva. I'm just so popular today. Everybody wants to talk to me. So here we are. So normally I would absolutely not recommend that it was just poor planning on my part. So that's where we're at. So when we're done here, I'm probably going to go make myself a ham sandwich or something. Yeah, yeah, I do. But even right now, normally I would be like hangry as fuck. I would be so mad. So while what I did today is absolutely not a good idea, don't do it. I don't feel like I want to rage, murder, kill, so.

Eva (04:11):
This part always feels like now I have a superpower that I didn't have before. Hey, I've only had an English muffin and a protein shake and it's 1:08 and I'm fine. I'm not wildly driving down the street to my usual lunch spots because I'm dying.

Kami (04:38):
How can I hoover in three Taco Bell burritos? So that is really awesome. But again, I should have planned better. I should have taken a yogurt and a granola bar. I at least should have done those things. Obviously I could have grabbed that and my brain was just somewhere else.

Eva (05:00):
Yeah. Okay. So you're starting weight and your current weight, remind me?

Kami (05:04):
Starting weight was 250, current weight is 235 and goal weight, I had said 150. I'm wondering if I need to rethink that.

Eva (05:16):
You don't have to decide today.

Kami (05:18):
Yeah, because I was like, oh yeah, 250 to 150, just a solid 100 pounds. Let's make that the goal. But I was like, maybe I was like overshooting.

Eva (05:30):
Maybe, maybe not.

Kami (05:33):
Well see. Honestly, I think I won't really make the final decision till I am down at 175, 170, and then I'll see, okay, hey, how do I feel? Am I cool? Should I do another 20? Because there was actually some pictures I found of myself where I was right around 170 and I was like, that girl's cute. Maybe it's okay. But of course my doctors will be like, well, you're still in the obese category.

Eva (06:02):
Oh yeah.

Kami (06:02):
So, you know, you're BMI, blah, blah, blah.

Eva (06:06):
So I'm still in there. I'm still in it. I have a ways to go before I'm just overweight still.

Kami (06:12):
I was like, I'd just like to be in the overweight category. That's the goal.

Eva (06:15):
Let's make that our first goal. I just want to be overweight. That's it.

Kami (06:21):
Yes, 100%.

Eva (06:23):
At my appointment, this is getting to bother me just a little bit. She's like, you don't need to lose anymore. I'm like, I'm still obese. I don't know what you're talking about. Dumb dumb. Why are you saying this? It doesn't even, there is a major disconnect here between what you're saying and what everyone else in the world is saying. I don't know why you're saying I've made it far enough. I have not. I'm still obese lady.

Kami (06:47):
Well, do you think she was trying to give you an out?

Eva (06:51):
I don't know. Is she tired of me? Does she want me to go away? This lady keeps coming back and having fun with us every month cuz she's so happy. Why does she keep coming here?

Kami (07:01):
I know.

Eva (07:02):
My stall has ended, you know I stalled out. I actually was looking at the graph on my app this morning and I've lost 6.6 pounds in three months, which is pretty slow.

Kami (07:13):
Yeah.

Eva (07:13):
But, it kind of got stuck for 60 days and I didn't have a period that entire time. And as soon as I got it, I started losing again.

Kami (07:23):
Oh, that's weird.

Eva (07:24):
So my starting weight was 280. My current weight now is 210. I'm almost in the two o's.

Kami (07:31):
Nice. Very good job.

Eva (07:33):
And it's moving again, so that's great. And I'm on a strict diet of P Terry's chicken burgers and smoothies from Juiceland every day is what I'm eating. It's like I want, the chicken, the chicken burger is 410 calories. It's absolutely amazing. It tastes so good. Don't need anything else with it. Just the chicken burger. It's grilled chicken. And then my smoothie, I feel like I start craving the actual nutrition from what's in the smoothie. And so it's like a berry, it's not a high sugar one. It's a low glycemic high protein smoothie and it tastes so good.

Kami (08:10):
What kind of protein is it?

Eva (08:11):
Brown rice protein.

Kami (08:12):
No shit.

Eva (08:13):
And it's got peanut butter in it. It's really good. It's like a peanut butter and jelly smoothie.

Kami (08:19):
Oh my god, that sounds awesome. But that is something that I've been wanting to do more of, but I'm so, so terrible at doing protein shakes. But when I have 'em and I make 'em, they're delicious and I love them. So I don't really know what the disconnect is.

Eva (08:35):
Can you get these guys?

Kami (08:36):
I probably could.

Eva (08:37):
They're wonderful too. They really have gotten me through a lot.

Kami (08:41):
But the protein is collagen protein, so not only is it supposed to be healthier for you and whatever, but the collagen's also supposed to help with your skin, hair, nails and do all the beautifying things that collagen is supposed to do. So I don't know. I haven't used it enough for it to be, for me to even have any kind of consistency whatsoever. Cuz I think you probably should be having it every day for six months for you to be able to know, oh yeah, this is really actually working. Which seems like an eternity of a commitment, but maybe I'll give it a ride.

Eva (09:14):
You know, I think your glasses look bigger.

Kami (09:17):
They do?

Eva (09:18):
I think so. I think your face got a little smaller.

Kami (09:20):
Yeah, well, my hair's pulled back too, which helps. But yeah, that's all I've really been up to lately. So I'm happy with where I'm at right now. Every time I get on the scale it goes down a little bit more. So I mean, this is probably the least impact to my lifestyle

Eva (09:40):
Ever.

Kami (09:41):
That any other diet has ever had.

Eva (09:45):
I remember at my very first consult, I was recalling when I started taking, I'm forgetting the name of the med, but one of the ones they used to quit smoking. It was like the Chantix, but it was the generic and it made my cigarettes taste so bad that I quit the Chantix. I was like, forget it. <laugh>

Kami (10:09):
You're like this is for the birds.

Eva (10:10):
You're like, ruining my smoking. So at my skinny shot consult, I was like, is it going to make food taste different? And he was like, no.

Kami (10:26):
<laugh> You were worried. Eva that's hysterical. I never would've ever thought to ever ask that, is it going to make food taste bad?

Eva (10:33):
Well, that's how it got you to quit smoking. It made the cigarettes taste like crap instead of the most glorious, wonderful thing ever. I have not smoked in probably 15 years, but I still remember how wonderful it is.

Kami (10:54):
It's just so funny. I would've never thought that. But I've never smoked either, so maybe I don't have the same frame of reference, but.

Eva (11:01):
Addiction is a disease is all I can say. <laugh>

Kami (11:07):
<laugh> Clearly.

Eva (11:08):
I have two cool little NSPs for you.

Kami (11:12):
Yes.

Eva (11:13):
Okay. One is my high school reunion Facebook group is kicking into high gear for my 30th high school reunion.

Kami (11:19):
30th. Oh my God.

Eva (11:21):
And everybody's like, check in and say if you're going, I'm like, I'm coming. Didn't even think twice about it. I was just like, I am coming. And a year ago, there's no way I would've gone. I would have obsessed and been miserable and I would've talked about it with 19 people. Should I go? Didn't even think twice. I'm going.

Kami (11:44):
Well, good for you. That's progress.

Eva (11:47):
Yeah. It's really exciting to not have all that unnecessary, just garbage in the way of making a decision about something so simple that should be fun.

Kami (11:59):
Oh yeah.

Eva (12:01):
Okay. So here's the other cool weird one, and maybe you have this too. I want to know in my closet, there was the stuff that fits right now, the stuff that used to fit the stuff that used to fit a really long time ago, the stuff that fit when I was in grad school. I still have a few of those two or three of my absolutely most favorite pieces of clothing ever. So I have blown through all three levels and I'm down to the things that fit in grad school, which are from 1998. They're not really that wearable. They're like antiques. And so I don't have anything to wear at all. Everything in my closet looks like a moo moo. <laugh>

Kami (12:43):
Oh god.

Eva (12:44):
But it's fun. It's like, oh, what are we going to do now?

Kami (12:49):
Well treat yourself to some new stuff. Yeah. When is this reunion going to happen anyways?

Eva (12:54):
September. Fall.

Kami (12:56):
Oh, you'll be fine.

Eva (12:58):
Oh yeah, but I have to go to a conference tomorrow, so today I have to make sure that I have something that I can wear on Friday that's small enough.

Kami (13:08):
Oh my gosh. Yeah. I recently purged a bunch of my clothing, so now I've got the, I have three categories maybe. I have the what I actually wear, which currently fits, and mostly jeans and T-shirts. And then I have the stuff that is definitely too small, but it's one of these things where it's such a unique fun piece that I just can't get rid of it. I've got this really cute mini cotton, little mini dress from H and M that's got alligators on it. I was like, okay, that's not something anybody's just going to walk around and wear. But I'm so not getting rid of it. Then I've got a hoard of dresses, dresses that are varying from cotton crap that I got on Amazon for 10 bucks to a $200 really fancy dress. There's just so many of them I just cannot part with, can't do it.

(14:07):
I was like, you just never know. I'm going to be invited to this one thing and I'm going to want that one specific dress. And I used to be a pretty intense clothes horse, and I worked in clothing retail while I was trying to build up clientele doing hair. It was a great place to meet people. So I'm definitely doing better than I was then as far as the volume of clothing that I own. But yeah, I've kind of whittled everything down to just jeans and t-shirts as far as what I wear on the regular. And I worked at a company that was really, should have been a fully remote company, even though they did have an office and there was no dress code. So I try not to buy a lot of new clothes, even though I really want to because spring's happening. And that's when I'm like, oh, maybe I want to branch out and wear a romper, the short thing. You know what I mean? And part of me is like, oh my God, you just can't pull that off. And the other part of me is like, fuck that. Wear what you want. So I'm not sure which one of the versions of myself is going to win this year. We'll see.

(15:17):
Did, before you were on this, were you like a sugar addict?

Eva (15:25):
Yes, definitely. I loved ice cream, and I think when I quit smoking 15 years ago, I replaced it with ice cream. So I was always looking for that little dopamine reward. But I also went back and forth between obsessively counting, weighing and measuring, and then getting burnt out on weighing and measuring and just going and eating something terrible. But even now, 13 months on the meds, there's days where I'm like, I need some sugar. It is powerful.

Kami (16:05):
Yeah. Yeah. I probably would say I was a sugar addict. Well, probably gummy candy would be my poison of choice. So gummy bears for real. Best ever.

Eva (16:18):
Gummy bears?

Kami (16:19):
Yes. Yeah. Especially there's this one brand where it's made with, it's supposed to be made with more natural fruit or something. I can't remember the brand name or whatever.

Eva (16:30):
The Yum Earth ones?

Kami (16:31):
Maybe that's what it is. I don't know. But lemme tell you, those little fuckers are delicious and cure all of your emotional needs as well, turns out

Eva (16:45):
Peanut butter has, I was kind of in my kryptonite, and I'll tell you for a very short period of time in my life, smoked pot in college. And what I would do was take all my laundry money after we would smoke and then go to the vending machine and buy 10 peanut butter items and eat them all.

Kami (17:07):
Yeah. Well, and I think peanut butter by and large is not the worst thing. You could be addicted to some nutritional value there.

Eva (17:17):
In Reese's? You think so?

Kami (17:19):
Well, I mean, that's candy. It's not peanut butter. So if you're peanut butter flavored candy, that's a different.

Eva (17:25):
Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

Kami (17:27):
Yeah. Okay. I do like myself some Reese's pieces though for sure, but I do find that sugar craving is substantially less, which is really good.

Eva (17:42):
There are people who are really succeeding on lots of things, not drinking alcohol or obsessive behavior. There's all kinds of research happening and about the positive effects of this medication. And I mean, we're both seeing it, but there's people seeing it in all different kinds of places.

Kami (18:03):
So that's been good. And I also made a commitment to myself that no matter what I ate, I would put it in my food tracker app and I wouldn't judge myself for yesterday. Okay. So my daughter, bless her little heart, is just absolutely wanted to go to the donut shop, which is Dunkin Donuts. And she's like, so mommy. So tomorrow after school you can pick me up and then you can take me to the donut shop. Oh, can I? Okay, great. So we did, I wasn't going to say no to her, and I ate two donuts yesterday.

Eva (18:53):
Two.

Kami (18:55):
I did. I had two. So I put 'em in my app and I was like, you know what? I was over on my calories, but whatever. And it's fine.

Eva (19:05):
But what's your calorie number for the day?

Kami (19:08):
It's like at 1200, it would not be much to go over. I think I ended up the day at like 1600 or 1700 or something like that. I was like, it's still not bad.

Eva (19:19):
It seems like there's times of the day where I can tolerate sugar and other times where I cannot. My husband's birthday was on Monday and the girls wanted a cake. And so we had birthday cake on Monday night and I, I couldn't eat it made me feel so terrible.

Kami (19:37):
Yeah.

Eva (19:38):
But, there's other times where it's like nothing in the middle of the day. I can handle it a lot better than I can in the evening, and I don't know what that's about.

Kami (19:46):
But yeah, I was just going to say, evening would be the prime time where I would be like, oh my God, I need to go to bed soon, so let me just hoover in all the sugar and then wonder why I don't sleep. Well, come on. But now I don't have that at all. I am normally like, oh, it's six, seven o'clock at night and I'm not getting that midnight snacky craving or urge or whatever.

Eva (20:14):
That's a win.

Kami (20:15):
That is for sure a win because I'm also trying to do intermittent fasting. So in my Tracker app, you can set the fasting to be a certain number of hours and it'll ask you when you started and when you stopped. So if it's seven o'clock at night and I'm done eating, I'll say Start fast now. And then I turn it off when I eat in the morning. And I think I set the goal for 12 hours, but I definitely average more than that, which is good. I'm guessing.

Eva (20:46):
Well, if you don't have any data, you can't do any analysis. So I think it's great that you're doing that well.

Kami (20:51):
Right. And I like this one because it emails me every week, all of my stats for the whole week.

Eva (20:57):
Oh, cool.

Kami (20:58):
And you can even see in there, when I had started, I had started keeping track about a week before I started the semaglutide. So I'd have one whole week of data of this is just Kami eating whatever she wants, whenever she wants to, regardless of the calories. I didn't even care. I was like, yep, that's that, whatever. And it was so much compared to what I'm eating now. It was astronomical. Yeah, it was terrible. And then you can gradually see that each week that I've tracked, I've had less and less calories each week, so it's working.

Eva (21:36):
The last thing I'll say about tracking is I remember setting my target at 2100 and that I would say 75% of the time at 2100, I was still starving all the time.

Kami (21:50):
Yeah. Weird. And now I'm like, man, if I had to eat 2000 calories in the whole day, I'd be like so stuffed.

Eva (21:58):
I know.

Kami (21:58):
Yeah.

Eva (22:00):
The superpower, I can't explain it any other way really.

Kami (22:05):
Yeah, I do. It does feel like that.

Eva (22:09):
Well, okay, I'm excited to see you again in two weeks. There will be less of you in two weeks.

Kami (22:17):
Same to you, dear.

Eva (22:19):
I hope so. Follow us on Instagram at Less of You podcast, 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@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 less of you.com. Less of You is a production of The Axis, T-H-E-A-X-I-S io.