The Numbers After One Month
One month in, the scale shows 111 kg (245 lbs). That's 7.5 kg (16.5 lbs) of total loss across four weeks. Honestly — that's well beyond what I expected, and exactly the kind of trajectory that makes me feel zero pressure about staying at 2.5 mg. There's no clinical reason to push the dose harder when this is the result of the lowest dose.
The bigger reward isn't on the scale though. It's in the laundry pile. Shirts and pants that were tight a month ago are no longer tight. That's the kind of feedback the body gives you that the scale can't.
Tonight: Switching Injection Sites
I've alternated between left and right thigh for four weeks. Tonight I'm trying something new — first injection in the stomach. Curious whether absorption or sensation feels any different. I'll report back in week 5.
Something Worth Noting
This is the first week I've felt anything resembling actual hunger return. Not strong, not constant — just a low background signal that wasn't there before. The body might be adjusting to the dose. That's expected over time, and it's part of why dose escalation exists in the prescription protocol.
I want to test whether changing the injection site helps before drawing conclusions. If the appetite continues to creep back over the next couple of weeks, that's a conversation to have with my doctor — not a panic moment.
GLP-1 medications can be injected in the thigh, abdomen, or upper arm. Absorption rates are broadly similar across sites in clinical studies, but some users report subjective differences. It's a small experiment, not a guaranteed fix.
The First Cracks — and Why I'm Glad They Showed
Toward the end of the week, two evenings, I caved. A few pieces of candy. Nothing catastrophic. Not even close to the kind of evening snacking I used to do. But it's the first time in a month that I've reached for something outside the plan.
I'm choosing to see this as useful information, not a failure. It tells me three things:
- The medication isn't a permanent off-switch for cravings. It quiets them. It doesn't delete them.
- The habits and impulses I built over years are still there underneath, waiting for the suppression to loosen even slightly.
- If I want this to last past the day I stop the medication, I have to use this window to build real discipline — not just lean on the drug to do the work for me.
I don't want to be someone who relies on the medication. I want to use this period to develop the willpower and habits that will keep me healthy long after the injections stop. The medication makes hard things easier — that's a gift. But the work of becoming someone who eats well and trains hard without needing a drug to want it? That's still mine to do.
Training and Walking: The Easy Wins
Training has continued to be the part of the protocol I never have to think about. Three full-body sessions this week, every walk in the forest checked off, no skipped days. When something has been part of your life for years it doesn't suddenly become optional just because something else is changing. That's the value of having a strong base before starting GLP-1 treatment — the training carries you, not the other way around.
What I'd Tell Someone Starting Today
If I could go back to week zero and say something to myself:
- Don't panic about the first weigh-in. Water shifts make early numbers wild.
- Stick to the schedule, not the appetite. The medication kills hunger but doesn't kill the need for protein. Eat the protein anyway.
- Don't rush to titrate up. Lower dose for longer is fine if it's working.
- Track the protocol, not the scale. If protein, training and hydration are on point, the body composition follows.
- Use this window to build habits. The medication is a tool, not a personality transplant. The work stays yours.
Next entry: Week 5 — first results of the stomach injection, and whether the appetite signal grows or stays at a whisper. Keep going, everyone.