Starting a new weightloss journey

This past Wednesday (July 15, 2015) I started a weight loss journey with a relatively new medication called Saxenda. I am excited, hopeful and a bit apprehensive about how it will work for me. Since Saxenda is new, there is not much information out there about real-life experience so I started this blog to track my progress (or lack thereof). I hope my experience can provide information to those that are also on this journey and for those considering jumping on board!

What is Saxenda?
Saxenda is the fourth drug for weight loss approved by the FDA since 2012. It's already available in a lower dose as Victoza for type 2 diabetes.
Researchers began to study it as an obesity  treatment after people on Victoza reported weight loss. Saxenda, like Victoza, is injected daily. It's approved for people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30, considered obese, or a BMI of 27 with weight-related conditions such as high blood pressure. Saxenda was approved by the FDA in December, 2014. You can find more information here: Saxenda

How does it work?
Saxenda mimics a hormone made in the intestines called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide).
One role of GLP-1 is to tell your brain you’re full. This medicine works in many ways to help beta cells normalize blood sugars. Beat cells make and release insulin when blood sugar is high. They help those with type 2 diabetes keep their blood sugar normal.

How well does Saxenda work?     
Clinical trials of Saxenda continued for about a year and included about 4,800 patients, with some getting the drug and some a placebo.
Clinical trials show that more than 60% of patients getting a daily 3-milligram injection lost at least 5% of their weight and 31% lost more than 10%.

What are the side effects?
With any medication, there can be side effects and Saxenda is not to be excluded. The most common are nausea, diarrhea, heartburn and vomiting. There can be more serious side effects which you can read about here: Saxenda side effects

My Story
I am a 48 year old female, mom of two and employed full time. I have always been active and really never had much of a weight problem other than a few pudgy teenage years and two pregnancies. I gained 50 lbs with each baby but was able to get the weight off fairly quickly. I usually hovered around 120 lbs. In my mid thirties I picked up running as a hobby and could eat almost anything I wanted without gaining. Things started to change around the age of 42. Weight was gradually creeping up and I hard a very hard time losing (I was still running at this time also).  I  ranged between 132-142 until 2 or 3 years ago. This past year I gained 30 lbs and had no clue why. I was still running ( 13 half marathons last year ) and trying to cut calories. The weight would not come off. My last half marathon was in April 2015. I decided to take a break from running for awhile, as I had many people tell me that maybe I was exercising too much; maybe my body was so used to all the exercise that I couldn't lose anymore. I was at a standstill and really didn't know what to do. People love to give advice and I was open to anything. I should also mention that I am not yet menopausal.   I had a year physical this past May and my Dr. just said to "exercise and eat better" (which was very frustrating, as I was already doing that). All my lab work came back normal other than a Vitamin D deficiency. I asked her to prescribe something for weight loss but she refused, just telling me to " see a nutritionist".  Not long after my appointment, one of my cousins told me she had just been diagnosed with a thyroid disorder called Hashimoto's Disease. I called my Dr. to tell her that I now have family history and maybe this was my issue but she just brushed me aside, telling me that my thyroid tests were normal.  My cousin encouraged me to see an endocrinologist as there were more extensive thyroid tests that should be done. I made an appointment as soon as I could and felt relieved that this Dr. really listened to me and didn't rush me out of the examination room. He ran a full thyroid panel as well as adrenal tests. The thyroid tests were all normal, but my adrenal tests showed I had a very high cortisol level ( about 8 times higher than a normal person). He told me that high cortisol levels can cause weight gain. Next he tested me for Cushing's Disease. When that came back negative I was almost disappointed. Not that I wanted to have a disease, but I wanted a reason as to what was going on with me. If nothing was wrong, then why were my cortisol levels so high??  My Dr. said it was stress. Funny thing was (and is) that I didn't feel stressed. I am in a great relationship, my kids are doing excellent and I have a great job. Money is tight, but not to the point where I can't pay my bills. He suggested that I give Saxenda a try, so here I am. Hoping and praying that this stuff works!  He gave me a sample pack and called in a prescription to my pharmacy.

Pictured above is my Saxenda pen. You take off the cap and attach a small needle. Your first week, you give yourself a daily injection of 0.6 mg. There is a dial type mechanism on the right where you can adjust your dose. Week two you go up to 1.2 mg, week three: 1.8, week four: 2.4, and week five: 3.0 mg. You stay at 3.0 for remainder of the time you take the medicine. My Doctor gave me a one year prescription.
The injections do not hurt! You inject your dose in the fat of your abdomen or under arm and it's subcutaneous. This kind of reminds me of an epi-pen.
Some people have a hard time getting insurance to approve Saxenda. Fortunately for me, that was not the case. According to my Dr., Blue Cross, Blue Shield is one of the insurance companies that approves it easily. My sample pen should last me about 17 days before I have to delve into my prescription.

As I mentioned at the beginning of my post, there is just not much information available about the "real people" that are taking this drug. Once prescribed, I went on google to see if I could find any testimonials or stories and I only came across one. A lovely lady named Eliza has started a YouTube video diary about her experience. Here is a link to her first video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Rq2jNsE5gU

I contacted her and she told me about a Saxenda support group on Facebook, so I joined up right away. You can reach them here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1452506085063325/?fref=nf

They are a wonderful and supportive group of people! If you are taking Saxenda, please reach out!

I will post a weigh in each Wednesday and list any side effects I may be experiencing throughout the week. Please feel free to comment, ask questions and give feedback!!

Here are my stats:
Height: 5' 3 3/4
Weight 169

Thanks everyone!