Trizepatide Times

Love is Fattening

I fell in love! Love is amazing and transformative in so many ways. Sharing your life with someone who excites you, challenges you, and makes life fun is what I have always dreamed of…what I had on my manifestation list.

As a gay woman in my 50s, the pool seemed too large and too small all at once. There were many first dates, a few second dates, and even a few more than that, but nothing felt quite right. I even dated a few men to kick the tires on that side of things one more time…nope.

Miraculously, we met on Hinge and clicked almost immediately. There were a couple of hurdles. She was living in Miami, and I had just decided to move to New Orleans. That led to lots of weekends together and working remotely when possible so that we could spend more time together.

I continue to provide backstory to set the stage for my ‘happiness’ weight gain. When you start dating someone new, there are restaurants to try, cocktails to drink, and lounging around to do, you know…getting to know each other.

As you can guess, a year later, after moving to New Orleans (a foodie town extraordinaire), I regained my hard-lost pounds. It’s true settling into love and a new relationship can be fattening. Don’t get me wrong, I would not trade this happiness for anything. I fully appreciate how hard it is to find your person - like a needle in a haystack, and I would not trade that for anything.

Now, I faced a new challenge: How do I get and stay healthy while still living my life…or even living my best life? How do I have it all?

I started by looking realistically at what I was dealing with. I have been a fan of Dr. Mark Hyman’s podcast for a while, and my ears perked up when I heard him talk about his new Function Health program. He advertises this as ‘affordable health testing for every major biological function.’ Of course, affordability is relative. But in this case, given the cost of healthcare and simple blood tests, I actually think it is pretty affordable. I paid $500 for an extensive blood and urine panel, including re-testing in 6 months.

I decided that blood tests were a good place to assess my health and determine what could be done. Like most people, I imagine my blood tests showed that I am super healthy and in range in some areas, but there was definitely cause for concern in others. As I mentioned, my weight was a problem - and fixing that could fix some other issues.

I launched my own ‘Operation Healthy Living’…again. Fortunately for her, my partner is impervious to the usual American health issues. She can eat steak every night, have a cocktail whenever she wants, eat jelly beans before bed, etc., and her blood panel is always perfect. I love that for her, but some days, I am super jealous of that superpower!

My blood pressure was elevated, my blood sugar level borderline high, and my cholesterol (good and bad) also… high. Ugh! I hate taking medication, but I also don’t want to have a heart attack. I grudgingly agreed to the blood pressure meds but stomped my foot and insisted that I could get the cholesterol under control.

Cut to…a couple of months in New Orleans, my daughter’s wedding, and a trip to Paris…the biomarkers were heading in the right direction. Still, it was not enough if I had the soft landing of my time in Florida again - focusing solely on my well-being, maybe, but enjoying life after menopause while working and spending time with family and friends in a new city was not conducive to weight loss and health management.

My stomach was growing with a mind of its own, and I hated seeing the changes in photos. Even more disturbing, I did not feel well, I was not sleeping well, and my clothes did not fit well!

Despite my reluctance, I was at the end of my rope when I entered the Trizepatide Times. Check out my next episode to find out about my first week on Zepbound.