A Year In Books 2024

 Each year I make a blog post to keep track of the books I have read that year. My goal this year is going to be 52 books. I hope I crush it! 

1. Mail Order Millionaire By Kirsten Osbourne
2. A Bride For Bea By Lynn Donovan
3. The Crown's Choice By Kirsten Osbourne
4. A Groom for Josie By Cat Cahill
5. The Artist's Muse By Kirsten Osbourne
6. Barbara's Beau By Kirsten Osbourne
7. Motivated in Missouri By Kirsten Osbourne
8. Mail Order Mismatch By Kirsten Osbourne
9. Poppy's Prayer's By Kirsten Osbourne
10. Mail Order Manager By Kirsten Osbourne
11. The Royal Princess By Kirsten Osbourne
12. Mail Order Maelstrom By Kirsten Osbourne
13. Her Amish Wish By Samantha Price
14. Mail Order Magnate By Kirsten Osbourne
15. Amish Harvest Time By Samantha Price
16. Mail Order Mayor By Kirsten Osbourne
17. Mail Order Madhouse By Kirsten Osbourne
18. Mail Order Magpie By Kirsten Osbourne
19. Mail Order Modiste By Kirsten Osbourne
20. Wrangling Her Heart By Christine Sterling
21. Redeeming the Outlaw By Christine Sterling
22. Whispers of Change By Samantha Price
23. Her Hopeful Heart By Samantha Price
24. Return to Love's Promise By Samantha Price
25. Amish Circle of Blessings By Samantha Price (Last Bonnet Sisters' Book)
26. Mail Order Mediocrity By Kirsten Osbourne
27. Mail Order Merge By Kirsten Osbourne
28. Mail Order Mellow By Kirsten Osbourne
29. Mail Order Menial By Kirsten Osbourne
30. Mail Order Minister By Kirsten Osbourne
31. Mail Order Mind By Kirsten Osbourne
32. A Groom for Lauren By Christine Sterling
33. A Groom for Arabella By Shonda Fischer
34. A Groom for Agatha By Parker J. Cole
35. Mail Order Maybe By Kirsten Osbourne
36. A Groom for Ruth By Parker J. Cole

Weigh - In Month 2 - Week 2

 Today is weigh-in day. I didn't have a lot of hope with it being Christmas week. John made this cake I love and I over-indulged on it. I just knew the scale was not going to be my friend. All in all, things weren't that bad though. I lost 4.8 lbs. I am content with that for this week. 

Highest Weight (2012) - 360

Mounjaro Starting Weight - 313.2

Current Weight - 292.6

Goal Weight - 100

Weigh-In Month 2 Week 1

 So here we go. I just completed my first week on 5 mg. It was an eventful week. I had things all planned out after the previous week's flop. Unfortunately, Monday I started getting sick and all my plans went out the window. I wasn't sure how the scale would look this week, but I was pleasantly surprised. Just over 11 lbs this week!!! Yay! I know every week will not look this good, but I will celebrate this win like crazy! In addition to the big loss this week, I am officially out of the 300 Club! I hope I will never see it again! 

Highest Weight (2012) - 360

Mounjaro Starting Weight - 313.2

Current Weight - 297.4

Goal Weight - 100

Weigh-In Week 4

 I didn't want to make this post. I actually gained weight this week. A couple pounds worth. I am completely disappointed in myself but I will keep going and try harder. This is the end of month one of Mounjaro. Factoring in my gains. I lost 4.4 lbs on the 2.5 mg of Mounjaro so not a total fail. Today I increased my dosage, per my doctor's orders, to 5 mg so here's hoping that month 2 provides better loss. 

Highest Weight (2012) - 360

Mounjaro Starting Weight - 313.2

Current Weight - 308.8

Goal Weight - 100

Week 3 Weigh-In

 Today is shot day and weigh-in day. I hate Saturdays because it shows me how bad I have done. As of yet I am not dieting or exercising. I was a little (a lot) bummed to see that I didn't lose more after such a loss last week, but here is hoping this week will be better. I lost .8 lbs this week. 

Highest Weight (2012) - 360

Mounjaro Starting Weight - 313.2

Current Weight - 306.2

Goal Weight - 100

Week 2 Weigh-In

Today is shot day and weigh-in day. All week I have stressed and dreaded this day. I am on the lowest dose of Mounjaro still. Today was my third shot. I haven't experienced a lot of appetite control. I still experience a lot of food noise and I have been pretty hungry this week. I didn't have high hopes for the scale this week. Before I reveal my weigh-in, let's talk about the good things, though. Over the last couple weeks I have cheated a couple times and had sugary stuff. I am also still drinking sodas (working on that). However, my blood sugar is staying in a semi-level range. I have only had one fast acting insulin shot in two weeks, where I was taking them daily. I consider that a win! Now, for my weigh-in results. I lost 6.4 lbs this week! I am really excited for that loss!! 

Highest Weight (2012) - 360

Mounjaro Starting Weight - 313.2

Current Weight - 307

Goal Weight - 100

Mounjaro End of Week 1 Weigh-In

  Saturdays are weigh-in and shot days. I took my second shot this morning. This past week I haven't felt like eating much. I eat one decent meal and then snack for dinner if I can  manage to make myself do that. Because I had lost a pound or so before starting the shots I expect to see some loss on the scale this week. I was very disappointed when I saw I had gained 0.2 pounds. My husband was a big encouragement to me and told me it was probably Thanksgiving and he's right. I also haven't started dieting yet. I was trying to see exactly what meds alone would do. I do not want to make a bunch of changes at once that I will not be able to stick with. Here's hoping that next week will show better changes on the scale. 

Highest Weight (2012) - 360

Mounjaro Starting Weight - 313.2

Current Weight - 313.4

Goal Weight - 100

New Meds

 I just finished taking my first injection of Mounjaro. The doctor started me on 2.5 mg. I will take that dose for a month then increase. I will increase each month until I get to my maintenance dose. I am hoping it helps my blood sugar and helps me lose weight. Some of the possible side effects are kind of scary, but prayerfully, those will not happen. Saturdays have also become my weigh-in days.  I lost 1.8 lbs. Not a big loss, but I wasn't trying so I will take it. 

November 2023 A1C

 7.5

New Goals

 I am giving myself some goals to start out with. Some will be simple daily goals. Others will be more complex goals. This is where I am starting, though. 

Daily Goals

    1. Drink 1 gallon water daily

    2. Drink no more than one soda a day.

    

Exercise Goals

    1. Exercise 10 minutes 3 times a week

    2. Exercise 10 minutes 6 times a week

    3. Exercise 20 minutes 6 times a week

    4. Exercise 1 hour 6 times a week

    5. Do 1 mile on elliptical

    6. Do 1 hour on elliptical

Medical Goals

    1. Drop blood pressure to normal range

    2. Drop A1C half a point

    3. A1C to 7.0

    4. A1C to 6.0

Weight Goals 

    1. Lose 5 lbs

    2. Get out of 300s

    3. 290

    4. 280

    5. 270

Unsettled

 This is a blog post I didn't want to have to write. It's not because it is a bad thing. It is because I am scared. Today, November 13, 2023, I went to see my primary care doctor for the first time in 14 months. I didn't set out to make it this way. I didn't decide, "Hmm, let's see how long I can manage to go without going to the doctor." The past year and a half has had a lot of emotional turmoil and medical anxiety for me so I just decided that we would avoid doctors at all costs. 

I want to lose weight. So I discussed that with my doctor today. He put me on Mounjaro. It is a Diabetes injection that has shown great success with losing weight. Of course I know that diet and exercise must be a part of my plan, but I am hoping this will be the golden ticket to helping me lose weight again. At the very least it will help me get back on track with my diabetes, I hope. I am just waiting for my insurance to approve it.

I have such mixed feelings this time around. I am scared of failing. As a life long yo-yoer, I am struggling because I already see myself failing without even starting. I questioned whether to blog this time around or not. Blogging was a great help when I first started doing it...until it wasn't. Then people would ask and I would just climb further into my cocoon and hide with my poison (food) of choice. 

I do not remember ever being under 250. I mean, I know I was as a teenager, but I do not remember that weight. One thing that has been on my mind lately is that I want 6 men to be able to carry my coffin when I die and right now, I know that would not be the case. 

If you are reading this and you want to help here is a list of things that help. Leave me comments here. Encouragement is always welcome, but please make sure that it is indeed encouragement. Please don't make all of our offline interactions about my weight. I appreciate that you want to cheer me along, but so often I have felt like my life has revolved around my weight, I do not want to feel like our relationship is dependent upon my weight loss success. And because I know that will be the next question - No, you haven't intentionally (at least I hope not) made me feel like my size equaled my worthiness of love, but it is strange the things your mind will sometimes tell you.