Since I weighed 271 lbs 4 months ago, this feels like decent progress, even though I feel a bit stalled out at this weight. I’m hoping I can blast past it. It would be neat to get back to where I was nearly a decade ago, then again. I’m still on the Ozempic. My insurance is still denying it. My doctor tried a switch to Wegovy to see if they would approve that, denied, but they said they’d try again. I’d love to stay on for 18 months or so to give it a solid run, but I won’t be able to make it if the cost can’t come down.

I’d also like to think I have the power to keep going on my own. But do I? Prior experience would suggest that I do not. I’m interested in bypass surgery as well, such that my weight is a real “solved problem” (hopefully), but the cost of that surgery is higher still.

Health is, of course, more than weight. And I know this more than superficially. There is a machine at my gym I have used that tracks all sorts of health metrics. Stuff like muscle mass is important to me too. I drag my fat ass to CrossFit pretty much every day, and for that kind of effort, I’d prefer not to be losing muscle mass as I lose weight generally. I get re-measured soon so I can keep an eye on that. If I stayed 248 but constantly lost fat and gained muscle, that’d be fine too, but that’s a taller order than losing some fat and maintaining muscle.

As much as weight is top-of-mind, the beginning of this journey was back pain. This time it was from an acute injury back in October 2022. Feeling about 85% recovered from that. Part of me is bummed it took this long and is still lingering these 7-8 months later. And part of me is pretty happy to be feeling close to normal again.

Here’s to habits and the eternal struggle to change them.