Cinderella’s Hearth: A Shot for Weight Loss, by Kate Wolford

It’s very hard to maintain hearth and home when you’re out of shape. Cinderella would have been kicked out by her evil stepmother if she hadn’t pulled her very tiny weight, and then some.

I’m not suggesting we all need to be thin to take care of our homes, but it is very difficult to make home work when you are completely out of shape, which, until about two and a half months ago, I was. That’s when I started doing my exercises with Justin Agustin, and they’ve changed my posture, shape and sense of wellbeing for the better. I also went down a size in clothes without losing weight.

But that was the problem. I was not losing weight, despite having been on Trulicity for a number of years.

I couldn’t understand why everyone was hyping Type Two Diabetes meds as weight loss drugs. I’m referring to Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, which have been touted as miracle drugs. I’ve even read tributes about how drugs in that class, semaglutides, may even help problems like gambling and Alzheimer’s! Most of all, they made people lose a lot of weight. I’d been on Trulicity for years, and while it controlled my blood sugar well, it had only helped me lose 10 pounds, which eventually all came back, and then some. Trulicity, by the way, is very similar to Ozempic, etc.

Reader, I was deeply skeptical.

Nonetheless, when I saw my doctor for a regular checkup a month ago, I brought up my weight, and she agreed to put me on Mounjaro.

I’ve lost 11 pounds, and my biggest food issue is remembering to eat. It’s not like it makes me hate food. I do literally just forget to eat. This, by the way, is a bad thing to do, especially for diabetics like me. When I don’t eat, I experience lightheadedness and exhaustion, despite the energy boost regular exercise has given me, so I’ve had to strictly follow a schedule for eating.

It has also helped my mood. I find that I’m sunnier and more focused on Mounjaro. Overall, it has been a miracle drug for me. If Mounjaro continues to control my appetite, I can expect to lose 15-30 more pounds over the next few months. We’ll see if I can keep it off.

Now, every silver lining has at least one cloud, and Mounjaro has a couple. First, my amazing results are not just the result of an injection. That exercise I mentioned at the top is revving up my fat burning system, when coupled with the shot. I don’t think Mounjaro would be working so well if I wasn’t exercising so consistently.

Second, the drug has side effects. I’m battling the dizziness, but I don’t think it’s just from eating too little. It’s the drug. I expect that effect will recede over time. However, bear in mind, that even with the hype, these drugs are powerful and there’s a whole laundry list of side effects that can come with them.

Finally, these drugs are very expensive. I only pay $25 a month for Mounjaro because I literally need diabetes medication, and I’m allergic to Metformin. But if you want to talk to your doctor about getting it just for weight loss (an off-label use), bear in mind that your insurance company may not cover it unless you have diabetes, very high blood pressure, high cholesterol or need to lose a whole lot of pounds. That would mean thousands of dollars per month out of pocket.

As for me, the master bedroom and bathroom and closet have never been cleaner or more organized, dizziness notwithstanding. Onto the pantry! And remember, exercise has been a big part of my transformation, and that needn’t cost a dime.

The vintage image here is for a product that actually existed. It has nothing to do with Mounjaro. I just picked it because it is weight loss related and is very weird.