#SlimOldMan – The Semaglutide Experiment

I’m 50 now, and I’ve actually been gaining weight since I got out of school. I always gained a lot of weight when children were on the way, so I was “pregnant with” them.

To be specific, I have always found myself at the 100 kilo – line over the past few decades. And then found it relatively easy to get back down towards 85-90 kilos.

At 183 cm tall, this is still a relatively high BMI. But I kind of believe in the heavy-bones theory too, and even as a full-grown student who actively rode road bikes, I never weighed less than 75 kilos.

Greasy inflation

In the last year or two, the weight suddenly went up. 10% more fat. Quasi my personal inflation. The 100 kilo line became the 110 kilo line. With the JoJo from sports – weight loss – stress – weight gain.

At the doctor’s office they always say: “Losing weight would be good”. But if you’re a pleasure person like me, it’s really not easy. I mean, look here in the blog … It’s 90% about good food … But I also could not ignore that many vital signs such as blood sugar, cholesterol, liver values had started to develop significantly negative. Caused by the excess weight.

The entry to the exit

By December of last year, I had kicked the habit of smoking. That went surprisingly easily. I think there were several reasons for that. For one thing, no one around me smokes anymore. It was only two years ago that I switched to IQOS. Only after you have stopped, you will realize how pathetic the stuff stinks! There are thousands of people sitting in product development at Philip Morris. Which is said to have cost US$4.5 billion. The press release makes it read totally euphoric: “IQOS has more than a decade of scientific development work, approximately $4.5 billion in research and more than 4,300 registered patents.”

And then the stuff smells like caramelized full baby diapers….

You know the sound when someone next to you pulls on a cigarette? The embers of which then ignite. The quiet crackle. The scratchy smoke in your throat that you think you feel again. So that’s exactly what IQOS doesn’t have. Basically, it’s kind of like a stinky nicotine patch. But at the same time, that’s the great thing about it: if you stop, it’s a tough week. But if someone next to you smokes IQOS, you wouldn’t dream of buying yourself another device and a pack of HEETS and going at it again.

In Mallorca, during the Corona period, smoking at the table was banned in outdoor areas of catering establishments. People had to get on the sidewalks. And strangely enough, this happened relatively rarely. And you just got in the habit of smoking less when you go out. The Podemos government, which is roughly comparable to the “Greens,” then simply upheld the ban – presumably unlawfully. Even when all Corona measures were finished, smoking remained prohibited at the pond. And to this day I hardly see people smoking in Mallorca.

But when do you lose weight?

The old hypochondriac wallowed in self-satisfaction. The supposed biggest problem, smoking, was solved. Hopefully in time to get away without lung cancer for the next few years. But anyway, that’s out of my hands.

This pushed weight loss more to the forefront. Because here I realized more and more that it would be just as important for my health to somehow manage this successfully. Basically, I was not at all dissatisfied. Felt fit enough, was married to a woman who was much better looking than me anyway. So objectively I had few reasons not to stare contentedly at my belly every morning and to convince myself – relieved by my now age-related reduced visual acuity – that it didn’t look so bad after all.

But when a friend called me and said that a mutual acquaintance had lost a lot of weight with a medication, my curiosity was piqued. In the beginning, it sounded like a semi-legal insider tip. And I had the idea of transactions taking place in the back room of the pharmacy. So with a small suitcase and cash or something. But in fact, the EU Medicines Agency had already approved the drug and recommended it for patients with a BMI above 30.

With the same BMI I had “won” an early Covid – vaccination at that time. And in fact, it turned out to be no problem at all to get the monthly dose of the drug prescribed and administered by my internist. I get Ozempic, the active ingredient is called semaglutide and belongs to the glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists (GLP-1 agonists). As NDR further reports in the article “A Diabetes Drug Lets the Pounds Fall”, the drug lowers blood sugar levels, reduces cardiovascular risk and the risk of nerve damage. The active ingredient mimics a messenger substance produced naturally in the body, the hormone GLP-1. This normally comes from the gastrointestinal tract and signals satiety to the brain. It also slows down the emptying of the stomach.

Semaglutide – placebo double-blind

Before I had Semaglutide prescribed to me, I had also studied the studies extensively. They really are extremely impressive. A group of several thousand subjects had lost a median of 10-20% over a period of just over 60 weeks. The placebo group only about 5%. Side effects are of course also reported: From nausea to diarrhea and constipation (at the same time?!) to gallstones, an unpleasant program, but certainly less bad than the consequences of obesity. More alarming, in fact, that after discontinuation of the preparation the pounds probably come on again. And thus possibly would have to take the drug for life. Which then the insurance companies would certainly not pay, since the BMI would no longer be over 30.

As a rule, the treatment was accompanied by dietary and sports programs. Obviously, the manufacturer had found a goldmine for himself. After all, what could be better in our Western decadent society than the pharmaceutical support for the good figure? Speaking of decadent. Press reports said that one syringe cost $1600. Maybe it was a different preparation. Or the prices in Spain are cheaper. Anyway, here I paid 160 € for the monthly pack….

I have been injecting Ozempic for two weeks now. Injecting is almost too much to say, the little disposable syringe I peel out of its package once a week is so fine I don’t even feel it. It is placed on a tube containing the preparation and then the dose defined by a rotary wheel is “shot” under the skin. The professional calls this “subcutaneous.”

In the first week I had not noticed any effect. And had also lost weight in the weeks before, because I had paid more attention to my diet and started exercising again. Now in the second week, my appetite has decreased significantly, especially when it comes to sugary products. I had a great craving for Belgian waffles and the best wife of all prepared her fantastic batter. We were still arguing about whether four of the squares from the large waffle iron were one or four portions. In fact, I gave up after two squares of the wonderful artwork decorated with powdered sugar. I could not continue eating, I felt slightly nauseous.

After two weeks I notice that my appetite has decreased significantly. Not the initial appetite when you suddenly get a craving for a large portion of spaghetti. But basically the hunger, which is simply satisfied faster when the plate is in front of you. I feel like I’m eating 1/3 to 50% less than before. And increasingly in the evening. I was never a breakfast eater (espresso with a butt …) or lunch eater (don’t you have to work?). But in the evening I liked to eat several portions. That no longer exists. Fascinating!

Is it certainly due to the medication now? I can’t back that up. Maybe I’m just successfully imagining it. But even if it did, it would serve its purpose for me.

So, today it was exactly 106 kilos on the scale. Hopefully this continues, I’ll keep you posted!