Celebrating Progress

Every morning, I open my journal and choose a sticker to either represent the day ahead or spark a reflection. Today’s sticker came with a prompt about celebrating progress, and it felt like the perfect inspiration for this post.

Take a moment to revel in and celebrate the progress you’ve made towards your goals. What are you most proud of?

The background

If you’re familiar with me, or my former blog, Kelly’s World, you’ll know that my weight has always been on my mind one way or another. I hate that it’s consumed so much of my life, and while I’ve played a role in that, it’s also simply been part of my reality. I’ve been heavy, I’ve been healthy, and I’ve been diagnosed with an eating disorder. I’ve dealt with a large spectrum of issues related to my weight.

Last year, I found myself at the heaviest weight I’ve ever been, including when I was pregnant. I was still dealing with the repercussions of my eating disorder, but despite being on top of that and returning to a regular fitness routine, I continued to gain weight. I followed meal plans, I counted calories. I felt like I had done every way possible without resorting to crash dieting or unhealthy means.

I was at my wit’s end, and it took me to a dark mental place. Every day felt uncomfortable. My body ached, I couldn’t do the things I enjoyed, and I didn’t feel attractive.

I reached out to my doctor, and just asked simply, “What do I do?”

Long story short, she proposed GLP-1 drugs, to get some blood tests done, and to start working with a nutritionist.

My initial reaction was a combination of fear and relief. There was a solution, and the message I was hearing was “it’s not your fault”.

After consulting my husband, doing my own research, and discussing it with some friends, I decided to go ahead. Financially, it was expensive, but if it meant that I enjoyed life again, it was worth it.

I was afraid to admit I was on weight-loss drugs

It’s such a controversial topic. Everyone has opinions, informed and not informed. And I was overwhelmed by the sheer scale of what I was doing.

But you know what? Everyone has opinions on weight, too. My physical body seemed to invite (wrongly) other people’s opinions about me. Whether I worked out or not. Whether I ate well or not. Whether I was lazy…the list continues on.

It pops up everywhere. In fact, only a few months earlier, while on holiday with the family I met a man at a campsite who had a gorgeous golden retriever dog. I was playing with his dog, having a chat, and said that after losing my own dog a few years earlier, I felt like I was finally in a mental place where I could consider another one.

“You’ll have to walk it every day.” he said, with a meaningful look.

I mean, what the fuck. Excuse the language, but not really. He didn’t know me at all, but the assumptions were made.

Reflecting on that, I realised that even if I admitted I was on weight-loss drugs, assumptions were already being made anyway. So how would this really be any different?

I joined the Reddit sub on Mounjaro, the GLP-1 I had been prescribed. I read about people’s experiences, the questions, everything. And finally, I stumbled on a post specifically on what I was struggling with, asking if people were sharing the details. This was the one that sold me:

• If we don’t talk about it, how will we ever change the opinions about it?

But still, I chose my audience carefully. I am so lucky that I have the people in my life who never judged me. They supported and encouraged me.

My experience with Mounjaro

I started the injections in March. It’s the first time I’ve ever had to administer a needle myself, and thankfully, the pain is minimal at best. Occasionally, I’ll get a bruise on my stomach, but they’re temporary, so it’s fine.

The reported side effects of the medication are typically what gets people talking. I’m grateful to be able to say that the side effects were generally pretty minimal, and in my opinion, very much worth it.

These are the side effects I personally experienced:

• Heartburn – I had pretty badly before I started losing weight, so it’s very likely that this wasn’t made any worse by the medication, and 9 months later it’s now rare for me, even though I’m still on the meds.
• Cold hands – I’m someone who feels the cold anyway, and the first few months after starting the injections I would find the two days following to be the worst for me for feeling the cold.
• Sulphur burps – imagine burping up rotten eggs. My own breath made me gag. Happy to report I only had them for a couple of days before they went away.
• Fatigue – Two days following the injection I would be pretty tired, and by 9pm struggling to stay awake.
• Sore stomach – mainly from eating too much, and then curling up on my side and waiting for it to pass. Totally self-inflicted.

After 9 months on the medication, the only time that I feel anything like this now is after increasing my dose. Day-to-day, I barely notice anything. That’s not to say that others won’t have a different experience, but this is what my story has been.

I know people who found that increasing their dose brought on new side effects. In one case, someone even felt it was impacting their mental health. Stepping back down a dose resolved that, and for them, continuing at a lower dose was worth it because they were still getting results.

My point is that you have to weigh the risks versus the benefits at every step. You need to keep checking in with yourself and monitoring your health. This isn’t something you can just “set and forget.”

If you’re not familiar with how GLP-1s work, this is my very summarised version. Please note, this is simplified and not medical advice, and I would strongly recommend anyone considering it to please speak to a doctor.

• The body releases more insulin and decreases glycogen (raises blood sugar) – which is why I believe they’re aimed at diabetics.
• Reduces appetite.
• Slows your digestive system down.
• Improves metabolism.
• Quiets the “food noise”. This was life-changing for me.

I remember seeing my doctor 4 weeks after starting, so she could check how I was going before prescribing the next batch.

Is this what it’s like for normal people? This is incredible.

My eating disorder is triggered by anxiety and food noise. I’ve effectively trained my body to deal with anxiety by eating, so my body is incredible and telling me that I’m hungry and must eat. Feeling full faster and for longer, and not having an evil chanting voice on my shoulder telling me to eat, was literally life-changing.

I felt free.

Celebrating my progress

I will preface this by saying that my story is not over yet. I’m not done. I’m not where I want to be. In fact, I’d even started to feel like I’d stalled a little.

So I decided to take some photos and compare them with images taken exactly a year ago (two months before I started injections).

Here is the visual evidence of my progress:

Same sports bra and bikini bottom, although in 2026 I learned to put my bottoms on straight *facepalm.

For me, the difference is most obvious in the side-on view. My stomach and butt have both shrunk enormously. Full disclosure – I did not suck anything in for this. That’s how my stomach looks right now when it’s “hanging out”.

I am so proud of my progress, and where I’ve come from.

As for what I’ve changed with regards to diet and exercise:

• Continued to exercise. I’ve been diagnosed with a knee injury and I’m no longer allowed to run, so I’ve adapted. These days I walk (on the treadmill and with our new dog, I’m sure that man would be impressed), cycle on my sister-in-law’s stationary bike, and use a Pilates board for strengthening.
• Eat better. I won’t say perfect, that’s impossible. I also won’t deny I have my bad days and sweet treats. But I eat better, I eat less, and on the whole I would like to say that I make better choices. It’s easier to not overindulge now.

But what’s most important, is how do I feel:

• My bones ache less – I have less weight on them, so it makes sense. Moving around is more comfortable now. Getting up off the couch and climbing stairs is easier. Even with a buggered knee, I can feel the difference (strength training also helps with this).
• I feel more attractive. Clothes fit better, and I feel more confident around my husband. I want to be touched again. I don’t feel like I have to tuck my gut into my jeans when I sit down.
• I’m worried less about everyday activities. I can go on rides, I’m not worried about how I’ll feel on a plane, or sitting on a chair next to someone. I don’t have to worry about if I’m going to exceed a weight limit on something. I don’t feel on the verge of a panic attack when I go shopping.
• I have less heartburn. I’m not snoring. I don’t have food noise.

Before I started, I made a list on my phone of all the things I don’t enjoy about being overweight. From time-to-time I look at the list, and realise how often I can cross things off the list, that I don’t feel that way anymore.

Where to from here?

For now, I’m continuing with the medication. I’m not at a healthy weight yet, and I don’t feel like I’m finished.

I have a specific scale number in mind that, from previous experience, my body feels good at that weight. After that, the scales will be put away, and then it comes down to how I look and feel. I want to be strong, and healthy. The scales won’t tell me that, so they become irrelevant.

I’ll see my nutritionist again, and start to look at what life looks like food-wise. What works for me and what doesn’t.

I’ll work with my doctor to see whether I can slowly come off the drugs, and how my body reacts, or whether there’s a chance that this is a lifetime low-dose medication for me. We took blood samples before I started, and the plan is to take them regularly when coming off to see if anything changes. For some people, GLP-1s are a one-time thing to help achieve a goal. For others, it may be something their bodies need on an ongoing basis.

I’m not making any decisions right now because I’m not there.

But all I know is that I’m still working on the goal to return to a healthy weight, where my body feels comfortable and my quality of life is at its best.

So I’m celebrating where I am, remembering where I’ve come from, and enjoying every single day.

Final notes

If anyone has questions about the medication, or interested in hearing more details, please feel free to comment below, and if needed, we can chat outside of the comments too. I know it’s a very sensitive topic.

And for anyone who strongly disagrees with the use of GLP-1 medication or weight-loss drugs, I respect your right to your opinion. However, this isn’t the place to criticise me or others. Until you’ve lived in these shoes and experienced the daily struggles that come with them, it can be hard to understand the decisions we make. Please approach this space with empathy, and please be kind.