Week One on the Injection, the Honest Version

"It didn't hurt at all. I didn't even feel it go in. The needle is so tiny."

Week one is done. Here's the honest version, not the highlight reel.

I'll start with the thing I was most worried about, the injection itself. I read the instructions and it felt like there were about three thousand steps. (I was half expecting an ordeal.) Then I did it, and I didn't feel a thing. The needle is tiny. I was so sure I hadn't done it properly that I wondered if it had even gone in.

It had. The next few days made that very clear.

Day one: the block of chocolate

Let's get the embarrassing bit out of the way.

I had my injection after work, ate dinner, then sat down and scoffed a whole block of chocolate. A whole block. Not long after taking medication to help me lose weight and get my health back on track. I genuinely couldn't believe I'd done it.

This is exactly where Tomorrow Thinking loves to sneak in. 'Well, that's today ruined, I'll start properly tomorrow.' Tomorrow is how I've lost most of my previous attempts.

So I didn't do that. I acknowledged it, rolled my eyes at myself and kept going. No guilt and no punishment. Start again now, not tomorrow.

The rollercoaster

The morning after, I'd had the best sleep in ages. I also woke with a sore upper arm, like I'd whacked it on something. Then came the burping. Sulphur burps, and holy dooley. At least I knew it was in my system.

By the afternoon I felt horrid and big, with pressure in my ears and a heavy kind of tired. (Some of that was a rough couple of days at work, so who knows which was which.) My doctor suggested I start a reflux tablet straight away, and I reckon that made a real difference. By the fourth morning the burps had pretty much gone.

Day two was the toughest. I was up several times overnight with an upset belly, woke in a sweat, and getting out of bed was a mission. I struggled to get through even half of what I'd normally eat.

By day three it had eased. Not perfect, but much better.

The food noise went quiet.

This is the bit I most wanted to know about, so I'll tell you straight.

By day two the chatter was quieter. Still there, just quieter. The pull towards chocolate wasn't as strong, and when I did have a little, I didn't enjoy it the way I used to.

By day three I'd look at my plate and wonder if I could fit in another bite. I'd still put it in, but I stopped and thought about it first. That pause is brand new for me. If you've ever eaten past full just because the food was there, you'll know why that felt like a very big deal.

Day three also gave me something odd. A couple of times the word I wanted was completely blank. Not on the tip of my tongue, just empty, with nothing behind it. That's a little bit scary. It was gone by day four.

The wobble

On day four the noise crept back. I ate more, I wanted junk food, and I was disappointed. I'd gone from feeling like something was working to wondering if it was already wearing off.

By day five I'd made a special trip for a vanilla Coke and some chocolate (half a block, in my defence). They tasted exactly the same as they always have. I was flat all day, and I reckon part of that was not eating enough until I had them. A quieter appetite doesn't mean my body stopped needing fuel.

My hunger has also moved. Normally I don't want food until midday or 1pm. Now it turns up around 10.30 or 11, so that's when I eat, and I get my protein in first.

What I'm taking from week one

I'm down about 1.5 kilos, but with all the weeing I've been doing (so much weeing), most of that is probably water. My clothes don't feel any different yet, which makes sense.

The side effects also eased as the week went on, which I assume is because the amount in my system dropped. Good to know heading into week two.

So, no loosened top button just yet. But I've been collecting a different kind of evidence.

On day four I was standing on the footpath waiting for my watch to find the GPS before a walk, and I started doing a little dance. I didn't even realise until afterwards. That's not something I'd normally do.

That's step five of the Big Girl Pants Confidence Model, Loosen the Top Button. Evidence. It doesn't always arrive as a number on the scales.

I was worried this could backfire on me. It was messy, uncomfortable and a bit gross in places. I'm still happy with how it went.

I have what it takes. I am just doing it scared.

Have you ever written off a whole week, or a whole plan, because day one wasn't perfect?

This is my experience only, not medical advice. Everyone's body responds differently, so please talk to your own doctor about what's right for you.