Two and a half years ago, I started to work with a nutritionist who specialized in Intuitive Eating. I really wanted to believe that Intuitive Eating would be the answer for me, because I was starting to believe that I would have to be on starvation diets for the rest of my life, and I knew I couldn’t live like that. The nutritionist worked with The Intuitive Eating Workbook, by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, and had a lot of experience working with people with trauma backgrounds, and autoimmune disorders, and a history of eating disorders, so she seemed like the right person to help me feel safe with food, and feel comfortable in my body, and be able to maintain a healthy weight.
We worked through all of the exercises in the Intuitive Eating Workbook together, charting my hunger and fullness levels, writing down all of my destructive thoughts around food and learning how to reframe them, and overall trying accept that dieting, or restricting food in particular, was not a good long term answer to my problems, given all of the evidence that diets lead to more eventual weight gain. I worked hard at balancing my meals, adding more protein to breakfast, and more vegetables to lunch, and more fat here and there so that I would feel full at the end of each meal. But despite all of my efforts, my weight continued to go up, a little bit at a time, until I’d gained back everything I’d lost on Weight Watchers five years before. The nutritionist said that, given all of my efforts, she was sure I would have been more successful with Intuitive Eating if only I hadn’t been suffering from so many other health problems at the same time, and I tried to believe her, and kept trying.
And then, a few months ago, I started to get a series of out of range blood test results. First my Adrenal values were high, and the endocrinologist sent me for a CT scan of my abdomen to see if there were nodules on my adrenal glands causing the raised numbers. But my adrenals were clear, and a repeat blood test showed that my Adrenal levels were back to normal, but now my liver values were high. So I was sent to the gastroenterologist, who sent me for an ultrasound of my liver and redid the blood tests, again. The new blood tests said that my liver values were normal, but the ultrasound showed a severe nonalcoholic fatty liver, and both the gastroenterologist and the endocrinologist said that weight loss was the only currently accepted treatment for a fatty liver, and if I didn’t address it now I could end up needing a kidney transplant down the line. But after so many years of trying every diet and non-diet available, I felt hopeless, so they suggested weight loss medication. In the past, the options for weight loss medications were generally too dangerous or unreliable to be recommended by most doctors, but with recent advancements in the field there has been more hope, or at least more things to try. And after all of the doctors’ visits and variable blood test results and finding out about the fatty liver, I was desperate enough to agree to try Ozempic.
I thought that my nutritionist would be against the whole idea of a weight loss medication, since it goes against the accept-your-body-as-it-is principles of Intuitive Eating, but she was on board immediately, for the sake of my overall health. But I still felt uncomfortable. I’d heard all kinds of the stories about the gastrointestinal side effects of Ozempic and other drugs like it, and there has been so much shame in the air around celebrities taking Ozempic, either because people think that taking a weight loss drug is frivolous or because they think it’s a sign of weak character. I was also worried that my health insurance wouldn’t cover the medication, or that I’d be one of the people who didn’t lose weight on Ozempic, or worse, that taking Ozempic would destroy my ability to enjoy eating, which I rely on heavily to get me through so many other things in my life.
But my health insurance paid for the Ozempic prescription, and I took that as a sign to move forward with it. I started at a low dose a few weeks ago, and so far there haven’t been any side effects, or any impact at all. I’m okay with taking it slowly, and building up the dose at a pace that my body can handle, but I’m still worried that as the dose goes up so will the side effects, and that even on a higher dose I won’t lose weight, since so many medications that seem to work for other people haven’t worked for me.
But all I can do now is wait and see what happens, if the Ozempic works for me or not, and if weight loss will return my liver to a healthier state or not. In the meantime, I haven’t given up on Intuitive Eating, because even if it hasn’t changed my body, it has done a lot to change my mind, calming the noise in my head around food and weight and body type, and that relative quiet has left room for more positive thoughts to creep in. And as a result of that realization, I’ve started to adapt some of the Intuitive Eating exercises to see if they can help me create more calm in my mind around writing, where the noise has been even louder than it ever was around food.
Whatever happens, I’m hopeful that progress will continue from all of my efforts, even if I’m not sure what that progress will look like.
If you haven’t had a chance yet, please check out my Young Adult novel, Yeshiva Girl, on Amazon. And if you feel called to write a review of the book, on Amazon, or anywhere else, I’d be honored.
Yeshiva Girl is about a Jewish teenager on Long Island, named Isabel, though her father calls her Jezebel. Her father has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with one of his students, which he denies, but Izzy implicitly believes it’s true. As a result of his problems, her father sends her to a co-ed Orthodox yeshiva for tenth grade, out of the blue, and Izzy and her mother can’t figure out how to prevent it. At Yeshiva, though, Izzy finds that religious people are much more complicated than she had expected. Some, like her father, may use religion as a place to hide, but others search for and find comfort, and community, and even enlightenment. The question is, what will Izzy find?
rachelmankowitz 
I do hope for the best for you. I don’t need to lose weight (for the first time in my life), but what tempts me about Ozempic is that I have read that it also seems to help with obsessive-compulsive behavior, and that is something I could really use. I’ll be looking forward to hear that you get good results.
Fingers crossed.
Oh dear, Rachel! I too have spent my whole life battling my weight, but it is not complicated by a myriad of health issues. I hope Ozempic works for you. Keep us posted.
Thank you!
I will await any further updates regarding your Ozempic experiences. I’ve been struggling with belly fat for years and none of my physicians’ suggestions regarding reversing it have helped.
Here’s hoping it works!
I really hope this treatment works for you, Rachel. You deserve to have less to worry about! 💕
Thank you!
Good luck & I hope it all works out successfully for you without any side-effects. Take care.
Thank you!
I’m sure puppy kisses do help. I hope the drug works for you. Try to ignore the shaming. People shame everything! Whatever you do to help yourself, somebody is going to say it is the wrong way to go about it. I’m glad you are going on with the intuitive eating as well. It sounds like a healthy thing. Once again, thank you for sharing your story.
Thank you!
Dear Rachel,
I am a diabetic and I take Ozempic for that reason. It has been a game changer for my A1C levels. I didn’t see a ton of weight loss, but I did see some. My A1C went down well. Then I gave up all processed sugar in addition to taking my Ningxia Red supplement and everything changed. I eat a lot of spinach (love my spinach smoothies with fruit in them and almond milk – so yummy!) and more beef, since I have been anemic since I had the twins. My weight is sliding slowly down and I have so much more energy! I hope this helps. I am very slowly creeping up my dose so that I don’t get any side effects. The .25 and .5 doses went without a hitch, where other meds like it had me so very sick.
That’s great news!
I hope the new approach works for you.
Thank you!
Fingers crossed this works for you, Rachel. And please tell Cricket she looks adorable in that sweater in your first photo.
She loves her shirts now!
Cricket does look very cute in that sweater! I have you in my prayers every might . I hope you will get some good results from this medication.
Thank you!
Good luck, Rachel. I hope this drug works for you.
Thank you!
I hope it works. Keep us posted.
Thank you!
Hay, I have been an Intuitive eater all my life, right now after I have had pancakes with sausage and plenty of syrup and butter on them, I am now intuitively eating triple layer chocolate cake with ice cream on it with a big glass of cold coke. Later I plan to intuitively have a box of chocolate chip cookies and milk before I go to bed. I am a sucker of my own imagination.
Sounds good!
All the best Rachel.
Thank you!
You’re welcome
Best of luck to you Rachel.
Thank you!
Toby volunteers to help with any food you decide you don’t want!
So generous!
How wonderful that there is something that might bring about weight loss for you. Here’s hoping it does the trick. Fingers crossed for you. Love the sweater.
Thank you!
I have been listening to Intuitive Eating on audiobook. I really like it and it seems like a common sense way to eat. Well, once you get past all the other stuff you learned from other sources. I have dieted from the time I was 8, my mom was a dieter when she gained weight, and by that, I mean 2 pounds. So, I feel your pain surrounding diets as a whole. I hope this works for you with little to no side effects. Hugs! You got this, my friend!
Thank you so much!
Sounds as if you’re heading in the right direction Rachel
I hope so!
I’m sure you are
Good luck Rachel. Diets are a minefield and finding the right one to suit you, the individual, like looking for hens teeth. My own has gone out of the window trying to deal with Hubby’s issues which have to take priority. Having stayed in target for almost three years, it took less than three months to screw it all up, but at least I have managed to maintain that increase and not see it continue to balloon. Losing it of course is a harder matter and I need to get my ‘diet head’ on as if the frame of mind is wrong, then all is lost before I even start. You are being very sensible in starting slowly. Please give us a progress report when you post. Take care and treats by proxy for the girls.
Ellie is ready for those treats!
Bless her and Cricket too
I just started on Mounjaro which is similar but for diabetics only. I’m not sure what to think yet about it, too soon to tell. But I also have similar concerns as you do, about failing to lose on it, or to keep my blood sugar in check. Here’s wishing us both luck.
Good luck!!!!
The upbeat conclusion is that you are now gaining control—and that is a very positive, very big step. All good wishes, Rachel.
Thank you!
I also like to eat!
I try to avoid industrialized food, and meat at the moment, and control the salt, sugar, and pepper, if not I overdo it.
I bought tomatoes for sauce and salad, cabbage, carrots, olives, and made a stir-fry. Tangerines for dessert.
It’s basic, but I like to cook too! … and this post made me hungry!
I’m going there to eat bread I baked with tomato sauce!
Yes, I’m also a few pounds overweight, and an examination a few months ago indicated excess sugar!
Health for all!
Good luck to you!
Thank you! Cheers!
I hate that most insurance won’t cover weight loss drugs unless you have something else wrong. Because I don’t take any meds for any obesity related illnesses my insurance considers it a vanity drug 🫤 I hope things start turning around for you 🤗
The medical system can’t decide what it believes about obesity; is it a disease, a neutral characteristic, or a character flaw? I guess they choose whichever definition saves them the most money in the moment.
I sure hope that new weight loss drug does the trick for you. And that you don’t experience any side effects. Have you ever heard of the Gundry diet. It eliminates lectins. It’s a “health” diet, but because of the elimination of harmful lectins, the body loses fat. My husband and I have been eating that way for several years now (most of the time, LOL!). It’s also been known to help with other autoimmune diseases for the same reason. Just a thought…
I’ll look it up! Thank you!
I hope the new medication works! I know from experience how frustrating it is when meds that work for others don’t work for you.
Thank you!
Glad you’ve found a peaceful place in the midst of your health and diet journey, Rachel (a journey most of us have been on at one point or another).
Thank you!
Eating disorders can be an enormous, lifelong challenge for abuse survivors. I hope Ozempic works for you. No one has the right to pass judgment on your decision to try this course of action.
Thank you!
I hope this works for you!
Thank you!
Good luck! There’s a reason my favorite foods are called ‘comfort’ foods. 🤷♂️
Agreed! Thank you!
Wishing you all the best Rachel in this new journey 🙂
Thank you!
I hope the Ozempic works out for you. Weight loss can be difficult.
Thank you!
I think your idea of intuitive eating plus medication is a really good and moderate idea. Fingers crossed for you. Also, I have never understood about the shame thing regarding diet and medicine. Who would be saying those things? The millions of us who can’t control their cholesterol with diet so they take medicine? Or maybe the millions of us that take prescription antacids for the same reason? Gheesh! Not to mention, it’s not other people’s business….
Thus endeth my mini-rant. 😉
Wishing you well,
Julie
Love it! Thank you!
good combo Rachel. For some it’s a life saver. Good luck!👍🏽
Thank you!
💗
I am heartened to hear your story since I only read about movie people taking the drug. Clearly your doctors think it is warranted in your case. May they prove right.
I hope so!
Good luck with your journey- with your health, intuitive eating, and with your growth in mindset. I’m rooting for you
Thank you!
I would never have guessed that we share this challenge, for me lifelong. I remember my mom saying to me around age 4 or so that I needed to eat less, and my first boyfriend at age 7 broke up with me because I was too fat. Cut to 57 years later, and I still fight the good fight, though now, like you, my body is telling me it won’t take it any more. Joints hurt, lactose is a no-go, and I’m developing food allergies right and left, not to mention my disgust at any pictures of myself. Intuitive Eating sounds like a great resource, so I’m definitely going to check that out–thanks for the recommendation. I have a cousin on Ozempic (being overweight is a family tendency), so I’m letting her be the one to try it out, but I’m watching closely.
Good luck! I hope it gives you all the results you are hoping for, including increased self-esteem.
Thank you!!!
I genuinely hope it works out for you. I had weight issues off and on my entire life. I am losing right now through exercise and eating well but it all takes practice to see what works for you and sometimes, it’s more. Organ damage, disease, medications can all contribute to weight gain and loss. It can be so difficult to figure out what works for your body in a world where merchandising is telling you what you need or should do. It is difficult to cut through what is honest and what is not. I’ve been a 20 year pain patient and was misdiagnosed with rare diseases for years. You can do it!!
Thank you! It’s great to hear a success story!
How is it going? I hope it is going well. I didn’t realize that there were celebrities shamed for taking Ozempic, either because people think that taking a weight loss drug is frivolous or because they think it’s a sign of weak character – I thought it was because they were taking it to fit into specific clothing or to look “skinny” at an event. But I probably was only hearing THOSE stories. Hmmm interesting. I hope you get the results you need.
Thank you!
Are you combining this new approach to eating and your educations with a bonified excise program? I’d walk the dog several times a day.
I’m doing my best.