1.0 mg/0.5 mL.
Last Weight: 234.4 pounds
Down 34.6 pounds (12.9%)

Just took my last 1.0mg dose.  It was another slow week, but I’m actually pretty happy with the results.  We hosted a big party at our house on Saturday.  It resulted in a lot of leftover food and alcohol at our place.  Despite all that, I still made progress.  The day of the party was probably the most I have eaten in six months.  But even at that, it was still less than 2000 calories.  I was a little self defeating the next day but was able to see the bigger picture—I’m still on the downward trend.  

I still worry that my insurance may not allow me to carry on past December.  That just makes me want to continue making the most of it in the meantime.  And the eating habits I have are sustainable.  I still don’t really restrict what I eat at all.  Just how much.  Like today.  I know we are having a dinner date with another couple so I have cut back a bit throughout the day so I can go easy on myself this evening.  It’s that awareness that has allowed me to be successful so far.  I just need to continue logging and holding myself accountable. 

1.0 mg/0.5 mL.
Last Weight: 235.8 pounds
Down 33.2 pounds (12.3%)

This is all starting to feel really routine. Which I guess is the hope. If I put something my mouth, I put it in the app. After 70-some days, it’s second nature. And hitting the calorie goal or being close to it is pretty easy. I even distinctly can tell how my app gives me extra calories on the weekend.

This is where it just becomes a part of life. The weight loss has slowed and is now at a healthy two pounds or less a week. It’s still going down regularly. And, surprisingly, the date my app expects me to hit the goal has never changed. It is still late February. Which is feeling closer and closer. 

I’m so excited that this is working. It’s hard to believe that it is going this well.

0.5 mg/0.5 mL.
Last Weight: 249.6 pounds
Down 19.4 pounds (7.2%)

So I think I partially fucked up my shot today.  I flinched when it first stuck me and I could feel a little bit of liquid in the area when it was done.  It’s surprisingly demoralizing to have one go poorly considering everything I’ve done to get myself here.  But I have had a lot of the same side effects over the last four hours—so I know a good amount got into my system.  It made me look at the actual website for directions on injecting.  It said you can also do the thigh—so I am going to try that instead of the stomach next time.

I broke the 250 pound barrier that i have been above the entire 5.5+ years I have been a parent.  It feels good.  And even after a big date night dinner last night, I was able to maintain it.  It has been helpful to mentally prepare myself for larger meals by eating a bit less throughout the day.  Although I did end up having to get one of my emergency snacks out on the drive home yesterday because I may have done a bit too little throughout the day.  I’m only five weeks in and my body is still changing, so it will take time to learn exactly what my body needs.  

I am getting worried about my irritability.  I am finding myself being frustrated at my spouse or the kids more often.  I don’t know if that is due to the medicine, the weight loss, or just changes in our lives. 

I am excited to be in the 240s.  I hope to break past 20 pounds lost in the week ahead and stay there.  Then I can look forward to the next crazy milestone—27 pounds down will mark 10% of body weight.  I want to be able to maintain that within four weeks.  I think that is doable.

2022 was the year that we settled into our new life in Tacoma, Washington.  We killed most of the grass in our front yard and turned it into a place where we could experiment with a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and flowers.  Sofia became the garden master, but the boys loved to help.  We spent most of our time at Red Elm Cafe and Owen Beach. 

Noah had his second birthday on June 2nd.  Noah became a toddler this year and started daycare in January.  As a pandemic baby, he was part of a group of kids who never got the experience of a pre-Covid world.  It wasn’t until halfway through the year that he even saw his teacher’s faces.  Nonetheless, he prospered in his new environment.  He went from a handful of words to too many to count.  In fact, it is now difficult to get him to stay quiet.  He is an incredibly playful child who loves cars, dinosaurs, and ice cream above all else.

Henry turned four on December 27th.  Henry blossomed so much this year.  At the beginning of the year, Henry had near zero words in his vocabulary.  Today he has hundreds (you just have to pry them out of him at times).  He started daycare and preschool in January. He moved to a more inclusive preschool in September.  He loves it.  He is known as the captain of circle time—ensuring it is never missed and sometimes taking over as the one reading to the other kids.  He loves to ride the bus, going to Owen Beach, and hang out at “Mama’s Cafe.”

Sofia celebrated the big 3-0 on January 17th.   Throughout the year Sofia transitioned from stay at home mom, to community college student, to barista.  She powered through some of the hardest classes in her Sonography prerequisites (like organic chemistry).  With only a few classes left until she could apply for the full program, she came across an opportunity she could not turn down.  The cafe where she had been doing Sunday barista shifts went up for sale.  She jumped at the opportunity and dropped out of community college.  On December 22nd, she signed the purchase agreement to take over 50% ownership.  As of the first of the year, she will be a small business owner of a cafe with six employees (Red Elm Cafe).

Richard completed his first full year as Assistant District Manager of the Olympia, Washington Social Security Administration.  He was lucky enough to start teleworking from home two days a week, making the 35-40 minute commute much easier to sustain.  He spent a good part of the year waiting for his Steam Deck as he ceded control of the Switch over to the boys.  He spends his evenings and weekends trying to turn his boys into nerds and hanging out at “Mama’s Cafe” and Owen Beach.  In January, he will take over the role of community college student from Sofia as he works towards his bookkeeping certificate.

Last Thursday night, Sofia and I snuck into the boys’ room about an hour after we put them down.  I lit up the room with the screen from my phone.  I went over to Henry.  Sofia went over to Noah.  We pulled back the covers on them and shined the light over their PJs.  We held our hands to their chests to make sure they were breathing.  They were both perfectly fine…and a little annoyed at us for disturbing their sleep.

A few minutes before that, Sofia and I were laying in our own bed.  Sofia had just gotten her phone after 26 days of fighting with Google to get them to replace her broken one.  In those 26 days, I had sent her at least a hundred videos on TikTok (I know),  Now that she had her phone, she could finally watch them.  We were both tired so we curled up and watched them together.  We were about halfway through the last video when we were interrupted.

The sound of gunfire is distinct. From afar you may mistake it for fireworks or a car backfiring.  But up close, those three sounds are very distinct.  So when the sound of about 7 gunshots erupted in the street directly in front of our house, we knew what it was instantly.  We rolled off the bed, but it was already over.  I peaked out the window just in time to see an old green pickup not 20 feet from our front door.  It drove off.

Sofia came around and handed me the phone that was dialing 911.  I stayed on the line and answered their questions until the police arrived.  When they arrived I went outside and met a few of the neighbors  After talking with the police officer, I went back inside.  Sofia and I both agreed that the likelihood of stray bullets getting to the back of the house where the kids sleep was low.  But not zero.  So we went in and checked.

That’s something I never want to have to do again.  The boys will never know until they find this post or I tell them the story in 15-20 years.  But the idea that it happened so close to them and that they were in danger of gun violence is absolutely terrifying.  It was a year ago that our car was stolen.  Although that felt violating, it was not a violent crime.  This is different.  This struck fear into me, my wife, and my neighbors.

After verifying that the kids were okay, I went back out and talked with all of the neighbors and made sure everyone was accounted for.  As I talked with everyone, the full story came into view.  There were two trucks going in opposite directions in front of our house.  As they passed each other–the green truck shot at the blue truck.  The blue truck hit the gas and hit a parked car across the street from us before taking off.  Then the green truck took off–which is what I saw.

The full picture made me less terrified.  The initial fear I had was that a truck was driving around and shooting at houses.  As the cops did the rounds at the nearby houses and cars, they found no bullets in any of them.  So no stray bullets.  We may never find out what happened.  Road rage?  Feud?  And that’s okay.  

The fact that my neighborhood was not involved, but just the location, doesn’t strip away the safety I feel.  I love my neighbors.  I love my neighborhood.  Hilltop is a community with culture.  That is part of why Sofia loves working at the coffee shop at the center of it all.  This place is amazing.  Assholes will not ruin it for the rest of us.