The First Shot, the First Shift

AKA the week everything changed — and not all of it was pretty.
I remember staring at that little vial like it was some kind of forbidden treasure.

August 4, 2022. I had finally tracked down a reputable source for semaglutide after what felt like a full-time job worth of deep dives into peptide forums, Facebook groups, and sketchy Google rabbit holes. I knew this wasn’t the “traditional” route. I wasn’t walking into a clinic with a white-coat doctor holding my hand. I was DIY-ing my way through this, carefully and cautiously — but also determined.

Was it ideal? No.
Was I monitored? Kind of — my hormone doctor was still checking my labs regularly.
Was I terrified? Absolutely.
But I was also ready.

I had reconstituted the vial myself (shoutout to the peptide calculator app that got me through it), figured out a starting dose so low it barely counted, and took my first shot.

And then… I waited.

The First Symptom: Pure Exhaustion

Let me tell you — the first few days absolutely wiped me out. I don’t mean “Oh, I could use a nap.” I mean full-body, can’t-get-out-of-bed, who-swapped-my-energy-for-a-brick feeling. And while that scared me a little, it didn’t stop me.

Because underneath the fatigue, there was something else happening.

Something quiet.

The Food Noise Was… Gone.

This is the part that still makes me emotional.

For the first time in decades, my brain wasn’t obsessed with food.

I wasn’t calculating carbs. I wasn’t counting down minutes until I could eat.

I wasn’t mentally arguing with myself about what I “should” want versus what I really wanted.

It was just… quiet.

And that silence felt like freedom.

I wasn’t hungry, but more than that — I wasn’t haunted.

The Numbers That Shocked Me

I started at 180.7 lbs on August 4.

By August 9? I was already down 3.5 lbs.

By the end of August? I had dropped over 10 lbs.

Ten. Pounds. In. Three. Weeks.

I’d never seen my body respond that quickly — even at my most disciplined. I was ecstatic… and also? A little naïve.

What I Wish I’d Known

The weight was falling off, but I wasn’t fueling properly. I wasn’t working out. I wasn’t prioritizing protein. I was so caught up in finally seeing progress that I didn’t stop to ask if I was doing it in a healthy way.

That came back to bite me.

By September, the hair loss started. Nothing drastic at first — but every shower left more hair in the drain. My ponytail shrank. I panicked. But I didn’t connect the dots right away: low protein, low nutrients, barely any resistance training. My body was shrinking… and struggling.

Still — I Had Hope

Despite the missteps, the exhaustion, and the learning curve…

Something had shifted. For real, this time.

This wasn’t just another diet.

This wasn’t me white-knuckling it through another 30-day challenge.

This was the first time I felt like maybe I wasn’t broken.

Maybe I just needed the right tool — and a better plan.

I wish I could go back and whisper to that girl on Day One:

“You’re not cheating. You’re choosing help.
But don’t forget — your health isn’t just about weight.
Fuel yourself. Move your body. And please… eat the damn protein.”

💬 Up next in Blog Post 4: How I stabilized, built better habits, and finally found a groove that actually felt like a lifestyle — not just a sprint to skinny.