Losing Weight

I wouldn't be considering qualifying for Boston if I still looked like the guy in this photo. That was me at 218 pounds in the summer of 2023. Even next to that enormous telescope, I look huge. Nine months later, I weigh 178 pounds and lose a couple of pounds a week on my path to around 160 pounds.

There is no shortage of people losing significant amounts of weight right now because of Ozempic, Wegovy, and other GLP-1 drugs. I applaud anyone going that route. The food industry created a health care crisis with addictive food products that made a significant portion of the population overweight or obese. Taking medication to address a medical problem is entirely appropriate.

I considered the GLP-1 route but I had already started taking Naltrexone to control my alcohol use. It worked incredibly well at controlling alcohol use but I'll discuss that in a later post. The more remarkable effect of the drug was that it allowed me to control all sorts of impulses and cravings.

For years I have been a soda addict. My cravings for soda were far greater than my cravings for alcohol and I would drink three to six Cokes a day. That's 9 million calories or 3,000 pounds in my lifetime. A month after starting naltrexone, I simply didn't want a soda anymore and I've had exactly one in two months. (Five cokes a day is 22,000 calories or seven pounds a month.) Other cravings vanished as well. I eliminated social media, TV, and coffee without even a thought.

Naltrexone also allowed me to moderate my eating. In the past, lunch might consist of a burger and fries with two or three beers. With naltrexone a comparable lunch will consist of two-thirds of the burger, no fries, and two non-alcoholic beers. (Fun fact: an NA beer has around 50 calories versus 150 calories in a regular beer.) That's a reduction of 700 to 1,000 calories in a single meal. I regularly skip all sides and eat half the entree when I dine out. Eating like that and eliminating soda and alcohol, it's a wonder I have lost only 40 pounds to date.

While naltrexone is FDA-approved for the treatment of opiate use and alcohol use disorder it is prescribed off-label for appetite control. It costs a fraction of what they are charging for Ozempic and GLP-1 generics. I ordered it through the Oar Health website where a doctor's consult and a one year supply costs less than $500.

To be clear, the drug didn't make the weight disappear. I've lost the weight through significant changes in my diet and exercise. But the drug makes it far easier to control my diet. I would not have lost 18% of my body weight without it.

What is my weight loss goal? I don't have one per se. I know I need to lose another 10 to 20 pounds to have any hope of qualifying for Boston so I would guess that I'll end up at around 160 pounds. I am less and less concerned about the number on the scale, however. I'm going to eat and exercise like a Boston qualifier and the weight will take care of itself.

How long will I take naltrexone? I have high confidence that if I stopped now I would not be tempted to start drinking again. Drinking is now a no-go zone for me. I'm not sure if I would be able to control my appetite though. My plan is to continue naltrexone until the end of the year. That will allow me to lock in these lifestyle changes and achieve a weight that will allow me to pursue the goal of qualifying. I'll reassess at the end of the year.