K-tron loss in weight

I’m a 22yr old Indian Female and I was diagnosed with PCOS a couple of months ago. I lost my period from September-February. To determine I have PCOS my gyno checked my testosterone free and total levels check and my DHEA sulfate levels. My testosterone level came back high at 51 and my testosterone free also came back high at 8.1. My DHEA came back high at 610. The relief I felt after finding out there is a cause to all the symptoms I’ve been having. Even though I was to PCOS is something that couldn’t be directly treated and that there were only ways to help minimizes the symptoms.. I was still excited! Some of my symptoms include weight gain and trouble losing that weight, excess male hair pattern especially on my face, hair loss (my hair pattern also changed as I got older), fatigue all the time, feel lazy/no motivation to do anything, puffy face or moon face, stress( and I mean I have been feeling like I’m at my all time low sometimes) , and also low vitamin D/iron! I’m sure there’s some other symptoms to that I just can’t think of right at this moment. I also had a pelvic ultrasound done but that came back completely normal. Once I was told by my gyno that it’s PCOS because of my testosterone levels she put me on spironolactone and metformin. She also pushed me to get on birth control several times but I just did feel comfortable to get on it. I also have never taken many medications before so being put on these different medications all at once was not ideal for me. Typically in indian culture we do not believe in medicine being the solution for symptoms unless of course it really is necessary… but this is why I prefer the holistic route instead. Anyways because I was so ready to start feeling better I just decided to start taking Metformin and spironolactone but not birth control. I know lifestyle and diet changes are typically what help the symptoms the most and I didn’t start that until a month after my diagnosis. Now it’s been one month since I have start walking 10k steps everyday which I was not active at all before. I also am trying to eliminate gluten, dairy, sugary foods (literally all junk food that I crave), and I switched from using corn oil to now using olive oil. I finally got my period back miraculously after taking metformin which confused me. My weight two months ago was 150-153 and now I’m at 140-143 after about a month.
Recently, I got my mother to check her testosterone levels to see if she has PCOS she has similar symptoms to me such as male hair pattern on the face and weight gain/trouble losing weight. I was also told that typically PCOS is a genetic thing. Her results recently came back as negative.
The reason I am in here writing is because I keep thinking what if it’s not PCOS and it’s something else. I’ve been going down a rabbit hole and I saw that sometimes PCOS can be mistaken with something related to adrenal glands. I just keep having this feeling that it’s still not PCOS and it’s something else. I mean there weren’t any other tests done to rule out other diagnoses. Honestly I don’t know if it’s in my head because of the fact that I don’t want to be taking Metformin for the rest of my life but I truly feel like it could be something else. I mean nobody else that I know of in my family has PCOS. Has anybody else had a misdiagnosis for PCOS?
Sorry for the long post to finally get to my question haha.

I’m a 22yr old Indian Female and I was diagnosed with PCOS a couple of months ago. To determine I have PCOS my gyno checked my testosterone free and total levels check and my DHEA sulfate levels. My testosterone level came back high at 51 and my testosterone free also came back high at 8.1. My DHEA came back high at 610. The relief I felt after finding out there is a cause to all the symptoms I’ve been having. Even though I was to PCOS is something that couldn’t be directly treated and that there were only ways to help minimizes the symptoms.. I was still excited! Some of my symptoms include weight gain and trouble losing that weight, excess male hair pattern especially on my face, hair loss (my hair pattern also changed as I got older), fatigue all the time, feel lazy/no motivation to do anything, puffy face or moon face, stress( and I mean I have been feeling like I’m at my all time low sometimes) , and also low vitamin D/iron! I’m sure there’s some other symptoms to that I just can’t think of right at this moment. I also had a pelvic ultrasound done but that came back completely normal. Once I was told by my gyno that it’s PCOS because of my testosterone levels she put me on spironolactone and metformin. She also pushed me to get on birth control several times but I just did feel comfortable to get on it. I also have never taken many medications before so being put on these different medications all at once was not ideal for me. Typically in indian culture we do not believe in medicine being the solution for symptoms unless of course it really is necessary… but this is why I prefer the holistic route instead. Anyways because I was so ready to start feeling better I just decided to start taking Metformin and spironolactone but not birth control. I know lifestyle and diet changes are typically what help the symptoms the most and I didn’t start that until a month after my diagnosis. Now it’s been one month since I have start walking 10k steps everyday which I was not active at all before. I also am trying to eliminate gluten, dairy, sugary foods (literally all junk food that I crave), and I switched from using corn oil to now using olive oil. My weight two months ago was 150-153 and now I’m at 140-143 after about a month.
Recently, I got my mother to check her testosterone levels to see if she has PCOS she has similar symptoms to me such as male hair pattern on the face and weight gain/trouble losing weight. I was also told that typically PCOS is a genetic thing. Her results recently came back as negative.
The reason I am in here writing is because I keep thinking what if it’s not PCOS and it’s something else. I’ve been going down a rabbit hole and I saw that sometimes PCOS can be mistaken with something related to adrenal glands. I just keep having this feeling that it’s still not PCOS and it’s something else. I mean there weren’t any other tests done to rule out other diagnoses. Honestly I don’t know if it’s in my head because of the fact that I don’t want to be taking Metformin for the rest of my life but I truly feel like it could be something else. I mean nobody else that I know of in my family has PCOS. Has anybody else had a misdiagnosis for PCOS?
Sorry for the long post to finally get to my question haha.

*I have been on 1300-1400 calories for the past 2 months and have lost only 1 or 2 pounds🥲 *I have been weighing my food by the grams, eating lots of protein, fiber, and vegetables, and trying to walk for at least 30-1hr everyday...
I am really trying to slim down by September for a special event which is why it's so frustrating and confusing... looking for some feedback on what changes I could implement to help start/ speed up my weight loss?
I am on antidepressants which make it extra difficult to lose weight, so that is another reason why in my experience I need to eat lower than my TDEE to see any changes.
My TDEE is 1550, my maintenance calories are 1850 - 500 calorie deficit is 1350. I eat 1300-1400 calories a day, 50grams of protein minimum, limit refined carbs, trans fats, and added sugar, try to walk at least 5000 steps, and I drink lots of water! I am so confused why it's taking so long to see any changes....I mean I know plateaus are common, but it's been months now and I'm feeling so lost 🫤
Any advice is very much appreciated!! <3

I started my semiglutide (sustainable) weight loss this past week. My SW IS 270 and GW is 150. Hoping this will take me 12 months (average 10 pounds a month)
what is the average amount of weight you guys have lost in a month? how did you do it? What was your starting weight?
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Lifetime - Staked: 921.15u, Profit/Loss: +14.81u, ROI: 1.61%, Parlay Suggestions: 177-69 Dog of the Week: 13-18, Picks: 8-3 (73% accuracy)
2024 - Staked: 274.05u, Profit/Loss: -18.55u
As always, scroll down for UFC Louisville Breakdowns. The following is just a recap of last event’s results.
~UFC 302 (PREVIOUS CARD)~
Staked: 12.5u
Profit/Loss: +7.64u
ROI: 61%
Parlay Suggestions: 3-0
Dog of the week: Cesar Almeida ❌
Picks: 8-3
Underwhelming card, but as expected it was a pretty easy one to predict. The favourites were mostly consistent, and most of the expected methods of victory landed. Nice profit made for once, but I think I had some fantastic reads on the card in spots that I didn’t bet. I said I expected Poirier to be competitive, and that Islam ITD wasn’t the lock people said it was. Matthews Decision was one I wanted to bet. I warned people that Hafez or Morono were the most likely bed-shitters. Basically, I think last week’s post would have been very useful to read.
✅ 2u Sean Strickland + Over 1.5 Rounds (-130) (won +1.54u)
✅ 2u Sean Strickland in R4, 5 or by Decision (+175) (won +3.5u) (accidentally edited this to 1u on the previous post, which wasn’t the intention. It’s was originally listed as 2u, and was tracked as such on my BetMMA record).
✅ 2u Kevin Holland + Grant Dawson (+110) (won 2.2u)
❌ 2u Cesar Almeida (+125)
❌ 1u Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (+150)
✅ 2u Ailin Perez + Over 1.5 Rounds (-120) (won +1.66u)
✅ 1u Makhachev, Strickland, Holland, J. Almeida (+224) (won +2.24u)
❌ 0.5u Morono, Matthews, Hafez, Perez (+401)

~UFC Louisville~
Good to see more touring cards, and a slight step up in calibre from the usual Apex shit. Not a lot of spots I am confident in, I have to be honest…but I see a few underdogs that I’m sprinkling on.

~Jared Cannonier v Nassourdine Imavov~
Not another Nassourdine Imavov five rounder! I’m a fan of his skillset, but I think his cardio is suspect across 25 minutes, which ultimately makes his fights tricky to predict in spots like this. He’s not exactly a potent finisher, and I can’t trust him to win rounds four and five…so I think his path to victory is therefore limited by principal. A Nassourdine Imavov in a main event relies heavily on him winning R1, 2 and 3.
On the other side, Jared Cannonier is a guy I’ve never truly given the respect he deserves. A split decision win over Sean Strickland in a 25-minute fight is certainly impressive, as is the absolute beating he put on Marvin Vettori straight after* (* I believe Vettori has declined massively and is washed, so I won’t be going crazy in overreacting to that). Cannonier is a hard hitter, but he’s also gotten really comfortable in upping his volume across five round too, landing 141 and 241 significant strikes in those two aforementioned bouts respectively. The quantity didn’t dip in rounds 4 and 5 either, which is key considering my comments on Imavov’s cardio.
So I give Cannonier an advantage in R4 and 5, but what about across the other three? Well, the power advantage also goes to him, but the diversity with grappling and submission attempts falls with the Frenchman. Cannonier has started mixing takedowns into his game a bit more, which does present an opportunity for Imavov’s nasty front chokes…but other than that I’m not really sure where else I give Imavov a clear advantage outside of age and height. He’s the bigger fighter, but Cannonier is a strong dude and has looked just fine against other Middleweights (no one of Imavov’s size, to be fair).
Jared is now 40 years old, which is a bit of a dreaded number, which I think is the reasoning for this line being the way it is. People seem keen to blindly fade that age, regardless of whether it’s presented itself on tape. I see what they’re getting at, but Cannonier has put in two of his best performances of his career in his last two…I am not convinced it’s as simple as fading a 40 year old here.
So with that aside, I see far more merit to Cannonier’s side than Imavov’s, so the +100/-125 betting line feels off to me. I understand that Nassourdine just put in convincing performances against Roman Dolidze and Chris Curtis, but personally I think both of those fighters are a cut below Jared Cannonier (and I bet Nassourdine in both spots there). Cannonier would have looked good there too.
However, we have seen Imavov challenged against some of Middleweight’s common names, such as Sean Strickland and Joaquin Buckley…whilst Cannonier has looked good everywhere except against Izzy and Whittaker (he did drop a couple of rounds to Kelvin Gastelum, but it’s hardly raises alarm bells to me as Kelvin’s a tough guy to beat across 25 minutes of kickboxing).
I would personally make Cannonier the favourite here, anywhere between -125 and -150, and I assume the dreaded age of 40 is the reason for the odds here. I ask you this…if Jared Cannonier was 35, would the line be different? I believe it would be, and age is relative in MMA. It’s something to take seriously, of course, but I don’t think Cannonier even looked like he had started to decline in his most recent fight against Vettori last year.
I’ll be backing the underdog here at +100 or better. The line looks to be moving in Imavov’s favour so I will be patient.
How I line this fight: Jared Cannonier -137 (58%), Nassourdine Imavov +137 (42%)
Bet or pass: 1u Jared Cannonier to Win (+100 or better)
Prop leans: None
Live Betting Leans: If Cannonier looks to have won any of R1, 2, or 3 but is still a bettable price going into the championship rounds, I think he should be favoured to win those so could be a good entry in-play.

~Dominick Reyes v Dustin Jacoby~
This one should be fun for the live audience, but it’s an incredibly volatile fight for the bettors.
Very obvious to see why that’s the case for Dom Reyes – he’s got heaps of potential on a good day, but his chin is dust at this point. Seriously, he got knocked out cold by the jab of Ryan Spann. In a striking based fight at 205lbs, that’s all you need to know to decide that putting money on him is an uncomfortable idea.
Dustin Jacoby on the other hand is not the most potent finisher at Light Heavyweight, which immediately makes me think that Dustin isn’t the kind of guy you’d want to play executioner when he’s the favourite against someone with a flaw like Reyes’ chin. You want someone you can trust to put dudes to sleep in one punch – I don’t think that’s Jacoby (having gone the distance in seven of his 11 fights in this second UFC stint, and winning via leg kicks in one of the stoppages). Also, he’s not even particularly reliable to win rounds either, given that he was supposed to be the more technical fighter compared to Alonzo Menifield, Khalil Rountree, Azamat Murzakanov, and Maxim Grishin – where he was a moderate/big favourite every time, and never covered the price.
I still expect Jacoby to probably be the superior fighter across 15 minutes, but his -225 price tag definitely implies that a finish is expected by the oddsmakers…and I just have a whole lot less confidence that he lands it. From there, I also have less confidence that he’ll be the one winning rounds, given how easily he’s fumbled that in the past…so I just don’t see how you can have around 70% confidence in him winning here. Honestly I don’t really think Jacoby can ever justify that kind of pricetag at a UFC level when we have seen him shit the bed so many times.
On the other hand, I couldn’t trust Dominick Reyes’ chin to survive a strong gust of wind, so there’s no way I’d want to play him either. A very easy pass. I’ll pick Jacoby to win though, but I’d never bet him at this number.
In terms of thinking about props, I might be interested in looking at the Over 1.5 Rounds here, given that I disagree with the oddsmaker’s believe in Jacoby’s finishing ability. That’s going to be a horrible bet to sit through, so I’d probably need a decent price like +150 or better. We’ll see what they’re offering, but I doubt it’s that good.
How I line this fight: Dominick Reyes +175 (36%), Dustin Jacoby -175 (64%)
Bet or pass: Over 1.5 Rounds (+150 or better…no idea if that’s anywhere near what we’ll get)
Prop leans: See above

~Julian Marquez v Zach Reese~
Julian Marquez is a really fun fighter to watch, I’m glad to see him back inside the cage. He’s never been the most talented, but he’s a C+ at everything and has A grade heart. To beat him, you need to be clinical or vastly superior in one area, or Marquez might surprise you and turn the fight into a war of attrition.
Zach Reese is a 6-1 fighter that lost his debut Cody Brundage (I actually bet Brundage there, haha). Talk about fumbling the bag. He just seems like a classic DWCS fighter, who scores quick finishes against taxi drivers and then is suddenly expected to be diverse and talented enough to take on an actual trained professional that’s been competing against a much higher level for years. The difference between the regionals and the UFC has always been vast, and DWCS proves that time and time again.
Zach Reese’s longest fight time is 4 minutes and 13 seconds. He has literally never been in a fight that’s hit the second round. Julian Marquez, on the other hand, has gone longer than that in five of his 6 UFC appearances to date – and his opponents have all competed in the organisation at least five times. I genuinely think that tells you all you need to know.
And the craziest part is that Zach Reese ain’t even an inexperienced young gun. Him fumbling the debut wasn’t like Tom Nolan, a 24 year old kid that believed his own hype and got sloppy in his debut. Reese is THIRTY YEARS OLD.
The gulf in experience is massive, and the difference in age isn’t. I know Julian Marquez’s UFC record isn’t pretty at all, but how well do you think Zach Reese would fare if he faced the same opponents at the time Marquez did? I reckon he’d be 0-6.
Maybe I’m crazy, but Julian Marquez deserves better than to be a + money underdog against a literal regional opponent. Reese has tall man’s defence, he got tagged in both fights in DWCS/UFC and they were on the feet about 20 seconds combined. Yes he’s clearly got a great submission game on bottom, but Marquez has never been submitted, is a BJJ purple belt and has trained at decent camps before. He’s currently at the MMA Lab and has been training with Cannonier for this one.
I’ll be rolling the dice on the more proven fighter at +100.
How I line this fight: Julian Marquez -150 (60%), Zach Reese +150 (40%)
Bet or pass: 1u Julian Marquez to Win (+100)
Prop leans: None
Live Betting Leans: R1 finishers often have bad cardio, so if we get to the stool then Marquez is definitely worth a bet to turn the tide.

~Brunno Ferreira v Dustin Stoltzfus~
I can’t figure Dustin Stoltzfus out. He’s always presented himself as a good but one-dimensional grappler, judging by performances against high level competition such as Rodolpho Vieira and Gerald Meerschaert…but the way he showed up against Punahele Soriano made him look like a completely different guy. He was supposed to be easily outgunned on the feet there, but he looked seasoned and composed in the striking, and ultimately ended up getting a finish that I think very few people saw coming.
Brunno Ferreira is a super explosive Brazilian powerhouse that hasn’t gone past the halfway point in a fight yet. He throws heat and has that madman style, but his fights are so short I’ve no idea if he actually has any redeeming qualities from a technical or minute-winning perspective. As you probably know by now, my least favourite fighting style is ‘big strike go brrrr’. Ferreira has also had some bizarre results himself, pulling off a huge upset against Gregory Rodrigues, and then getting starched by Nursulton Ruziboev.
The only thing I know about Brunno is that he’ll go to war with an opponent that wants to meet him in the middle…I’ve no idea if Dustin Stoltzfus really wants to do that. He handled himself really well against a similar kind of style in Puna Soriano…but he’s also the same guy that got womped in under 20 seconds by Abus Magomedov.
To conclude, I think I could easily see Brunno Ferreira scoring an easy KO inside a couple of minutes, but I could also see this one looking way more competitive and close than the betting line suggests if Stoltzfus makes it to the stool. Lots of different possibilities, not a lot of confidence in any one outcome.
Brunno Ferreira kind of presents similar red flags to Zach Reese in the last breakdown. The difference between the two, and the reason I am fading Reese and not Brunno, is that I have confidence and knowledge that Marquez can handle that early chaos. I can’t say the same about Stoltzfus, so I won’t be taking a stab on him. Personally I think he’s absolutely the value side though, so if you’re someone who wants to bet every fight then absolutely take him.
I will also be picking him to win, but not because I think he does so 51% or more of the time…just because Ferreira is only known to have a limited path to victory that could easily fall apart.
How I line this fight: Such a volatile fight, I have no idea.
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None

~Punahele Soriano v Miguel Baeza~
Speak of the devil!
Punahele Soriano is so, so overrated. I have no idea how he’s even still in the UFC, or how he even got there in the first place. He was hyped up by Dana and the promo team as this scary and lethal striker….but then he pussy’d out and grappled his way to a decision win against Jamie Pickett on DWCS. Surprisingly they rewarded him with a contract (but didn’t want Brendan Loughnane!). Since then, lethal KO artist Puna has scored just three knockouts…but in the four fights he hasn’t, he’s looked like absolute shit. Getting schooled on the feet by Dustin Stoltzfus and Brendan Allen is a really bad look when you’re being advertised as a striker…and losing a decision to Nick Maximov isn’t a good look either!
To their credit, this fight against Miguel Baeza is a genius pairing by the UFC matchmakers though, because Baeza’s career has kind of panned out the same as Soriano’s. A hard hitting DWCS graduate, Baeza got off to a decent start with three consecutive finishes, most notably against Matt Brown. He stepped up the level of competition to face Santiago Ponzinibbio, which resulted in a life and death decision that he narrowly lost. Unfortunately, the losses snowballed dramatically as he was later KO’d by Khaos Williams and Andre Fialho. The latter result the most shocking, given that Fialho is dogshit. Baeza has since taken two years off…and everyone forgot he existed.
Apologies for taking two massive paragraphs to give you both men’s life stories, but it really does paint the picture of this fight from a betting perspective. Both men are overhyped KO artists - with one lacking in durability, and the other lacking in brain cells.
Puna is probably more likely to walk away with the KO win due to Baeza’s declining durability, but he’s also the more likely to get out-struck and styled on if this one turns into a longer distanced fight. Who wins that kind of fight? I have absolutely no idea. I’m just glad that one guy gets to stick around after this fight is over, because I’d be keen to fade both guys in the future.
I have little confidence so it counts for nothing, but I’ll pick Baeza simply because I like to fade finish-reliant fighters, and Miguel seems to be the more technical. His leg kick should work nicely here.
How I line this fight: Punahele Soriano +125 (45%), Miguel Baeza -125 (55%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None

~Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios~
I’ve copy/pasted my breakdown for this fight from the UFC Mexico event, and made some updated changes:
I’m still pretty gassed about hitting the fade on Raul Rosas Jr with Christian Rodriguez – definitely one of my favourite bets of 2023. I saw an untested 18 year old that was the beneficiary the UFC hype machine, and a then unknown opponent who had proven tricky to beat with the style Rosas Jr has. I saw it as a pick’em, and Rodriguez was +200. Easy bet to make.
In that fight, Rosas Jr kind of cardio-dumped and gave up once it was obvious that early finish wasn’t going to present itself, and that’s certainly a concern until we see him fight competently for 15 minutes at this level. I can think of countless UFC hype trains that hid their shocking minute winning ability behind dominant and exciting R1 finishes (Edmen Shahbazyan was my initial example, but since writing this Joe Pyfer has given another great recent example), and I therefore simply cannot trust Raul Rosas at this stage in his career when he’s still going to be sitting at -250 on the betting line due to his popularity.
Is Ricky Turcios worth the gamble as an underdog? I don’t really think so. He has been taken down seven and six times in two different UFC fights, has losses to Aimann Zahabi and Boston Salmon, and his wins were against Kevin Natividad and Brady Hiestand…which were both splits. The UFC are clearly treating this as a lay-up fight for Rosas Jr, but without feeding him a promotional newcomer or a fellow inexperienced guy. I don’t mean lay-up as if it’s a squash match, but it’s assumed that he SHOULD win here, instead of them throwing him to the wolves or making him go up against a fellow serious prospect.
Stylistically this one all revolves around the cardio for me, because I don’t think Turcios has what it takes to win this fight off the merit of his own skillset. He needs Rosas Jr. to gas out first, if he’s going to have any hope of having his way here. We have no way of knowing whether or not Rosas will gas, as it could have just been a one off and he’s so young that he could make the improvements quickly.
Personally, I’d be willing to give Rosas Jr the benefit of the doubt. The Rodriguez loss really should have opened his eyes, and it’s often the best thing for a young prospect to get that wake up call sometimes, as he was probably starting to believe his own hype. If the cardio is fixable, I assume he’s done all he can to fix it. He therefore deserves to be the favourite, but I won’t be betting on it.
How I line this fight: Raul Rosas Jr -200 (67%), Ricky Turcios +200 (33%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: I was originally going to bet the Over 2.5 rounds, but I’ll pass on that now.

~Eduarda Moura v Denise Gomes~
Eduarda Moura’s UFC debut did not impress me at all. I didn’t bother researching her regional footage, and from what I saw in that debut she’s a size/weight bully that isn’t even that amazing at what she does. Yes she outgrappled and mauled that Mexican woman, but the size difference was comical and she couldn’t have found an easier opponent to beat if she tried.
I had one of my best bets of 2023 on Denise Gomes’ last fight against Angela Hill (big up Angie for winning a couple of weeks ago, she’s such a money train for me), opting to fade the scary finishing ability of a WMMA fighter for a more technical and historically durable veteran on the return. Not only did Angie school her, she even managed to mix in some grappling to make the win even more stylish. That gets the alarm bells ringing here, as Moura’s MO is definitely to grapple, and Angie’s no grappler.
I don’t have a strong opinion on this one, because both women give me very strong fraud vibes. I think Moura is absolutely going to be one to fade in the future, and Gomes has already been faded in the past. Personally I don’t think the equally limited Denise Gomes is the woman to give Moura her first L, because stylistically this looks like a tricky fight for her. Fingers crossed Moura wins and the fade opportunity is live next time. It’s an easy pass for me.
How I line this fight: No idea, they’re both frauds
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None

~Puja Tomar v Rayanne Amanda (dos Santos)~
Some people believe in the narrative that you should try and fade Indian fighters. That worked pretty well last time Jeka Sarragih fought!
I bet on Rayanne dos Santos in her UFC debut, and she lost a split to an inexperienced opponent with bad cardio. I was impressed with her striking in Invicta, but she struggled to do anything meaningful stuff in that UFC debut. By the looks of the early line I’m seeing, she’s about -180 here. Who the hell is going to bet that!?
I obviously know nothing about Puja, but her record shows she’s fought two serious opponents. You know I love WMMA more than anyone else, but I have absolutely no interest in doing tape for this one. Pass.
How I line this fight: No idea
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None

~Cody Stamann v Taylor Lapilus~
Very disappointed by the betting line here. When a fight like this gets announced, I immediately get excited because I think there’s a chance the books might get caught out and give a very bettable price on a fight that seems close on paper, but should be quite one-sided in reality, due to the stylistics.
Taylor Lapilus deserves to be -200 here, maybe even steeper. Reason being, he’s great where Stamann is average, but he’s also good where Stamann is good. The Frenchman is a slick striker that should certainly be expected to land the more eye-catching shots, when compared to Stamann’s T-Rex boxing. He will enjoy a 9-inch reach advantage, and should just be able to hit and not get hit. Stamann barely has any power either, so even if he does land a punch for every two he absorbs, I doubt it’s going to do much to convince the judges to credit him as the round winner.
Cody Stamann has veered away from his wrestling roots in recent fights, but you’d think it would serve him well here, given the reach and technical disadvantage he will find himself at. Whilst this would be true against another opponent, Taylor Lapilus has a very good anti-grappling game. His takedown defence is good, but even when he does get floored he works hard and effectively to get back to his feet, or at the very least nullify his opponent. His most recent fight was an exception to that as Farid Basharat made light work of him…but that was a very impressive performance that I don’t think many could replicate.
So in summary, I think Stamann is going to be shut out here, and I don’t think he’s going to really be able to find success anywhere in this fight. He will either stand at distance and clearly get outstruck by the fighter with the better footwork that will keep him at range…or he attempts to wrestle and likely has little luck at finding any real success. At the very least, the success he does have probably won’t be enough to erase the striking deficit he’s already accrued.
On a more narrative based note, Stamann also appears to have regressed a fair bit in recent years. He was once a gatekeeper to the top 15, drawing with the likes of Song Yadong and even winning a round against Merab…but since then losing decisions to 37-year-old Douglas Silva de Andrade and winning questionable decisions against Luan Lacerda. I’d say this is a tricky fight for Stamann in his prime, but Cody’s trending downwards too.
As I said in the opening paragraph, I’m disappointed that the books didn’t offer a better price on Lapilus, and I’m interested to see if money comes in on Cody still. Personally I’d be happy to bet Lapilus at -175 or better, but I’d need the line to improve slightly before I could play it. I might parlay him with someone on next week’s card once I get further down the line researching it.
How I line this fight: Cody Stamann +225 (31%), Taylor Lapilus -225 (69%)
Bet or pass: No bet, for now.
Prop leans: None

~Brad Katona v Jesse Butler~
The less time spent talking about this one, the better. Brad Katona is possibly the least intimidating MMA fighter to have ever graced the UFC, both in the way he fights, and his demeanour. The former is more important, because he can sometimes struggle to win rounds because he’s outgunned most of the time. He needs to put on a perfect defensive display to win striking fights, because if he gets wobbled he probably can’t get the round back.
Jesse Butler is a can with about as much of a right to be on the UFC’s roster as I do. He has no striking ability, as seen in his 23 second KO MASSACRE at the hands of 40-year-old Jim Miller (one of my favourite KOs of 2023 that one, definitely recommend if you didn’t see it!). That lack of striking ability, both offensively and defensively, means that he is very unlikely to get the better of a good point fighter like Brad Katona. But everyone has a puncher’s chance.
Katona is nearly -600 here. Mostly justified, but also eye-wateringly steep at the exact same time when you consider Katona’s path to victory is almost exclusively by decision! Pass.
How I line this fight: Brad Katona -400 (80%), Jesse Butler +400 (20%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: Me to fall asleep watching this one (+200 or better)

~Ludovit Klein v Thiago Moises~
Two guys I have historically had a very tricky time analysing. I was high on Klein when he made his debut, then I turned my back on him after the losses to Trizano and Landwehr – and since then he’s been pulling off upsets and continuing to prove he was worth the hype he entered the UFC with. The dude has some of the best high kicks I’ve ever seen from a fighter.
Thiago Moises has always been credentialed and talented, but he’s failed to deliver on the promises his abilities make on paper. Moises is capable of taking fighters down and submitting them early, but it’s genuinely taken nine UFC fights for him to actually go out there and do that. And then he did it twice in a row (against Giagos and Melq Costa).
So I think that does a good job of explaining why I am going to be non-committal and just leave this fight alone. Klein is great when he’s on form, but he’s shown himself to be capable of dropping the ball in fights he really should win. He’s proven himself to be a guy that you back as an underdog, but avoid as a favourite. He’s barely either here, but he does have a minus next to his name.
Moises is also too inconsistent to trust either. I think there’s a chance that this could be a winnable fight for him, as his grappling will definitely be superior if he can force things to the floor. That sounds like a great opportunity for a +100 fighter…but Moises definitely won’t look that number if he decides to stand and trade – and his 1.64 takedowns landed per 15 minutes statistic is enough to assume he won’t.
The oddsmakers are right in lining this one close, because both men have very legitimate paths to victory with only a few small factors landing in their favour. I’d argue that Klein is the rightful favourite (and therefore my pick) due to all fights starting standing and Moises’ track record…but this is a close one.
How I line this fight: Ludovit Klein -125 (55%), Thiago Moises +125 (45%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None

~Charles Radtke v Carlos Prates~
If you’re a regular reader of my posts, you may know that historically I am someone who genuinely thinks Trevin Giles has some redeeming qualities. In fact, I claimed in his recent fight against Carlos Prates that the line was wide, and that Giles may be able to find a way to have some success. Having watched that fight back, I think I was justified to feel that way.
I liked what I saw from Prates on DWCS, with the way he mixed up volume, pressure and power…but ultimately that performance against Giles was a bit concerning. He definitely lost round one, and by the end of the fight he was outstruck almost two to one. Of course, he won via KO…but to expect a fighter to be bailed out by their raw power every time is a bit foolish.
Charles Radtke is ironically a fighter I’ve had nothing but bad things to say about. I slated his debut win against Mike Mathetha (the artist formally known as Blood Diamond), and tried to fade him when he faced Gilbert Urbina. Boy did he look great in that sophomore appearance, I was really impressed. His striking just seemed so tight, accurate and crisp, I couldn’t believe how easily he pieced up Urbina.
I’m obviously not super confident in my analysis here, simply due to the lack of tape we have on both guys…but I don’t really understand what we are supposed to have seen from Prates to justify a -200 pricetag? He was struggling against Giles, and had he not landed the precise punch that ended things…he could easily have lost that one! I get that he has a big size advantage…but Urbina was taller and Radtke approached the striking gameplan perfectly. He also has Belal Muhammad in his corner (or at least he did vs Urbina), who I rate as a pretty intelligent fighter.
This one feel like it could develop into a very competitive fight, and the finishing ability is strong on either side. Radtke has also shown a diverse game and an ability to mix in grappling when necessary, which could serve him well here. For those reasons, I’m happy to roll the dice on yet another underdog here, and back Charles Radtke for 1u at +150 or better. I’ll be waiting a little bit to see what the initial line movement does.
How I line this fight: Charles Radtke +100 (50%), Carlos Prates +100 (50%)
Bet or pass: 1u Charles Radtke to Win (+150 or better)
Prop leans: None

~Daniel Marcos v John Castaneda~
I’m quite high on Daniel Marcos. I just think he’s a really talented striker. I bet him heavily against Aoriqileng, and were it not for the unfortunate NC, I think that would have looked like a really smart bet (not the only time that’s even happened to me this year…thanks Piera Rodriguez). People still hate on him for potentially getting a robbery over Davey Grant…but Grant is a very tricky guy to look good against at the best of times. The likes of Jonathan Martinez, Adrian Yanez, and even Marlon Vera have all struggled to decisively beat Davey.
John Castaneda is certainly the more well-rounded martial artist here, as the way he’s mixed takedowns into his game has been really intelligent. He’s also shown much more dangerousness than Marcos, landing a knockdown in four of his six UFC performances, and even scoring a submission win over Miles Johns.
For as long as this one stays standing, I think it’s a close fight that’s hard to call. Whilst I give a slight minute winning edge to Marcos for his higher level of technicality to his striking, I think Castaneda’s power can be a great equaliser, as can his ability to mix in takedowns. I’ve not seen much of Marcos’ anti-grappling to believe he can fend off a takedown threat if Castaneda wants to force things there.
So yeah, a non-committal breakdown but I think this is a close fight to call. There certainly isn’t any betting value to a fight this close anyway. I’ll pick Castaneda and give him the slight edge on the betting line for his diversity and finishing upside.
How I line this fight: John Castaneda -125 (55%), Daniel Marcos +125 (45%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None

~Andrea Lee v Montana De La Rosa~
It’s always tricky to navigate the fade when you see a fighter with a glaring deficiency that keeps taking losses. Andrea Lee is on a sharp downwards slope – she’s 35 years old, she cannot stop takedowns, and she’s got a 3-7 record in decisions in the UFC. Those are some pretty damning facts, but what’s worse is that Lee’s decline is really showing in her performances. I confidently bet Miranda Maverick against her at near pick’em due to her grappling superiority, but I was very surprised to see Maverick actually clearly outrstriking Lee across 15 minutes. That was a terrible look because Maverick’s striking really has never looked good. That should not have happened.
The reason I began by saying that it’s difficult fading a fighter in Lee’s position, is because there comes a time where the calibre of opponent clearly takes a downwards step. I’ve always been a big believer in Miranda Maverick, and I believe she’s top 10 in the division, so trusting her to feast on Andrea Lee’s carcass was easy. This time however, we’re being asked to trust Montana De La Rosa, a clearly inferior fighter, to do the same. Historically, Lee is certainly a cut above her, and Lee’s 30-27 victory over MDLR in 2019 demonstrated that perfectly.
Montana’s not bad bad, she’s just lacking in physicality to really be able to get her game going. She’s definitely a grappler, but a 31% takedown accuracy and poor top control means that she struggles to really find openings to do her best work...so she just kind of survives in fights if she can’t grapple you. Just looking through her UFC fights and it’s so obvious where her calibre lies…none of the girls she’s beaten apart from Ariane Lipski have been in the UFC for years, and even some of the names she’s beaten aren’t super elite either. And back when she fought Lipski, the Brazilian had some of the worst anti-grappling we’d seen in WMMA.
So this is clearly one of those fights where my predictions and probabilities for the fight weigh more on how either woman loses, as opposed to how they win. Right off the bat, that’s an awful premise to be considering a bet, so I can easily tell you this is one to avoid…and I haven’t even looked at the betting line yet.
Yep, Andrea lee sits around -130. I expected exactly that, as it’s a coin-toss as to which woman is inferior, but history is worth something and Lee does have a win over her opponent here. I guess Andrea Lee is the pick because MDLR already landed five takedowns the first time and did fuck all with them, but I have little to no confidence here. I’m sure no one is even reading this far into the breakdown because no one even cares about WMMA like I do. It’s a pass. I'll keep an eye out for Lee by Decision, assuming it's around the +200 mark.
How I line this fight: Andrea Lee -150 (60%), Montana De La Rosa +150 (40%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None

Bets (Bold = been placed)
1u Jared Cannonier to Win (+100 or better)
1u Jacoby v Reyes Over 1.5 Rounds (+150 or better….I could be way off the mark there)
1u Julian Marquez to Win (+100)
1u Charles Radtke to Win (+150 or better)
1u Andrea Lee to Win by Decision (+200 or better...might not get anywhere near that number, idk)

Parlay Pieces: Julian Marquez, Taylor Lapilus
Dog of the Week: Jared Cannonier
Picks: Jared Cannonier, Dustin Jacoby, Julian Marquez, Dustin Stoltzfus, Miguel Baeza, Raul Rosas Jr, Denise Gomes, Taylor Lapilus, Brad Katona, Moises/Klein, Radtke/Prates, Marcos/Castaneda, Andrea Lee

To start I've had weight loss surgery twice (lapband and gastric bypass). Surgery worked at first but I've regained the weight.
I contacted my PCP about weight loss medication. She wanted me to go to a weight loss clinic: therapy, dietician. I had a friend go there and despite checking to make sure it was in network for their insurance it was not! $300 for the dietician appointment!
I know about exercise, calorie counting clearly it's not working.
Anyone else have this situation? How did you tell your doctor you went telehealth?
I have a specialist appointment soon and will add this med to my medication list. I'm guessing my PCP will see it on my chart.

I’m happy now to report that I’ve been 3 cycles now with minimal pain. It’s still present, but it’s a 3-4/10 and less frequent. I get a few 20-30 min episodes a day. I used to be at a 7-8/10 for the majority of the day and it woke me up at night and basically ruined my life.
About a year and a half ago my Dr decided to give me the Mirena IUD, as I warned him I am super sensitive to hormones and have had very bad reactions (in a mental health way) to birth control pills in the past. He rationalized that Mirena is super low dose progesterone only which is way less likely to cause those types of side effects, and I thought well it’s been almost 20 years since I tried the pills and I’m in so much pain so why don’t I give it a shot?
After about 3 weeks I noticed I was very moody and extremely sensitive and tearful. I messaged my Dr after about week 6 because I knew it had something to do with the Mirena. His response was that sometimes it can take the body a while to get used to. It DID take my pain away, so I decided to listen to him and try to ride it out. Well, at 3 months in the anxiety and depression got the best of me, I felt suicidal. I am so grateful that I was aware of exactly why I felt this way- I knew it wasn’t me, I wasn’t crazy, I still had a piece of my rational mind and I knew inside I, ME, was not the person who wanted to end her life. I went to a crisis center to just vent and ask for help and advice. It was a no brainer by everyone I talked to, I needed that thing OUT ASAP. My Dr told me the effects may not disappear for a while so I was prepared to have to ride out the wave of negativity for a while, however they stopped literally the day after I had it removed.
I was SO relieved. I thought, bring on the pain, nothing is worse than the way that thing made me feel. I was sad about it, but my memory of the pain was more distant and I seemed to forget just how bad it made me feel.
It came back, it wasn’t that bad the first month (maybe the lingering effects of the progesterone?). Each month, it got worse and by 6 months post IUD removal, it was worse than it had ever been. It seemed to never stop once it started. I had to file FMLA for temporary leave of absence from work it was so bad. I worked as much as I could be I had to tap out on the worst days.
I returned to my GYN exasperated, I just didn’t know what I could do. He suggested Orlissa but warned that it causes chemical menopause. Messing with hormones again was the LAST thing I wanted to try. I suggested surgery, and he agreed without hesitation.
Unfortunately the anesthesiology group went on strike and then the hospital decided to contract with a new company, based out of an adjacent state, which didn’t actually have any local presence yet. So it took them a few months to even hire and get them up and running. As a result- elective surgeries were put on hold. To be clear- MOST surgeries are considered elective- as cruel as it seems. Emergency surgeries are life saving, immediate need. Pain alone is not an emergency, as awful as it seems. So I was put on a long waiting list. 4 months later, I lie in my bed in agony and I got a call from my GYN. I was told a spot opened up but it was next week. I enthusiastically took it.
The surgery revealed a few small spots of endo which were removed, and a few adhesions. I was hopeful that this was the solution but in my head I feared that these small spots could not actually be responsible for the level of pain I was having. Sure enough, day 21 of my cycle came and the pain was raging back, just as strong as before. I was devastated.
My next step was a colonoscopy. Maybe there was something in there and I was off base the whole time. The perplexing thing to me was the cyclic nature of the pain, but maybe that had more to do with a buildup of inflammation or the size/weight of the growing uterus during the leuteal phase that was causing some sort of mechanical pressure on another structure inside of me.
The colorectal Dr was a know it all and less than reassuring or helpful. He basically told me “this is what I’m going to find, you probably have IBS” and preached some high fiber diet to me. Nothing was wrong with my diet, I am meticulous about it and know exactly what my macros are as that’s been something I had considered a long long time ago. I got the procedure and 12 diverticula were found. I had diverticulitis twice in the past and strangely enough that pain mimics the type of pain I have monthly. This has been the big mystery to me.
A few polyps were removed (non cancerous) and I was sent on my way, not without another dietary lecture though, I think I may have rolled my eyes at him. He told me I may just be one of those people with unexplained pain and that I was just going to have to learn to live with it.
At this point I felt so alone. No one could help me. I did so much research online. My symptoms didn’t match up with anything really. I found maybe 2 accounts on Reddit of people with similar but no one had answers.
I went back to my GYN with an idea. Years ago during my first pregnancy, I was given prometrium due to low progesterone. It made logical sense to me that if I had low progesterone, (I wasn’t sure of this because I hadn’t actually had my hormones tested recently) and the IUD actually did work for my pain, maybe a lower dose of progesterone (NOT birth control) may at least relieve my symptoms to a more manageable level. I explained my logic to my GYN and he agreed to let me try it.
I took 200mg nightly, I won’t lie, I did feel emotional on it. However, I was not depressed, and it didn’t bother me so much. I actually felt it was a good thing, like it created more empathy in me somehow. I remember reading an article about a mother orca grieving the baby she had lost and it made me cry. I kind of laughed at myself and felt silly for this. It was fine. I didn’t feel crazy, just more feminine I guess?
Then the best thing happened. My leuteal phase hit…I was expecting the pain because I didn’t want to get my hopes up. My PCP had just written me a script for amytripteline to try for pain management- I hadn’t yet filled it. The days went by, then I felt it. But it was short-lived, half or less of the intensity than it was. I was thrilled. I went back to my GYN excited to share the news. Also feeling a little smug that I had figured all of this out on my own. He was happy for me and pleased that we had found a solution.
I was still a bit gaurded, it had only been one cycle. Now it’s been three and I’m feeling confident I found the answer. We concluded that my swelling uterus was putting pressure on my colon, which was why my pain mimics the pain I get with diverticulitis- it was actually colon pain. With the progesterone, the lining of my uterus was not building up as much so there was decreased pressure there which was relieving the pain.
Part II: Here I am, 40 years old, with a history of low libido basically since this pain started about 6 years ago, and I feel 20 again. This did not happen on the IUD so it was completely unexpected but my libido is raging. I didn’t put 2 and 2 together at first but now I know it’s definitely the progesterone. I think my hormones have been off for a long time and I am now the same person I was before all of this happened (I used to always have a very high drive). I thought the fading of this was just due to aging and kids but I’m so happy to know it’s not! I feel “cured” somehow and back to my younger self. My skin is clear, my weight loss is no longer stalled. All things I never expected. I’m almost too much for my husband to handle now. We’ve been inspired by this and decided to have his hormones checked as well as he has symptoms of andropause. Ok that’s it. Thanks for coming to my TED talk!
TL;DR: my “endo” pain was actually mechanical- uterus swelling during leuteal phase pressed on colon. IUD helped but side effects were too much. Got on a low dose progesterone pill (not birth control) and my pain is under control. Happy side effects like increased empathy and libido are happening too.

A month ago, I got food poisoning followed by a stomach bug 6 days later. Loose stool and cramping every 4 days since. Normalish stools in between.
Over the last two weeks, 7 lb. weight loss. This is bad because I am 105 lbs now and need weight. I have an app tracking my muscle and fat ratios and my body is catabolizing itself despite eating enough calories.
Suspected SIBO because my burps tasted off and body odor changed smells. Feeling fatigue with brain fog.
Also Suspect iron/b12 deficiency. Seems like a malabsorption issue.
Has anyone ever experienced anything like this or has any idea how to fix this?

I’m one month in on Qsymia as of this morning. I am down 7.4 pounds, much less than I hoped, though that may be because of my perception largely being skewed by my consumption of social media content where quicker grand results are portrayed. Visibly I can most see a difference in my face where I look less rounded/less puffy.
I am happy and proud of myself for losing some weight, though I have a very significant amount to lose and this is but a pin drop in my journey. I have been calorie counting. My doctor recommended 1200 calories a day — I have been eating anywhere between 850-1400 calories a day (a few rare times maybe up to 1500). I’ve focused on eating lean protein, lots of vegetables and low carb. I also am vegetarian and dairy free. On a mental health note, I’ve really struggled with obsessive thoughts regarding deprivation and calorie counting and what I “should”/“shouldn’t” be eating and obsessively thinking about weight loss in general. That said, I will say I’m doing better with that at the current moment. Side effects for me are mainly tingling hands and feet and a diluted sense of taste.
As month two starts I plan to continue taking the medication, continue calorie counting and continue the types of meals I’ve been eating but also introduce more movement. I purchased a walking pad that I plan to start using several times a week as a starting point with that goal.

Hi. I am 283lbs, 5’11, and 20 year old male. As of today, I am starting my weight loss journey. I am currently the heaviest I’ve ever been and seeing that number inch closer and closer to 300lbs, really threw me for a loop.
What I am doing is walking (running once I can get there) a mile or more everyday, cutting my calories in half (TDEE 4,370 -> in half is 2,185) and just making better food choices.
I would go to a gym, if I had one available to me and I could afford it. My nearest gym is 30 miles away for some reason. And I know the saying is “those who want to, will” but I honestly just can’t afford the amount of gas that’s going to eat up and the gym membership either.
Is there anything else I can do to help with motivation/healthy weight loss?

Hi. I am 283lbs, 5’11, and 20 year old male. As of today, I am starting my weight loss journey. I am currently the heaviest I’ve ever been and seeing that number inch closer and closer to 300lbs, really threw me for a loop.
What I am doing is walking (running once I can get there) a mile or more everyday, cutting my calories in half (TDEE 4,370 -> in half is 2,185) and just making better food choices.
I would go to a gym, if I had one available to me and I could afford it. My nearest gym is 30 miles away for some reason. And I know the saying is “those who want to, will” but I honestly just can’t afford the amount of gas that’s going to eat up and the gym membership either.
Is there anything else I can do to help with motivation/healthy weight loss?

Ive lost 9 stone and im now stuck at 12.9 tried dropping calories, walking more, excersising eating less more protien and cant shift anything. Have i done something wrong?

I normally fast on M-W-F but with the holiday on Monday, I only did 2 days instead of 3. In retrospect, I should have adjusted my schedule to accommodate 3 days cuz I basically plateaued this week.
RESULTS from last week’s weigh-in at 169.4 that after the long weekend became 173 & after 2 alt-days fasting, dropped down to 170lbs.
IMPRESSION: I got discouraged but it’s still a steady loss from my initial weight of 176.8 so I’m sticking to the plan despite the plateau since that’s really my fault for skipping Monday. I’ll add that when I got below 170 last week, it was a happy moment for me so I got sad. 😩
LESSON LEARNED: if I can’t fast M-W-F, then adjust my schedule to accommodate 3 days even if that includes 2 days in a row. Im also getting curious about OMAD but am sticking to alt-day for now cuz it really does calm my gut not eating for a full day.
Finally, send me ur encouragement! It really helps me feel better since my journey may be long to finally reach my goal of 125lbs.

My all of my hormones are tanked. I am facing constant bloating, mood swings, constipation, depression, osteoporosis/osteopenia, bouts of hair loss, extreme dry skin, no sex drive whatsoever, low appetite but still eat to soothe depression, at a normal weight but will gain significantly without eating strictly clean and working out, the list goes on….
Is there anyone here that has started hrt so young and the impact it has made in your life? I can’t go on like this. All aspects of my life are suffering…

My all of my hormones are tanked. I am facing constant bloating, mood swings, constipation, depression, osteoporosis/osteopenia, bouts of hair loss, extreme dry skin, no sex drive whatsoever, low appetite but still eat to soothe depression, at a normal weight but will gain significantly without eating strictly clean and working out, the list goes on….
Is there anyone here that has started hrt so young and the impact it has made in your life? I can’t go on like this. All aspects of my life are suffering…

My all of my hormones are tanked. I am facing constant bloating, mood swings, constipation, depression, osteoporosis/osteopenia, bouts of hair loss, extreme dry skin, no sex drive whatsoever, low appetite but still eat to soothe depression, at a normal weight but will gain significantly without eating strictly clean and working out, the list goes on….
Is there anyone here that has started hrt so young and the impact it has made in your life? I can’t go on like this. All aspects of my life are suffering…

I started taking Contrave in October 2015. I was on metformin for pre-diabetes and miserable, desperate to get off that med because of its side effects. They told me the only way I could be taken off was if I lost weight and got my A1C down. I came back with a curt, well you’re going to have to help me because I’ve tried all the diets out there.
My insurance summarily dismissed the option of bariatric surgery, so I was put in the Bariatrics department’s non-surgical program. Which meant I was doing a bariatric diet, I was buying the shakes and powdered soups the diet required through their office. It was rough, REALLY rough. I was able to lose 12 lbs with great struggle. Knowing more about those surgeries now, in hindsight I realize that the physical sensation of being full that a smaller stomach gives surgical patients would have made a huge difference. I was put on Contrave in October 2015 to try to help with that. It was a dramatic life changing shift for me after that.
Suddenly I had more energy, I could motivate myself to go to a gym for the first time and was recommended weight training for weight loss. I still hated the awkward social aspect of being a fat girl alone at the gym, but I was going regularly several times a week after work. I also was finally able to pass up food by choice. I wasn’t nauseated by it, just not interested. I was finally able to follow a diet that consisted of small portions of actual food vs the shakes. Which I don’t remember hating the taste of the diet they provided, they tasted fine. I was just HUNGRY. I finally could follow the nutritionist’s directions. Very quickly my weight started to fall. This motivated me more to get active. My low weight with Contrave was 234 in August 2017.
After a while the Contrave didn’t work as well, I wasn’t losing weight anymore, I also wasn’t regaining though. It was determined I’d developed a tolerance. So we tried switching to Saxenda, which didn’t change much. About that time I switched employers and my insurance changed, so I ended up leaving the program. I was no longer on any type of weight loss medication or in a medical weight loss program. I didn’t lose any more weight, but neither did I gain. My mental health took a dip and remembering how good my mental state was on Contrave I suggested I try adding Wellbutrin to my medications. It helped a lot, I still take it.
Life got in the way and my focus was on other aspects of my health. I stopped counting my calories and slipped back into some old habits, but not all. I regained some weight, but not much and then my weight stabilized at about 250 in 2021, which I s where I hovered for a very long time with natural fluctuations. Despite being nowhere near my goal weight I was still pretty pleased I seemed to have lost and kept off 50lbs.
I finally came to a point where I could return my focus to weight loss in March 2022, Contrave is not an option now that I take Wellbutrin and it interacts with some of my other psych meds. So I’m trying other routes, but that doesn’t involve Contrave, so I won’t bother detailing it. I’m in another weight loss group for the program I am on. I have seen so many requests for experiences after stopping the medication and if people were able to keep the weight off and realized I should share this with a Contrave group.
I am able to accurately tell you my weights and when/what they were because I have used a Fitbit for the entirety of this process and have records of it. I wish you all success and hope this gives you an idea of how it may go for you when/if you go off this medication. The only side effects I felt while on it were some skakiness/jitteriness in the beginning, like I’d had one coffee too many.
Best of luck to everyone!

We’ve grown fond of Sir Thomas O’Malley, the stray feral cat that comes by each day for lunch and dinner. Despite us feeding him wet and dry food, Tom has been getting skinnier and skinner. I came home late last night to Tom waiting at our doorstep with what looks like a broken leg.
His paw is twisted the other direction and is very swollen a few inches above the paw. He is limping, but appeared to put a little bit of weight after eating. He also jumped off our stoop about 2ft down, but I don’t think he used his bad leg.
What can we do? He won’t let anyone near him, but I can get the closest- about a foot or two.
I called a vet last night- even if we did catch him, sedate him, and put a cast on him, we wouldn’t be able to provide a dry place to nurse him back to health. Humane Society isn’t open yet, but I’ll call as soon as I can.
He did put a little bit of weight on his leg while eating. He also managed to jump off of the stoop after eating. Thank you all so much, I don’t want the poor guy to be in pain, and don’t want to euthanize if he can push past this.
-Cat, male, maybe 3-5 y.o. -Not neutered -Probably 12-15# -Stray, feral neighborhood cat -Leg looks broken- twisted, very swollen, limping. Has been losing a lot of weight before this despite eating regularly 2x day -Leg injury happened yesterday. Weight loss over the last 2-3 months -Expensive ($500+) vet treatment isn’t an option for us financially -North Texas, DWF area
Thank you again.

Weight loss trackers
Hello, idk if this is allowed but i thought id give it a go, i have struggled with weight loss for years and seeing the same pounds go up and down again is hard. i have a lot to lose still ( currently nearly 300lbs) and i have created a tracker, which counts down 100lbs each pound like a sticker chart, i thought i would share incase this will help anyone here too, it would mean the world if anyone would check it out, no pressure to purchase it but yeah, thanks for listening!
plus if anyone has tips on losing a substantial amount of weight please add in the comments
https://hoopdesignsshop.etsy.com/listing/1718277683

Hi everyone,
I’ll try to make this short, I basically lost everything in 2020-23 (by chronological order: my health (long covid), my job, my future, my grandparents (alive but covidiots), my friends (covidiots), and my mother (infected me on purpose after lying about precautions for months a year ago)). I lost the will to live at that moment. Last September, I drove by my old high-school (it was unexpected), and memories of “the one that got away” came rushing back. We haven’t seen each other since high-school (over 10 years ago). Long story but that guy was very weird with me, I never really knew whether he liked me as a friend, if he was into me or if it was all a joke, and why he started ignoring me most of the time but randomly said hi once or twice a week + gazing at me all the time in the corridors + told his friends he liked me (as a friend, in our language it’s clear). I kinda got over him a few years after high-school but I thought of him every day (as a fleeting thought). But well, I completely fell back into it. I looked him up, he actually lives quite near, near a seaside spot I often visit in the summer. So I decided I would “glow up” (lose weight, get fit) in case I bump into him again (hopefully I can get closure, and at least I can tell him I’m sorry for the part I had in all that story. And maybe I can finally move on, or maybe we can be friends but it’s almost impossible).
But I also needed to get better mentally. So I got fit-tested N95s and started trying to find international people in my city (my passion is practicing foreign languages). I met quite a few (at least 15 people), only two were willing to see me again. It was way easier to make friends in Spain haha (I lived there pre-covid), and even now, I still have people I can hang out with (not many but them + friends of friends = my social circle is already made).
I went back to Spain for one week in March (I had figured out how to take planes without unmasking + I masked 24/7 and ate/drank outdoors 10 meters away from people). I discovered I was able to sleep in a full-face P100 quite easily haha. I decided to go back to Spain for 70 days (early April-early June).
My plan worked perfectly until day 32 (a month ago), when I noticed my N95 mask tape was loose on the chin area. I was at a friend’s. I stopped breathing and ran to the balcony, my friend brought me a mirror and I saw my face for the first time in a month, it had thinned so that explained it… I knew it could happen but underestimated how quick it would be. So, both my plans worked perfectly but the second one destroyed the first.
I completely panicked, bought a shitty unsafe car and drove back to my home country (and got lucky I made it home, I’ll have to sell the car for scraps so I probably lost 2000ish euros). I have fit testing issues (long story) that I was already trying to solve before it became urgent, but well, now I’m back to square one, I don’t go out (unless outdoors 10 meters away from people), and won’t be able to fix my fit testing issues for at the very least 1 month, most likely 2ish months (and way more if none of the masks I already own work). Which would be fine if I weren’t already at the end of my mental strength. And this is gonna keep happening till my weight loss is done, at least another six months. So I can’t go back to Spain until it’s done (unless I eat at maintenance during my trip but I’d rather avoid that).
I’ve been running like a headless chicken for a year, trying to run away from the pain and grief and despair. The constant vigilance is exhausting. I’ve been assaulted/almost assaulted thrice in a month while wearing my P100 (the “almost” was because I was in my car with the doors locked, but an antimasker tried to open the door, and took a pic of me). I am completely depleted of any energy. My best shot at surviving is to go back to Spain (at least once in a while, like a few months a year), but I have to hold on until it’s possible (6ish months), and I don’t know if I can. I can’t stand being in my own head. I can’t stand living through this nightmare anymore.

Hey all! I've never heard of this before but reading through some posts it aligns a lot with how I've been feeling recently. Regular pms can be a bitch on my hormones but I've never experienced it like this.
Background- I've been going through bout after bout of health issues the past couple of months, been in and out of the hospital more during this time than I've been for the past 15 years. On top of that I've had people who are close to me experience really personal losses and I naturally have been trying to support them and not make things about me. Part of my worry was I hadn't got my period in over 6 months (took pregnancy tests and got tested at the docs, all negative). The day after my concussion I started bleeding old blood for a couple days, no cramping, and then it stopped. The next week I got my period in full force but it was not how it normally is, very little clotting and it lasted way longer than it should have which has only happened when I first got my period. I've struggled with ed when I was younger and gotten much healthier but since I've been sick I lost a bunch of weight and people have been commenting on it. Not great for my anxiety and mental image especially going through all of this stressful stuff.
My period stopped last week but I've had massive feelings of depression since then. I've thought about suicide and even prayed to God (I'm not even a Christian lol), it just hurts and life feels overwhelming. Is it possible to get pmdd AFTER a period instead of before/during? Has anyone else experienced this? Am I just broken???
Edit to say, the unaliving thoughts were on a really bad day and I'm feeling much better in that regard, I've spoke with my partner and other support people and feel much less alone but I still feel like ripping my hair out and punching something