Joelle– My Success Story with Prescription Weight Loss Medication at Studio R Aesthetics in Charlottesville, Virginia
My name is Joelle and this is my story of how I changed my life before I hit my 40th year. I have always been an “athletic” body type. Growing up I was heavily involved in sports and horseback riding. I never had to worry about my weight and was always muscular and in great shape. In my twenties my metabolism was so fast that losing weight (if I gained it) was really easy and it would come off with little effort. When I hit my thirties things significantly started to slow down despite my activity level remaining high.
I moved to DC in my early thirties and gradually over the years my weight crept up. Food delivery was at my fingertips and it was the easiest option after a long hard day at work. For years, I woke up every morning saying “today is the day I lose the weight” and then I’d make a bad choice and the next day would come and I’d say the same thing. I made many efforts over the years and mostly failed. I was at the point where I was avoiding social situations because I hated the way I looked. I didn’t want to go on vacations because I wasn’t comfortable doing long walks or other activities. I was avoiding visiting old friends because I was embarrassed they’d be thinking “geez, look how heavy Joelle got”. Bottom line, I was miserable. The final straw was when my dad came to visit. I hadn’t seen him in nearly a decade and while it was a good visit, I was nervous what he thought and refused to take any photos. He left and I thought “wow, I have no photos of these memories because of my weight”. That was it. I didn’t want to waste anymore of my life and I vowed to not go into my 40th birthday (I had just turned 39) feeling this way.
I started tracking calories and lost 50 pounds in around 5 months. For the last part of that weight loss I started taking prescription weight loss medication in a weight loss challenge. I’ve lost 18 lbs in 10 weeks (which included a little bit I had gained back from the initial 50).
I feel like a whole new person. I’m enjoying life again, taking photos (in fact I just did a photoshoot with my horse a few weekends ago!) vacationing and feeling good. I went from a size 14, XXL to a size 6/8, Medium. I started running again also after a multi year hiatus and ride my horse 4-5 days a week. Some days I run and ride, which wouldn’t have even been possible a year ago!
My goal is to lose another 20-30 lbs to get back to my high school weight! Sounds crazy, but I think it’s possible especially now with the assistance of the staff and prescription weight loss medication. I wish I had known about this wonderful medication when I started.
The medication is NOT a miracle drug. You must put in the work and combine it with some sort of tracking mechanism. It all comes down to calories in/calories out, but, with the medication it makes it MUCH easier to not overeat and to stay on track.
Update provided June 4th, 2024
New photos!
Starting weight 223, size 14 (left)
Current weight: 150, size 6 (right)
Feeling great!
About Studio R Aesthetics
Studio R Aesthetics is a physician-owned, physician-run Medspa and Physician Practice in Charlottesville whose priority is to ensure that patients receive the best aesthetic results and outcomes that exceed their expectations. We opened this practice because as both physicians and patients, we have a unique perspective on how to deliver the highest quality patient care. We treat every patient as if they were a family member.
