FINDING FULLNESS

365 Days of Thanksliving — Day 321

Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a robust appetite. Three squares a day plus snacking—lots and lots of snacking—has basically been my lifestyle brand. With the exception of a few brief stints eating Ketovore, functioning as a human shovel for all things edible has been my jam.

Today, though, only day four on my GLP-1 journey, the incessant food noise actually started to dim. What I found truly interesting is the sheer lack of appetite. Looking at my food tracker app compared to a week ago, I’ve eaten maybe half of my usual daily intake. If that.

Breakfast was a protein shake. I just wasn’t in the mood for anything else. But by lunch, I had a three-egg omelet in mind. Truly, what my brain craved was the famous Perkins Granny’s Country Omelet—you know, the one with the hashbrowns shoved inside and that suspiciously perfect melty cheese draping the top. Unfortunately, the nearest Perkins is 40 minutes away, and that delectable heart-attack-on-a-plate probably isn't something I should be eating anyway.

So, sans the hashbrowns and the "plastic" Cheez Whiz sauce, I did my best to replicate it. With my usual attention to detail and my trusty digital kitchen scale, I tracked every ingredient down to the last gram. When I sat down to eat at 12:30, I realized something absurd: I wasn’t too hungry. Still, with every bite, I essentially had to force myself to fuel up and hit those protein goals.

Slowly, flanked by Gus Gus and Arlo—who were generously drooling all over the rug in solidarity—I ate it all. But with every passing bite, finishing became a genuine chore. By the time I got back to the office, my stomach felt completely stuffed. Even at supper tonight—just some leftover beef and a shrim cocktail—I struggled to finish the measly portion I put in front of myself.

For the first time in recent recorded history, I’m finding fullness on half the calories I'd normally inhale. And now, after finishing this post, I still have to mow down my after-dinner snack (3/4 cup of Greek yogurt with blueberries) just to get near a 1700-calorie finish line for the day.

This business of finding fullness is entirely new territory for me. I think I’m going to like it, even if it feels incredibly... weird.

Anyway, what are you thankful for today?