Weight Loss Clinical Study

I had seen a listing for a clinical research study for weight loss. Right up my alley! I responded, they called me and asked me a myriad of questions which I answered to the best of my ability, trying not to throw myself under the bus in the process. They told me they needed to see me. The clinic was up the street from me, on Wilshire Boulevard. Perfect!

I decided to leave the car at home and take the bus. I really could have walked there but I am not big on walking and getting itchy and feeling miserable. Give me solutions, not problems! After the bus I had aimed for didn't show up, two buses did. I guess the one I was waiting for was so late, it showed up same time as the following one. I tried not to get frustrated. The time I spent waiting for the bus was the same amount of time it would have taken me to walk to the clinic. I had my tablet with me, which I always take along when going some place where I might have to sit in the waiting room. Or Stand. I use it to read and catch up on my reading because I don't read enough at home. 

I literally got of two stops or so from where I got on. I found the place using my GPS and a kind security guard from next door to the clinic with nice teeth. 

It's a really fancy clinic! I mean, it's in the middle of Beverly Hills, so I guess that helps. 

Ready for my checkup

The lights up the stage don't help you see how pretty it is. It doesn't even look like a medical place. I guess, that's because it's not a regular clinic. I walked into a small room, which I suppose was a waiting area. As I was filling in my details on the clipboard on the counter, a tall guy came out. He asked if I was there for the depression study. I asked him if I should have been! Who know, maybe I looked depressed! He laughed and told me that that's why he was there. It had been several weeks since he had been going there and he was very happy with the service. The medication helped him tremendously and to think that he was getting paid on top of that, was a double cherry on top. I thought to myself, you really can never tell by just looking at someone that they have issues. Everyone has their thing that they're dealing with, that's why we have to be kind to one another. I told him I was there for the weight loss study. Mainly because I was hoping they would help me drop the poundage. We wished each other luck and he left. Not long thereafter, a nurse showed up and gave me a stack of papers to complete, made copies of my ID and told me to go inside.

I went into a room with the nicest nurse. We talked about random stuff, she told me she liked my energy, I liked hers, boom! BFF's! She weighed me then checked my vital signs and told me that my iron levels could be higher. Anaemia, it's a thing but it doesn't rule my life. It just make me more tired during PMS. First of all, I told her, you don't weigh me and then check my blood pressure, unless you're setting me up for failure! I had put on so much weight! I didn't realise it because all my clothes have stretch and are old. I mean, the bottoms I had on (seen in the picture), I have had since around 2009. I bought them in Johannesburg. 

The nice nurse told me that I was a bit heavier than they would like for that particular study. She talked to the doctor in charge, put in a good word for me because she liked me and the doctor wanted to meet me. I went in and spent about an hour with the doctor just chatting like old friends. Cute guy! Really tall. Kind eyes. He's definitely in the right profession. I was shocked to find out he had lost 50 lbs (a little less than 25kg)  just the previous year. 

The doctor told me he would like me to be part of the program but would need me to lose a number of pounds first. I had already lost about 5 lbs on my own in a week or so. As soon as they told me I needed to lose weight, I couldn't lose an ounce! I think it went straight to my head and I don't know what the heck it did to me. I have had that happen to me before where I lost about 10 lbs then a boyfriend, who wasn't even worth it, told me to lose a ton and I just started piling them up from then. 

Normally, when on a diet, I don't like to share until I lose a huge amount of weight. That's just me! And I can lose weight on my own, I've done it before. So many times, sadly!

I took one last picture and headed back home.

Giant stainless Steel vases

I need those vases in my life! Too pretty!

Once I got out of the clinic building. I realised that I was around the corner from Real housewives of Beverly Hills, Kyle Richard's boutique. I've been there a number of times, even though they don't have anything in my size, just to check it out and to, hopefully, bump into her. 

Kyle Richard's Boutique in Beverly Hills

The boutique is really cute inside and has Kye's personality, if you've seen her on Housewives.

Kyle's is one or two buildings away from Lisa Vanderpump's other restaurant, Villa Blanca. She has three.

Villa Blanca

If you squint, you can see Villa Blanca on your left. Kimora Lee Simmon's store is in the same street as the two ladies' businesses. In fact, it's right between the two of them.

I made my way to the bus stop and home I went with high hopes that I would lose the weight in less amount than they had expected me to and be back to the clinic in no time. The other nice thing about the study was that, because they treat you with either the real weight loss pill they were testing (don't worry, it's already tested, this was going to be the final test), or a placebo. They told me that if one doesn't lose weight during the study, they had a free weight loss program afterwards to help participants.

Update: They called me every two weeks for months, I never lost the weight, I just stayed exactly the same until they gave up.