Saxenda is liraglutide, given as a daily injection, licensed for weight management. The first week is the period a prescriber often has the least information about, because it happens before any scheduled review. A simple daily record from these first seven days can make that first follow-up conversation far more useful than relying on memory.
Because the injection happens every day rather than once a week, the first week already contains seven separate data points rather than one. That is an advantage for record-keeping: small details are easier to capture close to when they happened, and a week of daily notes builds a fuller picture than a single weekly entry could.
Injection details to record each day
For each of the first seven injections, note the date, roughly what time it happened, and which part of the body was used. If anything about the injection felt different from what you expected, such as more discomfort than usual or a visible reaction afterward, write that down too, without needing to interpret it.
Appetite and digestion notes
Many people are curious how appetite, fullness, or digestion might feel different in the first days. Rather than guessing whether a change is caused by the medicine, simply record what you notice: meals skipped or smaller than usual, any nausea, changes in bowel habits, and how hungry you feel at points across the day. These notes are descriptive, not a judgement on whether anything is going well.
General wellbeing
It can help to note sleep, energy, mood, and hydration briefly each day. None of these need detailed analysis; a short line is enough to build a record that shows whether something is a one-off day or part of a pattern.
It also helps to capture questions as they arise, rather than trying to recall them later.
The first week is often when questions come up: about the injection process, about a symptom, about how the routine fits into daily life. Rather than trying to remember these until a review appointment, keep a running list as they occur. A written question is far more likely to get asked, and answered, than one held in memory for weeks.
It is also worth being clear about what the first week does not tell you.
A single week is a short window, and nothing about it should be read as a preview of how the following weeks or months will go. If you experience severe abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, signs of a serious allergic reaction, or any symptom that feels urgent, seek medical attention promptly rather than waiting to log it for a routine review.
The goal of a first-week record is simple: give your prescriber accurate, dated detail about what actually happened, so the conversation at your first review can start from facts rather than a general impression.
Setting up the record before you start makes it much more likely to be kept.
It is worth preparing a simple page or note before your very first injection, with a slot for each of the seven days already laid out. Having the structure ready in advance makes it much more likely that day one actually gets recorded properly, rather than being filled in retrospectively once you realise you should have been keeping notes. A blank template you can fill in each evening, taking a minute or two, is usually enough.
It can help to understand what tends to make the first week feel different from later ones.
Starting any new daily routine, medical or otherwise, tends to bring a period of adjustment simply because it is unfamiliar. Remembering the injection, finding a comfortable time of day, and getting used to a new object in your routine can all take a few attempts to settle into. None of this is specific to Saxenda; it is a normal part of adopting any new daily habit, and it is worth recording rather than judging.
Bringing the record to your first review is what makes the whole week worth logging.
When your first review appointment comes around, bring the week's notes with you, whether that is a printed page, a notebook, or an app open on your phone. A prescriber working from your actual notes, rather than your memory of the week, can ask more specific and useful follow-up questions. If anything in the week left you with an unanswered question, make sure it is on the list you bring, even if it now feels like it resolved itself.
A careful first-week record does not need to be dramatic or detailed to be valuable. Seven short, honest daily entries, covering timing, site, appetite, digestion, and any questions that came up, are enough to give your first review a solid, factual foundation to build from.