To go to Slimming World whilst taking Mounjaro

What side effects?

I have found the key thing with losing weight with these medications is to eat the healthy protein and veggies first and a small amount of carbs. You have to adjust to not eating huge portions and so the approach has to be to eat very well indeed. I make myself eat on the meds as I don't want to lose weight too quickly for vanity reasons and because I don't want to lose muscle either, so doing exercise and eating protein is my work-around. If you can do that in SW or Weightwatchers great but it won't be nearly as hard as you think without the constant nagging of hunger and food noise banging on all the time- I also found I don't like rich dairy foods any more, I eat yoghurts still but lots more fruit as I find it refreshing.

I'm doing something a bit like this. I'm attending a council run free weight loss programme, with weekly sessions that include weigh in, food education, completing weekly food diaries for submission and marking and then a group exercise session.

I have take MJ for four weeks and opted out of the price for greatest weight loss. I have reached my first target from the progressive which was a 5% body mass loss.

I have also joined a gym and go pretty much daily now.

I really want to lose the weight and feel that I am using all the tools I can. I have PCOS and likely insulin resistance so give it hard.
I haven't had severe side effects yet (though am still on lowest dose) and could eat larger portions if I be wanted to but MJ stupid me feeling starving all the time.

Sorry, I meant to say a day. We need foods with fibre at every meal

Considering SW puts huge focus on fruit and veg, not to mention all the other free foods that are fibre rich, I think fibre intake is probably thoroughly covered. The 'one portion of fibre' I mentioned is the measured Healthy Extra B you get every day - so something like two weetabix, a portion of porridge or a small amount of wholemeal bread. This is in addition to whatever free food you eat.

Yep that’s true, I stopped drinking alcohol and that was all about changing mindset too

Sorry, I meant to say a day. We need foods with fibre at every meal.

Up to you op. I do laugh at people saying sw forces carbs on people. I eat a high protein low carb diet on sw

I'm on MJ and attend SW and also NHS tier 3! I'm approaching this weight loss thing from all angles. Lost 5.5 stone so far, but can still overeat sometimes, so MJ is just a tool for me - it helps but it's no magic bullet.
Also weight loss slows down so I have no qualms about the occasional slimmer of the week award.

People need to change the mind set to food cos most I’ve seen don’t change their mind sets and stay fat or only lose so much and get bored and stop cos it isn’t quick enough or the side effects outweighs then taking it as they are horrendous.

I’ve known others to do surgery to lose the weight also

was considering it myself but I looked at the stats 50% gain it all back again. I went low carb instead for me as I’m type 2 diabetic doesn’t work for all mind.

All drugs come with side effects some are mild but some are damn horrible.

im on one that can cause gangrene in men rare for women so I weighed up the pros and cons of it, there is other side effects to it too but that was the main one that really bothered me

Also one helping of fibre a week is madness

SW is one healthy portion of fibre a day, not a week.

This is such a good point. The side effects really were horrendous for me. Extreme nausea, diarrhoea, dizziness, passing blood after 12 hours of constant vomiting and diarrhoea. It really scared me and so I stopped taking the drug. I was fine until month three and lost a stone but then it went very pear shaped for me.

Slimming World experiences seem to vary hugely depending on the group leader, so some seem to be fairly good at talking about new ways of eating, and others are obsessed with processed food. I did try it once and my person told people off for doing too much exercise (because it was supposedly impeding weight loss, not because they actually were overdoing it), spent a lot of time explaining which ready mix rice flavour was Syn-free and which weren’t, and general recommended eating food less healthy than I was eating already. So SW isn’t going to deliver the same for everyone.

We all also do need different things and eating as much low-fat extra veg spag bol as I could work see my 7lbs heavier in a week. Also one helping of fibre a week is madness.

I wouldn't because of the added expense. I'd join a dedicated online support group or thread and just try to eat following general healthy eating guidelines. The advantage of the injection is that it can help you stick to eating in a normal healthy way rather than needing a special diet.

My experience of Mounjaro is that I get full very quickly, which makes me think that SW is not hugely compatible, as they tend to focus on filling up your plate and your stomach to stop hunger. This works well if you're feeling hungry, but I think that a different style of dieting is more appropriate alongside Mounjaro.
I personally have been following a 18/6 fasting schedule, and eating two smaller meals that are more nutrient and protein dense than normal. Snacking is not really something that I think about at the moment.

As far as being awarded for weight loss, I'd just take the praise if you want to! I think that there are huge numbers of people on injections, and most people dont seem to be open about it. I would be flabbergasted if you were the only one at a weight loss group using them. I also don't look at the medication as putting me at a huge advantage over others. There are people that do not suffer from insulin resistance and other hormonal imbalances that feel the way that I do on medication, but naturally. Dieting isn't a level playing field, some people have small appetites and can make changes more easily, some people have large appetites but a faster metabolism, some people have loads of free time for exercise and meal planning.
Do what you've got to do!

Please stay away from Slimming World. It has been associated with increasing binge eating disorder. No food should be considered bad or off limits.

Here's a link to the Radio 2 programme on it. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001y27g

Speak privately to the local SW group leader and explain this....

I have one recipe book so far...fairly thick...that came free when joining. Haven't seen either of those ingredients so far but will keep an eye out.

Considering I've managed to eat in a SW friendly way for a month without using either, I imagine any recipies containing them are easily ignored if you don't fancy them 🙃

@SuperLois34 - if SW is working for you at the moment that’s great. It worked for me for a while. Quite a few times!

I just wanted to point out something about the weight loss injections. Ozempic is actually a drug licensed for diabetes. Why? Because it helps with insulin resistance and blood sugar control. Appetite suppression and weight loss are a side effect of that.

I couldn’t eat porridge and a banana for breakfast as I would be starving later. Why? Because I have issues with insulin resistance. That breakfast would spike my blood sugar. It doesn’t for everyone obv.

So Ozempic worked really well for me.

The appetite suppression wears off at low doses hence Wegovy (same drug) at higher doses now being licensed for weight loss.

I was overweight for years. I tried everything. Everything. And I ended up feeling a total failure and hating myself. Because everyone else manages it. They go to SW or WW and lose weight. I did too. But I couldn’t sustain it. Now knowing more about long term obesity and weight loss and set points and insulin resistance etc I know why it was unsustainable.

Ozempic isn’t a new drug. It’s been available for diabetics for quite a few years. So there is some data on long term use. And as far as I am aware there haven’t been any major red flags.

There are issues with people just ordering it without understanding it and how and why it works obviously. But you can’t legislate for stupidity sadly. The media have a part to play here obviously.

As time goes on there will be more and more understanding of obesity and why some people can’t just join SW or cut calories or do whatever. These drugs are life changing for some of us.

I

Before I paid for these drugs I consulted both my gp and consultant. I read everything, and weighed up both the potential side effects as well as the benefits. I have a family member who had a gastric bypass and I much prefer the risks of Mounjaro to the side effects she lives with now,

I voted YABU, but only because Slimming Worlds is a fine way to encourage disordered habits and actually mess up your relationship with food!

I would see a dietician instead, or maybe do a nutrition course yourself.

I see you've been attending for a month, @SuperLois34. I absolutely guarantee that in the coming months you will encounter multiple SW recipes, either in their books or in your meetings, which are based around the profligate use of quark and sugar-free jelly. Once upon a time they might also have included a Muller Light, although of course they are now synful.

People should try to lose weight by changing their diet (and increasing their activity if possible) before embarking on weight loss injections. You wouldn't think it from social media, but it's a requirement of the product licence.

OP I would recommend starting a healthy eating plan, and then starting the injections if, after carefully considering the side effects and a proper assessment from a suitably qualified health professional, you decide that's right for you.

Remember, that the weight loss injections are for two years only, so you need to find a long term way of eating that is sustainable for you, enjoyable and which complements your lifestyle and social activities.

For this reason, I would be cautious of SW and WW. Their business model depends on people yo-yo dieting, not losing weight sustainably for the long term.

Good luck. You can do this - but do it in a way that works long term.

My reply was more in response to this part of your comment @VelociraptorsVelociRapping ...

whatever franken-fakeaway they encourage you to make out of sugar-free jelly and quark

Which I disagree with as that's not my experience.

But yes, if the injections limit appetite then I agree that it's incompatible with actually following SW where the focus is very much on eating plenty of healthy, natural food. If you've temporarily chemically altered your appetite so that you're unable to manage more than a few mouthfuls of something, being told every week to fill your plate to the brim with chicken, salad and rice isn't going to work or probably be good for your morale.

It just somewhat blows my mind that anyone could think injecting yourself would be the preferable choice.