Losing weight, weight loss injections or gym?

Well exactly. And hoovering up her kids leftovers on top of the over eating she's already doing.

I can't believe people are slating the gym. It isn't just weight, you will build muscle, become fitter and also improve your mood.

Look at better gyms they are government run and £30 /40 a month

I’d do weightloss then add in the gym after month 2 or 3.
but I would say that because… it’s what I am doing!!!

you get fit in the gym and slim in the kitchen.

I have kids and have accepted I had to commit to long term fitness for my health and my kids.
while you need to get exercising BUT it’s way easier to exercise and feel motivated if the weight is coming off and way easier when carrying less weight.

exercise without diet change will generally not drive weight loss to any significant level but it will improve overall appearance l, self esteem, health, help maintain muscle mass and enable you to eat more via higher metabolic rate.

I mean you can lose (or at least not gain) weight through exercise, but it needs to be a lot, not just a couple of gym classes a week.

Mr Monkey is a good for age marathon runner who runs at least three to four marathons a year. He can struggle to eat enough to maintain his weight when in the midst of training. But he is running over 80 miles a week or more.

What are you talking about? Injections don’t increase muscle strength or cardiovascular fitness.

I’ve lost just over 2 stone on mounjaro since June and the weight loss injections will most definitely stop you hoovering up leftovers. Mounjaro works on the brain as well and reduces food noise. Before I started I was sceptical about something that suppressed appetite because I didn’t need to be hungry in the slightest to eat crap. I rarely fancy a biscuit now but if I do I’m satisfied with one rather than half a packet. It costs me £150 a month but my food shopping bill has actually decreased by more so I’m actually saving money. The injections do have side effects but for most people these can be managed. Mounjaro isn’t for everyone but for me it’s been life changing. Get yourself a fit bit do 10,000 steps a day and give the jabs a go. Also, if you are on tik tok there are lots of fab creators on mounjaro which I found super helpful.

I wouldn’t be touching the injections if you cannot get them through a proper supply chain - ie a medical doctor with specialist knowledge prescribing them for you and monitoring you. Realistically, this will cost more than your budget.

As others have said, gym won’t help with weight loss. There is a huge list of health benefits to exercising regularly and your physical and mental health will be better for it however weight loss is not on that list. It takes a shift in mindset for you to adjust your eating habits and I would recommend researching what will help you achieve this shift. A dietician is probably a much better place to start

This is not an either or. Make time and money for exercise. This is not about weight loss as such but stabilty, cardio health and bone and muscle mass. No point in losing lots of weight and going in to older age with poor physical health.

You do not need to spend lots on a gym membership either - look at couch to 5K, at home yoga, simply walking a lot more at the weekends.

There are no quick fixes to weightloss or fitness, it requires the long term adoption of good daily habits and a different attitude to lifestyle.

If you go at exercise hard to try and lose weight you are likely to get injured or give up.

Tell me you know nothing about weight loss injections...

I use weight loss injections and no they are not a substitute for the gym, I also go to the gym alongside. However, going to the gym will NOT make you lose the desired weight, if you continue normal eating habits alongside. Same as the weight loss injections. You have to be in a calorie deficit, the weight loss injections make this far easier. The gym is great for health, but not for weight loss.

Injections, you may find what you want to eat changes a bit as well, you sound like your life is incredibly full on. Calorie counting and exercise take time and mental energy and OP doesn’t have a lot of that to spare right now. I think once you drop some weight you will find it easier to move around and also without worrying about how much you are eating you may be able to start thinking about what you are eating. Then maybe think about trying out some ten minute youtube workouts.

People moralise about this too much, OP has a problem, she has a solution which at least in the short term may help. She works a long day has a ND child who doesn’t sleep her life is already hard.

Have you thought about trying something like Huel? They do shakes and pot noodle type meals and are great for busy people. They are also a lot more nutritious than bread and biscuits.

I would personally try other avenues before going to injections.

Are you looking for a different job that might really help give you more time as it sounds like you have a lot of your plate and 12 hours out the house with no break sounds tiring and with everything else must be absolutely exhausting. I know it’s not a quick fix and it’s easier to say, but it’s also easy to end up giving up job hunting if nothing perfect opens up. Failing that I would say you need to get a break and try and get out for a 15 minute walk at least.

Even if you have very little time, I would echo the post about doing something energetic with the children, Joe Wicks did the Pe with Joe on YouTube or playing football, frisbee etc and I would try to do something relaxing but beneficial before bed, a short meditation, yoga, tai chi type thing to try and have some you time.

This is just total bs. Also ignorant.

@HotCrossBunplease I don't believe anyone will work as hard at the gym after using the injections, mentally they know they can just inject themselves up to their eyeballs if they don't see progress quickly enough.

You won't lose calories just by going to the gym. One chocolate bar needs hours at the gym to work it off. You'll need to eat less, that's the bottom line.

This is exactly what the injections help you to do.

You need to get away from the idea of being on a diet.
google what your TDEE requirements are for the weight you’d like to be and don’t eat more calories than that. Forever. It’s that simple and that hard.

Or choose both, injections to lose the weight then gym to maintain it and get other health benefits .

So relieved to see this message!
The gym is a way of life for me.
Lift weights in your 30s and 40s to be able to do physical tasks in your 70s and 80s.
It isn't just about looking good.
Muscle strength. Cardio fitness. Mental health.
Always choose the gym.

Injections.... welcome to 2024 🤦‍♀️

You would not have to take the injections for life. There really is no harm in trying one as long as you have no health contraindications. I’m just at the end of my first month of Mounjaro. I was also a size 16, with a slightly lower BMI than you but still in the obese category. I have lost half a stone so far. I intend to keep using it until I am in the healthy BMI range. I won’t go higher than the 5mg dose. It has helped me to break the cycle of comfort eating and too-big portions but it doesn’t make the whole process completely effortless so you are still changing your habits consciously. It just gives you support with the willpower. Also, having spent the money I am sure there is psychology in making sure you get your money’s worth!

As my clothes feel looser I feel so much better in myself already.

Gym can come after you have lost the initial weight. You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet. I can’t see much of a downside really.

You don't have time or energy to cook and eat so where are you going to find the time and energy from to go to the gym? You might as well throw £150 a month in the bin as put it into gym membership because it won't make you magically loose weight unless you also change your diet.
That said, i wouldn't touch weight loss injections with a barge pole.

If I was struggling for money every month and suddenly had £150 extra I would struggling less each month. That’s what I would do tbh.

You really don't know what you are talking about. I have been going to the gym for a minimum of an hour 5X a week since last September. With a PT for one of those sessions. Of course I have lost some weight. About 3kg. after 6months. I was still BMI 32.

I started Mounjaro in May and have lost 18 kg and now BMI 26.

Whilst I appreciate that many people seem to hate the idea of fat people getting to a healthy weight in any other way but the hard physical and mental slog of diet and exercise. They fail to understand that this particular method is the most common way to pile the weight back on. Never heard of yo-yo dieting. ?

There is no way to know if I will be able to maintain my weight loss. I think I will because I do a lot of exercise and my diet is excellent. What I do know is that- is that being 11 stone is better for my health than being 15 stone. So yes , weight loss injections are worth it.

My only side effect (on 10mg) is slight constipation.

I save a fortune in food costs as I don't snack at all. No interest in coffee out or mindless snacking.

I also save the NHS money as at my fattest I was on metformin, bp meds, statins and 3 monthly knee injections.

Don't need any of those now.

I've learned that changing your diet isn't hard, it's just undesirable at first.

Cooking and eating whole foods isn't time consuming or difficult, it's just habit changing. Having decent cooking tools to make cooking easier. I'd recommend an Airfryer, cooks most food in 15-20 mins. Easy for chicken breast, pork steak and frozen salmon portions. Pair with frozen veg (steam bags microwave in 4mins) or roast fresh veg in airfryer with meat, easy healthy dinners every night. Also, I'd recommend a soup maker (£10 from FB marketplace), used up old veg, frozen or tinned veg with stock and it is nutritious meal cooked for you in 20 mins. I portion it in the fridge for an easy lunch with some fruit.

It doesn't seem like you have a hunger problem which is what the WL meds help with, you have a time and energy problem so finding quick and easy nutritional meals would be key.

@myladyjane such a thoughtful and helpful (I think anyway!) post.

It feels like some posters don’t understand what the OP is saying. Also some people have real “food noise” a lot of the time. OP, injections took the food noise away for me. It’s been quite straightforward. But I stay on the lowest dose and eke it out over 9 or 10 days instead of 7. I’m also trying to eat in a way that will be manageable when I stop the injections. Added bonus that now I’ve lost weight I’m much more motivated to do more physical activities!

”Meal prep/batch cooking” is great but I don’t really do it. Also have a tiny freezer. But I do boil a couple of eggs most evenings to have the following day with a salad (pre bought) at work. Thats the level I can cope with!

The gym is a lovely idea but takes time.

Oh, and the overwhelm at choosing better food/reaching for carbs actually did drop for me when I started wegovy. Bit weird, but there you are. And I spend much less on food for me so the cost is slightly offset!

Weight is 90% diet. Do an exercise plan at home. for example, Metabolic Aftershock or one of the numerous videos on YouTube. You will never use the gym membership.
I had one injection pen of Wegovy and felt so sick and under the weather taking it I didn’t even do the four weeks. Where it was helpful was calming the chatter in my brain around food. But I also started to feel very nervous about side-effects like pancreatitis.
your go to snacks of pot noodle and cheese sandwich will not help you. Both highly satisfying but deeply unhealthy and bad for weight loss. Can you replace those with fruit veg and nuts?