I halved my body weight with the help of Mounjaro AMA

[IronLadyPink]

I read so much misinformation about mounjaro so I thought an AMA might be useful.

I have been taking mounjaro for about 18 months.

I have worked my way up the doses as per correct clinical advice from my prescriber and have now been on the maximum dose for about 4 months.

I pay privately because it is almost impossible to get via the nhs, and even within this very limited NHS provision there is still a postcode lottery and it is not available at all in my area as yet.

I lost a couple of stones just before starting mounjaro but I knew from past experience that I would really struggle to get any further so hence I decided to buy mounjaro.

Any questions welcome.

Well done! Whats the long term plan? Will you stay on it?

@Bombombomtralala I would like to stay on it for life but since the price increase last August it is a struggle to afford it so I’m not really sure.
If I can, I will.

Did you have any side effects?

Sorry, ETA - well done!!

@WalterMittysPuppet none at all.
This is partly why I wanted to start this thread because there are so many people put off by hearing horror stories.
I have had no problems at all.

Great idea for a thread, so so much misinformation, I lost about 35 percent and am staying on , been maintaining for a year or so now on a low dose, no side effects ever, it’s been life changing,

Have you made any lifestyle changes such as exercise or a complete diet overhaul?

This is anecdata, but: I have two friends who both took mounjaro and lost four stone on it. One has piled it all back on and more as without the medication she went back to the same eating and drinking patterns and no exercise. The other one started lifting and running at the same time as the jabs, and switched to eating real food instead of mainly beige food and snacks, she lost another stone after stopping, and completely changed her body composition.

I think the key is to use GLP1s as a kick start rather than a crutch. I really think they are amazing but misused and misunderstood.

What was your starting body weight? What sort of exercise regime do you follow? Have you also changed what you eat or just eat less of what you previously ate?
thanks for the AMA!

@BurnTheWholeThingDown

Mounjaro only helps if you eat in calorie deficit so I have reduced my calories.

I track everything I eat with the Nutracheck app.

This tracks fat, sugar, protein, carbs, fibre, salt etc as well as calories but I don’t worry about quotas of this or that I just eat reasonably healthy food.

I still eat chocolate, and cakes and biscuits ( homemade cakes and biscuits only because I have really gone off shop stuff) several times a week but in much smaller quantities.

I do eat “real” food more now and I also stick to 16:8 so only eat within an 8 hour window.

I can’t exercise because of disability.

Me too! I went from 19st 5lb to 9st 10lb, bit different because I’m prescribed by the NHS for T2 diabetes as insulin and metformin were not reducing my sugar levels well enough.

Di you still find yourself picking up clothes in the shop, thinking ‘that wouldn’t fit a toddler!’ And being shocked when it not only fits but is actually a bit baggy?

Ive never been a healthy weight, was obese as an 11 year old so being ‘normal’ sized as an adult is a whole new world.

@InfoSecInTheCity yes!
There is a disconnect between the size I need in my head and the size which actually fits me.
I presume my head will catch up eventually.
Have gone from a size 24 to a 12 so it is a big change.

SME size change here, some size 10’s depending on the shop, wearing a Primark size small tshirt today which is baffling.

That sounds amazing op. I desperately need to lose weight.
Can you give me an idea of what this costs each week?

Big congrats on the fab weight loss. What supplements do you take? X

@Frugalilyfrog I started at 142kg, now around 70kg.
As said in a pp, I can't exercise due to disability and have made changes to what I eat as described.

@JacknDiane for my current dose of 15mg a pen costs me £255. It contains five doses if you use the "bonus dose" or four if you don't.
So a pen lasts four of five weeks dependent on this.
I do use the bonus dose so weekly cost to me is currently £51.
When you first start you would be on the lowest dose and the cost for that 2.5mg pen is a fair bit less depending on which pharmacy you choose.
If you look at monj uk you can see the latest discount price lists from all certified uk providers.

@MumofOne28 I was already prescribed ferrous fumerate (iron), calcium, vit d and vit b12 due to various medical conditions.
I don't take any supplements specific to mounjaro use and in general I would only take a supplement or vitamin etc if advised to do so by a doctor.

How’s your skin?
I would like to lose 3 stone (from starting weight) which would take me out of obese into overweight. However I know I look good at that weight. I’ve done a stone by myself since mid Jan but I am starting to notice some sagging under chin!
I prefer the look of fat to that really sagging loose skin although of course it’s a huge achievement to lose that sort of weight that gives you the skin!

@CmonBobby I have loose skin on my stomach and bum but my face is ok.
My primary aim was and is health so looks of my skin don't bother me too much although I do appreciate looking slimmer.
I am post menopause so maybe my skin would have been more elastic if I had lost this much weight before that.

Thanks for answering OP. I'm nervous of Mounjaro because of the way it slows gastric emptying - I have quite slow motility as it is, and eggy burps and diarrhoea are a hard no for me! I do know someone who has lost about 5 stone in Mounjaro and she regularly has d&v as a side effect. I wondered if Wegovy might be a gentler one to try...

I have a good 5 stone to lose, but I'm not actually a very big eater per se...it's endless grazing on chocolate (and large amounts of it) that has accumulated my weight over the years. Are WLIs even any good for that - switching off the dopamine hit from sugar?

@WalterMittysPuppet wegovy generally has more chance of side effects than mounjaro.

I do think it would help your chocolate cravings. I was similar to you in that I never ate big meals, it was more constant grazing on high calorie foods with chocolate being the biggest one.

Mounjaro acts on pleasure receptors so although it doesn’t stop you liking chocolate it does lessen the hit of pleasure you get from it and so decreases the craving.

I still like chocolate but it is nowhere near as important to me as it was. I find myself preferring real food which is very strange as former a lifelong chocoholic.

Also a lot of the cravings are due to blood sugar crashes, you eat it, blood sugar increases, it then crashes and you want more. As the drug controls blood sugar, you no longer get the physical cravings.