Anyone else considering weight loss jabs/tabs?

[PersephoneParlormaid]

I’m 3 stone overweight, size 16, but I am active. Gym 2/3 times a week, walk the dog, housework etc
Feel like I should be able to do it myself with eat less and move more, but the food noise is frequent, and I’m genuinely hungry often, with a big appetite.
The thing putting me off is the side effects I read about, and just wondered if anyone else was considering it like me?

I'm on Mounjaro. I've lost a couple of stone and stayed on it. The biggest benefit to me is how much just that 2 stone has improved my mobility. I've gone from BMI 31 to 27. I also feel pretty good on it. Some people seem to feel good on it and others not so.

The main thing I wanted to say is as you do your research into side effects consider the good side effects as well as the bad. You will see people talk about sickness and diarrhoea as well as more serious side effects but also read about improved blood sugar control, reduced fatty liver, reduced number of cardiac events, reduced inflammation etc.

In my experience most people can tolerate the starting dose of Mounjaro but be careful going up doses - particularly from 2.5 to 5mg (where the dose doubles). I would recommend you go up gradually by counting clicks, or don't raise your dose at all if you are managing to stay within your calorie deficit and lose weight slowly.

Make sure you eat. If you use Mounjaro (or similar) to not eat then after a few days you will feel just as awful/lethargic as any other period of days without eating.

Good luck.

I have been on MJ for 18 months and no side effects, that said, even if I did have some SE I would have stayed on it as I have changed my life and lost 9 stone.

Pills are coming very soon so I would probably try those before injections if I was starting now.

I considered it in July 2024 and decided to start Mounjaro. Best decision I’ve ever made in relation to my health. Dropped from 22st to 10st 12lbs, not many side effects at all and only at the start.

The only thing I’d say is that you would need to consider what you do when you get to target weight and if you are prepared to continue taking medication in some form in order to maintain the weight loss. Many people will need to or want to.

The advice I would give to anyone considering mounjaro is to just do it. I’ve not met anyone who has regretted it, a couple of people who tried but had side effects so stopped, but that’s the beauty, it’s not permanent so you can give it a try.

I have lost 7 stone, gone from BMI 37 to 21. Am happier, healthier, fitter and more confident than I have ever been in my life.

Honestly the best thing I have ever done and the best money I have ever spent. No regrets.

ETA My side effects were minimal, a bit of sickness when moving up doses, but I had a pretty easy ride and went all the way up to 15mg.

I agree with everyone that I’ve not met anyone that regrets it.
I’m going back on it as my weight has gone up since getting Invisalign.
Although it’s another £150 a month, it’s still good value for what you get - literally life changing weight loss.

I lost 6 stone on a mix of mounjaro and wegovy in a year and have kept it off for almost 12 months now.

I found Mounjaro much better but it's more expensive.

The cost was huge though and I did struggle to find the money some months but I'm so glad I did it.

Just do it if you can afford it. You won’t regret it. I’ve been on it a year, I’ve lost two stone BMI 33 to 27, so I’ve been in the slow and steady side. I’m still on it as I’d like to lose another 10lbs. Side effects are minimal as long as I’m careful and not eat excessive fatty foods (one bad experience at Easter!) No plans to come off it for now, maybe when the tablets become widely available. I’m not skinny but back in my size 14s and I don’t feel disgusted with myself anymore.

I’ve considered it but have decided that I need to figure out why it is that I’ve been eating the way I do and why I use food when I’m not hungry and solve it that way.

I’m working with a qualified nutritionist now who is a weight loss coach and approaches things not from the point of view of the scales but from a lot earlier in the process with resolving what we do what we do. When you solve that, the scales take care of themselves. I’m only at the start of the process but it feels very logical and I feel a lot calmer and am on my way to healing my relationship with food.

Its the best approach for me. Cheaper than WLI and no side effects!

I've lost 4 stone on my own but am really struggling to get the other 3 I want to lose off. Only I'm type 2 diabetic and on medication that I'm really struggling with side effects from. My GP surgery won't prescribe as it hasn't got the funding apparently and my BMI is under the limit for the local weight management team (33). The nurse did advise me not to buy on private prescription and if I'm going to use it, do it through a private GP service locally so I can be monitored carefully and other medication reduced etc. Only it's £350 for an initial consultation/bloods, around £300 per month and then £150 each blood test. I was going to sign up this month but my dogs have cost me £1500 at the vets

I have two stone to lose. I’ve signed up and have Mounjaro in my fridge. I’m motivated to lose weight myself first. I’ve got a sensitive stomach so I’m really very cautious about injecting something that could make me ill.

I’ve told myself that if I can’t do it with diet and exercise, then it’s Mounjaro for me.

I started Orlistat in June 2024.

5'2" and around 12 stone at the starting point.
Looked ok in certain clothes, but realised I was hiding my body in leggings, etc, and couldn't wear dresses without looking like a sack of spuds. Absolutely no one thought I was overweight and I didn't really look it, but I knew I was, and clothes didn't look good.

I started the Orlistat pills, and the weight started falling off after a few weeks. I tried a dress on which I've never been able to wear, and it fit.

By 2025 I was looking slim for the first time in decades. I stood in front of a full length mirror, turned to the side, and my previously fat belly showed no fat at all. I wore swimsuits and dresses on our summer holiday that year.

I'm now around 8.5 stone (I'm not as thin as I was when the weight initially came off but I admit to getting a bit obsessive about weighing myself) and am a size 10 or small. Before the Orlistat, size 12 was a struggle to get into.

BTW I ate healthily and worked out loads before the Orlistat, and never lost a pound. The tablets kickstarted something in me, and they are NOT an easy route as you have to eat really well, counting grammes of fat.

I dithered for months and did my research before taking the plunge.

I lost 3 stone over 7 months taking me to 8 stone 7bs and I've stayed this weight for 6 months by micro dosing.

I won't lie, the side effects were pretty awful when I went up the doses so I never went above 3.75mg but to go from a size 16 to 10/12 has been bloody amazing. To be able to wear smaller clothes especially in this hot weather was worth the pain!

I'm considering. I'd ruled them out a while ago because of the risks of pancreatitis but the recent research around that shows no greater risk than any other methods of weightloss, so WLIs aren't the cause. My BMI is 35 so I'm definitely eligible I figure I could try for a month and see how I get on. I've been on a proper diet for the last six weeks, not breaking it at all, no cheat meals etc, and I lost well in the first 3 weeks but have lost nothing for the last 3. And now my brain is muttering at me that I may as well have crisps and cake if denying myself doesn't work anyway. I assume that's what people mean about food noise.
I'm not active behind daily dog walks, I live rurally and am nowhere near a gym, I'm time poor and I'm menopausal.
I'm really interested in the possibility of reducing inflammation too.
The money aspect is holding me back a bit, and I need to really understand what other risks and side effects there could be. But I am now leaning towards going for it.

It's incredible medication if it works for you. I know someone who's lost four stone with absolutely no side effects, feels great, now taking it every other week instead of weekly to avoid further weight loss.

I know someone else who got violent diarrhea every time they took it, and had to give up as they were so unwell from it.

It's worth a try if you can afford it. But be aware it's strong medication, and realistically you'll probably have to be on it in some way for the rest of your life to maintain weight loss.

If you are nervous about the stomach side effects you could half the usual starting dose.

If you have the 2.5mg quick pen where 60 clicks is a full dose you could take 30 clicks for a half dose - 1.25 mg.

Remember due to the half life of the medicine if you inject weekly the same dose the medicine will get stronger in your body in week 2, week 3 etc. That is why it is recommended to do at least 4 weeks on a dose before moving up.

So even if you are fine in week 1 stay at the same dose for at least 4 weeks.

Same here OP, similar to you in size etc, i can’t drown out the food noise even when i distract myself. I’m tempted with the Wegovy pills when they come out. My stepdad Is on the injections and has had no side effects.

I use an app called lazyfit, lots of different workouts and you can choose the duration and increase when you feel you can.

If you can afford it, do it. I dithered for months and my only regret is that I didn’t start it sooner.

Lost over 5 and 1/2 st. No side effects. I feel and look great.

I have dithered about it for ages, but am afraid of potential side effects. As a PP above mentioned, I also have a very sensitive stomach and am prone to digestive issues, so I don’t want to exacerbate that. But I am overweight, have knee problems which losing significant weight could help with. Does anyone know if you experience digestive problems- constipation or diarrhoea or God forbid a combination of both- do these go away when you stop the medication? My fear is WLI could somehow kickstart ongoing problems that persist even if I stopped them…

I took Mounjaro for 3 months, I lost weight but the side effects were too severe to continue. I put all the weight back on fairly quickly as I was so hungry when I stopped taking it. I’m now heavier than I was, and flabbier, as I lost muscle.

I would still tell people to give it a try, as it does work fairly smoothly for so many people.

I had severe constipation and diarrhoea on Mounjaro. It all went back to normal very quickly when I stopped Mounjaro.

It’s so important to prioritise protein to maintain muscle mass and fibre to avoid constipation. Also loads of water! I’ve stuck to this and it’s working well with minimal side effects.

Thanks very much for that advice.

This!

I've only had side effects of constipation, which is manageable, and when I went up a dose. It's changed my life, not just the weight loss but the improvement in inflammation as I have lipoedema.

Give it a try, as has been said above you can start on a half dose, that's what I did for a month as I was scared of side effects.