To go to Slimming World whilst taking Mounjaro

[moosmum21]

I recently got a cost of living increase at work and I'm thinking of investing it into losing weight and getting fit because I'm very overweight and miserable about it.

I plan to use weight loss injections, but I don't want to come off the weight loss injections without making lifestyle changes so I am thinking of attending Slimming World classes as well. My only concern is I know there are awards for "Slimmer of the Week/month" and taking part in them whilst using weight loss medication seems unfair to those who aren't able to afford a private prescription.

At the same time I don't really want to have to tell anybody I'm on injections either.

AIBU to go to Slimming World and not tell anyone that I have pharmacological help with my weight loss?

I don’t think it’s a bad idea- you do need to have some way to ensure you eat healthy.
I don’t see it as cheating.

Im on weight loss jags though and I couldn’t do any of the diet clubs as I’m so nauseous all the time my diet is pretty awful. So maybe wait and see how it affects you. I’m in month 5 and I’ve lost 20lbs. I feel horrid a lot of the time.

Weight Watchers have jumped on the bandwagon so Slimming World maybe have too.

Definitely agree, wait till you know how it will affect you. Generally you don't want to eat hardly ever so you won't really be thinking about food. I do agree though that once you go on them it feels impossible to come off them as you just go back to old habits and feel hungry again. If anything I felt hungrier than ever and put a lot back on. I see the logic but it might just be better to join SW once you've finished injections to keep it up.

Do what's right for you. Put yourself first. If that combo is going to get results then do it!

Have you seen the side effects?

It’s an opportunity to learn how to eat well. Slimming World will not teach you that. Save your money. Mounjaro is worth every penny!

I'm currently taking Mounjaro and you really don't need slimming world. Their over reliance on carbs isn't great. You need to eat a high protein and low carb diet. From experience SW relies heavily on 'you can eat a full bowl of pasta, it's free!' and ultra high processed 'fakeaways' and hi-life bars.
Spend your money on a gym membership instead.

Are all of these weight loss injections not primary for diabetes? I keep seeing them advertised but are they safe to take if you’re not diabetic?

Slimming world will help you to lose weight , you don’t need any pills/injections

They are the same drug but under 2 different names

eg Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss
Mounjaro/Zepbound

OP I am planning on doing the same. The drugs are not a magic bullet just a tool

no they don’t once you stop dieting you put the weight back on.

you have to change your mind set to food for life to lose weight

plus the side effects to these drugs are horrible.

Side effects of being obese aren’t amazing either :/

I haven’t taken WL meds yet but I am planning to. Once you have got obese it is complex and from what I know from people who have already taken these meds is that they stop cravings and help make healthier choices. As with any meds they can have side effects but living with obesity and the risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes isn’t great either.

As others have said you won't need sw but yanbu you attend while taking Mounjaro, all it does is give you willpower and make it easy not to over eat, you can still follow the sw diet the same as the other members.

I've lost 53lbs since November on Wegovy and I no longer crave sugar or junk food, when I plan my meals I'm drawn to healthy foods and have no desire to snack in between.
It took a few weeks to get my head around not constantly thinking about food but it's normal now.

It would be extremely unfair to accept a slimmer of the week award while knowing you’re using to help you. Very discouraging to members following the plan who won’t be able to achieve the weight loss that you will. Plus the potential for the consultant to use you as some sort of example of the loss that could be achieved on SW. One of the worst things about them is the huge promises they make about how you’ll lose weight really fast. None of that is your fault of course. Maybe say that you don’t want any awards or attention in the meetings.

ive done sw several times and o don’t think it works long term though - had better results with calorie counting

OP hasn’t asked for advice on whether to take it. I’m on Mounjaro with no side effects.

@moosmum21 I’d say if you want to that’s fine. I was going to do exactly that but found that the meds actually made it easy for me to make good food choices anyway. I lost 18lb in my first four weeks and it’s now settled down to 1-2 lbs per week. It hasn’t made me crash diet or lose massive amounts each week, but 1lb a week is a lot in a year. There’s a great Mounjaro thread on MN that covers everything about side effects and how to mitigate. Good luck!

Getting help with sorting your eating out is a great idea, not sure that WW or SW is the way to do it though. Personally I find they mess with my head, and teach you very restrictive eating, which leads to bingeing.

Slimming world and other similar diet clubs promote very disordered eating habits. If you want to change your mindset you're better off spending the money on a therapist to tackle why you eat the way you do and learn techniques for managing your eating better.

As for the moral issue, no I don't think it would be fair to accept slimming awards.

I agree about WW and SW. I did WW 10 years ago and although I did lose the weight I am at this point heavier than I have ever been. I’m hypothyroid and suspect doing the WW has mucked up my thyroid even more.

theres no evidence of medium to long term effects. Baffles me anyone would risk taking them. OP, you need lifelong sustainable changes, not some drug that messes up your body

No side effects that you can observe now. You have no idea what’ll happen in 10 years

WW are now doing a programme for people who are taking GLP-1 medications - Wegovy, Mounjaro etc. I don’t know how it differs to their normal programme. WW have definitely seen the writing on the wall when it comes to these medications and I think have also bought a company in the US who prescribes/sells them.

I don’t think it’s a bad idea per se. I never found SW great and there is a big focus on carbs which you need to reduce anyway. With WL meds you need to concentrate on protein and fibre. Maybe look at the WW one.

Which is the same for any new drug presumably?

people actually have brains in their head and can work this out for themselves. You’ve fallen into the trap of thinking that dealing with chronic obesity can be dealt with in the same way as someone wanting to lose a stone or 2, and that just because someone is obese they don’t have any brains.

This is a medical treatment to help treat chronic obesity. Yes it might cause side effects in 10 years but equally someone might have a heart attack or stroke in that time if they don’t deal with their obesity.

people actually have brains in their head and can work this out for themselves.

Most people don't even bother to read the information leaflet provided, let alone read up on the emerging and severe side-effects not yet listed on it.

Aside from the ropey syns system, SW does give you that target and accountability each week which is a good thing. You could always pay lip service to syns, do your thing and just go for the weigh in and the camaraderie.

Slimmer of the week-wise? Well hopefully you'll be as successful as you're assuming! The reality is that they'll be a few people there and unless you're losing half a stone a week or something, you're unlikely to win it week after week. Even if you don, isn't it just an A3 certificate and a little clap? Its not like a speedboat or a fortnight in the Caribbean. But if it really bothers you, and good on you for you ethical way of thinking, you could always have a quiet word with the group leader and request that they leave you out of the slimmer of the week stuff.