To be considering Wegovy as I just can’t eat like a normal person

[Rachelz]

Ok so let me start off by saying I’m 40 years old, I have Autism/adhd and I’m a chronic over eater and have been on and off my whole life. I ballooned to 17 stone a few years back then managed to get down to 12st but have gradually gained a stone back despite going to the gym 3 times a week. I’m not lazy as I work hard at the gym and I don’t stop at work, running around doing the house, looking after dc etc but I clearly have issues with food and I need to start dealing with it as I worry that I’m slowly killing myself.

My main issues are sensory as in I like the taste of all the wrong kind of foods. Don’t get me wrong I do eat healtheir sometimes and will have things like porridge with walnuts and flax/chia seeds for breakfast, poached eggs on whole meal bread with mushrooms, homemade bolognese with spinach etc but my problem is my list of “safe” foods is rather limited, so much so that if there were a choice between eating a meal I didn’t like or going hungry I’d always choose to go hungry so i know it’s just a case of me being greedy. I want to change I want to eat normally so I’m here asking for advice on how to do that and to ask if I’m being unreasonable to consider taking the easy (easier) route of weight loss jabs?

I think everyone likes the taste of the wrong type of foods, that's the purpose of them, they are specifically designed by teams of scientists to be that way.

If I were you I'd go on a bad food detox for a few months, I'd bulk prepare foods that are healthier on your safe list and try to reduce the addiction and strong taste memory of the bad foods and see how that goes. The longer you have between eating bad foods the less pull they have on you.

If you are unsuccessful at this then consider more extreme options like medical intervention, but as there are side effects and long term implications aren't yet known I would do all I could first with other options.

hey op, im considering montjaro i have to admit. My friend has lost 4st on it so far. Im similar to you in eating habits and age and ADHD/Autism. I would see it more as a one time only reset on my weight whilst eating healthy along side the injections. Im actually booked into the gp next week for a health mot appointment and im going to discuss taking this - buying myself (17st 6lbs, 5ft 8inc, age 41f)

I love the different food sensations too, especially crunching, the way whipped food fills your mouth, the feeling of savoury flavourings hitting your tongue, the chewiness of gummy sweets, and I’ve got a bad habit of cycling through those sensations!

Have been on Mounjaro for a month and none of that has completely gone away but my appetite is diminished and I have cut back without feeling like I’m deprived. I’ve just gone up to the next dose, so interesting to see what happens…

Have you tried reading anything on ultra processed foods and why they make you feel that way? Ultra processed people is a good one or staying alive in toxic times

I’ve not read anything specifically but I know the basics and that UPF are bad for you. My kids eat well and I cook from scratch most of the time but the majority of the healthy meals I make for them I couldn’t bare the thought of eating myself.

I think that might be the best way to go @Skyrainlight I already cook from scratch and often in bulk for my kids meals so I know I could do it for myself. I just need to try and come up with enough meals for me for say a week which will be hard as i’m so fussy.

Well I would suggest Mounjaro over Wegovy for a start. What is your bmi if you don’t mind me asking? It would be interesting to see what affect it has on you regarding sensory issues though. Because I too have ASD and am on Mounjaro and all of the stuff that weirds me out, still weirds me out. It has helped me to eat healthier, I really don’t enjoy junk food at all now, definitely reach for fruit over junk.

Even if it's just three meals you can rotate them. Hope it works out for you.

BMI is currently 30. It was lower around 28 but I’ve gained a stone back in six months.

You make food for the children that you won't eat yourself? That's...weird. Why not just make food that all of you like? I love cooking and eating hence why I'm a fat bastard but even I couldn't face making two meals every night. Get a bit creative, and make healthier food that you do want to eat. Kids can eat adventurous food as well.

What's your current BMI? Reputable providers will only provide the injectable drugs to people with a BMI of over 30.

Yeah true. I could definitely do that. My trouble is sugar and evening snacking. I swapped chocolate for grenade Oreo protein bars but I became a bit obsessed with them and one day I ate 4 of them! I thought they were healthier as less sugar but when i looked closer at the label noticed how high in fat and calories they were.

If you've previously lost 5 stone then you can do it. It sounds like you're aware the issue is portion control. For me I can't just eat of bit of the bad stuff so it's easier to cut them put altogether when losing weight. Dunno if you've tried that, like a full detox rather than just cutting down.

Get the jabs if you want them, you're an adult. Stop them if you have bad side effects or anything. It's up to you.

Are you on medication for the ADHD, that would be the right place to start if its coming from that.

I suggest fruit for sugar cravings. Maybe grapes if their texture works for you.

Definitely look into the UPF stuff. Those bars are completely full of stuff you'd not eat. They just make your body crave fats and sugars. You're trying to trick it into thinking you're eating a treat but then it doesn't get all the fats and sugars so you just crave more.

I wouldn’t say it’s weird. I have sensory issues which my kids understand. I wanted to give them the best chance of maintaining a healthy diet so from day one as soon as they were weaned they ate healthy home cooked meals. I was given free reign to pig out on junk when I was a child, rarely got a healthy meal etc, and although I can’t blame my parents for what I put in my mouth now that I’m an adult, the food they fed me as a child definitely had a lasting impact on my overall food choices.

I tried medication for adhd but sadly it didn’t agree with me. It did help quieten down my brain and impulses but I got bad side effects eg migraines, an intolerable dry mouth, itchy skin etc.

I am on Ozempic and have ARFID and various AuDHD sensory issues.

It makes you not so hungry, satisified sooner, less 'all consumed by what you will consume next/later'..

However if you already have a limited range of foods it won't alter that.

I do find it is much harder to over-eat quantity wise, however that was never really the issue for me - more 'eating small amounts of high calorie things' and hyperfocusing on what I could have next/later.

Im on it mainly because it reduces the amount of insulin I need to take to eat a healthy diet, which it has done extremely well (I'm now on a third the amount of insulin compared to when I started), my Blood Glucose is much more stable.

It really does. I was raised on home cooking, fruits, veg, in addition to naughty desserts and takeaway. So as an adult, I still like all of the above! Wish they had cut out the desserts and takeaway…also portion control was terrible. I look back at some childhood photos and I can’t believe the portions!

If you have any sort of history of a restrictive eating disorder then don't follow my advice, but what worked for me was to do fasting.

I used to crave junk food non-stop, felt completely out of control. Eating healthy food would work for a couple of days then I'd binge on junk again. I really had to go cold turkey - not just junk food, but all food.

Did a week long water fast and since then haven't had the same uncontrollable cravings. Sure, I would love some biscuits but I can also say no.

I've read that the bacteria in our guts can be part of the cravings. If we've got too much 'bad' bacteria then it makes us crave more sugar so that it gets fed. https://atlasbiomed.com/blog/are-gut-bacteria-responsible-for-food-cravings/

Maybe the fast reduced the bad bacteria and so my cravings reduced? Who knows, all I know is that it worked for me. Yes, fasting is quite extreme but it is 100% reversible, unlike more extreme options such as weight loss surgery. And if managed correctly, it doesn't come with side effects.

If interested, read Dr Jason Fung's 'Obesity Code' or watch his YouTube videos.

I think it's worth trying healthier eating first, because the side effects of weight loss meds can be pretty bad, and don't necessarily go away. That said if you don't have any success, I wouldn't rule out the injections. I don't know you to know how AuADHD affects you specifically, but there are lots of aspects about both conditions that can be a significant barrier to weight loss and maintenance of weight loss (not ignoring the fact that the latter is already hard for most people, so it's an extra layer on that)

Yes having thought about it a bit more I’ve decided to hang fire and try my best to overhaul my diet first before considering the injections. I know what I need to do I just hope I can do it.

With a BMI of 30 you'd likely only get one or two months of prescription. As soon as you stop the problem would return unless you dramatically change the things you know have contributed to you putting weight on again.

You did amazingly well losing 5 stone without it, you can shift that little extra without it again 💐