Mounjaro people, advice please

[OrangeKettle]

Posting for traffic.

Just been asked if I’m pregnant. Partner is against Mounjaro because of potential side effects and luckily tells me I’m perfect. But I’m not. I’m 4 stone overweight. I was trying to lose weight by walking, cutting down crap etc. but being perimenopausal isn’t helping.

I am surrounded by success stories of mounjaro.

I think I’m going to do it. I’d rather not tell partner. I do feel ashamed. Will I be able eat “normally” in terms of meals, when I’ll be with him?

Wow you must be a super responder!!
I started at 15 and a half stone and am now 11 stone 11 too! Snap!
Difference being I was 15.7 in May 2024 and it has taken me until November 2025 to reach 11.11 using MJ.

Nice to see a thread in AIBU about MJ that hasn’t yet descended into full blown “eat less,move more” perhaps the tide is finally turning as the wider world starts to realise just how life changing this stuff is.

OP this time last year I was also 4 stone heavier and had all sorts of perimenopausal issues. I’d never suffered with obesity before, occasional times of being overweight only, but I got to my 40s and it crept on a stone or so a year despite doing all the same things.

After yet another January of losing a stone or so by eating less and moving more, I regained it again by April 2025. I started MJ in April, and I’m now 4 stone lighter and feel like I did in my early 30s again. I would say within 3 months I looked and felt like myself it didn’t take long.The inflammation and aches and pains went almost immediately - in a couple of weeks. I’ve also stayed on the lowest doses the whole time which means less side effects and also cheaper.

To answer your question I think that it will be quite obvious to DH, especially after discussing it. You cannot eat the same. Portions become a lot smaller and it’s essential you make them count - lots of protein and nutrition not just less of the same crap. I also wouldn’t have done it without DH being aware just in case as he knows my full medical history and also as we have shared family money. My DH was initially curious as didn’t know much about it but is now an advocate for it too as sees that it’s brought the old me back and made me so much happier.

follow the advice to go to the WLI boards and find the November/December starters when you do - it’s incredibly helpful to have a group of people alongside you at the same stage, also browse the older threads - so much information on there about the whole process. I hardly used mumsnet until the last 7 months now I am here every day chatting to my group. Learn to make it work for you.

finally - don’t wait until after Christmas - my only regret is not starting sooner but I’m so glad I did. Hope to see you back here in 6 months also 4 stone lighter and happier.

It is changing my life (for the better) but like you, at first I wasn’t sure. I debated it for quite a few months and then I saw a friend I’d not seen in ages and she looked fab, having lost 3 stone (and maintaining). I’m now 2.5stone down and have about another 2 stone to go. Even though I’m only halfway, all my shame and desire to hide away under baggy clothes has gone. I run up and down the stairs, I don’t huff and puff and desperately try to hang on to a firm surface if I need to get off the floor AND I’ve started really enjoying clothes shopping again.

As others have said, you do need to alter your food intake and how you think though.

On the few occasions I’ve strayed and eaten too much greasy food, oh my, I’ve paid for it with nausea and burps. But my day to day diet now is quite good. I have three medium-sized meals a day, built around protein so typically something like eggs with mushrooms for breakfast, tuna salad sandwich on Wholemeal for lunch and then dinner is a portion of whatever I fancy (could be roast chicken, fish, meatballs with sauce etc) but with veg on the side.

I can’t eat that much and on a normal day, eat around 1000 - 1100 cals. I’m short though so my TDEE is low. I’m very rarely hungry and I just don’t think about food. If I do, I drink lots of water with no sugar cordial (or lemon juice) and it soon passes. I also take collagen supplements and laxido most days for constipation.

At the beginning (4 months ago), I had horrible heart burn so I never left the house without Rennies but that’s settled down now.

Everyone is different but I think if you view it as a weight loss tool rather than some kind of magic solution and also, commit to changing how you eat and how you think about food, you could do really well.

If it were me, I’d honestly tell my partner. I think in general, if your relationship is good, life is better if you don’t have secrets from your partner. He might be against them because he’s read a lot of nonsense online (there is a lot of stupid stuff out there) but if you read the science of how they work, it actually makes a lot of sense.

While yes, ‘eat less, move more’ sounds really simple, the reality is, it’s NOT that simple and most of us have spent a big chunk of our adult life losing and re-gaining the same few stone for the simple reason that living in a calorie deficit constantly is a very tough way to live. There’s increasing amounts of research around GLP-1 and hunger hormones too, indicating that some people genetically find it much, much harder than others. Anyway, you’ve got nothing to lose from trying!

OP when you say he's against it, what does that actually mean in practice? Because if he's just vaguely read some concern trolling on Facebook but would be receptive to being educated on the issue, that's quite different to having the sort of attitude that would contribute to you feeling ashamed. However in your later posts it sounds like the shame might come from within yourself.

In terms of what it'll do, hard to say. Some people get a lot more suppression than others, some people get a lot more side effects than others. The only way to know is to try.

I did go on a very strict eating plan - meal replacement actually. But I was just so unhappy. I gained a lot of weight in both my pregnancies and both times after having the baby lost quite a lot, although not as much with dc2 (the only way to get dc1 to nap was long walks and it was lockdown!) But after going back to work gained it all back. I feel so much better - I bet you do too!

I didnt tell my DH for a few months, I wanted to try it without his scrutiny and comments. After a few months he asked if I'd had a secret gastric band 😂 Go for it if you want, it's up to you. He'll soon change his tune once the weight starts falling off.

He probably needs a higher dose

I think hiding taking mounjaro perpetuates the shame around WLI because it presents a false narrative of all these people who are successfully, quickly and easily losing weight apparently without the need for WLI, which whilst possible is rare.

As well as losing 3 stone in 20 weeks on a very low dose of mounjaro, in the first 3 months my cholesterol dropped at a rate that would be expected to take 6-9 months with statins. Would anyone be expected to feel shame for taking statins?!

Take the mounjaro and own your decision to take positive steps to improve your health.

When I started on Mounjaro, DH was against it as he has health anxiety and was worried about side effects and potential long term effects.

10 months later and I'm 4 stone lighter and it's genuinely changed my life. Even without the weight loss, my whole attitude to food is so different now and for me, the WLIs were worth that alone.

DH is now a huge Mounjaro advocate and is actively trying to convince his mate (morbidly obese and has been offered the jabs by his GP) to get on the medication asap.

I'm at goal weight now and in maintenance but still taking a "micro dose" weekly. Probably equivalent to about a third of the lowest, 2.5mg dose. I expect to need to do this long term/forever but I'm ok with that because Mounjaro has also decreased my migraine frequency and intensity and helped with my AuDHD symptoms.

I told my husband as we do have a really open relationship in that way but also because I have had health issues in the past and if something went wrong I wanted him to know, just in case. But like everything to do with WLIs it is a personal decision for you to make. I can tell you it is one of the best decisions I ever made, to start MJ, and he is very happy that its helped me so much. Like some other posters, at the start I was afraid to tell others because people can be so judgmental about it but frankly now because of how much it has helped me I couldn't care less who knows!! I am having to transition to Wegovy in a few weeks due to cost, had cost not been an issue I would be staying on MJ. Good luck! 😊

It’s your life - I’ve lost 3 stones and have more to go. You can announce you’re on a diet and hide the pen.

I’ve had no side effects other than constipation. But reading the threads, I’m in the minority.

I can eat anything without side effects but I physically have no interest in eating a lot of junk food or snacks I previously loved. I often get full very quickly.

Had I not told my husband I think he would be concerned something was wrong by my sudden reduction in appetite.

If you don’t tell your partner there is a risk they’ll see it in your fridge etc. It’s your body and your decision and personally I would be honest with them. If they don’t approve, that’s ok but they need to accept it’s your decision.

TBH he probably needs to eat less chips.

Thats one thing that I can't get away with on MJ- if they're fried- anything with oil tbh. Got terrible stomach upset the two times I had a few from hubby's meal.

Don’t be ashamed, just do it, you will not regret it.

I thought it was the other way around - it can be kept out of the fridge until you start using it? I always keep mine in the fridge.

You might find that you can eat normally. I can still eat large portions and I haven’t found anything that gives me side effects so far. I have lost 3.5 stones in six months, but it’s largely due to eating very healthy (still large) portions and using lots of willpower too. But I could easily eat chips etc without a problem. I’m on 10mg at the moment, so not a particularly low dose. Each time I go up a dose I wonder if it will kick in, but nothing so far. It does help silence the food noise a bit though.

No, @3flyingducksarriveis correct. It should be kept cold at all times until first dose taken then if it is going to be used within the recommended 30 days it can be kept anywhere as long as doesn’t freeze or exceed 30C. This is in the instructions.

however many of us just keep it in the fridge after first use too - in many cases as we are sub-dosing and using the pens for longer than the guidelines for a variety of reasons (cost so using smaller doses from higher strength pens or long term maintenance using micro doses).

Have all these people actually signed up for a gym though? No, didn't think so. Ofcourse it's effortless to inject something that cuts your appetite and lose weight. But by exercicing you get the weight loss+ the health benefits. But yes, it takes an effort.

Op, 80 percent of people have no side effects. And if you were dieting would you be eating normally? Or would you change your eating habits for the diet?

I do think some of the side effects are down to what people consume, eat a clean, low fat, low carb, low sugar diet. Lots of proteins, meat, fish, seafood, eggs, and vegetables, salad, ensure you eat 1g of protein per 1kg of body weight, to lose fat and not muscle, drink 3 litres of water a day,

I’ve been on about 18 months, maintaining for the last 7 or so, on a low 5mg dose, I feel fantastic and never had any side effects, other than mild nausea when I moved to 5mg,

however I’d address your partners ignorance with him, and there is nothing to be ashamed of in gaining weight, people can see you, they know you’re overweight or obese. Consider your partner doesn’t want you to lose the weight as he’s worried you might leave him then, or other men find you more attractive. If he was a good guy he’d want you to be healthy and support you.

OP I have stayed on 5mg, haven’t told anyone as they won’t understand it / I don’t want to go in to details - I run, I eat healthy (cooked from scratch) food, I’ve got several marathons under my belt but every few years I get to obese before going back down to ‘fighting weight’. I have zero impulse control with food, even though I don’t start eating until after 4pm, if there’s nothing in the house and I get the urge I’ll go on a crazy cook-a-thon to make something. I do not do takeaway or greasy food or beige food.

Food noise is a terrible thing to get control of.

I keep mine in a paper bag and zip lock in the back of the top shelf of the fridge - kids think it’s my teeth whitening stuff. I had some side effects but they settled after about 4 weeks I think. I didn’t jump straight from 2.5 to 5mg, I eased up gently by counting clicks on the pen. I kind of wish I’d stayed on 2.5mg for longer as it worked with controlling the food noise. Don’t get pushed to increasing the dose if you don’t need it. I think I have to stay on it long term as I always lose control of the food noise eventually. I view it in the same way as some people need to take statins or other long term health medication. It’s bloody amazing. For me it’s purely about controlling the food noise. Although I’ve recently been told I’m ‘classic’ for women’s adhd so I’m going to investigate that. Maybe that explains my lack of impulse control, who knows.

Anyway - I think there are many valid reasons to tell the people around you or not. Society is very opinionated and not shy about telling us why we are right or wrong to chose our path.

You make the decision that’s best for you.

Joining a gym doesn’t = weight loss, though.

I’ve been a member of a gym since last January. I’ve managed to go about eight times. I just can’t fit it in, and even if I could it wouldn’t enable me to stay on a diet the way the WLI do. Joining a gym is really not some sort of magic solution.

No, obviously you would need to go regularly for it to work😅

Of course. People only get overweight because they are lazy and stupid. 🙄

Don’t even engage with debate with people like @arcticpandas. They’re uneducated about the causes or the medical science around obesity and embarrass themselves by showing it.