Mounjaro / Wegovy with > 5st / 30kg to lose

[VelociraptorsVelociRapping]

I know, yet another Mounjaro / Wegovy thread, but I wondered if anyone else with a lot to lose would be interested in a safe space to chat. The other threads (both the long-runner and the newbies) are great but I can’t believe how relatively little some people have to lose. I know it’s all relative, and two stone can be a lot of extra weight on a small frame, and it’s great that they are doing something for their health before they end up in the same position as me… but in my more ungenerous moments I think about what a dream it would be to be ‘only’ two stone overweight, and wonder how many posters I will see come and go while I plod along.

So, if any of that resonates and you don’t think I’m an utter cow for having these thoughts, come and chat! I will start. I don’t feel comfortable sharing my current weight but am happy to say that my starting BMI is over 40 and I have 7.5 stone / 47 kg to lose. I’m very tall but there’s no kidding myself that my current situation isn't very unhealthy indeed.

I’m halfway through my second week on 2.5mg Mounjaro and so far I have lost 8lb. I have not really had many side effects apart from occasional loose stools, but I am also not experiencing the significant appetite suppression that others describe. Right now I am finding MJ a useful tool to take the edge off while I count calories and keep an eye on my macros to keep my protein intake up. A very welcome effect is that it has completely removed any desire to drink alcohol, which is helpful as a fondness for wine is part of how I got so fat in the first place. Nevertheless I am looking forward to moving up to 5mg and hopefully experiencing more appetite suppression.

Anyone else?

The last 2ws have brought slower losses for me.
Im strangely ok about it though . Still positive I couldn't of done this without MJ.
They are still losses. Trusting the process.
Acknowledging and enjoying the NSVs.

Just had my 10th injection, so 9 weeks in and 10.4kgs down.
My BMI at start was 41.8, BMI now 37.9.

Im staying on 5mgs for another few weeks but need to order a 7.5mg pen .
I think I'll try to switch supplier to save a few quid... any suggestions of where to go? Can I order more than one pen at a time from anywhere does anyone know?

Well done to all the long haulers! We are marathoners not sprinters!

@WoolyMammoth55 your post a few days ago really resonated with me! I feel the same about enjoying the journey and eating healthily and accepting where I am now without beating myself up.

First day I've had that awful eggy taste in my mouth that some people talk about. I ate too much yesterday so maybe that's why? Certainly eating as little as possible today! Then 2nd injection tomorrow.

Thanks for the reminder @omega4ever I've gone back and reread @Lavendersquare and @WoolyMammoth55 posts. A good reminder. I suppose I had it in my head that this was a miracle cure and Id be visibly different by the end of the summer - but actually it's probably better for me that it is slower. And by also not counting calories, Im hoping to never have to do that again. So my losses might be -very- slow, but hopefully it will work better for me this way in the long run

Keep trucking along everyone, even if it's slow the weight is coming off. I think all the press coverage makes it easy to forget this isn't a quick and easy fix, with weight dropping off in a month to turn us all into size 8s.

Having said that, I am hugely celebrating today. I'm in double figures! 1.4kg off this week taking me to 99.8kg. I'm so pleased! I've had mini goals along the way, but this was my first big goal. 20.2kg down in 15 weeks.

Newbie checking in here, for support and accountability.

I’m 5’3” and 235lbs. BMI of 41.6. I stepped on the scales today for the first time in years, expecting to be maybe 15 stone and feeling awful at the prospect. I wasn’t prepared and I feel sick and shocked.

Ten years ago I was 125lbs and a size 10. Now I’m a 22. I just can’t believe I’ve let myself get this way and I feel completely hopeless, like any loss is unachievable. I sometimes eat healthier and exercise for a few weeks and lose a few pounds, but always slide back into old habits and get bigger and bigger.

I don’t eat a lot of takeaways or junk food, but I do drink far too much wine and live a very sedentary lifestyle due to joint and back pain, plus mild agoraphobia. Is there a chance Mounjaro will help with the wine cravings? I’m in tears and don’t know what to do, but I can’t go on like this. I’m in my 40s and know it’s only going to get harder to lose weight. Can anyone offer me some hope?

Oh bless you. I was a bottle of wine a day (plus extra at weekends) type of girl and yes, from the first jab and for 6 weeks on, I've stopped drinking. I've had a couple of G&Ts since but wasnt really fussed, more to be sociable... It wasn't planned or expected, but all cravings have gone and I've lost 20 lbs. Can't explain it, except impact on dopamine and research is beginning to support use for range of addictions.
Give it a go!

@NewoIkkin I didn't drink much before but I now drink nothing on the medication. Partly lack of desire, partly it makes me feel a bit sick if I do. I would definitely recommend trying to use the excuse of the medication to stop completely. Alcohol is such empty calories.

I think our culture at the moment is so booze focused, it's all treated as a big joke with wine o'clock and memes about drinking. When actually it's doing a lot of harm to people. I probably sound quite po faced saying that, but I've had a lot of friends who realised their drinking was a problem and have stopped. And the way they've explained how our jokey attitude to drinking made it ok for them to really drink to excess got me thinking about it. And then you start seeing it everywhere!

I was over 18 stone when I started on the medication and it felt impossible to me to ever lose enough weight my myself. Now I'm 15 weeks in and a bit over 3 stone lighter. It's amazing!

Huge congrats @KeepingUndercover.
Thats a great achievement, you must feel amazing.

I love hearing these updates .

Keep going everyone.

@NewoIkkin a fondness for wine was a huge part of how I gained much of my weight and MJ has completely removed the desire to drink. It feels miraculous. It has helped create the space for me to set better habits which I hope will stick once I eventually come off MJ. Good luck!

This is what I’m praying for to be honest. I can do time-restricted eating, limit carbs, moderate exercise quite easily, but I am just in so stuck in the habit of polishing off a bottle of wine at the end of the day that nothing else I do matters.

I'm down 1lb this week. Disappointing, but it's that time of the month so I'm accepting hormones might be to blame.

17lbs to lose by the end of September to meet my first big goal, so still on track for that if I can get 1-2lbs a week going forward.

A few more questions for those who’ve been doing this a while:

1. I see electrolytes mentioned a lot. Are they necessary? Which type do people use? There are so many on Amazon with huge variations in price etc and I’m a bit overwhelmed.
2. Same question re collagen!
3. Meal replacement shakes - are these good/worthwhile? Do you buy them or make your own? I’ve tried so many diets but never one with shakes because I just can’t fathom how you can not be hungry on them, but I’ve seen a lot of people recommend them for Mounjaro because they include vitamins etc.
4. Has anyone done a VLCD (800 a day) on Mounjaro? How did that go?
5. I don’t really overeat because of hunger. I overeat because of boredom, pleasure, and sensory-seeking (I’m ND). Is Mounjaro likely to help me at all?

Thank you all. I’m feeling nervous but thinking about taking the plunge.

@NewoIkkin I'm a lot like you in regard to eating because of boredom or simply craving the dopamine hit that comes from food. But I do find that Mounjaro takes away the desire to eat. Not in that I'm physically unable to or I feel rotten and don't want to, just that I don't have the desire. When I lost my sense of taste/smell with Covid, my brain stopped fancying food at all. It's a similar feeling with Mounjaro- my body just doesn't get itself excited about food. I still enjoy it when I eat it, but it's easier to say no to the idea of it or leave some of it on the plate and I don't actively seek it out.

Regarding boredom, it's mixed. Before, if anything didn't take up 100% of my attention span then my mind would wander to food and start the cravings for snacks. Whereas now, as long as I'm not literally sitting around doing nothing at all, my mind doesn't go there. If I am sitting there doing nothing, the temptation does eventually creep in. But it takes longer to show up (so I spend a smaller portion of the day fighting it or giving in) and I'm satisfied with a smaller portion of whatever I boredom eat.

@ClonedSquare I think I need to get some sugar-free gum, or start chewing on cinnamon sticks like I did when I was much younger. My go-to snacks are mostly “healthy” things like pumpkin or sunflower seeds, but I eat soooo many of them. I just need to keep my mouth occupied!

@NewoIkkin I'm ND too (suspected) - some answers:

1. Electrolytes - they're good for preventing dehydration and nasty headachey/ light-headed side-effects that you can get if you end up eating/choose to eat fewer carbs. Also good for muscle aches I think. I got these ones but they're much of a muchness AFAIK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BQCRLMB6/
2. Collagen was recommended to me as a protein source and for preventing loose skin - I'm actually losing slowly but have some in the cupbard anyway! Again I can't recommend from a place of expertise but this is the one I have, tastes fine in smoothies: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FP2MSJP/
3. Shakes - I'm battle-scarred from doing MR shake diets before, so I don't personally go there. I buy this protein powder: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B011E7NZDG and blend it up with half water half milk, an apple, handful of blueberries and some cacao powder - collagen and electrolytes optional! It's very filling and a relatively "whole foods" way to get your protein, some fruit, and some hydration. But each to their own!
4. I personally don't count calories on MJ, trying to build healthier vibes towards food so don't want to weigh/ log/ count stuff - just eat small(er) portions of healthy food and check in with myself about how I'm feeling. But again this is personal choice. (Although 800 sounds super low though, probably not what medics would recommend...?)
5. Eating not from hunger - this is very resonant for me. I self-soothe with food. I just did a career pivot in my mid-40s with 2 young kids into a demanding new field that is super alien to me (because we are in a ton of Covid-related credit card debt that someone has to pay down ASAP). I was logging off the computer, eating a big evening meal, getting the kids to bed and then sitting on the sofa with Netflix on bingeing on whatever was in sight - multi-packs of crisps, leftover dinner, kids lunchbox treats - you name it! From a morbidly obese starting point, I'd gained 2 stone since December... First jab of MJ switched it off. Completely gone. I started 9 weeks ago and have eaten two small packet of crisps in that whole time - just didn't fancy them much. Lettuce tastes amazing though, and I eat it daily! It's such a weird miracle drug...

Hope that helps. Any questions, feel free to DM.

Every week I underestimate how quickly I get full the days after my injection, end up drinking a huge bottle of water right before dinner and then can't eat anything. When will I learn?! 🤦‍♀️

@NewoIkkin some people are having protein shakes to keep their protein intake up. I have a Huel shake during the day (half for breakfast and half in the afternoon). It does fill me up and is an easy protein boost.

I’ve had a good first week with no side effects and 3lb loss, I realise that’s mostly water but it’s encouraging. I don’t know if some of it is a placebo effect as I’ve read 2.5 is not enough to make a difference. I’m struggling to eat enough protein, averaging 50g so I may have to eat more nuts/dairy.
I’m wondering what BMI the pharmacies stop prescribing at if they say you should lose 20% over 36 weeks

@Countrygirl222 On any day with moderate to high suppression I find that it's impossible for me to eat my target of 90-100g of protein. I know many people try to avoid them but I use protein shakes / clear protein and the protein mousses and puddings from Aldi to boost my protein intake.

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Much more simple than I expected.

@VelociraptorsVelociRapping I find the same so always have a clear whey protein drink in the evening to boost it.

I haven't found any protein puddings I like - they're all vile, but I do like the strawberry mousse from Aldi. Been weeks since they had any in stock but I found them the other day and bought 8. Had one last night and they were just unbelievably sweet. I ended up giving half to my DP and putting some squirty cream in my half to cover the taste up a bit 😧.

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Ladies, I haven't read the last posts, but seeing that you are talking protein, one of my meals is cottage cheese with a scoop of salted caramel flavoured protein powder. For low fat cottage cheese it's 400kcal altogether and 50 grams of protein. A winner, and I like the taste too.

If it makes you feel better I'm a doctor and my hand shook the first time I injected it into myself 🤣

You soon get used to it.

I've got loads to lose too - about 5 stone as I'm mega short. About halfway through on 5mg and struggling to eat and have bad headaches all the time, plus a dry mouth, but it's better than last week (first dose of 5mg). Have lost about 10lb so far on mounjaro. Can't remember the last time I lost so much so I'm happy.

Hi All

Almost 20 weeks in for me, am in my 5th week of a stall, prior to that I'd lost 9kg from a starting weight of 98kg.
My body is definitely starting to look different even if I've not lost any more kilos. My tummy had a slight jiggly lower 'pouch' following baby 3 (separation of muscles in last pregnancy meant everything stretched much more than it did in previously pregnancies) - now it's more of an apron. I'm not loving it to be honest, am OK about the saggy deflated balloon look and my umbilical hernia caused by the muscle separation is never going to be pretty (have had physio, gap smaller than it was but still remains ), but I can completely understand the desire to save for a tummy tuck after significant fat loss. My mum had one after she had the same issue with muscle separation carrying twins, healed great and she is rocking a bikini in her 70s, but I know it's a big op with considerable recovery so will have to see how I feel after I've lost another 25kg.

I do feel a bit sad about it, silly I know as I'm much happier having started shifting the weight and I'd rather have a less than lovely tummy on a smaller body than be heavier. Am definitely going to need to invest in shape wear to keep it all tucked in. Boobs are pointing further south too (am busty but had already lost all volume in the top after 3 pregnancies and breastfeeding).
I was worried about loose skin before I started this journey, but can confirm the weightloss has been totally worth the price so far, deflated balloon look and all.