Continuing Mounjaro...part 7

[ObsidianTree]

Please note: Mounjaro can only be taken if your BMI is above 30.

Pointers for newbies:

1 - For taking your first dose you need to twist the pen a lot to get to 1! The instructions say prime each time you take a dose, but actually Eli Lilly have confirmed you only need to prime for the first ever use of a pen. (The video posted says every use, but this isn't true!)

2 - When injecting, hold down the button until the number goes back to 0. Once at 0, keep holding down the button and count to 5 with the needle still in so no medication is lost!

3 - Your first dose may not have an immediate effect. For some people the effects build slowly. It could take 3 or 4 days to notice anything, it could take a few weeks. Some people don't feel the meds working until they get to 5mg. See titration chart which shows how the medication builds up in your system. Also below you can plot the effect of your doses.
https://glp1plotter.com/

4 - 2.5mg isn't a therapeutic dose, meaning you aren’t meant to lose on 2.5mg. You need to start on 2.5mg to get your body used to the drug and gradually introduce it into your system and get used to any side effects.

5 - Not everyone loses a lot in the first few weeks. Don't feel discouraged if you don't lose a lot initially. Again, you might need a higher dose to start losing. Also, inches can be lost without anything showing on the scales. Start your journey by taking measurements and check them as you go along.

6 - If you do lose a lot in the first few weeks, please don't assume you will continue losing at this rate. The first few weeks it is usually water weight that is lost, after than a good weight loss is about 2lbs a week. Some weeks you might not lose anything, but this is ok too…again, taking measurements might show inches lost instead.

7 - Constipation, coldness, nausea, diarrhea, headaches, aches, are side effects. There may be be other side effects also. Read info here :

www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/15481/pil#about-medicine

8 - Once you take your first dose you can choose to keep your pen in the fridge or somewhere else. It's up to you.

9 - Don't reuse any needles as this could risk infection. If you damage a needle or one isn't working, you can buy a pack of about 100 spares. https://www.chemist-4-u.com/carepoint-pen-needles-31g-4mm-pack-of-100?gclid=Cj0KCQjwiYOxBhC5ARIsAIvdH51rLZBVFQxuvS7mDJooegtK8BMiyT0PwREMRHhH_1atfQIo8TEbsmkaAkA0EALw_wcB

10 - Protein is important as eating less protein can cause muscle wastage and hair loss. Try to have at least 100g a day.

11 - Some natural sources of protein:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/best-sources-protein
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321522#high-protein-foods

12 - You can use supplements, some that people use are magnesium(for sleep and constipation), protein(to reduce muscle wastage), collagen (skin elasticity), aloe vera(for constipation), electrolytes.

13 - Drink lota of water. Water helps with the weight loss. Drink at least 2ltrs a day. Preferably 3ltrs.

14 - Don't be afraid to feel hungry. It is entirely normal and healthy to feel hungry. Just eat something. Treat it as an opportunity to start good habits around hunger. Eat a nice balanced snack or a meal if it's a meal time. It's ok.

15 - Does it makes any difference where you inject? yes it does! Drugs get absorbed at different rates depending on injection site

In order of fastest absorption, it goes:
• Tummy
• Arms
• Thighs
further reading about injection sites and the effects: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/316618

16 - Abdominal side-effects are much easier to control with smaller meals. For example, having 4 small meals in the day vs 2 big meals can have an improvement in nausea and burps.

17 - You can track your calories / protein on apps such as My fitnessPal, Carb Manager or Nutracheck. Nutracheck is quite useful and easy to find foods /build recipes.

18 - Some of the places you can order from are:

• MedExpress 2.5mg and 5mg. £149.99. 7.5mg £169. Use code STARTNOW. Ask for other codes if that doesn't work.
• The Family Chemist 2.5mg and 5mg -£149. 7.5mg £169.
• Simple online pharmacy - £159 2.5mg £179 5mg
• Bolt pharmacy 2.5mg £125, 5mg £179. 7.5mg £189
• Asda 2.5mg and 5mg £184. 7.5mg £189
• Boots £219 +
• Chemist4U £179 +
• Superdrugs

19 - If you want to switch suppliers, make sure you have pics of your Mounjaro box with your name and dose. This will come in useful when other suppliers ask for evidence.

1st thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5007744-mourjano-starting-soon?page=1

2nd thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5028495-continuing-murnjaropart-2?page=1

3rd thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5037623-continuing-mounjaropart-3?page=1

4th thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5044316-continuing-mounjaropart-4?page=1

5th thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5048290-continuing-mounjaropart-5?page=1

6th thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5057916-continuing-mounjaropart-6?page=1

Thread for newbies just starting out:

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weight_loss_chat/5057475-mounjaro-and-wegovy-newbies-april-2024

Thank you! I already have the 5mg sat in the fridge untouched, I ordered it on 11/04. I’ll wait another week or so then will order the 7.5mg. I don’t want to leave it too long between ordering as they might think that I’ve missed the dose and make me start at 2.5 again. Do you know what the latest I could leave it would be please? I imagine it would be 3-4 weeks?

Completed my fourth week at 5mg. Eight weeks done in total.

SW 125 KG
CW 114.6 KG

It's slowed. But am glad to have dropped a bit after two weeks of being similar. Still proud of the NSV. Sticking with 5mg for another four weeks. Hope to see more progress.

How are we all feeling?

So after a great weekend, I gave in to a 'binge' of something that I don't even like that much. I couldn't eat tons like I would have done in the past but have definitely messed up my deficit by quite a bit. My injection is due tomorrow and that's why I was able eat past the mj restriction.
Now I'm sitting here trying to make myself look at why I just did it. I did fancy something sweet and I didn't have much in the house. I need to address that issue as it pops up regularly when not on meds. Now I feel very uncomfortable and nauseous. Ah bollocks.

Don’t beat yourself up, it’s a learning process. You’ll have to work out what triggered the binge. Have a few smallish, sweet things around for when you fancy. My go to’s are
tea sweetened with a nice sugar free syrup
Options hot choc
skinny whip bars
half a high protein bar
fresh pineapple or mango chunks - no more than 100g
Find what works for you

Thanks @Moanranger I really should have a few bits to hand but haven't felt the need lately because of mj. Onwards and downwards. I know I'll bloat for a few days, I always do these days.

Oh that's good to know, thanks. I've got a few friends who started with other places so I'll let them know.

I believe Med Express allow you 6 weeks before you have to start again, as someone on here had difficulty ordering at 6 weeks and 2 days.

@NaturalBlondeYeahRight Don’t beat yourself up too much. We have all been there and it’s wanting to scratch an itch. I know I get hyper focused when I’m like that and I have to scratch it. It is one day of a lifetime.

One day of a lifetime is a good way to look at it!

It is inspiring to see other people's losses, especially when they're after a stall as it's a good reminder that you just need to keep on at it. I think a lot of us are hoping that this will be a quick fix but, actually, most of us are going to have to put some work into it too.
I am very glad that I am weighing in tomorrow as it is only that thought that is stopping me from murdering one of my family members and eating them. I am so hungry! I haven't had much appetite suppressant other than on day two but, now that I am back at full scale ravenous hunger, I realise that it has been more manageable than usual. Safe to say, the dose has now completely worn off and the beast of hunger seems to have been unleashed by going for a run a few hours ago.
Weekends are often my downfall but I feel that this weekend has been OK. A cardio class yesterday and Friday and a run today; a gin & tonic on each of Friday and Saturday but just the one on each occasion; lots of real protein rather than shakes etc so no upfs; one slice of homemade cake yesterday after having spent several hours gardening.
I'm about to go to bed as I am hoping that, if I fall asleep, I can stop being hungry. I have drunk so much water and herbal teas in the last couple of hours that I think I'll be up constantly in the night as I'll need to wee!

Thanks for confirming it's not normal -

I don’t usually drink fizzy drinks just had a can of fizzy Coke Zero and it’s really not agreed with me, feel uncomfortably full. Just sharing in case anyone is struggling with side effects and is drinking fizzy drinks it might be worth trying without.

I don’t drink fizzy drinks except sparkling water which I had yesterday and was fine with. I only drink tea, coffee, water and high juice squash which have been fine. However had a glass of Rocks squash which is sugar rather than sweetener and I felt sick

Don't keep your potatoes in the fridge! The starch turns to sugar and then they don't cook properly.

I dunno. The fact you're doing something to improve conditions for the future takes imagination. Every time anyone thinks of a future that's better in some way, that's imagination. It's not existing in the present for you, so you're conjuring it up as an idea, a possibility. The doing something towards it is even better but it takes imagination in the first place.

Same here, and same difficulty to get an appointment. I thought, if they're really interested I might actually get to speak to them easily for once!

DH made risotto yesterday, and I'm fully aware it's made with butter and cheese. I could only manage a very small amount anyway, but omg. It really didn't agree with me! I had the most awful wind all night! Gale force burps.
So the list of things I cannot eat on MJ are:

Sausage rolls
Pastry
Risotto

Oh

I’ve always kept them in the fridge and never had an issue.

Weigh in day & week one loss is 2lbs down. I'm a daily weigher so know that this means my weightloss continued over the weekend which is a relief. For years I was stuck in a cycle of losing 1lb M-F and re-gaining it over the weekend.
Despite the raging hunger last night and the amount I'd drunk, I slept well, Just off to cook breakfast and need to make sure I don't do a raging hunger/post weigh in "celebratory" breakfast!

This may just be a me thing, but is anyone else having really vivid dreams? his weekend I was dreaming about horrible arguments with my late parents. I had a quick google and couldn't see it listed as a side effect but wanted to check here in case.

Does anyone know if you inject in different sites, whether that can help side effects ?

I know at the beginning of this post, there's talk about how quickly it absorbs. So would that also mean that you'd get fewer side effects if you inject in places it absorbs slower ?

I've had a journey with Wegovy and gave up because I did have quite bad side effects. I always injected into my stomach. Some weeks it would be fine and other weeks I would feel unwell for a couple of days and then just as hungry as always, so what was the point.

I only went up to 0.5 in any case. Trying to stick it out with Mounjaro.

I've done one 2.5 in the upper arm and haven't had side effects ( aside from body aches ).

Morning all.

I'm feeling demotivated today, it's weigh in day one week after my first 5mg dose and I've worked my arse off harder than ever before to try and get out of the 12 stone bracket.

I've been intermittent fasting, drinking 2-3L of water, a minimum of 10k steps (with highs of 20,000 some days), very active and avoided eating any crap at all.

Less than half a pound lost. Self pitying perhaps but I've had a bit of a cry.

I don't understand it. It cannot be possible to work as hard as I have and not see that reflected in atleast 1.5 - 2lbs.

It was only three or four days ago I was on here gushing about how it felt like I was back in the zone like when I first started 2.5 and the weight fell off, so I couldn't wait for weighing day as I was certain I'll have a good loss.

Gutted.

Voy told me the code discount only applies to 2.5mg dose.

@BlackFriYay try not to be despondent. Even with MJ you can have this situation, the only difference is, you'll have more willpower to carry on this week and maybe see a woosh soon.

Our bodies do all sorts of tricks to stop weightloss be a linear journey.

On an earlier thread there was a great image posted that showed, when dieting, over time a fat cell swaps fat for water, and it's not until the cell is 100% water, that the body releases it. A 1b of fat will weigh the same as a 1lb of water.

It's such a slog isn't it 😞💐

Have you thought about weighing daily? I have been and I was really wary of it at first but I've found it's taken the "buildup" out of having any expectations of a weekly check in. And I've been able to sometimes link things like if my dinner was a bit on the salty side I'll be expecting some water retention and so on.

With all those steps and activity maybe your body is hanging onto some water to help your muscles?

And all those healthy habits you're building, it'll show soon enough.