Slow losers club! (Ozempic, wegovy, mountjaro etc)

[LeafUsAlone]

There are so many weight loss injection threads, but I thought I'd start this for anyone feeling a bit deflated by their slower than average loses. It can be disheartening to see others losing multiple lbs per week when it is a slower process for some.

isn't the indigestion a nightmare... i have found i can't increase the doses as quickly as required... im stuck between 1mg and 1.7mg... i feel 1 isn't enough and 1.7mg is just way too much for me.

i have bought extra needles off amazon, and i did get a pen by accident (a cock up by boots but i'm saying nothing as this stuff is expensive) and i actually now take a weekly dose of 1.5mg which i find easier.

i'm very sad, i count the clicks of my bonus pen and inject the 1mg and the bonus .5mg on the same day...

hoping that in a couple of weeks my body will happily take the 1.7?

I've too seem to have found my people.

It's been so discouraging reading about all the big losses other people are experiencing.

I was genuinely starting to wonder if something is wrong with me.

39 years old / Week 6
SW: 109.8KG
CW: 106.4KG
GW: 75KG
Size: 20

Loss so far 3.4KG - better than nothing I guess.

My jeans do definitely feel loser and I bought a size 18 dress which just about fits (a tiny bit tight around the boobs).

I still feel hungry between meals and have plenty of food noise going on in my head constantly.

Although now the I'm on the 5mg I do feel a bit more appetite suppressant than before. And I've lost a tiny bit more per week than I did on the 2.5mg, where I was bouncing up and down in the same 2kgs.

TMI but it gives me a bit of dodgy tummy, so I have to take Imodium on days 2 & 3 otherwise I can't leave the house. Sometimes I think what I have lost is more due to that than anything else...

Well here i am, had an early weigh in... i usually weigh Saturdays and then inject on Sundays..

this week i have lost a massive and astounding .4lbs... its not even half a pound!

all those using this drug who are acheiving massive results i'd love to see how they are actually doing it?

Blimey, just weighed myself, I'm a kilo down since last week but that may creep up as I've barely eaten over the last few days from nausea. I started 5mg (MJ) on Monday after a month on 2.5mg.

Total weight loss over 5 weeks is now just under 2kg. Slow and a bit underwhelming, but better than nothing.

Mind you, I was on a video call with my brother last night and he commented that I looked like I'd lost weight, and I noticed this morning that my bingo wings are looking considerably smaller despite no exercise over the past couple of weeks!

So I'm feeling a bit more spurred on now. Best of luck to you all on this thread 😊

I'm tempted to try something else. 7.5mg is killing me, I'm exhausted and so sick and feel like I've spent so much time in bed this week but I haven't lost any weight. I'm maxing out on 800 Cals a day so WHY am I not losing anything? Drs are baffled, I've kept a food diary and it's just so strange. I know people who lose weight when they miss a sodding meal and here I am 9 weeks in and I've lost a few lbs.
Sorry to moan so much but I am very despondent and might just have to accept that I am a fat person and that's ok.

@littlemousebigcheese sorry to hear you're feeling rubbish.

The 3 main things AFAIK that can cause fatigue on MJ are:

• electrolyte imbalance - are you taking electrolytes daily and drinking enough?
• too few carbs - are you eating apples, grapes, things to give you a tiny bit of blood sugar?
• too few calories - sounds like this could be part of it? Is there anything you can keep down to get your calories up to 1200-1500?

FWIW I've been taking electrolytes since I started MJ, plus 2 litres of water and an apple a day. I've not felt fatigued or nauseous at all, and my energy levels have been improving.

If one of those would improve how you feel then they are probably worth trying vs giving up? But we're all different and maybe this just isn't the solution for you.

Hope you feel better soon, whatever you decide.

Oh great advice, thank you. Embarrassingly I'm slipping into bad habits of just necking coke and Pepsi to keep me going which is probably contributing to the exhaustion😐

What electrolytes would you suggest? Not sure how to eat as I'm just so nauseous. I feel like I did in first trimester!

Hi there - can I offer words of encouragement? Please don't lose heart, it sounds like most of you are in the early days.

I would offer, based on what I've read on these threads over the last 14 months:

• Many people lose the first bit of weight quite quickly- willing to bet that some of those with quite dramatic weekly initial losses don't sustain it and plateau. Which they don't post about
• You'll have heard that the initial doses don't necessarily have the full therapeutic effect, it takes 3-4 months to build up to the full dose
• I would worry that some of the people claiming to have lost eg 3 st in 3 months are restricting their food intake so severely that there is simply no way they could sustain it after stopping. It's not healthy. It took me 9 months to lose that much ie about a pound a week
• Some people may not be telling the truth. Just saying.
• Drinking plenty of water really does help. Protein (chicken/turkey slices/eggs/tofu) is your friend

-

@littlemousebigcheese I did experience nausea and it was often because I was actually hungry. Try a small portion of food or eg a few slices of cold whicken or turkey. Better than fizzy drinks.

Lots of posts since I was on yesterday - welcome everyone and thank you for all the sound advice!

My scales showed a gain this morning, but it is totm so to be expected.

I find myself turning to quick foods and drinks as well @littlemousebigcheese especially when Im not fussed by food. I have started craving lighter foods with the acid reflux and general full feeling. I'm considering making a tub of cucumber salad to have in the fridge to make me (hopefully) more inclined to making a proper lunch. I've had a few moments where I've nearly fainted this week, I'm not sure if it's from the lower blood pressure or not eating enough so I'll make sure to eat little bits throughout the day when I can manage them.

Hi @littlemousebigcheese - these are the electrolytes I am using (I've also used Elete drops before too which are also good). Both are pricey but this one is a 3 month supply so averages out at a manageable daily/weekly spend? https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BQCRLMB6

I've also had this protein powder in the house since starting MJ:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B011E7NZDG
If I can't be bothered to have a proper meal I blend up an apple with water in the Nutribullet, add a scoop of protein powder, maybe some cocoa powder and peanut butter. It's yummy and hydrating and 20g of protein just slips down, no bother! Splash of electrolytes in there too for your hydration needs...

I've even done protein lattes, blending my normal cup of milky coffee with a big scoop of protein powder - goes super frothy and delish!

All of this I see as a lifelong change. I want this to be the last diet I ever do. I don't care if it takes a year, 18 months, 2 years... I've spent decades crash dieting and yo-yoing back to starting weight or higher... I've promised myself that this isn't going to be like that.

I want to maintain being a slim and healthy person for the rest of my life. So finding things I like that are nutritious and nourishing is a huge win from that POV too.

@liz4change Love your advice, thank you! I find I'm always in the mood for strips of chicken breast pan-fried or grilled... Wrap them in a lettuce leaf with some cucumber and maybe mozarella salad... Can ALWAYS fancy that meal and it's quick and YUMMY!

Hugs to you all xxx

@LeafUsAlone don't sweat the TOTM gain - my Voy coach said it's an absolutely normal part of being a human woman to gain at that time - we are not robots! It should drop back next week...

My weirdness is that MJ messes with my periods and makes them insane! Pre-MJ I've always been 28 days like clockwork. I was due on the weekend after my first jab - and then it didn't come for 5 weeks!!! I marked my calendar for 28 days after that to see what would happen - and that was 2 weeks ago and still no sign of it... 😭Just feel constantly premenstrual for weeks and weeks!

I'm 44 so it could be peri changes, but the timing is definitely suspicious.

@WoolyMammoth55 thankfully I'm not stressing about the gain this time, whereas last time I felt very low and dejected, like I was somehow failing another weight loss attempt. Its funny how my mindset has shifted!

What a nuisance you're facing such big cycle changes. I had similar after a covid jab and ended up with a month long period - it was awful! I'm about to start taking evening primrose oil for early peri symptoms, if you were looking for something to help with some of the changes (I know you're smart enough but I shall caveat this by saying that everyone should speak to a dr/pharmacist before starting any new medications!!)

i must admit, i do drink lots of fizzy pop.. its always calorie and sugar free, but i do suspect its still not helping.

i have today spent a fortune on a fancy stanley cup, because i cannlt bear luke warm water and i am giving myself the target of drinking 1 full cup of water a day.

so my actual weigh in today, and i have officially lost 1lb this week.. i have realised that although i am in calorie deficit, the calories i am having are not very good ones.

starting monday, i am going to begin a more healthy eating attitude, and instead of the 2 high calorie snack meals i've been having a day, i shall plan 3 low calorie meals and i guess almost force myself to eat them.

i need good habits for when i finally stop these injections as i am determined that this time, the weight is staying off for good

@sentfrmmyiphone I'm definitely focusing on nutrition more now as well. And I love the idea of a stanley cup, I love ice cold water! I need a version I can put in my bag for work so probably not one with a straw though

So just hit my first 10kg loss! (45 left to go 😅) I can't quite work out how many weeks it's been - I think 10 or 11. I'm only weighing once a week and there's been lots of stall weeks, a couple of small gain weeks, and 2 weeks of whooshy big losses.

I think that might be part of the secret with MJ - just keep on keeping on and wit for the scales to catch up with the hormones...?

I've been taking the 'bonus' doses and titrating up a bit slower than the schedule to go easy on myself - work is crazy at the moment and I've got 2 small kids so definitely wanted to avoid major side-effects - and so far it's worked. I've been a teeny bit constipated but mostly side-effect free. This week was my first 7.5 dose after going from 5 to 6 to 7 over the past 3 weeks...

I'm sure it will take me a year or maybe even 18 months to get to goal but this is a marathon not a sprint for me - and I'll take a maintenance dose for ever if they are approved by then... I want to feel this un-bothered about food forever - it's such a miracle!

Massive congratulations @WoolyMammoth55!! That sounds like a fairly steady loss overall, although I know it wasn't steady! It's great you've hardly had any side effects as well. I think that's the sweet spot when you're losing (albeit slower than most) but also otherwise fairly unaffected by the medication!

well done! it always makes me laugh when people say the injections are 'th easy option' because it blooming well isn't

the bit i love about most is the reduction in 'food noise'. i don't spend all day everyday thinking about food.. sometimes now i even forget to eat "ha ha as if that ever happened before".

i think age may have a lot to do with speed and amounts too, i am 57 and just past menipause, and i think the older you get the harder it gets.

How's everyone finding this week?

I seem to be a bit hungrier the last 2 days, but Im going with it and honouring what my body needs. I know it will slow down any losses but Im happy to do it slowly but sustainably. This really is a change for life for me, not one last diet!

Took my second dose of 5mg on Monday, was expecting some nausea and decreased appetite yesterday, but hasn't kicked in yet. Felt exhausted but managed a bit of exercise (I have an under-desk cross trainer which sporadically gets used). Haven't weighed myself yet...

I am on Mounjaro and losing somewhat slowly. I'm on week 8 now and have lost about 16 pounds which I think is alright. My start weight was 242 and I am now 225.5. My heaviest weight was about 255.5 but I did manage to lose about a stone in the 8 months prior to starting mounjaro but it was very up and down. I am 46, perimenopausal and on HRT and I'm 5 foot 5.

I am still only taking the 2.5 dose and eating about 1800 - 2000 calories a day although some days like yesterday I do have less so I had about 1550 yesterday and other days I have a bit more so it works out to about 1800 - 2000 ish over the course of a week.

I am kind of ok with losing weight a bit slower because I've lost weight rapidly in the past and not only did I really suffer mentally and physically with eating too few calories I also ended up with muscle loss and rebound weight gain. So this time my focus is on eating healthy, eating enough to fuel myself and being active every day in some way. I actually think I am losing weight better eating more than I did when I tried to restrict too much. I was the person who would say I could only lose weight if I starved myself and on top of it I used to do these "1000 calorie workouts" I found online, my poor body! No wonder I just gave up on my weight for so long!

I could almost feel cocky enough to stop the Mounjaro and go it alone but I do feel like the medication helped me kick my chocolate and cola binges i.e. I'd easily eat 2 or 3 chocolate bars a day and drink anything from one to 4 or 5 cans of full sugar cola a day as well as just not bother with portion sizes which lead to a lot of overeating without even realising it. I don't have any side effects and I'm on a low dose but it is perhaps possible that cravings would kick back in if I stopped. I'm just going to take each month as it comes.

I also started a free trial of Noom last week, I'm not sure about it but I have lost about 5lbs in the past week and a half I have been using it, I do like gamification of it but even though I have the option of 6 months for £60 it feels kind of expensive.

am having a rough week... hospital procedures have messed with my head, ontop of not feeling too well so i'm being kind to myself. they weighed me at the hospital and it put me as another 1lb lost, but as they are not the same scales as mine at home it doesn't really mean that much.

and i know mentally if i weigh on my scales and don't come out the same i'm gonna be upset with myself so i am allowing myself off this week.. and will see what next week brings

Sorry you're having a hard week @sentfrmmyiphone. You're being sensible not to weigh if you know it might upset you.

@potionofmagic that's a good sustainable loss, well done!

@knackeredcat I like the sound of an under desk cross trainer! I'd quite like a standing desk for when I do all my paperwork, but money and space are an issue atm 😒

just as a bit of an update.. i am having surgery on wednesday and have been advised not to take my injection on sunday as normal... i don't know why this makes me nervous. i am 3lb from my target, but i like having the crutch behind me that takes away the food noise and craving...

wish me luck...