Food Intake - Mounjaro

[frecklejuice]

Hi all, I was wondering if seeing if anyone would mind sharing what you eat during the day on Mounjaro?

I'm just a bit worried that I'm only on week 2 and have absolutely zero appetite. I mange to force down a protein shake in the mornings and then nothing until 2ish where I've just had some mango and melon fingers which I've not been able to finish.

This is all great and obviously is going to help with the weight loss but is it safe to be eating this little? I was reading an article about a woman who ended up with ketoacidosis and I've scared myself 😂

Would love to hear what others eat.

Usually a coffee that is 50% milk (skimmed) for breakfast and possibly 1 x Oatabix with fruit.
I always have lunch (although today it was at 14:00) that will either be oats made with skimmed milk and fruit or a protein based meal of eggs, tuna, prawns, mackerel, crab or chicken with salad and possibly a slice of oat bread.
I usually have an apple as a snack around 5
Then I make dinner which will be fish or lean meat protein and steamed veg with a very small portion of carbs. I look at my protein intake and if I need a boost I will have half a Arla yoghurt with some fruit.

I am never hungry after 40+ years of always wanting to eat so it is all very strange and new. I could easily skip meals but that is not the outcome I want from starting this journey so I make myself eat even if it is only a small portion.

As a comparison pre starting my breakfast would be 2 slices of toast and marmalade, at lunch it would have been a least 1 round of white bread sandwiches with butter and cheese or some other calorific filling, crisps, something sweet such as a cake or chocolate bar. Then I would have tea and biscuits mid afternoon before a large dinner and desert with a couple of alcoholic drinks.

My provider has health coaching included so you speak with a nutritionist every 2 weeks or so. My pre-MJ diet was:
B: Yoghurt, berries and granola or toast, PB and banana
L: Homemade soup, bread and butter
T: Something home cooked like chicken curry and rice, spag bol, salmon, potatoes and veg, etc. with a small pudding, cake, etc
Nothing in particularly large portions and often topped up with a biscuit or snack here and there
I was told I should aim for around 100g protein a day and more fibre. Increase protein to fill up more at mealtimes so reduce snacks and try to have at least 12 hours between last food one day and first food the next.
She insisted I must make myself eat and stay hydrated even if not hungry.

I'm not managing brilliantly as I've just had a 2 week holiday and we eat out a lot but I'm trying and hoping to build those good habits in so, when I do stop the medication, they'll be entrenched.

As someone older, who has done every diet and treatment going, I suspect relying on the appetite suppression and not eating for weight loss will be the way people will yo-yo so please listen to my voice of experience and build good habits!

Totally get it, I’m struggling too. Most days I eat dinner. That’s it. I try and force myself to have a protein juice first thing but it’s variable if it happens.

I’m having to force myself to eat a lot of the time, but am managing. Normal day is something like a big spoonful of Greek yogurt with blueberries for breakfast, tuna salad for lunch and chicken stir fry for dinner.

Breakfast is something protein-y - either a protein breakfast bar or breakfast drink or eggs/beans/turkey bacon (and coffee).

Lunch is some kinda homemade meat and veg usually. Chicken and broccoli, or mexican beef stew with lots of veg in it. Sometimes carbs like pasta or bread with lunch, but not often.

I often cannot even consider eating dinner in the evening. Still full from lunch! So I'll have some clear whey protein in my water or some sliced chicken or something from the fridge.

Breakfast is fruit with protein yoghurt
Lunch soup and bread
Dinner is a small portion of whatever I make for the family.
You still need to eat. The aim is to build a sustainable routine.

This is an interesting thread as I’ve been wondering why people on weight loss meds are “forcing” themselves to eat if not hungry. So it seems that is the medical advice when being prescribed the meds?

I’ve just been approved for Mounjaro (not on NHS) and can’t wait to start. I’ve been reading all the threads, desperate to join in. I did wonder why fasting, if not hungry, isn’t (or doesn’t seem to be) encouraged.

@Ballyguin a risk with these meds or anything that makes you lose a lot of weight fairly rapidly (inc Bariatric surgery) is sarcopenia as you get older. This is loss of muscle mass. You need to keep up your protein consumption and add resistance exercise to preserve a healthy percentage of muscle. Consequently, it is better to make healthy choices than not eat. It’s different to people with a normal appetite fasting because they will be balancing their intake between fasting and non fasting periods. On these meds you could have a low appetite for weeks or months.

Thanks for explaining @ChazsBrilliantAttitude. I’m planning to do more weights and sticking to proteins and veg, with some complex carbs. Judging by threads the desire for wine, chocolate and crisps will massively reduce, if not disappear (crosses fingers)…

Is anyone finding that it curbs alcohol cravings too?

@Whoknowswhatanymore Definitely curbing my wine urges!

However, I just cannot get anywhere near the daily protein target, even with a protein shake thrown in. I dont eat meat, but even with lots of eggs and cottage cheese, I am probably 30% below most days. Is everyone else finding it easy enough to get 100g a day??

What do you weigh? Eating very little won't do you any harm at all if you're obese. I'm sure the effects will even out and you'll start eating more. Just make sure what you eat is good stuff. Ditch the protein shake and eat some real protein. Fruit is ok but it's fructose so the energy isn't readily available to use by your body. Choose vegetables instead of fruit. Dip in some humous or eat with some cheese.

Why are you trying to eat 100g of protein? You should be aiming for 0.75g per kilo of weight. For a 90kg woman (14 stone ish) you should aim for 67g. https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/protein#:~:text=How%20much%20protein%20do%20I,nuts%20or%20tofu%20per%20day.

In the early weeks my attitude was based on having so much to lose that I’d hardly waste away. I never forced myself to eat. I also upped my water consumption majorly adding electrolytes. I eventually got into a rhythm and was able to get to my calories in. I am keto so focused on protein going a little easier on fat. I have stayed quite bland so chicken salad, salmon and veg, pork and salad, etc.

100g of protein is a lot. If you weigh 20 stone, it's about right. https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/protein#:~:text=How%20much%20protein%20do%20I,nuts%20or%20tofu%20per%20day.

@DracoDormiensNumquamTittilandum A Nuffield Health personal trainer gave me this calculator to use to work out my protein needs. https://www.jamessmithacademy.com/macro-calculator/ According to that, I need 160g a day! That is totally uterly unrealistic so settled on 100g as a compreomise. Not that I can get there either.

I have a banana mid morning, some nuts in the afternoon and my proper dinner same as the family, so pasta, curry, fajitas etc. if I get hungry at t lunch time I normally have a chicken salad

this is useful

https://www.cnet.com/health/nutrition/the-ultimate-visual-guide-to-protein-how-much-you-need-to-eat-each-day/

I tend to have a yogurt or scrambled eggs for breakfast. Then 200g chicken breast with salad for lunch. Dinner is a normal meal (60g portion of rice/pasta with sauce or meat with salad/chips). During the day I snack on fruit, yoghurt or occasionally a fun size portion of chocolate. Generally keeping under 1200 calories a day and aiming for 80-100g protein.

On the first day or two after each jab, my appetite is very suppressed so I usually only manage lunch, one snack and half my dinner.

@DracoDormiensNumquamTittilandum I know 100 seems a lot but it is a figure that is widely used. A few years back I did some work with bariatric patients and they were being told to aim for 100g a day post-op.
I am on the larger side anyway but reckon as a post-menopausal and not very active soul I need to aim high in the attempt to conserve a muscle or two!

I find it's the evenings when my appetite is at its lowest. When I can't face a full meal i'll have oatcakes and humous and sometimes a high protein yoghurt.

I am really not sure where the 100g protein has come from. Your body can't store more protein than it can use. Consuming more protein than you can actually use is pointless. https://www.livestrong.com/article/413631-does-the-body-store-protein/

This was already answered earlier in the thread, if you read it fully. When losing weight quickly (by any means, not just injections), you need significant additional protein to make sure it's not muscle you're losing as opposed to fat.

It’s from research like this.
“Regarding nutrition, professional nutrition and obesity societies recommend moderate dietary energy restriction and a protein intake of 1.0 g per kilogram of body mass per day while dieting to prevent or improve medical complications associated with obesity.12 Higher total dietary protein intakes (1.2–1.5 g/kg/d) are reported to preserve lean mass and improve body composition during weight loss in young, middle-aged, and older adults when compared with normal protein intakes (0.8 g/kg/d).”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4892287/