Does anyone mind explaining how they started the process with their weight loss injection?

[incognitolady]

I want to find out how everyone using the injections to lose weight did it, and wanted to hear experiences on how they started.

I am 105kg at 162cm - the heaviest I've ever been, had first DC 15months ago and due a bunch of health issues I couldn't exercise as normal (still can't really). I'm now so heavy it's causing me to have aches and pains. I'm exhausted and have possibly developed PND. I can't even look at myself in the mirror anymore it depresses me so much. I am doing my best to eat well but sometimes with a toddler I find it so hard to maintain a routine. I can't believe I look like what I do. If you saw me, you would never believe that only 4 years ago I ran a half marathon and exercised 4 times a week etc.

I think a weight loss injection could really help me get kick started.

Are those who are using the injections doing it via the NHS or privately? And does it take the GP a lot of persuading or are they happy to help? And to what end do you take the injections?

Any advice greatly appreciated. TIA x

Edit: I do have a bunch of questions like

• how the dosing works if you're doing it without any medical/NHS input.
• do you slowly ramp up the dose? Is it to do with a matter of tolerance or efficacy?
• do you buy the injections in bulk?

It is VERY unlikely that you'll be able to get it through the NHS. I've only heard of this happening in a couple of unicorn cases. The vast majority are getting though an online pharmacy. I got mine from Health Express.

You start on the lowest dose and increase every 4 weeks if you want. It's fine to stay on a lower dose if it's working for you.

Go to the Boots Online Doctor site. It will answer your questions. You are very unlikely to get it on the NHS I'm afraid.

I've lost 24lb in under 10 weeks. I've worked hard at it. Doing the usual things when I diet anyway but this has just meant that it is working this time. I'm less hungry, think about food less, when I fall off the wagon it's harder to binge and easier to get back on plan, it's staggering really. It's costing about £30 a week on average but probably saving that much on food/eating out etc. I'm so so glad I started it. I look at myself in shock in the mirror everyday now.

If you are nervous then it's important to know that in the studies, only about 1 in 20 stopped for that reason. It's a problem for some but certainly the minority.

Unlikely to get it through the NHS.

At the end of May when I started my BMI was 38.2, and it is now 34.4 after 5 weeks.

I'm a massive binge eater, but, for me, Mounjaro takes away the desire to eat junk and makes me feel full after eating a very small volume.

I can't speak for Saxenda or Wegovy but with Mounjaro, you have a month on 2.5 then go up to 5, then a month later 7.5 etc but you only go up if you need to.

Some people get minimal appetite suppression until they get to the full dose of 12.5, others have been dropping a stone in the first week.

I'm with ZAVA - you can just order the 2.5 then order 5 when you need it or you can do a bulk buy of 2.5; 5 and 7.5 to last you 3 months. They send the pen wrapped in a special cool pack and then you pop it in the fridge. I've a 15% discount code if you decide to order -

Use my code and you’ll get 15% off your first order at ZAVA: REFK6MCB
www.zavamed.com/uk/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=refer_a_friend
Maximum discount value: £30

I inject once a week into my stomach - I was so scared at first but didn't feel it (lots of padding ) and having seen my diabetic parent having to inject insulin daily, I knew that if I don't do something about my weight then that would be me too so I may as well do this injection just once a week.

I started on a Wednesday but postponed it a day twice to move to Friday so I get max suppression over the weekend when socialising.

Think I have covered most of what you asked (and a whole lot more) but if you have any more, happy to answer.

@AhBiscuits
Thanks! Will do!

Noted re NHS. Happy to do it privately but wanted to get a temperature check on how possible it might have been via NHS. I will now do some research into how to go about getting it from an online pharmacy.

Oh wow that's incredible, well done! 🤩
Which one are you on if you don't mind me asking?
Are you also exercising?

Thank you! That's all very helpful. My BMI is currently 38 too so it's very exciting to think it could be 34 in a matter of weeks. It would.make all the difference for my mobility too I hope (at the moment I'm struggling a lot with knee, back and hip pain and a huge belly means it also makes it hard to bend).

I had gestational diabetes and had to check my blood sugar several times a day and so I'm feeling confident I can handle the needles.

I didn't realise the effects of it were stronger right after the injection and then it progressively decreased - makes sense though.

Are you also exercising?
Does it make you unwell if you eat unhealthy foods? eg oily diarrhea like Alli.

Thank you also for the discount code. I'm going to do a bit more research into side effects and which has the highest success and biggest effect before making my decision.

I'm on mounjaro via medexpress. Not the cheapest anymore but I have heard changing providers once you are below 30bmi is difficult if not impossible.

Minimal exercise. I do about 20minutes cycling to do school drop off everyday and that's it really.

I’m a fairly recent starter having just done my second week on Mounjaro. I did several weeks of (slightly obsessive!) research before ordering and was so terrified to actually do the first jab that it needed a lot of wine!
To address your questions sequentially:

How does the dosing work? You have to order through a pharmacy which will (should!) ask for your GP details, photo id, a photo, height, weight etc
Pens come loaded with 4 doses which you take once a week (there is enough in the pen to extract a fifth dose should you want it. Loads of info available about this)
The expectation is that you move up a dosage every 4 weeks. Many do, many don’t. Loads of info available on the ‘continuing Mounjaro’ thread about this).
Most of us do not buy in bulk at £120+ pen it’s a monthly thing.
Mounjaro (the only one I have any experience of) does not specifically make you unwell if you eat ‘unhealthy’ food but there are numerous anecdotes around about people feeling awful after too much/oil, carbs etc. Bizarrely, haven’t seen much info about sugar - maybe because this turns off the sugar craving 🤷‍♀️
Like any healthy eating regime, exercise helps, particularly weight bearing to avoid muscle loss.
I would genuinely recommend reading through some of the early ‘continuing Mounjaro’ threads if you have the time, reading the pinned post at the top of the latest one as it is updated with info all the time! and avoiding the FB groups!

I started wegovy about 7 weeks ago and am a stone down. Not really exercising bar the odd walk. I've been using my online pharmacy - started on 0.25mg, went up to 0.5mg and my next one after my last jab this weekend will be the 1mg. It's been amazing. No desire to snack. Small meals genuinely fill me up and it's been super easy. I'm 10lbs off my goal weight so should only be on the jabs for another few months including some time to wean back off. My starting BMI was 31.5 and I'm down to 28.1 now but sticking with it as still in the upper overweight category.

Agree with PP that the 30odd quid a week is offset by takeaways and snacking costs for me so well worth it.

Good luck!

I can't exercise at the minute as I have a broken ankle - and obviously the extra weight I am carrying is not making it any easier.

I have been so lucky that I haven't had any side effects from eating anything, but actually the medicine is so powerful that it has switched off any cravings for fatty foods - we were out at a friends last night and there was the usual mound of crisps / nuts and a few mega bars of choc on the table for people to nibble on and I kept eyeing up the fruit bowl as that was all that I fancied - which is unheard of for me - previously I would have fallen face first into them and inhaled as much as I could as discreetly as I could without hopefully people noticing and thinking I was greedy!

This medicine has been life changing for me as it is the first time I have been able to control my eating. Good luck.

I get mine from the NHS via the diabetic research centre here. I am Type 2 though.

I asked my GP for a referral end of May, sent off my blood sugar readings for a week and they had my latest hba1c and eyetest.

Had an appointment mid June where they weighed and measured me and talked me through it all, hospital pharmacy delivered the pen and I did my first injection last week.

No noticeable side effects apart from nausea all day at work today when they brought out cake. I said no. First time I've ever said no to cake! I also had to skip my lunch as my porridge saw me through until dinner at 1930.

Blood sugar's still high though.

Hi OP, there's lots of good info on this board that should help with your questions, but here's my input:

I think NHS is VERY unlikely, though it's a postcode lottery so worth asking. My starting BMI was 46 and they still turned me down!

Weirdly though I feel quite positive about buying it online - it feels like a good investment in myself and my future health. I'm with Voy, who are very good (obligatory discount code here: https://joinvoy.com/r/U-wW0jC2cWdY - do check them out, they have coaching and medical support which is very helpful and reassuring, especially at the start of your journey!)

The dosing schedule is controlled, you titrate up doses per the prescription you are issued and the medication builds slowly in your system. I've found injecting surprisingly easy - the insulin-type needles are very small and sometimes I barely feel them! It's always very manageable.

I am a sedentary desk-job type and am exercising more since taking MJ - it's helped me with motivation. I've had (touch wood!) no side effects to speak of so far, but I've done split doses to cover the jumps up which I believe has helped - so doing 1.5 doses at the end of a 2.5mg pen to make the 4th dose 3.75, rather than jump straight to 5mg. Anecdotally it's the 'jumps' that people tend to have side-effects with, so I've been trying to smooth them over!

The effect on my eating has been AMAZING - just no desire to snack or eat junk. 100% switched off. I genuinely love living like this and would love to stay on a maintenance dose long-term just so that I never obsess about food ever again - fingers crossed!

Wish you all the best with the journey

What make are you using?

@MadameMassiveSalad

Mounjaro. I tried ozempic previously and psychologically couldn't handle it. I binged and gained weight and it didn't suppress my appetite at all (I was only on it for 3 weeks but it was too damaging to continue.)

Oh wow. That's alarming. Why do you think the other type worked? Are they not basically the same thing?

Can I ask what happens when you get to your desired weight? Do you just stop taking it? Does your appetite return to how it was before?

Mounjaro has an extra active ingredient so is more effective.

For me the difference between the two was certainly going in with a different mind set but certainly MJ started working within hours for me. Not a universal experience but not uncommon. It made all the difference.

Thank you @WoolyMammoth55 for the code.

I am leaning towards Mounjaro after reading these replies and the other threads here.

I do have a few more questions though...
Whether it is worth doing if I wanted to TTC towards the end of 2025?
And if it is inevitable gaining weight after stopping Mounjaro/other similar injections? Especially because if you reduce calories so drastically, might it not impact your rate of metabolism - I had a personal trainer who helped me get rid of a lot of weight but we always kept my calories at 2000. I was really dubious about it but she explained how your metabolism is like a fire that needs to be stoked and you need to keep it burning with lots of calories. Reducing calories will just weaken your metabolism. And of course reducing calories will help you lose weight but at some point it will also destroy your metabolism.

OP I hope you don’t mind me asking a question

the long threads are overwhelming

@IReallyNeedThisToWork why have you mentioned avoiding the Facebook groups please?

@EmeraldRoulette I will temper my comment slightly by saying that they can be very supportive and have numerous members who have good advice. However, there are also numerous people in there who are living on meal replacement shakes and the information provided is not always the best. If you have done your research and are a critical reader, you’ll be ok but for a new starter who hasn’t yet done much reading, I think it’s safer to avoid.

posted twice due to wifi!

Hi OP,

Hmmmm, ok, these questions are toughies... With TTC I would say that you should most likely try to speak to a medically trained person to get info on this before you decide - even if just your GP? MJ is a hormonal medication and anecdotally it does mess with your cycles. There's a warning in the information leaflet that you have to use barrier contraception if you're on hormonal birth control, because MJ can make the pill ineffective. A few ladies have dropped off threads here since I started with unexpected pregnancies! But for me (age 44 and finished having kids) it's slowed my cycle right down... I'm normally 28 days like clockwork but it's been double that since the first jab. I've also heard that others have had breakthrough bleeds after months/years of no periods. It's powerful stuff so in your shoes I'd want to feel confident I'd done as much research as possible... The flip side is that obviously being at a healthy BMI would most likely support you TTC and having a healthy pregnancy - so there's a definite potential upside too.

Metabolic rate is also interesting. I had mine measured once by a private nutritionist I was spending £XXXX on (just another crazy-expensive failed attempt to be thinner!) and she said my basal MR was the lowest she'd ever seen. I suspect it was the underactive thyroid which wasn't diagnosed yet at that point. But basically I lose SLOOOOOWLY... MJ certainly makes you eat less but for me it's just less obsessive, bingey eating. It's not that I can't keep food down! So I don't think that you'd have to cut your calories drastically, especially if you were upping the exercise? My experience is that MJ is about preventing cravings and emotional/compulsive eating, not preventing eating per se! Again, I'd say do your research and decide what calories you want to aim for - the point is that sticking to your plan will be loads easier on MJ than if you were having to use willpower alone.

In terms of re-gaining the weight, that's a risk with every diet, right? Weight Watchers, keto, even after bariatric surgery some people regain... The stats on MJ look promising compared to most of those but essentially the question is - are you going to behave like you did before when you stop? E.g. I was very sedentary and a binge-eater (with an underlying slow metabolism) - therefore I was very fat. Part of my MJ journey is building habits of movement, time for walks, daily strength exercising, AND better food choices. If I stick to those long-term - with or without a maintenance dose of MJ, I'm undecided on that yet - then I won't be fat. No one can promise you that the weight will definitely stay off (or if they did they'd be lying!) but for me I know my motivation for this to be "the thing that finally works forever" is very high, and I'm hoping that will carry me through.

Again, a lot of this is thanks to the Voy coaching, which is all about mindset and setting you up for long-term success... So another reason to go with them if you ask me :)

Wish you all the best whatever you decide!

Thanks so much for such a detailed response. That's really helpful. I too would really like it to be the thing that finally works forever. However I am very aware DC needs a sibling and I am loathe to delay or jeopardise that in any way and what you've said re cycles is a bit worrying. I've made an appointment with my GP so I can discuss further. Will relay back here just in case anyone has similar concerns