Do the injections work if you binge eat because you are miserable rather than hungry?

[Greaterwaterparsnip]

Just that. I read that they suppress hunger but what if you are an emotional eater?

For me, yes, because the idea of bingeing or eating sugary carbs is nauseating to me on Mounjaro and I couldn't physically do it.

The problem is that the emotions don't go away, and now that I have lost my numbing self-soothing strategy, I have found it challenging to have to actually experience the feelings instead - it feels very uncomfortable in the moment.

I have a running commentary in my head about food, and mounjaro has quietened that chat. So you know when you just fancy something even though you aren't hungry? I no longer have that, its really weird as I never expected that, but its working well for me so far

What about alcohol, especially wine? Does it cut down cravings for that? I see a lot of posters on MN wish they could cut down or stop.

It hasn’t for me, if I’m honest. I am fuller after eating less and a lot less hungry overall, but it hasn’t stopped the “I wonder what’s in the fridge?”, “I’ve had a rough day so I fancy some chocolate” type thoughts.

It does give you another incentive not to go through with them, because it costs a fortune! But the thought is still there.

Miserable is an overstatement for me, but I've always binged through boredom or occasionally because I'm sad/stressed. Mounjaro does help with that because it even when I'm really wanting to binge, nothing in particular takes my fancy. I'll be like "oh, I'd like to curl up with some food", but when no individual things take my fancy to obsess over, I just don't do it or eat far less.

It also physically makes you unable to binge as much. So on the occasions when I do give in, I literally can't eat as much. My stomach feels fuller faster and for longer.

As an emotional eater who obsesses over what snacks they will be having with a glass of wine this thread has me invested. I’ve seen other threads here but not researched it. Are there many side effects with mounjaro? I love my wine and much and chill out time but I hate how I look. I probably just need will power but I don’t have it!

It definitely helps with emotional eating but for long term benefits you need to tackle the root cause of the emotional eating otherwise ALL the weight (and more) will pile straight back on afterwards.

Im a boredom eater and tackling boring work tasks is hell a without a pack of m&ms

I’m on wegovy and am snacking less. The trouble is, if you are an emotional eater, you will lose weight on the jabs and then probably put it all back on again. You can’t be on them for years and years.

Yes, it definitely helped, because you simply don’t want to eat. You don’t fancy it. You stop constantly thinking what’s for my next meal? It’s amazing.

This is exactly what I was wondering. I binge eat crap all the time when I'm not hungry. I don't know if it's emotional eating as such, as I don't just eat when I'm sad/upset/angry. I just have this urge to eat! And eat and eat!

Hasn’t helped me but it hasn’t curbed my hunger. Maybe by 5%. 🤷‍♀️. I can still eat a pizza or chocolate no problem and I don’t feel sick. I’m on 7.5mg so will go up to 10mg and see if that helps. I knew I’d be immune to it! 😫

Yes. You won’t have the same desire to eat and if you try to overeat, you’ll probably throw up or at least be very nauseous.

My experience on Ozempic.

As others have said, it will probably help in the short-term, it will take the edge off the fierceness of your hunger. If you do snack/start to binge, it will become unenjoyable very fast.

If you don't couple that with behaviour change, understanding, perhaps therapy though, I don't think it would work as you could undo the weight loss in probably a month or two.

I've done pretty well on it but I'm good at maintaining my weight, my issue is being a bit too old and not mobile enough for weight loss, but I eat balanced and reasonably healthily anyway, so I just sit on a maintenance eating plan if not on it.

If you don't have that 'off' button, you need support to find it- I expect people will start offering therapy/interventions for weight loss injections with other therapies too or you could create your own by finding them yourself. It is a great drug but it isn't going to fix all your eating problems on an ongoing basis (unless you stay on it long term which is an unknown at present).

Yes. I could do several bottles a week no problem. In six weeks I’ve had two G&Ts at a party. I wasn’t really arsed about those either.

You might find you're not actually and emotional eater after all. Thats what happened to me

It’s interesting that people either seem to have no appetite and no cravings at all; or aren’t really impacted.

I wish I’d seen that before I bought!

Thank you, @TerfTalking, that is really interesting.The difference that could make to people's health and quality of life is potentially immense.

On Ozempic 2 smallish drinks in one night make me feel like I drank 6 bottles the next day. It probably wouldn’t put an alcoholic off - I know some people who continue to drink heavily and just deal with the consequences, but everyone reacts differently. Big meals now make me feel really nauseous so they’re also off the table.

Any side effects for those that are on it. It seems to good to be true? I want to take it but often get health anxiety.

How do you get this?

I haven’t had any side effects on wegovy except fatigue. I get it from Superdrug pharmacy

Yes - it does work. I am an emotional eater. Percy pics / chocolate biscuits when stressed doing paper work. A large glass of wine and crisps when I walk through the door tired and stressed.

I have been taking mounjaro for three months and not really interested in booze . A small glass of white wine seems enough when I drink in company. I eat something carby / fatty and just have enough after a small amount or after going up a dose am repulsed by the thought/ smell of it.

This drug has given me the brain of a thin person . It’s really odd. I’m hoping that I will have been off junk food and booze for long enough to break the habit.

Injections wil never ever work for those with an eating disorder or who eat their emotions for fairly obvious reasons….injections aren’t a long term solution so unless you sort your emotional state out by getting some therapy you will always binge again and put the weight on again.

Thanks everyone. Useful insights.

Yes it has stopped all the cravings for me, actually that is not strictly true - it has stopped me craving junk, and when I think about what I want to eat, it tends to be protein / fruit / fibre - that is all that I want to eat - but - I don't want to overeat or binge, I only want to eat when I am hungry.

Towards jab day I can feel myself getting slightly more hungry, but I still retain some willpower to make better food choices / no desire to binge.

The side effects for me have been indigestion, heart burn and constipation and feeling chilly quite often - everyone else will be in a t-shirt but I often need a jumper.

I would normally inject today but am going to a festival over the weekend so am pushing it back to Sunday night just in case (I am increasing the dose), my appetite is still suppressed, but I have felt hungry a bit earlier in the day than previous days (the half life of the drug is, I'm told, 5 days).

I spent a couple of months thinking about taking it before I took the plunge and I wish I had done it sooner- I am over 2 stone down in 2 months with no effort on my part.

As is customary on these threads I will offer up my discount code - anyone considering it who wants to try - I have a 15% code for Zava - REFK6MCB