Continuing Mounjaro...part 19

[ObsidianTree]

Pointers for newbies:

Please note: Mounjaro will only be be prescribed initially if your BMI is above 30. If you have additional health conditions you can get the medication with a BMI 27. (Prediabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or heart problems)

Mumsnet does not allow promo codes. Please do not post any. If you want one, ask and someone will PM you a code or there are now threads on the promo page that have codes for Mounjaro link below:

Promo codes :
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/promo-codes-bargains

Trying something new this thread. Wallywobbles kindly made a site to hold all info including pointers for newbies, links to past threads, recipe ideas and other useful things. Have a look newbies and oldies 😊 (thanks Wallywobbles :) )

Site with all the info :
https://wattnext.notion.site/e880d9342b7a4bab94c244b34e0e5841?v=cc1edc3f1c2b41dab3011c8d9063df0a

You need to plan your eating and try to eat regularly even if you don't have the urge to eat. Eat little and often, prioritise protein and drink plenty of fluids
If you are unable to manage that more days than not it may be worth stepping back a dose if you are above 2.5mg and sticking on that dose until the suppression has eased off, food noise returned or weight loss slowed.
Not eating enough may give weight loss initially but is not sustainable. Good luck!

I ordered on Saturday, it arrived today. Four days including the Sunday

I'm not a fast loser but I've lost 29 lbs since the beginning of March. I had a bit of a lightbulb moment this week. I had a few days away with a rucksack and due to the places I need to travel between being 1.7-2 miles apart I decided I would walk everywhere. I walked about 14 miles over three days and about 5 miles of this was carrying my full rucksack, 2 miles was with a big bag of shopping up a very steep hill and the rest was various items being carried or just me.

The last walk of 1.7 miles with my full rucksack was quite tiring after the previous days' exertion. When I got home last night I weighed my rucksack. It was only 16lbs. I was carrying round 29lbs ALL THE TIME at the start of the year. Amazing to think that is nearly two of those bags.

I feel so much freer and more energetic now. I made a promise to myself that i cannot ever go back to constantly carrying that around. It was a challenge to walk with the weight in a rucksack - it's called rucking - but it is no way to live. If you think you haven't lost much, fill a bag with the weight you have lost and wear it for a day.

@SnacklessWonder that is great advice from @QueenOfHiraeth. The only thing I would add is that if it is just for 1 day of the 7 that is less of an issue than if it's constant all week. If you can eat 7 * 1200 calories over the course of a week then you could probably stay on that dose.

If you are not able to eat enough calories over a 7 day period then the dose is having too much of an effect on you and you should drop-down a little.

@MassiveSaladDodger Sadly no, I do still get side effects in the form of sulphur burps, exhaustion and the runs. I also have decent suppression and can easily stick to IF 16 hours a day, then having a very small lunch and dinner.

I started off really well, then over the last two months have slowed right down. I think my issue is hormonal; I have PCOS and it seems to mess with my ability to process calories. I was tiny until puberty, and my best ever weight loss has been during pregnancy, when my PCOS symptoms disappear. I went into pregnancy with DD1 at 14 stone and was 12 stone the day after she was born! With DD2 it was almost exactly the same.

I might take @QueenOfHiraeth’s suggestion and take a break for a week or two…though this is slightly nerve wracking as that would mean me restarting MJ right as schools go back. Rushing off to the loo every 15 minutes is not entirely practical with a class of 10 year olds 😬

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-diary-of-a-ceo-with-steven-bartlett/id1291423644?i=1000661109842

this is well worth a listen and mentions the benefits to lots of medical issues. It also mentions that taking a break can be beneficial in the long term so hormone receptors don’t lose sensitivity.

@QueenOfHiraeth @Choux Thanks. I'm only on Week 1 of 2.5mg 😫 I probably just need to get into a better pattern of eating. For example, I rarely eat before 12 anyway but I could introduce a small breakfast I guess. Managed 90g of protein yesterday and drinking tons of water.

I took the jab Thursday so there's a chance I might eat more over the next few days.

Hi, everyone. Apologies for interrupting the conversation! I've been reading and lurking for a few weeks. I've lost 12kg on MJ over 3 months. I dread people asking me how I lost weight! My weight loss is now noticeable, and some people I work with are very direct and will go on and on about it. I have been on leave for 5 weeks, so I've not seen my colleagues for a while, but I will do next week.

My question at last: how do you deal with probing questions or comments about your weight loss? I don't want to tell the world about me being on MJ!!

I’ve only had one person mention my weight loss so far, but I have thought about what I’d say if people started noticing (one of the benefits of slow and steady is that my weight loss isn’t really noticeable).

with the person who mentioned it I just said “thanks, I’ve been trying”. If anyone goes on to ask how I did it I’m just going to say I’ve been eating less (true) and moving more (fib).

I’ve not told anyone, even my DH, that I’m on MJ.

When anyone comments on my weight loss, which is now very obvious, I tell them that I’ve stopped eating processed foods, sugar, ‘white’ carbs and takeaways. Also that I’m eating realistic portions of food.

This is actually the honest truth, so aside from the MJ part, I don’t feel like I’m being dishonest (too much!)

If you tell your work colleagues that you’re eating less, as many PPs have said, then that’s all you need to say.

Good luck!

@Greyrockin love the ‘moving more’ fib - made me smile!!!

Actually, I’m hoping that by the time it gets noticeable it won’t be a fib!

if anyone is really interested and worried about their own weight I may tell the truth about MJ, but at work I’m surrounded by people who are all slim and I have a hunch that they would judge me for using medication to lose weight.

I'm sorry if this has been covered already, but have you tried cutting back your dose a little so you can eat a little more? Perhaps two small meals isn't enough for you.

I don't think it's necessary to fib, just say you're watching what you eat. A friend tells everyone she is losing weight due to cutting back alcohol (a lot of truth in that!).

Remember it's not actually MJ that causes the weightloss, it's the reduced calorie intake. You're still doing the work, it's not cheating!

@SnacklessWonder if it's week 1 of 2.5mg then I might be inclined to try another 2.5mg this week on time and see how that goes. Unless you have been getting unpleasant side effects as well as strong suppression? I find the first week of each dose has a strong effect and then my body gets more used to it in the following few weeks. On my first week on 2.5mg I thought I would never need to move up to higher doses as the effects were so good but now I'm on 12.5mg.

@Nothavingfunrightnow I don't intend to tell many people about Mounjaro. My response if asked what I have been doing to lose weight is 'I have been doing as much as I can to reduce portion sizes, eat more nutritious food and move a bit more'. The reference to 'doing as much as I can' is in case I want to tell them about Mounjaro in the future.

If anyone presses further I say 'well I have been doing it since March so it hasn't been an overnight thing. It's probably these new trousers that now make it more obvious'

Injection day for me today again. Decided to stick with 3.75mg again for the third week of my 2nd pen as the side effects last week were much better. Just one episode of loose stools on Friday and one on Saturday. No pain.

Definitely not ready for 5mg, though have ordered another 5mg pen. I'm still getting good suppression (even yesterday) so don't need to increase.

I'm sure you've all saw on some of the FB groups that they've had to tighten up on not allowing posts about dosage advice and discussion on dosing schedules that aren't as prescribed - so I hope I don't get us into trouble!

I'm not being reckless though, I'm being cautious!

Thank you for the replies.

@NewLifter I don't look at FB groups so didn't know that. Are they in trouble with Facebook itself or a FB Group admin?

If anyone has doubts about their dose they should speak to their prescriber but we all know that it is often hard to get in touch with these companies about orders so presumably you can't get instant advice from them either. From earlier threads there's been stories of people being told to titrate up slowly from 2.5mg to 5mg when the doubling of the dose has caused issues. And it's bleedin' obvious that you should listen to your body and not keep giving it the full dose of something that's making you ill just because it's the official dosing schedule.

The key point of moving away from official doses is to be responsible and listen to your body. And don't rush up the doses with less than 4 weeks on each dose because the effects of your current dose are not strong enough.

I am a bit of a dose tweaker myself eg I have injected a day late as meeting friends on what would have been Day 1 and didn't want to be too suppressed that they would notice me struggling to eat. Adjusting the dose day is mentioned as ok in the leaflet.

I also dropped my dose from 12.5mg to 7.5mg as I was going on holiday with extended family a couple of weeks ago. Now I am responsibly working my way back to 12.5mg by doing a split dose of 7.5mg and 5mg this week with doses 4 days apart. And then I haven't worked out what I will do next week yet as am waiting to see if ok with that split dose. I am at the end of a pen but will continue on 12.5mg for another month till I am back doing 12.5mg regularly as a single dose before deciding if I need to go up to 15mg or can stay on 12.5mg and still get good weight loss. Am a steady loser not a super responder.

Morning all.
Apologies as it's already been discussed a million times over but I'm looking to buy my next pen a step up (due to going away, holidays etc I'm on a 7.5 and have a 7.5 in hand but will be going abroad soon for a while so need to get the order in) can anyone tell me what the expiry dates are on the 10mg please?

I have been asked this a few times recently and I use the deflecting method. I say 'oh it's been hard work, as I've such a big appetite but I'm trying to prioritise protein and eat less rubbish. Thanks for noticing. How are you? ' this is usually enough for the conversation to move away from my weight loss and onto something else. It's worked so far.

There are only 3 people who know I’m using MJ. Annoyingly, no one else has said anything! I’m seeing a big group of people tonight and I’m expecting one or two comments from people who live on processed shite so my answer will be that I’ve cut out the crap and am looking after myself. They don’t need to know the ins and outs. It’s none of their business (can you tell that I don’t particularly like some of those I’ll be seeing?! 😂 )

I have told no one I am on MJ so am a secret user. My pens are wrapped in foil under the onions in the salad drawer.

I tell people I have been eating less calories which is true.

It is interesting to see the different reactions. Most people have said nothing but some people are very vocal with ‘you have lost loads of weight’ comments. I echo the advice to briefly respond then move the conversation on as most people are self obsessed so will talk about themselves at every opportunity.

I have also noticed that people are generally nicer and more smiley when you are not so overweight. Sad but true how judgemental our society is.

@ObsidianTree , before you retire as keeper of the thread please can you PM me the details for the FB group? 🙂

Official weigh in today (I’m a daily weigher) and I am under 70kg! 69.8kg. I haven’t been this weight since Feb 2018, pre falling pregnant with my third child and all the resulting health issues that led to my weight gain.
SW 84kg
CW 69.8kg
GW 62kg

BMI now 25.6 so next mini goal is ‘healthy BMI’