Anyone on Mounjaro at lower BMI?

[CrazyGoatLady]

My first post - joined here for the Mounjaro threads!

I've just ordered my first pen. I didn't know if it would be approved as my BMI is just on 30. I have lost some through exercising/diet, but only managed 5lb since February! I'm prediabetic. My GP was useless, just kept telling me to lose weight and shoving the NHS healthy eating guidelines at me.

Weight loss has always been slow and painful for me, especially now I'm in perimenopause, also have a tendency to emotionally eat and probably have larger portions than I should. I have ADHD and that doesn't help. Calorie counting doesn't work - I feel deprived and am more likely to binge when doing it than not. What I need is to change my relationship with food and I'm hoping for the Mounjaro to help with that. I'm 5'5", currently 12 stone 10lb, GP says my ideal weight would be around 10 to 10.5 stone but for my body type I think 11 is more realistic, I do strength training and have a high % of muscle so getting down to the lower end of the BMI range probably isn't realistic for me. Obviously would also like to not have the prediabetes and worries about that getting worse.

Anyone here in a similar boat, with a stone or two to lose/using it to help with prediabetes?

Hi, I'm similar. I started last week with a BMI of 30.8. I was 76.6kg and am 5ft 2in. Already lost 3.5kg which now puts my BMI under 30.

I'm glad I started when I did as I probably wouldn't be accepted now, but I think once you've been prescribed it you can keep going until your BMI is under 25.

I also emotionally eat and have large portions and even though I've only been on Mounjaro for a week it's improving already.

The emotional eating I am trying to combat by coming up with healthier ways to handle my feelings, so that when I'm off Mounjaro I don't start up the same unhealthy binge eating cycle again.

Good luck! Hope it works well for you. I am really glad I've done it.

I was not in the obese category (not far off though). My BMI was 29 at 13 stone 3.

It has absolutely been worth it for me. I am on week 7 and have lost 2 stone. Although I want to lose at least another stone, my BMI is currently 24.6. I’ll just add a bit of weight when ordering my next pen, so I qualify.

Thanks 🙏🏼 really good to know that there are others in a similar boat and it's helping. I figured that it's probably now or never as if my BMI tips under 30 I probably wouldn't get it.

I'm aware of not relying on it though, I also need to work on changing my relationship with food and eating. I'm very active and do a lot of exercise, I go to the gym, have a dog and pet goats (hence the name) so physical activity isn't an issue. It's the emotional eating and big dinner portions!

Yes. Same weight as you but slightly taller. My bmi was almost 29. I have been healthy weight all my life but past few years with menopause have put on 2 stone. Have high cholesterol and got pregnant in my late 40s and even though I was in the 9 stones when I got pregnant got gestational diabetes (it's in my family). Have taken 2 jabs and lost 7lbs at last weigh in. Just want to lose 2 stone quickly and reset habits. Have been constantly on diet past 2 years and just keep losing and putting back on 10lbs whereas before I could always keep to diets when necessary. Think weight will just keep increasing unless I nip in the bud. Doing couch to 10k and pilates too and feel much better already.

I started at a bmi of 28.7 I was 84kg and am 5’7.

it has taken 4.5 months and I have lost 12 kgs. Although it was frustrating to begin with, in hindsight I am glad I’ve had a slower loss as it resets my relationship with food over a longer period, plus (at the moment!) I haven’t got any loose skin.

I have another 5 injections to go and am hoping to lose another 3kg, bringing me down to 69kg. I will stop taking Mounjaro then and go it alone but I am hoping the 5 months of retraining myself will help me maintain the loss.

For me now, I can reason that when I am hungry, I don’t actually need food, if I ate a short while ago. Getting used to and accepting when I feel hungry has been a game changer - also really thinking do I need to eat two chocolate bars etc.

it’s only this week that anyone has noticed I’ve lost weight! My mum said ‘yeah, it’s coming along’ and I’m thinking how thin do you think I should be?!

There is a crossover point when you lose too much and start to look haggard and I definitely want to stop before then!

Congrats and glad it's been successful, if slow!

I also don't mind if the loss is slow, as I figure I am more likely to keep it off that way. Previously done extreme diets/exercise I couldn't sustain. My exercise now (boot camp/strength training classes 3x weekly plus walking with the dog and physical activity looking after the animals) is sustainable so it's now about a sustainable relationship with food.

I have an "almond mom" if anyone has heard that term, so there's some definite baggage around that to deal with - I don't really know what a healthy relationship with food looks like. I'm either restricting or overeating.

I’m on the highest dose of Mounjaro and the weight is coming off beautifully. I now have a bmi of 29.2 and will need to place a new order soon…I’ve been worried as I’m no longer a bmi of 30+ but hopefully it’s correct that they will continue prescribing until I am under 25 bmi 🤞

Weight loss is so stubborn for me, I even gained .4lbs on the first month of Mounjaro! Month 3 is where it started working for me. This drug has been a lifesaver for me. I’ve been chubby - obese my entire life. Bit concerned what happens when I’m no longer on Mounjaro, will they put you on anything else to help with weight maintenance, or you’re just on your own again?

I was 29 with high cholesterol when I started - just into a healthy BMI now after 3 months and an almost 3 stone loss.

Another 1 stone 8 lb to go. It’s been a total gamechanger - able to function at work rather than being ravenous and it’s reset my relationship with food, which I hope is sustainable after coming off MJ.

I’m doing this alongside DH, who definitely had an almond mom! Starved herself, obsessed with appearance and thinness, fed DH all sorts of processed crap but was endlessly critical of his weight. If she was still alive she’d have been beyond excited that he was on MJ and losing weight, and I don’t think having her hovering over him would have been helpful.

My own mum was the opposite - but - I’ve ended up the same as DH. She cooked amazing food from scratch but passed on ‘emotional eating’ to me and ended up obese from quite early middle age. She died relatively young of dementia, which may possibly have been related. I’m trying to avoid the same…

Yes, me! I actually started a similar thread here before starting too. Been doing 'all the right things' for 2.5yrs, I lift heavy, walk the dog, calorie counting aim to hit my protein etc etc, but just not losing. I'm 42, in peri but not underlying issues. BMI was 31 when I started but also carry a lot of muscle and big boobs!

Started 2 wks ago and 7lb down already. Side effects have been minimal, just nausea really. One thing I've found though is I'm concerned I'm not eating enough and don't have the energy for my usual workouts but am hoping this is going to improve.

I'm slightly paranoid that I'm going to replace my disordered eating from worrying about eating too much and hitting protein to worrying about eating too little and hitting protein! I'd really just like to not think about food at all, just eat when I'm hungry and make good choices when I do. But currently, I'm just not hungry!

Slightly under 30 BMI here too @CrazyGoatLady . I am looking to lose 2 1/2 stones. I have osteoarthritis, so that was a mitigating factor with Voy. One of them turned me down, as osteoarthritis wasn't on their list, can't remember which one now. Who did you order with?

I did my first injection on Sunday. I have zero appetite and am finding food fairly repulsive. I'm forcing myself to hit my protein macros though because I am post menopause and have an additional degenerative bone condition and am deeply fearful of muscle loss, as I might disintegrate altogether!

I do lots of walking and Pilates but I eat too much and I am normally constantly hungry or compelled to eat - I can't tell which. I really, really need to be in a healthy weight range to minimise the damage to all my crumbling joints and was dreading starting another diet (I've been doing them since I was 11). So, I took the plunge and got Mounjaro.

So far the lack of food noise is blowing my mind.

So far the lack of food noise is blowing my mind.

Same! It’s so peaceful.

I started with a BMI of just under 28 (have chronic back issues so was able to be prescribed it). I've been on it for six weeks and have lost 16lbs. My BMI is now around 25. I've got another 16lbs to my target.

The lack of food noise is wonderful, although the side effects of my first dose of 5mg are taking a bit of getting used to!

I went with MedExpress. Not too expensive and processed quite quickly. I had to give my GP details but they don't ask the GP for permission. I had to upload photos of myself to verify my BMI.

I would LOVE the food noise to disappear, honestly!

Today I was puttering around, and realised I should make something to eat because my stomach was audibly growling. This would have never happened in a million years before…swanning about not even thinking about food until my body let me know, not my brain nagging at me to eat when I don’t need to.

I also eat so healthily now, focussing on fruits/veggies/protein/whole grains etc. Just naturally this is what I gravitate towards. I don’t want to eat rubbish. I don’t want to overeat. I have more energy to exercise, my mental health is improving as well. It’s brilliant, life changing.

I'm in a similar situation to you OP. I get my first injection tomorrow. I've been trying to lose weight and eat healthy but I've lost 5lbs since last year! Just feels impossible to shift. I also have alot of food noise and I'm looking forward to silencing that. Really looking forward to getting started and hope the side effects aren't too bad.

Do you know about the link between binge eating and ADHD?

There’s some who think the bingeing is dopamine seeking. My bingeing dropped about 80% overnight when I started elvanse. It was amazing, but as elvanse keeps going no in and out of stock I’m trying the jags and exercise and learning about routine etc.

it’s a slog, I’m down about 3 stones though.

have a google, I’m convinced my adhf is the cause of my fatness. NHS obesity management tries to diagnose me wirh beings eating disorder but it doesn’t fit as there is no distress, no trigger food, no feelings of self loathing during the binge. When I realsied I wasn’t actually THINKING during the binge I realsied that’s cos I was high on all the lively dopamine.

im convinced, your mileage might vary.

Last night, I had 2 rice cakes for dinner at 7pm. My next meal was at 2:30 today when I had a small pack of sushi. I am not remotely hungry.

You really have to force yourself to even think of food.

I'm starting today with a BMI of 30.4. 5ft 6, 13 stone 5lbs. I'd love to get to around 11 stone I think.

I'm typically ok with calorie counting during the week but lack motivation over the weekend and then I end up gaining whatever I've lost (sometimes more). I'm hoping the jab will just help to keep going instead of constantly stopping and starting.
I am also determined to get more exercise in my life - haven't figured out exactly how I'll do that yet though.

This will be my evening research! I’ve been told the same, however my raging unmedicated adhd is probably to blame for 90% of my munching. If I find anything interesting I’ll let you know!

I am at a similar point now where I want to order. Can you recommend a good company to place an order through? There seems to be lots. I am bmi 29 and feel like nothing is working. Jeans getting tight and I need to nip this in the bud before upsizing (again)

Yep, very aware of it and think it's likely part of the problem. I'm on Elvanse, which has reduced bingeing/mindless eating. Going on Elvanse stabilized my weight and stopped the upward trajectory, but I do have a tendency to go overboard when the meds start wearing off of an evening. Higher protein/lower carb works, but isn't always sustainable.

Shamefully, I work in mental health - I've even been an ADHD assessor! But can't crack this one for myself.

I went with Med Express. Seems to have been ok so far. First pen due tomorrow...all reasonably straightforward.

shame - I get that.

Im in cardiology. A fat cardiology nurse. It’s ridiculous.

Hi! You and I are almost twins -- I am 5 foot 5 and started at 12 stone 8. I'm now 11 stone 5. 11 stone is my "ok" weight but I'm intrigued to see whether Mounjaro will help me bust down to 10 stone, my real ideal weight. Normally I get bored at about 10 stone 8-9 and decide I look fine so I can't be bothered!

@girljulian yes we do sound quite similar! my "ideal weight" is supposedly 10 stone. I have got there before, but only because of illness. I didn't look good at that weight, but maybe that's because of how I lost it. I maintained it through a pretty low carb diet and I was training a lot - I was in a triathlon club at work. My weight gain started when I had a bad bike accident and couldn't train for a few months.

People said I looked a bit gaunt at 10 stone - I guess because I'd lost weight because I was ill it would have affected my muscle mass. I was a size 10 but even 10s were starting to fall off. I'd be fine with a size 10-12 and somewhere between 10.5 and 11 I think.