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?

Another twin here - 5 ft 5, 11st 10, ordered my first pen yesterday. In lockdown I lost two stone through healthy eating and exercise but since going back to work I found it again (and more) pretty quickly. Hoping this will get me back on track again.

Another similar one here too! I’m 5ft 3, start weight 75.5kg and I’m currently 71.5kg. Taking my 3rd 2.5 jab today! No nasty side effects so far and I’m tempted to do another month on 2.5!

Wow thats a great weight loss and very encouraging. I didn't expect to lose quickly as have yo yo dieted all my life. In lockdown I got to 25 BMI and managed to keep it off for over a year but each year it's crept back on and I felt so defeated. I am 30.1 BMI and 5 foot, age 68 with high blood pressure controlled by meds. I do lots of walking but really need to do resistance training..but I am resistant to it! On week 1, day 2 and feeling the benefit already. Will follow this thread as I didn't want to get disheartened by other people having big weight losses. I am aiming for around 800 calories a day as my maintenance calories are around 1400. Good luck everyone!

Azuresky68

I am still losing steadily which is great, but the biggest positive has been my attitude to food- I am not craving alcohol and rubbish like I have in the past. Even if I don't continue to lose as quickly in the future weeks, I am focusing on this as a benefit.

We have to remember that those of us with lower starting BMIs will have slower losses.

You might be surprised at the speed at which you lose, I certainly was! In the past I struggled to lose even a kg, and I am now 5kg down with what feels like little effort.

Cesar Soubreyon all good to know and thank you. Will be following this thread

Cesarsubreyon I forgot to ask you what amount of daily calories are you eating? Day 1 800 cals Day 2 700 cals so far. I know this is too low but thinking that my appetite will increase during the week? I would love to lose 3.5 kg in a week but not holding out any hope

Azuresky68

I actually don't calorie count at all. I have just focused on having whole healthy foods- fruit, vegetables and protein and having smaller portions, which isn't difficult as my appetite has decreased. 2-3 litres of water a day. No junk basically and I'm almost a stone down in 12 days, so it seems to be working!

So, little update. Week 1 of first injection, second is due on Wednesday - I had a sneaky weigh in this morning and I've lost 6lbs! I've had minimal side effects, suppression has been strong but managing 3 small meals a day with a snack of fruit late afternoon. The food noise isn't there, I feel like my brain has gone on holiday 🙃 It's the best feeling. Hope this continues with minimal side effects. One of the side effects is food aversion. I was in the Lidl bakery yesterday where I'd usually pick up a Belgian bun, the smell of all the cakes really kicked in my gag reflex! 🤢 I just don't want sugary, stodgy foods. I've been a having a smoothie for breakfast as I don't fancy anything heavy but have been making it with 300ml of unsweetened oat milk, a small bowl of frozen fruit, 2 scoops of chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, scoop of pea protein powder and collagen powder. That has been keeping me satiated until lunch which has been ryvita with cheese, cucumber, grapes and an apple, or a small brown seeded roll with chicken / turkey, salad and some fruit in the side. Dinner has been something like chicken skewers with roasted veg and Quinoa, lentils and pumpkin seeds. I've been having a protein Yoghurt for pudding from Lidl. I hope this helps and provides some encouragement and food inspo.

Thanks this is really useful! I'm starting Friday - timing it so that I don't have to take my pen on a mid week work trip next month and worry about whether there's a fridge in the hotel. Next few days are going to be shopping and meal prep so the ideas are helpful 😊

That's amazing progress! I need a bit of encouragement please! BMI 30.1. Week 1 day 4. Been eating healthy around 800 calories, yesterday was nearer 1000. Sneaky weigh in revealed 1 pound weight loss 😒

Please keep this thread going..it's so helpful 👍

Into my second week now and the side effects are slightly less extreme, although I'm still not hungry, have no appetite and am fairly repulsed by all food.

What it means for me is it is easy to stick to reduced calories, which is pretty much the holy grail of dieting. I don't require the monumental willpower that I would normally. Previously, as soon as I started dieting, I'd become obsessed with food because I'd feel constantly hungry. I don't feel hungry, so I don't feel deprived. I think what it has shown me is that there is something physiological about the difficulty of dieting, it isn't just that I lack willpower or have a poor attitude.

My calorie goal according to MyNetDiary is 1150 per day to lose the 2 st 7lb that I need to at a healthy pace of 1.5lb per week. I haven't eaten that many on any day so far. I'm falling between 800 and 1000 most days. Hitting my protein target requires a concerted effort but I am mostly achieving it.

I lost 7lb in the first week, but I know most of that was water weight. It will be interesting to see how the following weeks go.

Feeling worried about losing. Starting weight 11 stone, height 4 foot 11!
Week 1 Day 5 No side effects so far, eating healthy. 800 - 1000 cals. Sneaky peek on scales and no weight loss so far! I want to lose around 22 pounds but that would still put me in overweight. The top of my healthy weight range according to NHS is 8 stone 11 pounds.

I've lost 10lbs in 2 and a half weeks. I'm half way through 3rd week and thinking about whether to increase to 5mg. Aiming for 1.5lb per week (first week is always more as water). I do think as someone said it is alot harder to lose weight when at lower SW but plus point is that we have less of an ordeal sticking to diet for long periods of time - must be so hard trying to lose 5 stone plus. And also I have learnt alot about insulin resistance etc. which is more set in at higher weights. I think aiming for as clean/wholefood a diet as possible and minimal snacks is the way forward. Good luck all!

Hi all. Just placed my first order. I am 73.5kg at 5’4 but carry all my weight around my middle. I would like to get to 68kg as a first goal. I used to easily lose weight but after years of yoyo dieting I think my body has had enough. I am very active, on my feet all day. Do regular treadmill classes and reformer pilates and my diet isn’t too terrible but I struggle to lose weight these days and it’s disheartening. Looking forward to starting.

quick question I have a holiday in a few weeks time and want to be able to enjoy myself as does my friend who will skip her dose that week. Should I still start for the two weeks before? My last dose would be 8 days before my holiday.

I am really interested in this as I have been trying to lose weight without much success.

I am 5’8” and about 12 stones 10, which puts me at a BMI of 27. Late forties.

I eat fairly plainly, enjoy wholegrains and vegetables, watch my portions, avoid refined carbs and drink 1-2 glasses of wine per week. Exercise a few times a week. But nothing seems to happen!

I don’t quite get why I can’t access this medication, when I read the stories of people who have started at a higher BMI but have lost weight and are now continuing to use it with a BMI of under 25…

Has anyone on here got around this? Thanks for any input.

I didn't get around it as such, but with certain conditions you can start at a lower BMI. I have osteo-arthritis and so I was able to start at just under 30 BMI. I think there are other conditions too like diabetes. Others may know more.

I started at same weight as you but 5'6 so bmi of 28.6. I had a health check last year where they said I had raised cholesterol so put that which together with my photos meant they accepted me. I have never had problems losing weight before when needed (and have lost up to 2 stone before when I was a healthy weight to start with) but I think my weight is a menopause thing as put on nearly 2 stone as soon as my period stopped and can't shift it. So may be worth going for a health check as probably alot/most older people have raised cholesterol.

I have been on MJ since April. I am nearly at the end of my journey now having lost approaching 2.5 stone.

whilst using this medication, I have bought a Whoop Heath tracker (like a watch but with no face) and it has opened my eyes to one simple reason I have gained weight consistently over the last few years.

The whoop tracks your calorie expenditure via your heart rate, which gives a much more accurate picture of how many calories you use a day.

I have always thought 2000 calories was the maintenance where you wouldn’t lose or put on and a TDEE calculator shows similar.

However….real time, I can see that I actually use less than 1600 a day, I was using a step counter which made me think I was burning 500 calories per 10000 steps. My device shows that it in reality closer to 250.

Simple fact is I’ve been overestimating what my body uses in calories a day and therefore over eating.

If there’s been one take away from all this , it’s that I’ve now learnt what my actual intake of calories a day should be, which will help me when I go it alone in 5 weeks!

That is really interesting @Mounjaroattheend . Thank you for sharing that information about the Whoop Health tracker.

I think an Apple Watch or Fitbit may do the same but it’s really opened my eyes to how different the TDEE calculator is in relation to individual tracking.

Please can I join you all? Took my first jab on Friday and already 5lbs down so very happy with that. I wasn't quite 30 BMI, but close, so had to shave a little off my height but I needed to do something as I've been struggling with my weight for years. I'm hoping the MJ will help me learn what I actually need, rather than what I think I need! I'd like to lose 35lbs in total so 30 to go now!

What side effects are people finding at a lower starting point?

@Mounjaroattheend that's interesting. My Garmin watch does calculate calories burned by heart rate but I hadn't paid much attention to it before. I am active, but I think I had overestimated the calories burned doing exercise a lot. On a gym day I can burn 2400-2600 in a day but on a non gym day more like 1800-2000. I think part of the problem was eating the same on non gym days as on gym days and thinking it all would even out!

Tomorrow is starting day for me as I've had to time it to avoid needing to take it on a work trip with me later in the month, and time my next order with payday. I think just knowing I'm starting on it has made me more conscious of what/how much I'm eating this week and my clothes feel a bit looser for it. I've been making a more conscious effort not to eat when I'm not hungry.

I feel anxious about starting it tomorrow - please tell me I'm being daft and it'll be fine!

I totally get how you are feeling - I thought I’d have some awful reaction to it when I first injected it but actually felt nothing.
the side effects were pretty mild for me - fatigue and headaches early on, stomach cramps if I ate too much and constipation, but all manageable.

It’s lovely to remove the food noise and constantly trying to persuade myself not to eat crap I don’t need - but you do have to remember to eat sometimes. I often realise at 2pm that I haven’t actually eaten today and then I’ll struggle to find something I want to eat.

Just bite the bullet and do the first injection, it’s a bit fiddly as the pen is so long but you’ll get the hang of it - then if you get side effects you can always stop.

Best of luck with your journey!