New here... VERY fat... pretty desperate and need advice.

[PAtothegruesometwosome]

I've finally bitten the bullet and ordered Mounjaro and currently awaiting dispatch of my order after dithering for many months. I'm mid 40's, 5'8" just over 21 stone (BMI 42) and feel every single lb of that weight. I want to lose 7-8 stone realistically. I feel like I've spent all of my adult life gradually getting fatter and fatter and the last time I remember being a health weight was 20 odd years ago.

I've joined a Facebook group earlier to get more info and can't work out whether it genius or is going to make me massively overthink things and anxious, so thought I would ask questions here as have been lurking for ages.

I've not dieted in nearly 6 years after giving up and have pretty much been bouncing around the same weight since then. I have tried honestly every diet going and end up maybe losing a stone and somehow self sabotaging and always give up after 6-8 weeks. If I lose weight I get cocky and think I can do what I want and any reason to celebrate or commiserate is done so with food. It's all I think of every day and genuinely feel at the point of not knowing if or when I'm hungry or even knowing what feeling full feels like as just eat and eat and eat.

I've got quite a few questions so hope you can help me...

Does everyone take supplements - if so, what do you take and do you need to take them? Any advice for any kind of tablet version supplement greatly received as I detest liquid medicine.

Anyone else a massive boozer and has this helped you to significantly cut down? I really want to cut back but this is yet another bad habit I've fallen into and I drink a LOT.

I have no clue of what good looks like in terms of health or normal eating and have been eating bigger and bigger portions for ages that I now out eat my husband and don't really know any more what is health or not. I cook pretty much everything from scratch and love cooking - where do I even begin with this?!?

How awful are the side effects. Do most experience them or generally okay? How do you navigate work and life around these?

How is everyone navigating their social lives? We go out and socialise a lot so trying to work out for to find my way in this?!?

Do you eat the same as before but just smaller portions and less snacks or have you totally tried to change the way you eat?!? I am not a salad fan and this worries me in terms of success.

I think I'll stop there are lots whizzing about my mind and will no doubt be more in the future. If you got this far thank you so much! I really feel like this is my last chance saloon before looking into surgery which I really am scared of, so hope this works!

Thanks

Please don’t be scared!

I can’t answer lots of questions, but I wanted to say I’ve lost four and a half stone on MJ since March.

I have taken supplements, but my hair has shed a lot. Just multivitamins, collagen and magnesium.

Only real side effect was constipation.

I cut out all crap. I simply didn’t want it. It’s very hard to explain and rationalise that a medication can make you think no, I’m not even hungry and when I am I just want good nutrition. But it does.

I'll answer a few of your questions! I've lost nearly 5 stone and am almost at target of 9 stone 13 now

Don't drink. You probably won't want to as it blunts the desire for alcohol but you'll probably know all about it if you do! But use this time to really cement in the good habits. MJ gives you a real helping hand here

Ive never had any side effects really. And I've always stayed under 5mg a week. Don't worry about side effects as chances are, they'll be mild

You'll still be able to eat - remember - you don't want total appetite suppression. So yes, you'll be able to eat out but you'll probably find you skip the starter and dessert and eat a smaller main

I eat as nutritiously as possible but also have what I fancy. Tonight was pasta for example. I just have a small portion

I'd say that in order to succeed you need to be committed to making consistent good changes. You won't succeed if you try and do what you've always done so do use the MJ for the amazing tool it is and you won't go far wrong

I'll just respond to a few because I feel your situation, maybe others will have more to say on other questions:

Try to keep up with protein; this drug is amazing at helping you lose body mass, but like a lot of diets, muscle is included in the fat loss. So try to offset that with having more protein (I believe it's ideally your weight in kilos, in grams. So my weight was 98kg when I started, so I would have 98 grams of protein that day. Obviously it can be more or less, but it's a number to keep in mind)

Drinking: I love a few drinks and this has MASSIVELY changed that. It's not as hard as I thought socially; tbh if you just say you're limiting yourself to 1/2/3 drinks or whatever because you're watching your cholesterol/ trying to lose a few lbs, most people seem to respect it or at least understand.

I just genuinely have no desire for a drink, which is incredible to me. I do still have one or two on a Friday with friends after work, but it's more out of the habit than anything else.

Your desire for food should be greatly diminished, but your mileage may vary when it comes to how that manifests itself. I had immediate results- I injected as soon as the parcel arrived, and that injection turned a day where I couldn't stop snacking into an evening where I am not even sure I ate anything.

However, I'm also one of the luckier ones in terms of side effects. I've had almost all positive things, such as mental clarity and calmness. Apparently some people have the opposite in the form of anxiety. There can also be constipation and vomiting; I've had neither (touch wood).

I love to cook as well and MJ has actually meant that I can eat a bit of the food I cook without feeling massive amounts of guilt about how I ought to be eating a salad instead. Most of my meals are pretty healthy though, lots of veg and lean meats. I still leave stuff like toad in the hole to my husband and son!

I do take a multivitamin as well as a magnesium supplement.

I think that's about it actually!

You've made a fantastic decision!

I started 3 months ago and have lost 1st 13lb so far.

My bmi was 43.6. It soon dropped to below 40 and it felt amazing to move from the seriously obese category to just obese.

I track everything I eat using nutracheck . It's very easy and very motivating.

My experience has been great. I don't feel hunger. I make an effort to eat healthily because I want to change my eating habits in the hope I don't out it all back on then I stop the injections.

I don't drink much usually. But I've noticed that 1 glass of wine gives me a bad head the next day. So I drink soft drinks when out socially.

If we're socialising, I'm happy ordering a salad. I don't feel deprived. Desserts (which were my nemesis ) don't tempt me.

I'm taking a collagen supplement. But I haven't researched much, so don't know whether I'm taking the right one.

My biggest tip is to drink loads of water. The only real side effect I've had is constipation, water has helped with that.

Good luck, you'll be glad you've taken the plunge.

Ah I think you’ll be fine with MJ. I started about 6 weeks ago and I’m so so glad I did. My portion sizes have reduced, snacking has reduced, alcohol intake has gradually reduced, cravings for crisps etc are gone and the constant food noise and food guilt is gone. I’m losing weight but slowly which is fine. Side effects haven’t been too bad.. a bit of sickness at the start and then recently when my dose increased. Eating small amounts and drinking lots of water has helped.

As I say I’m losing weight but slowly compared to others which is the norm for me anyway. I always struggle to lose no matter what I try and any losses before we’re always small no matter how hard I tried which is probably why I give up! But I’m committed to staying on MJ as apparantly about 2-3 months is when the big losses kick in. Either way I’m finding this the easiest weight loss attempt I’ve done and I’ll be happy with slow but steady losses as I’m in this for the long haul.

There’s lots of threads on here you can dip into for support, if you have tik tok there’s people who do lives that you can join and lots of FB groups too.

Good luck in your journey x

Hey OP, I have no answers but wanted to extend a hand of support. I am also mid 40s, 5ft 8in, BMI just above 40, have ordered my first order and am expecting it later this week.

I don't drink much but otherwise we seem to have very similar start points.

I've lost weight so often in my life and the hunger and cravings eventually pull me back off course and into weight gain again. This really feels like my last, best shot avoiding weight-related ill health.

Anyway, just wanted to say Good Luck - and I look forward to hearing how your first dose goes.

Wow! I could of written this.

Im 5"10 and started at about 19 stone. I tried to diet and managed to lose some but it took ages as im a drinker as well (i like a bottle of wine on an evening)

I started 5 weeks ago so just done my bonus dose (ill explain in a bit)

I weighed myself just before i started and was 18.6 now im 17 , so over a stone in 4/5 weeks.

I was worried about side affects but all ive suffered with is some constipation and i think thats from not eating enough and not drinking enough water, for me this is shocking as i always ate loads.

With the appitite supressant you just dont feel like eating, I even forget to eat sometimes which was unheard of before. So i eat the same meals but like over half portion size from before, and i try to make my lunch things like Protein yoghurt and berries just to get some protein in me. Ive not taken any suppliments but thinking of starting with some vitamins maybe.

The pen you buy will last 4 or 5 weeks, you get a bonus dose out of the pen, there is lots of youtube vids and lots of other threads on here that will show you how, injecting is really easy if you read the instructions and watch a video before hand, your looking at about £120 ish a month as you can find discount codes on a dedicated thread.

I started with Asda as i could pick it up from the shop but that was £179, ive now changed to Zava which was £120 with a code i think,.

oh and i still enjoy a glass of wine, just not a bottle or 2.. haha

I'm only a couple of weeks in. Can't believe how much my alcohol habits have changed.

I love food and cooking and I'm at my happiest in the kitchen with a bottle of wine on the go. I still enjoy the planning and cooking. Difference is I am not eating half the ingredients as I go along (Any recipe with cheese always needed twice the recipe amount so I could sample as I went). And opening a bottle of wine while I cooked didn't even cross my mind.

I'll say that again: it didn't even cross my mind. I am flabbergasted!!

Socialising has also been OK for me. I had lunch out and ordered 2 starters (and didn't even finish the second one). If I was trying to diet normally social events were miserable. I either resisted temptation and felt resentful that I was missing out, or I gave in to temptation and felt disappointed in myself. At a recent party I was easily able to eat a small plate of food and without the food and alcohol noise I could really enjoy the social parts. And I said no to cake!

No supplements here.
No real side effects, maybe a bit tired.
I just eat what I fancy. Chances are you won't fancy much.
Today I have eaten some porridge and berries, one sausage 6 chips one egg, a slice of bread and some pineapple.
Yesterday I ate a Chinese takeaway but only about one quarter the amount I would usually have eaten. A tiny bit of ice cream and some fruit.
I just choose a small plate if we go out for dinner and I haven't fancied alcohol since I started the injections.

It'll be ok. Don't overthink it. You need to change your eating habits, but you don't need to do everything at once. You've taken the first step, well done. The rest will follow.

I ate my way through an abusive marriage. When we split in 2017 I think I was top end of 22 stone. I know my BMI was near 50. I lost weight gradually through the trauma of the divorce (it took 5 years).

Last year I made the decision to join a gym and in March this year I decided to sort out my eating. Start weight was 118.4 kg and I'm now 99.2 kg.

I exercise regularly and actually really enjoy it! I use MyNetDiary to track my eating. I recommend it as it analyses what you eat, so you can adjust your food easily as you can see where it needs tweaking. I'm forecast to hit target November next year and I'm good with that. It's not a race, I'm making permanent changes for the rest of my life, it's worth the effort.

You've got this. The food noise will go and everything you've struggled with before won't be an issue now.

I'm just in week two.
I lost 8 lbs last week.
You do have to still be in a calories deficit to lose.
I found I just didn't want to eat at all...so mostly didn't.
I felt fine, not dizzy, did a 10 km run on Sunday. All usual activities.
I am a big drinker and literally not interested...I had a gin on Saturday and felt really sick so not had another...
It's a brilliant tool but you do have to realise you have to listen to the full / stop feeling.
I have had quite bad wind / stomach pains in the night ...hoping they settle.

I was a smidge under 22st and I'm only 5ft 5in so my BMI was almost 50 (!) when I starting taking Mounjaro. I've lost just over 3 stone in almost 11 weeks, and only had one instance of unpleasant side effects (d&v) that only lasted for a couple of days. That was about 5 weeks in, and it's settled totally since then.

I just don't snack or graze anymore, no urge to do so at all. I don't think about food all the time. I eat much smaller portions because I just feel full quickly and then just stop. I still enjoy what I'm eating when I'm eating it, and I've been on holiday and out for meals where it's been the same. I just eat a lot less, and seem to prefer high protein, lots of veg and only a little bit of carbs.

I don't drink much so can't comment on that.

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to reply - I massively appreciate it, and apologies for only just logging back on to reply.

I did my first jab on Friday afternoon and thankfully haven't had any major side effects bar a bit of a headache and really dry mouth this morning which went quickly.

The food suppression is weird, I can't describe it - I've gone from feeling hungry constantly to a bit meh about food. Portions have shrank drastically and I've not fancied any booze at all, whereas with it being the weekend would straight away been thinking woohoo let's drink wine and then not know when to stop...

I've seen there's a late September thread going so going to be brave and say hello on that.

Just popped in to say I started in May, I think, and I haven’t lost anywhere near the amount of weight most people have - probably about 10lbs max. That could be because I don’t like fruit, veg and salad very much and I have a very sweet tooth so I’m probably still having too many calories although not as many as before. There is a slow losers thread which I’m on.
I’m about to move up to 7.5mg so hope that will help (I would have moved up already but had to stop mounjaro temporarily in the summer due to three weeks of d&v which was eventually put down to viral gastroenteritis so I chose to stay on 5mg for a bit longer). I’m lucky to get mounjaro on prescription as I have diabetes.
Side effects for me are constipation, occasional diarrhoea, and heartburn especially if I eat too much too close to going to bed.
The food chatter has stopped a lot but can start to creep back in just before the next injection, particularly if I’m ready to move up a dose.
Good luck on your journey!