Mounjaro February to April 24 starters - Thread 2

[ObsidianTree]

Thread 2

Link to last thread https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5139634-mounjaro-february-to-april-24-starters?page=1

@FlappyFish It sounds like it's really tough on you. Try not to beat yourself up. This isn't you being undisciplined, this is your body fighting you all the way. You've confirmed for me that I need to plan to be on this long term. I hope you can get the maintenance you need from Oushk. Thank you for being so honest with us! (I'm a September starter, part of the reason I'm on Mounjaro, losing weight and planning for the future is because of all you pioneers here - thank you for sharing your experiences, it's invaluable.)

@ThirdStorm what Slimstar said, plus TDEE can vary a lot from person to person, calculators will only give you the average. You might be unlucky to have a slower metabolism and a lower TDEE, especially likely if you've done a bunch of diets in the past.

@FlappyFish thanks for coming back and sharing with us. Sounds really difficult for you, perhaps it will slow as your body gets used to not having the MJ?

I've decided to try oushk too, as being without is scary!

This is exactly how I feel. The more I hear from people who have come off MJ, the more scared I am to stop. I've stopped losing weight already even though I'm still on 10mg - how the hell will I manage on nothing? 🤯.

I've not ordered a pen for about 6wks now but I have 3 left in the fridge so am wishing I'd not bothered stockpiling as it means I'm cut off earlier than necessary. I really didn't want to go to Oushk and pay them for doing basically nothing, but I might have no option.

@FlappyFish sorry to hear you're putting a little weight back on. Please do keep us updated about whether Oushk accept you for maintenance after coming off MJ previously.

I will update you all. Promise.

I just made the mistake of weighing myself in the evening. I want to cry. OK, it will go down 5lbs in the morning. But that means I have gained 11lbs since stopping MJ. I was 10st 8.

I continued to lose after stopping MJ. Just a couple of pounds. But I am just sharing this rawly now.

@FlappyFish sorry to hear it's not going well. What kind of things are you eating? The same as you ate on Mounjaro but more of it or your Mounjaro diet plus treats? Or totally different foods to when you were on MJ?

If you have reintroduced carbs, sugar, more processed foods then they will give you water weight gain. I put on 7lb on my summer holiday as I relaxed my eating a bit. That's normal from a change in diet. It doesn't mean you can't maintain your new post Mounjaro weight.

I know a few people have just rubbished TDEEs as varying a lot but do you have a daily maintenance calorie goal? If you have a sense of how much you should be trying to eat - calories, carbs etc then you can plan a day's food which builds in your protein, carbs, treats but still keeps you at that maintenance calorie level you have chosen. If it turns out you are gaining on that calorie level then you need to cut it a bit.

Without a goal of how many calories to eat you can too easily drift off with portion sizes, too many extras including treats. Track everything that passes your lips, plan your day, learn which healthy foods you find filling, satisfying etc. Good Luck - you CAN do this maintenance thing!

@FlappyFish aaah I can really imagine how this feels! It's what we've all been thinking about so i appreciate your honesty about how hard it is.

I can imagine the fear of it all coming back and we've all been there in our previous lives. This time however, it's different as you have the fail proof safety net of Mounjaro. If the 'forever' bit fazes you, (I know it did for me) then maybe set a deadline of a year or two, or dose every two weeks. Cloud pharmacy let you do alternate months for example. You've got this!!

I'm in maintenance now (BMI22) and I'm too scared to even reduce the dose so I'm just eating more instead!

I don't plan on coming off it as I just know I won't manage without it, especially not now I'm in menopause. They'll have to prise it from my cold, dead hands.

Thank you for your lovely messages and support. You’re all absolutely right. I started eating bread etc again and… it seems I can’t.

I will read and formulate a proper plan and if I can do a maintenance dose I will. I can afford it. I’m lucky in that respect.

You’re all wonderful.

You've got this! We all have if we keep this thread going to support us!

@FlappyFish hi lovely - I just wanted to reiterate what the other girls have said. Please don’t be so hard on yourself. Everything you’re reporting and experiencing is normal & reflects the experiences of the people who participated in the clinical trials of MJ. It just is what it is. It’s not you. It’s just how it is. Sending loads of love x

@FlappyFish I’m echoing what the others have said. This is just a period that will help you get a sense of how you can eat in the future with and without MJ. You can go back on it if you need to. Within a very few years there are likely to be even better meds designed for long term used and this is a transitional period we all need to navigate.

I’m still on jabs but eating more too, and freaking out about how much more I can eat. But I’ve also just spent a small fortune on some expensive clothes today that WILL NOT FIT if I put on much weight. I think they will need to be my yardstick in future as I can’t afford to get too big for them!

I've been awake most of the night, following the news, and fear today will be mostly spent drinking and eating crisps 😥

@FlappyFish I posted a message yesterday but have clearly failed to press "post" 😤
My dear twin, don't beat yourself up too much. Yes it sucks and yes it's scary (terrifying even) but you've recognised it early enough and are doing something about it. Staying on it long term / forever is not a failure. Giving up or pretending everything is ok would be.
You know I've panicked about coming off and currently have enough 2.5 doses to last me until April (only because that's when the pen expires, or I would have more!) and am already worrying what will happen after as I get married in August.
We are in this together. I got you 😘

@CiderJabs @ObsidianTree @AgathaMystery @Wonkypictureframe @Flapearedknave @izzy2076 @Choux @PissedOffNeighbour22 @KeepingUndercover @85reasons @HippoPortlyMouse 😭😍 thank you and I am back feeling more focussed this morning. I’ve also gone back to 10.1 overnight.

I am off to Pilates shortly and then I’m going to stock the fridge. Shopping when hungry isn’t good as I will buy bread. I don’t even enjoy it much after the one minute of eating. 😂

I don’t want to get back to my lowest. I did look too thin. But I need to work on maintaining at 9.7.

I am so glad I posted. Thank you all.

@CiderJabs hey twin and yep. I get the fear now. I thought I’d be fine. lol. School girl error.

It's so depressing 😔

@FlappyFish that's great that you lost a lot overnight! Glad you're feeling more focused.

@FlappyFish
So glad you're doing better today. Keep going, we're all rooting for you. This isn't the end, just a bit of a bump in the road x

@FlappyFish you're just ahead of a lot of us and it's going to be learning curve for sure.
As I approach maintenance I'm already eating more of the wrong things...just not as much because of the suppression. I definitely have to be more mindful.
I don't think I can ever contemplate going cold turkey though, and I'm scared of even working my way down the doses.
I assume maintenance calories is going to be trial and error, and as part of that sometimes weight will go on. The trick is to then address that and not have it derail us entirely.
You can do this. You won't be overweight again. I 100% believe that!

I'm regretting the week off for illness as the nausea has really hit this week. Does anyone else find that your gag reflex is really strong? I was just trying to empty the food waste and it made me instantly gag.

@KeepingUndercover yes I do find this. If I cough too hard I can sometimes vomit! Think I have a touch of reflux sometimes.

@KeepingUndercover my gag reflex is strong. I can't even think about taking my supplements right now, opening the packet makes me heave!
Swallowing capsules has got near impossible.
Anything slightly smelly or off-putting will cause it too.

So last weekend I went to visit my cousins. I decided to take 7.5mg dose as I didn't want to be too restricted in what I could eat.

Well the 7.5mg did nothing I felt and I ended up able to eat and drink quite merrily! Not drinking massive amounts or eating massive amounts but a lot more than usual. Also was out for meals everyday too.

I was up 3lbs after that weekend. I thought by now I would be back down but I'm not! I took the remaining 7.5mg on Sunday but I feel like it's barely touched the sides! It could also be that the dose was the bonus dose from the 15mg pen that expired end of Oct. By the time I took the 2nd 7.5mg it was 3rd of Nov. So could mean that last dose just wasn't that effective.

I've decided to go ahead with 15mg for my next dose. I was planning to go down to 12.5 as I felt the 15mg was too strong, but now I'm worried that lower doses won't be very effective on me! Also, want to lose the lbs from the weekend that don't want to go away!

So yeah, if that weekend was a test it I was ready for maintenance... The answer is no!

As promised, an update on my maintenance consultation with Oushk: Hira is very glam! I, on the other hand.... my excuse being I just got back from the gym. It was very straightforward. I set out what I was aiming to do - 7.5 til mid December, hopefully hitting my goal weight by then, tapering down to 5 after and then seeing how it goes. She agreed with this and suggested the flexi-plan. Then she explained that I would be e-mailed with three codes for the maintenance options and to use these. I do not have to use them immediately (probably wait until my un-used 7.5 is down to last 1-2 doses). Then use a lower dose and taper off eventually. If that doesn't work ( I am using my target weight as a ceiling - if I go over that, then time for action), I can go up a dose.

She didn't ask for any more info, photo,etc. I thought she might.
She commented that the MJ users with the most problems tended to be the ones who went cold turkey, and then wanted to go back on. She briefly discussed post weight loss strategies, e.g. increase calories by 200, etc.
So it seems pretty flexible. I suppose that she wants to have a video consult just to be sure that you are who you say you are, or something. I took it on my PC, it worked fine.

Re last night's bad news, I feel like at least the other shoe has dropped, we know the result, and can get on with other things. So I feel a sense of relief, obvs mixed with sadness.

@Moanranger thanks for this. What is the flexi plan?

@Moanranger Thanks for sharing your experience.

I've sent MedExpress a message to see if I'm cut off or not (last order was August) and BMI now 23.5 ish. If I am then I think I'll approach Ouskh as I think I need to continue for just a little longer.