Regretting 5mg

[itwasnevermine]

Hi all,

I started Mounjaro in August. I'm on week 3 of 5mg and I'm struggling to eat 1000 calories a day. I'm aware this isn't healthy but it just doesn't happen for me. I have to have a "bad" treat to top up my calories for the day otherwise I'd happily sit at 750.

I don't want to under eat, lose weight fast and then be stuck with more unhealthy habits. I just feel sick all the time and all food sounds bland and disgusting to me.

I decided not to move up to 7.5, so my second 5mg pen is sat in the fridge waiting for me to be ready. But I just don't know what to do. I'm a fast responder - losing nearly 10% of my starting body weight in 8 weeks. But I'm just not sure where to go from here.

Really well done. I started last year with a BMI of 45 (highest ever was 61!) and through calorie counting and exercise I'm now BMI 28, and still losing. I'm worried about how quickly the usage of these injections have taken off, their long-term efficacy and potential health problems. Over-medicalisation of what is generally a behavioural response is never a good idea.

There is evidence that shows Mounjaro also helps the body to use insulin more effectively. A lot of people that can't lose weight the usual way as they have insulin resistance. This means the body struggles to turn food into energy so just stores it as fat. When MJ helps the body use insulin, it's converting the food into energy and no longer storing it as fat and using that fat as energy which helps you lose weight and not feel hungry. It also works with receptors in the brain that reduce hunger signals so it has that added bonus.

I'm experiencing good appetite suppression but also some side effects, mainly headache and diarrhoea, at 25 although that is settling and mainly on days of taking the med, so I am thinking of sticking here for a while. Maybe going down a dose would help OP.

I don't really want to not be able to enjoy food and eat at all, and here I'm feeling a can do that but just not compulsively snack, and also seem to have lost my sweet tooth and be making better food choices.

I'm in it for the long haul anyway and looking for more slow and steady results, thinking if it continues I might be able to maintain on this low dose.

That was meant to be 2.5, not 25!!

@BeachRide GLP-1 inhibitors have been in use in some form for quite a long time

Anyway I got the help I needed, I don't want to get drawn into a debate about whether it's the right thing to use or not:)

Are you eating well? I'm craving apples fruit and things that I used to Like don't taste as good now.

I'm really enjoying sandwiches with good tasty bread and salmon and cream cheese

I have a little choc
In The Evening if I'm still low on Cals.

For example I just had strawberries mango and banana fruit salad with a full
Fat yogurt and it was delicious. Do you not fancy anything?

I'm trying but it all just seems so disgusting to me 😩bias a protein shake this morning across three hours and I feel so sick, I don't crave fruit etc., but I have cottage pie made up for lunches this week - lean mince, I will add sweet potatoes to the mash for next week

Further to what Hippo said, another way that the injections work is by helping people with insulin resistance or other hormonal imbalances. The meds were originally designed for this purpose.

Research has shown time and time again it's not as simple as calories-in, calories-out. While I'm pleased that worked for you, so many people, me included, have bodies that don't process the food we eat properly which means that you gain weight very easily and it's nearly impossible to lose.

I personally have lost 35kg this year using Mounjaro, and as others in this thread have said, it's been so much easier than anything I've done before.

@bubblebub1 there's really no need for sarcastic comments. I know a lot of people have opinions on the jabs but I posted this on the weight loss injections section for a reason

My starting weight is around the same as yours @itwasnevermine . I’m only on my second injection and feel ok so far. I’m not expecting it to be a smooth ride and when things are difficult I will need to remind myself that the difficulties I’m facing are probably short term and will be milder than the long time effects of my current obesity.

Ty so much for this, I did not know about insulin resistance and just looked it up and compared with my blood tests, and I think it very likely I have this. Wow this explains so much.

I do get that but it's also pretty miserable. Forced some cottage pie down me at lunch and now I feel so sick, I've managed an apple as well so with the protein shake it's only 600 calories, which worried me a bit

You’re definitely on too strong of a dose. It doesn’t matter if it’s still technically low, it’s too high for your body right now. You may be able to go up at a later date but definitely lower your dose next time and you will feel better. Only move up if it stops being effective for you.

That's my issue, 2.5 was wearing off by the end of the 4 weeks 😩 feels like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place

@itwasnevermine O think someone suggested earlier that you take 3 or 3.25 and see how that works for you. You can count clicks to do it and it should hopefully give more suppression than the 2.5 but less than the 5.

I listened to a podcast yesterday advocating starting slow and staying low. Very interesting!

Maybe try 3.75. I believe it’s 45 clicks.

Can I ask what the podcast was please? Thanks

Yes agree most on here have probably tried very hard to lose weight and it hasn’t worked. I tried everything from January until recently. obesity will be a thing of the past due to medical intervention such as GLP1 injections more available. Some of us for whatever reason need a bit of help. You take a tablet for a headache so why not take injection to help improve long term health

Felt a bit snackier today which has, weirdly, been nice! Sat on about 900 cals before dinner but not feeling so hungry now. It's definitely a balancing act!

Good luck finding the dose that is right for you at the moment @itwasnevermine - it does sound like you are over-suppressed. I was over-suppressed on 4.2 mg but twice decided to edge up anyway and then ended up with symptoms I wasn't prepared to put up with.

This (photo) is what I've done so far (15 weeks, 16 injections)...plan is to stay on 3.75 mg for another week and then do 4.2 mg for 4+ weeks...maybe one day I'll make it up to 5 mg!

Interesting!! I have had a stressful time lately and now I feel like I'm coming down with a cold so not even sure whether it is the jab anymore!!! God this is complex

@Orangesandlemons77 sorry, only just seen this after a chaotic end to last week! It was 'metabolism, muscles and mindset' and there was a three part series on glp1s. American, so slightly different to here re pens etc but some interesting points anyway.

I did end up coming down with something, so I think that was playing a role last week. Still not 100% so I'm going to stick at 5 and see how it evens out when I'm better