Mounjaro February to April 24 starters - Thread 3

[ObsidianTree]

Third thread 😊

Link to 2nd thread

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5167988-mounjaro-february-to-april-24-starters-thread-2?page=40&reply=139735608

Re telling people about MJ..
I've sort of got to the point where I feel I can't now tell people I might have told as it'll mean they'll know I've been untruthful for the last 7 months. No one's asked me directly so I haven't outright lied but I do feel I've been dishonest about how I've been so successful. So I'm going to carry on as I am, with just my OH knowing. And if someone I care about asks directly, I'll probably fess up and try to explain why I wasn't entirely honest at the outset.

With the benefit of hindsight I think that, while 2024 has been life changing as I have lost almost 50lbs and got both healthier and happier with the way I look on the mirror, I haven't been as kind to my body as could have been.

I prioritised eating low fat protein - chicken, fish, prawns and supplemented that with protein yoghurts. I cut carbs a lot and ate a lot of salad and veg plus some pulses. Very little alcohol as I am not a big drinker anyway.

But one simple thing I didn't do and should have was take a good multivitamin every day. Last week I tried to give blood and failed the haemoglobin test so they couldn't take my donation. The level needs to be at least 125 (the normal range for a woman is 120-150) and mine was 124. So still normal but at the very low end. I don't know what it was before starting Mounjaro but I would say I have been more tired in 2024 and put that down to eating less but maybe it was eating less iron rich foods as low haemoglobin can make you fatigued.

Even focussing on high protein I now think I haven't been consuming enough food to get my daily iron needs. I've now ordered some multivitamins with a high iron content but can't try to give blood again for three months to see if I have improved my score. Hopefully I will get more energy in a few weeks which will tell me it must be better.

So my advice to everyone is take a vitamin supplement. Most people in Northern Europe need vitamin D in winter too so a good all round supplement will ensure enough get all the vitamins and minerals you need while taking Mounjaro.

@Choux
I absolutely agree. I started taking Vit D with calcium when I got to menopause, mainly because Ive never eaten much dairy and was concerned about bone health. Then I took out an Amazon subscription for Centrium multi-vit for women over 50 when I started on MJ. I've no way of knowing if they're effective but it makes me feel better to at least try to mitigate the risks of a low calorie diet.

Great idea, just bear in mind that iron supplements can cause constipation, which many on MJ have been cursed with.

Hope you get your levels back up adoit must have been disappointing to be turned away. I sadly had to stop due to autoimmune disease.

Nobody has asked me if I’ve used jabs and I’ve chosen not to tell. I had a niggle recently that maybe I was cheating! Never felt like that the whole time as I know I’ve cut out all sugar from my diet and made many healthy choices which has taken effort plus gone without on many occasion in favour of that healthy choice. But I know MJ has helped me enormously. I’ve been strict before so I know I can do it but never for this long.

Vit D is recommended for any woman in menopause. Although I realise mine lives in my cupboard rather than gets taken.

I’ve been honest with people I know and trust. Especially anyone I know also struggles with weight as I wouldn’t want to give the illusion I had just Eaten Less and Moved More as that would be insulting. I’m vaguer with people I don’t know well or who would worry about the jabs - eg elderly relatives.

@Wonkypictureframe
Yes it is and I think they recommend taking combined with calcium for absorption or something too?
Because they have to be taken with food and I don't do breakfast, I did find I kept forgetting to take but got a routine now where I get them out of the tub and leave where I can see them till I eat; it had to become a habit.

I have been pretty busy what with Christmas, plus prepping for a month long trip to start shortly. The result being I haven’t posted much. I am still below goal, but have creeped up slightly, so keeping an eye on things. I have enjoyed Christmas, but no pig-outs. I allow myself to 1 nice chocolate per day. As weather has been mainly dry, I have managed lots of walks & been to gym three times a week. As I am now on 3rd week of 5mg, I think levels in my system are somewhat lower, so a bit of proper hunger creeping in, but not lost control.
For the first time in 8 months my DP remarked on my WL! Officially, he doesn’t know I am on MJ, but I think he suspects. I am planning to stay on 5mg for awhile. Only New Years to get through now, then January, which for me will be dry & healthy eating.

Merry Christmas, MJ buddies. Great to see everyone implementing healthy treat food management plans and/or equally healthy philosophical approaches to a little festive leeway.

I've been maintaining on 5mg for a good 10+ weeks now, and will get comfortably into the NY before reducing further. I do kg, and vowed to never see 60kg on the scales again (that's 24 BMI - I'm one of the shorter sisterhood). I've been rumbling along happily at 58-59kg (23.5 BMI). I've never counted calories or measured portions as it does bad things to my mental state, just stuck to an overall protein + fruit/veg approach, and was relaxed about having a few more treats on a short-term basis over the holidays, partly for the social element - a sherry with family etc. Still haven't had a mince pie, still haven't got my sweet tooth back so not tempted by the chocolates, one generous helping of Xmas dinner but not 2nds/3rds etc. Yesterday the scales said 59.9 kg. I know from everyone's good advice on here this is likely to be a bit of fat and a lot of water/carbs/salt, but it would really wreck my confidence to see that nasty 6 again. Unlike previous pre-MJ set-backs, I'm just going to return to the eating plan that got me here, up the water, and not weigh again for a week by which time hopefully all will be stable once more.

Happy new year to all of you when it comes, and thank you for your company and insights during this life-changing year!

I have gone from 42DD to 36C.
I am well impressed by you hitting a 34.

My current weight is 8st, BMI of 19, and that 36in band is bloody neat!
I have the most ridiculous barrel rib cage, always have done and I think having kids has made it bigger because I haven't a pick on me!

Glad to see that Christmas hasn’t been a huge problem for people! I had my last injection on 17th December or thereabouts, so that I could enjoy Christmas and the food that comes with. I “only” gained 3lb and that’s with eating anything I wanted it keeping to small portions. Most of that was through white bread I think.

I moving house later this week so all my spare time has been sorting, packing and shifting stuff and I realised on Sunday that I’d not had another jab so decided to stretch it out to today and start back again on 2.5. Waiting until today might have been a bit of a dick move because yesterday was a very hungry day so I should have taken it yesterday instead of waiting until today but it’s done now.

I'm almost back to where I was on Xmas Eve weight wise.
I had a virtual bra fitting with bravissimo and was really impressed so I'll do that again in the new year as I've definitely lost there.
I'm normally blessed of nork though, even in my thin days so will be interested to see what size I finally end up as!

Can I advise everyone to avoid DR Franks. Used them once as they were cheap but OMG trying to cancel is impossible. Been on a chat bot for over an hour now and won’t accept responses. They wanted to charge £245 for my next pen (15mg).

Wishing an early Happy New Year to everyone!

I wish I had the boob shrinkage that everyone has had - although my bras are looser they're not too big. I still want to treat myself to proper measuring and some nice bras in the New Year, for the first time in my life. I've heard Rigby & Peller are best for this - any experience?

I didn't weigh myself for 2 weeks deliberately and this morning have clocked in with another 1lb lost! Making it a round 7 Stone now, give or take a couple of ounces!

Like others I've been looking on Vinted for new clothes - I have a summer dress from Matalan that I bought earlier this year in a 20, which I absolutely love. Have found it in a 14 and am making an offer.
I also need new jeans - the 14s I bought are loose and baggy. The size 20 and 22 clothes are in a box for the charity shop and I need another clear out of the 18s. So happy!

I have added in @chrispenrallt1 & @Smallsalt losses and we now stand at 2555 loss. Let me know if there has been any double counting.
If anyone has not reported a loss, let me know Today as I think I will draw a line under the losses & leave it at 2024.
@Femeia Rigby & Peller are the gold standard, but awfully pricey! I do love their underwear & it lasts exceptionally well. Be advised.
Happy New Year one & all! 🎆🎆

I've lost 5lb since I last declared! Feel free to add to 2024 stats!

5 stone 6lb loss for me since April 2024 .

Well, it's been a year of change, and I don't think I would have survived it without you lot. I have been missing in action, coming to terms with the fact that I am losing my job and I need to get myself together to get a new one in the new year. But maybe that will be less of a challenge down 57 pounds.

@Moanranger - that's 2 lbs down for me since I last reported.

I started on 12 January and I finally hit my first weight goal the week before Christmas - 144 lbs and a normal BMI, and normal blood sugar levels 6 months in a row, which is frigging amazing. It feels amazing to have my diabetes under control finally. I don't think I have been this slim in my life (although I can still see podgy bits when I am contorting at Pilates). I have a whole new wardrobe because nothing fits me any more, a gorgeous new leather biker jacket for Christmas that I love, and new bras, finally, because my boobs were flying free in my old M&S ones. Now wearing a 34D, down from a 40DD.

I turn 55 this weekend and my Fitbit tells me I am above average fitness for my age (although my scales still have me at one year older - bleugh). My DH and my DS keep complaining that they cannot find me in crowds, because I look so different.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

It would have been a far lonelier journey without you all! Have a happy new year!

Happy new year all. We all did it together. How liberating is it to start a new year without saying this will be the year I lose weight… 😂

Never a truer word spoken Flappy Fish. I can hear myself saying it one year ago to my husband and he turning round and just smiling. Well not this year!

Morning all a happy new year.

@spamm sorry about your job. I hope you find a new one easily

Like @FlappyFish says it's great to be starting the year without that news years resolution of having to lose weight!

I think I am up about 2/3lbs. I ended up going down to 10mg and pushed my jab back a few days so that I could eat at Christmas and other events. I plan to go back up to 12.5mg for my next jab and get back on it.

Definitely going to be a few months of testing out doses to see which one works for maintaining. I dont mind losing another 7lbs to give me a buffer I think. But will just aim to maintain for now. According to my BMI for my ethnicity I am still overweight. So ideally need to get my BMI under 23 to be classed as normal!

Hope everyone has a great new year. 2024 was a pretty good one for us all I think 😊

I started in April and am now 30kg down and back to my former self. I’m at my parents and just tried a very fancy pair of designer jeans from the early 90s and they fit like a glove!

Happy New Year all! Hoping all your goals for 2025 go well be it health, home or work related.

I cleared out my wardrobe and the bags of old clothes under beds over the last few days. Threw out the too big, too scruffy things and discovered dresses, tops, jeans from years ago which now fit and can be worn again. Gap bootcut jeans are amazingly flattering! I did find some clothes that are still too small so got rid of those too - after a bad breakup almost 20 years ago I was about 8 stone and a bit of a shopaholic. The clothes got stored as they were too amazing to get rid of but I'm happy to be 10 stone now so they have gone.

This morning a friend sent a pic of me from last NYE. Dear god it's like looking at a stranger. I'm so relieved that isn't me now. I saved it to my phone as a reminder I am never going back to that. 1.8lbs up over Christmas and sticking to 10mg for now.

Our recorded losses for 2024 now total 2638 lbs! Well done all. As the majority in this group are now at or near goal, I imagine the strategy for most will be maintenance- on or off MJ, exercise & toning, dealing with emotional triggers.
I managed to stay just under goal weight, though I started Christmas 3 lbs below. Most holiday food is now gone, dry January beckons & I plan on dropping a few lbs for security. On 5mg for now.

I delayed an injection a bit longer than I intended to due to slightly forgetting what day it was and having visitors and not wanting to be at peak side effect while they were here. Not weighed myself yet, but I expect there'll be a gain that will come off quickly enough.

My current plan is to lose another 10kg at least, that would take me to 65kg and a BMI of 23ish. Although I've still got that "lose weight" resolution at least I know how I'm doing it and that the bulk of it is behind me.