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

A few people above are experiencing the same as me. Last week I hit 9st 7. I was always a stone lighter until about 35 but at 58 I am thin enough. People keep saying don’t lose any more, I’m 5ft 4”.

I'm actually not sure how to maintain. I’ve been ill this week and am now 9st 4, I can’t lose anymore.

I never went above 7.5mg split in two doses over a week and I’ve two 7.5 pens stocked up. I think I’m just going to drop back to 5mg and not use the full dose then order the next pen at 5mg and see if I can wean off it completely, or at least go down to 2.5.

on a positive my blood sugars are normal, my cholesterol is 3.9, my BP is in the middle of healthy and my BMI is 22.3.

@Slimstar13 thanks that's interesting. I'm still 7lb from goal (I think) but losing sooo slowly. I think I need to count calories again to get the last bit off and I've effectively stalled. Which bodes well for maintenance but makes me think am I chasing an unsustainable goal weight as some day I'll be trying to maintain this weight using good habits and willpower alone!
Seems it would be more sensible to stop where I'm at...but I'm not sure I can accept this. I'm top of my healthy range and the extra 7lb off would give me a 7lb leeway for holidays/Xmas etc without going overweight again.
It's really tough deciding what's right. And so individual.

The difference in TDEE calories for me between eg a BMI of 30 and a BMI of 25 is about 150 calories...

similar here - 100cal difference for me from where I am now (70kg) & 60kg.

The TDEE calculator I used also had a link to ‘check your own body fat on Amazon’ - it was a link to Harpenden Skinfold Calipers. These are the gold standard of body fat measurements for adults. Please don’t buy them unless you know how to use them! Until last year I was trained & qualified in anthropometry and was tested 3 times a year & we all still made mistakes. No way can you accurately measure yourself!!

You look incredible ❤️

@Slimstar13 The TDEE is a useful tool, but you also need to assess it individually. For me, it over-states my calorie requirements. In theory, when I first started MJ, I should have lost weight on 1400-1500 calories, but I found I needed to restrict myself to 1000-1200 calories, & even then, I lost on average 5 lbs a month.
When I spoke to Hira at Oushk about maintenance, she suggested adding in 200 more calories per day initially, then see what calorie input allows you to stabilise your goal weight. If when I reached goal, I immediately added in 500 cals per day, I think it would cause me to gain, so I will increase food input slowly.

Hi everyone!

I'm down to BMI 22.5, which I think is about right considering bmi 23 makes me overweight due to 'ethnic' reasons.

I'm still taking 7.5 weekly. I'm still losing very very slowly and it is a bit of a mind fuck as I take pleasure in this, which is not healthy. It's very weird being in control of losing further weight. The strangest thing ever in fact. Who knew you could set and then actually reach your own target weight???

I'm eating more (about 1600/1700 cals per day) and am definitely hungrier. I do not feel ready to titrate down because of this.

Re TDEE.
I checked mine again and it says 1600 for maintenance - I'm bmi 22.4. Interestingly if I go back to overweight, say 13st, it's 2000. So basically, if I get fat again I can eat more to maintain that overweight point. I understand the principle but does feel counterintuitive and obviously takes no account of individual metabolism, etc. I've been on about 1000 max throughout time on MJ and have found that going over this has resulted in small gains. So increasing by 600 calories a day, to stay where I am currently, feels risky - I'll be trying to do it but very gradually and weighing daily to keep an eye on things.
The weight is still dropping off me so clearly I do need to eat more but I feel quite psychologically resistant to that and I'm so over alcohol, carbs, sugar and UPFs that I need to find healthy ways of doing this.
I think maintenance is going to be as tricky as losing weight has always been 🤷

My TDEE is 1900 with a BMI of 22.9. I just checked and this past week my average has been just 1100 according to MFP whereas last month it was more like 1300. Head wobble incoming.

@KrankyKumquat I agree maintenance is going to be just as tricky as losing weight sadly.

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that I don't think tracking calories for the rest of our lives is sustainable. I find it very draining and it does take effort, and it's the first thing I drop- in fact I have not tracked in a long time.
I think in order for us to successfully maintain, we need to learn to eat intuitively and only eat when hungry. Of course allow for treats and special days but that's normal life.
I've been focusing on habit forming - I have a coffee and a protein drink first thing, then a smoothie or anything with collagen mid morning, a small lunch (I have options in the fridge, most include sourdough bread, protein bagel, some cheese and some meat), then nothing until dinner, when I focus on the size of my portion (I have always had balanced dinners but just too much of it). I don't drink often and when I do, it's one drink. I don't know how many calories that gives me and it will vary a bit, but if I can maintain this sort of routine I won't gain the weight back.
Not having a go at anyone who tracks btw!

@CiderJabs
I can't see myself calorie counting for ever either. When I started on MJ, I did it for a month and it was helpful to remind me of some basics. I stopped as I was eating pretty much the same handful of things every week and knew I was well within my 'allowance'. The routine has been very fixed. I'll just be checking as I reintroduce foods I've avoided for 7 months now I think eg how much is beans on toast, a lump of cheddar cheese, a dozen oven chips, etc. As my maintenance calories are only 1600, I haven't got a huge number to play with apparently 😕 . And as I'm staying on MJ, the balance is really difficult to figure out - how much 'extra' will I get from the meds, what will appetite suppression feel like, what impact will it have on my metabolism, if none why am I bothering? I really haven't got it sorted out in my head yet but think maybe I just need to test it and see.

I’ve never calorie counted on MJ. I don’t ever really want to. Got myself into a bit of a hole a few years ago doing that.

Breaking news - I’m in size 12 jeans & finally losing again. I am, however, freezing. All the time.

On an entirely different subject today. I tried on a size 10 top I bought for my daughter and it fits me. I am absolutely not a size 10, it's clearly meant to be oversized and is snug on me. But being able to do it up was very cheering anyway. It also means if she doesn't like it I'm totally stealing it for myself.

@AgathaMystery
Wow, size 12! Go you 😍
I've given up and had the heating cranked up this last couple of days, I'll worry about the bill later - we've had a ton of snow and although we live in the town, we're quite high up and it just isn't thawing in 3 days. Got my knock-off oodie on and a heated throw too. Really cold in the night though and combined with MJ insomnia, I haven't been sleeping well 😪

@KrankyKumquat also I haven’t forgotten about syringes! I have them to post to you and another poster, all packaged up, but the bloody Evri machines near me are buggered. The app hates your postcode!! So weird.

Interesting dentist 6month visit this morning. Had to declare MJ (she hadn't heard of it, unlike ozempic so she was very interested). She's been poking around in my mouth for 20 years and said she'd never seen it looking so healthy - no tartar at all (I've always had a lot), lovely pink gums, great capillaries, even no evidence of trauma (I've always been prone to biting my tongue in my sleep!) She reckons it's linked to much healthier mouth biome and also mentioned the link between teeth/gums and heart disease so a massive improvement is a sign of much better heart and vascular health. All very unexpected, for both of us, and think I've converted her to the myriad benefits of WLI! She is going to research it more so she understands the impact better for her other patients.

That's really interesting @KrankyKumquat, and great news for your teeth as well. It's fascinating seeing the wider benefits isn't it?

I have been bra shopping today as I was down to one bra that didn't really fit that well. I've gone from a 36 back to a 32. It's the first time I've had a proper fitting in a long time as I just worked it out myself when I was bigger due to not wanting to strip off. It was nice today to look in the mirror and feel an unremarkable size. I do think I'm going to have an issue with loose skin though, I can see it puckering in places and I fear I shall look like a deflated balloon.

Me to. Tracking keeps me in the straight and narrow.

Without it I persuade myself that I don't eat much and that my weight gain is mystifying!
Logging makes you realise how things add up and how many more calories you are taking in than you think you are.

Hi all, sorry I've been MIA for a while. Work stress plus holiday....

A few things from my side -

I've never been a cold person but I've hit 54 years old and I'm COLD. On holiday I was on the beach with a cotton blanket around me whilst everyone was sunbathing!

So many seats are uncomfortable now that I don't have so much padding on my bum

I'm wearing a size S belt (ok, the furthest hole but still) and my winter coat dwarfs me so I have bought a new one in the sales

The WL is slow but steady and I've had a few cheats so that's to be expected. Not quite ready to stop/reduce, probably another 15lbs or so to go

I've just hitthe holy grail of 9st 5lb and bought a pair of size 10 jeans.

I'm finally happy at this weight!

Delighted to say my BF has also decided to try MJ. She was a bit judgey when I told her, but seems to have given it some thought.

Where's the best price for a newbie!