How do I know if I'm hungry or full?

[JaroSally]

I know this should be obvious but I'm not actually sure of I know the right feelings.

I had my 2.5 monjaro last week for the 1st time and i have been able to avoid snacking without even thinking about it and the meals i have had are smaller than normal but when inhave finished my tummy is making feeling is used to when I eat but want more.

Is the eaten but want more signal actually my full signal? It is almost a rumble like the food wakes my tummy up and it's ready to party. Why don't I know these things? I'm 42 and my BMI is currently 49.1 and I desperately need to get this down.

What about swimming? All movement in water will be kinder because it supports your weight. Even if you can just start with a couple of lengths it'll really help. You really really need to find a way to keep your existing muscle and gain muscle.

The timings will be wrong but the way your body uses energy is glucose in your blood steam first, then glycogen (which will also produce water weight loss) then muscle then fat. It takes something like 6 hours for your body to start to use fat.

If you eat constantly you will be using the instantly available energy rather than stored energy. The more towards protein/veg your diet is the better.

My BMI was over 40 so I'm not skinny by any means but swimming and weights has totally changed my body shape already.

I was on ozempic for 9 months but didn't make any changes beyond stopping drinking and only lost 6kg. You have to help yourself to loose. The drugs alone won't be enough.

I can't swim people look at me when I'm in a swimming costume and I'm not great at swimming anyway so I really lack the ability. I also don't feel.i can walk into a gym the last time I did people just watched me and it absolutely broke my heart.

Tummy gurgles after eating are digestion processes starting. My tummy has just done that and I've just had breakfast.
Tummy gurgles after a 4-6 hour gap are hunger.

Ditch the weight watchers points system and use an app that shows calories. Calories isn’’t a perfect way to approach food but it will give you an idea of what you’re eating. Some apis have meal ideas too. While your tummy/brain adjusts with MJ and figures out satiety you will have to rely on how many calories you should eat for that meal. Your breakfast sounds nice but did you check the sugar content ? If you have an app like my fitness pal (it’s the only one I know but there are loads out there) you can scan the barcode on the packaging and it will upload the details for you.

I can’t stress enough you’re just starting out. Our brains/bodies are complicated. Many people have a big meal but their bodies compensate and they don’t gain weight
The eat signal is real. Have a listen to this podcast and look up the addictive nature of UPFs and sugar. If you had bread and butter at night I really think your body might have been looking for nutrition.
https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/zoe-science-nutrition/id1611216298?i=1000660424275

And there are many many online exercises. I have the BodyFX app that I’ve loaded on my tv but there are loads of free YouTube videos. Just get started moving. I’m not sure people watched in the way you thought and perhaps you were judging yourself. I idly watch others while on a machine but there are no thought processes there. Or sometimes I watch someone’s technique. Perhaps see if there’s a gym or place near you that can teach you weights. Or can provide a personal trainer. It will be great alongside your loss and is really good for mood boosting. And final thought is they can watch you all they want getting fit.

Don't stress about exercising. At your weight you just need to walk. Get a tracking watch and aim for 10000 a day.
in relation to food and hunger cues part of the reason we got obese is an inability to tolerate hunger and constantly high blood sugar from leaving very short periods of time between eating. Mounjaro lets you go for longer between meals without stressing about being hungry. My advice is to eat 3 meals a day, decent meals, tasty healthy fresh food, and aim to eat nothing in between and no sweet treats. That's what I do and it's working for me. No calorie counting, no deprivation and no stress.

Have a look on TikTok chezziemai

Please give this lovely thread a read - it's a morbidly obese guy who's started swimming. You'll see that swimmers really are nice people. And really no one cares what you're doing. They're all thinking good on you.

www.reddit.com/r/Swimming/s/aClJ1WbxuJ

It's always been the same, if I go on holiday for two weeks I probably won't poo, my body doesn't want to let it go. I meet my fibre count most days and I take chia shots, turmeric and a once a month laxative the doctor gives me. My family has a history of digestives disorders. This is the version I got.

Eating makes me hungry too. Even things like porridge which are supposed to 'keep you full until lunch'. I think it's insulin related. Eating sugar/carbs starts up the sugar surge and crash cycle. You eat sugar, you blood sugar rises and your body compensates with a big dose of insulin. As a result your blood sugar crashes and your body releases hormones to tell you to eat eat eat to raise your blood sugar again and the cycle continues.

Way around this. Push any sugar/carbs later in the day. Protein/fat based breakfast. High fat natural yoghurt with raspberries (no honey or other surgery fruit) cheese and ham omelette, bacon and eggs (no toast).

Or skipping breakfast entirely will have a similar effect.

I found going full keto very effective on mj.

I agree that the hunger is different. Before my hunger was in my head. It was a craving, I WANTED food, was thinking about food etc.

Now it's a physical thing. A feeling of hollowness. I have a big appetite too so sometimes I do just have to ignore that empty feeling. Try to make meals that are filling. Natural fats, protein, lots of fiberous veggies. You might benefit from choosing less processed carbs. So less pasta and bread and more potato and rice for instance and reducing the proportion of your plate which is carb based.

I read this in a diet book years ago and I always found it very helpful, so maybe it will help you, too. Think of your hunger as 0 to 10, with 0 being very hungry and 10 being very full. When you finish a meal, you should be at 5, not hungry but definitely not stuffed, either.

OP, I would also encourage you to track your calories if it doesn't trigger any ED symptoms - this will help you understand what your requirements are, especially if you can calculate your TDEE (google TDEE calculator). That will give you a list of calories you need to maintain and lose, and you can use that as a guide.

I think it would also be worth you doing some body scanning exercises alongside calorie tracking, and keeping a diary of both. When you wake up, take a few minutes to scan how your body feels, internal sensations, emotions, etc. If you can do this consistently before and after eating, you may notice some patterns that will help you recognise and learn your body's signals.

Best of luck.

No disrespect meant then but if you have a digestive disorder it's probably not a good idea to refer to your bowel habits on an advice thread as if they are normal or expected? Nobody who usually has normal bowel function should ignore something like pooing once a week as an effect of mounjaro and your post implies it's normal.

I don't think it does at all. But let's not derail the ladies thread. I have a thread that's been running for 18 months all about my journey losing ten stone on Ozempic and MJ so I feel my experience is valid. You don't and that's fine.

I’m sorry but I also read it as this was caused by the drug, this is what you wrote “Remember the food moves slowly through your system now, for example I poo less than weekly” which strongly implies this is caused by the drug. Emptying your bowels weekly is not normal, and would be a concern.

Thank you for the podcast link I started to listen but I fell asleep! Its been a bit ofna heavy day

Sorry if this is wildly unhelpful but I just eat three meals a day, I don't snack, I know by 6pm I will be really hungry if I've eaten at 1pm but I accept that as normal. My stomach starts to hurt when it's been a long time eg if I have a busy day and can't eat lunch. Maybe I've just trained myself to be this way as my mum wasn't big into snacking and it wasn't something I was brought up with.

I do the same! I make sure that I eat 3 balanced meals 3 times per day. The same stuff that the rest of my family eats but much less than what I used to eat.
Most importantly, mounjaro stopped the need of snacking!

Mounjaro can cause all kinds of gurgles and tummy sensations - especially when you’re starting.

re exercise, you really don’t need to go to a gym to do strength training. Joe Wicks has you tube videos for “seniors” (I know you’re probably not, but they’re designed as a gentle intro for people who may have mobility challenges). I’m sure there are others too - I’ve heard chair yoga is good. And walking is BRILLIANT - for physical and mental health so 👏

good luck OP