Mounjaro / Wegovy with > 5st / 30kg to lose: Thread 4

[VelociraptorsVelociRapping]

Thread 4 (!) of this lovely community. Anyone using weight-loss injections to lose more than 5 stone or 30kg is very welcome to join us.

No discount codes, please - these need to go in the dedicated thread on this board and they will be deleted.

@Timetofindme you and I must have started around the same time as, I too am at just over 12 weeks, and today I am down 26 pounds 😊

AND, like you I am down into the next stone bracket. Hoorah! 16 stone 13.

These last few weeks have been a lot of plateauing, then a couple off then another 10 day plateau kind of thing, but over all it is going the right way and I was away last week where I ate things I don't normally have.

@alwaysscared My advice is to do what you need to do to get through your crisis. Do not add to it by being guilty about self sabotage. Just resolve to dust yourself down later on when you can and get right back into it. You won't undo your fantastic weight loss so far. As others have said, it is a blip. I like to read Jason Fung - he is a kidney specialist and writes about fasting, low carb eating, etc. He talks about humans going through feast or famine. Sometimes we over indulge - he says he does so himself when he goes on holidays, comes back with his "pants too tight" and he just get's straight back to it, looses his excess and moves on. Hope that helps. You have done brilliantly (a lot more than me, in less time, and at a lower dose). You have got this!

@NewbieMJ awesome! Woooohooooo! That's the thing I'm finding with MJ is just trusting the process, and accepting that plateaus happen without falling off the waggon. Somehow it feels so different to the many diets I've done before where I got frustrated with losing 1-2 lbs a week cos it was such a struggle. I've got good suppression so can accept a steady slower loss as overall the numbers keep dropping.

This is exactly it. The MJ is my reassurance. I know I am eating well, and the scales will go down, in time. I would get so frustrated before too when all my hard work resulted in minuscule weight losses, if any and felt the deprivation and frustration take over and just gave up, feeling there is no point, no matter what I do, I just can't seem to lose weight. It is different this time and I know that MJ will get me to a healthy weight, so I can relax and trust the process. It is such a refreshing feeling isn't it?

Slow and steady here, which suits me fine. I need to take great care with my gallbladder (diagnosed with gallstones about 12 years ago) and I know there are risks with gallbladder issues when weight loss is too fast. I also don't want loose skin, but that remains to be seen if that will happen. Several stone to go, so no idea really. Taking collagen, etc but getting the weight off.is my number one goal.

Thanks for your kind words everybody

I've really gone off food on 7.5mg. It feels quite different from earlier doses.

I am eating but I'd happily skip meals etc if I could - not a great habit I know. I need to get more organised. I'm getting quite hungry before conceeding I need to eat.

I am usually a meal planner & very organised and I need to get back into those good habits. I only go to the supermarket now when the DC are complaining tell me there is no milk or bread. My shopping costs a lot less.

My usual fallback "basic meal" of greek salad & chicken breast isn't really working in this cold weather so I am making a big pot of lentil lemon kale soup - that will be delicious for dinner.

Still having a daily pomegranate of course

@RobinEllacotStrike A big pot of soup has been a life saver for me the last month or so. I find I am really missing it in the weeks I don't make some now.

Quick to heat up in microwave
Warm and comforting in the cold weather
A good hit of protein if it has lots of lentils/split peas and/or meat
Doesn't need much thought
Can be eaten lunch or dinner
Satisfying with a warm "bake at home" crusty roll (147 cal) or protein bread/warm protein bagel to dook in! 😋
dh and ds are enjoying homemade soup being easily available too!

I much prefer soup season to salad season!

@RobinEllacotStrike

Same here. I have been exploiting it a bit though this week as I was away with DH for a few days. Breakfast at the hotel, cake and drink about 2pm and then a reasonable tea I'm back home now so hopefully back to 3 meals a day. Soup sounds perfect in this weather. Especially a nice big pan of lentil soup.

@alwaysscared sorry to hear things have been so awful for you. My son has a similar profile of need to your son. He is in school though but it's an independent special school and took me 3 years to get him there. For a long time school wasn't a happy place for him. If mainlining jelly babies is what it takes for you to get through this then it's what it takes. Seeing as your son is at home, does he have an EOTAS package? This could possibly help by taking some of the heat off you.

For all of you who make your own soup, do you have a favourite recipe? If so would you mind sharing? I'm always in need of more inspiration.

@alltablenochairs yes, after 3 years of constant fighting, we now have EOTAS. But he has gone into full crisis now so we have to remove all demands, meaning that his tutors can't come to the home.
He literally needs either me or his dad with him. My DH has had to take time off work because I can't even go to the toilet without DS freaking out. We haven't been this bad for about 2 years.

yes to all of this!!!

Funny enough in the past my brain would catagorise "soup" as "not real food". I never felt that it was enough. A serving of soup would send me into a panic unless it was accompanied by LOTS of bread. I've spoken before on earlier threads about similar silly ideas embedded in my head re veggies - not real food thanks to "point free" and "SYN free" indoctrination from WW & SW.

I'm really hoping part of this MJ process is effectively reprogramming these silly incorrect ideas.

It's really good for me to feel hungry & be calm about it. All my life I've chased a "full" feeling in my stomach/solar plexus region. I can get panicky without it - its definitely related to emotional eating. I have a freind who is naturally very slender. She can't miss meals (as she can't afford to lose weight) but doesn't have much of an appetite drive. We got talking/drinking one night & it turns out she has the opposite feeling around her solar plexus - she always likes it to feel empty. Different sides of the same coin. Somewhere is the middle is best. I'd love to be there. So feeling hungry and not panicky is a nice feeling for me - I'm hoping this is part of a meaningful change.

If I roast a chicken I always make stock in the pressure cooker and then soup. Otherwise I use veggie bullion or stock cubes.

@alltablenochairs I don't use a receipe for my lentil lemon soup - I reverse engineered it from eating it in a cafe years ago. Everytime it is a bit different depending on whats around in the kitchen. Adding greens - spinach/kale/cabbage makes it more filling/bulky & the fiber levels must be good too.

This looks pretty good & similar: https://www.inspiredtaste.net/40400/lentil-soup/

I add toppings of feta, greek yoghurt, other cheeses to boost protein if I fancy it. Sometimes I'll just add more lemon!

I also love soups and the weather has been utterly horrendous, so I will go and make a large pot of chicken soup in a bit. We have a whole drawer of our freezer filled with homemade soups as they're such a great option when you get home late and can't be bothered to cook.

Sadly, my DH would be with the old you, @RobinEllacotStrike, re. not considering soup 'proper food'. He's fine with stews as long as there are enough chunky bits, but with most soups, he claims he feels like he hasn’t eaten anything at all. I found this so bizarre at first – how can you still feel just as hungry after a belly full of hot soup? Apparently, we experience hunger very differently. For me, hunger is in my stomach - I get rumbling, a scratchy sort of feeling, and if I’m really starving, I feel a bit queasy. But for DH it's all in his jaw - he gets this strong urge to chew something rather than feeling it in his stomach. Very odd, right? Surely, he’s the weirdo here, not me!

Two easy soup favourites that I make a lot:

Hokkaido / Red Kuri pumpkin soup with ginger, apple and cream
Hokkaido squash is my absolute favourite (also oven-roasted with feta on top!) - it’s sweet, nutty and you don’t have to peel it, which is a bonus. I think it tastes far better than butternut squash, personally.

Sauté two medium diced onions in ghee or oil until golden. Add a small piece of ginger (thinly sliced) and the diced squash, then cook on medium heat for a few minutes. Cover with chicken or veg stock, toss in one diced apple and a pinch of nutmeg, and simmer until the squash is soft. Finish with a bit of cream and blend until smooth.Nice toppings include a dollop of whipped cream, pumpkinseed oit, roasted pumpskin seed or croutons. Perfect winter comfort food that tastes a lot richer than it is.

Beetroot soup with lemon, sour cream and dill
Fairly similar to this recipe, but I leave out the carrots, the apple and the horseradish and always use fresh beets. I also add lots of lemon zest and juice and sour cream on top. It can also easily be turned into a more substantial meal by adding carrot, cabbage and ham or beef.
https://www.ocado.com/webshop/recipe/beetroot-and-apple-soup-with-feta-and-dill/131575?srsltid=AfmBOorYM9mLwOb9eC7y5tPqWcXVkayW_036k7GzGy6lKcU4QO8gD-Yi

A few weeks ago I made this Finnish salmon soup, also great on a cold day. I added some more green vegetables to make it more diet friendly.
https://themodernnonna.com/finnish-salmon-soup/

Oh, and that lentil lemon soup looks very good, will be trying that as well!

I really like this one. A spoonful of Greek yogurt is a good addition for protein and if you eat chicken I guess some shredded cooked chicken maybe. www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/moroccan-chickpea-soup-0

We also have a freezer full of soup 😃
I got one of those silicone soup block things (think giant ice cubes but soup) & it's made getting the soup back out & onto the table really easy I.e. I've finally trained the teenagers!!

This is my favourite - really filling & warming
I leave out the chilli, add far more onions, garlic & ginger and swap the fresh tomatoes for a tin, use green lentils & add loads of frozen spinach (I'm incapable of leaving recipes alone...)

https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/dhal-soup.html

I've been sailing through my MJ journey since May with no side effects, then suddenly on my third 10mg dose I had 24 hours of diarrhoea. Was hoping it was a one off, but no I had the same the week after.
So this week I dropped back to 7.5mg. Jabbed on Wednesday and yesterday evening the diarrhoea is back 😩 And the stomach gurgling is something else.

My body clearly doesn't like the level it's getting after I jab now.
I'm desperately studying my Shotsy graph to see when the level will drop so I'll hopefully feel better.

I've got a night away on Wednesday next week so I'm going to delay my next jab to at least Thursday, maybe Friday even. And am wondering if I should go down to 5 for a bit.

I'm not ready to give up though. 4.5 stone down, another 2.5 at least to go.

What's your diet like? I'm seeing a few people are finding that with the uptick in festivities, mince pies, the odd drink, that stomach issues are becoming more common.

Are you eating lean and fibre and staying away from greasy, stodgy foods that will sit in your guts for longer due to the MJ? One theory I've read is that foods are lingering longer so can ferment a bit causing the sudden release.

I'm eating clean, healthy food. The same as I have for the whole time I've been on MJ, so no change there.
It just feels like I've reached the maximum amount my body likes.
So I'll need to stay on a reduced dose and maybe space them out a bit more to let the levels in me drop so I don't react this way after every jab.

Anyone found any decent Black Friday deals MJ/weightloss related? I have seen/bought -

Perfectil Hair vitamins - Half price on Vitabiotics website - bought several months worth
My Protein - Has some decent discounts (plus another 10% off using APPY in their app) - topped up my stock of clear protein
Oushk - 20% off OUSHKFRIDAY - pre ordered for a late January delivery

Posted this on the July thread, but thought I'd post it here too.

Another Friday weigh in day seems to have whizzed round super quick.

Current stats:
SW: 139kg (21st 12 lbs)
CW: 102.3kg (16st 1.6 lbs)
GW: 100kg (15st 11 lbs) third interim goal.

Total of 5st 11lbs or 36.7kg lost to date.

A major milestone for me is that I have now lost exactly half of the weight that I need to lose. From this point on I have less left to lose than I have already lost, which is psychologically very pleasing. I don't feel so much like it's an uphill struggle now, thank goodness! Next targets are getting under that 100kg boundary and getting my BMI to be 35 or less.

I hear you @Snozzlemaid I took my first 5mg shot on Sunday and had appalling diarrhoea on Monday/Tuesday. I too had maintained a good lean protein veg diet. I think the point made by @InfoSecInTheCity about food fermenting in the gut may be apt. I am anxious about the same thing happening this Sunday and may reduce the dose. But am loving the suppression!

@Snozzlemaid I hope you can sort things out. I've been mostly trouble free thus far (on 7.5mg now). You've been doing so well that must be a shock for you.

@SilenceInside that is an amazing loss! I'm 2/5ths of the way to my total loss goal. Being over halfway there must feel amazing.

Great losses everyone and December is just around the corner. I'm not interested in any Xmas food yet & long may that last. I'll pick up some clememtines this weekend - usually they are excellent this time of year.

Thanks for all the soup info. My freezer is tiny & I have been thinking about getting a small under the counter freezer for frozen catfood & (now) soup blocks for a while.

Some NSVs for me - been away with work and have had to walk A LOT. And its been ok! Not struggling to keep up with folks, or huffing and puffing everywhere. Its been nice!

Had a couple of nice compliments too and felt confident in my outfits! Some photos were taken and I didn’t immediately hate them!

Also, I truly feel the power of MJ when I am super busy - normally by this time of the week I have less suppression - but as I work from home, there’s less distractions so food remains on my radar. When I am out and about - I completely forget about it!!

Weigh in and jab day, 1.5lbs lost. I'm frustrated by how slow it is but at least it's going in the right direction.
31.6lbs/14.4kg down since 6/9/24
SW 258.5lbs
CW 226.9lbs
GW 🤷‍♀️

Well done @alwaysscared I weigh daily so don't know what I lose a week as it fluctuates but you don't really want to be losing more than that for your skin and muscles.

I hope your son's anxiety lessens soon, @alwaysscared . It must be so exhausting, both for him and you.

But you are encouraging proof that jelly babies have a place in a healthy diet!