Mounjaro, 10st or more to lose.

[BookishBabe]

Hello fellow mounjaro users or people thinking about starting. I have seen there is a thread for people needing to lose 5 stone plus, but even there I felt a little bit big.
I need to lose 12 stone, and even then my BMI would be 33.
Alot of people seem to be starting mounjaro with a starting BMI of 33, so I think it sometimes feels better to be among people who have the same amount to lose, 12 stone feels so daunting and scary. It's going to be a long battle.

This is my final chance before weight loss surgery, which I really don't want to do or risk.
I am 32 years old and have 2 young sons (7 and 5), one is disabled and the other is struggling and is on a reduced timetable at school. They need me to be around for a very long time and at the moment I feel like I am failing them.

I started calorie counting/a calorie controlled diet last Monday (2nd December). I was thinking about putting it off because of Christmas, but I can always come up with an excuse, so I decided to just go for it.

I weighed in at 27st and 7lbs.
At 5 ft 8 that gave me a BMI of 58.5!!!

I had some blood tests in March which showed I was prediabetic, I have done precisely nothing since then to do anything about it and have buried my head in the sand!

My mounjaro was delivered Tuesday afternoon and I took my first jab on Wednesday morning. I think its working slightly now, but I didn't feel any different for the first 3 days, but I'm either used to eating less (unlikely in 7 days) or the mounjaro has started to take effect.

So, one week in, calorie controlled diet every day, trying to get lots of protein, drinking loads, a few days of mounjaro in my system.

Weigh day time,

drum roll

26st and 11lbs!!!! 🥳

10lbs gone. I am very happy with that. I used to be able to lose 15lbs in a week when I was younger, but I was much more active back then and thanks to being so overweight I do struggle with activity.

BMI is now 57! So I've lost 1.5 on my BMI. Fingers crossed I can keep this going, I just need the number to keep going down! I'm really hoping I can be in a healthier and happier place with myself.

So, long post over.

Does anyone with 10st or more to lose want to join me here?

I know its daunting but I think if anyone feels like me, this is probably our last hope before surgery and our health is probably starting to decline or already has due to the weight we have on our bodies.

@FatsiaJaponicaInTheGarden yes there is a few weeks of complete stand still. Christmas weeks 😁 I ate whatever I wanted and fully expected a stone gain but I guess I was still eating a lot less than usually would at the same time of year even though it didn’t feel so.

I was meaning it suddenly dropped after that so it was still losing loads on average! I think I'm trying to expect there will be weeks it doesn't look like much and weeks it drops and hopefully overall the trajectory is down. Ive never got more than a few months by myself and is hoping mj does it for me. I'm 4 shots in and about to go upto 5 and so nervous about side effects but know overall I need this.

I'm finding weight loss in odd places. My feet have disproportionately lost weight. They are normally spherical but are now more foot shaped. Probably loss of excess fluid but still to be celebrated.

I agree. Before I started, my feet and ankles kept retaining water - really puffy. Now just normal feet.

My arms and legs are still far too fat!

That's amazing @OliviaFlaversham!

I've got my diabetes nurse appointment on Wednesday - I'm going to discuss it but am fully expecting not to get it prescribed.

Then I shall start with the paid-for private prescription - my payday is 28th so if I tie it to the same time I won't be scrabbling to pay for it from the dregs of my salary every month, which seems fiscally sensible!!

@TragicMuse it would be a real shame if your diabetes nurse didn't go for it.

My diabetes nurse is fully in favour of mounjaro. She has said that not all her mounjaro patients are losing weight but the vast majority are. We are all also reporting improvement in diabetes symptoms.

I’ve just had a blissful long soak in the bath as my reward for going through a kg barrier. This morning I hit 119.6kg; lowest since Nov 2020. While I was studying my tootsies, I set a new NSV goal - to rediscover my inside ankle bones. Can’t remember when they were last visible.

Well today is the first time that I have been craving and have eaten chocolate.

while I recognise that it’s bloody amazing that I have gone 24 days without even missing it, it worries me - as I felt like I needed it and shovelled it in.

I have counted it in my calories and I’ll be still under for the day . Two titan bars (like snack sized mars bars )

honestly I would have been fine if I had enjoyed a little bit with a brew and savored it, but it was like a return to normal behaviour.

I don’t know if it means that I need to go up a dose (I have just got a second 2.5 pen !) or if it was just an old habit of see it and eat it

I'm coming up for 3 months in @Grumpyoldthing and have eaten small bits of chocolate throughout. My thinking is that if I'm working towards a long term change, that should include stuff that's been categorized as 'treats' or 'naughty food', because that's part of a healthy mindset. Do you think if you included small bits a bit more often that it could prevent the binge feeling again?

I agree @PinkArt I’m not doing anything or giving anything up that I’m not prepared to do forever. Otherwise it’ll be the same as “going on a diet” which inevitably ends.

I have felt like this this weekend, first bad cravings for three weeks. It's disheartening. I think I need to up my dose.

Hi all,

I am so pleased to have been directed to this thread. I have been accepted on to Mounjaro and I am awaiting my first pen.

A little about me, fat all my life save for some wild plummets in my late 20s/early 30s and like many (I have seen on this thread) I have tried almost everything and never found a reliable way to lose weight and keep it off. I am vehemently opposed to WLS having lost a friend to complications and had all but given up “trying” to lose weight.

I have spent the last 5 years or so learning to love myself in my fat body and I do. I have put in the work and no longer hate the way I look. That said, I am defeated. I am exhausted with not physically fitting in chairs, narrow hallways, planes, rides, high st clothes etc and my bones ache. My knees and hips particularly. Mounjaro feels like my last chance to lose weight so that my body can fit and be can get some peace.

I started Jan 2024 at 22st 10lbs and a desire to swim more and eat more foods from scratch. I cut out alcohol in March and joined a gym where I swim and occasionally do stuff on machines. I also started to walk more. My diet has not really improved and I am still obsessed by food. My weight has bounced about a bit over the year but I am starting Mounjaro at 19st 13lbs.

I am feeling very inspired by the losses that people are getting on this drug. I am fearful of side effects but can only hope for the best.

I hope to share in everyone’s success and one day have success I can share with you.

Hi @SignalCat , glad you came over.

Well done on loosing 3 stone on your own over the last year. You should be proud of that.

I'm hoping Mj will be the key that allows me to unlock a healthier future.

Welcome @SignalCat, lovely to have you here! I’m so sorry to hear about your friend, I can’t imagine how you must have felt 😔
I have recently noticed that my aches and pains have all but gone, I’m still grossly overweight but the difference is amazing, standing after sitting for a while is the most noticeable for me, I used to stand and wait for what felt like my bones to click into place then hobble before walking properly, now I just stand and go - magic!
it’s natural to be fearful of side effects as that’s what we read about a lot, I was scared too, but luckily it’s just constipation that I have a battle with.
good luck!

@Grumpyoldthing please don’t feel guilty, we’ve been told over and over again that we are fat because we’re greedy, you’ve eaten two mini snack sized chocolate bars, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s normal behaviour, but we’ve been conditioned to think it’s wrong. Sometimes we do just ‘need’ something.
You’re not going to sabotage anything, next time saviour them with a brew.

I’m the same as @Kay2000 and @PinkArt, I’m not denying myself anything, I can just have a tiny piece/slice of something thanks to Mounjaro, this is the rest of my life now and I’m (hopefully) re-educating my brain that I’m ok to have a tiny piece of something and then I can stop as I don’t need more.

Hi @SignalCat - well done on losing so much weight already. I was fearful of side effects, really panicking after my first dose. And I’ve been fine. Main side effects so far has been fatigue a few hours after injection, then ironically insomnia for a couple of days (this has been my experience for two weeks now but it’s hard to tell if it’s the drug or my paranoia!) and a drastic reduction in my inflammation and IBS - both welcome. I’ve just gone up to a 5mg pen tonight but as I’m still worried about side effects I’ve done 45 clicks of the pen which is 3.75mg, to see how I am on this dose. Drink loads of water and hopefully you’ll be fine. It’s turned my obsession with food and what I’m going to eat next, and after that… completely off. It’s incredible really. I can have one square of chocolate without any desire to stuff the rest in. I’ve still enjoyed my meals, so I’m not keen on whizzing up the dosage in case that changes, but I’ve eaten two or three meals a day with few snacks. My meal size is naturally reducing and my husband is dishing up smaller portions for us both (since our son moved out we’ve both gained more weight as we still cook for him plus other non existent kids 🤣). I’m off out for lunch on Thursday with some friends and am not worried about it (other than, as you say, fitting into the chairs).

Hello @SignalCat I’m new too.
This is week 4 day 2, I’m on the road & like you I was nervous re side effects.
I weigh in each week at the pharmacist & will continue on 2.5 until it stops working. I’ve lost 12lbs so far. Once you’ve done one & been ok with side effects you’ll get on a roll. Good Luck xx

@Kay2000 that's interesting what you say about your DH also losing weight as a side effect of you being on mounjaro. My DH is the same. To an extent we egged each other on with treats. Now, with me no longer interested, DH doesn't buy treats for us.

I wonder if this is being replicated in a lot of households. One person goes on mounjaro and the whole household loses weight.

The person on mounjaro is normally directly or indirectly responsible for most of what food comes into the home. If they aren't interested in the treat food, less will be bought to be available to the rest of the household.

Thanks for the warm welcome all.

It’s so hard to imagine what life might be like without food noises! I hope that happens for me.

Most previous attempts at IWL have failed because restriction often leads me to bingeing. I would love to get to the place where my thin friends live (and as mentioned above by @Iwouldratherbesinging) where I don’t deny myself anything I just choose to have a smaller amount.

I shift work in a safety critical role so I really can’t have severe side effects as it will affect my job so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.that might mean staying on a lower dose and taking it slowly. My plan is to jab on Fridays after work (as I’m currently on a Mon-Fri pattern). My shifts will be changing in a few months but hopefully by then I will have acclimatised and side effects will be much reduced. We’ll see.

I have a long haul holiday coming up in October, to fit comfortably in the plane seat would be a dream come true!

Good to read all your updates. I'm more achey and have had some hunger the last 2 days. I've eaten 3 or 4 times daily W2 D5 & 6, instead of 2 meals a day no snacks which was my MJ norm on 6 days of week one. I'll definitely go up to 5mg on the next pen.

I've been taking elctrolytes daily and gaviscon at the first sign of any indeigestion. I wake up with a dry mouth, and am more wakeful than before. No other side effects other than one day in W1 with mild diarrhoea. I'm looking forward to shot 3 tomorrow.

My daily weigh was up 3lbs today - slower bowels and more inflammation, I think. I was hoping for a stone down a month, especially in month one - so we'll see.

I'm looking forward to shot 3 tomorrow to reduce my arthritic and inflammatory aches. Last check-in I didn't have my scale with me as the instructions didn't say I needed it. I'd weighed first thing so gave them that weight. I was without clothes so I'll be a bit more with a clothed weigh in. The number that matters to me is my daily weigh before I get dressed.

Our sitting room and downstairs bathroom are now an airbnb guest suite, so I'm cleaning that today. Turnaround and doing the laundry is my main exercise. I'm planning to start pilates to help me regain some flexibility. I know I can do it from youtube but even find getting on and off the floor difficult at the moment.

Do you think they’ve been reading this forum? A good move I feel?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yeklrer39o

I have teenage sons who do a lot of sport (and a 2 mile each way walk for school) and eat SO MUCH!!! I'm basically doing half portions so they're enjoying having some extra 🤣

2.2lb down today. Went out for brunch Sunday and a quiz with fish and chips on Saturday night (though peeled the batter off the fish and didn't eat many chips) so was worried about weigh in!

It's reasonable to make sure pharmacies are only prescribing to people who need to lose weight and have people prove their identity and show they really are fat, as SheMed does.

The problem is if they want GPs to be involved. Our GPs are already overworked.

The guidance doesn't specify GPs must be involved, rather that the patient's weight and height, or BMI needs to be independently verified separate to what the patient entered on the consultation form. The suggested methods are video calls, face-to-face appointments with the prescriber, accessing medical records or requesting information from GPs. It's not an exhaustive list, the pharmacies just have to be able to show they are not relying on patient self reporting of height/weight/BMI.