Do the jabs do anything to physically make you lose weight?

[hjkljgq]

Or is it all about suppressing appetite?

The reason I ask, I've been told all my life (often on here) that it is harder to lose weight the older you get, if you eat the same at 50 as you did at 20, even if activity is the same, you'll put on weight. Some women swear menopause causes weight gain, whilst some Drs say it doesn't. I've got some family members on the jabs at the moment that have struggled with their weight later in life, but are doing brilliantly on the jabs and losing weight rapidly.

So does this mean the mechanics are roughly the same with age, eat less, weigh less, and it's the mental aspect that gets harder as we age, not that we physically process food differently?

It's harder to lose weight post menopause as your muscle mass decreases (unless you lift weights in which case you can maintain it) and your metabolism slows down as a result. we don't process food differently as we age except that our caloric needs tend to reduce so eating the same amount will result in weight gain over time. The injections work by reducing appetite through various mechanisms, so you can easily achieve a calorie deficit with little to no effort.

I think as it stabilizes your blood sugar and ensures your insulin is fully managed, for those of us who had problems in this area, then it helps, as your body is no longer turning glucose to fat.

nowever for those not insulin resistant, then that would not be relevant

if you’re asking if it’s a magic drug that makes fat melt away the answer is no. Even those insulin resistant need to follow a calorie controlled diet, and eat clean.

Thanks so much that makes sense. I was mostly asking because I'm always being told weight gain is inevitable as we age and I wondered why that was exactly if the jabs work the same at 50 as they would on a 20 year old, I wondered if they would work less well if age was such a determining factor. The muscle mass thing is interesting and makes sense.

I think there is a hormonal effect too. It’s definitely more than just appetite suppression.

Purely speaking about myself - so sample size of one, hardly scientific!

I have struggled with my weight my whole life and have been morbidly obese most of the time.
Every few years I would go on a diet and lose about five stones, which I would then gradually put back on and the cycle would start again. By diet I mean eating really clean and healthily, but in calorie deficit. I used to work in a food science lab so know a bit about food and nutrition.
After menopause I found that dieting really didn’t work anymore. Where before I would have lost two to three pounds a week it was now less than a pound. I wasn’t doing anything different, but obviously the way my body worked had changed post menopause.
I started Mounjaro in October and I’m currently 45lbs lighter. I’m back eating healthily but in calorie deficit, and I’m back to losing weight at the rate I would have done pre menopause. So whatever menopause did to my metabolism it seems like Mounjaro has ‘reset’ it.
On a completely different note, my chin hairs are also far less rampant 😁

Of course there is a hormonal effect - the way that it works is by mimicking the processes that lead to increased hormones that make you feel full and regulate blood sugar. The result of those hormonal effects is decreased appetite. There isn't some other magic hormonal effect that melts away fat.

As others have said, they support you losing weight by reducing your appetite. They regulate blood sugars and slow digestion so you don't get the same level of hunger signs. You still have to be in a calorie deficit. I suspect my weight loss on mn is slower than it would have been 20 years ago. It's a long hard slog at 46, but on mj I can do it as my body isn't fighting back like it was when I tried without it. I'd lose a stone and it would just scream at me until I gave up. I think it'll be about a year before I'm really happy with my weight so in it for the long haul!

I’m suggesting it’s a magic fat melting ingredient 🙄
The hormonal effects are more than just decreasing your appetite.

A lot of posters on this board have found the periods have changed. The drug company themselves say it may affect hormonal contraception.

This may be why menopausal users are finding it just as effective as younger users.

I’m NOT suggesting it’s a magic fat melting ingredient, that should say!

My periods are now regular (55:) when before they were haphazard. My liver function had dropped by 158 points to almost normal and my nails and hair grow at lightening speed although there is some shedding. I haven't had to pluck my facial hair in months. Definitely something hormonal going on for me. Again, not a doctor, sample of one

Fat is hormonally active. When you lose weight oestrogen is released from the fat cells and this can impact on your menstrual cycle. That isn't related to weight loss though.

All likely effects of weight loss rather than the effect of the medication

@InkHeart2024 how would you explain my weight loss reverting to a premenopausal pattern if all MJ was doing was suppressing appetite?

whatever menopause did to my metabolism it seems like Mounjaro has ‘reset’ it

I think this is just your perception of things to be honest and not based in any evidence. Mounjaro can't turn back time and undo changes that menopause has made. What's more likely is that you're finding it easier to stick to a calorie deficit now due to the Mounjaro and therefore aren't getting 'calorie creep' which happens when you're consciously dieting and sneaking little bits extra in (even unconsciously) because you're hungry or thinking about food.

My period returned within 3 weeks of starting MJ. Although I’d lost nearly a stone by, it was likely to be water rather than fat at that point.

I’m not claiming it as evidence as such. But if, as you’re saying, my inability to lose weight post menopause (following exactly the same regimen as had been successful previously) was due to calorie creep, then why did’t the calories creep premenopause?

You were more focused, you were more active, you cared more. Who knows. But I can also assure you you’re not now premenopausal.

Obesity is about more than just eating too much! There are other factors at play.

A lot of obese people know all about healthy eating, are experts at various diets, and have great willpower! Not all, but a lot.

MJ doesn’t melt fat away on its own, you do have to work at it, but efforts pay off far better than without it.

I think your misunderstanding me. I didn’t say, and am not claiming to be premenopausal (thank god - wouldn’t want to go back there 😂).

What I’m saying is that whatever havoc menopause wreaked on my metabolism, Mounjaro seems to be ameliorating.

Ah ok, yes mounjaro can boost metabolism. Maybe it would be easier to just say my metabolism slowed, and metabolism can speed up when a proper healthy diet is followed.

Exactly @Gettingslimmer - Mounjaro hasn’t just suppressed my appetite, it’s also boosted my metabolism.
And it wouldn’t be easier to say my metabolism slowed down (due to menopause) but speeded up because of a proper healthy diet, because if that we’re the case it would have speeded up due to the diet without taking Mounjaro - and it didn’t.
Anyway I’m going to stop now, because I’m in danger of sounding either like a Mounjaro marketing bot or an evangelical loon!

I am in my first week and have felt precisely nothing different so far, no suppression, no side effects. I have been sticking to calorie counting because that just feels like part of the "deal" I have made with myself in order to to commit to taking MJ and spending money on it (and to convincing DH that it was a good idea). I am sure I will lose weight this week because of the calorie counting, I have done so before.

So the effect of the MJ for me is so far just psychological. I do feel sceptical right now that it will be anything else. Whatever works is good, of course, but I guess, like everyone, I was hoping for pure magic! Maybe it is coming...

One week in, at an introductory dose, it's not that surprising that you aren't feeling effects yet.

Oh I know that. It is just that I am quite sure I am going to lose weight this week anyway, and that's not going to be directly related to the MJ itself as it hasn't had any physical effects yet.

I think I have read in a few places that MJ helps your body process & break down fat cells more easily. It's all to do with it's effect on stabilizing blood sugar levels and how your body reacts to insulin.
Not sure how much of a meaningful impact this would have on your weight as ultimately you need to be in a calorie deficit.
MJ helps you achieve that through appetite suppression and delayed gastric emptying.
For me I would say weight loss has slowed down as I have got older due to being more sedentary and less muscle mass.