Weight gain on mounjaro

[Polkadotdash]

Any else experience this? I’m just starting my 4th week on 2.5mg. I lost a few pounds in my first week on it, but these are back on now. I’ve had no effects at all from the injections - good or bad. I’ve already bought the 5mg dose to start next week, but I’m starting to wonder if it’s worth the cost. I bought from a big online pharmacy so I’m assuming that I haven’t been sent a placebo or anything. But it’s really doing nothing for me, apart from costing me money! Am I alone in this?

At minimum if you are only having a small portion of cooked pasta (1 cup) , 1 biscuit as a snack, 2 slices of medium wholemeal bread, only the recommended portion size (matchbook size) of cheese, you're looking at 1500 calories with the diet you've listed. The breakdown is that it's roughly 40% fat, 40% carbs, 20% protein.

In comparison, my day yesterday was 55% protein, 16% fat, 29% carbs and 1300 calories.

There are lots of high protein vegetarian foods www.bbcgoodfood.com/health/special-diets/best-sources-protein-vegetarians

The problem with pasta and bread is that it has a high Glycemic Index score so it causes a large rise in your blood sugar, then a quick drop, like with sweets when we describe the 'sugar crash'. When you crash you get hungry because your body is trying to find a nice even level and feels like it's gone low.

www.everydayhealth.com/type-2-diabetes/living-with/foods-that-spike-blood-sugar/

Carbs that release sugars in a slower and more even pattern are better, but low GI carbs are things like rye bread (really dark, heavily seeded) rather than wholemeal which at best would be medium GI.

Have you sought any kind of medical advice at all? If you've been overweight for a while and have had a high sugar diet for a while, it's not outside the realms of possibility that you would have some kind of metabolic issue like PCOS, pre-diabetes or diabetes. Getting a blood test to check HbA1C and cholesterol wouldn't be a bad idea.

Currently from what I see your diet is fighting with the Mounjaro, you are not giving it the ability to do what it should do. The MJ is trying to slow your digestion and balance your sugar levels, you are making that difficult by eating a lot of sugar.

The social media posts you may have read (including MN) are purely anecdotal and so completely subjective without any control or verification.
Many people experience a placebo effect. Many people may not even exist in real life. Who knows.
To get accurate information read the data from clinical studies from reputable sources.
Advice to speak to your gp is likely a standard response but obviously none of us can speak for your provider.

@InfoSecInTheCity thanks for explaining.

I have had my HbA1C levels checked and I’m in the normal zone. No PCOS. I have been obsese for about a decade. The advice is always eat less. But I really struggle with that hence why I thought MJ would help. Maybe it will eventually, once the appetite suppression kicks in and I can manage without bread and pasta. Don’t think I will ever achieve the 1000 cals a day though!

Surely the point is that unless you plan on staying on injectables for life you need to change your dietary habits to something that you can maintain long term .

Of course I can eat more than 1000. That's why I'm obese. Like I said. I'm short so my calorie needs are small

Well this is what I thought. I thought MJ would reprogramme my metabolism and I would lose weight as a result.
But I think I’ve slowly realised that the goal with MJ is to use it as an appetite suppressant so that you can exist on less than 1500 cals a day and that way you lose weight. I don’t mind doing that if it gives me a break from being obese for a year or so.

Presumably these crashes are contributing to OP feeling faint as well.

You don't need to be eating 1000 calories a day, you really don't, but you really should try to increase your protein and fibre. You are going to feel hungry if you don't. If you feel hungry you will give up on the diet.

My goal is to be under 1600, I'm generally at around 1300/1400 a day and that's fine. I've gone from 15st 8lb in Sept to 12st 7lb today. Another stone and I'll be in the healthy BMI range for the first time ever (well as far as I know, I was obese at 11yrs old so might have been healthy weight at some point before then).

You’ve had Xmas in this period, if you’ve gained weight you’ve eaten more. The drug isn’t at a strong enough dose yet for it to be curbing your appetite and in effect it’s been a normal Xmas.

@SnarkSideOfLife i started on Boxing Day and I had a quiet Christmas because of family illnesses. No big blow out meals or boozy dos. I didn’t even drink on NYE. So Christmas isn’t to blame. And initially I lost a couple of pounds. But I’ve put that back on and another one too.

i'm afraid you do still have to put some work in! the injections are a great support tool, but they are not a magic power! 2000 calories sounds like way too many? im guessing but depending on your build etc...

lots of people mention that these injections take away the 'food noise'.. that constant niggling inside your head telling you to think about food.

but, as many have said, there has to be a small percentage of people it doesn't work for. i know somoene who forked out thousands for a gastric band, initially she lost a couple of stone, but shes now bigger than she ever was.. because she worked out how to 'get round' the restrictions

@mollymazda 2000 calories is a typical adult female amount per day. My base metabolic rate amount for my height, weight and activity level is 1600 just to function. So I don’t think I’m massively overeating.

you need to be in a deficit of 3500 calories a week to lose 1lb. so you are over eating 400 calories a day, thats 2800 a week... thats where your weight is coming from ... 1/2 a pound a week at least.. unless i've got it all wrong and i am sure someone will come on and tell me so.

On MJ I can eat fruit until the cows come home, but what makes me feel full and stay full is protein or a little bit of something fatty. So a coffee with full fat milk would mean I don’t feel like breakfast. That’s not a great idea for me if I have a long drive plus demanding meetings, because I’d get faint. But coffee with protein powder in (200 cals and 31g of protein) keeps me going until lunchtime. That’s why the advice is to start each meal by eating the protein. You have to really max the effects of what you’re eating.

Op, you need to work out your TDEE and then deduct calories from that to have you in a calorie deficit. The 2000 calories you’re eating per day is a lot and it’s probably why you’ve gained weight.

My TDEE is about 2300 calories daily but I eat between 1450 -1600 daily to get the deficit I need to lose weight. Most people Ive come across here have a calorie deficit of about 500 daily. There are online calculators that will work out your TDEE for you.

Op, have a go with this one. It’s the first link on my search engine. It also explains the difference between TDEE and BMR

https://tdeecalculator.net/

OP, it’s not a magic cure. If you overeat you’ll gain weight.

You are still on a low dose and you need to give it time to build up and increase the dose whilst eating better

You come across as reticent to eat less to lose weight, but you must know not only are you eating enough calories to maintain at your weight, but to gain. Calories to maintain when obese are quite high. It is unlikely you are eating 2000 a day,

maybe use the calculator and work it out. And also consider if you’re in the right head space for this.

Yes, this happened to me 🙋‍♀️

On 2.5mg, week 1, lost about 5lbs, week 2 lost 1lb, week 3 gained 1lb, week 4 gained 1lb. Ugh.

So I lost 4lbs in 4 weeks.

Then I went up to 5mg and lost more than that in the first 4 days. I lost 13lbs in 4 weeks on 5mg and have carried on losing steadily since, now nearly 4 stone down in 6.5 months. And that's including that first rubbish month on 2.5mg.

Keep going, give it a chance and see what happens when you get to a therapeutic dose.

Ok so my TDEE is 2200.
so eating 2000 a day should mean I either lose or at least maintain my weight.
I’d have to drop to 1500 to lose weight. Which would mean using will power since the MJ isn’t doing anything yet. And that’s just traditional dieting. Which I can’t do.

I’m not overeating 400 cals a day. 1600 is the basic amount to function. That’s different to the TDEE. That for me is 2200. So I’m actually underrating by 200 cals a day.

This is really what I’m hoping for. Crossing my fingers something changes.

but ARE you eating 2000 calories? what do you use to track your calories? and of course there is an element of will power? how you thought taking these injections would just magic away your weight is ridiculous? did you do any research into them?

what exercise do you do? at 2000 calories, you are in deficit 200 a day, thats 1400 a week... not enough to lose a lb. and your weight changes daily.. i can't eat pasta or white bread because it bloats me and makes me retain water! my weight can change 3lbs overnight.

But you are only on the initial dose of 2.5, so you have no idea whether MJ will do that or not. You have been told numerous times you need to step up the dose to 5mg. I have been on MJ since July last year, I've lost 6 stone in that time, I felt very little effect on 2.5mg, as soon as I moved up to 5mg it kicked in. You have barely started your MJ journey. It's not a quick fix, or a magic drug, it takes time, and yes, some willpower too.

I’m reticent to ‘eat less’ because I can’t see what I can cut out without starving/getting faint. According to the calculator I already eat 200 cals less than I need. And since I’m not getting the appetite suppression from MJ that others get (yet), what do you suggest I stop eating in the meantime? Or is it the mystery calories you seem to think I’m consuming?