Shemed January support - Thread 2

[FatsiaJaponicaInTheGarden]

Fantastic we made it to thread 2!

This is a thread for all those who have started or are about to start the Shemed programme in January.

Those waiting for blood tests /first pens hope you hear soon!
Those on their first/second jab hope it's going well - do come and tell us how it's going.

This is designed as a supportive space to share with each other how it's going, worries, side effects as well celebrating wins and results :)

Just call them on the App when you're ready. Make sure you've got everything to hand to take your jab, and your scales. It's only a few minutes even if you have the how to jab assistance . 5 minutes maximum.

For breakfast I'm doing overnight oats with chia seeds and blueberries, lunches are usually chicken or tuna salad or maybe soup. Dinner is will be something simple like chicken breast with sweet potato mash and veggies or one of Scott Baptie's recipes that are great when you're looking for ideas to bump up the protein. I've got both of his books but there are loads of free recipes on his website www.foodforfitness.co.uk

Had the money taken and the app updated to say pen 2 has been dispensed this morning, messaged them immediately to ask why I've been put on 2.5mg again and they apologised and said it would be sorted but just had my update from the pharmacy to say delivery of my 2.5mg pen is due tomorrow! Hope they can do something as I wanted to move up to 5!

Am a little petrified here - thought I'd join the thread. I've been psyching myself up to do the pen thing for a very long while but I'm so scared. I did the blood test and sent if off this morning - I didn't sleep last night. I'm convinced they're going to turn me down. I'm trying to face up to the fact that if they do prescribe I'm going to have to tell people how I'm getting smaller. I'm embarrassed about myself and my weight and it feels insurmountable at the moment - I'm such a failure to myself. Just writing that down is making me cry. Are they likely to turn me down - I have about 10 stone to lose.

Welcome to the thread ❤️ I've been reading about SheMed for weeks and weeks and not once have I come across anyone who's been turned away, they may ask for clarification from your GP if you have any conditions that require extra monitoring.

You don't have to tell anyone anything you don't want to. I've chosen not to and there's a few people on here keeping it on the down low, it's medical information after all and we don't owe anyone our medical info!

The waiting is the hardest bit. Once you're accepted and you've received the pen, it goes very quickly.

@BruhWhy Thank you for the welcome, I hope my GP don't say no, they've been obstructive about helping me with my weight, the refused to give my the pens last year as they said they were reserving their budget for more deserving patients, they referred me for bariatric surgery as they said I'd have more chance getting prescribed there and the bariatric people told me that my GP surgery was 'very naughty' and they should have known this wasn't possible. It's made me feel quite worthless and taken a long while to get over. So plucking up the courage to do this alone has taken a lot.

Well done for plucking up the courage to take action, @HappySonHappyMum, and doing the blood test. It is so hard facing up to our fatness - it feels a relief to me to have an opportunity for a drug assisted non-judgmental reset.

I'm sorry you've had a rotten time with yr GP. Can you change to another practice nearby? I don't think they consult your GP. They just send the GP practice the info when they prescribe that you have a prescription.

My experience is no one notices us losing weight until we've lost 3 stone or more. Then when people do notice, you don't have to explain if they comment. Just learn to say thank you and change the subject. If anyone is pushy and wants to know more, just say I don't talk about it, and change the subject or simply be quiet. You don't owe anyone an explanation.

Edited to add: There's also a Mounjaro, 10st or more to lose thread - so you may find that helpful.

It’s bizarre! I’ve had dry mouth from meds before but not like THIS. The only upside is it’s meaning I’m drinking water which I definitely don’t do enough of usually.

You don’t have to tell anyone you don’t want to - this is your journey, no one else’s.

Ive not even told my husband. He wouldn’t judge, it’s just something I want to keep for myself. As for when people start asking questions you don’t have to tell them it’s the jabs if you don’t want to, a simple ‘I decided I wanted to lose some weight this year’ and ‘diet and exercise’ will do. It’s rude to ask too many questions about weight loss anyway 😉

Hey everyone great to see some great losses @FatsiaJaponicaInTheGarden thanks for the thread and welcome @HappySonHappyMum

Took my 1st jab today about 6pm and have just started to feel slightly nauseous so having a peppermint tea and hoping I can sleep it off.

I read that today is the last day to get the £99 offer on Facebook - then the price is £199

@TaliaTalia I completely relate to the suddenly feeling automatic. I've honestly been amazed and wondered so often "is this how normal (as in nor weight) people feel/live then?!"

I'm part way through an adhd assessment and always assumed I just voerate/sedentary/childhood trauma. But if is a bit like a switch. I don't Need Food Now or Need To Eat it All. I'm v morbidly obese and wasn't having take out everyday but what you say about sensory snacking was definitely me - needing to crunch and then not stopping when full as I want to crunch...

Did you try medication? Did it make any difference? This was one of my main reasons for going for the assessment then I got MJ and have seen a few adhd-ears say it's helped...

@Kaggi9 yay injection day! First one is nerve wracking then it is honestly easy.

Its my jab day. I'll jab after work but weighed this morning. My naked weight days I've lost 1kg. My clothed one for the check in says 0.6kg. Either way it's going down. I'm not going to be one of the biggest early losers but I'm happy it's moving and I start 5 next week! I'm def eating less and finding it okay to eat upf free mostly (started week before shemed/post Chris V T lectures).

@TLMoo what are you going to do? I'd be tempted to take 2 shots but I'm not sure they'd be happy about that as it's all through them isn't it. Can you call the chemist you might have more chance getting through than shemed?? Hope it's okay.

@HappySonHappyMum I've got 10stone to lose too! I think emotionally there's a lot around "failure" to unpick for me too. We haven't failed. We are using medicine to help our bodies. I saw an Oprah thing of all things that said if you had high blood pressure youd take blood pressure meds and bring it down, with life style factors and we're just doing that. It's just weight is so socially emotionally loaded.

Wll done @Fofftwenty21 Hope it's not too bad today. Mine were worst the first 48hours of the first jab and then it got better. 🤞 For you.

@fallenover yes they did originally say til end of December. They must have over 1000 people now as there's over that many in their Facebook group. I wonder if they do stop then their customer service might improve if they're not doing blood tests/on boarding at the same time!

Good luck everyone jabbing this weekend.

I’m waiting on my blood tests then hopefully will be approved to start next week.

Well done all of you losing, no matter what size the loss you’re doing so well to lose at all. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

I’m on the max dose of methylphenidate which is supposed to seriously suppress your appetite….it did not 🙈

I did lose about four stone last year through diet and exercise but I kind of ran out of steam and literally within weeks of stopping I’d piled loads of it back on again. It wasn’t an easy loss either, I thought about food and felt miserable and deprived the whole time.

Jab three done and dusted!

So far I’ve been lucky, no side effects other than mild constipation. Will defo stick to thighs for the jab unless that changes.

Down 5.6kg since Jan 1st so I am thrilled. My clothes already feel so much looser!

I went away for four days this week with my parents and brother to celebrate my dad’s milestone birthday. Had a max of two glasses of Prosecco a night, which is a huge change for me! Could easily drink 2+ bottles on my own before but I poured myself a third glass and ended up giving it to my mum after two sips.

It was so weird not to graze. I did find that Brie tasted really off to me, but that’s been the only thing.

Feeling good after my first injection yesterday but also very gassy! I went to a friends after dinner for a drink (only one) and she had a cheeseboard out for us all to enjoy. I didn't have any of it. I am sure it was psychosomatic at that point given I'd only injected 8 hours before but I didn't want any, I didn't feel that I was missing out. I just said I was still full from dinner and that was that. It was an odd feeling!

Just did my check in and I have lost 2kg in the first week. I am happy with this so far. I had appetite suppression for about 4 days then felt quite hungry again in the last couple of days. I imagine this is normal at such an early stage. I am a compulsive snacker and I have noticed that this has been so much better. In fact there's been a packet of chocolate digestives and Tunnocks teacakes in the cupboard all week and I haven't bothered with them. That is my biggest win for the week 😊

I was similar @Bigknickers56, felt it was wearing off towards the end of week one, but I think it builds in your system as it didn't happen in week two. Or I could be imagining it!

Hardly ate in the day yesterday, combo of suppression and being really poorly with a nasty cold, but dragged myself out for a family birthday Italian yesterday evening. Couldn't finish my meal and felt uncomfortable for a couple of hours. Normally would have hoovered it, plus a side, and eyed up the kids' leftover pizza! It's real witchcraft.

Good luck to those checking in today.
W4d1 for me
I've lost 7.9kg - 1st3.5lbs in 3 weeks 😱

No side effects really this week, though I've had a horrible cold and yesterday - no idea why, as I've not really fancied anything sweet since starting mounjaro - I ate 2 Krispy Kreme donuts!!!!!

I'm skipping breakfast, eating protein yoghurt and fruit or a porridge pot for lunch, my usual dinner (curry, pasta, fish and actifry chips etc) and then pudding, usually protein yoghurt or yoghurt and apple and a couple of slimming world hifi bars (they are great for fibre). I find that I don't need to snack and I struggle to fit any more pudding in, this is normally another danger zone for me. Mounjaro makes it easy to stick to this as normally if I skip breakfast I eat my arm by the afternoon and once I start eating I struggle to stop. I also haven't binged eaten since I started (4th jab taken on Wednesday). I'm looking forward to going up to 5mg next year as I do feel when I started that I could barely eat all my food and I'd just have one pudding where as now I am often having extras, like hifi bars at lunch and I can eat a number of puddings rather than just yoghurt or just the bars. That said I'm happy with my weight loss which is around 2lbs per week. Pre-mounjaro it would have been half a pound or gains as I would binge eat after trying to diet.

W3D1 4lb loss this morning taking me to 10lb loss in 2 weeks! Hope everyone is okay today

Well here we go, W1 D1😁

Did the jab last night right before bed but weighed, measured and checked in this morning.

SW 19 st 11
First GW 17 st 13
BMI 47.5
End Goal BMI in the overweight range

Weight done
Measurements done
Comparison photos done
I use a free app called weight loss tracker for this.

Comparison scan done on methreesixty (not sure it's very accurate but it will be a bit of fun to see the difference)

Jab logged on shotsy

I will weigh weekly and do the measurements, photos and scan with each pen change.

Jab was completely painless, sleep was the same as normal and I don't feel any different this morning. I had a latte for breakfast but no food, but I often don't eat breakfast so that's not really new.

The only thing that could be different TMI warning ahead ...,.....

I had chippy fish n chips for dinner last night and normally the next day would mean very soft / loose poo (I get this from too much refined carbs) but this morning it was quite firm..

Hoping that is the Mj slowing things down.

Well done on everyone's losses, you are all amazing.

Onward and downward from here on in 😁

Great updates everyone 👍 W2 D4 I still have had no side effects - possibly a bit cold but it is bloody freezing anyway so who knows. The appetite suppression is slightly lower this week I reckon, but I'm still managing to stick to the diet pretty easily, usually it would be torture. Still not told anyone including my OH. I'm actually doing a test to see if anyone notices, ha ha

Good shout on the Slimming World bars, this is all very helpful.

I've been trying breakfast, just two boiled eggs on a slice of protein bread today and so far so good. Yesterday I was a wreck because something I ate at lunch didn't settle well at all and I ended up vomiting 😪

I'm on D4 now and feeling considerably better than D3. My colleague also mentioned how they felt side effects worse around D3 so I'm praying I'm over the hump of this first jab.