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

[VelociraptorsVelociRapping]

Thread FIVE of this lovely community. Anyone using weight-loss injections to lose more than 5 stone or 30kg is very welcome to join us, no matter what stage of the process you are on.

Please don’t post discount codes on this thread as your post will be deleted. These need to go in the dedicated thread on this board.

Hi there - I was you until 2 weeks ago - had debated about whether to try Mounjaro for months and months - telling myself I shouldn't need it etc. I have about 8 stone to lose to get anywhere near the top of my BMI and am (was?!) also a very heavy red wine (and gin) drinker and binge ate sweet things.

I'm just about to inject my week 3 dose and I honestly wouldn't have believed you if you'd have told me how I would be feeling. I am clearly one of the people who has had an immediate effect, but I have only had 2 x drinks in the past 2 weeks (at each weekend when the injection is at its lowest impact) - I just don't want to drink any more - unthinkable only 2 weeks ago, when I'd say I was pretty much a functioning alcoholic. I was putting away a bottle of gin and at least 2 x bottles of red each week, minimum. I was also eating bags of sweets/biscuits etc - haven't touched any since.

My 'food noise' has completely disappeared and my appetite is massively reduced. I just need to eat to live, not the other way around - for the first time in my life.

So..... I would obviously say give it a try - for me, I'm seeing it as just another medication I need to take and may need to take forever, as my body clearly needs it and is responding well. It's medicine I need and I'm so grateful I am providing it for myself! I have PCOS, no thyroid gland and all sorts of other medical conditions that I take medicine for - MJ is just helping my body regulate appetite, insulin and allowing me to have control.

This thread has been an excellent support to me already, so if you do take the plunge, everyone is here to help.

@idrinkandiknowthings Lots of folks report a lower desire for alcohol on MJ!

I only drink occasionally, and not to excess but I’ve had no adverse effects.

Only you can decide whats right, but I always say give it a fair shot, if you do. Things worth remembering (based on some of the things I’ve read on here over the months!):

*2.5mg is an introductory dose, and lots do not have success on it, that is normal. I had good times with it for two weeks and then two weeks of not feeling it doing anything. All normal!
*You will have to make changes with what you eat on it, and that is different for all. Some folks struggle with certain foods, like dairy, carbs or high fat. Some don’t. Some struggle with other side effects that mean more fibre, protein or fat, or less!! Sometimes you just don’t want some things anymore!
*You still have to be in a calorie deficit. Some folks don’t count, I personally do because I still struggle to retain calorie info and there are times where I under eat too! If it’s not ‘working’ for some folks, 9/10 they aren’t tracking IMO!
*not everyone has a shitty time with side effects! Sometimes its ok!!

This thread has been great for support (and a reminder that a kiwi a day helps with digestion baha!). Taking MJ has been a gamechanger for me, not just weightloss but for food noise, post gallbladder removal digestive problems and inflammation! I hope to use it for maintenance for as long as possible!

TW: difficult topics inc. illness.

Idrinkandiknowthings.

I don't drink alcohol (well can't is closer to the truth for medical reasons). However carbs were my downfall big time. Stupidly large portions at tea followed by biscuits and family bags of crisps in the evening. To make things worse I have very little independent mobility so couldn't even exercise to reduce the impact a bit.

Last March the gallstones I didn't know I had tried pretty hard to off me. Sepsis, emergency surgery and all the stuff that came with it was one hell of a wake up call. Well that and the surgeon telling me quite plainly that thanks to underlying autoimmune disease and general shiteola health I would be lucky to see 50. One of my children has very complex special needs and is unlikely to ever live independently. I'd like to be around for their 21st birthday.

So MJ it was. I've been on it about 4 and a half months now and have lost close to 20kg in that time. I'm still under no illusions that I have a very, very long way to go and it's likely to take longer than others thanks to my own needs amd not walking-ness. I'm setting goals for myself based around key events. My first goal is to lose 20kg which'll take me to the weight I was when I was discharged from hospital. My 2nd goal is to lose 29kg which'll take me to the weight I was when I was pregnant with my youngest. For the first time ever I am doing something positive for myself. And that's my motivation. It's not a magic bullet, it still needs me to think about what I am eating but gone are the family-sized bags of crisps in the evening.

Just coming on to say hi, and I was the same as you - not sure whether it was a good idea, and really terrified of getting emotionally battered by another “diet”.

I did my fourth jab on Saturday and feel amazing.

I have lost weight and clothes are already a bit loser, but that’s not the best thing… the constant food related chatter in my head (usually telling me what a failure I am) has gone. I still get hungry towards the end of the week/coming up to meals, but totally manageable.

I am choosing to prioritise protein/veg. I told myself I wasn’t going to “ban” myself from any foods, but finding I don’t fancy my old stuff. I still love chocolate, but can have one (or two) and walk away feeling satisfied. I never thought I’d feel this way.

I was wary of tracking food given previous experiences (and spiralling) but see it as a tool to check I’m getting enough of the right food, and it feels totally fine (and I’ve been within my guidelines every day naturally).

I’ve also rediscovered my love of exercise (something I never thought I’d say) and find myself looking forward to my weights sessions.

so lots of positives, but to end on a word of caution… most of the stuff here (especially on this thread) is really supportive and helpful. But I’ve seen some posts on other threads (especially on “what I’ve eaten”) which worry me. Make sure you take the time to read and understand the medicine before deciding - lots of the links on here and previous thread I’ve found super helpful.

Good luck whatever you decide!

Sada told me they do maintenance?

Alltablenochairs I'm so sorry to hear the surgeon said that to you, they can be abrupt but that was too much. (have also had surgery)

I second all of @Darlinghag's advice, except I believe the correct dose is two kiwis per day 😂

It's weird I get diarrhoea rather than constipation, anyone else? I'm on cocodomol which usually causes the opposite but not on MJ

Orangesandlemons.

It needed saying. I've had a lot of dealings with medical professionals both with myself and with with my son. I'd very much rather they were blunt and to the point. You know where you are then.

TWO kiwis

🥝 🥝 = 😁💩

Hi, feel a bit silly writing this here, but hey I have announced my weight here and not even my husband nor doctor knows that so here it goes...

I'm feeling quite low (energy and mood).
I was euphoric on my first weight and had a good loss but day one of the jab and I feel proper flat.

I have never had any mental health issues but can get a bit emotional day before my period but I am mid cycle and this is different.

My question is, does Mounjaro do this?
I do feel tired too but this is more a sadness and 'can't be bothered' feeling I am not used to. Feel quiet alone with it.

@Reginaphalangeeeee I had my injection last night and I'm feeling like that today. I've put it down to side effects of teenage daughters rather than mj though. But perhaps.....

I do feel a bit lost and down from time to time so for me I don't think it's MJ related.

Hope you are feeling yourself again soon.

@Reginaphalangeeeee it is a side effect of Mounjaro, I'm not sure that the mechanism is fully understood, or at least it's not something I've delved into but there have been reports of people who are predisposed to anxiety/depression seeing a worsening, ironically some people see an improvement.

There's also a theory I've seen that MJ seems to have a general 'quieting' effect on the mind, it helps some people with ADHD to feel more focused, and for those of us with a tendency to get obsessive about food it reduces the constant thinking about it. That quietness can be discombobulating (for lack of a better word) for some people.

This is pretty off topic but I am a woman in a state of RAGE at the moment, I'm really barely hanging on to my sanity enough not to hunt down the parents in this situation and give them what for. I am however not eating my feelings, so that's an improvement I suppose.

My DD is 10 years old. She doesn't have her own phone yet or any social media accounts but I allow her to use my WhatsApp account to stay in contact with her classmates as they do all have their own phones.

I have every parental control and limit available set up and check in realtime as she's chatting because I can see the messages on my phone while she's using the laptop.

Despite this, I've had to deal with the police and school this weekend after one of the 10yr old boys sent a whole load of porn videos to the group chat. Full frontal, trans, blow jobs, women having ping pong balls shoved in their anus, you name it he sent it.

DD did the right thing and reported it straight away so we didn't even have to find it during a checks, we've been talking to her about online safety for years.

So now at 10 yrs old my daughter is officially a victim of sexual assault, has had a referral to the safeguarding team, is being offered trauma support and I'm having to maintain an 'it's all ok' type persona so she doesn't get upset by it all.

What the fuck has gone wrong with society that 10 yr old boys have access to this kind of material and think it's appropriate to share it with the class?

Welcome to all the newbies on this thread.

You're probably quite excited to be starting this journey!!! That's fantastic. I remember at first MJ was all I could think about.

Do know things settle down a bit after a while. And soon enough it's all pretty normal, plodding along, doing some exercise, healthy diet & calorie deficit, 🥝🥝, staying well hydrated. And little by little you are losing weight, losing fat, and feeling so good about it all.

It's a long game for those of us with 30+ kilos to lose. Some of us are new, some of us are halfway, some finishing losing and figuring out what's next. But we all had/have/need patience & persistence.

Settle in for the ride.

Just finished 15mg dose and have lost 6st since I started trying to loose weight around 18 months ago (Orlistat first and lost 2.5 st, rest lost on Mounjaro). Won't be continuing at the moment with Mounjaro as the higher doses didn't agrea with me (nausea, cramps, diarrhea). Will see if I gain anything before making any long term decisions on taking more. Seemed to be ok with lower doses, so that's something I could consider. Suffer with IBS so symptoms weren't unexpected. Anyone else have similar?

But they could well be wrong, I don't think they can generalise like that. Especially now you have found MJ and got all healthy :-) x

I agree with what you say though, sometimes they don't tell you stuff which can be difficult.

@Khayker
I have got a 15mg pen but the last couple of weeks have only taken 12.5mg as I was feeling very odd on 15mg, had the burps pretty bad and some moments when I came over a bit funny and didn't feel myself at all. I feel a bit better on 12.5mg but might go back to 10mg I think. I need to start figuring out how to live without MJ anyway so hope that 10mg might be high enough to help but low enough to be a bit more of a challenge. I have 1.5-2 stone to go.

@InfoSecInTheCity
That is awful - your poor DD 😔
I used to tutor a girl in Y8 who told me she would get dick pics from Y8 boys all the time. It's really shocking. But sending porn videos to a bunch of 10 year olds, words fail me ☹️

I hope you're both ok. Well done not turning to food.

that's awful so sorry to hear x

I hope the parents of the boy concerned have also been dealing with school and the police. And social services.

OMG I feel your rage @InfoSecInTheCity
Your poor daughter!

Social media & phones are such a minefield and your daughter doesnt even have a phone and still this happens.
I'd be absolutely fucking livid too.

I wonder if that boy will have his phone removed? And be kicked out of the WA group?

Thank you @RobinEllacotStrike and @InfoSecInTheCity

I will look for more info on mood changes with MJ. I am not predisposed to low mood but maybe it is just tiredness and lack of joy/hits I get from sugar doing something to my brain.

Thank you, you've made me feel less alone.

Orangesandlemons.

A grain of truth in what I was told. I have something autoimmune going on (what it is, no-one knows yet but theres a significant CFS/ME type element to it). If I'm going to be unwell it's like my body goes from 0-100 and very quickly and in usually the most random and bizarre manner.
However, if I can get to a more reasonable BMI then there's one less thing on the list of things for me to have to worry about.

Reginaphalangee

As I have increased the dose of MJ (I'm currently on 10mg), I have found that it is affecting my energy levels as well. What it means for me IRL is that I spend a bit more time asleep.

Probably the biggest side effect for me though is that my tolerance of the cold has tanked as I am losing more and nore of my 'bioprene' as someone else who posts on these threads calls it. Most nights I sleep with pyjamas, thick 100% wool socks, a winter weight wool duvet, wool blanket and usually between 3-4 fluffy blankets on top. That's on top of my heating thermostat on 22 degrees and as my house is a new build its pretty well insulated. DH tells me I would get cold in the desert and has taken to wearing shorts around the house.