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.

@Reginaphalangeeeee I don’t have a pronounced ‘B’ belly but I do have a C section scar. I’m sorry to say that if you’ve been pregnant and are over 40 you will almost certainly be left with some loose skin. Mine is improving a bit but I am always going to have a slight overhang over my scar, I suspect. By all means moisturise etc if you would like but anything which claims it can truly tighten your skin is nothing more than hope in a jar, I’m afraid. Thankfully high-waisted bikini bottoms are in fashion so that’s my plan for the summer!

I'm glad other have posted this as well because I was going to ask if people have become more 'wibbly' since losing weight. Or squidgy as one of my kids called it. I have got some wrinkly skin but this is mainly at the tops of my arms, legs and bum. The only time anyone in public is going to see anything is the tops of my arms if I'm in a swimming pool (I wear a legsuit to swim in) and I don't care what anyone thinks.

Incidentally, does anyone know or does anyone fancy taking bets on what will happen skin-wise in thr summer? I sunburn super, super easily at the best of times but it wouldn't surprise me if I start to sunburn super, super, super easily now. I can imagine though that as MJ has wrecked my ability to stay warm I'll still be wrapped up like a mummy in the middle of summer though! Especially as I live in Scotland and it's either raining, cold, or cold and raining most of the year.

Thank you all, these posts are so reassuring and @InfoSecInTheCity thank you so much for putting pictures up. I mean your side profile, your tummy is so flat!!! Well done, what a transformation.

Not sure if any one seen the clip of that girls whose lower tummy is as big as her bottom which was a fake clip as given away by foot position...
But yes my lower tummy looks like a bum bump in jeans and if the central seam tight it almost does look exactly like my bottom 🫣

I guess long tops will still be there for me but in a smaller size I hope. Aiming for my bottom to stay bigger than my B tummies.

@Reginaphalangeeeee you might like to try Pilates. There’s not much we can do about the skin but you can significantly strengthen the core muscles which will improve your posture and pull everything in a bit. Has anyone ever checked you for diastasis recti? This is treatable but needs specialist advice as traditional abdominal exercises can make it worse.

Regina,

My tummy sticks out almost as much as my bum. It's quite...... substantial in the first place and after having 2 kids I can't imagine my core muscles are going to be top notch anyway. It also looks like this partly because I have a spinal curvature. Most people's spines look like the letter f when viewed side on. Mine looks like the letter s (kypholordosis is the technical term).

Still, a little less tummy would be nice!

Yes squishy is definitely a good description. I find that before a jump down on the scales I notice my belly feels almost fluffy or marshmallowy. It's like the fat cells have deflated and it's all just so soft and floaty. My 10yo loves it, she lays with her head on my belly smooshing it, I try to find that complimentary but sometimes it feels otherwise 😭

Heard both of these things @RobinEllacotStrike @Orangesandlemons77 the science baffles me!!

On the whole body image thing, I’ve been doing smaller things to make me feel good while doing this. I’ve often done nothing with myself because ‘i’ll wait til i’m thin’ and it doesnt make me feel good and before MJ, it never bloody happened!!! Things I’ve done that might not be for everyone but work for me:

• I tan - I feel better in my skin when I’m a bit browner (olive skinned and look yellow if I go too pale!). Not saying its for everyone and I do not advocate looking like a wotsit, but its my number one feel good thing!
• I’ve been buying clothes as I go. I don’t want to feel frumpy in too big things, so I don’t wait for anything to fall off generally speaking. I also noticed that since doing this, people really notice loss - if thats what you want! Love using Vinted to do this cheaply.
• I work from home and I’ve stopped working in pjs or slobby clothes I wouldn’t nip to the shop for milk in. It was too easy for me to feel gross if someone called me unexpectedly and my hair was scrapped back, no moisturiser and no bra 🤣 I do my hair and makeup to that standard as well, and I feel so much nicer about myself for doing it!
• get my eyebrows done. I feel i can conquer the world when they are nice!

I’m not trying to teach anyone to suck eggs but I really do think making and feeling the best and coming terms with what we have right now as a body, can do a lot to undo the bad bits, especially body dysmorphia and hyper focus on things that are not even noticeable to others.

i also say this as someone who is currently hyper aware of my uneven cheekbones (old injury!) as the weight on my face has dropped a lot the last two weeks and it feels super noticeable!

anyway, here ends my wednesday ramble 🤣

I'm also a fan of the feel good factor of a tan, though I go to the beach a lot and tan from that (or I used to before I started feeling permanetely freezing apart from when I am dramatically overheating). But I keep my tan lines through the winter - which feels great.

And a good eyebrow shape is miracilous. I am fairly low maintance type, but I get my eyebrows shaped every few months & it feels a bit like a facelift.

I do WFH and make an effort to get properly dressed etc too. Though in the summer when its hot & I can be known to stay in my swimsuit all day at my desk (Perhaps with a loose dress over the top). I did a few winters working in joggers and it really was to my detriment weight wise.

Thank you @VelociraptorsVelociRapping for the thread!

Thank you for the Telegraph link @SqueakyDinosaur - I have been struggling with what to eat and there's some great inspiration there

Those are some really lovely tips 😊 thanks @Darlinghag

Thank you for sharing such inspiring photos @InfoSecInTheCity 💗

I have a B shape belly and I seem to have lost more from the lower part of the B than the upper part weirdly if that makes sense.

I have been using almond oil to help my skin as I read that is supposed to help with skin firmness and elasticity. I am 22months postpartum after my first DC - to be totally honest I am watching with curiosity but also can't help feel a little sad seeing some of my pregnancy effects. For example, it is the first time I have seen my pubic area (as I have lost enough weight for my apron belly to reduce a little) and I can see the entire area and upper thighs are striped with stretch marks. But I am still so grateful for MJ and helping me get to this point.

Does anyone have a recommendation for any specific collagen supplements? 🙏

PS. @claudiawinklemansfringetrimmer your name made me chuckle

@RobinEllacotStrike me too Robin. I also admit to sunbeds - not frequently or for long periods but just enough to keep me topped up. Helps me feel better too through the long winter.

@doodlydooo my b halves shrunk at different times too! My top was more pronounced but now i think i think the lower half is a little bigger.

collagen - I use nutravita from amazon - £31 ish for a kilo if you buy on subscribe and save (which i cancel on receipt, do it everytime haha). It lasts 50 days on a 20g a day regimen, but i probably stretch it to two months as some weekends i have less coffee (i only use it in coffee!).

if anyone has their feel good tips, please share, i know there is lots more work for me to do to help myself as i go.

Thanks for the new thread and all the inspirational losses - it really is motivating and this thread helps so much.

I am back in the groove having got back on track after the festive excess. I haven't weighed on Monday as I am away from home with no scales, so will have to wait til the weekend, but last week I was at 2 stone 8 lbs down. (from 18 stone 11 to 16 stone 3, since September).

Thanks @SilenceInside for keeping me right on the 45 clicks of my 10mg pen. It is working a treat and I was right to stay on 7.5mg. I never did have "food noise" before and suppression is not a totally relatable thing for me either, but I am eating 2 (fairly decent sized) meals a day. I think I had a little wobble after Christmas and thought I should jump to 10mg to get the suppression everyone refers to, but I find there is no need and 7.5mg is perfectly fine for now. I do get hungry and push my eating times (intermittent fasting kind of thing - I do keto) but perfectly manageable and always mindful of the end goal of managing a nutritionally dense way of eating for life. I love the feeling of being off sugar. It makes me feel so much better mentally and emotionally.

The woosh is definitely a thing and I am finding I am tuning into it now and every so often I get a bigger loss than my general 1.5 to 2 pounds a week.

Re loose skin, my stomach is still the biggest thing about me, but I have lost the main weight off my upper arms, thighs, calves and the area under my boobs - which is the liver area, so maybe visceral fat went first? My thighs have always looked awful, but are a bit more pitted than they were, but hoping they smooth out as time goes by - I've read loads of things about your body firming up as they weightloss progresses. I certainly hope so. Take loads of supplements including fish oils, vitamin E and collagen, etc so here is hoping.

I bumped into my friend yesterday, who saw me in December and she was aghast and said I had lost so much weight. I was so delighted and feel that this last couple of weeks especially, my face is much thinner and my clothes are a lot baggier. I bought a size 20 coat in the sales and yesterday it was definitely a lot looser, which seems incredible in just a couple of weeks. I will take it!

Usually at this stage, I am feeling it is so difficult to shift any more weight and despite my best efforts, the scales stick and my motivation evaporates, but at this stage, I really feel I am just getting started. It is the strangest, most euphoric experience. You all know what I mean. I am genuinely excited to look forward to being slim and know 100% that I will be in 2025.

Thank you lovely losers.

totally know what you mean @NewbieMJ - I don't think I've ever lost 25kg before, but every time I have lost weight its so exhausting, demanding & draining I stop after a bit - for a "rest" and its never a rest, but a swift and rather desperate resumption.

But on MJ I feel a bit like Robocop - I can keep going! I'm not tired or exhausted. I'm uplifted and prepared to keep going. I am exercising daily.

I do feel like losses have slowed a bit, but then again I've kind of felt like I've not seen losses on the scales for months now and I know that simply isn't true.

I have no dignity or shame in this thread and tell the brutal truth it as it is as I think we have all been in the same place all have our embarrassments that come from obesity so no-one is judging. And we will never meet each other in real-life! 🙈

I started, same as you, at 136kg (21st 5lbs) in June last year. I have a B shaped belly. Now 101kg (15st 13lbs). I am older, I assume as I use old style st lbs, at 56 so I know my skins collagen and ability to "ping back" will be fairly low.

When I look at photos, my side on shape (in clothes!) is pretty much the same as it was in the beginning which I couldn't understand to begin with after losing so much weight, then I realised in the first photo I was almost the width of the door (not actually the width of the door as it was a few feet behind me!), and in the later photo in the same spot I was much less wide.

Both top and bottom of the B are very squishy now, only time (perhaps a year or so after reaching and maintaining target weight) will tell how much the skin recovers, it would be brilliant if it did, but I am past the bikini years and doing this for my health so whatever happens visually I know I'll need to try to focus on the positives and learn to accept.

The bad news is I now use a medicated non-talc powder under my lower apron as it seems to get sweaty/whiffy now without it. The good news is I don't feel my tummy resting on my thighs anymore when sitting so it might be lifting a bit and the powder temporary (I can live in hope!)

A lot will depend on your age, skin, genetics etc how your body will look in the future. There are loads of before and after pictures on fb where I see younger peoples bodies before and after and really pleased for them. Might be worth having a look there to see comparisons, but again everyone will be different.

I so know what you mean about tummy resting on thighs - this is on my secret list of things I'm looking forward to not feeling..!! Every day I feel it and hope one day I won't..! 😀

Someone recommended me nutrigold Marine collagen on one of these threads which I ordered yesterday, it's was £13.38 and £2.50 for next day delivery if you order before 2pm. I really wanted to try ancient and brave but their collagen is double that price and I can't seem to find anyone in real life who says its better than other collagen

Interesting you say that you haven't seen losses on the scale @RobinEllacotStrike as I feel the same. According to the scale I've been in a stall since 1 January but my clothes are noticeably looser and my bra is getting too big. I have stepped up my exercise and I think my body composition is changing as I build muscle.

Not sure if this counts as a NSV but in the last few weeks three different people have taken me aside to check if I am OK as they have noticed my dramatic weight loss and are worried about me! It is very sweet and comes from a place of love because they know what I'm dealing with at the moment (the long-timers know but in brief: DH walked out after an affair last summer leaving me with the children, and I am a parent-carer to my youngest who has significant special needs). I am truthfully telling them that I am taking better care of myself than I have for years, partly enabled by the fact that I have one less (man)child to look after .

So glad I was not alone in that one! Something I would NEVER say to someone in real-life but no secrets here! 🤣

@WafflingDreamer I can't imagine any of the collagens (if they even work!) are that much different, hydrolysed and how many mg you get seem to be the things to look for but most are hydrolysed as far as I can see. I was originally buying Vital Proteins as H&B had a 3 for 2 at the time, now on Hunter & Gatherer as they had a decent Black Friday deal so I got 6 months worth. I will switch between whatever has the best value per mg at the time and sometimes alternate daily between bovine and marine as the marine tends to be a little more expensive.

I had an NSV last week, my leggings had started getting baggy and slipping down. On a recommendation from Style and Beauty I ordered some Sinophant ones from Amazon, it recommended a size down from what I thought I needed, I took the plunge and they fit perfectly.
I always wear them under dresses or long tops and they look great and really smooth things out and look more like tights, but still non see through. I would really recommend them for giving those of us worrying about tummies or loose skin, it gave me a real boost when I looked in the mirror.

Well it just arrived and I tried it 😣it smelt disgusting and I stupidly decided it would be more palatable if I diluted it in more fluid but it was just as bad very strongly fishy. I have a protein shake every morning so I'm hoping the flavourings in that help mask the taste!

oh sorry @WafflingDreamer I think that was me with the Nutrigold. I don't find it that fishy or strong - mind you when I take it I take it as a shot and just knock it back. I hope it will blend OK into a smoothie & thye taste will disappear

Has anyone jabbed a day early? Going back in my thigh has meant that I have had zero suppression this week and it's been really, really hard.
I'm going to go back in my stomach but was thinking about doing it tomorrow instead of Friday because I'm so, so hungry.

I moved my day from Sunday to Thursday and it was fine for me as long as you've had 72 hours between jabs its safe

I have changed the day I inject a few times. I was unwell so delayed my injection by 3 days. Then after that I wanted to move my injection day back to the original day, so each week I injected a day early until I was back to my original injection day. I had no issues with it, although I was a little nervous initially to have 6 days between injections rather than 7 for a couple of weeks.

God my nausea is really bad currently. Injected yesterday (7.5). Woke at 2am and needed to vomit. Then had lots of burping for about an hour before I could sleep. Anyone else struggled with this?

I started out on a Tuesday & I'm now on Sundays - so yes.