15mg mounjaro and cravings returning

[Elgenius]

Hi guys

i started on mounjaro last summer and have worked my way up to 15mg.

I have lost 5 stone but I’m now really struggling. I still have approx 3 stone to lose I would say but I’m finding it hard now to and keep eating larger portions and worse in terms of chocolate etc.

does anyone have any ideas or hints and tips etc as to what I can do to minimise the temptation?

Just to add btw, I am male and have no friends in real life I’d feel comfortable discussing this with

I'm very early on but one thing I've noticed is that I've been relying on the suppression to do the work for me - i.e undereating, rather than using it as a tool to overhaul HOW I eat and how much. If that rings a bell with you then I'd look at making sure you're getting enough protein, that your diet is balanced with things that fill you up, etc. It needs to be a mental change - work out what triggers you to head for the chocolate and start adding in replacements, for example? I know I'm a stress eater of sweet stuff and I've been pleased that I've not fancied that while on the meds, but actually what I need to do is work out what I'll do instead when the suppression wears off - whether it's dealing with stress by going out for a walk with my headphones or a healthier food alternative etc. It's hard work! And losing 5 stone is amazing and must have been difficult, so you've done a good job. Now's the time to make habits that stick longer term :)

What changes have you made to lifestyle and food habits? I'm on 15 mg too and I do feel hunger and cravings, but the work I've done since I started last March has enabled me to deal with it.

You’re right to be fair, I definitely need to make better choices and plan for the long term without mounjaro

I haven’t and maybe that’s the issue in fairness

I've been on it six months and have lost six stone but have purposefully kept my doses low (still on 5mg) so am not sure if I am in the same position but do know that high protein, low carb is working for me well as a diet. And I add everything into Nutracheck App which is the best app I've used for this as it allows you to change the targets for eg focussing on protein.

The only thing I can suggest is literally not buying the stuff you want to binge on, but I know it's not that simple. As a halfway house, I enjoy the Danone protein chocolate mousses that can be bought from Tesco; fulfilling the choc cravings but as they have a big chunk of protein, more filling than usual. The pureists will no doubt criticise that as it's a processed food, but you have to work within your own individual cravings, don't you?

Just seen your update. Yes, changes to lifestyle and diet are in order. Using MJ while carrying on eating junk food repeatedly is surely going to hamper your progress and make you crave more junk food, it's made to be addictive!

Time to decide on a new regime, high protein, low carb might work well for you as a man as it means you can carry on eating without your mates taking the piss eg in the curry house you could order chicken tikka to get the protein up and only eat a couple of tbsps of rice and nobody would notice.

@Elgenius Start by making small changes. Don't try and do it all at once. I still log my food intake and the app I use shows the nutritional content of my food. I am still making small changes towards eating healthier foods. I also exercise regularly and have recently started resistance training. I have found it surprisingly enjoyable.

MJ is only a tool, we still need to put the effort in to ensure that the weightloss is permanent.

Fibre as well as protein can be a good thing to focus on, is filling and helps with e.g. constipation. e.g. muesli, porridge, veggies.

Firstly congratulations on losing 5 stone so far, that’s a massive achievement, so don’t be too hard on yourself.
I think the majority of those of us on Mounjaro have made poor diet choices in the past, so we can definitely relate to you. I think as others have said fill up on protein & veggies. Buy a variety of healthy snacks, & try not to have the unhealthy stuff in the house. What has changed to make you start eating more & making poor choices? Is it for emotional reasons? Or has the food noise returned ? Can you start using a small plate for your meals, to control your portion size? Could you go for a walk if you fancy a snack? I often find if I keep busy doing something else, then the feeling wears off & I no longer want to eat whatever it was that I wanted. Can you up your exercise to help boost weight loss? I do think for those of us who are emotional eaters then somehow we need to find a healthy replacement so when we come off Mounjaro we won’t put the weight back on. But these things take time, we’re slowly learning, & there’s bound to be a few set backs along the way. But look at how far you’ve come. Remind yourself by looking at photos of yourself a year ago compared to today, it’s a good feeling & will help keep you motivated. Tomorrow is a new day.

I have been on it 6 months and up to 15mg. I posted a thread a couple of weeks ago worrying that it was 'wearing off' but since then I've gone back up to experiencing good suppression. However I've found that it does go up and down. Some days I can happily stick to 3 small meals and other days I'm hungrier. I am still losing but slowly. I think we really have to view WLI as a tool to make it easier for us to do the work, not something that will do the work for us. You need to make an effort, some days more than others. Also on days when I've eaten something sugary I found the day/s after I'm hungrier. That's likely because the food I am eating is fighting the effects of the mounjaro. It's very possible to undermine your medication by eating food that spikes blood sugar.

I'm about to go to 15mg next pen. I was on Rybelsus for a year from March 23 and started MJ in September 24. I am on the way to losing six stone, I started with ten to lose. The first 3 stone I lost really quickly but not easily terrible side effects but I pushed through. I definitely find the suppression less on MJ than it was with Ry and I do have to make smart choices. I'm overhauling my macros this week and aiming for more protein, and I have just ordered a ton of peas to try to hit my fibre goals for next week.

Look are body recompisition maybe, I can only speak as a woman but I need to develop more muscle and for that I need more protein. I used my TDEE less 400 cals which gives me about 1200 calories a day, then I worked out my macros within that limit. I lose about a pound a week which at 55 and pretty much housebound I am happy with. I know others would despair at such a small loss, but I'm chuffed with it.

Thanks for the replies guys

I must admit this week the suppression feels stronger so many be there’ll be ups and downs!

im 6lb away from the lightest I have ever been as an adult, so that feels like a good short term goal, after that another 2-3 stone!

Good luck! You got this 💪