Mounjaro February to April 24 starters - Thread 4

[ObsidianTree]

4th thread!

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5207564-mounjaro-february-to-april-24-starters-thread-3?page=40&reply=141722167

I am also having issues and I hadn't been able to get to my goal weight 😬

@PissedOffNeighbour22 However, I started listening to an excellent podcast today and it seems pretty clear that I have Binge Eating Disorder. I am going to continue building back up again on MJ with the hope that it will kick back in, but am also going to work my way through this. She's Irish (I do enjoy a lovely voice) and a dietician and seems to really know her stuff 😁Binge Eating Dietician Podcast

I was reasonably restrained on the first day of my cruise but by day 2 I was overindulging! I think the MJ did help me a bit but I’ve definitely overeaten. Not sure what I’ve gained and I don’t plan to look until the weekend after a couple of more normal eating days!

Morning all, have not posted in a while or read any for about a month, but just caught up.
Sorry to see so many struggling with the maintenance issues and trying to wean off. It was never really clear when we started this just how it would end, initially we all thought we'd be cut off at a healthy BMI or 2 years and probably assumed that would work out. I know I thought I'd only be on this 6 months and here I am 15 months later!
I've weaned down to 7.5mg for the last month (only did a few weeks at 15mg as it was too much but a few months of 10-12.5) and I'm bouncing around the same few pounds above my lowest weight while trying to manage my returning appetite.
It's HARD! I blithely assumed new slimmer me would be full of bounce and hitting the gym all the time, but I'm still quite fatigued on it and struggling with my usual lack of motivation.
I know MJ makes me tired and it also seems to affect my sex drive and mood, so I really would rather be off it (cost is also a problem, but I've taken on extra shifts to offset that so I can keep on it if needed). I'm just so scared to regain the weight after I've spent so much money on losing it!

I kind of wish I had the clothes addiction some of you seem to have developed, I still hate clothes shopping and just CBA with it. I'm tall and always struggle with clothes shops, the tall ranges are often only online. I also seem to hate most clothes, I'm very fussy but don't really have a 'style' so no idea what I do like. I had a stylist session last year but it wasn't particularly helpful. So I currently have about 3 outfits I'm rotating.

In more positive news, I'm collecting a bicycle today (council free bike loan scheme) so I can cycle to work a few days a week. It's a 6 mile ride down the 'lines' (old railway line paths) so no roads, but not sure how my new skinnier bum is going to cope with the experience! I'm thinking if I can do a few days a week cycling that will help with fitness and mental health.

Hi All
Hayfever kicking my behind again, was totally shattered a couple of days ago and ended up having 4 slices of toast and jam (not done that in a very long time). I definitely still seek a sweet hit for energy. Fortunately wasn't very hungry after that so it didn't turn into a spiral.
I've splurged a bit on new gym stuff to help motivate me, I've really not been feeling it this week but at the price I'm paying I can't justify not going.
My stall is over for now, have dropped another kg or so and have officially dropped below BMI 26 for the first time since my teens. Even better, according to the magic scales at the gym my body fat percentage is normal (woo hoo!). Still slightly overweight, but my metabolic age is a little younger than my actual age and muscle mass is slightly above average so the gym is definitely working.

Maintenance still feels a long way off even though I'm close to BMI 25, I think it's the snails pace I've been losing at. My ethnicity also means healthy BMI is 23 apparently, and that is still a very long way away. Next goal for now is sub 70kg, then BMI 25, after that I'll be aiming for 65kg. I remember being 55kg in my early teens, the thought that I'm only 16kg away from that now is mind blowing, as I was pretty tiny back then (just before it all went to pot and I ballooned).

Has anyone else found they're a bit like melted ice-cream around the middle (in addition to having boobs like deflated balloons)? I've developed saddle bags and hip dips that I never really had before - don't get me wrong I'm not complaining, just fascinated by how different everything is. When I started this journey I was worried about loose skin, now that it's here yes it's not the prettiest but also not the worst. I'd still rather be 4 stone lighter with loose skin than heavier and firmer - I always felt I looked good heavy but losing the double chin has done wonders for my confidence.

@Everdecreasingcircumferences
Really well done, you've got to be one of the most resilient and determined people on here as you have to really sweat every lb. But you're getting there.
Around my belly button looks like an angry toad's face, but I'm getting quite attached to my little Amphibian. I think my boobs look ok, till I bend over and they just dangle, with a big dent on the sides. I'm not looking forward to my next mammogram, it'll be like slapping one of those melted ice packs on the scanner.
But in the scheme of things, none of this really matters at my age I think I imagined I'd end up with a 30yr old's body. That boat has clearly sailed.
But I'm working on it, at last. I do a big set of squats, arm rolls thingy with weights and approaching 2mins plank every (most) days so in 6 months, I might see some improvement.

I've been comparing my photos to previous progress photos and still a little sad that I look worse now than I did last time I lost weight, despite being a few kg lighter now. The side by side comparison is quite shocking. Have attached, the left photo was 2018 when I got down to 163lbs. Right one is today at 160lbs.
Also added my actual before photo from this time. I know, I've come a long way and I should be pleased. But I still feel fat, last time I lost weight I felt slim.

Realistically I know it's partly age, partly because I was heavier this time around to start with so more loose skin and also losing on MJ does seem to come off differently. But it still upsets me. I am hoping that exercise will tighten some things up a bit, but I'll have to accept that I probably won't ever get that figure back (I only had it very briefly to be fair, probably few months before I started gaining it back, I've never been good at maintaining).

@KrankyKumquat my boobs are exactly the same!

You look amazing now and think how much healthier you are 💪

@RagzRebooted your actual body shape and proportions between the 2018 and now are actually very similar. Yes the skin is a bit looser now but I wouldn't say you look worse. You're older and everything I've read suggests skin can continue to bounce back after weight loss so if you did another photo in a year it could look very different. I think you're being harsh on yourself!

I know, I am definitely being harsh. I think it's because in my head I'm still fat and I look down and see fat...
I do expect some improvement over time, also with exercise.
I've just realised I was actually 2 stone heavier when I started this time to when I lost weight the first time. That's a lot more skin... In my head it wasn't that much, I didn't realise how big I'd got!

I do get it. I do not look how I expected, my excess skin is getting me down. I wore shorts the other day to an exercise class and I kept seeing horrible skin when I was doing certain moves which was depressing. I don't know if anyone else would actually notice it or not. But I am not buying any shorts or above the knee skirts for summer!

@KrankyKumquat @RagzRebooted @KeepingUndercover Toning helps massively with lose skin, but it’s a lot of work- weights & resistance training, lots of reps, consistent work outs over time.
I am back on 7.5 to shift the 2-3kgs I put on post-op. It’s working, I have no appetite, but massively tired. I think I was maybe failing to respond to 5mg, though I would like to return to that if possible. We shall see. Still with Oushk but I may have to do some sort of weight verification hoo-ha for my next order. I am NOT the selfie queen!

I think they are all about the video consultations now though so you may not need to get the selfie stick out!

I also feel pretty embarrassed about the state of me naked and I have no idea what is loose skin and what is remaining fat. I just need to focus on what I look like with clothes on, and also how much healthier I am. But I’ve definitely felt a bit dashed when looking at the ‘after’ photos of other MJ users. It’s hard. We have this magazine photoshoot idea in my head of what I’d look like at size 10 (Clare Sweeney! Clare from Steps!) and I really… don’t. My arms are particularly horrendous and my breasts are just awful.

I just saw a Daily Mail pic of Nadine Dorries in a bikini, post MJ. Fair do's, she's looking amazing and she's bloody 68. I'm even more depressed now.

I’d rather be me than Nadine Dorries at any weight.

She barely had any weight to lose anyway.

Well I had to Google that. Damn, she does look good! She was only 3 stone overweight though, she hasn't come as far as most of us. Good for her for sharing that she's done it this way, I'm not a fan of the woman but credit to her for that.

She’s been writing about it in the Mail. So well compensated for her honesty.

I am relieved to say that my restart on MJ finally seems to be working. I moved up to 5mg and can really feel the impact (in a good way). I am determined to really work on my food issues on the meantime as it may well stop working for me again and I have been piling weight on 🙄

This book was recommended on the podcast I mentioned a few posts back. Seems very sensible so far.

There will have been Photoshop or similar involved.

@Thebaldprimadonna I’ll have a look for that podcast thanks, I’d not heard of it. Yet more weight has gone on this morning - wish I’d given in to the takeaway that my husband wanted last night as at least I’d have a reason for the gain 😑. My 10mg pen has arrived so I’ll be starting that in 2wks. Fed up of being hungry all the time and can’t stop myself reaching for the snacks. Just seen your update that 5mg is working for you - I’m happy for you as it’s scary to think this may well stop working for us completely at some point. I never thought I’d be going back on 10mg.

I'm trying to be a bit more positive as this time last year I was 3st heavier and remember feeling great as I’d lost 3st by that point and looked so much better. Yet I’m not happy at current weight because I’ve put a few pounds on 😕.

@Everdecreasingcircumferences yes I look like a melted ice cream too, sadly. My stomach is dreadful. I’ve also realised that since January the only weight I’ve lost has come off my chest, leaving it even more deflated. The weight I’ve put back on recently has gone on everywhere else (an inch everywhere) except my boobs.

@RagzRebooted you look great on your photo, but it’s hard isn’t it knowing that we don’t look as good as we want in our heads or in the past. I looked amazing at this weight last time but I’ve checked MFP and it was 11 years ago!! I’ve had 2 kids since then and gone into my 40s so I shouldn’t expect to look like I did back then but it’s sad seeing my saggy skin and seeing my boobs fold in on themselves when I lay down 😣. I’m another one who really didn’t realise just how big I’d got. I’m very jealous that your boobs have stayed the same!!

i wore shorts in public yesterday which I haven’t done since I was in my teens unless on holiday. I could see the skin rippling as I walked so I could so with toning up 😱

I sold a pair of size 20 shorts on vinted the other day and tried them on before sending. It made me feel better about the few pounds I can’t shift 😂

I had a fair bit of driving to do today and I suddenly thought about a NSV even though it’s been over a year without getting to my target (or even healthy bmi quite)
I don’t think about losing weight in bed at night, and how I might have ‘failed’ again. I also don’t wake in the morning thinking about dieting immediately. All those hours and hours of thinking about dieting and worrying about dieting.

@PissedOffNeighbour22looking amazing! Great idea I’m gonna do that in the morning and try on some of my big jeans

I imagine that we have all gained and lost repeatedly during our adult lives. There is probably only so many times you can get away with that. Plus....getting older.

I too am saggy and baggy, but I care much less than I thought I would because I look bloody brilliant in clothes ! I used to actively avoid mirrors and there was nothing worse than accidentally catching a glimpse of a fat stranger in a shop window before realizing it was me! Now I quite the poseur😅

I am focusing on that, with some pics to prove it😁. Let's post some looking fabulous pics.
(Cant bring myself to post wrinkly ones even in solidarity!)

I can't post photos from my laptop (which I'm currently using) but I am constantly distracted by catching sight of my legs in a mirror and thinking they look amazing! (So long as we ignore the inner thigh issue.)