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

Thank you - yesterday was another write off but so far today, I do feel better 🤞

I am so happy to have found you all again!!!

I drifted away from the boards over the past few months as things were getting less and less relevant but never forgot the support and guidance in those early months.

I've been frantically reading through this set of threads and it's so good to hear the experiences of people at the same stage and experiencing the same things.

Like others here I'm struggling with finding the thighs hard to inject into now. Could never have imagined that being a problem!

I'm also really enjoying wearing clothes and being able to shop in high street stores.

I started late March last year. Have lost 6 stone in that time and I'm just 1 stone away from goal weight.

It's so wonderful to have been able to catch up on how everyone has been doing. A huge congratulations to all of you.

This is one hell of a journey, one that's about so much more than just weight loss too. I feel like we've all been unpicking a lot of emotional baggage along the way.

I’ve been at goal for 2 months now. I continue to take MJ at 2.5mg every 10 days. I never increased my doses through my journey. Anyway, in the last month I seem to be getting the munchies more often! Up until now I’ve been able to stick to my meal plan without much effort and been quite satisfied. Now I’m craving treats! It scares me a bit, as that’s how I used to feel. I still feel the benefits of MJ so feel it’s still having an impact. Not sure what to do if anything.

@ThirdStorm congratulations on making goal and sticking there.

When you say the munchies do you mean the craving to eat and eat and eat or just a particular treat? What would happen if you allowed yourself the time and space to really enjoy the thing you're craving?

One of the most liberating things I've found about MJ is being able to really enjoy something delicious without the guilt or the fear that I'm going to go off the rails.

Although I'm very aware how easy it could be to fall into a downward spiral without the help of MJ.

@MountKilimounjaro crave to eat and I’m not hungry. I’m worried it’s old bad habits reforming. I think I’ll plan a decent meal plan for next week and put a stop to the snacking.

@ThirdStorm ahh, yes. I've definitely had the urge to eat out of boredom sneaking back in now and again.

If it makes you feel any better I'm on 12.5mg so maybe it's not down to your dose level. Maybe it's to do with how long we've been doing this now and how much more settled we've become?

I'm hoping that being so aware of these potential issues means maybe we're in with a hope of cracking the problem. My fear is sleep walking back into old habits.

@MountKilimounjaro i also fear sleep walking. The fact I’m noticing it now means I have changed. But now I need to act. As soon as I finish the last choc chip cookie I baked earlier! 🤣

I have had quite a lot of treats this week - well three which is less than my pre Mounjaro days and they were probably smaller. But I am still under my ceiling weight at which I need to take immediate corrective action.

In a sign I am weighing up the treats and how much I want them, I went to a cake shop yesterday as I wanted a specific afternoon treat (4pm seems to be when I want something sweet). The buns didn't look as big as they were in my imagination and after looking at them for a few minutes I left the shop and went and bought some chocolate instead. The old me would probably have eaten the cake, decided it wasn't as satisfying as I wanted and then had the chocolate as well.

Hi All
Drifted away for the threads for a bit as had stalled again and work has been horrendous and taken over far too much since Christmas. Tomorrow is my 1 year anniversary of MJ, started at 98kg/BMI 35.6 and a size 18/20, now 76kg/BMI 27.4 and a 12/14 depending on the brand. Not as speedy as many but am still absolutely delighted with how far I've come and it's been worth every penny.
Have become a little obsessed with clothes shopping ( made worse by ADHD impulsivity). Still looking pretty curvy but somewhat deflated! Was a 36/38J and am now a 32GG, but what little volume I had on top is gone. I have baggy elbows so need to build up my arm muscles, and I need to develop a decent squats habit to lift my saggy backside, but overall I can't complain about the saggy skin when it comes with feeling so much lighter on my feet. My favourite thing is still my face, to not have the double chin any more is worth the turkey neck.
I had a bit of a back and forth with my supplier as I didn't place an order over December, I just explained I had a small stash and offered to send proof of all my purchases for all of 2024, couldn't justify spending on a pen in the run up to Christmas when I still had 2 in the fridge.
I can't believe I'm nearing a BMI of sub 27, this stuff is frankly miraculous after 2 decades of trying and failing to lose weight over and over again. Just had half-term off, loafs of eating out and treats and somehow managed to break my stall. DH and I shared a tub of Ben and Jerry's on Valentines Day (my first ice cream in months) and it's still 2/3rds full in the freezer, we had pizza for lunch after taking the kids swimming and were content to share a calzone when previously we would have ordered a pizza each. So treats still happen but we're content with a much smaller amount than we used to have, and we've enjoyed getting back on our salads and soups afterwards. I do hope to one day largely wean off MJ as I can't imagine affording a family holiday whilst I'm still buying it regularly, but I'm realistic about possibly having to fund this for some years to come.
Thanks for continuing to post, it's really encouraging coming back to the thread after a break and seeing how amazingly you are all doing.

Had my consultation with oushk and was a bit underwhelmed as you can tell she has her hands full with fitting everyone in.

I'm on the books though and will be on their taper plan even though I have a stash of pens to use first. Hoping to go down and possibly off the meds over the next year. Tapering down slowly though as it took me a year to get up to 12.5mg.

Can't believe I'm in maintenance

I've booked a consultation but earliest available date is not until mid April. I too have a stash. Can I ask if they were happy for you to use your stash before going on to the taper plan or do you have to keep ordering? Thanks

@Fromthesidelines I had a consultation a couple of weeks ago and came clean about my stash of 5 boxes (!!) - she agreed to put me on her books at no cost until I use them up but has asked me to write the date I start each pen and send her the photos before my first order as she wants to be sure I haven't had a break. I think my order won't be until June and she was ok with it.

Genuinely didn’t get a chance to go into the stash, call lasted about five mins in all.

With all the new guidelines I was just happy to get onto the books. I’m going to get three pens through them as I taper back down and use them after my stash but will go onto the flex plan once I’ve bought the three pens. The plan is to (if I can!) be off Mounjaro for a year before coming off the flex plan. I’ve a feeling I’ll be on 5mg forever though to be honest but will see how I go! We had a call booked for 15 mins but she was late on and we only spoke for about 5 mins in all.

Many thanks @ciderJabs and @Scalessayeek . If I can, I'll come clean and try and negotiate a break. Not least because my mother is staying for a week in the summer to pet sit and she is incurably nosey and will go through my fridge! I could hopefully be down to one in use pen to take with me. My plan is to try and maintain on mj for a year then come off if I can.

@Fromthesidelines i have an equally curious guest in April! My plan is to de box each pen (I have 4), wrap in foil and I’ve got an empty cheestring packet which I’ll seal with sellotape. Hopefully it will go unnoticed. I feel devious but I value my privacy.

I was toying with a similar idea but with a tofu pack as that's something my mum would never touch. Will need to make sure it is in date though or she will helpfully throw it away!

I fear our little group is running out of steeam as we come up to the one year mark. It's very quiet.

My first jab was 15 March 2024. I feel I should mark the great day in some way😁

What a year it's been. 71lb gone, BMI 18.5 (yeah I know but I had to beat that mum shelf), size 4.
I mean.......... never in my wildest!

If I count the year before, 23lb lost on Ozempic before the shortages and 17lb on my own, thats a 110lb loss.
I have actually halved my body weight from 2 years ago!

Still a bumless wonder. BUT, unless I am imagining it, the melted candle look on the abdomen is looking much better. As are my arms...... I will risk short sleeves rather than 3/4 length. Not sure I will risk shorts unless the saggy thighs also improve but knee length will do just fine. But jeez, I will take it.

Can confirm that husband no longer thinks that the cat is diabetic. He rumbled me. No idea how. He is surprisingly supportive and it's made my life much simpler. He does think I have found a fabulous supplier that only charges £60 a pen though😉

@Smallsalt 110lbs loss is absolutely incredible. Well done.

Show your arms, wear the shorts - who cares. Ok, definitely easier said than done.

Here's an odd thing, is anyone else struggling to stop thinking of themselves as fat? When I see old photos of me I realise I was a lot lot bigger than I realised at the time. But now, despite being a 'normal' size I keep thinking I'm the size I thought I was then.

I still keep buying clothes that are too big, I've gone from a tight size 22 to a size 14 but I keep buying clothes that are 18 as my brain can't compute the change.

@Smallsalt
Funny I was thinking the same about our gang going quiet just last night. Even the Continuing thread has slowed down a lot even though I'd have thought there were a lot of new starters recently, which is more strange.
I guess we, at least, are just getting our heads down and focusing on our final little bit or our maintenance (which is extremely dull, compared to the thrill of the early days).
It's nice to know you're all still there though, even if it's in a parallel world. And to still see some familiar names on the goady posts on AIBU 🤣

I’m fighting the good fight under another name in some of those!

Congrats on that weight loss, @Smallsalt. Although I hate to say it but you’re stopping the loss here, right? 😊

I am back on 2.5mg for the month and I love it. The ravenous hunger has gone thankfully. I am eating more or less normally. I ‘put on’ 8lbs in my week away but have lost 4lbs since weighing on Monday morning so hoping I’ll be back to where I was before by next week. That weight gain does feel disproportionate to what I ate! But there will be some plane bloating in there.

I'm officially a year in today! Woop- can't quite believe it. Started at 21st 4 and now 11st 13. I had a look through my weight over the years and I did top out around 22 stone for a while a couple of times so with skin removal I am sure I'll be under half my weight :/

Such a strange situation to be in but here we are. What a difference this drug has made to my life!

@Wonkypictureframe
Yes I have stopped!
Didn't actively stop, still pretty much eating what I ate during the losing phase with occasional treats, which was fairly low cal, but I haven't lost in 3 months.
With being light now, I guess my TDEE is very low and I have hit it with my intake.

What it does tell me, is that I have a "fat metabolism" . What I am currently eating to maintain is what would see most people shedding weight at speed.

I always felt that the number of calories I ate when I was heavy, was enough to be a tad plumpish. It was certainly not enough to be as obese as I was. That's not me in denial, that's an objective assessment of my food intake then and now. If I eat a "normal" amount as per the calculators, I gain weight.

I think a lot of folk who post that they are failing and not losing are taking these TDEE calculators as gospel and they are probably like me with low energy requirement bodies which gain weight on innocuous amounts if food. It's certainly not as simple as the old "Eat less eat more you fat git" mantra used to beat us with.

Certainly carb in my diet is a no no. .

Yes. I totally agree. The number of times I was told on here that I must be kidding myself about how much I was REALLY eating as no one would be obese if they ate like that is legion! The endless threads saying we wouldn’t need WL drugs if we just ‘ban UPFs’ (when I eat mostly fresh food from scratch, and would rather eat a Michelin tasting menu every six months than have MacDonalds twice a week) miss that there are loads of us whose bodies just don’t process calories efficiently enough to allow us to eat much without being overweight.

Some great losses everyone!

I've just realised I started a year ago last week.

13.13 down to 8.12. BMI 23.

I didn't even expect it to work, and thought 10 stone would be amazing to get to!!

I've maintained since January, but like others, am eating the same as my diet, with the exception of x 2 digestive biscuits added on and 10gm pen.

Guess I'm on this for life 🙅

I guess we're all trying to live our "new" lives using what we've learned in these past few months and getting on with it. I like the comfort of this thread, if I have a question (even 10 months and 8 pens into the journey) I can ask here! I've definitely had the munchies for sweet treats the past few weeks, I may go back to 7 day spacing instead of the 10 I've been on. Exercise also alludes me, I intend to start running again (after a two year break) but I think I've been saying that for 6 months.