Shemed January Starters - Thread 3

[FatsiaJaponicaInTheGarden]

Wow thread 3! I just went to post on the other thread and realised we'd got to the end. I hope everyone finds us - I wasn't able to post a link!

This thread is a support thread aimed at those who started with the Shemed 1 year plan in January (or there abouts).

How is everyone?

I am not nauseous today and seeing light at the end of the tunnel- but so glad I have stuck on 5mg for the next one. I am definitely eating less too - I'm hoping that lasts!
@OneAzureMaker - ah we can be second 5mg pens together! I really want to do some exercise but similarly will have to wait until I have some energy. @tinyemmy Yay hope you are still going okay too - will be a few of us on our second 5 pens!

@Reginaphalangeeeee

Wow - fantastic results! And great the side effects have remained calm. I've had side effects each weekend of the 3 5mg jabs I've taken but they've decreased. This weekend was much more manageable for me. I think the suppression is more constant now too. I will stay on this dose if it carries on like this for a while.

@JBJ Yay for more loss - and good luck with 5mg

@BruhWhy Is the nausea easing?

@Needtomust96 I think some people in the facebook group have - you can use the section at the end of the form to request it and do say why. From reading randomly online it does seem some people need the higher doses to respond although a 1kg a week is what I'm aiming for. You might find that 5mg does it for you in a way 2.5 doesn't.

@Monmonss I did my questionnaire early Friday morning and the pen is supposed to be arriving Tuesday (tomorrow) . I think they issued it Sunday. Hope it settles for you - have you tried taking anything and all that?

@YouWillFindMeUnderCats I was the same - 13lbs and not quite the stone! I am now though - slow and steady does keep adding up. Hope the 5mg goes okay for you.

@Mazd323 How has today been? I think I'm eating less on 5mg but it still wears off towards the end of the week

@Lostatsea10 and @MrsMidgeMaisel and @Follydear I am sorry you are both still struggling. :( It's a hard thing to weigh up isn't it. It does seem Shemed do let people out of the contract if they're struggling or give them the option of Wegovy, and definitely seem to let them stay at 2.5 for longer if needed. Good luck whatever you both decide.

@Humptyandhambel Yay for a steady weight loss and hope 5mg is treating you okay.

Tagging people as I couldn't put a link onto the other page - hope that's okay and please do tag anyone I've missed out (probably quite a few!)
@afromom @kittykarate @floweryjones @Earthgirl3971 @Bananaramram @ForPeachSake @SnowieBear @bluesmartie83 @bertieallsort @Brighton2019 @TLMoo @Newshoesnewname @Bigknickers56

Life is so busy right now that I'm not sure if I have high suppression or just no time to bloody eat!

Anyway, weigh-day was Thursday and I'd lost 1lb. Brings me to 26lb loss total (going by pre-mounjaro weigh-in I have actually now hit the 2st mark)

Over the moon with that, with mothers day and two birthdays I'd eaten lots of chocolate, cake, pizza and KFC (birthday banquet of choice in my house). I say lots, couldn't physically eat lots, but it's way more calorific than my usual diet nowadays.

Back to business this week though and I've already dropped 2lbs since Thursday, so I'm thinking I was holding onto water from all the salty food.

People are starting to notice I've dropped some weight now, which is nice.

Summer is rolling around so quickly!!

Wahooooo for the 2 stone mark!

Weigh in and injection day. Week 10 5mg. 1.8lb lost, taking me to 1st 13.6lb. How frustrating! I’m a phones weight from having lost 2st 🤣🤣 Next week hopefully.

Soooo close! It's great there's several of us around 2 stone at the same time :)

Yes I agree @FatsiaJaponicaInTheGardenthe 2 stone mark makes it a real and very significant weight loss since Jan. I’m at 2stone 9lbs but as I am bigger I haven’t really changed clothes size yet but everything is looser and more comfortable.
reaching this point I think wow.. what if I could do the same amount in another 3 months. That feels so positive.

Yes I found myself thinking "I'm 3 months in, where will I be in another 3 months"...

Hopefully it will be a bit noticeable then! But even if it isn't if it's July and I've lost 4 stone that will feel good :)

My ultrasound is now booked for the fatty liver in a month. I know it won't be fixed by then but it gives me another month to make it less awful!

Remember that you are already managing this condition with the only way recommended (weight loss and improved diet) and so already helping. I would also be hopeful about the anti inflammatory properties of MJ and positive benefits will have. Some phase 2 Randomised control trials have shown real promise of reversing effects.
https://liverdiseasenews.com/news/tirzepatide-weight-treats-fatty-liver-disease-phase-2-trial/#:~:text=Weekly%20injections%20of%20tirzepatide%2C%20an,release%20for%20the%20financial%20update.

Wow that's amazing!!!

Hi in case anyone is curious about how they set the dosage, this is the explanation I got when I emailed them:

Our approach to dose escalation is based on best practices, published evidence, and clinical safety. We have written about our approach in our blog found here: https://www.shemed.co.uk/blog/navigating-glp-1-dosing-for-optimal-results.

NHS and international guidelines agree that a safe and sustainable weight loss target is 0.5 - 1 kg per week on average. This gives a person the best chance to maintain this loss in the longer term. Weight loss faster than this runs the risk of being unsustainable, and there is increasing evidence that rapid weight loss on GLP-1 medications can lead to excessive loss of muscle mass rather than fat mass.

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) is licensed for long-term treatment at three doses: 5mg, 10mg and 15mg.

Evidence from the landmark Tirzepatide trial (https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2206038) indicates that there is very little divergence in weight loss results for these three doses before 16 weeks of treatment. After this time, 10mg and 15mg doses behave very similarly in terms of weight loss (see Figure 1 in this article). Side effects are however more common with increasing doses.

A Clinician reviews every patient at every prescription to ensure that they are on the correct dose. Based on the evidence, our approach is, therefore, to start all patients on a 2.5mg dose for the first four weeks, and then to increase to a 5mg dose for week 5 onwards, unless there are significant side effects that mean that the patient needs to continue on 2.5mg for a little longer.

Thereafter, we usually continue the 5mg dose for weeks 5-15. From the evidence available to date, there is no clear benefit in terms of weight loss to increase beyond 5mg before 16 weeks if the patient is on track.

Most patients will then be increased to 7.5mg at week 16, and then 10mg after a further 1-2 months if side effects are tolerable.

There is very little additional weight loss benefit to doses above 10mg in the trial, so most patients will then remain at 10mg as long as their progress is on track.

Oooh that's really interesting thankyou for sharing that. I wonder if they'll move me up to 7.5 then in a couple of weeks time as that would make sense with their protocol but I'd actually be okay on 5 again if I keep losing 2lb a week on average.

It makes some of their decisions make a bit more sense but still feels like some people are slipping through their net (in both directions)

It’s great to see everyone losing and moving in the right direction! I have my 3rd 5mg pen in the fridge and due to take my last dose of my current 5mg pen tomorrow. My god I am hungry tonight! It’s around my time of the month usually which has been hit and miss with being on HRT and perimenopausal but I seem to get the same cravings for food! I’m really not wanting to give in but I am sat here thinking about food! Weightloss has really slowed but I seem to be losing inches and fitting in my clothes better which I am taking as a positive and maybe I will see the losses on the scales in a few weeks? It’s hard not to be disappointed though and I am trying to see the long game although the urge to think sod it and eat the contents of the fridge is strong tonight!

@bluesmartie83 I remember feeling that a few weeks ago. I think if your body is hungry, you should feed it nutritiously and if still after something find a good compromise. I made some dark chocolate peanut butter cups. Only needs a tea spoon of nut butter and 2 squares of 85% dark chocolate and it so hit the spot!

I have just finished my 2nd 5mg pen and the suppression has increased this week. Didn’t have this 2weeks ago at all and so believe it’s built up in my system. I could hardly be bothered to eat today and could have been one of those people who ‘forgot to eat’ which I never am normally!!! Forcing 2 meals down today.

Thanks @ReginaphalangeeeeeI know in my head I’m sure it’s water weight and the hormones! It is still hard to see the scales move up and down the same half a pound for a week! I lost 0.3lbs this week and 0.5lbs last week. I had a single piece of toast with peanut butter last night and it was enough to satisfy my hunger. Hopefully next week will see an improvement it seems like I have been in the same stone bracket for years! It’s been 6 weeks 😂. So impatient!

Same, I just can't be bothered to eat. In one hand it's wonderful but on the other I do need to eat. I lost another 2.6lbs this week and BMI is 24.1 now. I want to get to 22 but I'd have expected it to slow down!!! I will be asking SheMed if I can lower my dose next time. Questionnaire will be next week. I'm currently on 5mg

Started my fourth pen today, how time flies! Definitely struggling with cravings this week, so I am feeling ready to go up on my next one, which I think is part of SheMed’s dosing schedule anyways. But I am .15kg off from hitting 16kg down!

Jabbed and checked in a day early - bit of a faff that you can’t change it for one week only, but I’ll just request to change it back to Friday again. I’m off to Oxford for a few days, a friend/colleague is getting married tomorrow so I decided to do it today so that I wouldn’t have to think about it!

Has anyone missed a check-in yet? I'm not going to be able to do mine today. Do we have to say anything or do we just not attend it and take the jab as usual?

I think you have 2 answers

• request to move your check in day to tomorrow (probably a bit of a faff to be honest)
• Do your injection as normal today, email shemed to say 'oops can't check in today' and then wait until tomorrow to go into the app and then when you go into check in there is a way to log a past injection. This will then keep your dose count correct.

Brilliant thank you, I'll take it today and log it tomorrow

A smaller loss this week, though still a loss. I have to say I'm beginning to find things a bit harder in terms of snacking etc. I do feel hungry much more now. I am wondering if next pen will need to be a higher dose - though I do always struggle with the side effects.

1st jab of 3rd 5mg pen.

13 weeks today and I have lost 3 stone!

Hello everyone!

1.1kg down this week, at 66.3kg now, 12.7kg lost in total.

Pretty chuffed with that, will be happy if I can just maintain for the next two weeks while on holiday abroad.

Yes I'm fine the first few days post-5mg but by Monday/Tuesday (I'm a Thursday jabber) it's pretty much all willpower. I still get full very quickly but I'm pretty hungry all the time from Monday until Thursday at this point.

I'm trying to see it as a positive, it is allowing me to practice and enforce good habits "on my own" but yeah, I feel like the next pen should be 7.5mg. As much as practicing good habits is a good thing, I only have a year on this medication because unless the prices reduce significantly I absolutely cannot afford it in 2026 - so I do need to be making the most of it and feeling the effects of it pretty consistently.

NSV today - accidentally put on a pair of primark size 16 jeans today. Not going to pretend they are a flattering fit, but I'm surprised they even did up.

I checked in today - 14th jab so next week is the questionnaire. It looks like from above that's the time people would normally be moved up to 7.5.

I'm not sure what I want. I'm losing 1-2lb a week which I think is the aim but I'm in awe of OneAzures 3 stone loss over the same period as my 2st and a bit loss!

Having said that I only lost a pound this week. My chart bounces all over the place though so I guess I'll see what it does next week.

Well done everyone! It's amazing to think we're mostly around 3 months in! 1/4 way through!

My walking is still so much better. I had meant to walk properly every day but realised fitting the 10mins in I used to manage is a lot easier than "going for a walk" when it takes a lot longer!!

We went to a different area today and I took my youngest for a mooch by the river which was lovely. I have another walk planned Sunday. Tomorrow is gardening and housework and trying to "get on top of things"!

I hope everyone is going okay.

Snowie - have an amazing holiday!

@FatsiaJaponicaInTheGarden you are doing amazing!!!
I have a new 5mg pen to start this weekend so guess that make 12 jabs done. I am pleased with my 2stone 10lbs off but did have a mega loss first week where I must have lost a lot of water.💦

Its hard not to compare and yes @OneAzureMakeryou have outstanding losses but we are all doing so well and over the year will all be so much closer to healthy norm!

I think the thing I try to remember when I wish I’d lost more is this… I know what I am doing is sustainable and just focus on what will I be in another 3 months because I know I can continue rather than like normal diets I would start to be caving with something that seemed impossible.
all our bodies will loose at different rates but the important thing is we keep going!
well done us!!!!

Thankyou - and wow that's a fantastic loss yourself! 🤩

I think I'm just wondering whether to ask to go up to 7.5 as SheMed seem happy to do for 5th pens or stick where I am. I feel I'm eating a sensible amount but the lure is there!

I'm also thinking I have an awful lot to lose so don't want to go up too fast - but it's hard to know isn't it. I might just play roulette next Friday and see what they say!