Mounjaro/Wegovy with > 5st/30kg to lose: Thread 7

[MooBaggage]

Thread SEVEN 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. Share your losses, your non-scale victories (NSV), your frustrations and your love of Longley Farm cottage cheese and kiwi fruit here!

Nothing is off limits to discuss - from protein sources to B bellies; Hammocks to smart scales; feeling chilly to easier bum wiping 😃

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

I did the very same thing about 2 months before starting MJ - I'd be wearing those clothes now & they would be fitting beautifully 😁

Oh well such is life, plenty more clothes exist etc etc

I am now wearing clothes from a size "getting too large 16" to a size "gotta allow for boobage 22".

@alwaysscared This does seem like a lot of fruit. Whilst fruit is healthier than other snacks, it is full of sugar. Beetroot is also sweet and starchy and protein puddings I believe have artificial sweetener that will affect your insulin too.

I think it's worth looking to drastically reduce the above in your diet before giving up, as I think MJ worked for you initially.

A savoury breakfast would start your day better than an apple.

Good luck, you've got the higher dose medication now, take lots of exercise and drink plenty of water so have most of the difficult basics covered to aid you in your journey. You can do this!

@alwaysscared i love fruit too, but I have limited it since starting MJ. Grapes aren’t great, but berries are ok. Could you try nuts or seeds instead? I’m also snacking on radishes, for the crunch.

If I can’t even eat frozen grapes and berries and beetroot, I don’t know if it’s bloody worth it to be honest. I’ll have no pleasures left!!
And the protein puddings are also delicious.
My sugars are perfect so I’m not worried about those at all.

@alwaysscaredyou can eat anything you want, but you won’t necessarily lose weight eating as much of what you want as you are eating. No one on this thread is telling you not to eat grapes, raspberries and blackberries. What you are being advised is that 500g of them and barely any protein is not going to help you with your hunger level. It’s an unfortunate fact that especially for those of us with insulin intolerance/diabetes eating sugary foods makes us feel hungry. Ways to reduce it are to spread the sugary foods out over the day in smaller quantities, to pair them with a protein at the point of consumption and to do some exercise after eating like a 20 min brisk walk.

Also is that a typo on the water, are you really drinking 6lts of water a day? It won’t affect your weight to drink that much but your sodium levels and electrolytes must be very low, there is such a thing as over hydrating and you could well be within that range. 2-3lts a day is generally what’s recommended.

@InfoSecInTheCity yes, I know I need to cut the fruit down, I’m just being grumpy.
Yes I do drink that much a day, had all my levels checked and they are fine.

Just been reading about water intoxication, interesting reading and some of the symptoms are things I experience daily…
Maybe I need to cut it down a bit!! Ooops

@AnotherNaCha the way I look at it is that there are plenty of other thing trying to unalive me at the moment. I have various issues that make life interesting. Sepsis, anaphylaxis to various medicines foods (yeah, that was fun finding out about the allergy to macadamia nuts) an ear infection that left me profoundly deaf in my left ear, my right ear crapped out 18 months later and autoimmune disease that's currently Not Much Fun are some of the hot faves. Yes, there is a tiny, tiny increased risk of cancer. For me, the fact that my starting BMI was 45 (currently 35.4 and I've lost 28.3kg since last October) was probably the thing that was most likely to off me before my kids hit 18. So all in all, my risk of shuffling off this mortal coil from something else is probably much higher than my chance of MJ giving me a very specific and rare cancer.

As for the loose skin- I am always covered up anyway, thanks in part to a sunlight allergy (it's called PLE). At the moment I mainly have wibby skin at the top of my arms and legs- both places I couldn't care less about. The only person who really gets to see it is DH and seeing as we have been married close to 20 years I doubt he really cares either!

All in all, it's a risk benefit analysis but I can only speak for myself. For me, the positives of taking MJ massively cancel out the negatives.

It’s hard to know what to do sometimes, ‘They’ tell us that water is great and we should drink, drink, drink, and it is great and we should…..but….only to a point, and that point is not well defined and could be within a wide range. It’s all trial and error, so give it a go and see if you feel better with a bit less water.

@alwaysscared I thought that it was a typo with the water too! I work hard to make sure that I get my 2 litres a day - I can't imagine how you can manage 6! I love berries too but I will tend to have a handful with full fat greek yoghurt every other day. Do you like nut butters? I find a whole grain rice cake spread with nut butter fills me up - sometimes I slice some apple on top

I moved up to 7.5 at the weekend and the sulphur burps have returned with a vengeance! I am just hoping that diarrhoea and vomiting don't return too ...

@dimples76 I am a carer for my son who doesn’t leave the house, so I am stuck inside all day with not a lot to do, which is probably why I drink so much, and always think about food. I have nothing else to think about, my son and food

@alwaysscared could you entertain your mind in different ways? Do you have any crafts you like (if having craft items is safe around your son). What about doing a few of the OU short courses? During lockdown I randomly found myself doing a short course on sheep management of all things!! I do work, not full-time though because that'll never happen for a variety of reasons. I'm SE and no, it absolutely doesn't involve sheep in any way, shape or form.

From what you have said previously, your son has a similar profile of need to mine (PDA autistic with adhd). My son is now in a SEMH specialist school but it took one hell of a kerfuffle to achieve this. He's also has times when he hasn't been in school. I'm rambling a bit but I just want to let you know you're not alone.

If you don’t already know how to do it, try to learn crochet. It’s one of those crafts that I honestly thought would drive me insane when I was trying to teach myself, I just could not get it it to work, then one day it clicked and all started to make sense, good way to occupy your mind and most importantly your hands so they can’t reach for the crisps.

@alltablenochairs thanks for your message. I have just got back in to reading so am enjoying the nice weather with some cheap charity shop books!
Yes, they seem to have a similar profile. I have fought for 4 years to get him an EOTAS package, and it finally happened in September. He has a great tutor who comes to the house, and a great hub to go to when he is ready, but god knows when that will be! Just waiting for the local authority to come good on all the other education they agreed 🙄
@InfoSecInTheCity I have just never been very crafty really. Having my own mental health struggles has meant that I actually have a pretty sad and lonely life really. But my DH is great and I do have some good friends. I have recently started to walk into our town and find charity shop bargains. I even bought some size 14 trousers, originally from Next and they fit!

I have a question about the sugar side of things. Taking the diabetes away for a moment, from everything I have read/seen, it doesn’t really matter what you eat as long as you are in a deficit, is that not the case?

@alwaysscared. Walking is great as is charity shopping. Especially when you find trousers that fit. Unfortunately my backside is a long way off fitting in a pair of size 14 trousers. May the bargain fairies bless you and I hope you find lots of great clothes.

In terms of loss then yes, if you eat in a deficit for long enough then you will lose weight, you only have to look at malnourished people in famine areas to see that. However what you eat will effect how you feel, how quickly and how consistently you lose weight.

Sugar will make you hungry, it will make you want to snack and to constantly feel like you need more food which means that ultimately you’ll binge or eat the wrong stuff and go over your calories to try to sate that need. It also causes water retention which will affect your scales and the way your body handles excess sugar lingering in your blood is your chuck it into your fat stores to get it out of the way

Yes and no.
To calculate the calories in something, scientists put a measured amount into a thing called a bomb calorimeter, burn it and measure how much energy it releases. Unfortunately our bodies do not behave the same as calorimeters and 100cals is not always the same depending on how we ingest it.

The body digests and processes carbohydrates (including sugars) and fats more quickly than proteins resulting in more variable blood sugar and energy levels.
The body uses more energy digesting and processing protein than fat or carbohydrates. This means we may not get the full 100 calories from protein that we would from fat or carbohydrates
Fibre also affects how quickly nutrients can be digested and how much is absorbed as does processing of food (this is why 100cals of fresh apple is better than 100cals of stewed apple which is better than 100cals apple juice or 100cals sugar)
High-protein foods tend to be more satiating, so they help you feel fuller for longer than foods high in sugar or fat.

As @InfoSecInTheCity said, if short term weight loss is the only goal you can just eat anything but as little as possible but in order to feel fuller, maintain muscle mass and keep metabolism going, you need to have enough calories and enough protein

@alwaysscared If you type Mounjaro and high sugar diet into Google the AI overview says the following (sorry, I couldn't find a link to send so had to copy and paste):

While it's not impossible to include some sugar in your diet when taking Mounjaro, a high-sugar diet can hinder weight loss efforts and potentially negate the medication's benefits. Mounjaro helps lower blood sugar, and consuming excessive amounts of sugar can interfere with this process. It's recommended to limit added sugars and focus on naturally occurring sugars from fruits in moderation.
Here's a more detailed look:
Mounjaro and Blood Sugar:
Mounjaro works by stimulating the release of insulin, which helps lower blood sugar levels. A high-sugar diet can counteract this effect, leading to blood sugar spikes and making it harder for Mounjaro to work effectively.
Weight Loss:
A high-sugar diet can lead to weight gain, even when taking Mounjaro. This is because sugary foods are often high in calories and can trigger overeating.
Sugar Sources:
It's best to avoid added sugars like those found in sweets, desserts, and sugary drinks. Instead, focus on naturally occurring sugars from fruits, but be mindful of portion sizes and choose fruits with lower glycemic indexes.
Alternatives:
If you enjoy sweet treats, consider alternatives like sugar-free options or natural sweeteners. You can also try using berries, which have a lower glycemic index than some other fruits.

@QueenOfHiraeth thanks for this info, really interesting.
Ive seen that you sent a PM, I am on mobile and dont know how to access them on that but will have a look when I’m next on my laptop, thank you

@QueenOfHiraeth I’ve worked out how to see PM and have responded, thanks again

@alwaysscared well done on securing EOTAS for your DS. We are trying to do so for my DN, heading to the Tribunal in January.

@dimples76 fingers crossed they will agree it before tribunal, that’s what happened with us! Bloody stressful time!

SW 111.1kg (21/1/25)
CW 101.8kg
Total loss 9.3kg
Morning all! I weighed myself this morning, quite pleased with the results. Lost 0.9kg this week - although this might not seem much to some of you, I have been tending to lose 0.3 - 0.4kg per week as a rule.
I'm still on 5mg. My DH asked me this morning if my dose would be going up. My provider (Juniper) have me on 5mg going forward, as I had quite bad side effects with 2.5mg at first. I know if I went up to 7.5mg I would probably lose more, but 2 days a week of being completely disinterested in food is enough for me, so I think I will stick with 5mg.
The real.test for me will be a holiday in Italy at the end of this month. We're going to be self-catered so that will help with food choices I think. I'll just have to go easy on the pizza and bread!

@Ditsy79 that's great! It's coming off - the only way is down so it doesn't matter what the pace is 🙂 I also like being able to enjoy my food more in the last 2 - 3 days of jab week, which falls on weekends which is when I see my boyfriend, who is a big foodie, so we can enjoy meals together!

I've woken up feeling all calm and in control - and have realised it's the day after my jab and this is how I feel on day 2 when I know I've got the dosage just right - not nauseous, but not hungry - no inclination to eat, but just very chilled, generally! So am sticking with 6mg, hopefully now for a while.