Does Mounjaro do more than dull appetite?

[Chilliinitiative]

Hi everyone,

I have a BMI of 31 and I really struggle to lose weight. I have an underactive thyroid and also a chronic illness. The illness makes exercise very difficult, especially having any energy/time left over whilst working full time and having a toddler.

I’ve just given up all forms of sugar for 8 weeks (including fruit etc) and I’ve been trying to intermittent fast most days. I’ve only really been eating eggs and sourdough toast, a cup of bone broth and a home cooked meal in the evening and a cup of milk. I’ve actually gained weight!

Does Mounjaro help weight loss in any other way other than suppressing appetite? I don’t think I could realistically eat much less than I already am and have the energy to work/be a Mum etc.

Any insights/advice would be much appreciated.

Have you tried searching for information about how Mounjaro works? Pretty much every online pharmacy that supplies it has information available freely online that explains the specific actions of Mounjaro. eg

https://www.theindependentpharmacy.co.uk/weight-loss/guides/what-is-mounjaro-and-how-does-it-work-for-weight-loss

@SilenceInside thank you x

This sounds really hard. Realistically to lose weight you need to get into a calorie deficit. Home cooked meals aren’t always low calorie.

if you do a bit of reading you’ll see how the drugs work. I’d expect that the portion sizes you eat would go right down, if the drugs work for you.

Yes! Definitely. Without mounjaro, I have to cut down to 800 calories a day to even think about losing weight. And after a month or so, my weightloss stops. Even with fasting 2 days out of 7, no losses. I did this for a year and a half under the supervision of my GP 4 years ago.

ON mounjaro I just have to cut down a bit. No starving myself. And I can eat some carbs. I'm not a fast loser, I lose about 1/2lb a week. But at this point, 6 months in, I've lost almost 2 stone.

I was prediabetic / insulin resistant pre mounjaro and I think that is something to do with why I couldn't lose weight and why a diabetic drug helps me lose. I don't understand the science of it.

It has totally turned me off sweet food, I am just not attracted to sweet stuff now after having a life long sweet tooth.

As my appetite now is quite 'limited' then it's like my brain tells me to choose healthy stuff over non healthy stuff, as before I could happily eat a healthy meal and then loads of junk food after, now I get full quite easily and don't want to waste my appetite on junk. So I naturally choose vegetables, meat etc over heavy carbs. All this happens quite naturally without any effort on my part.

The reduction of food noise, along with suppression of appetite from mounjaro makes it easier to be in a calorie deficit.
For some it also kills cravings for sweets or alcohol.
There are multiple good and bad side effects.

If you are already having issues with fatigue it might not be the best route for you. As fatigue is a side effect people have. You really should talk to a doctor first.

For me the meds have helped me truly understand portion size/control, and I’m getting better at distinguish g hunger from thirst. Not being preoccupied by my next meal/snack is so freeing, I’ve so much more brain power for other things.

Thanks all. I bet I am insulin resistant. Diabetes runs in my family. The fatigue is a real concern though. I’ll get back on Myfitnesspal, see if life (mainly work) calms down enough for me to get some weekly walks and yoga in and then go to the Drs if it still isn’t working.