Mounjaro and exercise

[everymeeveryyou]

I have lost 5 stone over the last 2 years with calorie counting and exercise, however this has plateaued over the last 9 months with very little loss at all, less than 5Kg. BMI is 29 so still some weigh to go with weight loss.
calorie wise I try to stick to 1,200 a day. Very rarely go off track. Very rarely drink alcohol (just can’t tolerate it any more).
I exercise regularly, lifting heavy (ish) weights e.g. 110Kg deadlift, 150Kg leg press, 15Kg dumbbell chest press 3 times a week. With sets of 6-8 reps. Also run 5-10K 3 times a week. One rest day a week.
Some days I feel soo hungry, especially after running. I feel I may benefit from Mounjaro but am worried that if my calories are too restricted I will struggle to do as much exercise and don’t want to loose the health gains I have from this. Has anyone any experience or advice about this? Thanks in advance.

I have been on mounjaro since end Dec/start of Jan. I've lost 25% of my body weight.

Before December I was running most days and swimming couple times a week. But when I started the jabs all exercise went on hold. Partly, and largely, because I was knackered as a side effect of the mounjaro, but also because I wasn't eating enough to fuel anything more than a dog walk and work each day. Even that was too much and all.i wanted to do everyday was lie down and go to sleep!!!

After the first 3 months (so end march/ start of April) I started to feel human again and able to try exercise. I'm now back to swimming 2 or 3 times a week and running most days. I have definitely lost muscle mass though and feel quite frail. I'm looking forward to building my strength and endurance back up. It may take a few weeks before I'm back where I was, or even a bit longer if I'm still loosing weight.

I think if you start with a low dose of mj and don't increase too fast, try your hardest not to reduce your calories too much, take the weight loss slowly, don't get too many side effects or fatigue, then you can probably continue to exercise as normal which will help you maintain muscle mass. My weight loss was too fast, but psychologically i needed that and was ok with putting the exercise on hold.

If your BMI is 29 would you be able to get a prescription for Mounjaro?

Thanks @CompletelyFlopped that is really helpful, it confirms what I am concerned about so is something to consider when thinking about the titration of dosing. Glad you have found that you have regained strength now and are starting to get back to some exercise.

@SilenceInside Yes, would be eligible for private prescription with a BMI of 29 but certainly wouldn’t meet the criteria for a NHS provision. My BMI is still in the overweight category and close to obese.

The prescribing criteria are the same whether private or NHS. The NHS are not prescribing it for the vast majority who qualify because of an operational decision.

You’d need a BMI of 30 or higher for a private prescription, unless you have a weight related health condition with a BMI of 27 or higher, or you’re one of a list of ethnicities where obese is classified as 27 or higher.

Your calories are ridiculously low for the amount of exercise you are doing. People need to get over the fear that eating more will automatically cause weight gain. It won't. You need to sort out your calorie intake first. Not surprised you feel hungry!!

@ivegotthekeyivegotthesecret I have played with calorie intake over the last 9 month. I obviously started with a much higher calorie intake at the start of my weight loss but it came down and down to ensure I continue to loose. Now even increasing to 1,400 causes weight gain. I know they seem ridiculously low but I just don’t seem to be able to eat more and even maintain, never mind loose weight. I suspect I have some insulin resistance going on from years of “yo-yo” weight loss/gain in my 20s and 30s. Am now menopausal which I know can slow down metabolism but it is incredibly frustrating. One reason why I am considering Mounjaro. I will probably make an appointment with a private endocrinologist before I make any decisions just to get an opinion. I just really wanted to understand from others what their experience was with using a GLP1 and maintaining any sort of exercise schedule as I really do not want to take a step back with that despite still feeling my weight is not in a healthy range and I need to address it somehow.

@SilenceInside I do have a medical reason why I would be eligible at a BMI of 29, however I also don’t think it would take much more than a fortnight of me not sticking to an already heavily restricted calorie deficit for my BMI to end up at 30. I am certainly not saying I would put on weight to become eligible, it’s just I am sitting on that fine line of it plateauing just below 30 with quite significant food restrictions and lots of exercise.

There's a couple of YouTubers I follow that have managed to keep running and weight lifting during their mounjaro journey, and have lost weight while exercising. It can definitely be done. I'll try and find some links

Thank you @CompletelyFlopped I would really appreciate that.

I started mounjaro in October and was lifting weights for a few months before that. I did get very tired initially and struggled a bit with exercise but kept at it and gradually increased and am now lifting heavier than ever. I have lost 25% of my body weight but the lifting has meant I’ve kept my muscle.

What going on mounjaro taught me was that my calorie intake to actually lose weight is very low which is why I struggled so much before I was on it. Good luck OP.

You shouldn’t be eating much less than that on MJ anyway. Really important to eat regularly and plenty of protein.

I’ve been on it since Dec and exercise a lot without a problem. I time meals/snacks so am well fueled for the gym.

Fwiw it sounds like it’d really help you.

You’re definitely not eating 1200 calories if you’re not losing any weight especially with a bmi of 29. If you have hit a plateau it’s because you are at maintenance calories. Your calorie tracking is way off. Have a look at team rh for information on how to calorie count correctly you’d be surprised. Definitely worth signing up to get the correct nutrition and calorie but even the free content they have made will help you massively if you are willing to accept your not only eating 1200 calories

@Singlemomofthree am absolutely not willing to agree I am not eating 1200 calories or less as I track everything. I weigh every single ingredient of any home made food. For food that is a processed I use My Fitness Pal for nutritional information and use the app to track everything, including tea/coffee every day. I have a personal trainer who is a nutritionist. I am also a well educated, experienced health care professional who has many years working with such information. I am not “cheating” the system, I am genuinely not able to understand why I have plateaued for so long given the loss and have had to date.

You must be a medical marvel then

I’m only two weeks in, but I have continued to exercise and lift weights while losing weight on Mounjaro. I haven’t noticed any significant difference in fatigue or ability. I’ve hit the wall a few times, but nothing that wouldn’t be expected given I’m running a significant calorie deficit and almost certainly sometimes eliminating my glycogen reserves.

Not a medical miracle, it is not unheard of for some people to have a lower than usual TDEE, that’s how you get an average.
I assume that as well as being incredibly rude you are an Endocrinologist who has vast experience in managing metabolic disorders?
I asked for advice on the use of Mounjaro and intensity of exercise not a patronising response about how I must be lying about my calorie intake.

Thank you @AirborneElephant that is helpful to know. I ended up having a consultation a month ago but only administered the first dose on Tuesday after spending forever worrying about this. I am going to keep a close eye on how things progress training wise and have decided that if using Mounjaro significantly reduces by capacity to train I will stop using it.