January 2025 Starters Thread 8. New clothes, new shoes, new bodies...

[Thelittlestranger]

Roll up, roll up ....

I am below my sticky 62 kilos this morning, but my official weight day is only Thursday, so we will see how it goes. And I do have 3 days of work trip with lunches, dinners, coffee breaks etc.
But MJ really makes a difference - I bought a punnet of cherries yesterday, had a handful, they were lovely. Rest of punnet still here. Before MJ, I would have inhaled it. I know it's just cherries, but it's 500-600 kcal per kilo, and believe me, I had no issues eating a kilo at the time 😀

@2025istheyeari https://monj.co.uk/mounjaro-maintenance-pharmacies/

@MananaPenelope the bread and ice cream diet sounds promising!

@myladyjane sounds like you’re doing well with your weight loss, but sorry to hear of the stress. Good luck with your appointment on Tuesday. Come back soon!

@SteveHarringtonsHair great loss and 6 inches off the waist is amazing!
Re: moods, mine are more evened out since taking MJ. The lows are more zen although I still notice my pre-menstrual dip where I feel more vulnerable, but the highs are also flattened out. I think exercise helps a little to regulate.

@BreezyPeer and @Clovesandcats sorry you’re both having a tough time, but glad this thread is helping you.

@jins Hope NYC is treating you well and you’re enjoying the food.

I’ve stayed the same at 62.7kg today. Perhaps this is a stall, perhaps this is maintenance? I look slim enough and don’t feel I need to lose any more visible weight, just need to tone up. I’ve still got it in my head that I’d like to hit a ‘healthy’ BMI though to see if this actually makes me healthier. But I should be happy with this weight as it’s the lowest I’ve been for a very long time.

Tomorrow is official WI and jab 20 starting a new 5mg pen. Thursday is my maintenance call with Oushk, I think I’ll ask to stay on 5mg to maintain unless I start losing again, in which case I’ll titrate down. I’ve given myself a minimum weight of 60kg, I don’t want to go below that, and I’d quite like to stay under 63kg now I’m here. In an ideal world I’d eventually titrate to 2.5mg and stay on that till the end of the year to try before reviewing whether I could come off, take a break.

Oh I messaged Voy and they do maintenance too. I may stick with them as it’s so convenient.

Those of you approaching maintenance, could you explain like I’m a child what the difference is in terms of how you order pens once you’re at that stage? I’m not sure why we can’t just carry on buying what we need, why we need appointments etc? Is it that they might cut us off otherwise due to BMI being low?

Congratulations on reaching your target @DGonMJ 🎉
I feel like I'm at a bit of a stall, I got to 8 stone 9 last Saturday and then put half a pound on per day until 8 stone 10.5 so that last week (check in Wednesday) I didn't lose any weight for the first time since I started. I'm back at 8 stone 9 today. I really wanted to get to 8 stone 7 (and claim target) before my holiday next Friday but that doesn't feel realistic. I'm undecided whether this is a blip or this is maintenance, I certainly can't eat any less! This stall happened from lowering to 2.5 so I've gone back to 5 and will sit there for a bit and like you will only lower if I end up losing too much.
From a renpho point of view at 8 stone 9 my body fat is finally in average so I see this as my top of the range. I'm not sure I will ever get subcutaneous fat into average, it is so far off but I'd like to work on it.
I weigh in at slimming world so I'm undecided where to set my target, I'm thinking just call it at my weigh in on Wednesday at whatever it is, but part of me says as I have decided my top range is 8st 9 I should probably call target at 8st 6...
Although if I put some more muscle on I might find I'm heavier but have better fat percentages!?!
When I started Slimming World in December I was just desperate to get to a healthy weight that had alluded me for a number of years, I moved my target a number of times and would never have dreamed of being this low. In my 20s and 30s I always used to set my target as 8st 11 (middle of the 20-25 BMI range when I thought I was 5'2 🤣) I'm 5'1.5 so middle of BMI (when using 20-25) is about 8st 8.5
When the SheMed year comes to an end I will be speaking to Oushk (I will take stock closer to the time). I don't think I will be able to maintain this without mj. Although I'm also exploring an ADHD diagnosis so I might be able to if on ADHD meds

Morning all,

After weeks of stalling, lost 2lbs this week. I’m still finding MJ fascinating, I started my 10mg pen on Thursday and this whoosh is as of this morning. Ate a similar amount yesterday to how I have been in general.. has the higher dose instantly got rid of some inflammation or is it a coincidence? Has anyone else found this? I’ll take it either way!

Have a lovely Saturday everyone ☀️

I don’t think there’s much difference to ordering at maintenance. For Oushk, you get 15% off codes and free delivery. I guess they also need to make sure they’re prescribing the medication to maintain a weight rather than lose more, and the photos and video consults are to check you haven’t lost too much.

When I started MJ, I wasn’t sure how I wanted to approach maintenance as there’s no guidance in any of the leaflets supplied with the medication about what to do once you reach goal weight. I thought I’d reach my goal with my new habits set and stop taking it. But now, there’s so much more research coming out about weight regain, and providers are slowly realising that they need to provide guidance and also prescription plans for those who have reached their goal weight. It’s mad to think that back in January only a couple of providers offered MJ for maintenance, and most cut you off after hitting 24/25 BMI.

@tinyemmy haha, like you I’m not ready to claim ‘target’ yet. Still got 300g (0.6lb) to go before I’m at a healthy BMI!

So close at @DGonMJ - you’ve done amazingly well and @tinyemmy you too !

@DGonMJ thank you, that makes sense. It sounds worth it just for the discount tbh 😅

Well done @DGonMJ and @tinyemmy. It's always staggering to me how much difference in weight there is for different heights. I'm 8.5 inches taller than tinyemmy and to get to the same point, around 22.5 BMI, I should be 11 stone!

just done a morning kettlebell workout, so that's my 5th exercise session of the week - I'm done! 3 x cardio and 2 x strength. I think I almost spotted a leg muscle the other day...

I'm an inch smaller than @tinyemmy but a stone heavier as of today at 9st 8.5. and I'm not yet in 'healthy' BMI. Only amber on Renpho scales now are subcutaneous fat (28%) BMI and weight. Even hit green for skeletal muscle this week.

So, we are all definitely different shapes and sizes for sure!! And makes me realise all the more how I need to learn to love MY shape and not anyone else's.

Off for some lunch and a walk with my best mates in the sunshine. I have most definitely felt low the past week and half over my period but I'm putting that down to hormones and the start of peri. Felt worse, for sure, this month than before and considering getting it checked out.

@millenialmolly I honestly think it does something beyond calories.

@MJalltheway I know it's so annoying! I get such pitiful calories at such a puny weight but I don't look small, just normal now, even though my weight sounds small! Impressive work in the exercise. I've done one home workout, one strength class and 3 martial arts classes plus loads of walking. I need to squeeze in more heavy lifting but I struggle for time for classes and with motivation at home!

@Thelittlestranger how interesting, to me then you don't need to lose any more weight. I think for everything to be green for me I'd need to lose at least another stone which I'm not going to do. I'd like to build some more muscle, maybe that would help. What's your exercise regime? I was very away of my hanging bingo wings during my exercise class this morning, we had to hold a weight out in front and all I could see was my horrible bingo wings hanging down 😭

I find it really interesting to hear other people’s target weights. Well done to those getting so close to target. @Thelittlestranger you’re so right about needing to learn to live our own size and shape - it’s all so individual. It’s also quite difficult to be objective. I’m now getting quite happy with how I look in clothes, but maybe I’m just used to being larger and would look better and be healthier if I went lower. I didn’t really see myself as obese, but I was. I think I bracketed myself as ‘fat’ quite early on in the weight gain process (at the point of having a belly - partly due to pregnancy stretching rather than weight gain alone) and then didn’t really register any increase from there under my voluminous tunics and elasticated waistbands. I’m noticing changes on the way down though, and getting comments about how I’m looking ‘well’.

I’m naturally a ‘sturdy’ build and don’t think I was within the healthy BMI range even as a teenager with minimal fat, doing loads of exercise. I was self conscious about my chunky thighs and butt, and would chub up quickly if I paused the exercise. Now I’m more sedentary and wobbly rather than strong, I don’t know how far to shrink down and when to stop going for loss and when to eat more for energy and just work on strength and toning. I find my energy and motivation to exercise are quite low at the moment- possibly the mounjaro, possibly just need more/better food. I suppose this is where clever scales come in too so it’s easier to track fat loss rather than weight - time to invest!

Is anyone else feeling slightly self conscious about the weight loss? I wonder whether I’m also tempted to pause here to stay more in line with how I was in my 30s, probably bigger than I should have been, nearing 11stone but at 5ft 4 still a size 12 if I held my tummy in - before things got out of hand. If I see old friends who haven’t seen me in the past five years I’d just look normal to them, in line with my old self. But jabs are expensive and so it’s tempting to get to whatever end point sooner with some leeway, rather than dithering.

Sorry, this turned into a bit of a ramble but helped clarify my thoughts!

tinyemmy Elvanse is excellent for appetite suppression and prescribed for binge eating disorder, but I found the evening when it wore off was a real danger zone for cupboard raiding! So if you try it, I’d recommend having some celery sticks or similar on hand for munching.

I’m in NY. It’s crazy! Trying to get DD up and out!

@Clovesandcats I know what you mean. I’m starting to get comments and if I lose anymore, people will notice, which I’ll hate. Also I’ve not told anyone apart from DH but a work colleague said to me last week, you look great however you”ve lost it. Which I thought was a bit rude!! I’m only half a stone lighter than the weight I try to get to for holidays, but she suspects and I just don’t think I need to declare to anyone.

I in size 12-14, 5f3 and 10.35, ice at least a stone to go. Under 9 stone I look reasonably slim but my stomach area has always been a problem
and after 2x c sections is a disaster (breech babies who did not want to come out!!).

The end to my waffle is, I think we should go for it abd get to the weight we want to be. People can think what they want.

Have a great time @Zempy

@Clovesandcats I think it’s fascinating too and have been wondering similarly about where to stop. I’m currently JUST into ‘overweight’ (at the top end of it that is, just down from obese), am a size 14 for the first time in years, loving it!, and struggling to imagine myself any lower. I think if I get to BMI healthy I’ll be a size 8, 10 maybe? Which just seems a bit ridiculous for my body, somehow.

I'm not ready to stop yet - mainly because my legs have always been sturdy, and the current weight loss has not affected them much. I have kind of lost weight from top down. But finally the weight loss seems to have reached them and I can see them slimming down a bit, so want to lose a few more kilos.

A lot of people are commenting on my weight loss, also colleagues on Teams calls now (and I thought I had adjusted my camera to show a flattering angle before, clearly I was wrong).
There isn't as much talk about WLI over here though, no daily scare stories in tabloids, so I guess it's not the first thought people have. The WLI is widely used though, a bunch of providers and always available in pharmacies, while you need to pre-order less common medication.

Yes, and I’m a bit worried it will be harder to maintain at a lower weight… I think what’s realistic/sensible probably depends on whether I commit to staying on mounjaro indefinitely or not. A size12/14 seems sufficient for health and lifestyle while (potentially) being sustainable without jabs if I’m strict. I might go for 10/12 if staying on the jabs long term - but can’t imagine going lower than that… I was happy and healthy as a size 12 when young regardless of what BMI would indicate. It’s amazing to have these options. I’m going to go a bit lower then go on a maintenance plan for a while at least to keep the safety net

Ah apols I got my tags mixed up. Enjoy @Zempy !

I've heard a lot of people on Elvanse, it's perhaps a first line drug for adults? My daughter (11) is on equasym XL and Intuniv. She often barely touches lunch but still is insatiable in the evening when it comes to sugar. My other daughter (8) no sign of ADHD but possibly ASD can take or leave chocolate. She will have a bit and then put it back in the cupboard.
Let's hope they prescribe something when I get there (I think the waiting list is 12 - 16 weeks, I should have got referred earlier but I think an element of why get diagnosed at 44 and also ADHD procrastination!!)
There seems to be a lot of anecdotal evidence around mj being good for ADHD and I definitely feel good on it so probably won't come off unless forced to... But I definitely want something in my back pocket for if I do have to come off...

I had a pretty exciting day! 15 years ago, 3 years after I had DD and 2 years before I had DS, I used to wear some gorgeous small size 16 LK Bennett dresses. They’re really fitted (one is the Tina in tweed and the other is polka dot silk) and when I was a 14-16, they were a great fit. They are the dresses I was looking forward to trying on when I was in the 11s (I’m just about 13st 1.8lbs as of this morning).

DH encouraged me to try them on today and I was highly sceptical to the point of making a bet with him! They FIT! The tweed one is slightly tight on the waist but I could wear it. The silk one fits like a glove!

Such a huge motivator to just keep going.

Have a great weekend losers!

That’s brilliant @meatyryvita .

My NSV today was a photo of me in Washington Square Garden by the fountain. DD took it. I expected to hate it (obviously) but when I saw it I was quite shocked at how slim I looked. I sent it, with a load of other landmark photos, to my lovely friend group and they commented on my weight immediately.

It is finally really showing. I had to lose over three stone but it’s noticeable now 😍