March 2025 starters Thread 5

[TheSpoonyNavyReader]

New thread for all of us.
Thank you for allowing me to rant, share our ups and downs. Our group blows my mind of how we are so supportive of each other.

Some of us are now hitting the 12 week mark, some of us are nearly at their goal, some halfway and some still have a way to go, but we are all losing even if it’s half a pound a week. We have all come so far and are making a difference to our health.

@TheBossOfMe loving your learning, on a similar one with food stuffs, set weight etc.

I just read through a few pages of the thread as proper catch up after getting home from holiday and I am struck by the generosity and warmth and wisdom of all these amazing women, making their lives better, being brave, dealing with all the various side effects and complications along the way, sticking with it and supporting each other. What a group 😘

@LilyLondon @Ingangoolie If you're interested in trying to avoid UPFs, there's a cracking app called Yuka that's super helpful. It gives foods/ingredients a score, loads of nutritional info, and suggests better substitutes. https://yuka.io/en/

There's a brilliant thread on MN about a lady who is aiming for a UFP free life because her diet used to be so unhealthy that she was worried she was killing herself. It's really, really inspiring (just ignore the idiots on there who keep parroting the eat less move more mantra without taking even a second to understand what the OP is actually trying to do and what her start point is. Many of the same idiots who post on WLI threads in high judgement)

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/general_health/5280165-upf-help-my-lifestyle-is-killing-me?reply=142369263

I started trying to go UPF low (or as close as possible without making myself miserable, Diet Coke is a highly UPF and you can pry that out of my cold dead hands!) after reading Ultra Processed People when it very first came out. A friend of mine was on the publishing team and she gives me every book she works on, so I had to read it. It was absolutely eye opening for me - and made so much sense. I'm not religious about it at all - so nowhere near UPF free, but at least when I'm cooking at home, I try to keep UPFs out of my diet as much as possible. But since I began, I stopped gaining weight and started to maintain at my start weight on MJ, and kept it there for a good while. Didn't help me lose a single fucking pound though, which I thought it might. So swings and roundabouts 😂

Thank you I can not believe I have lost 37lbs or 16.5kg.

I was meant to post this earlier

@TheBossOfMe oooh thank you, I’ll try the app! I’m halfway through that book and it’s definitely having an impact. I’m not going for zero UPF, I don’t believe in being too radical about anything - but I’m trying to find a better balance!

@TheBossOfMe a lot of what you've said about food and nutrition really resonated with me. I feel like I am very slowly changing my mindset and I'm tuning in more to how different food makes me feel.

I am the sort of person that would have said I loved unhealthy food. Pizza, chips, crisps you name it. I would view eating a salad as some sort of punishment. But yesterday I ordered a falafel salad in a café. Loads of tabbouleh with fresh herbs, a third of the bowl was roasted beetroot, hummus and pomegranate seeds alongside the falafel. I ate it and it was bloomin delicious but more important was how I felt after eating it. I wasn't bloated, didn't have that queasy or overfull feeling I would have previously had when I'd ordered something deep fried with chips. I actually wanted a bowl of fresh food and vegetables.

This is revolutionary for me really. We have had multiple cakes at work this week. I don't even really like cake but previously I would always have eaten it if it was offered. I haven't had any. I've been perfectly happy to say "no thanks."

I am by no means perfect, this is very much a work in progress. But I'm trying to remember that eating well makes me feel well....regardless of the number on the scales.

I'm actually the opposite with periods since starting MJ. I have heavy periods normally and adenomyosis. I have prescription medication for my periods and it's not unusual for me to take day 1 of period off work as I'm normally glued to the toilet. However I've had 2 periods since starting MJ and they've both been pretty light and not interfering with my daily life so I think I'll be staying on it just for that benefit tbh!

Also, as I've said before MJ is clearly witchcraft that's the only explanation for the following. So Ive said that day 5-6 the last 48 hours before jab day I'm really hungry and can't wait to jab. This happened this week then today is jab day but I didn't have time this morning. Suppression is super high today and all I had all day was a scotch pancake and then a packet of crisps, not very healthy at all but I just wasn't hungry. I went out for an unplanned meal out this evening and I chose gammon and switched out the chips for vegetables and then only ate half of the meal anyway....what's happening to me 😂

@TheSpoonyNavyReader That's absolutely incredible!

@LilyLondon I'm also not aiming for radical at all (obvs having just poured a glass of wine!), I need balance because it's sustainable for me. I don't want a life that's miserable, and good food makes me really happy. My taste buds really do dominate my life. And sometimes that involves UPFs. But I was a bit shocked about how many things that I hadn't realised were UPFs were in my daily diet. Everything is in moderation though - I menu plan a few days at a time (which started as a food waste thing, but has evolved over the last couple of years into a waste+diet thing), and bacon sandwiches for the teenagers are absolutely on the menu for Sunday brunch. With Kingsmill Soft White bread because that's the bomb for a bacon sarnie, delicious crispy bacon that I buy from the local butcher, and tomato ketchup. I think that's a 100% UPF meal 😂Moderation seems to be what works for me vs denial, I'm learning that.

@GameOfJones This sentence really resonated for me "But I'm trying to remember that eating well makes me feel well....regardless of the number on the scales." That's absolutely where I think I'm starting to find myself. I think more about how I feel, vs how I look or how much I weigh (which if I'm honest is about the fact that my losses are really slow now, so I'm trying not to feel like I'm making no progress). I feel like that sensation is heightened on MJ. I've read a lot about neural pathways rewiring on WLIs - hopefully that's what's happening to us. That's why I've stepped down from 7.5 - I didn't like how it made me feel, even if I'd lose faster.

@Fatmumslim01 It does feel like witchcraft, doesn't it? I've been swapping out potato based dishes a lot recently - I feel like my mouth wants the crunch of veg and variety of flavours instead. Taste buds again.

Having said all of that about healthy eating, there is a line drawn somewhere. I made a tagine for dinner and decided to swap my couscous for a jewelled quinoa salad. Bleurgh. That can do one 😂

That’s incredible loss! Well done hope you reached or came close to the wedding goal. Either way good luck and I’m sure you will look absolutely fabolous and cant wait for the picture of the dress that finally chosen 😃

Evening all, I'm catching up on all the chat.

@needtolose70lb keep at it, drink all the water and the weight WILL shift. It is hard though when the scales stay the same.

@mumofmanydaughterofone you've made me feel better about the baby weight from myn8 and 9 yr olds 😂 Although from looking back at My fitness pal, 2 month post birth of dc2, I was 3st lighter than I am now. And I've already lost over 2st!

Hello all!
Aunt Flo is in the house (after a 7 week absence---gotta love peri-menopause 😁)so the weight is all over the place at the moment. But I did manage to get another 1.2 lbs off last week. Fine by me!

Just took my 3rd jab of 7.5. Still have a very "healthy" appetite, unfortunately. Don't know what dose will finally make me NOT want to eat.

Morning all, I'm due to jab today. Usually do it late morning/early afternoon. Going out for what is likely to be a long boozy lunch which will probably extend into most of the afternoon. Would it be best to jab normal time before I go or wait until after? Thanks

hi all. I am spendinga lot of time thinking how to off ramp my mounjaro and maintain my weight loss in a healthy way... I think that at a healthy bmi 2.5 feels very strong. It's hard to unpick the benefits of the drug from the benefits that come from changed eating habits. I no longer crash after meals - is this because I eat less or eat less carbs or because the drug is regulating my blood sugar. Who knows! I had a slow weight loss this week which I'm glad about. I'm aiming for a pound a week for two months now until I transition to 1.5. Worried about hunger signals returning with force. I got one today through the Mounjaro and they are hard to resist!

Morning all.

@TheSpoonyNavyReader The wedding is today, right? Hope it's absolutely amazing, and you feel fabulous in your newly altered dress.

@MrsMariaReynolds 1.2lb off in the run up to TOTM is great. Re not wanting to eat, there are a lot of people on earlier starter threads who say they never got to not wanting to eat stages, and I think that's actually not unusual. That cohort still seems to want to eat, but feels fuller a lot faster and with a lot less food, so MJ working in a slightly different way.

@MrsAlwaysRight If it's going to be very boozy, I'd actually delay dosing until afterwards or even tomorrow. The hangovers can be much worse on MJ (not at all speaking from experience 😂) so maybe be kind to yourself this weekend!

TheBossOfMe delaying is probably sensible!

@TheSpoonyNavyReader oooh wedding today? Show us the dress! I hope it is brilliant and happy!

Given my gain over the last BH weekend, posting daily this weekend to try and help keep myself on track. I'm out a lot, plus DD and friends are in residence for half term, which always means loads of food in the house that I usually wouldn't buy (oh to be 17 again!).

However, stepping on the scales this morning, I saw a new number pop up. 8st 13lb. I may have actually cried. I haven't seen an 8 since the end of 2022 when I broke my foot - and it means I'm now at the weight that I was on my 30th, 40th and 50th birthdays. These last few pounds are going to be an immense hard slog because I need to get below what is probably my "natural" happy weight. And given how much socialising I'm doing this weekend, I've got zero chance of seeing an 8 again for a bit. But OMG that feels like such an enormous victory. And one more inch off the waist, which is more important.

SW 10st 4.6lb/144.6lb BMI 25.7 (prescribed MJ because of diabetes risk and hideous waist measurement)
CW 8st 13lb/125lb BMI 22.1 - 19.6lb down, 88.7% of target achieved.
GW 8st 10lb/122lb (22.6lb total target loss, 3lb to go) BMI 21.6

Loss by week:
W1 (2.5) 5.5lb
W2 (2.5) 1.3lb
W3 (2.5) 0.7lb (ate out loads)
W4 (5) 3.3lb
W5 (5) 0.5lb gain (ate out loads)
W6 (5) 3.8lb (Post Easter weekend plus period)
W7 (5) 2.6lb
W8 (5) 1.5lb gain (BH weekend away, ate out loads)
W9 (7.5) 1.1lb (NY trip)
W10 (7.5) 1.1lb (Hakkasan and weekend away)
W11 (7.5) 2.2lb so far

That's 2.2lb in the bank going into the weekend. I'm happy with that, it should mean I don't have another gain week if I'm not totally ridiculous this weekend.

Morning all!! Exciting weekends for some - hope people enjoy every moment!

End of week 10 (I think!) for me and was feeling a bit like things were slow going, but I lost 2lbs and keep staring at my little chart to try and get me brain to see progress… still on 2.5mg. Will be a challenging week, away for a few days but will just keep on keeping on! Take care all!

@TheSpoonyNavyReader I hope you take full credit for looking and feeling fabulous today.

@TheBossOfMe love you seeing 8 on the scales. That would roll the clock back 25 years for me, hoping I may see 9 in time.
SW 13st 3
CW 11st 9
GW originally 10st, now maybe 9st 7

@MrsAlwaysRight agree a slight delay may be kinder on yourself.

@Flamethrowers I’m with you on eyes on the horizon, 2.5mg still doing it for me and agree with idea of titrating down to 1.25mg for a few months probably as a ramp off. It’ll be interesting to see what that looks like.

@Aboutmeabouttime thats an impressive chart, we are similar SW and loss rate at 2.5mg and In comfortable with it

Good morning all,

@MrsAlwaysRight if you want to eat/drink less take jab before hand otherwise I would take it tomorrow . Days/nights out do normally effect water retention the days after so don’t worry too much if scale is not moving or moving in wrong direction for a few days (it will eventually level out) make sure you stay hydrated to ease the MJ hangover

@TheBossOfMe omg didn’t realise you are that close to target that’s brilliant , I also like you approach on MJ to focus on what you eat and habits but not limiting yourself completely so that it’s sustainable after. Do you plan to slowly move down doses with a bit of maintain once you hit your target (sorry if I missed that earlier in the thread).

my weight is still hovering around the same today around 1lb down on last week but tomorrow is weigh day and scales is not my friend at the moment so let’s see. Did another 6.25mg after 6 days today. If I have counted my clicks correctly I have another 6.25mg dose left which I plan to take on Thursday evening, followed by 4 weeks on 7.5mg

TOM in a few days (or should be) and normally have a big whoosh the couple of days after , hoping that happens again so that I can finally say I hit the 2st milestone (around 2lb away)

me again, I have told loads of people in real life recently that I’m using MJ and the reactions have been overwhelmingly positive, people interested, some already know others on MJ, or want loved ones to use it or thinking of it for themselves. I have been selective in who I’ve told so maybe this is a skewed picture, but it feels like a weight off mentally now as well as on the scales.

@Aboutmeabouttime @Ingangoolie That's an amazing weight loss pattern, brilliant loss.

@Bipaloss So close to weight target, but can't get complacent because I'm still 2 inches off my waist measurement target, and my body fat composition is gross, my stomach looks like a flabby ball of dough. So I know I need to focus really hard now on both losing the last few pounds, but also gaining muscle and losing body fat, which is a really hard balancing act. I'm planning to titrate down but find an effective maintenance dose - I'm back down on 5mg now anyway, 7.5 was way too high suppression, I hated it. So like @Flamethrowers am starting to try and think about what's right for me. I'll stay on MJ as long as they let me, I think - if I can keep ordering the higher dose pens and count clicks, it's reasonably cost efficient. There's annoyingly not a lot of research that I can find about effective maintenance dosing though - think it might vary a lot from person to person, which makes sense when you see how all of us react to different doses. 2.5mg is supposed to be an ineffective dose strength, yet loads of people on this thread and others have lost steadily without ever going above 2.5.

I've posted a seperate thread, but asking here too. Anyone know what OMO is? I've got a £66 subscription charge. No idea what it's for, don't have an "omo" app. Googling suggests a weight/health management service.

What have I unwittingly signed up for?? Last ordered from Oushk but paid full price. Otherwise used medexpress.

Morning everyone. Some great progress being made. Well done all!

@TheSpoonyNavyReaderhope today is all you could hope for. I am certain you will look amazing.

Weigh in End of Week 12 for me.
I lost 2lbs this week. Which I’m super happy with as I actually gained earlier in the week (I think due to all the inflammation after my calamitous training session last weekend)

SW: 19st10
CW: 17st5
GW: 11st7
total lost: 2st5lb (33lb)
remaining to goal: 5st12lb (82lb)
Progress to goal:29%

im amazed that even though I’ve increased dose over the last few weeks (now on 4mg split into 2x2mg) I’m not having any side effects really. I know I’m not on the highest dose but given my early experiences I was expecting the increases to be a struggle.

This week is going to be an interesting one though. I’m off today for a long weekend until Wednesday which will feature a lot of eating out and nice food and culminates Tuesday night with a big family meal and celebrating my son’s 18th. So it could be a gain week but I hope not. 🤞

Hope everyone else has fab plans for the bank holiday weekend.

GMB did a maintainance subject a few weeks ago worth researching on YouTube . Found it quite interesting as one went cold turkey but have maintained , one did 1.25 mg weekly and one did 2.5 every two weeks . Both of the ones using low doses did that due to initial gain after going cold turkey
I have 4st still to go and looks like I will end up at 15mg let’s see and then tilter down slowly until I find the sweet spot for maintain , it’s all trial and error I guess. One thing I have deffo decided is that I’m not going cold turkey once I hit my target especially if on a high dose when target is hit