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.

@RuthEvershedforPM fab holiday NSVs there (and I know exactly what you mean), as well as not gaining.

And well done @BeaTwix I'm still enjoying very much enjoying greek yoghurt and fruit despite worrying that I'll look like it soon. 😆

Happy Birthday @TheBossOfMe ! hope you have a lovely day and what a great place to be at this point. I turned 53 earlier in the year, a few weeks before I started MJ. It was another thing that pushed me to go for it - the relentless sense of my weight creeping up with my age. I'm hoping next year is very different.

10 week point for me and jab day. I'll do it later in the day than I normally do since it's been a 6 day week this time due to holiday. I've had a whooshy few days which is nice.

SW 17st 4
CW 15st 5.75
GW 11-12 st

So I'm 1.75lbs off 2 stone down.......

I'm in a good place right now. I still seem to be losing steadily on 5 and the gastric SEs have been gone for a while now. I think I'll stay at 5 for my next pen if I still feel like this in a week's time.

@RuthEvershedforPM congratulations, that’s a brilliant NSV! It feels like such a big thing when one can feel good about their photos (or even just neutral)

@TheBossOfMe sounds like you had a fabulous time. It’s amazing how having this safety net of Mounjaro reduces stress around “falling off the [diet] wagon” so we can enjoy the wonderful meals with our friends and family without the panic of never getting back on track. To me, this is really a profound mental shift - the end to the black or white thinking about nutrition.

On my end - the whoosh continues after the plateau/gains I experienced on most of my second 0.5mg pen of Wegovy, since TOTM last week I’ve lost 2.85lbs (definitely some of that was water, but still - that’s a firm 2lbs below my set weight). My last dosage was 0.66mg (extracted with the extra pen clicks) and it was just what I needed - food noise gone, fullness increased, and more suppression that I’d like (and none of that lessened at all despite it being my jab day today!). Next pen is 1mg for me (again, Wegovy - different titration schedule, 0.25->0.5->1) and I’m thinking about splitting it into 5 or even 6 doses.

@LilyLondon You're absolutely right about the panic not setting in this time, I've had two previous gain weeks since starting MJ, and managed to reset very quickly afterwards - the mental punishment of "overindulging" just isn't there now. It was never a very healthy state of mind to think about food like that - as we keep saying, food is not a moral choice, and denial is not sustainable.

I feel very full this morning though, and unusually for me, think I might be a tiny bit constipated. Will double dose on psyllium husk today and hope that gets things moving (body and scales!). Period is late, my cycle is absolutely all over the place, but hard to tell whether that's MJ or peri. Hopefully once both those bodily functions sort themselves out, I'll get a whoosh.

I’ve suffered from migraines for over 40 years. I rarely get them now as I know and manage my triggers better.
I identified one of my major triggers was been not eating regularly, and I would always start to get a migraine if I left it too long between meals. However this trigger seems to have disappeared.
With the loss of appetite, I have skipped a few meals over the last few months, with no resulting migraine.
Interesting benefit.

Hello - I've been on MJ since late March - 10 weeks completed and 10kg lost. I hit a couple of personal milestones a couple of weeks ago (sub 30 BMI!!) but have stalled since then, so giving it another go in earnest this week to see if I can get back on track. Overall I'm happy with 10kg lost but outside of the first flush of success, this has settled at around 0.7kg loss each week. Last week was a 0.7kg gain so undid a week's work!

I'm still on 2.5mg and trying to figure out whether to go up to 5mg for my next pen. I'm inclined to stick with 2.5 for now and try to focus on building those better eating and exercise habits, even if the whole process takes longer! I started out thinking I'd be all done in six months (26kg to lose to reach GW from SW) but I realise now that I need to be a bit more patient...

Happy birthday xx

@Tormundsbeard interesting, I’m just guessing but perhaps the migraine was from a sudden dip in blood sugar levels and with MJ stabilizing glucose levels it doesn’t dip this much? Loving that for you anyway!

@GoldenMaliciousthis sounds like a really good result so far! Many struggle with an occasional plateau, mine lasted around 3 weeks with a bit of a gain in the middle, and I started loosing immediately after increasing the dose a little. You’re only on 2.5mg still so there’s lots of wiggle room should you need that. But probably a good idea to allow your body to rest & recalibrate with the new habits as you’re saying xx

@GoldenMalicious that's a great result so far. I'm still on 2.5 - coming to the end of week 10 and I'm staying put until suppression disappears completely all week and I have several weeks/ a month of not losing.

Like you said, it's time to build great habits for the future.

Happy birthday @TheBossOfMe! 🎉

I had a sneak peek at the scales this morning ahead of my official Wednesday weigh in and it looks like that 1lb gain from my holiday is gone and I may actually be on track for another loss which would be amazing.

@RuthEvershedforPM I completely agree and have the same NSV regarding holiday photos. DH had taken a video of me at the beach with DDs and it is the first time in forever I haven't looked at myself on camera and thought how fat I am. I'm still overweight (current BMI is 27 having come down from 32 last year) but I wasn't horrified and was actually pleasantly surprised I just looked like a normal, happy mum playing with her daughters rather than a self conscious person hiding away from the camera.

Happy birthday @TheBossOfMe !

I forgot to jab yesterday (start of week 14) and today I did something I've only really done once on Mounjaro before - I slipped back into old eating patterns.
I had breakfast and was full but then I took my daughter out for lunch in a hipster cafe and I ordered a toasted cheese sandwich even though I wasn't hungry and just because I felt I ought to (something I've not felt these last few months) . It was massive stuffed full of cheese and fried and full of gherkins and wilted spinach and after about two bite I didn't want anymore. But I did that pre Mounjaro thing - i'd paid for it so I kept eating. On and on even though it was heavy and cheesy.... Even though I've virtually stopped eating dairy (dairy intolerant - but pre Mounjaro nothing would stop me eating my cheese). I felt like Bruce in Matilda stuffing in the chocolate cake. I couldn't eat all of it ... it was the last quarter that defeated me / but then we got up to leave and I was so bloated and uncomfortable and we went for a walk and waves of sleepiness began to hit me and my nose began running (which is what dairy does to me) and I came home and did what I always used to do after carb heavy meals pre Mounjaro - passed out into a deep nap on the sofa and now I feel all foggy and weak!
so what's have I earned from this

1. I can't believe that this is how I often felt pre Mounjaro eating carb heavy meals that didn't agree with me but pushing on compulsively. clean eating feels so much better and
2. A flicker of how hard post Mounjaro might be as with low levels of the drug in my system today - and feelings of saity muted - I did keep pushing on and eating that massive fried sandwich even though I didn't want it and just because I felt I should finish it.

Happy Birthday @TheBossOfMe 🥳

@TheBossOfMe happy birthday sounds like you have had a fab weekend and a very healthy outlook on a gain.

@GoldenMaliciousim in a very similar place to you with dose and weight loss. I’m considering going up at the moment and have until Friday to decide? What is your suppression like at the moment? I’ve been told not to go up if I still have suppression as plateaus happen and psychologically we need to learn that weight loss slows and stalls.

NSV today I was complimented on my appearance - I cannot remember the last time that happened! I was told by someone I see three times a week that they were impressed by how on trend and put together I always look. They have only known me a month so I took the compliment and didn’t tell them that this attempt at self worth was a new thing 😂

@Puddingpiper congratulations on the compliment - what a lovely NSV! In terms of suppression I think it’s still pretty good. I am aiming to eat three meals a day just to make sure I get a decent calorie intake but I am satisfied on much smaller portions than pre MJ. I don’t think my issue is eating too much - rather I need to rejig what I eat to further increase protein and I don’t think additional suppression would help me to achieve that. So 2.5 is probably fine for me for now. Overall I agree with you that we have to learn to ride out the plateaus without necessarily reaching for the next dose up for as long as the lower doses are working. Good luck!!

@GoldenMaliciousit is such a complicated journey (that sounds very American) I assume very similar to dealing with any unhealthy addiction ours is just food rather than drink or drugs. The people I have seen do this successfully have been different people at the end of it, not from a looks point of view but a change of outlook on social preferences, lifestyle, priorities. Small things like they do not veg on the sofa watching tv in an evening, they now listen to a podcast either on a walk or treadmill, do yoga in a morning when they wake up. The advice they gave me is when you plateau look for a new habit that has nothing to do with food - they are also a psychiatrist so I tend to take their advice on board

Happy Birthday @TheBossOfMe

My general comment on this journey for all of us is it is about habit forming & sustainability. And life unfortunately includes things like dinner out. Therefore I'm still going to stuff but I either declare it a "guilt free night" or try to choose healthier stuff from the menu. I have a couple of close slim friends I sometimes copy the food choices of (often fish). My own are terrible - steak-frites all the way which is kind of why I ended up with such a big weight problem.

@Flamethrowers social conditioning around finishing food/ buying food is hard to beat. I did a citybreak on my own and found it really hard (even with MJ on board) to shift my habit of buying a drink and food in every cafe I stopped in for a break. I wasn't even hungry a lot of the time. I'm just conditioned that that is what you do to justify occupying a table.

I'm managing to move away from this a bit and only get a drink if that is all I want / need but it is hard going changing my mindset.

Finishing portions is also an issue - sometimes I manage to leave stuff and other times I don't. I came from a "clear your plate" household, and this was especially true if we ate out because the food then had a clear ticket price. Sigh. To quote larkin "they fuck you up your Mum & Dad"

@BeaTwix I feel you on the “this is what you do to justify occupying the table” so much. It’s so awkward for some reason not to order drinks? I sat in a cafe to have breakfast today and the staff was very apologetic about running out of coffee and waiting for it to be delivered - internally I was like “yes, I’m excused!” lol

@Flamethrowers I did exactly the same thing last week, I ordered brunch in a café and it was lovely but by the time I'd eaten half of it I was full. But I felt it was a waste to have it thrown in the bin and I'd paid for it so I kept eating. I did stop before I completely finished it but then felt overfull and very bloated and uncomfortable. I have been repeating a couple of things to myself since to try to help change this habit of thinking I must clear my plate:

1. I am not a bin. The food is a waste if I don't want to eat it so it can get thrown away.....my body is not the bin.

1. The enjoyment of a meal isn't dependent on how much of it I eat. If I eat half then stop but have enjoyed it and feel satisfied then the money spent is worth it. If I overeat to clear my plate and then feel sick then I have wasted that money.

This is definitely still a big learning curve for me but I hope the more I try to drill those two things into my head the more I can unpick my problematic habits!

Good morning all back after a long weekend

@TheBossOfMe happy birthday

stepped on the scales today (normal weigh day Sunday) and scale remains unchanged which I’m really pleased about as TOM arrived last night and Mondays and Tuesday I normally gain a bit .

did mostly self catering this weekend so what I normally eat but did have an ice cream and a quite a bit of wine

ZAVA my provider stated they have a 5 day dr approval delay when I ordered , dr approved in two days and jab delivered to my neighbour on Saturday so technically in the cooler bag for three days. Was room temperature so put straight in fridge . But as I’m not using pen over the 30 day I hope it will be fine 🤦‍♀️

now back to routine and refocus

@TheBossOfMe happy birthday 🎂

Thank you for all the birthday wishes. Yesterday was a very lovely day - went out for dinner (cheap and cheerful Chinatown) and then to see The Salt Path at the cinema (swooning at the cinematography), lots of lovely food, cake and wine again, and again I didn't deny myself anything I wanted, but neither did I pig out. Family style dishes in the centre of the table again - which means easier to get loads of lovely mouth and flavour sensations without feeling like I needed to eat a massive portion of anything. Psyllium husk did its job overnight, and the scales are showing a downward trend from last week's gain.

So pleased to hear about so many NSVs - compliments, being happy with how you look in photos and videos - they're all important steps on this journey. I have so few photos of me from the last few years, I want DD to have some to remember me by!

Interesting to read about the social conditioning around food. I also come from a clear your plate family, especially when eating out where food has a ticket price, as @BeaTwix said. Add to that the fact that Asian families have their own really odd attitudes to food - mainly around food being an expression of love. So I'd add to @GameOfJones two very good mantras a third one about food may be a way of showing love, but the volume consumed is not a measure of how much you love someone.

Still no sign of period. My cycle really has gone bonkers!

No loss for me this week, but no gain either. End of week 12 and stuck at 11st 1.5lb. But it is TOTM and the cramps are bad. I also didn't move much last week as it was half term & I spent most of the week sat helping DS with GCSE revision. We also ate out for DDs birthday and had a takeaway to celebrate our good solid week of revision. So its probably not surprising.

Only 5 weeks to go to my holiday and would really like to be in the mid-10s before then!

Happy birthday @TheBossOfMe - fellow early June birthday here. I had this random notion of wanting to lose 2 stone by then. Totally unrealistic I know but I'm on the right path.

Not sure what happened last week apart from it being half term and not sedantary as was out and about with the kids. But looks like I've lost 3.4lb 😳😳😳. Worried it's too rapid now 😁

Just done my start of week 11 jab, still 2.5 ....

SW 15 st 3
CW 13 st 4
So 27 lb loss ♥️♥️

Tricky week ahead, my birthday so couple of planned meals out with people who don't know I'm on this so that'll be interesting.

But, I now have a vinted addiction as have bought a couple of things as some tops are just like sacks on me. I was going to wait but my GW is 5 stone below starting so there's only so much I can eeek out clothes. I've discovered a stretchy belt so that's keeping my trousers up 🤣

One thing that is a success are dresses that fit size 8-16. I couldn't get my head around it covering so many sizes but they have a shirred waist so stretch.

I'm happy to read everyone else's experiences and the love/support we are all giving each other.

Happy Tuesday everyone

@Yellowsubmarine55congratulations on your losses! I’ve seen some dietitians/personal trainers explain that when we loose fat, initially we tend to retain a bit of water in its place (not literally in the fat cells but just a similar volume). Then, we see the loss on the scales once the body lets go of that water. So the fat loss was actually gradual but the number on the scales seems to drop suddenly.

Knowing that absolutely didn’t help me not get terrified twice on this journey. I mean, last week I seemingly “dropped” 2.85lbs 😳 but in fact I stalled before, so the water retention theory seems more likely.

@seasidehunter I think no gain in half term counts as a win!

@Yellowsubmarine55 That is amazing - so close to that 2 stone! And on 2.5 as well. @LilyLondon is right about the water theory, I've read that in a few places now, and a lot of our loss patterns seem to support that. I hope you have a wonderful birthday week!

It’s so uplifting reading all your posts. If you have a stalled week it is disheartening even though one knows it is inevitable so hearing others’ experiences and the ‘chat’ is great. The same applies to speed of loss I think.
SW 84kg
CW 72.2 kg
GW uncertain as yet.
I have had 13 injections and I’m 10mg now. I am more aware of the appetite suppression particularly from Day 2-5 but am back to normal by Day 7 ( today).Side effects are some tiredness but otherwise nothing obviously negative.