Late April starters - thread 3

[wlinewbie0425]

We’ve filled another thread already, with fantastic support as most of us reach week 3 or 4 and think about pen 2! Thread 3 now as we enjoy the unexpected early summer and move into our second month of Mounjaro, lighter in both scales and mood.

Thanks @Ricoletti I think I am going to make sure I have at least one protein shake every day, with spinach and I am thinking of getting collagen powder. Any recommendations?

I have been away with a hobby (in true mumsnet style I am. It going to say what it is incase it is too outing 😁). It has meant two glasses of wine a night, with a nibble of crisps and nuts. I am not eating too much, smaller portions than I would have before I started the jabs. But my whole system feels slow and sluggish and I am sure the lbs have crept up. I'm not going to weigh myself until next week though.

I am due to do my first 5mg tonight. I will probably just do 3.75 and see how I get on.

I am Wednesdays. chosen as my work week is front loaded in terms of the people facing stuff and I can work from home and hide doing admin in my comfies near a toilet in case of side effects on Thursday/Friday. Haven’t had many days of those though, W2D2 was only significant bad day so far. Also means I have decent suppression at weekends but not so much that I can’t enjoy food and drink in moderation.

Food for me has fallen into a pattern of a shake for breakfast (slimfast as I cannot stomach the Huel style ones) massive salad at lunchtime with with something protein on top - usually chicken/ham/halloumi. With whatever dressing I fancy. Other days I’ve had a protein pitta bread filled with similar.

dinner either a protein ready meal on busy days when we have little time between work and DDs’ activities or a bit of whatever with the family have other days just taking care with portion size. Then a protein yogurt with berries.

snacks - or dinner on mega high suppression days where I cannot manage enough of a meal - I have bags of nuts. And extra yogurts.

it’s all a bit samey but I am enjoying it so I don’t really care. I’ve always been someone who has phases of eating the same lunch or dinner for weeks on end. It’s just this time they aren’t macaroni cheese or oven pizza. (Saying that I am having a few slices of that tonight for Saturday treat!)

I decided not to calorie count as I find it tedious. So far that’s working ok for me. I know it’s not for everyone. Both for risk of eating too much or too little.

😂 I was going to suggest 'or once a month' in my post but thought, who's going to wait that long? 🤣

Thanks @Ricoletti I do think constipation is a massive part of the problem. Which magnesium supplements do you take? There are so many different kinds and I've absolutely no idea which ones might help! I've also been looking at biomel but I'm not sure if it's just snake oil.

@50lbstolose I've tried to keep breakfast and lunch under 350 cals, then I have a bigger/more carby dinner. I'm also trying to eat in a pattern that will suit after I come off the medication and make this new way of eating more sustainable.

Breakfasts:
Skyr with frozen berries and chia seeds (19g protein)
Protein yoghurt with a pear and an apple (26g protein)
2 scrambled eggs and 2 bacon medallions (32g protein)

Lunch - I tend to prep on a Sunday and eat the same protein each weekday:
Pork chilli con carne (35g protein) with half a jacket potato - lean pork mince is the cheapest protein source i can find for bulk cooking
150g Marinated chicken breast (46g protein) with cauliflower rice, salad, a flatbread or green veg
Full tin of tuna and cheese toastie, using mozzarella slices (47g protein)

Dinner: We're having a variation of the same thing most nights, calories are closer to 600-700 for this meal, if i manage it all. I eat the meat and veg first, then leave the carb for last.

Minimum 200g of grilled steak, chicken breast or pork steak, some form of grilled greens (usually asparagus or tenderstem broccoli) with lemon juice, with a half portion (half of whatever the pack says a serving is) of brown rice, pasta, or baby potatoes. I know it sounds boring but we use different marinades and sauces each time, so it's a nice variety.

Snacks - normally only if I'm below my protein or fibre target for the day: apples, pears, protein shakes

Took my second 5mg yesterday. Meant to jab on a Thursday but I had something important yesterday I couldn't risk being sick at. My first 5mg was AWFUL. But thankfully, so far, this one is fine. Good suppression and that's it. No sickness, headaches or low mood!

Im busy with work so i don't always have time to comment but thanks to everyone who posts advice and shares their experiences, good and bad. A real help this thread, knew as a man i could come on mumsnet and get support. I shouldn't really single anyone out but fook it @Ricoletti you are a star in this thread.

@SassyLimeHelper and @wlinewbie0425 thank you.

I'm trying not to count calories. I did find that as I was not so organised, and being away this week, I have been eating bread which I have been avoiding. My go-to has been fruit and nuts as snacks, this week it's been toast 🤦‍♀️

Hi all, not been logging on all week as was away for half term, lots of long walks in the lakes, but also more to eat (although I did have to leave quite a bit too) and a few visits to the pub 😁 so more booze than usual

I'm W5d6, did my golden dose last week and will start my 5mg pen this week, but undecided yet whether to do 3.75 or the full 5mg?

Some absolutely amazing losses and nsvs on here, I am feeling heavy and bloated even though I'm 10lbs down, but it hasn't really made much difference to clothes or how I feel 🤔 i seem to be more at a plodding pace rather than anywhere near the first stone club yet... Hmmm

Hi all. Looks like a chippy tea in my house tonight. Any suggestions on a low calorie meal. The chippy does all chinese meals as well as fish and chips etc.
Im thinking egg foo yung or singapore vermicelli. Any other healthier or less calorie suggestions ?

When we have Chinese I usually have chop suey and ask them to only use a little oil. They know me now and say “just a little oil” when I order 🤣 I then have a spoonful of plain rice. Probably sounds boring but I actually really like it.

Evening all

Thanks for the sympathy and good wishes, I’m not in a lot of pain but am thoroughly bored! Not being able to cook properly is so hard, I’m really struggling to think of things I fancy. But it did give me pause to think that if I wasn’t on the MJ I’d have been living on toast all week and “treats”, whereas I’ve actually still been attempting a decent diet within the realms of one-armed preparation!

I’ve lost 1 stone 4lb now (4lb pre MJ) but there’s no discernible difference in my clothes even though my measurements have reduced too. Weird. It’s a bit disheartening but I think I prob need to lose at least 2 stone to get down a dress size and then another 1.5 stone to go down another and I’ll still only have gone from a 20 to a 16. I envy those of you who are seeing clothing results already!

But I would second the use of Vinted - I hardly buy new clothes any more, I’d rather buy good quality 2nd hand than cheap or fast fashion. And if it’s only for a short while whilst sizing down, you can prob make your money back on a lot of it.

I’m quite looking forward to flogging lots of my current clothes and having a little fund for some new stuff.

@AbundanceofKatherines Thanks for the idea. Whatever i choose i will say use very little oil please

Had a lovely salad for lunch with a friend, now really struggling with inspiration for food this evening. Daughter away at her partner’s and I always struggle for motivation when I’m just cooking for me. Before MJ it would be a ready meal or supermarket pizza.
I see that Gousto are doing high protein meals that you can order in single servings, but after the initial discount it gets expensive. (Like something else we all know 🤣) Mind you it might give me some new recipe ideas. Have any of you tried this?
Can’t be bothered walking to the high street, it might have to just be cheese and crackers tonight.
on the subject of clothes sizes, I have come to realise that I probably should have being buying a bigger size for the past year as my shorts today fit perfectly! Last time I wore them I was counting the hours until I could take them off 🤣. I have definitely been favouring elasticated waists for the past year!

Hi everyone so many posts to catch up on!! Well for everyone,great to heard the scale and non scale successes, love it!
I injected on Friday afternoon - still on 2.5mg and had loads of suppression today which was a surprise as last week I thought 2.5mg was like water!
today I had a protein yoghurt for breakfast and a very late lunch of a ham and cucumber wrap and tonight my husband has some friends over and they had takeaway so I had a small portion / will likely regret that later as last time Chinese food gave me a sore stomach all night long! Tomorrow we have a birthday celebration in the house and have had loads of “ treat” food in all week and I haven’t looked near it whereas before I would have!

to the person who suggested daily weighing and averaging I may start that as on Friday I looked like I put on a pound , this morning first thing I was FIVE pounds lighter than Friday and this eve 6 pounds back on 🤷🏼‍♀️ a real head melt! Need to stay morning weighs as evening is depressing!!

I lost 1.8lbs this week, which tbh I wasn't all that happy with. I have a lot to lose so I feel like I should have lost a bit more. But after a bit of sulking I realised I've lost 14.2lbs and get to join the 1stone club so yay!
A loss is a loss and I shouldn't complain, as long as I am moving in the right direction... but I'm impatient and want to lose 20lbs a week and be thin already 😂

I did my first "golden" dose today using a syringe. I checked to see how many clicks it would turn first but it stopped after 9 clicks. I didn't try forcing it as I didn't want to risk breaking something and not being able to use the extra dose. I had a little difficulty drawing the liquid out and had to try a couple times. I tried the injecting air thing but then when I drew the plunger back out I got a tiny bit of liquid and all the air again so I don't know what I did wrong there. I got a full dose drawn out eventually, injecting the needle into skin was a bit more difficult than the pen needle, maybe it was a little blunt after sticking it through the rubber seal three times. Technically a successful first try at the bonus dose, hopefully it'll get a little easier with some more practice.

Tomorrow will be exactly one month since I started, I'm planning to do progress pics and measurements on the first of each month. I can't see any difference yet but hoping I've lost a few inches from somewhere.

Well done @GoGoGovy @Scousebloke @SassyLimeHelper @BeachBodyAim @Ricoletti @RubyJuno and anyone else I missed.
Love all the NSVs, esp the jaws tshirt!

@stripesdotsdashes I had to push much harder to get through the skin, I'll be glad to get back to the pen next week

@PumpKim I've always been a daily weigher but have been trying to do weekly since starting mj (with one or two mid week peeks) as I'm very easily thrown off track if the scale doesn't move how I want it to, taking the average over the week sounds like a good idea

@Nearlyhadenough yes! there is a big empty space where food used to be and I need to find a new hobby and new stress relievers

@Ricoletti yes to all of that, I need to find new sources of dopamine

@violetmondays you will be back in the jacket soon!

@toobusytoclean I've used Gousto before and really liked some of the recipes, not used it recently though so will go check out their high protein

@StartingApril2025 weighing in the evening when you are full of the day's food and drink is a bit silly, you should probably stick to mornings!

@toobusytoclean I’ve been using Green Chef on and off for the last few months cos my husband low carbs when he wants to lose a few pounds and I was getting low on inspiration - the only meat he eats is chicken or pork, no red meat or fish. They do keto and high protein options so I’ve ordered a box this week to mix things up a bit and there won’t be a lot of prep hopefully.

@Ricoletti thank you, you are so right about re-directing the brain, my kitchen has never been cleaner!

I wandered around the supermarket before going to work looking for something to eat. I came out with yogurt covered rice cakes and only ate 1! I could easily have picked up some chocolate but when faced with it I just didn’t want it.

Sometimes I think I need to just give in and have something just a little different to eat.

My Dd made chocolate muffins yesterday. I had one to be polite, but I couldn’t finish it. Idont know if they weren’t very good or if I just don’t like stuff like that anymore. I felt bad, she took ages, they were filled with home made raspberry compote and topped with ganache.

Happy Sunday everyone!

I've finally understood what people are talking about when they say they don't feel like eating anything. I've got that feeling now after taking my golden dose of 2.9mg on Friday and honestly, I really don't like it. All I can think about is my body needing fuel and me not providing it and then my metabolism slowing down (cue panic 😱). I'm forcing down food but its definitely under my calorie requirements.

So if this feeling continues this week, I'm thinking of going back down to a 2.5mg dose from my 5 pen. Has anyone done this? Is it a good/bad/silly thing to do? Does this 'no interest in food' feeling ease up?

@GeraniumRoseblush I had wild appetite suppression for weeks, throughout 2.5 and for about a week and a half into 5.

in the last week it has eased considerably. Happily, the food noise is still gone, and I’m not snacking or mindlessly eating to excess. But I’m now at a point where I’m happily eating 3 small meals a day. Sometimes breakfast is very late and lunch is tiny, but im still managing overall.

I've started to enjoy food again, which I’m happy about as I LOVE food and it’s a big part of my life , but no desire to overeat or snack to excess which has been my downfall in the past.

in my experience, the feeling of not being able to face food has settled a lot a few weeks into 5 ml dose and this feels like a really sweet spot for me- but I’m open to going up a dose if this changes.

i think it’s different for everyone, but in general the body becomes accustomed to each higher dose… hence many moving up though the doses.

for me, I will stay at 5 unless I start to get loads of food noise and begin to want to eat loads or loads of unhealthy foods. I’m happy to have a ‘normal’ appetite and need to exercise will power to eat moderate portions.

I didn’t like full appetite suppression, as wasn’t able to eat enough to fuel my body and got light headed. I’m also scared of hair loss and nutrition deficiency. I take a multi vit every day and few protein shakes per week to top up.

@Ricoletti so interesting thank you! I must now feel like you've felt for the last few weeks and vice versa, haha!

I'm similar to you in that I like eating 3 small meals a day - it feels like that's sustainable for me and I am learning how much I can eat for when I come off the jabs. So this stronger appetite suppression feels a bit too much and weirdly like I'm not in control. I'll keep an eye on it this week and decide about the next dose in a few days, it may change again who knows!

@Ricoletti tthis is what I want to achieve. I love food and love cooking for other people and don’t feel like myself when I can’t enjoy food and get worried about going out for meals with friends and family.
I feel like I took a small step towards that this morning in Sainsburys as I have chosen 3 meals to cook from scratch for my daughter and I this week, including one new recipe idea. I also didn’t walk down the chocolate, biscuits or crisps aisles - this is huge for me.
I think days 1& 2 after jabbing are always going to be difficult, but food shopping on a Sunday when I am interested in meals but not snacks felt good.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

I did measurements and progress pics this morning and was surprised to see a visible difference, I wasn't expecting to see much yet but very happy to see some parts of me shrinking.
First months results are I've lost 6cm from my boobs, 5.5cm from waist, 8cm from abdomen, 4.6cm from hips, 4.3cm from shoulders and 1.5cm from neck.
Nothing from any limbs, a quarter of a cm gained in a couple places but my large lipoedema limbs are stupid and stubborn and will possibly be late to the weight loss party but more likely might not join at all.

Gahh Zava has turned me down for the 5mg pen so looks like I'll have to pay the whole whack with Voy.

They've not given any concrete reason but I expect it's because my BMI isn't high enough.

@Sallycinnamum can you try elsewhere if Voy is expensive? I’ve no experience of others yet but medexpress are price matching the 5mg so I looked - cheapest one a couple of days ago was Chemist4u at £129.99. you have to pay MedExpress £149.99 then message them with URL and current price of the match and they credit you £25,99 for the next pen (includes extra fiver I think). Or if you can then use Chemist4u in the first place for that price?