Is it worth trying for a month to see if it works?

[Missuninformed]

I’m desperate to lose weight I’ve been overweight for all my life and I am really struggling to lose. I am now 50 and although I don’t have any health issues at the moment I worry I will without drastic weight loss think about 8 stone to lose. I could just about afford weight loss jabs and was considering trying for a month to see if they will work for me. Has anyone else done this?

You’d need longer than a month potentially to see if it works. Some people don’t respond much to the initial 4 weeks of the starting dose of 2.5mg.

In all likelihood it will work for you, at some point, maybe quickly or maybe at the higher doses. It works for the vast majority.

I think you need to commit to six months. I didn't lose until 10mg, some people do of course but I didn't. Nearly 7 stone down now, I would be pissed if I stopped after a month.

I only mentally committed to a week to start with. I was less than 24 hours in when I realised how freeing it was not to be constantly battling food. I did respond to 2.5mg and have remained on it for 6 months. I would say definitely give it a go. Even if you dint see huge losses on the scales initially you might find it changes you mind which is worth every penny. I’m doing my loss slow and steady, I’m in no rush having been morbidly obese for many years, I can wait a year or 2 to get to a healthy place.

Did you not change your diet at all?

Thanks for your feedback I’m feeling quite nervous about taking the plunge! Does anyone recommend a specific pharmacy?

My DH & I used them for 12 weeks, we didn’t plan to stop after 12 weeks but he got really poorly (was totally fine for the first 10 weeks) and I had a supply issue, was planning on restarting but honestly we’ve both continued with the massive life style changes that the injections helped us make. We believe it cut the cycle of sugar cravings and additions.

We've been off them now for 12 & 8 weeks and are both continuing to lose. we started end of Nov, he’s lost over 6 stone and I’ve lost 3&half stone.

We have totally overhauled our diet and exercise routines but have struggled for years with weight and truly believe the injections gave us the tools to make the changes and I would go back on them if I ever fall off the wagon.

We used Oushk as we found them mid price range but with lots of actual support if needed.

Check out https://monj.co.uk for a list of regulated pharmacies. I've used Asda, Zava and Pharmacy2U without any issue, changing each time due to price. I have seen that Curate seem to have problems at the moment, several threads where people are not getting deliveries and not getting any response from Curate. Also MedExpress seem to be patchy with delivery and response times at the moment too.

Rather than weight loss jabs which i know little about have you considered investing your time and/or money you'd spend on an alternative such as behavior therapy? Your use of the words 'desperate' and 'struggling' and mentioning being 50 make me think you've got a highly critical inner voice and low self worth? Of course you have the right not to reveal any of this even on an anonymous forum. Our relationship with food is very much just that. We either have healthy boundaries or weak or rigid unhealthy ones. And to invest in an alternative thinking pattern can be as simple as a book on CBT were you can target a complete change of mindset (to everything and everybody not just food) and work at stop comparing yourself to others and in doing so have no guilt or even worse destructive shame. This doesn't stop you having personal targets but these can be healthy managed by lifestyle changes that you choose (as they make you happier) not ones you feel you must do.

If you know little about WLI why not stay away from the WLI boards? They exist for people to discuss WLI specifically. OP doesn’t need a condescending ‘have you tried a simple book’ comment.

In your opinion of course as best to quantify ignorance. Have a good day Madam.

I’ve only just started but I’ve gone with Voy for the first couple of months because of all the support. I like that you talk to a dietician and their AI online chatbot is amazing. They also analyse your food (you send photos and descriptions) so you’re eating a balanced diet, rather than calorie counting, which I really didn’t want to do. And you set mini targets for exercise etc. It’s a combination of having the drug, but also working on your habits and reasons why. There are also clinical people you can speak to if you’re having problems. I’ve been quite impressed with it. I wish I could afford to stay with them for the full ride. But I’ll have to look for something cheaper in a month or two.

I don’t know what your last comment is supposed to mean, but I agree with the previous poster. The OP was specifically asking about injections, on the weight loss injections board. As far as ‘ignorance’ goes, you yourself said you know little about the jabs, but weighed in anyway.

OP, you could try it for a month, but bear in mind that you could be a ‘super responder’ for whom ‘food noise’ and appetite goes with the first 2.5mg injection. Or you could be someone who needs to get to a higher dose to experience those effects.

Either way, it’s worth a go, but would suggest you have your food plan, food tracking and exercise in place first. I spent a month on that, and obsessively reading the threads on MN before ordering, so I felt I was going in fully-prepared. Mind you, there were fewer threads to deal with a year ago! But it’s honestly changed my life.

Thank you that’s good to hear I’m desperate to get horse riding again and have struggled to lose even when I watch what I eat and the thought of calorie counting is soul destroying as I’ve tried before and it didn’t work at all so I’d rather not limit but eat more nutritious food and smaller portions!

I still calorie counted OP, but if you’re focusing on protein & veggies & complex carbs plus smaller portions then you don’t need to be obsessive!

Hopefully you’ll get to do your horseriding again before too long, and it will feel amazing 🙂 I just ran my first 5k today, 12 months on and 5 stone down from being nearly 15 stone and utterly miserable, so who knows what you can have achieved a year from now!! Best of luck.

I have just started, and mentally, I’m looking at 1 week at a time - even if that means throwing away the drug part way through.
It’s not that I want, or intend, to stop, but I need to know that I can.
The decider for me was realising that my weight could cause so many issues down the line which I can potentially avoid by choosing to take WLI now (with a managed diet).

Good luck with your journey I hope it all works out ❤

I lost over 2lb a week in my first four weeks on on 2.5mg but I know that some people have to wait until they are on the higher doses. I'd say that you can hope for a "quick start" but don't bank on it, and be prepared to try for a few months at least. It also takes a while to get used to the medication and how it works with your body.

PS I don't calorie count now except in the very loose sense of sometimes looking at the calorie content to chose between e.g. two different protein bars or whatever. I do try to keep an awareness of protein grams in a day, to make sure I get roughly enough, but I don't keep a record. (I did calorie count in the beginning but I realised it wasn't necessary. This may be different for other people though).

PS I also don't get why people keep coming onto threads that are clearly in the WLI topic and imparting their "wisdom" without either knowledge or experience of WLIs. Would you do that for other medical interventions you are not familiar with?