Obese but not interested In Mounjaro, I’m genuinely interested to know why.

[Vatsallfolks]

I have struggled with my weight since my last baby 23 years ago.. prior to that I was a standard size 10 and never really thought about weight.. but last pregnancy at 39 saw me develop an underactive thyroid AND an autoimmune disorder that required an astonishing amount of steroids .. long story short.. I went from 10st to 22 stone in 4 years.. I hated it. I lost my sense of balance , self confidence, health… blood pressure meds , cholesterol meds, knee injections, chronic IBS .. because of the steroids I was extremely lucky to get a gastric sleeve on the NHS . Took me from 22 stone to 16 stone and there I stayed until this miracle drug came along.

I did my research. I looked at the pros and cons . The cons of being obese FAR outweighed the cons and so I began. Financially I thought it would be a terrible struggle but in reality I save money . No more latte and a croissant for breakfast at the station . It’s taught me to be mindful of what I need to eat to be healthy by prioritising protein, good carbs and fibre..

Im now BMI 22 and 9st 5 and size 10 again .. since end of November.. I remain on a small maintenance dose of 5mg and after a I had a chat with my GP yesterday, I am happy to be there for life .

so my question is .. if you are obese with all the associated health risks AND you have the funds to prioritise your health but are not interested.. ( earring in mind these drugs have been around since trials in 1992) why would you not ?

I think if my gp was to put me on them/suggest it to me I would be fine. I think I'm just conditioned that way at the moment. But I'm working on it.

And at the moment it would possibly be signing up to a lifetime financial commitment. I know the price is likely to be reduced but ….

I was tempted to try it, but GP said I couldn't as my BMI wasn't high enough. I'm also on Thyroxine, and HRT, and Sertraline so not sure I could go on it as well?

It’s super important to ensure you’re eating a nutritious balanced diet with plenty of protein, a good regimen of supplements will also go a long way too. Once you factor in a lowered alcohol intake, fewer UPFs, less sugars, slowed down digestion, drinking plenty of water etc you soon cover any risk of malnutrition. Those risks pale in comparison to being obese, eating a terrible diet feeling fat and miserable. It’s a game changer in so many ways. Truly a miracle.

Cost and fear of needles/new drugs, I'd imagine.

I've tried Wegovy & Mounjaro and although Mounjaro has been a bit more effective, neither have been a revelation.

I do have a thyroid disease though and my hormones are all over the place so I think maybe the effectiveness is reduced. Or the drugs just don't have much of an effect on me.

I am not convinced slowing down your digestive system is healthy long term. Mineral and vitamin absorption seems to slow which I think is the cause of the side effects like hair loss.

If my BMI had been high enough to qualify - Id have jumped

It wasnt - only 29 - so I did it the hard way

Because I have done it the hard way and Im maintaining - ( 18 months so far ) I'm kinda of glad I didn't

Yes I still. have food noise, yes I still have times when I eat around me, but Im still battling and still determined to not to get to where I was. Some weeks/months are easier than others and the past 2 years have been a huge learning curve . I think now having read through so many threads on here, id have carried on with my horrendous diet - less of it for sure - but horrendously high fat, high carb and would have gone straight back to it

I just can't be bothered.

I also have been 4-6 stone lighter at various times and for various periods of time over the last 45 years and I was in no way happier, apart from perhaps in the initial periods of losing the weight. Once I was below a certain size ,I always felt too small and weird.

Maybe I would be healthier, but I just cannot go through the whole boring process of seriously losing weight for what is probably the 10th time ( 9 of them in 30 years as I haven't been on a diet for 15 years) whoke seriously believing I won't put the weight back on. My utter conviction that I will gain the weight back , based on my multiple experiences over many years means I just can't get motivated enough to do it

Because I have a non-surgical 4 month gastric balloon and it's worked wonders. I've lost 2.5 stone in 11 weeks and completely changed my attitude to food with the dietician support that is offered alongside the balloon.

So once the balloon passes naturally in around a month's time, I will hopefully stick to those habits as looking back to what my eating habits were before I am genuinely disgusted at how little I cared for my body.

Honestly I'm so surprised this option isn't widely known about. It was a 15 minute procedure to swallow a capsule containing the balloon (not the nicest experience but it was a few seconds if that) and then it's inflated in the stomach via an attached catheter thing with sterile water. The catheter is then removed and you're left with a very full feeling. No downtime, a bit of nausea and discomfort in the first week or so but that's it. And importantly for me, no drugs. I can't rave about it enough!

I’m scared about putting more shit in my body. I seem to always have reactions to stuff. Everything I’ve done medically in the past to improve my health has had the opposite effect.

Not everybody can afford it

I’m larger than your heaviest and I’m still on the waitlist for surgery while in a calorie deficit

I have never tracked calories. I've started tracking protein recently but this is for other reasons. You don't need to track calories - and even if you do choose to, it's easy to stay in a deficit. That's the beauty of Mounjaro.

You sound so fed up. I feel for you very much. But is it possible for you to prepare for going on Mounjaro by planning a weeks worth of meals with little variety so your doing very little calorie counting. I know it sounds boring but it works and it also gives you a really good idea about portion size and that’s going to be very important for when you’ve lost all of your weight and your maintaining your weight loss. Honestly, if you do it for even 4 weeks it will help you as you can them switch things around as you go along.

for eg for one week

plan 2 calorie counted breakfasts
plan 2 calorie counted lunches
plan 2 calorie counted dinners

You can even just plan a breakfast and one other meal and vary your dinner everyday for eg.

Honestly, if works and isn’t restrictive once you’ve done the first few weeks to get you started.

Mounjaro doesn’t stop you feeling hunger, not on the lower doses anyway.
I’m on the 5mg pen and can’t wait to move up, as I still feel definite hunger.

so my question is .. if you are obese with all the associated health risks AND you have the funds to prioritise your health but are not interested.. ( earring in mind these drugs have been around since trials in 1992) why would you not ?

Im on Mounjaro and very close to target but Id never ask another person why they wouldn’t use Mounjaro, It seems intrusive and could be very upsetting, hurtful for them. Why would you do that to another person?

You’re making a fool of yourself and it’s not a good look but we’ve noticed you, just not in a good way. 🤣

Because I'm now disabled and ill and on 15 plus tablets a day so I'm not sure if I'd be allowed to use it.

So once the balloon passes naturally in around a month's time, I will hopefully stick to those habits as looking back to what my eating habits were before I am genuinely disgusted at how little I cared for my body

I had the balloon years ago. It didn’t work but it did make me sound like thunder even when walking along the road given all the gas it created in my tummy. And that was even before the gas escaped via my bottom. I can laugh about it now because it really did sound as if I was well and truly marching along to the beat of my own drum 🤣.

The majority of people feel hunger on Mounjaro and I take posts where people say they never feel hungry on Mounjaro, and that weight loss on Mounjaro is easy, with a pinch of salt.

The appetite isn’t so suppressed. In fact suppression is something that a lot of users, myself included, don’t experience at all.

So for me, and probably the majority of genuine users (not the very obvious pretend users you get on these threads who contribute with their own brand of nonsense) it’s very much a case of working out your TDEE then deducting about 500 calories per day to be in a calorie deficit. For me it’s 1500 calories a day and my goal is always optimum nutrition from my 1500. Most people are the same.

Of course you still feel hungry, you're not supposed to feel no hunger. But there is a massive difference between 'normal person hunger' which I feel on Mounjaro and the type of hunger I used to feel before. I can put this hunger out of my mind if I'm busy or have no food and it passes until later. I don't stress or worry about feeling hungry and also when I am hungry and eat a meal I can stop eating when I've had enough. I also don't get hungry between meals.

You don't have to think about calories. I never give them a thought. I just have a small appetite and feel fantastic for being on them. You do realise how dangerous it is to be morbidly obese, don't you?

I’m worried about gastric effects as too much gas can put me in to atrial fibrillation for hours at a time.

having said that both my cardiologist and GP have said they have no qualms about me being on it.

Fear of the unknown I guess! I’m definitely warming to the idea though.

My BMI is 31.7

Do you mind me asking what BMI you were before having this?

It's not like going up to people in real life though and asking them?

It's a public forum and people can scroll past.

You sound exactly like me. Word for word that’s me too.
I have just started Mounjaro though and I honestly think this might be it. The time I take my health seriously and do something for me.

And yes you have to be in calorie deficit but you don’t need to count calories you’ll just eat less and not be hungry.

I truly wish you the best and I hope you can find a way to feel better and more healthy.