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 haven't counted a calorie since the first week, I realised it wasn't going to be necessary at all. And it wasn't. I occasionally check a label on something, like a protein bar, just to compare different ones if there is a choice, and see which one might be a better idea, but otherwise no calorie counting. I do keep a rough track of protein grams to be sure I am getting enough. But that's all.

For me personally, I don't think people look healthy on it. So I stay clear.

@ThatHazelGuide that is an individual thing, surely, you can't generalise. Morbidly obese people don't look particularly healthy to my eyes.

@Vatsallfolks I am currently BMI 37 but much fitter and stronger than the last time I was this weight at least! Currently on my way down by reducing my carbs and tracking calories. I could easily afford the cost of the drugs now but do recognise that I need to establish good eating habits alongside any future use of weight loss drugs.

i’m really glad that they have worked so well for you but the need to make long lasting positive changes to my food intake and the lack of long term data on side effects makes me reluctant to make the leap just now. I notice that you said:

“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..”

Those changes are commendable but surely the message that a latte and a croissant is not a healthy or indeed cheap breakfast is not new to you.

I dithered about it for several months but I used the time to research it. It wasn’t till I saw a friend I’d not seen in ages and she’d lost 2 stone (‘very easily’ she said) on MJ that I gave it some serious thought. I’ve done the diet roundabout my whole adult life and was weary to the bones of doing so well only to self sabotage and at 16 stone, I knew I could be causing myself all kinds of problems further down the line.

I finally took the plunge and although I’m only a few days in, I’m so glad I did. No side effects other than I felt very slightly nauseous on the first day (quickly solved with some pepto bismol) and then on day 3, was constipated. But again, some fibrogel cleared that up the next day.

For me, I realised that despite constantly promising myself ‘I’ll start again on Monday’, I was stuck on the diet roundabout going nowhere. I see it as a ‘time out’ to lose some weight but teach myself great new habits which I hope I will be able to sustain in the future.

I've been obese and managed to lose the weight by IF so if I were to put it all back on that is what I would do any again. Tried and tested, it's what works for me.

My issue is always going to be the maintenance. I'm greedy, I crave sugar when I'm tired and make excuses as to why I deserve certain types of food or drink. I dont need to feel less hungry, I need to learn how to cope with and manage those feelings without meds.

I think this has been rolled out quite quickly.Long term effects are unknown, also on MN recently there was a thread about people regaining their appetites when coming off the drugs .I dont trust the Drugs industry. and they are making a huge profit from a drug originally used for Diabieties .I recently had Cancer and am not able to diet ATM .However we (women) are always expected to look a certain way .Obv for very obese people its a game changer .But I think we should accept our weights otherwise .We cant all be twiggy! (overweight myself)

I'm the opposite tbh. Skin is clearer (think it's the reduction of sugar and alcohol) and obv looking fitter and slimmer. I have a friend who's never looked better too.

There is saxenda and another one I forget, both GLP1s but not as effective

Yes a calorie deficit is essential. It’s the only way to lose weight. (Energy in is less than energy used = lost lbs) The big difference here is that it happens naturally and there is no need to track . It’s like a jab full of willpower and smart food choices. !

I am only just obese but I don't actually eat large volumes of food just a lot of treat foods. I self medicate with food and use it to squash my feelings down so without this I worry that I will fly apart mentally. I have lost a few stone before by calorie counting and not only did it become obsessive I also found the feelings rising up unmanageable.

I've already in my life given up drugs, then smoking then alcohol. I don't want to give up the pleasure I find in food. Mentally and emotionally there's only so much heavy lifting a bubble bath and listening to bird song can do!

The risk is with weight loss, not GLP1s per se. Remaining obese is risky. Losing weight reduces those right, however you do it, but also may impact bone density if done without exercise, again, however you do it

Rybelsus is the tablet form of semaglutide, but it’s usually only used for people with Type 2 diabetes. It’s not widely available for weight loss, but it does exist.

I am currently on a diet. I started at about 12st 8 which made me obese and I have lost about a stone in the last month. My BMI is about 30.8. Like many people I have yo-yo dieted over many years.

I didn’t chose injections because I know I need to overhaul my own diet and exercise and that’s what I am trying to do, not go all or nothing but adding additional exercise and working on eating balanced, healthy meals.

If I was heavier I may have chosen the jabs but from where I started I needed about 1.5 stone to not be obese and about 3 stone to be a healthy weight and I think that’s doable. If it’s not I may consider the jabs.

What a funny thing to say! Do you think obesity looks healthier than lower BMIs? Do you think weight loss looks different depending on how it was achieved?

However we (women) are always expected to look a certain way .Obv for very obese people its a game changer .But I think we should accept our weights otherwise .We cant all be twiggy! (overweight myself

I’ve also had cancer and because of it I started to look at ‘things’ very differently to how I had previously. It was really nothing to do with how I looked, I was just glad to be alive, but it never ceases to amaze me how so many people mention looks first of all when it comes to WLI.

And accepting being overweight because we can’t all be Twiggy? Again it’s about looks - and I’m pretty sure she’s lived to the age she is because she’s a healthy weight. But more to the point - the majority of people have no no idea just how little time they have before weight related illness will sneak up your garden path and come knocking on your door. Why would anyone accept that if it can be changed?

if You read my thread title it asks the question of people who are obese. If you don’t qualify for MJ then your BMI is below 30 or 28 with comorbidities and you are not obese and therefore this is not a relevant question for you.

I would never advocate starting MJ when you do not fit the prescribing criteria.

I was in the region of 14 stone for 15 years before Mounjaro, nowhere near morbidly obese but I have no idea why you think I 'should' accept that weight forever! What a strange way to think.

I have an eating disorder. I've also had acute pancreatitis both of these things mean that I shouldn't take it. Despite this, being desperate, I lied to an online pharmacy and took it for 3 months. It made absolutely no difference. I still binged and lost no weight. I've realised that's because my eating disorder isn't really about food or hunger but control and rigidity. I've tried lots of strategies with varying degrees of success.
Right now, with psychodynamic therapy and the help of an app with some AI support I'm learning to rebalance the bits of my brain. I feel peaceful and calm and often have no food noise at all. I hope I can maintain this long term if I do the work.
Although I'm still obese, right now it's more important to me to address the underlying eating disorder which has taken my life over for decades.
No shade on anyone who is taking it and having success, I'm truly happy for them. I just wanted to post to let people know that it's really not for everyone, especially those with eating disorders for whom the problem really isn't food at all.

Ok. I’m 5 foot 4 and currently weight 10 stone 12 pounds. My goal is to get to 9 stone. Should I take it? Would I get it? The cost would be fine for me, I’m just worried that I don’t have loads of weight to lose is it too extreme to just lose two stone?

This is the most rational and honest answer anyone has given so far. I know a lady who wavered over it for months. She eventually got a prescription on the NHS because her weight is severely debilitating. But she still hasn't started. She is fearful of losing food as her emotional support, and IMO also fearful of losing her role as disabled and needing care. You and she are the people who are described glibly as needing therapy blah blah but it's really not as easy as that!

Is your BMI above 30?

No, you're barely overweight, you wouldn't meet the criteria

It's about 26 🙄

I keep swithering.

I love love love food and wine. Not in a MH way, just it’s one of life’s pleasures and I’m really worried about not being able to find pleasure in that any more. Tonight I’m watching a crucial football match with friends, we will have wine. Going camping at the weekend, eating sausage and egg butties in the morning and sitting round the campfire with gins in tins and sharing snacks is all part of the joy for me. We are going to Disney later in the year and I’m looking forward to all the lovely food. I’m worried I won’t enjoy things as much.

Also we eat as a family, I cook a lot, we sit together, we host people. I can’t imagine how me not eating what everyone else is eating would work practically. Will I sit at the table with a small salad and everyone else eat spag Bol? Just seems odd.

It’s a bit like when I gave up smoking, I couldn’t imagine enjoying anything again without having a cigarette. I did of course but eating and drinking feels even more vital.

I am also worried about the Black Mirror-esque vibe of a drug that seemingly “cures”
humans of all their basic human urges.

I am worried about awful looking saggy skin.

Any advice would be welcome as I do need to lose weight. I’ve got a few things going on with my health and losing weight would improve them all.