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 ?

Carbs are genuinely not the enemy. No food is bad. Some is more nutritious than others but there is no need to completely cut out (or get close to doing so) of any of the main macro nutrients.

Yep, I'm vegan, so I eat a very high-carb diet, and I've managed to lose 6 stone in 7 months.

I have multiple chronic conditions that could be affected very badly by these drugs, including a bowel condition, so they are a complete no go for me no matter what.

Ah thank you so very much for the guidance, having done reasonably well on the injections and the last month being off them (for want of putting it better, stuck in a hospital where I could not administer) and total surprise today at the outcome remaining the same weight with a couple of pound off, I still have a bmi of 41.

I’m just getting hopeful now this kind of procedure you’ve had could come down in the UK for its overall cost. 🙏 wonder why it is priced so highly for non-invasive procedure. One private hospital locally was quoting just over 4k but seemed to offer dietician support afterwards for the duration of the balloon.

What does?

Losing weight without preserving muscle 🙄 not specifically by using Mounjaro obviously, but let's not let that get in the way of a good scaremongering!

Yes it ABSOLUTELY does !! You are simply not in the amount you need x.

It doesn't and it's not supposed to! I'm on 15mg and I feel hungry when it's time for a meal. Just not the gnawing emptiness that I used to feel.

I would say this is too much of a simplistic comment.

Mounjaro is a weekly injectable, that titrates up to higher doses.

The strength of the effects tend to be higher in the days directly after injection, and lessen as the week wears on.

For me, I’ve had no hunger at all through to reduced hunger from the very first injection, as have many people I know who are on it.

When that effect has worn off for a consistent period of time, ie. when my appetite is surpressed less, and it comes on quicker, I know it’s time to move up a dose.

There are people who don’t have this response, but the majority do.

@Vatsallfolks how much a month does maintenance cost, please?

My two main reasons are:

1. One of the drugs I'm already on has a narrow therapeutic index is likely to be affected.
2. I just don't feel there is enough evidence in the scientific literature on long-term and effects.

But am also concerned about side-effects and am on so many drugs already I just don't want to take another.

@Vatsallfolks thanks for this thread it has been enlightening for me.
Also thanks to everyone who replied to my concerns ....truly appreciated 💐

This class of drugs has been licensed since 2006 in UK & Europe with no signs of causing malabsorption. The hair loss is thought to be from weight loss being too fast.

I’m sorry but this is simply not logical in any way. If you can suddenly and apparently ‘easily’ shed a huge amount of weight - then why on earth did you not do it before rather than compromise your health by becoming ‘very much overweight’ ?

Extensive country-wide studies by Kings College have shown the incredible small percentage of people who can successfully diet back to a healthy weight from simple obesity. (1:124 for women and 1:210 for men. ) and 1: 677 for women and 1:1270 for men suffering from morbid obesity. Of those ‘1s’ 78% out it all back on (and more) within 5 years. Put simply out of 100000 women with simple obesity only 177 will be successful.

I was in with the vast majority who can lose weight but cannot sustain it. MJ is the only drug that does that. To me it absolutely is a magic wand and a miracle drug.

people worrying about side effects without trying it first (vast majority of people who I know are on it - have absolutely none myself included) is just really bizarre thought processes. Obesity side effects are stroke, heart disease and death. MJ is by far the logical choice.

But it isn’t for everyone! The factors affecting people’s choices are multi-faceted for a start.
You are refusing to accept people’s reasons. We are all well aware of the consequences of obesity. It isn’t that the people who disagree with you don’t have the knowledge you have. They are applying it differently based on their own circumstances.
My weight gain on this occasion from my thinnest was gradual and primarily psychological. I needed to work on other things to get to the right place to address it. This takes time. And is worth doing. I also needed to be in a space where I had the time to do that. I do now. No medication would have helped with that.
People’s health profiles are complicated. I have been at many GP’s appointments in recent years due to another issue. My weight has been discussed and they know I’m on the right track.
You don’t need to be evangelical about medication. Given that I currently eat in a calorie deficit, have lost just shy of two stone in less than two months and I am more active than people who are significantly lighter than me, all it would give me is a hefty bill.
If it helps you, great. But it’s not the right choice for everyone. It’s not a magic wand for solving obesity.
You asked for people’s reasons but refuse to accept them.

I’m the same except for me it was deliberate as I probably did qualify.

My BMI was at least 31, I was definitely obese by NHS guidelines when I started my weight loss journey again in 2022 but I just didn’t consider taking WLI.

Like you I’m glad I didn’t.
I used to comfort eat in stressful times, in sad times, and even in happy times - particularly during the pandemic when I was dealing with a lot mentally. I had to really do the inner work to explore and address that as well as overhaul my lifestyle and food choices.

I’ve lost approximately 35+ pounds so far and about 10 pounds left to healthy BMI but my waist size and body fat are already within the normal ranges.

It’s been a long hard slog but I’m getting there and it feels very rewarding to have kept this commitment to myself.

I’m really proud of how well I eat now, sure it’s probably still unhealthy compared to some people as I have cakes and cookies now and again but compared to old me I’m doing absolutely great.

I reduced UPFs, increased veg intake, eat fruit smoothies if I have late night sugar cravings, walk a lot during the day to try and get a good nights sleep. Mainly cook my own food unless I’m travelling.

Before I had so many UPFs,so little veg, ate huge amounts of store bought cakes and pastries or would bake whole cakes and eat them in one go, and I was very sedentary.

Also I ordered that many takeaways it was ridiculous - including things like waffles and ice cream late at night from those dessert places.

It's a personal battle that I want to conquer, I want to fix the part of my brain that reaches out for food and binges on sugar for comfort so the cycle is broken for good.

Good luck @Shweet I had a similar journey and motivation for doing it without WLI as posted above.

Exactly this!!
No need to be weird and try and push people on to something they don't want to be on. It absolutely isn't for everyone and to brush aside people's concerns is wrong.

I absolutely agree, there should be mutual respect, and people should do what is right for them. I am happy if you improve your health in whatever way feels best for you, and I don't want you looking down on me for doing the same.

PS it's absolutely does stop you feeling hunger, for part of the week at least. Or perhaps a better way to put it is that you still feel the hunger but just don't care and can't be bothered to act on it.

Can anyone post a photo of what a normal portion of food looks like on WLI please.

How much did/does it cost?

Well yes, the nature of the drug means if it works for you weight loss might be quick and also your muscle loss could be life changing. But my experience of family hair loss is it is totally to do with malabsorption of vitamins and just because there are no signs might just mean they haven’t looked into it.

There is heavy promotion of these drugs by the drugs companies, at the very least people should wait for the NHS to take a view while they do their trials.

@GrammarTeacher totally agree - the evangelical aspect is a bit concerning. I’ve posted myself a fair bit about this. I did MJ for 6 weeks before deciding I couldn’t hack the heartburn and waves of nausea 3 days a week ( I realise some don’t get this) and I realised for me I wasn’t really the right target for it - I have good willpower , I have very good eating habits, I’m not a snacker - my weight crept on due to actually liking food and wine and cooking and simply making too big portions at night - my H is the same. Having come off it but strict cal control of 1200 and adding in 2 dance classes a week I am losing at exactly the same rate as I was on MJ - but can at least now eat spicy food again- just smaller portions and no heartburn- I’ve added in a berberin GLp1 sherbal supplement too and that helps me feel fuller quicker as well. It’s a really individual thing, I can see it works brilliantly for some which is great , but it’s not a magic wand and not even necessary for others depending on their habits , consistency and right mind space though is essential. It really depends on why you got a bit chunky in the first place as to whether other ways might be equally beneficial , easier to sustain long term and lighter on the bank balance too .

The NHS has taken a view. They are prescribed already for some (a very few) on the high tier weight loss management and will be rolled out to others starting this summer and over the next several years. The clinical trials that are ongoing are not safety trials but additional trials to look at different outcomes other than weight loss. Trials will be ongoing for a very long time, as with other medications that are already approved and in use.