Need advice please from people who are on 15 mg

[Veganpug]

Is it the case that mj stops working after a certain amount of time or weight loss.?????
I've lost 6 stone
Over 8 months
I'm on 12 mg for the second month
In the last month I've only lost 4 pounds approx
This did happen before when I did 2 months on 7 mg ,I bearly lost on the second month on 7 mg
So I'm thinking
What happens when I get to 15 ,and I'm on the second month
If it stops working after a month I've no where else to go .
But
Most people don't have 6 stone to loose ,so will reach their target weight before loosing 6 stone and before reaching 15 mg ...so won't have this issue.
So is that it, after reaching 15 mg for the second month ,am I likely to be done and no more weight loss

What's your BMI and are you food tracking? If tracking, have you adjusted your intake as you have dropped weight?

Well done on your weight loss, but even with MJ, weight loss slows down anyway, and people still have plateaus.

Also what do you mean by stopped working? Are you hungry all the time and having sugar cravings? Or are you generally managing ok, but the weight isn't coming off?

No it doesn't stop working. You've lost 4lbs in a month after losing a huge amount of weight. What were you expecting? Why do you think it's not working? Your TDEE will have reduced significantly since you started so you'll lose weight slower.

I think it's not working because I'm wanting to eat all the time
I've still a very long way to go
And each time I had a second month on the same dose ,I nearly lost anything in that month
So I'm just wondering if the same thing will happen on my second month of 15

Bearly ,not nearly

Are you eating enough protein and fibre?

When you say you are hungry is it proper hunger or just eating more than you were on the medication at first? Or is it cravings?

Try cutting out any ultra processed foods. Fill up on protein and fibre. Lots of veg. Lots of water.

I’m not on 15mg yet, but just wanted to mention the research trials of Mounjaro. People were moved up to 5, 10 or 15mg depending on which dose they could tolerate. They then stayed on that dose for many weeks and continued to lose weight. The most weight was lost by those on the highest dose, 15mg. Weight loss did start to slow down as the weeks progressed but it still happened.

If your weight loss has slowed, you could try various different things to mix it up a bit. Increased exercise, weight training, look at the balance of protein/carbs and try changing it, and so on.

Yes good advice.
Probably not eating enough protein,but I think fibre is ok

I've literally had no side effects
First few months a bit tired and a lot of hair loss
Last5 months no side effects,
Always having to work hard at it
It definitely hasn't been the easy ride I hear about in the media
It has helped. ,but I've had to really work at it

I've been at 15mg for a few months, and my weight loss has stalled recently, but I do still feel when I've eaten enough, so I think it's just that my required calories is lower now I'm lighter, and I need to up my activity (or wear a weighted vest or something) in order to get the loss happening again.

I do still feel the effects though, so perhaps my situation is a bit different from yours.

edit: by effects I mean I have the full feeling after a sensibly sized meal, not side-effects - I've never had those either.

That's good to hear
Maybe I need to lower calories
Or actually tract them properly rather than a guess
I do feel full after a meal ,and hardly any food noise
But I'm always ravenous
Every single night in bed my stomach rumbles with hunger

I worry about this too as I’m on 7.5 mg and weight loss has stalled - I lost lots in my first month - presumably inflammation, after 2 months I moved to 5mg - didn’t lose much on that, I’m on my 3rd week at 7.5 mg and firmly in a plateau but don’t want to move up a dose as I have a good 4 stone more to lose to even be at the top end of a healthy BMI . I’m just trusting the process - I’m still 2 stone lighter than I would be without the mounjaro and that still has improved my health. I do wonder if for me weight loss will slow and stop at a higher BMI . The lowest BMI I’ve ever maintained as an adult is 27 and that took a lot of effort!

I was actually shocked when I looked at what BMI 25 was for me
I thought it would be about 14 stone ,but no 12 stone
No chance can I get to that
If I get to 14 stone it will be an utter miracle

I'd really recommend tracking calories so you can see what you are eating and work out your deficit on a TDEE calculator. Then focus on protein like meat, Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, quark, hoummus, egg, babybel etc and good fats like nuts and avocado, grains like quinoa and lentils and chickpeas and drink lots of water, this really does make a difference, limit carbs where and when you can to switch the body into burning fat rather than glucose. If you are always hungry you may not be eating enough calories or enough protein or the dose is not effective for you. I'm on 12.5mg just taken 4th dose and will be going upto 15mg next.
I'm prediabetic so needed the higher doses as like you, they wore off on second pen, usually weeks 5-7, 2.5mg only lasted 2 weeks for me. I'm now 10st 8lbs and lose consistently unless I've had lots of carbs. I've seen many posts from users on 15mg and it lasting months so try not to worry about that for now.

I think you definitely need to track calories etc for a bit just to see what you are having through the day. And track your protein and fibre.

If you are that hungry at night in bed have a protein snack before bed.

I had a yummy mini breakfast the other day of satsuma segments with some full fat natural yoghurt and some mixed seeds. I thought it would make a nice snack in the evening with some grated dark chocolate. Or you could have some Greek yoghurt with berries and some grated dark chocolate. Or even a couple of oat cakes with cheese.

Totally tracking calories,sorry did I not say I was.
Yeah 1000 a day ,a bad day no more than 1200.
I swim every day ,but other than that I'm very inactive, literally no steps
( Stuck at home for various reasons not my fault)
Vegan obviously
So always focused on protein and fibre,carbs come last
No snacks at all

Tomorrow I go up to 15 .. fingers crossed

1000 calories is really low. No wonder you are starving!

You need to eat more. The medication is great. But it’s a tool. Appetite supression is part of how it works but not all of how it works. Dropping your calories too low is counterproductive. You will be hungry. And you will lose muscle mass as you will lose weight too quickly.

You have lost loads. And in a much quicker time frame than I did. I’m taking the scenic route now! I’m going up and down the same half stone but it’s my own fault. I haven’t been working with the medication and following my own advice on protein and fibre etc.

But. You have done really well. Don’t panic. Don’t keep your calories too low. Some months you slow down on the loss a bit but I don’t think you have. You are just used to seeing quick loss like at the beginning. I’ve been reading some advice about staying in a dose as long as possible as long as you are still losing. And you are. So don’t rush up the doses. Remember this is a long game.

I’ve started following a few people on GLP1 meds on Instagram and one is particular is a doctor. She is American. She has a book to sell but I haven’t bought it - it’s called Shot Meals. She recommends slowing down. Her account is “glp1.weightloss”. Maybe have a look at that and see if you get any tips.

But eat more!

I've been on 15mg for 6 months. In that time I have lost 23lbs, so about 1lb a week. It isn't always consistent, I can 'stall' for 2-3weeks at a time then suddenly drop quite quickly. I genuinely believe it's your body recalibrating itself. I was so surprised to drop again this morning after a heavier carb meal yesterday (I low carb and usually can gain 2 or 3lbs when I reintroduce them) that i was prompted to share this, though I have posted several times about why stall should be embraced and the science behind what is actually happening. Could you learn a bit more about stalls and analyse your own patterns to reassure yourself (you kind of have already but whats not to say that after your second month on a dose youd have lost again in the third month but you're changing dose and thinking its that)

I haven't been able to tolerate 15ml, the side effects were too rubbish. Yes I found that I have plateaued quite a bit before moving up each time. I'm going to drop back to 12.5 and see how I get on.

Could you do any body circuits/weights at home?

I have to say I'm horrified at the idea of coping on 1000 calories a day. No wonder I plateaued I suppose.

I also have 8-10kg more to lose but find it very hard to imagine getting there.

I’ve stalled on 15 too. I reckon I need to be more diligent about protein and fibre and exercise.

I'm literally not getting any steps in at all
After a 30 minute swim ,I am totally inactive for the rest of the day .
I honestly have tried going up to 1500 or 1400 ,and it doesn't shift ,to be honest I don't feel any less hungry on 1400 than I do on 1000.
I'm also in menopause,which is a nightmare anyway
My body just wants to hang on to every bit of fat it can .
If I could get some steps in ,I probably could eat a bit more ,
I'm actually a very lazy person,even if I could get steps in ,I probably wouldn't because I'm lazy ..I'd rather eat less than have to exercise .I only enjoy swimming

To be honest @Veganpug you do need to move more and do some exercise. It’s all well and good saying I’m a lazy person but we do need to move. Otherwise you run the risk of really struggling as you get older. Most of us are lazy at heart. Being healthy and mobile is really important as we get older.

You are spending all this money on Mounjaro (I assume) but you do need to look to the future and not expect the medication to do it all. It’s not a magic wand. Movement and exercise are very important to maintain muscle mass.

The swimming is good but you need to do more. Sorry to be blunt!

I know the feeling, I get in after a long day of work at hospital and commuting 2-3hrs a day, depending on shift up at 5.30 or 6am set off 6.30-7am get back 5.30-6.30pm and I do this monday to friday then just time to start dinner. Then sit on couch few hrs, shower and bed. Who has time to exercise in all this? Im a manager and have an office job, though occasionally I am more active helping out in the lab on feet when short staffed, so I don't move much, maybe hit 3-4k steps a day when it's warmer I might go for a walk but that's all gone since I've been on a calorie restricted diet of 850-1200 cals a day for almost 8 months, I am exhausted! So I don't have the energy to move more, I didn't before mounjaro when I was on 1500-1800 calories a day as ive had low iron since i was 21 and still do at 43, tried prescribed tablets, supplements, liquid iron etc, but my body doesn't absorb vitamins well with ibs, though mounjaro is helping with that. ive had hip and leg pain for a few days now so I'm going to try some yoga to stretch it out, I have done yoga in past pre-mj and even did Joe wicks HIIT workouts regularly for 6 weeks on an evening when I got in but then was worn out as didn't have much time to rest. So I'd rather cut the calories, my deficit is 1200 and I'm 43 and prediabetic so a slow loser and I can't really force myself to eat more or i feel sick and i definitely dont lose when i eat more as have tried this a few times, i do eat slightly more when the jab wears off maybe upto 1300, im on 12.5mg. I am focused a lot more on protein though so that's helped with losses. I'm not far off my target now 10st 8lbs bmi 26.2 so will taper down and eat more with maintenance calories of 1600

Oh I also didn't eat meat or had dairy milk for 5 years which probably led to the prediabetes as my diet was mainly carbs. It is hard to get enough protein in without meat and dairy. It must've worsened my anaemia too as my haemoglobin was low. I've been back to eating meat mainly chicken 9 months now and do feel stronger for it. Protein shakes also help.

I used to go to the gym ,I was a real gym bunny,even went on my wedding day .
I just need a couple more stone off before I feel confident going again.
But yes I know you are right ,I know I make excuses,I just get bogged down with the situation at home and it's hard to mentally lift out of it to make changes.
The swimming is just my routine now ,so I do need to get something else in that routine to