January 2025 Starters Thread 9!

[meatyryvita]

Time to check in losers!

Weigh in day
SW 101kg
CW 84.3kg
GW 70kg
loss this week 0.7kg

glad to see a loss after STS last week. Going up a dose this week though as it's definitely slowing down, my average loss through Feb/Mar/April was a very steady 0.8kg a week. May dropped to 0.6kg a week and June currently averaging 0.5kg a week.

Jab 21 done, took 10mg out of a 7.5mg pen. Hoping side effects stay minimal, I'm taking DS to a uni open day tomorrow

That looks like a sensible chart.

I’m still on 5mg, Oushk maintenance advice was to stay on the same dose for another month and see if I could up my calories while on this dose. I can eat bigger dinners but then I have no appetite at all in the morning. So I’m going to titrate down the way I came up 4mg this weekend, then 3.75 then 3.33 then 2.5mg. If I get to a plateau week I’ll stick to that dose.

I love the control I feel on MJ on this and how it evens out my moods so I’m not over anxious about work stress. And I’m much less of a workaholic. But I have to admit it’s really taken the edge off joy too.

First gain for me last week, but I was also on holiday and quite relaxed, had some alcohol too that I have been pretty much avoiding. Did a 4 from my 5 pen, I want to get used to bit less supression and working on my habits - mindless snacking whenever I see food and eating too fast are certainly areas I can improve.
Weekend will be finally properly warm here, 34 degrees today and tomorrow. Being able to wear dresses without chub rub shorts is fabulous!

Same, I don't want to come off as I feel so good. I've not noticed a lack of joy but maybe you're right. I'm a bit afraid of upping calories because then when I come off I might be even more starving if that makes sense?

Hi all 👋

I have a maintenance call booked with Hira at Oushk for beginning of July (must look out for the Wisebee email this time!) but in the meantime I'm still dithering over whether to cancel my Juniper account bc il be due to pay for another (£229!) pen next week as I've already stalled the order for two weeks. But I'm still a bit unsure about whether Oushk will carry on providing maintenance long term. In my first order with them I explained in the notes section that I was titrating down and wanting to move to maintenance with them (sent over pics, ID and proof of other prescriptions) and they just sent out the 7.5mg pen. I would just hate to cancel with Juniper and then have Oushk cut me off as I'm now bmi 21. Also are you supposed to weigh in with Oushk bc if so how do you do it? With juniper I had to weigh in and track my weight with the scales they provided that link to the app via Bluetooth.

I hate the uncertainty of maintenance and not knowing whether providers are going to just cut you off.

I was a bit shocked this morning to step on the scales and find I'd gained 4lbs. I've been trying to eat a bit more this week but by that I mean having lunch (a chicken salad sandwich on wholemeal bread) and I've had a couple of snacks like a gingerbread man and a mini magnum last night. But I've still been waaay under my supposed tdee of 1850 calories, and have only reached a max of 1300. So it's a bit worrying to find increasing my food intake to more normal levels (ie not just eating one small meal a day which is all I've really been having most days for months now) is possibly going to mean quickly gaining weight.

Il not worry too much get as it may just be things settling down or water weight but it is a little concerning. I definitely need to start eating more regardless as I am starting to see effects of lack of nutrition on my body - my hair is shit and is falling out a lot more than usual and last week half of one of my teeth fell out! I know this is down to not eating enough as it's happened before in the past when I've fasted etc.

It's shit that wanting to be a certain weight/size (not even extreme but a size 10) means having to practically starve yourself. I'm pretty sure that if I ate my tdee each day I'd just slowly put the weight back on and be back to square one. Maintenance is the hard part!

Sorry, just wanted a moan 😂

But I have to admit it’s really taken the edge off joy too.

Me too DGonMJ

Can't get excited about anything, everything's just "meh". I have to decide whether I really want to feel like this long term in order to be slim 🤷‍♀️ is it worth it?

@DGonMJ and @JoanCollinsDiva i have been feeling really cba about everything for the last couple of months. I’d put it down to my usual depressive cycles but now I’m wondering if it’s to do with the MJ. I have no interest in doing anything, which means there are a lot of half done tasks around the house and that’s piling up on top of me. I finished a really big, high profile piece of work and I got no satisfaction from it (but then I don’t know if that’s because I know there will be zero rewards from doing it. In my job you’re just supposed to do things for the love of doing them. And maybe get a bag of sweets as a token now and again). I also wonder if Mj is affecting my sertraline absorption rate too.

@JoanCollinsDiva moan away - there's also absolutely no way on this green earth I could eat my TDEE of 1942 kcal every day and not gain weight.

@JoanCollinsDiva I lost about 5 stone over 10 years ago and I kept 4 off for 6 years. My bmi was a little higher than ideal (26/27) but I did find an equilibrium, it just took time. I had to accept that extra bit of weight as a consequence of my own metabolism/lifestyle but I was fit/heathy/active.

Re joy, the only other person who knows I am on mj except my dh is a male friend who only knows because he started recently. He’s struggling a lot with mood and this is what he’s said too - things just feel a bit flatter….

If I eat more than about 1350 I gain. That’s really why I expect to be on this medication for a considerable time.

I ideally want to get to 9 stone 4 by the middle of September, which is ten pounds away so should be achievable. I was planning to book a maintenance call with Oushk when I get to 9:7. I currently order from them anyway. If there’s a delay in getting the meeting I can try to titrate, adjust myself.

I am stockpiling a couple of pens just in case…

Hi everyone, me too re the cba/shine taken off life. I think I'm more tired than usual too (although often tired). I ran a few errands this morning and have been very unproductive ever since.

I haven't lost at all again this week, need to think about whether I am brave enough to go up to 6.25mg this weekend or not. My calorie intake is fine. Like a lot of us I am not depriving myself of anything, eating normally, just a bit more mindfully about it, 1000 cals a day max.

My legs/glutes are screaming every time I move after pilates last night.

It's so interesting how differently it affects people. I've had no side effects really to speak of and feel wonderful. I am bursting with energy. I don't know if it's down to MJ, the radical overhaul of my diet or the big increase in exercise. I've spent years feeling pretty dreadful down to autoimmune illnesses but I feel great at the moment.

I can't complain either, no issues with low moods. But I've never struggled with depression, so maybe if you have, MJ does something with the already existing chemical imbalance?

I’ve never suffered from low mood. It’s definitely a change since MJ.

Same, I also have autoimmune thyroid disease. I wonder if that's why?

same - Grave's here.

No low moods here. Stress and anxiety over the past week, but that's due to work. It's also meant a not great diet and not as much exercise but I'm not going up on the scales and the plan to up weekly average to 1250 is on track. Might look at making that 1300 this week and see what happens.

Wore a summer dress yes I bought 2 months ago. Size 10 Oliver Bonas. It is actually baggy around my chest - I flashed my bra all day 🙄

This weekend I have nothing planned other than some running, some weights and the pub with my OH. Love weekends where there is no pressure.

No low mood here. I am meeting DDs new BF today and instead of thinking “Dear God, is there anything I can wear” I’m actually looking forward to choosing my clothes and knowing (well, hoping) DD won’t think I look embarrassing.

I have a beautiful Oasis shirt dress that I couldn’t get the fabric within two inches of meeting about six weeks ago. I can do the buttons up now! Couldn’t leave the house in it, but it’s close now.

It really is odd how we all lose weight from different areas. I wonder why that is? I might get investigating and report back. I still have fat on my front. Flat arse. Stringy legs.

so unfair, isn't it - I'd love to get my legs stringy! Thighs definitely more wobbly so fat must be slowly melting, but calves have barely changed. While upper body is as slim as it should go before we genuinely get into 'oh you shouldn't lose any more weight' territory.

I’ve never suffered from low mood either. And I wouldn’t say I have low mood now.
Just not experiencing the higher end of joy - I’m in the middle of the mood scale where depression and ecstasy are the extremes. Before my period I get low for one or two days. During ovulation I might get a little higher for one or two days, but I’ve just noticed that I’m not getting that dopamine high. But also, stress isn’t bringing me too down either. No lows, no highs, just the middle.

I haven't really noticed a difference my mood. I have been quite stressed over the last month but that has been connected to family illness and emergencies.

I don't generally suffer with poor mental health so I wonder if that's it? Like @HeidiNotSoHeavy says I wonder if it's a magnification of existing predisposition?

I've actually gone up to 7.5mg this week (I thought I was taking 5mg but have actually been taking 6mg for a month!) I was starting to plateau so decided to increase the dose. I had 10 weeks at 3.75mg which suited me brilliantly! I can't wait to get to goal and titrate back down to 3.75 again.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. For the first time in weeks, I am not going to do any work until Monday. I have lots of house and garden jobs to do as well as a night out at a community play in a church this evening❤️

mood wise I find I’m less extreme. I have handled my health anxiety issues fairly well I think - I have 3 big things to work through including one for dd and whilst it was dreadful it wasn’t as crippling as it has been in the past. I found the dopamine trigger from food hard to manage (no stress/anxiety eating) but am finding ways to get it from other things.

if anyone does want a quick joy hit, I can strongly recommend this weeks taskmaster. Haven’t laughed like that in years.

I'm about to go teach an extra bodypump class. For quite a while now, I was wearing roomy t-shirts, to hide the lack of waist. But am about to head out in tiny shorts and tight vest. Feels great! And OMG how easy are push-ups without those extra kilos!

I’m getting my dopamine hits from Vinted sales!

So my limited research tells me how/where we lose fat from is part genetics and part age related. As a post menopausal woman, it’s practically guaranteed I will struggle to lose weight from abdomen. Good to know.