March 2025 starter thread 6

[TheSpoonyNavyReader]

Thank you for allowing me to rant, share our ups and downs. Our group blows my mind of how we are so supportive of each other.
Some of us are now hitting the 12 week mark, some of us are nearly at their goal, some halfway and some still have a way to go, but we are all losing even if it’s half a pound a week. We have all come so far and are making a difference to our health.

Thread 6 blows my mind

I've got a fox I'm willing to donate to your protein fix @Flamethrowers. He/she eats the bulbs in my garden so he must be very tasty.

@soupforbrains youre quite right about the units! At my age late fifties, loosing weight and moderate exercising with the goal of becoming stronger and loosing fat (rather than muscle) optimum is around 100-120g. If I exercise once i'm Maintaining I can go to 70-90 . I'm not doing intense exercise but I'm still running once or twice a week, swimming two to three times a week, strength training 1.5 times a week and reformer Pilates once a week. And trying to average 8- 10,000 steps a day. My least favourite is the strength training and my favourite is the reformer (on my back so I can pretend I'm sleeping) and swimming (outdoors, seagulls, day dream, no pain).
tried porridge with protein powder and Greek yogurt and berries and almond milk for breakfast. Prison food. My cleaner who is from Bulgaria said it looked disgusting,l- but as her recipe for oats is oats water feta and butter mixed together as a liquid for an anytime snack I don't think her opinion on this holds much weights

@Flamethrowersfair enough. But don’t berate yourself too much you can still build strength one the level of protein you’re on. Out of curiosity how many calories are you eating/day?

@Apprenantelol at the foxy protein snacks.

@soupforbrains im not sure how many calories I'm eating a day as I'm not counting anymore - but I think it's probably averaging around 1400-1600. My metabolism has slowed right down as I was over medicated on thyroid medication until last month.

i think that Mounjaro may have robbed me of a lot of my joy in food. Maybe this is because it takes away anticipation, and the anticipation was a huge part of it? I took the kids to the circus yesterday and had a vegetarian hot dog and it looked so amazing but with that annoying clarity Mounjaro has given me - "but do I really like it? Or am I just being greedy" - it wasn't a joyful eat - the white bun tasted chewy and the vegetarian hot dog really didn't pass. Mounjaro is like some hard core upf detector, a clean eating fanatic maker. .
Has anyone else had this?

@Apprenante the orange devil! I've got one that sleeps curled up in a huge pile of leaves in the centre of my garden - like a giant nest. It's very sweet.

Counting may help you with tracking your macros and boosting your protein. I’ve seen that generally the goal for those building mass is to ensure that meals have between 7-10% of calories in protein grams.

for example if you eat a chicken salad which is 400calories aim for it to contain 28-40g of protein. But it’s hard! Because only the ‘best’ sources of protein have the 10g/100cals ratio.

I fully understand that calorie counting is not for everyone though. I’m not doing it at the moment either but that mostly because I did it while figuring out some specific meal combos and now mostly stick to those.

its almost certainly not a good thing for you if you’re already a bit sad about food. I’m sorry MJ has stolen the enjoyment. For me it’s the opposite I’m eating a lot less and I’m more mindful about it. I’m actually savouring flavours. And having kicked my sweet tooth I find more things naturally sweet and am able to enjoy new flavours. I used to be an absolute salad dodger but now I actually genuinely enjoy some salads, because I’ve learned how to make them in a way which works for me.

that said, I do think that not enjoyed mediocre circus fast food is entirely reasonable…

Morning all, weigh day today and surprisingly I've held pretty close to the -2lb that I wanted to have in the bank before titrating down. Given that I've started adding calories back in, ate loads, probably drank far too much chilled rose, and was very low on exercise, that's good news.

SW 10st 4.6lb/144.6lb BMI 25.7 (prescribed MJ because of diabetes risk and hideous waist measurement)
GW 8st 10lb/122lb (22.6lb total target loss) BMI 21.6

CW 8st 8.2lb/120.2lb BMI 21.3 - 24.4lb down.

Loss by week:
W1 (2.5) 5.5lb
W2 (2.5) 1.3lb
W3 (2.5) 0.7lb (ate out loads)
W4 (5) 3.3lb
W5 (5) 0.5lb gain (ate out loads)
W6 (5) 3.8lb (Post Easter weekend plus period)
W7 (5) 2.6lb
W8 (5) 1.5lb gain (BH weekend away, ate out loads)
W9 (7.5) 1.1lb (NY trip)
W10 (7.5) 1.1lb (Hakkasan and weekend away)
W11 (7.5 split dose) 3.7lb (Chelsea, BH weekend)
W12 (7.5 split dose) 2.2lb gain (half term, River Cafe, birthday weekend away)
W13 (7.5 split dose) 3.2lb
W14 (7.5 split dose) 0.1lb (feeding teenagers up)
W15 (7.5 split dose) 2.2lb

1.8lb below goal.

@Flamethrowers Judging by the smell of fox poo, I'm not sure they'll taste very good! Your cleaner's oat recipe sounds gross! Re eating food you don't love, what did you used to eat that you're not eating now? Is there not an option to jettison "diet food" and just have a more balanced plate of food you love, especially since you're so close to goal? That's what I've done for most of the journey, I'm too much of a foodie to eat food that makes me sad.

@Ingangoolie I think you're right about my brain just being a bit overloaded. I had a long conversation with my closest friend last night and ending up really crying because it's just all been a bit too much recently. I very rarely cry. It was cathartic though.

This week will be a single jab week on 5mg, I was going to do a split dose for a few weeks below goal, but I think the 7.5mg will see me continue to lose, especially in this hot weather, which isn't what I need now. Who thought I'd get to the point where I'd say that? So I think I'll do a few weeks on 5mg and see if I can hold steady +/-2, and then reassess.

Thank you for the new thread.

I've been AWOL recently from the threads as it's just been chaos in the overjiggly household recently. I had hoped to catch up with all your messages before I posted but there's so many from you lovely chatty lot.

We saw a house we liked had been reduced so we decided to go for it and that meant a mad dash to get our house on the market etc. Plus two trips away and DH and DS birthdays!

Anyway still jabbing and now i've lost 2 stone exactly so despite all the craziness MJ has kept me on the straight and narrow. Any one of the reasons above would have had me reaching for all the food as it would've been plenty of excuse to eat loads and convenience.

SW 18st 7lb
CW 16st 7lb
2nd Mini Goal 16st 4lb
TW 11st 7lb

@Flamethrowers similar to you stage of life and working on strength stuff. I hear you and second the MJ UPF detector effect. I’ve still got half my Ferraro rocher left from Mother’s Day FFS! I’m probably having an easier time with getting used to not having UPFs as much as I love meat, fish, nuts and even Greek yogurt. Bit sad that I couldn’t drink a hot chocolate the other day as it made me feel ill it was so sweet.

@Flamethrowers

@Flamethrowers absolutely had the same experience, I’ve reached for so many upf snacks as “treats” and stopped after one bite because it just tasted… cardboardy, sickly-sweet, and I got zero pleasure from them. These were all things that I would get sucked into eating the whole tub in one sitting before.

That being said, I’m struggling with anhedonia as well and finding it hard to do any hobbies still. It’s better than the mild depression I had in the beginning of taking WLIs, now 3.5 months in I am definitely seeing a bit of improvement (at least I’m quite enjoying dressing up a bit, went to a wedding that I had more fun at than most other weddings despite it not being great objectively, I’m also less irritable around my kids which was a big issue in the early days).

Sorry to hear of anyone having struggles and not feeling motivated, can definitely relate but think that’s just being so tired atm! Half pound ON this week but I have noticed that the suppression has barely been here this week, today I’ve woken up actually starving which I didn’t even ever have before MJ. Might move the jab to tonight instead of tomorrow and inject 6.25 instead of 5. Wanted to stay at 5 as long as possible but accepting next pen I’ll probably need to move up as it’s not working as it once did. I am on W16 though so not too bad. Onwards we move 😂

@Flamethrowersmy 16 year old is consuming an enormous amount of protein at the moment - he is a good rugby player and is building in the off season. Things he eats in a day which are not high in lactose are:

breakfast
scrambled eggs with salmon and spinach
protein shake (assuming you are using vegan version)
collagen in orange juice

snack:
dates and peanut butter
apple and peanut butter
flavoured chicken packs or homemade versions

lunch:
homemade Greek yogurt flatbread with chicken mince, lots of seasoning, sometimes topped with poached eggs and harissa. Normally some raw veg/salad on the side if I am around.

dinner:
salmon and veg or cod and veg (if he is training or match the next day he will have rice as well)
beef mince or steak

snack:
protein shake or homemade protein ice cream
fruit
smoothie with banana, almond milk, protein powder

he eats a variety of this consistently with high calorie less healthy snacks of chocolate, crisps and puddings plus pizza post matches or tough training sessions. Generally aims at 150-200grams of protein a day. His basic meals are fairly low calorie and healthy, luckily he is not a foodie and doesn’t like spice as they do get somewhat boring and repetitive if you actually like food.

Start Weight MJ: 15st 0lbs
Goal Weight: Undecided

Current Weight: 13st 6.4
Loss on MJ: 1st 7.6lbs (21.6lbs)

Week 16: 0.9lbs (2.5mg)

Weigh loss still going with around a pound a week - I’ll take that. I am feeling more interested in snacking but there is definite willpower being involved now as I’d like to stay on as low a dose as possible.

I’ve been looking at my weight loss each month, and going away in June for 2 breaks (so far, another is planned for this coming weekend) has definitely not helped, although I remember being around this weight for some time in my thirties so maybe it’s a reset point?

I’ve also been making a point of having a bowl of psyllium husks, chia seeds and Greek yoghurt daily (as well as the fruit and veg I was already eating) to get my fibre intake up to 30g a day and I think the ache on my left side is decreasing. Since all my bloods have come back fine, the next explanation was some sort of bowel inflammation.

The foxes in my garden regularly scoot their bums across the grass because of their worms so I’d not be tempted by their meat 🤢

Hi everyone, I've just had a pen dispatched to royal mail, I'd like to pick it up from the post office, but I can't find that option, do I have to wait until royal mail receive it?to change it. Thanks

@Chilldrill yes, I think you have to wait for the notification with “your package will be delivered on <day>, if you’re not going to be in <click here> for options”

Hi everyone, just had a long read through the thread to catch up as I've been away with work since Thursday night. Unfortunately suppression was almost non existent and I didn't have a lot of control over how much I ate with work while away so I'm expecting this to be a gain week when I weigh on Wednesday. I did manage to stay clear of all the pastries, cakes etc provided by the caterers but I haven't had nearly enough fruit or veg. I'm actually looking forward to getting back on track now I'm home!

I think I'm not really feeling the suppression on 5mg anymore but I have a pen to finish and another one in the fridge. Ideally I don't want to go up to 7.5mg as I want to try to titrate down after my next pen with a view to stopping in two or three months. But I suppose we shall see what the scales are saying when I'm halfway through my next pen and then I can make a decision. I really don't want to rely on the suppression and would prefer as low a dose as possible to prepare me for maintenance. But I need to balance that with feeling like the cost of the pens are worth it in terms of weight loss.

I injected in my upper arm yesterday (feels a bit retro typing this as I haven't seen anyone discussing injection sites for ages) and I have high suppression today. Drinking endless mugs of tea as I can't face lunch.

Might be worth a try, @GameOfJones?

Guys, tip for a sweet tooth- I know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea but these sherbet flying saucers are just 66 calories for the whole bag!

They’re a blast from the past. I bet they cost more than 1/2p each now 😀

Oh, @TryingMJ those take me right back!! 😍

@GiveMeWordGames @Justformounjaro @TryingMJ Me too!

@TryingMJ i can still feel one stuck to the roof of my mouth, a lifetime later

Good evening everyone, it was post holiday weighing day for me and I’m really pleased to say that after two weeks away of living in hotels, eating cooked breakfast every morning, dinner with wine and cocktails in restaurants every night, I only put on 2lb.

i’m chuffed to bits with this, I really enjoyed my holiday and I have no guilt about putting 2lb on. I injected before I left, but didn’t take my pen with me because I’ve been suffering with quite bad side-effects and didn’t want this on holiday. I had pretty good suppression especially for the first week, and a bit less for the second week.

i’m back on it today having jabbed last night. I’m going to track everything I eat for a few weeks to make sure I’m in the zone, as I really want to push through to the end of the summer with a good weight loss. I’ve had to drop down from 7.5 mg to 5 mg because I just couldn’t tolerate the higher dose. I feel okay about this but do think I will need to use a bit more willpower to ensure I keep losing at a steady pace.

It’s good to read how everybody is getting on, sorry to hear that some people are struggling a bit, I don’t think MJ is the easiest thing to do. It certainly has its challenges on top of the things that life throws at us anyway. I hope everyone has a good week this week.

I have a strange desire for flying saucer now.

Dear all - thanks for yoj advice and support yesterday, and for saving the foxes life (poo plus worms turned me off him...). I really appreciate it. Thank you @Puddingpiper for your son's inspo food tips.

In NSV: third time lucky! I returned one bra to rugby and peller and this time the fitter didn't try and gaslight me into wearing something that flattened and squeezed my boobs, squashed my back and felt like a steel band round my chest. Now I have a 34 E which is deliciously comfortable - though I do have to go back a fourth time to return the other one (which she said she will take without the tags). While I was standing in the waiting room in my bra and knickers, I looked at my reflection and there was my younger body looking back: not as toned admittedly but I did think - 'not so shabby' - and that cheered me up.

as for the food related (and even slightly life related) anhedonia - I had a long conversation yesterday with my friend Chat who says that my general flattening or lack of anticipatory excitement - the steady energy as opposed to the 'hang on for dear life' gusto I normally live with - is likely amplified by my unmedicated adhd. Mounjaro acts on the reward system and dampens the dopamine effect and people with adhd already have an issue with dopamine production. This effect would likely be even more pronounced if I go up a dose so I feel even more committed to seeing this last five pounds out at 2.5. I did get a lot of dire warnings from chat about the difficulties of maintenance once I scale back the drug and I am faced with a full on return of my enthusiastic and unstructured adhd self.

so I shall push on - thrust upwards and onwards by my new bra and your support . Thank you!

Just sharing that I ordered a new pen yesterday (going up to 10 mg) and my supplier ZAVA has had a delay of 4-6 days last few weeks , today got a notification that the delay has increased to 6-8 days

just sharing for awareness to ensure you order your jabs on time. especially now that GP’s can prescribe jabs for weightloss (even if the criteria is ridiculous) , also lower doses are now cheaper then when we started which means more are taking them