I lost 7 stone on MJ and had an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) .. to me it IS a miracle drug.

[Slimagain]

I can’t believe how much my life has changed. This drug has changed my life. I was a really fat sad human .. I was a slim child, slim teenager with lots of sport in my life .. but my last pregnancy at 39 changed all that. I developed an underactive thyroid which went undiagnosed for 3 years. Went from 8st to 16 st in 3 years.. and just increased.. and I became a fat inactive blob.

My actus recti muscles separated and I just looked 7 months pregnant for the whole of my 50s .. I was lucky enough to qualify for weight loss surgery on the NHS and took my (by then ) huge weight back down to 15st from 21st.. but there I stayed .. until MJ .. I reached goal in November after 21 miserable years of obesity, I am back to me. I feel like I had been trapped in an alien body for two decades.

I no longer start the day with a handful of drugs to keep me from having a stroke. Even my thyroid medication has reduced. Instead I am riding again three times a week and take the opportunity to walk whenever the opportunity presents itself. I now park at the far end of the supermarket rather than try to find the closest space to spare the pain I used to have in my knees ..
I even played tennis yesterday for the first time in 20 years.

Before this I had done the nhs tier 4 weight loss service. (Unbelievably useless and infantile - yes I do know a Cornish pasty has more calories than a salad !) ..
Also God knows how much time and money at weight watchers/slimming world/ Cambridge diet /Atkins/Keto/ fasting .. you name , I’ve done it ..

After 7 months at goal I treated myself to a tummy tuck as had rolls of excess skin. I now just get up in the morning and put on clothes that I like - rather than spend hours trying to find something to wear that doesn’t make me look like a ship in full sail.. best of all , I like me again .which has had a hugely positive effect on my whole family. It has literally given me a complete new lease of life and I am so thankful to the amazing scientists who made this possible.

Anyone else out there with similar life changing experiences from this incredible medical breakthrough ?

AIBU when I say this IS in fact a miracle drug ?

I'm currently 5 stone down on it - have got off OK ish so far with loose skin and I won't be able to afford surgery anyway so it's a good job. Down from 24 1/2 stone to a pound or so over 19 stone and down from a size 28 to a 22 so far.

Life changing. I pay for the drug, never even bothered trying to ask the NHS for help with it because although I was massively overweight, I'd generally escaped the usual comorbidities and was pretty physically healthy apart from mobility issues which were really starting to creep in and why I took the decision to do it.

Congratulations! The biggest congrats going to keep it off.

I was on MJ reached goal and have put half a stone back on within months. The hunger really has hit hard and the food noise is back. Can you share some tips? I'm doing my best to lose it again, but my tummy is constantly rumbling!

I took have excess skin, mainly my arms. I think I just need to suck it up.

Me too OP. I'm not at my goal yet but I've lost almost 7 stone now and am in the overweight category from a BMI of 43. From the first injection I feel like it fixed something in me. I've still needed to pay attention to what I eat but it's been a climbable mountain rather than an utterly impossible task.

Over the years I have done so, so many diets, lifestyle changes, whatever you want to call it and managed to lose the same 5 stone repeatedly. Slim people would advise me on how to lose weight without understanding I was a fucking expert in how to lose weight! Each time was fraught with horrendous hunger and needed more effort than was sustainable. This time it has felt realistic and doable throughout. WLI has completely changed my life. My kids are so happy that I'm prepared to be in photos with them now instead of hiding away.

I realise that maintenance is going to need it's own strategy and suspect I'll need to stay on a low dose or take intermittently.

I’m definitely insulin resistant after 20 years of yo-yo dieting . GP confirmed this and although wasn’t able to prescribe it (didn’t expect them to - I know the NICE guidelines) .. they were incredibly supportive.. not least because the GP himself was on it ! .. I stay at my healthy weight on a maintenance program. For me that’s 7.5mg. On the surface that’s expensive every 5 weeks (£135) .. but I save about £100 of that on no snacks, coffees, huge food portions . Eat a LOT more veggies which I am lucky enough to be able to grow myself.. now I have the energy to do it…

Agree there has been a significant offsetting to the cost. As well as food savings I've gone from being a regular (albeit not really excessive) wine drinker to practically teetotal. Again, it was just like a switch was flicked when I did my first injection. I just don't really feel like it now.

I've lost a large amount on MJ too - 35% of my starting weight - I have around another half a stone to go. It is totally life changing and like you I have spent thousands of pounds and expended so much effort over the years but living with the constant craving and hunger was impossible long term. I also plan to stay on a maintenance dose long term - I don't feel I will succeed in keeping it off otherwise. Am also considering surgery. It is a huge miracle drug and will help to keep the NHS afloat in my opinion. I find it ironic that all the people who for years said they were intolerant to fat people because of the cost to the NHS and also the same people who don't think we should be using the medication!

Well done on your hard work 💕

I wonder sometimes if some of those who are filled with hate for fat people are angry that they can't recognise us so easily now! I'm a terrible fatty in an increasingly effective disguise 🤣

I had an ice cream earlier and it felt odd not being the fatty at the ice cream van! She's there still but like you say harder to recognise 😂

So happy for you OP! I'm lurking on this thread as I'm considering using WLI, I have a few friends who have been really successful. I've been going to Slimming World for over a year & had lost 2 stone but I'm currently yo yoing & can't seem to keep on track. X

I love this for you, OP!

I’ve lost 5.5 stone on it and it has absolutely changed my life. My husband has lost 7 stone. I’ve never had so much energy, been so healthy (well except for the gallstones but I already had those, losing weight just made them angrier!), and felt so good about myself. I’m almost 40 and I feel better than I did 20 years ago.

Just wanted to say that I’m absolutely delighted for you. Well done! 👏

I'm just waiting now for the onslaught of posters who are worried for our long term health on WLI and who reckon we would have all done better to just eat less and move more!

If they come we’ll fuck them off 😂 food noise is real, people have been using these drugs for years with no ill effects and it still takes hard work and dedication to change habits of a lifetime, all the jab does is take away the constant compulsion to over eat. Well done to all that have lost weight and improved their health and self esteem

I’ve had a few people say ‘aren’t you worried about staying on a medication to keep you thin’ … my response has always been ‘were you worried about the sheer amount of medication I was on to prevent a stroke ‘ bp meds , statins.. steroids injections for knees.. to name but a few .. I would much rather be on a drug that keeps my bp and cholesterol in the green zone than be on drugs that try to prevent catastrophic health issues while BP and cholesterol are in the red zone .. a no brainer surely ?

Congratulations! Were you sleeved or bypassed? I researched a lot and went for a bypass, but I’m still 17lbs off a healthy bmi 2 years on. I’m aware bmi is bonkers, I’m 5ft8 and 12st8, having started at 23st11.

I’d love to lose another stone, but I don’t think I’m brave enough for a tummy tuck, although I stalk a Lithuanian plastic surgery site which has great reviews. I might get an arm lift, my bingo wings will never see the light of day!

Tummy tuck is quite the Op though .. I am massively pleased with the result (had it in Thailand as I speak the language and know the health system so wasn’t worried about the abroad bit ) but my God.. it’s not a walk in the park .. but Jeeeez ..anyone contemplating it .. it’s quite the thing . not so much the hip to hip incision, but sewing your muscles back to where they should have been for twenty years is like wearing an internal corset 😂)

I totally agree. The drugs have been around a long time for safety studies to be done but regardless I need to look at the comparitive risk of being class 3 obese.

My first couple of months on MJ I was really emotional about it. I'd spent decades hating myself for my "lack of willpower", seeing what others projected on me, hiding away as much as I could. Immediately on my first dose (I know that's not supposed to be therapeutic) I felt like this is how people without weight issues must feel. Sure, I need to be conscious of what I eat but it's not insurmountable. I felt vindicated tbh and still do. I am using a medical solution to a medical problem and I bloody love it.

Can you still get prescribed a maintenance dose once you reach a healthy weight?

I’m on the start of my MJ journey, but already thinking ahead!!

Once I was about to dip below BMI 30 I moved to Oushk specifically because of this. Their maintenance allows you to taper dosing or try without but pay a subscription to restart if you need to.

If it were that simple people wouldn’t be overweight (as you know). I just opened thread to see what it’s about, I’m lucky that I’m not prone to being overweight but my sisters are and it can make them miserable. People need to consider the mental health benefits too for someone who just feels so much better about themselves.

Well done to OP and others, more power to you!

I was sleeved .. it was good and I am eternally grateful to the NHS despite having to jump through the infantilisation of tier 4 .. where I had to sit through 4 months of extremely overweight dieticians telling me about the calories in a sausage roll..vs a courgette. I think like most people suffering from obesity - we can name the calories in most food sources at a 100m …

I have not taken these drugs but I lost 5stone and got fit in my 40’s and it was the best thing I ever did for myself, I literally am so happy every day at how good I feel and I have so much confidence

I do have to work out almost every day to stay in shape and I still watch what I eat. There is no other way to maintain it I’m afraid

When you said you were back riding I got a little thrill, I’m 45 and hoping to get back soon. Congratulations op x

I can honestly say Mj has changed my life, I’ve lost weight naturally In the past but never been able to get past a certain point (usually 6 months of dieting and weightloss before I fall off) mj has cut all food noise and made this journey so much more manageable for me. No regrets what so ever

That being said I just want to remind everyone to always get from a reputable pharmacy, please don’t ever buy these slimming injections from Facebook or any other dodgy dealers thinking you are getting a bargain, you don’t know what’s in them and those selling them have no clue about the correct dosages etc to take. I know of a few ladies that have died from these recently please don’t take the risk x