Mounjaro October starters - Thread 8!

[HansHolbein]

Carry on losers!

It's a difficult one as we went up for a reason, because the suppression wore off, so I'm concerned that as soon as I drop down from 15mg I'll be ravenous, especially with insulin resistance which developed to prediabetes for me. I might drop down slowly to 10mg and see how I get on but I don't really want to be on meds forever and feel like I've already changed a lot of what I eat.
if I stay on protein shakes for breakfast and a high protein yoghurt daily, it may fill me up for longer.

@TheChosenTwo its a sad day when you feel you have to fight your corner and push for the help you need but unfortunately that seems to be a common theme. I’ve certainly had my share of having to do the same. I’ve also had some incredible supportive care within the NHS. Sometimes getting to and past the doctor is the hardest thing. I’m the same with seeing a doctor now, don’t know who my doctor is anymore as I never get to see him. Practice is split over two sites which are across town from each other and you just seem to get an appointment with any doctor (usually one who knows nothing of your medical history) so you do need to be aware of all possible related conditions etc. It’s fine if you’re fully cognisant and confident but I do wonder about more vulnerable people. Obviously you need a scan and although, news will be good and it will make you feel better, that’s not why you need a scan!

As for dropping back down with MJ - hopefully you’ll find you are able to manage any hunger gradually as you titrate down. Find foods that satisfy you for longer (high protein) and keep up all the positive changes you’ve made along the way. 🙌💕 You can do this - we all can 💕🙌

Thank you @WildOneWalker - I’ve had very little cause to go to the doctors in my adult life, probably 7 or 8 times in 25 years - not a frequent flier by any means! So I was quite taken aback a bit really.

And yes I will have to work very very hard when I start titrating down; the insulin resistance won’t have magically fixed itself 😭

I thought this but then I read mounjaro, weight loss and better diet increases your sensitivity to insulin long term as it adapts your body. So I'm interested to see if my insulin resistance is reversed. I do feel my prediabetes has resolved as I no longer have the symptoms of unstable blood sugars and haven't since on 10mg.

Oh wow @Histoscientist - that’s really interesting, I haven’t come across anything like that so will get researching,
thanks.
i think I would prefer the security of knowing I can maintain this slightly longer term rather than coming off MJ immediately and see what happens.

It was on an Oushk live video by the owner. I've read this before too online but can't remember the source and was also mentioned to me at my maintenance consultation that it can reverse insulin sensitivity.

@TheChosenTwo I just read this on a post "Higher protein and reduced carb increases the body's own GLP1" and completely forgotten I'd read this on an Oushk newsletter too.

@Histoscientist thats a great equation to bear in mind - keep the protein high and the carbs low which is what I’m trying do - I’d love to think my natural GLP1 was increasing - isn’t it a shame we can’t measure it! For anyone who didn’t catch my earlier post - I had to change my username - couldn’t find old account - it was weird ?so @wildonewalker is @evk !! I’m one and the same.

Hope everyone's ok. I haven't has time to catch properly but thought id let people know what's going on with a friend.

She's been on MJ since late December, she started getting awful pains recently so went to a&e twice. The second time they admitted her and ran tests. They found that she developed gallstones and pancreatitis but not only that she had high markers for something wrong with her liver too which is now being monitored.

I feel so sorry for her as she has done so well and lost 3 stone but they have obviously told her to stop taking MJ.

Best wishes to your friend @Fizzleawayyy1 a relative of mine has had liver issues as well that had meant they had to stop MJ after a 4 stone loss.

I had a set of routine bloods for my new GP surgery and luckily no issues were shown, so I am still carrying on.

Hi all, question for you and hopefully some advice for me please

After going from a size 16/18 to a size 10 howcan I loose this belly? I kid you not, face, arms legs all shrunk, my bum is non existent but how is it possible I still have a belly? I see loads of people on Tiktok who lost similar amount and do not have this issue. I exercise 4 x a week and am clearly missing something. I think what set me off is the fact I bought a size 10 jeans and cannot even fasten them up!!!! Thanks folks in advance

@Fizzleawayyy1 that’s my biggest fear - your poor friend - what kind of pains was she getting and any underlying issues or totally due to MJ - it really does freak me out!! It’s the thing that most motivated me to stop using it - throughout my whole time on MJ I’ve been paranoid about serious side effects which I’m sure you all remember - so when I hear something like that it really drives it home. How is your friend now? I really hope all will be well for her. So many issues for her - she must be devastated.

@Gilly1C I have exactly the same issue, I have dropped 5 stone from a size 20 to a loose 12, but I still have a big belly. I think I may have to accept and embrace it, because if the rest of me gets smaller I get saggier, more creepy skin. It’s frustrating though.
@Fizzleawayyy1 I had my first really negative and judgemental comment this week about my use of MJ and the damage it will be doing to me, it shook me a bit, however I have ti have my bloods done every 6 months and results were in yesterday, including the pancreas. Everything is much better than it was 12 months ago, so that has put my mind at rest. I’ve technically reached my goal, so now deliberating the belly issue v losing another half stone. Do I try to maintain for 4 weeks before my AI holiday, or do I try to get another couple of pounds off before then? I’m on a maintenance plan with my provider so can only lose another 7lbs to stay within their tolerance.

@DeltaAlphaDelta79 I'm also still taking my MJ and no plans to stop! Although I am debating asking the GP for some blood tests to test my iron levels etc and Il ask for other stuff to be included while I'm there.

@Gilly1C I dont think this is what you will want to hear but is that just your figure? for example I have bigger hips and ass but my stomach is flat and was the first thing to go but when iv been slimmer before I always carried my weight on my ass and hips then too so its just gone back to how it was before?

@WildOneWalker she just described it as a pain in her stomach and chest when she breathed. She didn't have any health issues before and shes never took any medication. She's only 32. Her sister however already had gallstones years ago and had to have them removed so maybe there is some sort of genetic link or intolerance already that runs in her genetics?

@Taxiparent We got to ignore the haters, so far I haven't had any neg comments. Personally I would probably try and lose a couple as I know that I would 100% gain at a AI resort ha ha

Hope everyone's well. I'm just trying to maintain over the last week and next week before I push through again as I have so much on. Taking my son to Disneyland next week which I'm really looking forward too then its 100% back on the wagon for shift the last stone and a half! (maybe even 2 stone)

@Fizzleawayyy1 thanks for the info about your friend...scary stuff... For me it partly serves as a reminder to drink plenty of water and also to eat sensibly. Here is my thinking...for my own accountability as much as anything.

Hydration is so important for keeping bodily functions on track, and it is so easy to lose sight of that. It is also on all of the advisories for MJ..I assume for a big reason!

Up to my 30's I was one of those people who, quite honestly, never felt hungry. I could eat what I fancied but I also missed meals (and not just one!) without noticing. In my teens I was pretty under weight and my mother left out every article about anorexia 'tactfully', I was also taken to the GP for spurious reasons that I now know were about getting me checked over..Luckily for me it really was nothing more than not being hungry...but I remained on the very lowest end of the current healthy BMI zone until in my mid 30s it all started to change and then went downhill in my 40s. I know that 50kg at 164cm, for me as an adult really doesn't look healthy, and I'm hanging up the MJ when I finish what I have in stock... Hopefully I will have crept down to the upper end of the healthy BMI at approx 65kg...it will be my lowest since mid 30s. It is then up to me to stay accountable to myself and remain healthy.

I now feel the same indifference about food that I had then. So I know that I could easily slip back in to missing meals, and whilst I've never been much of a breakfast eater, I am really watching that I don't get in to the habit of then missing lunch too.

Eating the right things at the right intervals is soooo important for ensuring that your body functions as it should/needs to. The digestive system needs to be looked after and maintained well...I have read a lot about this over the last year.

I'm not suggesting that your friend did or didn't do something, rather that hearing her story serves as a reminder to me to make every effort to look after my body as well as I can both now and in the future... Hopefully it is those good habits which will serve me well going forward....I'm trying hard to get it right

Not posted for a while. My slow losses are getting slower but I'm another lb down. I'm getting worried that I'm undereating, I'm not eating much at all these days but I'm really off food. It takes a big push to eat anything. This past week, I've had a lot of hair loss, thankfully I do have lots of thick hair so I can take it but it's worrying.

I need a plan to eat small nutritious meals throughout the day.

@LumionaMoonsplash yes - please do eat regularly and nutritious food as your hair needs it. Hair loss could either be part of normal shedding/growth cycle or could be that your undernourished. @Fizzleawayyy1 so Young, your poor friend. Makes me think very seriously about coming off now - think I need to but it’s hard to- kind of feel I want to carry on as don’t want to gain but at the same time feel like I’m on borrowed time !!! I’m maintaining at 8.7lbs on 2.5mgs - have a 5mgs in fridge which it seems wasteful to not use so maybe when I come back from holiday (I have 3 weeks away in 29
days time) i could do half doses of that pen and then hang up the MJ support and try again on my own. I’ve not been feeling great - migraines, dizziness and very tired - think I need to see how I am without MJ in my system, could I be low on iron? Maybe I should ask for blood tests ? I feel guilty asking for it but would love to check my pancreas is functioning well - is that via a blood test ?

@igivein Thank you, but I must give all credit to Mounjaro! Over my dead body will I ever be parted from it!

@HappyNewt Thank you so much.

@lapuf Bless you, thank you very much. I can't quite believe it. Haha your jawline has outed you - that's quite funny, in a good way of course! So glad you're still maintaining and I hope you're feeling better now.

@WildOneWalker Hi EVK! I can't believe it either?! I keep thinking it will be over soon and I'll wake up tomorrow and it would have been just a lovely dream... You poor thing, what an ordeal you've been through. Really sorry to read that. How are you today? Is there anything to help with the OM? No harm in asking for some bloods. Peace of mind would be nice.

@TheChosenTwo Thank you so much. What a completely ignorant GP. Completely ignorant. 'Gastric symptoms' - oh fuck off! We know our bodies best, we know when something is wrong! It's a bit like when you go to the GP for something and they put it down to your weight, or tell you to lose weight and see if that will help... I wonder if they will start using MJ as the new excuse to fob you off. What a bloody shame. Good on you for persisting. I would not have been impressed at all.

@Histoscientist Thank you very much. I must say, I really enjoy reading your posts all over MN. Always full of great information, thank you. I have two doses left of 15mg, then on to 12.5mg. I am still loosing so definitely need to be working my way down.

@Fizzleawayyy1 Your poor friend. She must feel dreadful. How are things now? Have an amazing time at Disneyland!

@Taxiparent Very glad to hear your blood results are good - makes it all worth it. Hmm, I would probably try and lose a couple of pounds - only because I always put on weight on holiday. A little buffer might be good, perhaps.

@LumionaMoonsplash I would track calories for a few days. Don't change anything intentionally, just see what your intake is. I am also indifferent to food. Everything is rather boring, so I do have to make a conscious effort to eat. There is no way I can eat big volumes of food so I hit my calorie goal with nuts, FF cottage cheese, FF greek yogurt, cheese... stuff like that.

I'm now 8st 3lbs, BMI 19.4... definitely time to start dropping the doses. I might try and take less from my next 15mg pen. I've had a couple of comments this week. 'Gaunt' and 'hollow' to name a couple. Difficult for me to see it myself, but I trust the people who said it to me. On the positive side, I have some lovely new bras!

Anyway, hope everyone is ok. Weather is going to be more bearable this week! Love to all x

@HansHolbein i still marvel at both your weight loss and ability to reply to everyone so beautifully 🩷💕 incredible. I’m feeling ok thanks - just wiped out and still have background headache- nothing to be done about the OM unless they become more frequent in which case it’s prescribed beta blockers or some other medications I don’t fancy so I’ll learn to live with whatever comes. It may be that they rarely happen so fingers crossed. In the grand scheme of things and compared to dealing with breast cancer (I had several years ago) it’s nothing and many people have to cope with a lot worse so I won’t bleat on any more 😅 How tall are you ? 8.3 with BMI of 19.4 sounds pretty thin. I’m 5:2 and weigh 8.7 and I feel like I’m at a good weight for my height - don’t know what my BMI is? Think I’d start to look gaunt if I got much thinner - at least that’s one problem which wouldn’t be hard to fix ! Being back on a low dose has been been great and I’m enjoying food - don’t experience that lack of interest or enjoyment. So maybe once you come back down from higher doses that will be something which hopefully returns for you. It’s really nice to enjoy meals and look forward to eating something healthy. @TheChosenTwo how are you doing ? @HappyNewt - I’ve taken my eye off the hydration a bit lately and definitely need to make sure I’m drinking enough water. I was really on it for ages but I s slipped a bit. Need to go. A I to keeping a 2litre jug of water out so I can monitor how much I’m drinking that seems to work for me. Good luck with coming off MJ - we will be doing that around the same time. @fizzleaway what’s made you want to check iron levels and let me know how you get mom with asking for bloods to check health of pancreas etc. @Gilly1C do you have a ‘mummy tummy’? I’m not sure there’s much you can do to shrink loose,
stretched skin? Pilates abdominal exercises? Cut down on hight GI foods? Stick to protein and veggies/salad? Which I expect you’re doing ? Not sure what else there is apart from tummy tuck !!! Drastic measure !!! Although I see Oushk are sending out questionnaires about surgery for sagging skin on stomach, arms and neck !! @Histoscientist ues - always love your reading and info - natural
GLP elevation with high protein and low carb diets is one I’d like to check out. 👍

Sunday again so I’ve to weigh in.
After several weeks of losing 1lb I’m 3lbs down this week (huzzah!) - I think I may have been holding onto water whilst the weather’s been so hot.

SW 20st 2lbs
CW 13st 5lbs

As of today, my bmi is now 29.8, so for the first time in recorded history (well since I first found out what bmi was and worked mine out - which is over 25 years ago) I am overweight rather than obese. If I pitched up today as a newby I wouldn’t be eligible for MJ. It really just doesn’t compute!

Wonderful new @igivein - the weight limit is crazy - but guess it depends on BMI - I was 11.7lbs and obese so height matters ! I’ve ordered a height chart so when I have my maintenance call I can verify it. Another week! 3lbs at this stage in the game is great going 🙌

@HansHolbein I also love reading your posts too. I've been off work this week so I've been on MN more often. As well as sorting out my garden, painting my kitchen, getting a hair revamp of 3 inches cut off the bottom, pedicure and a back massage.
I do try to help the newbies and I think that when we started there wasn't as many who had go to the end of their journeys with lots of experience and if someone had given me tips then it may have speeded my journey up and also helped me, for example with the feeling low and dopamine. I did suffer badly with it for 8 months and was like a zombie.
Ooh your bmi 19.4 is getting low but I am in awe as to how much you have lost and how much you are still losing at a lower bmi. I guess when it's habit to eat the same as you have been doing to lose, its easier to lose than maintain.
I haven't shifted this week but it is my period and at least I haven't gained! I don't think I'm eating enough, I had 850 cals on Friday, 1004 yesterday but then I'm not exercising so don't want to eat more yet.
What is your daily calorie consumption? While you are still using up the 15mg, have you thought of doing it every 8 or 9 days for now to reduce the concentration?
I'm on my 2nd week of 15mg and it's quite high suppression and struggling to eat hence the low cals. I've got another 15mg pen in fridge and then might order another before starting to taper down.
@WildOneWalker the low carb works well for me having started with prediabetes, shame I didn't find this out until 2 months ago, otherwise I may have cut down carbs years ago. GPs are too busy treating patients to think about prevention, if they had used the nhs app correctly years ago I could've clocked it on there myself.
You've also done wonderfully, 8st 7lbs is brilliant. I'm so envious of you all. I'm 5ft 3" currently 10st 0.4lbs bmi 24.8 think I'll carry on until bmi 24 then taper down.
@igivein congrats on getting to overweight and with losing so much weight so far, that's a massive amount! 👏

I do need to do some exercise. Are any of you on here exercising and if so what type? I just find it difficult on the low calories and especially when I'm at work and set off at 7.15am and get home at 6.30pm. But I do want to eventually try coming off the jabs just to see if I can do it myself and because my high blood sugar symptoms have all gone so I'm hoping I won't go back to the carb cravings like before.

@Histoscientist its tough when you’re working long hours to squeeze in anything else ! Maybe invest in a Pilates course online which you can use when you’re at home. I walk a lot (have a dog) always do hills and walk fast, at least 5k a day but often much further. I also do Pilates once a week which is great but I now need to get back to the gym and/or do more Pilates at home so I’m also looking for something online I can use. Low carb/no refined carbs has done for me and always has been the answer to my weight gain and loss - it’s just getting used to life without them but once you do bingo - game changer. I really must try some of the mood/cognitive enhancing L-tyrosine? Think it could help me - although what I’ve read it’s supposed to be a short term thing for periods of intense stress? Apparently if we eat lots of fish, cheese, dairy, pulses, meat (I don’t eat) and eggs we should have enough of it ?! But , good to support you through a short stressful time. I’d like to see if it would make any difference to me out of interest more than anything!! Need to rebut my supplements so will have to check it out. Keep going @Histoscientist snd you’ll soon drop out of the 10’s which will feel great. 😊

Morning all

W39
SW 17'10
CW 14'10

Bugger all to report today! Stayed the same this week.

15mg is still barely causing suppression, or side effects and I have been very snack-ish this week, had a couple of thick milkshakes with whipped cream and a takeaway, so I suppose staying the same weight is a win!

Keep going everyone!

It’s a pain when this happens isn’t it? Hope it’s better for you this week.