Does everyone change their diet with MJ?

[BigFreeze]

Curious if I’m the only one who doesn’t. I eat like I have done all my life but just in a lot smaller quantities! My reasoning is because I think this will be more sustainable long-term. We’ve always got a weekly takeaway and I still do that, but I probably have a quarter of what I would usually eat. I still go to Starbucks. I still order dessert at restaurants but share or get a mini version. I’m losing weight consistently. However, I see people on here changing their diets and focusing on protein etc. Should I change how I eat or is this okay?

If you still enjoy 'treats' all that will happen when you stop the glp1 is that you will go back to eating them in excess again and gain weight. You will also be in a negative position from when you started as you will have lost both muscle and fat which will have reduced your metabolism meaning you can eat less than when you started.

The only effective approach (unless you are prepared to be on them for life) is to prioritise protein and resistance training to maintain muscle and retrain you body to crave the foods that get it to naturally produce glp1, generally high fibre whole foods.

Only 3 months so far. Maybe I will follow in your footsteps and eventually get there. I guess the point of my post was a bit of a panic as I didn’t think what I was doing was what I should be doing!

Suggest you Rlread food noise by Jack Moseley to better under the overfed yet undernourished concept. If you don't consume sufficient protein for instance then your weightloss is likely to be fat loss plus muscle/ lean protein loss too which can be a problem long term. Muscle burns more calories which helps sustain metabolic rate and weight loss long term. It's a really good read and explains why long-term dietary changes may benefit those on WLI.

It's no secret that weight loss is almost entirely based on calories in v calories out. The mounjaro is suppressing your appetite so you're eating less. That's exactly what is required for weight loss.

Whether it's healthy for your body is of course another matter (the answer is no). The best thing would be to change your diet to be balanced and healthy, including plenty of fruit, veg and protein. But if weight loss - rather than overall health - is your sole goal, of course you can do it your way.

You’ve just described basically how I eat. I ate like this prior to WLI but just bigger portions of everything. However I do have snacks but not every day.

Maybe I’m not the norm here but I didn’t think a weekly takeaway was that bad. I think people think the word takeaway means greasy, fatty food but this isn’t what I’m necessarily saying. Like you I order the “healthier” versions but this isn’t a change I’ve made, I’ve always eaten this way, but too much of it.

From some of the posts I’ve read, this is the wrong thing to be doing

I am definitely more mindful of what I eat. I make sure I eat protein and drink plenty of water, two habits I hope to keep up, and I have hugely reduced my carbs, which I will find more difficult when i stop and the cravings return. Generally I eat the same dinners that I always have including takeaways, I just eat less. I stopped buying crisps and sweet stuff before I started mounjoro, that is something I will continue, if it's not there I can't eat it.

Surely the weight will pile back on? Your appetite will come back. Even on mounjaro appetite suppression can wane over time. You haven’t changed your lifestyle you’ve just temporarily dampened down your hunger. I’m not trying to sound harsh - it’s not too late (as you’re doing now) to think about other approaches.

I honestly dont know, I cant afford to stay on it indefinitely, but if the price came down significantly I would. I love the lack of food noise/loud cravings and not binging.
Ive still got a bit over 2 stone to go. I think realistically when i get to goal I'll go back to calories counting and weighing things if my weight starts going up, hopefully the 80/20 rule will stop the binges as I wont feel fully deprived, at the moment i estimate I'm having a 90 /10 split.
If I'm wrong then its back onto mounjaro and hope a affordable generic tablet version comes onto the market sooner rather than later!
Its tricky isnt it?!

It is tricky. I see mj as my main investment in me but I'm lucky I can afford it without too much pain and plan to be on it long term. I'm also hoping for a pill form as I dislike injecting myself and get an itchy reaction at the site. Cheaper would be amazing and give access to this life changing treatment to so many more people. It's incredible to think what it could do for our health as a population.

I’m sure I read on here somewhere there looks I be an oral medication coming… not sure how legit that is though

Yes I’m fortunate that I can afford it, but I still think £150-£200 per 4 weeks is a lot. That’s what I pay for gas and electric! Like you say though, it’s an investment in yourself. Less than £200 to probably extend your life and reduce health issues.

If someone asked me years ago, what price would you pay to lose 10-14lbs per month almost effortlessly, I would have probably said more than this!

Not necessarily wrong, none of us are experts. But if you ate too much before MJ, what’s going to stop you eating too much after? How are you going to keep your portion sizes down when your appetite comes back? That was the key question for me. And the only way I could think of (and has worked for me as far as maintenance is concerned) is to change my diet so that I was eating more protein etc ensure I felt fuller on the foods I was eating.

You're right and that's such a good perspective on the cost. Here's hoping for a cheaper option so we can afford beach holidays to show off our new bikinis!

I don't think what I am doing is wrong. Food does not become bad just because someone else cooked it and then it was delivered to your house to enjoy. If you have a balanced diet with the nutrients you need and within your weekly maintenance/deficit calories there is nothing wrong with that.

The problem comes if we start drifting back into bad habits/choices/portion sizes creep back up - that can happen cooking at home or from a takeaway, but as long as you are aware of that, and it sounds like you are, I don't see the problem.

I barely had takeaways maybe once every few months before MJ and even less now, my downfall was insulin resistance and carbs and then prediabetes which made me a carb fanatic mainly crisps and chips.

OP Its great that you go for the healthier options of a takeaway, I had one for fathers day and got a chicken kebab and ate half of it but if you are choosing healthier options, then why did you gain weight and want to start mounjaro? There must be a habit of overeating so consuming more calories than burning and for some inactivity, metabolic conditions etc which contributes to it.

As others say, when you eventually go off mounjaro or taper down, your appetite will return and many people have gained weight and had to start back on it due to not changing their diet and lifestyle then second time round say they will have to.
I still have carbs but far much less than I used to and have increased my protein and water intake and i track all my food. When I have carbs I bloat up and I used to be constantly bloated before MJ and didn't know why. I also feel that if I have a taste of treats then I definitely crave more so it's easier to find better treats like nuts, high protein yoghurt etc

Also I have lost almost double the weight that my friend has lost in the same time, who hasn't changed her carb heavy diet with treats etc and is just eating smaller amounts due to appetite suppression and she started on half a stone less than me, she started at 12.5 stones i started at 13st 1lbs, she is now 11st and I am 10st 4lbs so I've lost 2st 11lbs and she has lost 1.5st. It really does make a difference in the weight loss itself and shown to make a difference in maintaining and avoiding gaining when coming off it.

The other thing I considered was this; whenever there’s any discussion about losing weight, the key message is ‘it has to be a lifestyle change rather than a diet, otherwise you’ll put the weight back on’. For me, just eating less (and only being able to eat less because I was taking a medication that made me less hungry) wasn’t a lifestyle change, and therefore the likelihood was that I’d put the weight back on again. So my MJ involved upping exercise, adding in strength training and overhauling my entire diet (which wasn’t hideous in the first place, but obviously wasn’t the best otherwise I wouldn’t have got fat).

Hi @Histoscientist I’ve already explained that before WLI I ate too much, even of healthier food. I can choose healthy options and still eat too much of it. Then on weekends if I went out for a meal, I would have a full dessert. Or 4 biscuits for a snack etc. I still have those things now but as much smaller portions. I haven’t changed my meals or snacks, I’m just eating less of it.

Yes this is true!

So you can continue as you are and see what happens after. Unfortunately I've read many posts from those not changing what they eat and regaining when appetite comes back. Those treats and increased volume of food will make a difference when your appetite comes back and you will revert back to habit, unless your body can naturally produce more GLP etc or you stay on a low dose forever. There is plans to bring out the tablet version next year in USA, not sure when we ill see it but it should be cheaper.

I’ve been on MJ since January and have lost 3 stone by just cutting out snacks and eating less of my normal diet, which wasn’t unhealthy, just large portions and snacking. I’ve still had a weekly pizza after grocery shopping on a Saturday. It’s worked ok so far, but my weight loss has stalled over the past few weeks and I’m now moving towards changing up what I eat and I’m going to count calories for a few weeks. My tastes are changing too. Last night we had our usual pizza but I just didn’t enjoy it like I used to. I didn’t want it and picked the toppings off. Likewise my husband enjoys a cooked breakfast on a Sunday and I’ve gone from having a smaller version, to not having a sausage as I don’t fancy one, to not really wanting a cooked breakfast. I have a lot of weight to lose so I’m ok with this gradual process. I don’t believe in denying myself anything as I know psychologically that makes me want it more, but I have made changes, eg, for an ice cream in this hot weather I’ve got Soleros in the freezer for me, leaving the Magnums for hubby, a rasher of bacon instead of a sausage, scrambled eggs instead of fried etc. I used to think ‘I’m so overweight that one bar of chocolate I want won’t make a difference’ but now I know all those small changes are adding up to make a difference.

I know, I just can’t imagine a life without unhealthy snacks 😆 like I can’t imagine never eating a biscuit ever again. Because if I eat 1, I’ll want 4. Or more.

The more I read, the more I think I should consider maintenance for the long-term. I’ll see where I’m at in 6 months, then 12 months.

Something I've done is try to go really slowly up the doses so I have to deal with hunger every day but it's just enough to take the edge off so I can gradually lose weight. I'm in for the long haul and have lost about half a stone a month for about 6 months now. Nearly at a healthy bmi!

Well done, congrats! I can only dream of a healthy BMI. Mine is currently 41 as I’m very short. I have been the opposite re the doses, but I do find myself using lots of willpower days 5,6 and 7 which is a mental challenge and I guess a preview for life after MJ

You'll get there. Have mini targets is my advice and suddenly you'll find the clothes you bought imagining you'd never fit into are feeling loose. Actually saying wine was my only remaining vice was a lie. It's Vinted and wine...often these are combined but I have very strict spending limits on there!

I think a mixture of the two. I do have ice cream, chocolate and crisps in moderation but within my calories and a takeaway on a Friday. It's not eating pizza or chocolate per se that would make you gain weight back but overeating. It's easier to overeat if you base your diet around these things but if you are only having them in moderation this is less likely to happen, and as you say, banning them altogether can also be counterproductive. I was slim but not naturally so when I was younger and always had to watch my diet and exercise to keep my weight down, but I definitely still had takeaways, alcohol etc.