Share your Tips for WLI.

[Postandghost123]

Hi all,

I’ve name changed and as username suggests, I’m going to post and ghost because I cannot cope with the extra admin and responsibility of replying to people. Name changed cos I don’t want any of you thinking I’m a rude fucker who’s not replying. Although I will be reading replies.

Anyway, I wanted to start a thread where we could share tips. Here are mine, and they are not going to work for everyone, but this is what I’m finding useful;

I’m not focussing on calories, and instead just trying to hit protein, fibre and water goals each day.

I’m trying to weigh monthly when I order my new pen (rather than daily/weekly), to help me see progress over a month because I was getting hung up on only losing a pound a particular week and berating myself.

I also use smart weighing scales which measure the body’s fat/muscle/water etc, (£25 from Argos), so even if I haven’t lost much weight, I can see progress and achievements in other ways.

I used H&B’s protein calculator to work out how much I need to eat each day based on my height, weight and activity levels;

https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/the-health-hub/sports-nutrition/protein/how-much-protein-do-you-really-need/

For constipation, I try and eat 30g of fibre each day. I also have 3 teaspoons of inulin syrup in my morning yogurt. It’s from chicory root. It helps sweeten the yogurt and is 3g of fibre per teaspoon. it’s a prebiotic so feeds your healthy bacteria so great for gut health. Start small and build up to allow your body to get used to it. You will fart loads initially so start at the weekend when you can fart in peace in the comfort of your own home.

https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/chicory-fibre-syrup-230g-6100004789

Again, to avoid constipation, I also mix a teaspoon of chia seeds into my morning yogurt each day. Soak them for at least 30 mins before eating in yogurt/milk otherwise you will get blocked!

An easy protein win for me is I have 30g of collagen in my morning coffee and this is 30g of protein. My skin and hair look great too.

I take a bottle of water upstairs at night and drink this as soon as I wake up. Helps me work towards my water intake goals before my day has even started.

I take multi vitamins and a biotin supplement to prevent hair loss.

I also do strength training using an app called Fitbod. It’s £100 for the year - you input what equipment you have at home (if any), what you want to achieve, how many times a week you want to exercise, how long for, whether cardio/strength etc and it puts together workouts, progressively making it harder as you get fitter. It will also do body weight only exercises if you don’t have any equipment. It gives you video demonstrations of each exercise so you can see what you’re supposed to be doing. Much cheaper than a gym membership or a personal trainer. It’s the only exercise program that I enjoy and have stuck with. If any exercises are too hard, you can replace them and ask it not to suggest it again.

I think that’s it for now. Looking forward to reading your recommendations and tips.

Over & out. X

Bumping.

Tips:
Don’t call/think of the medication as ‘weight loss injections’. Mounjaro is a long term treatment for metabolic syndrome/ disorder not a diet aid to drop a few pounds.

Don't have any expectations.

Don't compare yourself to anyone else and definitely not those who are posting on social media saying they have lost a stone a month.

Losing 0-2lbs a week is NORMAL so don’t be disappointed or ask what you are ‘doing wrong’ if you are losing at that rate (see above!).

No, you will not lose your appetite completely within hours and never want to eat again (and if you do, your dose is too high).

Yes, it’s still hard work if you have a lot of weight to lose and want to do it in a healthy manner.

No, you are not guaranteed to get pancreatitis despite what the Daily Mail says.

Yes, you need to drink at least 2 litres a day. Water is best but knock yourself out if tea/coffee/squash is more your thing.

Use monj.co.uk to research pharmacies and think about what is important to you.

Be patient. You didn’t gain the weight in a week so you won’t lose it that quickly either.

No, you don’t need to take electrolytes/protein shakes/extra supplements but if you want to, go for it.

Weigh yourself as much or as little as works for you.

Weight loss is not a mathematical process. Your body doesn’t care what your TDEE is or how you’ve calculated a deficit. If it wants to hold on to some fat or fluid that week/month, there’s nothing you can do about it and it is NORMAL.

No, you won’t lose the same amount every week that you did in your first week. You may not even lose at all.

Remember, your body will respond in its own way and in its own time.

I shall stop now but I’m sure there’s more! 😂

Excellent list @IReallyNeedThisToWork , I won't even try to add any that might distract from them, some really powerful messages in there that many of us (including me in the beginning) do not realise how important they are until further along using MJ.

I wish I’d stated doing weight training right from the beginning rather than 6 months in, as I think it really helps you to feel stronger and more in touch with your body, I feel that in the process of putting weigh on over the years, I’d disconnected with my physical body and weight training has made me feel more alive, in control and connected to my body.

Things are still happening when you have a plateau, even if the scales stay the same.

You may loose some pleasure in food, I found that hard at first, but I now enjoy food and eating out again.

Hair loss can happen with weight loss, but hopefully it is temporary, mine has started to grow again.

Pepto Bismal is your new best friend.

You may not change clothes size as quickly as you think, hang on as long as possible before buying new clothes.

You have no control over where you will loose weight, it will be very personal.

You can experience side effects at any point in the journey, most of mine happened once I’d lost most of my weight, but most don’t last long and are manageable although they can be very unpleasant.

Great list! Thank you! Which collagen do you use?

here’s mine so far:

a) dint let yourself off building muscle. Not just for weight loss but for your health - no point being a thin person who falls and breaks a hip! Dementia is less likely the stronger your are - particularly leg strength. It’s important to increase the amount of weight you lift over time (don’t worry about frequency but make sure you do increase at least every month or 2). I use a weighted vest (from Amazon) - started off on 2 / 3 kg and then bumped up to 5 kg. Putting it in during my daily walk doesn’t feel like too much. I also now train in a gym and I use this free app called strong lifts which focuses on just 5 exercises (can’t be doing with endless variations just want to get it done!) which includes guides to how to do the lifts. (https://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5/)

2. I don’t calories count but I do aim for 30g protein per meal and as much fibre as possible. Leave 4 - 5 hours between meals is hard to do at first but has been key to losing weight but also building a healthy habit to maintain

3. the thing I’m learning is how to see food - not as a reward, a punishment or a temptation or even as a tool for health. I’m seeing it more Ina neutral way and trying to give it the right amount of brain space (ie not 70%!!!!)

4. if I’m constipated I take aloe Vera juice - for me the most effective and I’ve tried magnesium, cascara, symprove- you name it! I take the fushi one

lastly I just try to love myself a little bit - try to treat myself as kindly as I treat my daughter

xx

Strong last one there @Fluffypiece!