Weight loss injections with BMI 29?

[OneDayIWillLearn]

Wondering if they are something I should consider. I’m 41, 5 ft 7 and my current weight is 13 stone 1-5lbs depending on the time of day. I’ve used ‘normal’ methods of weight loss throughout my adult life and have been between 11 stone something and 13 stone something more times than I can remember. Weight watchers and calorie counting mainly.

I got myself down to 12 stone 1 last December (from 13 stone 6 last June) but lo and behold we’ve had a stressful house and job move and 6 months later it’s all back on again. My eating (and drinking) are often quite compulsive when I’m stressed - I do sometimes wonder if I have undiagnosed ADHD - and while I can have tremendous willpower and focus, I have never managed to crack the weight issue. The last time my BMI was normal was 2020 and then only for a few weeks. I find it very frustrating.

I’ve got a really big presentation at a prestigious conference in November and I can’t bear the thought of being this size when I’m giving it so I need to get back on track. And also I DO NOT want to go through the menopause at an obese weight which I currently feel set to do.

However I’m not yet at BMI 30 so technically not eligible for injections but wondering as I’m so close either if I ‘round up’ for the purposes of a prescription or wait until I put on a few more pounds then could this be the answer I’m looking for??

Or would I be better to get back on the ‘traditional’ weight loss horse again but perhaps spend the money on some counselling or coaching instead to try and make the habits stick this time and address the compulsive behaviour?

Wondering if anyone has been in a similar boat….

Most providers are having to tighten up to new guidelines from July so are being more careful to check you are the weight you say you are.
The people I use will require new customers to have a weight verification video call (where you show ID and stand on scales) before they prescribe, but not all companies will be as careful.
Judging by previous comments plenty of people lie about their weight to get this drug.
Personally I think it’s a bit mad to have to put on weight to become eligible.
I was BMI 32 when I started so was only looking to loose about 3 stone (still a lot of weight for me).
I’m now maintaining so still taking it with a BMI of 22
Plenty of people will say it not been tested on non obese people, etc etc but I think things may change in the future and maybe lower BMI may become eligible.
The only thing I will say is don’t think of it as a quick fix to just drop a bit of extra weight, best policy is to aim for slow and steady weight loss and expect it to take 6/12 months, use the time to adjust what you are eating and get rid of the bad habits that caused you to gain weight in the first place.
I think it’s a fantastic tool and has made the weight loss journey so much easier for me than traditional dieting.

Have you tried weighing in the evening? I normally weigh first thing in the morning, after a wee and naked. At that point my BMI was 29.6. When I weighed in the evening in a vest and shorts without emptying my bladder it was 30 and that’s when I took the photos for my provider.

I agree the arbitrary cut off is ridiculous but also agree with the poster above that it is becoming more difficult for people who do not strictly meet the criteria to get WLIs. I’m sure I read that some pharmacies found up BMI to the nearest whole number though so that might be worth checking.

Also I’ve been a life long yo yo dieter. I’ve kept my weight in check with WW, fast800 etc but I reached my highest weight back in April and just didn’t feel like I had it in me to make dieting my whole personality again. I’ve lost nearly two stone on WLI and have another 2 to go. I plan to get some counselling and try hypnosis once I’m at maintenance and plan to do a lot of work on myself before coming off them.

Thanks for your comment. Sorry I probably worded it badly - I’m not expecting a quick fix (the event in November is focusing my mind but I’m not expecting to be at a healthy BMI by then - half a stone off would make me feel much better though). What I’m wondering is more whether this is a good strategy to get out of the diet-regain cycle longer term, and it’s lovely to hear you have had a positive experience!

That is very well put, ‘don’t have it in me to make dieting my whole personality again’ - pretty much exactly what I feel!! I’ve done WW religiously for quite long periods on a number of occasions and it ‘works’ but it just dominates everything and I’m not in the right place for that at the moment.

I should think weighing in the evening after a pasta meal would do it actually. I might be more like 5 foot 6.5 than 7 too so I could probably get there without lying as such.

I like your plan to get hypo therapy/ counselling too, I think it’s what I need but my worry is that I need to actually lose the weight in the first place…..

@OneDayIWillLearn - I might get slated for this but I’ll tell you anyway.

I was right on the cusp of the required BMI or just under. They check your weight (I had to get on the scales with the prescriber watching via a video call) but they don’t check your height. I said I was half an inch shorter than I am and just made it into the BMI requirement . Try using a BMI calculator with a shorter height and see if that helps.

(in the end, I’d have got it with a non-obese BMI owing to a medical condition but didn’t realise that at the time).

I'm 5 foot 10 and a half, they don't want half measures so say I'm 5 foot 10, which helps.. so round down.. and weigh last thing at night when your full of Spaghetti bolognaise and wine.. bmi will be 30..

High cholesterol and osteo arthritis helped me get into the prescribing category despite being slightly under 30 bmi.

Do you have any medical problems that are exacerbated by your weight? If so, under 30 is eligible.

And you’d be likely to have got there by Nov! This is a long game, but losing 0.5-1kg a week is a lot over 4 months.

I do have a minor congenital heart defect actually - I don’t know if that would put me in a different prescription category. It’s a bicuspid aortic valve. It’s always been described as ‘functionally normal’ but I get free flu and covid jabs so maybe that would make a difference ….

@OneDayIWillLearn you will be on a diet if you take WLI you basically need to be in calorie deficit by roughly 500 per day, WLI just make it easier as you don’t think about food as much and feel fuller much quicker.
Not regaining is a whole other thing that some people are finding ok, others not so easy, same as any diet, but it’s not straightforward, personally I thought I’d take it for about 6 months, and I did loose most of my weight in that time, the last 1/2 stone took another 2 months, and now I’m still taking it in maintenance hopefully giving my body time to adjust to being this new weight, I’ve no idea when I’ll feel brave enough to stop, the fear of putting it back on is always in the back of my mind even though I eat very heathy food, avoid UPF, follow Zoe guidelines, now hardly drink and exercise 5 days a week.

You've had the advice about how to get yourself over the BMI 30, so do that. But I also wanted to say that Mounjaro really helps with ADHD and also with the dopamine /reward seeking behaviours that cause emotional eating, snacking , boozing. It's miraculous. Just use your time on it to re-educate your habits..

As pps have said shave some off your height, it's not like you're trying to get it at bmi 20 or something. I was under the bmi so just tweaked it a bit, only had to send photos though. Some only want photos still, root round and find a supplier that's like this, couldn't be arsed with the video shite lol. I've used it to change my habits, and 3 stone down now I'll continue to do that.

You are also shorter in the evenings so that may help in this situation too

Just out of curiosity - I'm 5ft 7inches and 13st 7(ish) lbs too. What size clothes do you wear?
I'm a 16.

20+ years ago I was a 16-18 and weighed 12 stone. (I got down to 10st 10lb pre babies)
🤔

I completely relate to this. I'm 50, 5 foot 8 and have been everything between 9 stone 10 (for about 3 months, when I was very stressed) to nearly 14 stone. I've lost significant weight about 8 times over the last 20 years, and have done it with SW, calorie counting, WW, keto (twice), intermittent fasting (twice) and now with Wegovy. When I looked into it I found that I could get it prescribed with a BMI of 27 as I have raised cholesterol. My BMI was probably 26.8 first thing in the morning, naked and after a wee, so assumed it'd easily be 27 later in the day after some stodgy food.

I've only had to lose a stone and a half to get down to a BMI of 23.5. Med Express don't want to prescribe once your BMI drops below that, so I'm not looking to lose more than a couple more pounds. It's taken me 6 months to lose that stone and a half, which is the slowest I've ever lost weight. I've also kept my dose at 0.5 instead of going up, as I want to have to excercise a little willpower and put some work. I've seen too many posts from people rushing up through the doses, feeling too sick to eat and getting really sick, and I don't think that's a healthy or sustainable approach.

I will admit I'm really scared of coming off the WLI, as I absolutely love not being constantly starving and food obsessed. My cholesterol levels have come down into the normal range too, which is amazing. I have ADHD and have a tendency to use food as a source of easy dopamine, so losing the urge to binge has been wonderful. My plan is to stay on a low dose and maintain for as long as I'm allowed, and put the work in on finally developing sustainably good eating habits. I'd love to get through menopause at a healthy weight.

Good luck!

I wouldn’t.

I was in my local gastro surgery investigation unit for 2 days and as you can hear everything through a curtain… almost everyone who came in was on mounjaro. I was asked by every doctor I saw as well.

I’m also mostly a size 16. I have mostly size 14 clothes though and most are still wearable at this size but look better when I’m half a stone or more lighter.

I was also a size 14 aged 20 at more like 11 and a half stone though so not sure about that!

Yes that’s the worry isn’t it. But I know being this overweight isn’t great for my health either 🫤

Go for it! I was BMI 29 but also have PCOS which makes it hard to lose weight. I’ve been on Mounjaro since late April and have lost over a stone. I feel much more like myself and importantly it has stopped all the food noise which occupied a lot of my life. Im actually more productive and mentally in much better shape (as well as physically).

I started mounjaro at BMI 29, but I was eligible because my doctor told me I had high cholesterol and was in the pre-diabetic range. At that BMI, it's quite likely that you could have the same (since these risk factors are strongly linked to weight). You could maybe request a blood test from your doctor to see? Then you would have the added confidence to know that you're definitely doing the right thing for your health.

Unless you make permanent lifestyle changes as soon as you stop using it the weight goes straight back on! I was part of a clinical trial, we are now no longer on the medication, and hoping I don’t sound smug I am the only one who is still losing weight as I continue to make the changes, I’ve a way to go still but I’m determined to hit 60 next year with a healthy BMI!

Actually that’s not strictly true, I’ve never been pre diabetic despite having a BMI of 33 when I started a clinical trial on Wygovy.

I find that a gross exaggeration! Some people do become unwell on it, but I doubt every person attending a gastro unit was on it and attending due to side effects! It’s generally a safe medication but like all drugs some people will become unwell on it! I work in gastro outpatients and very few patients we see are as a result of using weight loss drugs! But we do when taking a history do have to ask about medication!

Call it what you like - obviously the sample was limited to 5 beds over the space of 48 hours, but it was enough to ensure I’ll never touch them.

I was also asked multiple times if I was using them (plump middle aged woman) as apparently not everyone is forthcoming about it.

My local pharmacist (recommended by GP surgery) let me start MJ with a BMI a few pounds below 30, having lost 8lbs last year. Two days in I realised the effort still had to come from me, not least since the MJ is a significant financial investment. Lost 5 lbs the first week, 3 lbs the second. Then I thought I'd try a week without MJ, lost 2 lbs. Since then I have lost a total of 18 lbs in the space of 6 weeks without any more MJ. Target is wedding weight (married 2002) by the time I'm 60, another 24 lbs in 2.5 months. Weight loss definitely slower without MJ but BMI now 5 lbs overweight so I'm happy with progress to date. Some of my clothes fit again 🤩.... Baby steps

I have yoyoed for the past decade, between 11 and nearly 13 stone, mostly around 12 and hating myself. I was always 9-10 stone something pre menopause then I blew up like a balloon, especially the boobs in my early 50s. Really hoping this time I can stay on track as I've tried v hard to change my mindset and dodge most carbs, eating very small portions, 2 meals daily only within 8 hour window, eat only healthy food, nuts, green veg, lean meat, avoid sugar, choc, booze. I still have 2 doses of MJ as a back stop. I have to accept never ever being able to eat the way I did before if I want to maintain my target weight, if I ever get there. I think I want to be slim more than I want to indulge myself..... It's frustrating how little food you need post menopause, I wish I'd known this could happen so easily, maybe I could have dealt with myself more determinedly at the time. I was lucky not to have usual meno symptoms though so can't complain.

I'd definitely recommend giving MJ a try but I'm happy to be managing without it for the moment, albeit slowly. It was a friend who inspired me to try it as it was working wonders for her. Had I not I'd probably be reaching my 60th birthday still at 12 stone, still hating myself with high cholesterol and borderline pre diabetic. Do what works for you. We all have our ways of trying to manage weight fluctuations through life.