Mounjaro/Wegovy with > 5 stone/30kg to lose - thread 9!

[MooBaggage]

New thread for anyone with more than 5 stone/30kg to lose. All welcome, whichever part of the journey you're on.

We have kiwis, hammocks, weight loss charts, an unhealthy obsession with Vinted and enough water to sink several ships 😊

No discount codes please - there's a separate thread for those.

Week 7 day 1 for me, and I've hit the first milestone of 1 stone lost! Still on 2.5mg and will continue with that for my next pen too.

Congrats @MooBaggage !! I also cannot wait for the only overweight moment, unfortunately I am so short that I need to get to 12st 1lb for that to happen!

Its one of those things thats hard to realign my expectations on. Even a year ago, I would have said 12st was on the higher end of healthy for me and its actually the last stop before falling back to obese.

On another note, ASDA clearly working shifts on prescribing because my pictures were approved about 90 mins after my uploading of them, woohoo!

@MooBaggage Congratulations! I'm in a secret competition with dh too 😁.
@Emas82 Well done on your first stone. That's a fantastic achievement. I'm glad 2.5 is still working for you.

I'm a big fan of slow cooker dump bags. I use them all year round. The Batch Lady on insta is great for dump bag ideas and recipes.

Wk20 (I think) 5mg dose. 1lb gain this week.
SW 15st 8.5lbs
CW 13st 1.6lbs

No idea why its a gain. Ho hum. Onwards. I've given up trying to work out why some weeks I lose, some weeks not. It appears to be completely random for me, so I'll just keep plodding along.

Just a little recommendation if anyone is interested. I've had very crepey skin appearing on my neck (where one of my chins used to be) despite using my very expensive marine collagen cream there twice a day.
I bought some Nivea Q10 firming body lotion when I saw it on offer about 6 weeks ago. It's really helped on my neck. I'm quite surprised at the results and I only paid £8 for a big bottle. I will be buying more when it runs out. My other bits don't look much different, but my neck looks much better.

Ooh, thanks for the recommendation @akaFrosty . My neck is looking distinctly crepey. That stuff is on offer with Ocado so I've just lobbed it into my trolley for tomorrow. I was browsing marine collagen in H&B the other day and the prices made my eyes bleed so if I can smooth things a bit for £6.50 that'll do nicely.

Well done on hitting your first stone @Emas82 !

All the recipe suggestions are fab, thanks ladies. Loads of ideas for colder times now.

@GiveMeWordGames Even cheaper at £6.50! I hope it works as well for you. I bought the one with the dark blue bottle, not the lighter version.

I have been using Elemis marine on my face and neck. It's over £90! I won't be buying that again 😂.

I just checked and it's the dark blue one I've chosen too.

£90! I mean, fair dos if it works but not if if doesn't!!

Well I went to Boots to weigh in today and the machine was Out of Order! So I have no idea what I've lost since my last weigh in! I guess I'm just not meant to know!

On the plus side, I cycled there and back (about 10 miles) so at least it didn't cost me anything!

W9 D1
SW 16st 1lb
CW 14st 8lb
Initial GW 14st

Still on 5mg, and pretty suppressed most of the time.
Anyone else feel it's hard to celebrate milestones when there's just so far to go?

Pleased with myself yesterday, we had an autism diagnosis confirmed for our daughter, a stressful day at work and PMT and I stayed on track. I haven’t even taken MJ for 2 weeks (having a break to see if a symptom I have is side effect or unrelated to MJ) so managing on my own willpower for now or just very small amount still left in my system. I think the MJ gave me the jumpstart I needed to get my head in the right space and I feel so much better for it.

Phone call from GP today with some blood test results. He said my cholesterol is a bit high, asked if I wanted to go on a statin. I said no. I'm dieting and exercising so I don't feel like it should be a problem.

But now I'm wondering if it is a problem? Why would my cholesterol be getting higher when my weight is going down? Has anyone else experienced this?

@lifetheuniverseandeverything42

Would congratulations on your daughters autism diagnosis be appropriate? I can still remember the day my son got his- mainly because DH and I cracked open a beer (there's a long backstory to this).

I hope all is OK regardless.

@alltablenochairs I feel relived to have a diagnosis. She masks extremely well at school and no teacher has ever raised any concerns but her behaviour to us at home is explosive. I was worried the assessors wouldn’t see what we see but they have been great and actually confirmed our suspicions of autism with a PDA profile. I get what you mean about congratulations , it’s a mixed bag of emotions (some good some bad but mostly just a bit overwhelming). Hopefully it will now open the door to the right help. All of this from the past couple of years has defiantly added to my stress eating and the MJ has helped enormously with helping me look after myself. Have you found the same?

@taylorswift1989 I don't know re: your query and I'm not sure how old you are, but I don't think I know anyone, big or small, over the age of 50, who isn't taking statins..! I think it's an age thing - my cholesterol levels are good now, but I have no idea if that's the statins (have been on them for a few years) or whether the weight loss and change in eating will be helping too.

My good friend has just been advised to start taking them too - she's a tiny bit overweight (at a guess, she probably just tips into BMI overweight) but is fit and healthy - runs and plays sports - and she's gutted because this is the first regular tablet she will ever have had to take. Meanwhile, I bloody rattle...! 😁

I had high cholestertol for years and started drinking plant sterol yogurt drinks to help get it down, then I started on MJ a year ago. When I had my bloods done last Sept my LDL had dropped to a smidge above the normal range.

Did your GP give you the split between HDL and LDL as thats important.

I was never asked if I wanted to go onto statins, I would have declined.

Also, in the back of my mind I think I recall that initially cholesterol results may go up a bit as we lose weight, but dont ask me to explain any further on that! Something to do with it breaking down and leaving our systems perhaps?

@lifetheuniverseandeverything42
Bit of a different situation with my son. He's PDA autistic with learning difficulties, adhd, functional visual difficulties (absolutely no peripheral vision whatsoever), complex SEMH difficulties and significant challenging behaviour. If you understand the acronyms CPVA and VCB thats where we are at. He's been in multiple schools, had multiple fixed term exclusions, more than one permanent exclusion and it took me a 3 year battle to get him into a SEMH specialist school. He might be 12 but functions cognitively and emotionally at a much younger age- I'd be very surprised if he ever lives independently for example.

As soon as there's any kind of mention of SEND and behaviour the automatic assumption is that its parenting at fault. I've literally had years of being essentially told there was nothing wrong with him, I was a bad parent, another parenting course would magically make everything better, 'but we dont see the behaviours you say happen' blah blah blah. So as soon as we got his autism diagnosis it was validation that actually we arent shit parents and yes there is a reason why he is like he is. Hence why DH and I cracked the beer open when we got the dx. Not long after this someone used the phrase 'I believe you' in relation to his behaviours. I cried at them because it was the first time I had ever heard anyone say it. Before then it was parent blaming and then some.

Its not all doom and gloom though. He's got an interesting take in jokes, is incredibly knowledgeable about his specialist subject and is my little shadow. While he doesn't do affection in the traditional sense, he shows this in other ways. He gives the absolute best shoulder rubs and has an uncanny ability to find the pressure spots that really need him digging his elbows in.

I'm not the only one who posts on here who has a child with complex additional needs. I've said it before a few times and I will happily say it again. You're not alone and if anyone ever needs a listening ear/shoulder to cry on/a damn good rant e.t.c then my inbox is always open.

I didn't really get a clear answer on what the split was. He said my "good" cholesterol was up and also my "bad" cholesterol was up a bit. They were tested I guess sometime towards the end of last year. I tried to get the numbers for both but he seemed a bit taken aback to learn I was on MJ (there was a letter in his notes which he obviously hadn't read) and he said oh well let's retest in a few months, and that's as far as I got really.

I'm 53. No way am I going on statins unless it's life or death! I stopped taking thyroxine at the start of the year (GP says my thyroid is now "borderline" - didn't get the numbers, but borderline with zero symptoms is okay with me) and I'm hoping to get off BP meds soon. I am planning that at some point I will be on nothing except maybe a low dose of MJ or similar newer drug that regulates metabolism - unless I can go into complete remission from obesity/metabolic syndrome. Obviously I will take meds if it's the only option, but I think there must be other ways to try first.

I will try the plant sterol thing, thanks. Also I am sure I can up my fibre intake and probably review other things in my diet. I also do wonder if it's something like fat loss releasing cholesterol into the bloodstream. Just because it's weird that cholesterol has gone up when I'm definitely eating better and exercising more than I was last time it was tested!

@lifetheuniverseandeverything42 I’m glad you’ve managed to get her a diagnosis. It’s a long old road isn’t it! I’m in kind of the opposite situation - my youngest has just been diagnosed as not being autistic, to which the jaw of every other teacher/professional involved in our lives dropped open in shock. So who knows. Fighting to get our kids what they need is so hard, and I don’t think it’s coincidental that a few of us have found ourselves in need of help to get healthier ourselves.

I thought I was moving up to 7.5 this week but apparently miscounted because I had one 5 left. But the impact has pretty much disappeared and I am finding it hard not to eat every thing in sight! Smaller portions do fill me up though, which is something. Actually looking forward to going up to 7.5 next week now.

@OnwardsDownwards @alltablenochairs gosh it’s no wonder we all need a bit of help from MJ to look after ourselves isn’t it. It’s amazing we are still standing with what we go through.

I've just gone up from 12.5 to 15 and strangely less side effects. All very odd!

@alltablenochairs I don’t know all your abbreviations but unfortunately I am very familiar with CPVA. It’s not an easy life is it? She is often incredibly funny and sharp witted and we do get cuddles although I like the sound of a shoulder rub - I carry a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders.

Ummmm, I'm not standing! I developed autoimmune disease about 6 or so years ago. That and spinal arthritis means I've been a wheelchair user for about 2 and a half years ago. Still not all doom and gloom though- since getting my chair I've done more than I can ever imagine. I was on the London Eye with my son last autumn for example. I have absolutely no doubt though that fighting a scummy, inherently flawed and wholly unfortunately for purpose SEND system has accelerated the autoimmune stuff.

So being a non walking wheelchair user with more than a passing fondness for whole nut meant that when I started MJ last October I had a BMI of 45. Doing something wasn't optional. I came very, very close to being the other side of the light earlier last year. Many, many years of all sorts of weird and wonderful diets over the years have produced not much. The lightest I can ever remember myself being is around 85kg for example. In 10 months on MJ I have lost 34kg, now have a BMI of 33.6 and maybe, just maybe there's hope that actually one day I will have a normal BMI. Onwards and downwards!

@alltablenochairs sorry for my poor turn of phrase. You have done amazingly and undoubtedly a wonderful advocate and role model for your child. 34kg is a phenomenal achievement, but just the shear resilience you have shown is inspiring.

Please dont worry- it takes a hell of a lot to offend me!

Having been overweight all my adult life (I was 94kg at my booking in appointment with my firstborn) I'm still not convinced I will ever get to a BMI that isnt overweight. Even though the evidence suggests I am losing weight (sorted out another pile of clothes, need to adjust my chair again, people are beginning to notice it....). DH has an awards do early October and I have an absolutely red hot killer dress to wear so I'd best do something or I'll end up wearing my pyjamas! I accept that I'll be in for the long haul but does anyone else feel like this?

You are all such an inspiration 🙌🙌❤️❤️❤️

13 stone 2

6lbs to go

No more lugging 6 stone around

The utter joy

Love this journey despite the ups and downs

Absolutely! I’ve lost just short of 3 stone so far, compared to every single other time I’ve dieted where I haven’t got beyond 1.5 (and then I’ve put more back on). Im going to a wedding in November, and then next May seeing some friends who I won’t have seen in over a year. I swing wildly between telling myself it’s amazing how different I’ll look at both of those occasions, and thinking no it’ll never happen.

I’ve not been a healthy weight since I was a teenager. Maybe 12 or 14? Certainly by 16 I was at slimming world. So I don’t even have a version of me to look back to.