Mindless eater rather than hunger - will WLI work for me?

[ArtichokeAardvark]

I've been thinking of trying WLI for weeks now but not bitten the bullet yet as I'm not sure it will work for me. I massively overeat, but not because I'm permanently hungry. It's more just that the food is THERE and I eat it without even thinking about it. I worked from home yesterday and ate nearly half a camembert in one go, even though I'd just put a jacket potato in the oven for my lunch. If I'm not around food, I don't crave it - but if I'm near the kitchen then I end up eating. And I have two small children and an open plan kitchen/ playroom set up, so I am always near the kitchen 😣I often don't realise just how much I'm eating until afterwards.

Everyone talks about MJ stopping the 'food noise' - is this what they mean?

It is different for everyone but I am nearly at the end of my second week and my desire for food has significantly diminished. My desire for any junk food has gone and I am satisfied eating a lot less. I was a chronic afternoon snacker and that has gone as well. I have been lucky and have only had minor side effects.

Food noise to me is constantly thinking about food and I did not realise how much until it was gone. I was always fighting with myself over portion sizes, when to stop eating and what to eat.

At the end of the day, you will not know if it is good for you until you try it. Good luck with what you decide to do

I'm the same.
I'm not hugely overweight, maybe 5 kg, so wouldn't qualify for WLI for medical reasons, but life would be so much easier if there wasn't a constant battle in my head.

They will help you to lose weight but you will still need to change your habits to maintain your loss once you come off them.

This again is what worries me. I've always been big but lost a ton of weight in my twenties through low carb dieting and masses of exercise - but at the time I was single and had a job that finished promptly at 5pm so I went to the gym on my way home. I changed jobs and found it harder to fit on exercise, so weight went back on. Then I got married and had two children and I'm now the heaviest I've ever been. Can't just cook for myself anymore, and zero time for regular exercise.

I used to mindlessly eat all day, not just through constant hunger, as you’ve described. That was a year ago and I have lost over 9 stone on Mounjaro. There is no reason that it won’t work for you, based on what you’ve described. And certainly there is no reason based on what you’ve said not to try it and see how you get on.

I’m in pretty much the same situation. I’m really concerned that if I tried wli (if I was eligible) I’d just be doing another cycle of successful weight loss, keeping it off for a while then putting it back on again.

I hear you @ArtichokeAardvark

WLI may stop you from overeating but for a sustainable weight loss habits have to change. Luckily my partner is happy to do child wrangling if I go on an hour walk a few times a week. It’s a trade off for his night out with the boys.

I lost a lot initially with MJ but it has slowed down so I know I need to exercise more. At least I am not putting any weight on.

Regain happens on all weight loss programmes, this is no different, except that it makes the actual weight loss more achievable and seem less like a punishment. There’s no way I could have stuck to being in a calorie deficit for over a year without the assistance of Mounjaro. It also hasn’t felt like a miserable deprived time, and it’s allowed me to reset my relationship with food. Also been able to begin exercising regularly again, and change my whole lifestyle. Yes, maintaining it will be a challenge, but one I’m well aware of and preparing for. So much better than remaining morbidly obese.

I had this concern, I don’t really get hunger or ‘food noise’ as such which I think was why I always overate from boredom. I’m on my second pen and have gone up to 5mg. It’s almost impossible to overeat which is great for retraining myself. I’ve also started exercising and making that a priority- I’m not sure if it’s because it’s so nice seeing the weight come off that it feels like good motivation to tone up or if it’s because I’m so tight that feeling like I need to get my money’s worth is the motivation!

I think for me, it gives space to make those habit changes and rewrite my relationship with food.

Yes it will. I sometimes still eat a packet of crisps mindlessly but it stops there.

@SilenceInside I lost about 18kg through calorie counting and lots of exercise and have maintained my new weight for about 20 years; my BMI is in the healthy range, so it is possible to keep it off.
I don't have a healthy relationship with food though, even though I do eat healthily, and it is a constant mental struggle to keep myself in check.
I had some kind of virus last year where I didn't feel ill, maybe a bit tired, but for about a month I just went off food. It was amazing! I could stand and look at a packet of biscuits and just think, 'nah, don't fancy one' where normally I'd be having a massive battle of willpower to not eat at least five of them.

I'd love to be able to take something that just stopped that.

I'd say it is down to what causes your mindless eating. My problem is compulsive eating, including binging. It feels like I'm on autopilot, sometimes my brain is fully aware but I just can't stop myself anyway. It's exhausting.
I didn't used to be like that. I think it started from putting on a little weight in my 20s and then heavily dieting to take if off, then when I relaxed, more weight went on. I'm currently obese. I've spent decades trying to get it right and fighting that compulsiveness. I think its my body adjusting to me trying to lose weight and releasing more 'eat eat eat' hormones. I've tried so hard for years to try reset and eat healthily but its been an ongoing battle.
I started Mounjaro just over a week ago and the compulsion immediately vanished. It was the most extraordinary thing. I could still feel actual hunger and enjoyed my 'normal' healthy meals and felt quite satisfied with healthy snacks. I just didn't feel the 'need' to eat junk.
That started wearing off as the week went on and I ended up overeating on the day my next jab was due. After jab two, the compulsion disappeared again and I had a very healthy day yesterday. I've had no side effects fortunately.
Everyone seems to have a slightly different experience but for me, it feels like a game changer.