Page 13 | Mounjaro starters Nov '24 Thread 13 - The one where we are lucky to end our best Summer in years thinner and more comfortable in our own skin

Mounjaropen · 2025-08-18T16:10:07+00:00

Welcome to thread lucky number 13! Link to the old thread here [[https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5365725-mounjaro-starters-nov-24-thread-12-the-one-where-we-pack-all-of-the-smaller-size-clothes-into-our-holiday-luggage?page=40 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5365725-mounjaro-starters-nov-24-thread-12-the-one-where-we-pack-all-of-the-smaller-size-clothes-into-our-holiday-luggage?page=40]] Feel free to lurk or post, absolutely no judgement here, just support and encouragement as we list old clothes on vinted, give thanks for MJ as we have had the BEST Summer in years as we are all significantly lighter. Join us here to celebrate NSV’s, weight loss milestones, maintenance and our lowest stone brackets! I’m on W42 D1 and on w2 of my first titrating down pen of 5.0mg F in my early 50’s H 5’ 5.5” SW 13st 11lb CW 9st 6.0lbs GW 9st 0lb Total loss so far 61.0 lbs We recommend the Shotsy app to monitor the amount of MJ in the system and pleasing graphs to look at…plus the MeThreeSixty body scan app to monitor inch loss for the weeks where weight loss is slow but you might have lost body fat etc. Both are free. Feel free to swap recipes that might inspire anyone in a food rut, tips for managing side effects, exercise tips, tips for maintenance, titrating up or down and we love a wellness/supplements/beauty/ style chat too 🥰

Original poster

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:05

jay55 · 27/08/2025 15:46

I’ve had to cancel my last order, it’s still under review and I leave Saturday morning. Too expensive to risk it now, even at current prices.
I see lots of people on social media talking of moving down and going it alone now. Be interesting to see what happens and if the bottom falls out the market.

Oh no! Sorry to hear that, it really has been a lottery hasn't it?

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:08

Pumpkinforever · 26/08/2025 18:16

I have enough pens to take me into maintenance territory in a few months 🤞🏻

I will probably shop around before deciding on who to go with then. I do have a maintenance call scheduled with Oushk for October but might need to push that to near our anniversary date

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I'd keep the appointment. You are then in their system but you are not under pressure to order. The call is to verify that you are who you say you are and that your height and weight measurements are also true (not that my call had that element).

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:10

PresidentBarklett · 26/08/2025 18:41

Well, Oushk good and proper shit everyone on Circle up by releasing the above table, whilst publishing higher prices on their website. Then they confirmed that the table of lower costs emailed out was inclusive of a NEW15 discount.

Cue: fury as it looked like they were being completely disingenuous, misleading customers into believing that the discounted price was the baseline price. The email and their comments on Circle gave no indication as to whether the 15 discount would be temporary for the first order or not.

Finally, after complete (and reasonable) meltdown from many, they confirmed that the £15 discount would be ongoing monthly.

Genuinely amateur behaviour - they didn't set out to mislead, but how nobody at the pharmacy went 'uh...guys...?' before releasing the emailed prices is beyond me.

Oh dear.

It sounds a bit like Caroline Hirons where all of the 'freaks' get swept away fangirling and don't stop to think whether or not the 'advice' is actually VFM or impartial....

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:11

Oceangrey · 26/08/2025 21:42

Hmm I have no email from Oushk even though I've always ordered from them, thanks for sharing the pricing.

Update on my missed delivery situation, the two pens arrived this morning and according to my husband were still noticeably cold, although not fridge old. But I'd assumed they would have gone to room temperature between Friday and Tuesday so am pretty happy with that outcome!

In other news 12.5mg has been no noticeable difference from 10mg, I'm still quite hungry. Trying to be disciplined but have unsurprisingly plateaued for ages. The two next pens are back to 10mg again anyway.

I found the same going from 5.0mg to 7.5mg - no discernible difference really,

Glad your pens were delivered ok though.

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:12

PresidentBarklett · 26/08/2025 21:47

I didn't get the email either - they also posted it on Circle, which is where I saw it. Their communication seems very hit and miss at times.

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I'm now quite relieved I didn't know about 'circle' - but it's probably great for those who don't have a little support network like this one?

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:16

Arglefraster · 26/08/2025 22:22

I'm totally fascinated to see what happens with Oushk 🍿
I don't wish them any ill & used them without complaint for months but there does seem to be a significant number of their customers who are a little over invested in ....a pharmacy 👀

Pottering along here I can't seem to get my loses above half a kilogram per week which sounds good but with another 30kg to go it's frustrating ... I've nearly 🤞sorted my shoulder though so hope to get back to weights again soon which might help.

Sorry to hear this. Have you gone back to basics - checked your BMR, checked your macros, water and protein intakes? How is your weigh bearing exercise doing? Maybe switch up when you are eating to include a fasting window?

Always check your inches - I've not really lost weight recently, but I have lost 1.5 inches off my waist since 10th July which was a complete (and pleasant) surprise tbh.

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:18

Novjaro · 26/08/2025 22:28

Even just the fact that Oushk call their patients (of which I’m one) ‘Oushkers’ is just ridiculous. I’m a fat person who needs medication, not a bloody teenaged fan of the latest boy band 🙄

Well it turns out that the person who failed to do anything after my first appointment was Hira herself....so no fan club here I'm afraid. She was very nice on the phone, but I had to wait weeks for a discount code and links to be able to order anything.

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:24

LindtCurves · 26/08/2025 23:05

So, I am thinking about going on maintenance and coming off over 8 weeks or so. Ideally I'd still like to lose half a stone, but my weight hasn't changed that much lately. I went up to 10mg briefly to see if I can shift it, but I am looking at the fact that I'm basically not eating anything anymore, and even a bowl of berries is a big effort, and it just seems inappropriate to dose up.

Selfishly, I'd like to lose some more fat on my stomach to have a completely flat stomach with abs, and improve my knee area, but now I'm thinking 'is this for health reasons or am I crossing the boundary where it's purely cosmetic now'?

The lack of appetite almost all the time is also a concern... So maybe it's time to say goodbye to the death jabs... Now that I'm firmly below 25 with my BMI and a comfortable size 8/10.

On a positive note, my breathing is so easy now... I did a lot of exercise over the weekend and did not struggle with breath at all, whereas I previously would have. And... I don't snore anymore!! Well, that's sinus surgery swerved...

Well that all sounds positive in terms of your health benefits. If you are at a size you are comfortable with, and clothes look and feel nice, I'd agree it is time to taper down. The toning of your tummy and knee areas will come with consistent exercising - but there is no exercise programme that can tackle or improve one specific area - the body will only lose where it wants to lose.

Not eating enough nutrients is a major issue though, you don't want to give yourself other health issues. And it is good that you recognise this isn't an ideal scenario.

Keep going!

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:26

PresidentBarklett · 26/08/2025 23:09

Absolutely this. I've said before how bloody odd the relationship between Oushk and customers is. Today, some people on Circle berated other customers for admitting that they were considering switching pharmacy, like it was some kind of betrayal. Or gave out to people making giving very reasonable feedback about customer service issues.

Like, they're not your friends, dude. This isn't going to end with you and Hira wearing matching pink baby doll pyjamas, watching Magic Mike and sharing haircare tips.

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Much the same as the CH skincare 'freaks' - no one is allowed to criticise the Skin rocks products or suggest that nearly £40 for a cleanser that doesn't emulsify is bloody ridiculous.... which it is 😂

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:36

Novjaro · 26/08/2025 22:28

Even just the fact that Oushk call their patients (of which I’m one) ‘Oushkers’ is just ridiculous. I’m a fat person who needs medication, not a bloody teenaged fan of the latest boy band 🙄

Tbf, if John Taylor himself was running Oushk, I'd be happy to join in, but otherwise I'll pass thanks 😂

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:37

RayonSunrise · 27/08/2025 06:10

I am pretty glad I’ve kept off Oushk’s circle community, @PresidentBarklett- though it’s very possible I’d have switched to a different provider if I’d been more aware of the dodgy parasocial fans!

I would be tempted to switch myself after all this, but my bmi is down to 22 now so though I’d been aiming for 21 I suspect now is a sensible time to go on a maintenance plan. And yesterday the price rises thread seemed to be saying pharmacies were starting to only take new patients whose bmi was 30+? Which would pretty much knock switching midway through weight loss on the head for many, let alone switching for maintenance.

I agree, if you have a provider who is happy to keep prescribing at that BMI, I'd stay put too.

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:39

MounjNewb · 27/08/2025 07:21

Thanks for asking - DW is doing great, also now maintaining at BMI 20. She looks amazing and is so much happier in her body now.

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Aww that's so lovely to hear. And what a lovely compliment from you 👏

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:40

MyRootinTootinBaby · 27/08/2025 08:39

Does anyone use IQdoctor? I don’t see them getting mentioned as much. I’ve been trying to order a pen from them before the rates go up, but they’ve been constantly out of stock, so I’m considering switching. I’ve not had an email from them about the prices or stock or anything at all.

I haven't heard of them but maybe one of the other threads has an opinion? You can do an advanced search for the pharmacy name to bring up the relevant posts.

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:43

Goldleafcat · 27/08/2025 07:44

It’s slightly odd I’m getting the emails and I’m not actually even a proper Oushk customer yet. Perhaps they’re keen to have my business 😂

I have a maintenance call booked for next week but think I may need to push it back too - I’m not really ready for maintenance yet - that said - not sure what the new rules on switching may be based on what @RayonSunrise said above.

But wondering if I do need to switch now.. I do have quite a few pens now, so with the bonus dose, I’m technically sorted until Feb 2026… in all honesty I’m hoping I should be at a healthy BMI by then and thinking about tapering down the dose. Perhaps I could just order some lower dose pens from Boots in the meantime (which are cheaper anyway) and work my way to maintenance… but that would in the long term therefore be without MJ. I did originally think I’d stay on it for a long time, but the new prices are too high to justify for that time commitment (even with the split dose / dragging a pen out over 2 months) (which I thought may be an option). It’s been worth the expenditure to get me to where I am now, and to finish the journey, but long term it does seem too much. Unless I get a big pay rise anyway 🤣

I'd keep the appointment so that you are in their system.

Fingers crossed that you get an unexpected pay rise 😉

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:47

PresidentBarklett · 27/08/2025 09:06

Yeah, I'm at BMI 28, so maintenance is on my mind too - why I switched to Oushk in the first place. I have enough pens to buy myself some breathing space and then I'll take stock when the dust has settled. Apparently Pharmulous and Swift Dr offer decent maintenance plans so I guess I'll just see. Impression I get, rightly or wrongly, is that most pharmacies are 'frozen' right now but that normal business should resume shortly.

I'm lucky enough to be able to (just) afford the Oushk prices but it's not something I want to do long term if I can help it!

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I agree.. I'm hoping that there will be some research that shows I've reset my body wrt to insulin resistance and that long term, I won't need it. I'm pretty hungry now tbh and the wine noise is creeping back on 5mg but I am managing to keep it all at bay during the week. I've made Davina McCall power balls this week (nut butter, honey, desiccated coconut, cocoa) and they are delicious as a treat. I'm also making some popcorn rocky roads with dark chocolate and cranberries etc so I'm not tempted to stray into Cadbury's territory...💪

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Novjaro · 27/08/2025 18:54

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:36

Tbf, if John Taylor himself was running Oushk, I'd be happy to join in, but otherwise I'll pass thanks 😂

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🤣🤣🤣 Mine would be George Michael, and that’s sadly not going to happen!

Arglefraster · 27/08/2025 21:08

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 16:16

Sorry to hear this. Have you gone back to basics - checked your BMR, checked your macros, water and protein intakes? How is your weigh bearing exercise doing? Maybe switch up when you are eating to include a fasting window?

Always check your inches - I've not really lost weight recently, but I have lost 1.5 inches off my waist since 10th July which was a complete (and pleasant) surprise tbh.

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Thanks, basics are good barring the weights that I'm hoping to get back to soon (also rowing machine - not ideal for shoulder injury either 🤦🏻‍♀️) but you're right I have changed shape/size again - my jeans pull on /off🤣

Thanks for the reminder it's so odd how the weight loss seems to happen when you don't change shape & v.v.

Pumpkinforever · 27/08/2025 21:35

PresidentBarklett · 27/08/2025 09:06

Yeah, I'm at BMI 28, so maintenance is on my mind too - why I switched to Oushk in the first place. I have enough pens to buy myself some breathing space and then I'll take stock when the dust has settled. Apparently Pharmulous and Swift Dr offer decent maintenance plans so I guess I'll just see. Impression I get, rightly or wrongly, is that most pharmacies are 'frozen' right now but that normal business should resume shortly.

I'm lucky enough to be able to (just) afford the Oushk prices but it's not something I want to do long term if I can help it!

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I am with Pharmulous as well as Oushk. I managed to get a 10mg pen from Pharmulous when the pendemonium started the other week. They did query why I hadn’t purchased for other two months but I sent pics of the pens I was using. They seem a nice good - stuff arrived nice and chilled which it hasn’t always from Oushk. I first ordered from Pharmulous during one of the summer’s heat waves. I think they favour a tapering down maintenance but I need to get more information on that.

All the pharmacies must know that a lot of us had multiple orders all over the place.

Pumpkinforever · 28/08/2025 07:15

Met up with some girlie friends yesterday and had my first ‘don’t lose anymore’, ‘you have got thin legs’ (which made me super smiley but I was in my sweaty betty power leggings so nothing moves 😂😂). They are all size 8/10/12. I am a stone and a half away from that but I have lost my role as the fat girl in the gang. There was a discussion about MJ going up in price but I played dumb. It wouldn’t surprise me if one or two were microdosing as they seemed pretty savvy about MJ.

#not giving up now

lovealongbath · 28/08/2025 08:01

Good morning folks!

Weekly weigh in on 4.3mg dose..
week 41
SW 18st 4.3lbs
CW 14st 7.4 lbs
almost 1lb increase this week 😩
total loss so far 3 stone 10.7lbs
I have lost 21% of my starting weight
SBMI 43
CBMI 34.8
77,214 steps this week

This week I have put 1lb on, I have had a couple of social events that involved eating and munching and today I am having afternoon tea which will involve carbs and sweet treats!
Tomorrow, refocus and knuckle down!

Original poster

Mounjaropen · 28/08/2025 09:07

lovealongbath · 28/08/2025 08:01

Good morning folks!

Weekly weigh in on 4.3mg dose..
week 41
SW 18st 4.3lbs
CW 14st 7.4 lbs
almost 1lb increase this week 😩
total loss so far 3 stone 10.7lbs
I have lost 21% of my starting weight
SBMI 43
CBMI 34.8
77,214 steps this week

This week I have put 1lb on, I have had a couple of social events that involved eating and munching and today I am having afternoon tea which will involve carbs and sweet treats!
Tomorrow, refocus and knuckle down!

Edited

Keep going! 1lb is but a mere big 💩😉

enjoy the afternoon tea!

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 28/08/2025 09:08

Pumpkinforever · 27/08/2025 21:35

I am with Pharmulous as well as Oushk. I managed to get a 10mg pen from Pharmulous when the pendemonium started the other week. They did query why I hadn’t purchased for other two months but I sent pics of the pens I was using. They seem a nice good - stuff arrived nice and chilled which it hasn’t always from Oushk. I first ordered from Pharmulous during one of the summer’s heat waves. I think they favour a tapering down maintenance but I need to get more information on that.

All the pharmacies must know that a lot of us had multiple orders all over the place.

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I also think a lot of the pharmacies are going to be kicking themselves for either not having a maintenance program in place or for being spectacularly unhelpful once we had reached our goal BMI – I’m looking at you medexpress 👀

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 28/08/2025 09:14

Pumpkinforever · 28/08/2025 07:15

Met up with some girlie friends yesterday and had my first ‘don’t lose anymore’, ‘you have got thin legs’ (which made me super smiley but I was in my sweaty betty power leggings so nothing moves 😂😂). They are all size 8/10/12. I am a stone and a half away from that but I have lost my role as the fat girl in the gang. There was a discussion about MJ going up in price but I played dumb. It wouldn’t surprise me if one or two were microdosing as they seemed pretty savvy about MJ.

#not giving up now

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there – you are no longer the person who makes them feel good about themselves possibly? I really don’t understand the attitude at all. My thinnest friend is the one who constantly messages me saying you look fabulous, and she’s all for people taking the jab. And she’s always been thin – because she’s worked bloody hard at staying thin all her life and she doesn’t consider it to be cheating at all

I think the biggest mindset shift I’ve had since last November is surrounding myself with people who lift me up and with people who have a positive attitude. True friendship to my mindis celebrating success and supporting each other when things are not going so well.

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Original poster

Mounjaropen · 28/08/2025 09:16

Arglefraster · 27/08/2025 21:08

Thanks, basics are good barring the weights that I'm hoping to get back to soon (also rowing machine - not ideal for shoulder injury either 🤦🏻‍♀️) but you're right I have changed shape/size again - my jeans pull on /off🤣

Thanks for the reminder it's so odd how the weight loss seems to happen when you don't change shape & v.v.

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🥰 my surprise was a pair of ZARA size S trousers which suddenly became baggy in the space of about two weeks!

Keep going!💪

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SerenePeer · 28/08/2025 09:17

Mounjaropen · 27/08/2025 15:41

There are reports today that EL are preventing pharmacies from placing orders after the normal cut off today until 1st September to prevent people stock piling or beating the price rises...they really have shot themselves in the foot all round, haven't they?

They really have. Especially now the market has proven to be so lucrative. They've done their competitors a massive favour!