Shemed January Starters - Thread 4

[FatsiaJaponicaInTheGarden]

Hello everyone! I completely missed the other thread was full (haven't been too well this week) so I've started this one and will tag as many people as I can think of from recent pages. Do tag anyone else you think of that might miss the new thread!

I hope everyone is okay. It's been unsettling times hasn't it with all the news about the price increases and very little from Shemed as to what they are planning. I am hopeful that of all people we will be shielded the most due to being on the Study (fingers crossed).

I weighed in this morning and took second dose of the 10mg. I seemed to put on this morning but if I take the weight I've been most of this week...

I am exactly half way to my target! And I've lost 25% of my bodyweight!

10mg - so far no burps or nausea but I am wondering if this extreme tiredness is in part due to the drug. Was eating just as I was before the last couple of days but today don't want to eat so who knows!

I'll read up and tag people if I can.

It's my one year anniversary today🎉🎉!!

It finally happened!! What a year! And it's been so great to have all of you on this thread to travel with. Whether you've reached goal, are in maintenance, still losing, with Shemed, moved elsewhere all those things it's been so lovley to have the journey together!

My final stats are

SW 21st 11. CW 13st10.

I'm still obese (bmi 31) but it's been a truly lifechanging year. I've got a way to go and lots to work on (still struggling with sleep/exercise and have a very large stomach, lots of loose skin etc) but the change from this time last year is incredible.

I have gained mobility, gained hope, can buy clothes from normal shops, moved to full time work, no longer obsess about food or weight, in fact food and weight no longer are the focus of my anxiety or thoughts. So much had changed.

I really hope everyone on this thread has had a good year with Shemed. I'd love to hear eveeyones updates and also good luck with all the things going forwards - navigating maintenance, reducing doses, changes to wegovy, coming off etc!

@Kaggi9 wahooo bonus!

@kittykarate imoressive post Xmas loss!

I hadn't realised there would be a wegovy pill oooh how interesting. I secretly hope eventually that will bring MJ prices down but may be hoping in vain!

How did you break your arm?!?! How was Xmas? Are you feeling any better?

@JBJ and @Reginaphalangeeeee Ooh good price!! I'm paying £239 with pharmulous but now I'm close to 30bmi I will stick but impressed at those prices! I did well for a couple of months post increase with a different pharmacy but then they increased too!

I'm similarly doing 8mg from a 10 pen. I've been going 6 weeks though and using bonus too.... 😳. Still not sure if that's a good idea! They seem to let me order 5-6 weekly! It works out about £160 every 4 weeks then for me which I still need to reduce long term. Hopefully when I get to goal I can cut down.

@JBJ wahooo at overweight!!!! So excited to you. I'm about half a stone to that point so it's tantalisingly close!

@tinyemmy oh wow exciting times! How has adhd meds gone for you? I had a different regime and started on 20 for 2 weeks, 30 for 2 weeks and then 40 for 2 weeks and didn't increase from there!.

I really hope it's working for you. My prescriber said it can take several tries st different doses or different meds to find the right one. It's been life changing for me. Real double whammy this year!

Hope 2026 is good for everyone. I know last year has been a real mix of ups and downs for us all and hoping good things for us all this year ❤️.

Woohoo, I've just realised mine was yesterday. What a difference!! Congratulations on your amazing achievement @FatsiaJaponicaInTheGardenwho would have thought we would be here this time last year!

The ADHD meds are going ok. I'm not sure if they're doing enough but I don't really know what to look out for. I haven't felt the need to binge eat. I don't know if that's because I know the scales have been going in the wrong direction so I'm mega on it or if it's the medication. My prescriber seemed to imply 30 wouldn't do anything. My daughter has been on the same thing and I don't think she likes it so she is looking to go back to equasym XL. As she is private it's quite an expensive experiment - £750+ in psychiatrist fees and £400+ in medication so far. I wish I hadn't messed with it. I think I need a higher dose as I still feel quite scatty.

I hope I don't need mj again but glad I've got the insurance policy of one in the fridge and a year left with pharmulous to reorder.

I also have an open case with Eli Lilly and my broken pen from get a drip that should result in a replacement. I wish we could onwards sell them as I don't need it. Currently with hubbies pens too we have nearly £600 of medication sitting there. Not sure if he plans to carry on taking it. He has always done so sporadically and needs me to jab him.

Wahooooo happy mounjaro anniversary to you too 🎉sounds like you have a good plan and back up plans!

My prescriber said it can take a while to get the right drug and right dose as its different for everyone but I've been lucky it seems to have worked for me. Certainly helped a lot.

I hope your duaghter gets hers sorted. I'm about to go back into teh R2C system for my youngest as we can't afford private. She's desperate to try now as she's struggling a bit and I wish we'd started them when she was diagnosed!

I so wish the doctor had let us switch to RTC as she would be with them now for medication. I think we will go back to her previous one.
I'm very pleased that I've been given this opportunity!

Weigh day and at 13st 12.7lb, so a little 0.5lb loss this week, which surprised me as I’ve spent most of the weekend throwing up! Still going in the right direction though.

Well, I’m currently in hospital with pancreatitis and therefore have the stop MJ. Gutted is an understatement as I’ve still got some weight to lose and also have several pens in my fridge that I don’t know what to do with. I’m scared stupid that I’m just going to pile it all back on again and it’ll all be for nothing 😭

Oh no @JBJ concentrate on getting well first. Worry about everything else second

Oh no @JBJ! Sending lots of positive vibes your way and hoping you feel better soon!

Thanks. I’m home now with a ton of antibiotics. Still hurting and scared to eat, but at least I can sleep in my own bed and not be constantly woken up!

Oh gosh @JBJ that sounds awful . Will it just improve? Is it linked with the gallbladder? What will they do next? Is it to do with Mj or weight loss or just one of those things? I hope you can get some sleep xx

The doctor that I saw in A&E basically said “oh you’re on MJ what do you expect?” and was very sneery about everything and totally blamed WLI. Upon googling, it appears there’s a 0.2% chance of getting pancreatitis from MJ, incidentally the same chance as getting it if you’re BMI is over 40! So who knows what caused it? Gallbladder definitely contributed, but, again, that was blamed on the MJ, despite being told the size of my gallstones would’ve taken years to form. I think some medical professionals just don’t like WLI!

The paramedic that took me in said he was seeing less people that have adverse reactions to WLI than he does people with complications from being morbidly obese, which is interesting.

They’ve said I should be over this in a couple of weeks, and I’ve got antibiotics to continue at home, then gallbladder needs to come out. Now I’ve had pancreatitis once, I could be more prone to it in the future so they’ve advised to continue a very low fat diet indefinitely. I guess at least it’ll be hard to pile all the weight back on when I’m eating the most boring shit known to man 🤣🤣

Currently feeling very delicate and like I’ve been kicked repeatedly in the stomach, terrified every time I eat anything and, bizarrely, weighing 7lb more than when I went to hospital on Wednesday, which considering I was nil by mouth for a good chunk of it, and ate a packet of polos, 2 bowls of soup and a piece of chicken between Wednesday and Saturday quite an impressive gain! I’m assuming it’s all fluid as I was pumped with gallons of it whilst in there.

@JBJ Gosh how rude of them in A and E :( . And yes I don't really know much about all these things but I knwo a lot of things they attribute to WLI are either likely to be due to weight loss anyway or yes would be worse outcomes if we stayed long term morbidly obese.

Your paramedic sounds so much better! People are so sneery about wli and sneery about being morbidly obese and sneery when we try to do something about our health - its horrible . complications from being morbidly obese, which is so unfair.

I know one of my reasons for wanting to lose weight was to be able to go the Dr and not have all my symptoms blamed on weight regardless!

I hope you get the gallbladder op soon and that things settle down. It al sounds very scary.

Yes, I joked about this with my (very good and supportive) GP a few weeks ago, asking what he was going to blame for everything now that I’m no longer fat 🤣

A&E and several of the ward staff were very rude about WLI full stop, to the point that other people in the bay I was in commented on it (being as drawing a curtain round doesn’t really block out a conversation at all!). One woman (not in for WLI related issues) hobbled over to tell me she was also on Mounjaro and to ignore them! They make you feel stupid for being fat and stupid for trying to do something about it.

@JBJ I am so sorry you have had such a rough time.
I’m devastated that your experience of healthcare (when trying to do something positive for your health) has been so critisied. I am sad for you, but also for us all. The fact is biggest risk gall bladder is: 5 F’s
Female, forty plus, family history fat and fat loss!
The fact you had gall stone and blockage-shich you are awaiting surgery for is the major risk of pancreatisits. If you had your surgery already, this may not have happened. You specifically asked the doctor and concuktant if you had to stop I injections and was told no… so some bloody opinionated A&E doctor can go 5 F’s himself quiet frankly! People are taking personal risk, sacrifice and accountability for health when taking WLI-vast majorly to truly improve health not for aesthetic reasons. That said, A&E is a horrendous place right now a d healthcare feeling battered just wish for less patients by any means I guess without thinking if longer-term risks for patients.
I have 4 of the F’s so weight loss is a risk if you do it quickly (with or without MJ).
Besides data in MJ risk and pancreatitis will be hughly flawed as the people taking it either more risk as have Diabetes (reason taking it) or for weight loss (big risk).

Right now… focus on getting well, adjusting to now and post gall bladder diet of low fat. MJ has done the heavy lifting of weight for you and your new I forced diet is achievable to keep loosing weight, it will just be slower.
Don't weigh yourself right now, you will have loads of fluid pretension.
Please stay on here and keep up updated. None of us can stay in it for life and all need support.

One final thing, this could have happened at anytime with weight loss (with or without MJ) and you have done so well. You have banked serious losses (much more than me) so try to see it a step up to continued progress. You have come so far!

Absolutely disgusting behaviour from the hospital staff @JBJ . I really think most of them just don't get it at all. They may have medical training but it won't have included the science of WLI, and I doubt most of them are bothering to take any time to find out more about it. They moan enough when we're fat then moan when we find something that works, after decades of trying and failing!

I have just passed my one year anniversary, I think. I'm 4 stone down and less and a kilo off a healthy weight. I haven't been this weight since I was a teenager. It has been slow but at any point in the past if you'd told me I could be this much down in a year without it even being difficult, I'd have never believed it.

It is becoming more clear I may be on this for a very long time, for the benefits it's giving in keeping my immune system in check. I've done some research and there is no actual cure for what seems to be my particular issue. But as someone pointed out this weekend, plenty of people spend thousands a year on botox, fillers, collagen, facials - why shouldn't I pay the same for something that keeps me healthy, if I can afford to.

What a terrible experience you had @JBJ. I’m so sorry that you’re going through such a difficult time. For what it’s worth, my niece is a nursing student and has had a couple of lectures on weight loss medication that she said sparked a lot of positive discussion amongst staff and students. Hopefully the next generation of medical staff will be more empathetic to those of us on WLI. I sincerely hope your health improves quickly and as others have said keep us updated.

Thanks everyone. I’ll reply properly when I’m having a better day, but feel like crap at the minute :(

@JBJ So sorry you've had to not only go through all this but be treated so badly as well 😞. The hospital staff have been so unkind just when you're at your most vulnerable and it's so not right. I so echo everyone else.

@Shmallow Wow you are so very very close to healthy weight that's amazing! That's incredible to think you've done that in a year. Well done 🎉. Have you thought about whether you want to decrease the doss or anything?

I'm curious what you've said about immune effects. I remember it was only a few weeks in and I was rapidly googling why I could now walk and it seemed to do with reduced inflammation. But my whole body seems to be working better.

I'm expecting to stay long term too but really hoping I can cut down when I get to goal and that something a cheaper version comes along.... I so didn't plan for it to go up!

Hello everyone, just reading through updates. So sorry to hear @JBJ that you're having such a bad time. I really hope you feel better soon.

Hope everyone else is having an OK week.

I'm still jabbing MJ and stretching each 10mg pen to 6 weeks. I'm kind of on maintenance now as I've been hovering around 63/64kg for the last few months. I don't really want or need to lose any more, and for the sake of looking as youthful as possible probably shouldn't. Feeling pretty great though and so pleased that this time last year I was 90kg and this is the first January in over a decade that I haven't had some intense diet-based NY resolutions.

I'm going to try and ease the dosage down and find my long-term maintenance level. Haven't paid for any MJ since October as I've been working through the backlog. I'll use Numan again next month as they've emailed me a discount to re-start but after that will be looking for a subscription or a referral discount if anyone has any recommendations.

Morning all! First Monday jab free in a year! Thankfully, the 7lb gain whilst in hospital has disappeared as fast as it arrived and I’m weighing 13st 9.5 this morning, so a cheeky 1lb gone on top. 1lb off 8st exactly! Doesn’t really mean a huge amount at the minute however, as I’m just having to eat what I can, when I can, but trying hard to remain within my calories and get plenty of protein and fibre. Very boring being incredibly low fat though as there’s so little I can eat and actually enjoy!

I think what I’m worried about the most with stopping mounjaro is all the other effects from it - my joint pain improved almost instantly when I started taking it and the brain fog and fatigue from the TBI I suffered 12 years ago had improved for the first time. It makes me sad that all that might come back :( There’s the huge fear of regaining the weight, although with the limited things I can eat, I think I’d be pushing it to do that at the minute, but long term, it scares me. I’d got my head round potentially being on this wonder drug forever and now I’ve got to do it alone, which hasn’t worked out well over the last 40 odd years! At the moment, I have the fear of the pain it causes if I eat something I shouldn’t, but, once my gallbladder has gone, that fear won’t be there and I’ll just be relying on the fear of regaining weight.

@JBJ I'm so sorry that the Doctor was an arse to you. Sometimes their personal prejudices override medical evidence.

Good luck with things post-gall bladder surgery!

I was on holiday last week so no official weigh in until today - 1.2kg across the 2 weeks. My holiday was pretty intensive, I was cross country skiing most days, so I was absolutely bushed every night.

@Bear2014 We're pretty much the same, I'm 65ish now, and just into healthy weight for my height. I do want to lose some more to get a buffer, So you're taking six jabs of the 10mg or are you stretching dosing to longer than a week? I'm currently getting 12.5mg out of a 10mg pen as realised I should have moved up again, so will order 12.5mg and see how it goes but when I'm about 60kg I'd like to start tapering and see how it goes. I want a happy medium where I maintain both the loss and the health effects.

@FatsiaJaponicaInTheGarden like you I'm waiting eagerly for the cheaper options to come in. I think there's another double or triple agonist coming that includes the GIP (which is the key component helping my mast cell/immune stuff) and/or one in pill form. Pills must be significantly cheaper so that would be perfect for me, long term. I just don't know if I need to stay on a high dose to maintain the immune stuff,

I'm doing 48 clicks each time from a 10g pen which is 8mg. Jab number 6 is extracted with a syringe and works out at about 0.5ml. Even with a discount, this is kind of unsustainable as I don't want to be spending £220 every 6 weeks. So I'm hoping to be able to maintain on 5mg or less to keep the costs down while we wait for a cheaper long-term alternative to come out. I'm not currently entertaining the thought of coming off it as I feel great and have had pretty much zero side effects all year, and it works so well. I can't bear the idea of piling it all back on again, and at my age (mid 40s) I feel it's important not to for heart health etc.

ah cool, I've managed to force the pen without breaking it so far, so haven't had to go down the syringe route. I think 5mg is what I'll try to go down to as well, and I've also had no side effects really. So lucky!

One thing that really struck me this month is seeing all the complicate diets and cookbooks and workout plans and everything designed for NY resolutions and feeling a huge sense of relief that for the first January in decades my head isn't filled with trying to remember any systems or points or whatever else I've done in the past when trying to lose weight. I've just been able to exist in peace.