If, like me, you have always struggled with your weight why do you think that is?

[Movinghouseatlast]

I can't help.but think there has always been something hormonal going on for me.

I was a big child, had puberty at age 10. I think my mum may have over fed me due to a controlling father who made my childhood, ( and her whole life) a bit shit.

I was always a bit overweight at school, not huge but a size 12. I'm only 5 foot 2.

Started dieting at probably age 16. Went up and down over the years.

On my 21st birthday my mum took me out to buy a new dress but said to the shop assistant " she'll never get anything to fit her she's so fat". I was maybe heading for size 14 at that point.

At age 25 I went to weight watchers. I was 11 stone 11 pounds. Got down to 9 stone 4 ( goal) but then couldn't stop losing weight and was 8 stone 2.

Stopped smoking when I was 30. Put it all on again, 11stone 11.

More weight watchers. Got to goal 9 stone 4.

Fell in love, put ot all on again. Weight watchers etc etc

Started going to the gym 5 times a week. This seemed like the Holy Grail!

Then stayed the same until I hit perimenopause at 46. Piled on the weight over 9 years, ended up 14 stone.

Despite the gym, pilates and Zumba and dieting I couldn't lose a single pound.

Until Ozempic sorted me out!

I love food. I cook from scratch every evening, I've never eaten much processed food. I love chocolate but have one or two squares a night. I love cheese and cake and ice cream but never eat it. My whole life is denial and I just feel food is my enemy. But I still don't really know why I 'run to fat'.

It’s really very simple. I love to cook, and I love eating good food. I also love red wine, proper beer & single malt whisky. I do not love exercise, at all. These factors combine to create an imbalance which, unmitigated, led to me being clinically obese for many years. Which was entirely my own fault. Obesity is a lifestyle choice, not a disease,

Following a health scare I realised I had reached the point at which I either had to sort myself out or I would start to suffer serious, life-limiting obesity related health issues. I lost 35kg in 18 months without the use of drugs. I’m now a healthy weight, I eat very sensibly & don’t drink alcohol during the working week, I force myself to exercise, I’m fitter than I have ever been and I feel much better for it.

How did you lose the weight out of interest?

A mixture of poor mental health and following advice that didn't work for me.

As a teenager I restricted my food, though I didn't realise it until I was taken to the doctor for being very underweight. That was a direct result of living in an abusive home. In my mid-20s I was in an abusive relationship and piled the weight on through binge eating. Then in my later 30s had a child and a traumatic experience and piled it on again. To try and lose weight after my baby was born I started eating three meals a day at set times, eating before exercise, following all kinds of advice and buying into ideas of trying to cheat myself into thinking I was eating treats made out of chickpeas or something, and basically yo-yo dieting. I was up and down the same stone all the time and could not maintain the size of the calorie deficit I believed I needed to lose weight. I couldn't subsist on 1200 calories a day.

Also I should add that my mum, auntie, cousin and sister are also obese and are binge eaters. I don't know if there's something genetic or anything to do with growing in poverty and abuse or all of the above.

So a combination of factors led to weight gain and combination of factors made it difficult to lose. Now, along with Mounjaro I now eat 3 meals or 3 and a sizeable snack to my own timetable, I exercise first thing in the morning before I eat, and I eat 1500 calories, sometimes more depending on my energy needs. If I want something nice I fit it into my calories and no longer try to trick my body/brain with 'hacks' or buy into the idea of things like 'syns'.

Firstly, I cut my alcohol intake drastically. I was drinking far too much, and booze is full of empty calories. I stopped drinking completely for the first 3 months then restricted myself to drinking only on one night per week.

Secondly, I cut out most of the energy-dense foods I was eating too much of, eg cake, biscuits, cheese, chocolate, pastry, puddings etc. I ate a lot more veggies, lean protein, fruit other than bananas etc.

Thirdly, I started exercising. Minimum 10k steps per day, plus cycling and long walks in the hills in my local area. Once I started losing weight I trusted the process & accepted that significant weight loss is a marathon not a sprint, and it’s a lifestyle change not a ‘diet’.

I’ve been wondering about this, and I’ve been thinking about bottle feeding and the 70’s. This is all entirely speculation but I’ve been thinking about it. My mum was given a tablet in the 70’s in hospital after having me,, her second child , to make sure her milk never came in, so I was bottle fed from the start. She also did this with my older brother, she saw it as a positive choice, easier to monitor how much milk we were having etc.
it was always a family story/joke about what a difficult baby I was because she would feed me the “proper” amount of formula, it was a huge struggle and could take 2 hours because I didn’t want to take it, then just at the end I’d throw it all up, and she’d have to start again. So basically she was feeding me till I was sick and then feeding me more. I don’t know but wonder if this retrained my brain/body, but I am never full.
we ate well in our hose as a child, home cooked meals( mainly because of cost, I was slim as a child and normal weight as a teenager but from university onwards I’ve just kept putting on weight, struggling massively to loose some and then putting it back on plus more, it seems to go, stable weight for several years at progressively higher weights, then a stressful event, put on a stone or more, stabilize for several years. Then repeat.
it was only when I had my own children and breast fed that I realized that you have no idea how much milk a baby takes and they probably need very different amounts, my friends that formula fed were also advised to just let the baby drink what they wanted and not force them to finish the bottle and that the baby would know what to eat and when to stop.
I’ve no idea if this had any effect, but I do wonder.

Taking MJ makes me realise I simply used to eat too much.. My DM eats too much so I guess the example was set. I am amazed at how little I actually need.

My mother would force us kids to eat everything that was in front of us. I was regularly beaten if I took too long/didn’t finish, then sent back to the table till it was gone. I was in my 30’s and long left home before I realised I not only could have smaller portions, but could leave food once I was no longer hungry. I still struggle with my weight now (was 16 stone at my heaviest, now around 10st 10 but losing).

That’s very interesting. I was bottle fed from three months but my brother and sister were breastfed.

I was a skinny, lanky child (I’m 5’8”) and could eat whatever I wanted without putting on weight, up until I was around 13 and puberty kicked in..then it was downhill from there! I never overate as a child though, I had a fairly average diet, probably not very healthy. But like all kids I loved sweets and chocolate. I distinctly remember at school age 12, buying an ice cream, a donut, a chocolate bar and a packet of crisps for morning break and being embarrassed that I was getting so much. As soon as puberty started age 13 I stopped being skinny. I was never overweight though, maybe went from a size 6 to a size 10. Throughout my 20s I yo-yoed between a 10 and a 14, occasionally getting to bmi 25/26. In my 30s it was much the same but yo-yoing between a 12 & 16. I’d get to a size 16 and panic and crash diet (Atkins, Dukan, keto, cabbage soup 🤢), lose it all then start eating rubbish again and put it all back on. For me it was just a poor diet and big portions - takeaways, ice cream, pizza, cheeseburgers, I just liked unhealthy food and didn’t particularly like healthy food. I didn’t eat much chocolate & sweets or snack much, and I wouldn’t say I overate or binged or emotionally ate. In fact, periods of depression & anxiety resulted in barely eating. I was also extremely fit & active during this time which probably stopped me going past a size 14/16. I think I just put weight on easily. Now in my late 30s I’ve crept up to size 16 and bmi 30, my heaviest ever. Mounjaro’s been the only thing to break the cycle as I can stay on a healthy low cal diet without falling off the wagon and having cheat days/weekends, which was always my downfall with diets before. Dreading coming off it because I know my willpower is pretty rubbish 😬

1. Growing up, not very good diet. Typical 60s/70s processed food. Sweets instead of home cooked puddings.
2. Never learnt how to cook, so diet not great in adulthood
3. the “pill”
4. chronic illness (ME/CFS) from 20s - caused inflammation and couldn’t exercise
5. too much pub - drinking lager in 20s and 30s
6. thyroid issues from 30s onwards
7. sweet tooth
8. food portion size

By my 40s my diet was much healthier. I learned to cook. I stopped drinking beer. Only red wine with dinner. However, as health and mobility issues worsened, now it became almost impossible to lose weight.

By my late 40s I was just stuck at 2 to 3 stone overweight. I hit the gain-regain diet treadmill. The only way to lose weight was with great discipline and struggling with hunger, a situation which I could never maintain. So would inevitably regain.

What Mounjaro has done is to help with portion size and limit my sweet tooth.

I am losing weight, eating well but less, as I am simply less hungry.

Yes portion size was the final piece of the puzzle. MJ has helped so much here. Plus less snacking.

So what I’m getting here is the only solution is MJ.

Is that a friendly question?

This is an injections forum.

What’s your experience?

100% agree with this Fancy
Its one of the best revelations to me too.

I could never understand this because I was always bloody hungry so to not eat as much meant even more hunger.

Certainly not the only option and we all know that weight loss can be achieved without MJ although success long term is iffy.

What would be good is if people who sought medical help could actually get it. If as standard there was an assessment to determine if there was a physiological reason. In my mind it would look something like this:

• patient approaches medical practice
• Weight, height, BMI calculation, blood pressure. Blood test for - hormone levels, HbA1C, thyroid function, cholesterol, iron/vitamin levels
• If physiological reason found it is treated, this may include Mounjaro as it regulates insulin but may be that other treatments are more appropriate, and patient referred to nutritionist for diet and exercise guidance
• if no physiological reason then patient is referred for weight loss programme that offers psychological, nutritional and fitness support including means tested membership to gym/exercise program

Having lived through 20 years of being told by every medical practitioner of all types and in all settings that I’m just fat and lazy and need to eat less, move more and have willpower it was both heartbreaking and joyous to discover that taking medicine to increase the amount of insulin I have in my body would instantly fix my problems and let me lose weight. I lost the weight by eating less, choosing protein, fat,fibre not carbs, tracking every calorie and moving more but the medicine meant that I wasn’t starving hungry all the time, wasn’t craving carbs for energy because I was so tired all the time and wasn’t building extraordinarily high blood sugar levels which then force my body to store the excess sugar as fat.

@Macaroni46 “I truly believe that in years to come scientists will discover that being overweight is not just a lifestyle choice.“

They already have - Dr Andrew Jenkinson and his work.

A combination of reasons I think.

Complex trauma from a scary childhood meant as an adult I used food to soothe/numb myself (currently getting therapy so hopefully dealing with this)

Poor/lack of food when children so always scared of being hungry or not having food. I tend to overstock cupboards to make myself feel safer (parents could afford fags though just not food for us!)

PCOS - diagnosed at 21. Don't know if this contributed to it or not. Maybe.

High cortisol levels due to living in survival mode (due to trauma). Might be something to do with weight, might not. Did give me some lovely stretch marks though.

Most I had been until recent years was 14 stone 7 which at 5ft 7 was obese not as bad as recently. Managed to lose it in my thirties and keep it off.

In my forties/fifties I looked after elderly parents till they died (yip clearly a good idea with my history). A period of 5 years of re-abuse by my lovely mother meant I ate and ate (I was in complete self destruct mode). Weight got up to almost 19 stone. BMI almost 40.

The old bitch is dead now (she promised she would haunt me but it seems even she couldn't make that happen!). Losing weight slowly. Down to 15 stone 9 (so loss of just over 3stone with another 3 stone, 10 pounds to go. Goal weight is about 11 stone 13 which I think takes me to the top of the normal BMI range.

Not using weight loss drugs (I'm already on tons of drugs for mental health so didn't really want to be on more if I could help it). It's coming off very slowly now about 1 pound per week (thanks perimenopause!) but that's okay. I want to minimise loose skin anyway.

But like all kids I loved sweets and chocolate. I distinctly remember at school age 12, buying an ice cream, a donut, a chocolate bar and a packet of crisps for morning break and being embarrassed that I was getting so much

@Spookygoose it is disturbing that your school was offering ice creams, donuts etc at morning break for a year 7 child. Presumably you weren’t allowed off site at the that age for morning break.

If you felt embarrassed, does that mean you were aware that you were already getting more than the other kids?

Unfortunately in some secondary schools (I didn’t think this happened in primary schools) they do offer children bars of chocolate, crisps, biscuits etc at break time vending machines and at lunchtime in the canteen as part of their meal allowance! . At least this was the case at my son’s second school. I did complain once, but I think it’s a contract with an outside caterer, and they do what they want.

A friendly question?

Here’s a reminder of the question: If, like me, you have always struggled with your weight why do you think that is?

And yet reply after reply is MJ MJ MJ MJ.

OK.

Thanks @InfoSecInTheCity that’s a really thoughtful and comprehensive answer. I agree.

And ice creams? Donuts?

My kids both at secondary and there’s cookies and crisps on sale. Hot chocolates and smoothies. And fruit.

No, it's not. But you can't ignore the opportunity it gives people who might not otherwise have a fair shot at losing weight. It's helping to level the playing field.

We are all different and it is not an active choice the weight we are. Otherwise, i wouldn't have chosen three autoimmune illness who all have increased my weight.

Personally, I know if I do 10k steps a day, it helps a lot with my weight loss journey. But as a working single mother to three dc, one who has autism. Finding time is very hard. Not to mention plantar fasciitis, diagnosis.

Munjaro has reduced my appetite and reduced my portion size. The biggest win, is the reduction in insulin I take. The less insulin I take, the bigger weight loss I have.

I love food and my mother always encouraged me to have second helpings so I have little understanding of portion control. My greatest weakness is pasta and bread - I can (and did) eat ENORMOUS portions of bread and pasta and would never feel satiated. Menopause and a high stress (ie rocketing cortisol) job with long hours (so no time for quality sleep or exercise) resulted in my weight moving from healthy to obese. I come from a family of ‘apples’ many of whom suffered diabetes, heart disease and a plethora of other conditions associated with high levels of visceral fat. Having tried several times to lose weight via calorie counting without success, MJ was my last resort. It’s amazing stuff - has given me the head space to refocus on my health. UPFs are ‘out’, homemade protein based meals are prioritised and carb cravings are a thing of the past. Best of all, it has given me the much needed incentive to set boundaries around work and to make time each day for a run or weights. Love feeling strong and in control!

Im going nords end of February after losing 5 stone on MJ- good luck

I think people talking about Mounjaro is because they're directly linking it to fixing something that was broken on how they see and respond to food. A pretty normal thing to do.

I also think people have always turned to food to an extent but I think the type of food we can turn to now is vastly different hence more obesity.