Thread 2 because we have reached our goal weights and we want to maintain not regain. We might be going cold turkey or titrating down or staying on!

[MargoLivebetter]

Can't believe we filled up a whole thread! Welcome to thread 2.

On a positive note to start us off, I've lost 1lb of the two that I gained from my autumnal apple crumble caper. Filling full of resolve and pleased to know I can gain a pound or two (which is of course completely normal) and then lose them again.

My ferritin has been low since I was 18 and now I'm 43! It was 19 back when I was first tested because I was rejected by NHS blood donation when trying to donate at 18. Since then it's been 36 and 57 but I've never had am issue with hair falling out until using mounjaro.
In fact always used to receive compliments on hair as it was always naturally shiny and good condition. Now it's thin and dry and i have split ends, which again i never had before!
I have used prescription iron tablets when i was in my 20s, but stopped using them as I got stomach cramps, pain and constipation. I tried liquid iron spatone but its small amount and expensive. Feroglobin is a good liquid, easier to absorb but I always forget to take it. I get b12 injections every 3 months or so which helps with tiredness.

FYI Pharmulous website says for new patients, their maintenance plan is if you are bmi 24 or above to join but they will consider all applications.

@20bloodypounds for me the sense of personal agency works really well. I feel more invested in what I am doing if I have decided how I am doing it - obviously not without understanding the guidance and science behind etc. I don't mean just by being daft, iyswim. However, I like to do my own thing and can see how it wouldn't necessarily work for everyone.

@Mysticmaiden and @Choux I suffered for years with desperately low ferritin. GP never thought to suggest as supplement, even though my results were either at the very bottom or just below the "normal" range!!!!! Whilst I was still having periods I took an iron supplement every second day, now I'm menopausal I take a supplement once a week and that seems to keep me mid range.

Thank you for the Pharmalous information @gimmemounjaro . That is very interesting and I think good news. I hope that more prescribers will take that approach going forwards.

Some really interesting thoughts, suggestions and discussions going on here.
@20bloodypounds put in writing exactly what I had been thinking re making my own decisions and having a good degree of personal agency through this process. I love all the views that we share here and we can include other peoples advice/experience in our decision making, or not..... It is up to us.

Yes, the set point theory is just that, a theory. Personally I think it carries some weight, but we are all such complicated beings both biologically and psychologically, and we are all individual. Just as losing weight had us all using MJ slightly differently, maintaining is also going to be an individual process. It's great that we can indeed make our own decisions about what we do and how we do it.
Most weight loss methods are very prescriptive.... 'do it this way/only eat this or that', but with MJ we have a lot more choice and flexibility. eg I have not counted calories, others do. Some people choose to miss a dose before going on holiday, others to inject the day before etc. I love everyones different opinions and ways of doing things.

I do agree that our gut microbiome has a lot to play in all of this and recent research has really helped in this area. I suspect years of dieting, especially eating zero fat and 'diet foods' with crappy additives have not helped me at all.
I take symprove every day and also try and get some fermented food into me when I remember. It definitely helps my digestion.

Really interesting info on ferritin, thank you @Choux I'm going to look into that as in the past few weeks I have noticed my hair falling out a lot more and it is a lot thinner than it could be. I have a history of hair loss after virus's (Covid caused rapid hair loss each time I had it). It usually takes about 3 months to start to grow back, if some ferritin speeds this up I would be delighted!

Yes @MargoLivebetter what the NHS / GPs consider ‘in normal range’ is far below what is considered optimal for ferritin. Some people (often women) have desperately low ferritin and just put their symptoms down to age or stress. Luckily over the counter high strength iron tablets are not too expensive - they are less than the cost of a prescription.

I will have to look at Symprove as I would like to keep focussing on my overall health and digestion.

I have taken my first titrating down 7.5mg dose (from a 12.5mg pen). I found being on 15mg fine - I even took the bonus dose which must have been about 20mg - with no side effects so 7.5mg seems like a tiny dose. I am going to take it on Fridays going forwards so I have the max suppression over the weekend when temptation is greatest. When I was losing weight I took my injection on Sunday nights so I would have the least suppression on the weekend when I was socialising as I didn’t want people to know I was using weight loss drugs.

@Blondeshavemorefun just so you are aware your name is visible on those prescription labels. You may want to get the photo removed.

Ahhhhh. Thanks. Will report x

@Choux I get my Symprove from them directly as a subscription, which works out less expensive. you get a months worth at a time & They are really good as they email a week before they dispatch your next one, which gives you time to pause or change the dispatch date if you have not got through it/are away.
As always, it is not cheap, but it is the best probiotic I have ever found. DD has quite a few digestive issues with her M.E and the symprove really helps.
www.symprove.com

Swift said up to a year with no fee but you would need to order one from them before the gap I think. If you have a gap then it’s back to 2.5mg which I think it’s ok. I’ve moved to them now with 2-3 kg to go, and then I can take a gap at some point.

Re-edited but this is what pharmolous this is what pharmolous sent me so seem good

I really think, especially with the price hikes, I could grovel and get accepted after a long break if I needed to. If Oushk are happy to take £15 a month for a year in order to rejoin, there cannot be any medical reason preventing it. Anyway, hope I won’t need to!

Pharmulous say bmi above 24 to join maintenance and I have just hit 23.9 but I might try anyway.
I will have a gap but I ordered 2 pens during the recent pendemic/pengate so won't need to order until late October at least, as I was still using my previous pen when I ordered the others. I have taken a photo of my pens so will see what happens.

@mysticmaiden If you eat some carbs today you will probably be BMI of 24 tomorrow. If not just drink a couple of glasses of water before your scales photo!

Best to do it now (find new pharmacy) before BMI falls further. A big carby meal today will likely be an extra 1kg on scales tomorrow. Some ask for photos not a scale video.

@Choux @MeridaBrave Yeh I'm still considering it but I'm with oushk and they have provided a great service so far and i may just stay on a low dose. It depends how my body responds to a lower dose, I'm still only managing low cals on 10mg, tapered down from 15, but I am craving sugar and carbs on an evening from day 5 I've noticed, still my overall cals have only hit 1200-1300 from day 5 and lower on earlier days this week. I have zero appetite on a morning and only having a coffee until a late light lunch around 3-4pm!

Due to my ethnicity my bmi is not considered normal until its below 23, this is nhs published guidance and using the bmi calculator on their website, so I can always send a screen shot of this and discuss this with them. I could join now but I won't be ordering a pen until later on because of the gap, or I could order one earlier and keep it in fridge, just not sure what dose to order yet so wanted to wait.

Pharmulous state to book a maintenance consultation, does anyone know what this involves?

Yes I had more carbs last 2 days and already gone up to bmi 24.0 lol I would weigh heavier with clothes on of course and later on in the day after food and drink!

Hi all, I’m joining in here as I had my maintenance call this week with Oushk. I’ve been delighted to lose 3st over last 12 months and am now 9st 1/bmi 22 at 5’3. I am happy not to go any lower as at age 58 I could start to look scrawny (my neck and arms already do). I am on 5mg and seem to be maintaining on that, but will try dropping to 2.5mg when my current pen is up. Oushk send a “maintenance coupon” for £20 off. At the moment I am planning to stay on for life as I have PCOS and I really fear regain. Oushk said there were no health risks to long term use - I hope that’s true. I have noticed definite hair thinning and am keen to know if this is MJ and will it continue even if I’m not losing weight? Any information or tips on how to avoid further loss would be gratefully received.

Hey, slim beans, I found you all on the shiny new thread. Lots of posts to catch up on.

My weight and appetite are still both up and bit and I have had a bit of boozy week, which won’t have helped. I’m also training for a half marathon which isnt helping the greed.

But, we had our first Indian takeaway in many months last night and…I just ate like a normal person and enjoyed it.

I also realised about an hour ago I hadn’t eaten today yet. Neither of those things would have happened pre MJ and I have been off it for nearly 6 months.

I was going to push through until dinner as wasn’t ravenous and fancied the idea of a proper fast day. But I am off to the supermarket shortly and thought going on a totally empty stomach might be fool hardy.

They approved me as new customer last week at 23 - well tech 22.7

Well I thought i was maintaining BUT away for 5 days and scales say a 4 pound gain 😱 Meanwhile my other half lost 2 pounds 🤣🤣🤣

Did you mean to link to supplements for sale instead of the article you mentioned.

@Azuresky68 you can’t have put on 4lb of fat in 5 days, it’s 1000s and 1000s of calories. Drink water and be extra healthy for a few days and all will be well.

This is good to know, I wonder why they have put the bmi over 24 comment in their website then! It's under the maintenance plan section.

It will be water retention from heat and travelling. It will come off quickly after drinking plenty of water and eating within a deficit.

Havnt a clue. I have a maintenance call with them think next week so will ask /find out more

but I was impressed with them and juniper. Born approved me at 22.7 and pen sent out next day

Would appreciate an update about your maintenance consultation. Was the registration process for pharmulous easy? Is it photo of scales and full body?