Advice on Mounjaro from those who are very active and already eat a very healthy diet

[weightlossadviceplease]

Excuse the clunky title.

for a bit of back ground info - I am a mum of 4 very young kids and prior to my eldest being born I was around 70kg/ size 12 and very active, regularly running 10k and going to gym multiple times per week. I put on 30kg over 6 years with my 3 pregnancies (last one was twins and really debilitating)

Fast forward to now and I’ve managed to lose 15kg last year and I’m getting back into running and the gym where I can but I also work 3 x nightshifts per week and this coupled with the 4 kids has left me finding it very difficult to lose anymore weight. I eat a healthy and varied diet but I know I eat over my calories otherwise I would be losing more weight, nightshift makes it very difficult to stay within a 1600 calorie limit.

My main concern with Mounjaro is that I know it has side effects that can leave you feeling crappy plus as much as I want to eat less, I need to keep my energy levels up to survive on the little sleep that I do get.

I would love to lose another 15kg and get back to pre baby level of fitness. I’m not bothered about it being a quick weight loss. It I just feel so uncomfortable in my own skin still and it’s getting me down.

looking to hear from those that have used mounjaro and still maintained enough energy to run 4 days per week and keep up with all the other life responsibilities.

thank you

OP, I was nine and a half to ten stone before I had DD1 and DD2, put four stone on when I had DD1 and never lost it all. I've always done loads of exercise and thought I'd lose it again easily, but after having kids I weighed between 13 and 13 and a half stone usually (BMI 28/29). Once got up to 14 and a half and once down to 12 stone, this was in fifteen years of trying to lose weight. I also have PCOS and endometriosis.

This year I've been on Mounjaro since 1st March and have got down to 11 stone, BMI 24. Eating the same healthy diet but more like 1400-1500 calories a day instead of 1700-1800.. I do weights and cardio in the gym, yoga and have also taken up open water swimming which I don't think I'd have had the confidence to do at my previous weight. I've had hardly any side effects along the way, even at 15mg.

I'd like to lose another half a stone for wriggle room to get down to BMI 23 but have only ordered 10mg for my next dose as I'll have been on 15mg for about three months and I'm not sure the full dose is a great idea for long periods when you are slim, unless you are diabetic. So I'm starting to switch over to more of a maintenance regime.

@weightlossadviceplease i was a bit like you exercising, eating well but in reality not that much but was struggling to lose a pound. I spent a lot of time lurking on the MJ threads before taking the plunge nearly a year ago and I’m now on maintenance having lost 62lbs. MJ will be different for everyone and no one knows what side effects you might have, but lethargy was not one of mine at all - quite the opposite. Nor did I feel crappy - just a bit of constipation (sorted with daily kiwi fruit/medjool dates) and because I jab before bed any nausea I may have had I slept through. What MJ did for me was to reduce the appeal of wine which obviously accounted for a lot of hidden calories which was great. It also seemed to unlock a hormonal imbalance because I didn’t change the amount of food, nor the amount of cardio I did but once I ditched the midweek wine and added in strength training, the weight came off. I also realised that my body can function really well on much fewer calories even when exercising. I’m not a massive calorie counter but I do make most things from scratch including snacks so I know what is in everything I eat. I no longer have any takeaways which previously would mean I consumed the same amount of calories but from the ‘wrong’ sort of foods (my body doesn’t thank me for them if I eat them now) . I’d say you need to focus on water intake, protein - 1g per kg of your body weight (from actual food not UPF protein) and an exercise regime that includes lifting weights/toning/weight bearing exercise as well as cardio. You can definitely function well, exercise well, eat well on MJ and within your TDEE it just reduces the appeal of wanting cadburys from the vending machine! With night shift being a factor - are you able to bring food you prepped from home? You really won’t fancy anything that isn’t fresh or nutritious- MJ is a bit of an alchemist in this respect!

Good luck and keep asking questions before you commit. It has been life-changing for me and I can’t see me going back to my old ways now.

I lost over six stone and been in the gym 5-6 days a week since I started, been in maintenance now on a 5mg dose for 6 months and still the same, if anything my energy levels increased especially as I got fitter and slimmer.

remember 80 percent of people have no side effects. Also remember carrying the extra weight impacts our energy levels, and mounjaro is now shown to make our fat available for burning, and in studies it showed that unlike control groups whose energy dropped when dieting, those on the drug, and it was the same with the mice, didn’t have the same slump, as their fat was being utilised to fuel them,

Well done on losing 15kgs with 4 young kids!!

I have always been overweight so different on that basis but I have had very few side effects thought and have had absolutely boundless energy!!

I hadn’t done any exercise for over 20 years when I started MJ but got back into the gym within 6 weeks and built up to now training 6 days a week including 3 spins and 3 runs (as well as lifting etc).

I have lost over half of my body weight and am fitter and healthier than I have been for years. I have been very conscious through the losing phase to focus on protein and to ensure I ate enough to feel full of energy. I didn’t really calorie count, just ensured I ate enough to feel the way I wanted.

I would say to give it a try. If you hate it, stop. If it works for you, you’ll never look back!

This is an excellent point, and should be a sticky comment for everyone hesitating over starting, if you don’t like it stop.

there is no big commitment here, buy a pen, inject, don’t like it, stop, don’t inject again, the next week. sure you’ve lost money as you’re binning the rest of that first low dose pen, but that’s it, that’s all you’ve lost.

so really the question is, should I risk 150 quid and try it.

Thanks everyone for your replies. It was what I was hoping to hear, I have appointment with GP on Monday to get a script so will start then and see how I go. I just want to help the weight loss along, it’s been 6 months now since the scales moved tbh

Also encouraged to hear that it can help with the alcohol cravings because that’s another part of my inability to stick to 1600 calories per day tbh

Op, if you’re in the uk gp;s do not prescribe mounjaro for weight loss. It is bought privately. To get mounjaro for weight loss you need a bmi of over 40 with 4 out of five health conditions, ie high blood pressure, high cholesterol etc. and currently it’s done via a referral to tier 3 weight loss clinic, so takes years. Some gp;s do it now, postcode dependent, but it is a tiny percentage and you need to meet the criteria as said, over 40 bmi and 4 health conditions.

if you’re in the uk you need to buy it privately for your criteria.

Sorry op also the same for wegovy. GPs do not prescribe unless you hit the very extreme criteria. Which is a tiny percentage of the population. If you are in the uk there is no point going to your gp and asking. Genuinely.

have a look on monj.co.uk for registered pharmacies and pricing. You complete the questionnaire and can be prescribed privately. Private requirements are bmi 30 or 27 with an associated health condition due to weight, or 27 for certain ethnicities,

Sorry should have said I am in Australia, they will prescribe it as we pay for all prescriptions privately anyways.

Ah ok, then good luck defo the right decision.

Although not a runner, I was very active, always walking and hiking and swimming 2-3 hours a week. My diet was reasonable as well, I just struggled with peri and being hungry all the time, plus too many treats. My diet was pretty much all cooked from scratch and low UPFs. I gained weight very slowly, and it was made worse when various injuries/changes to circumstances meant my activity went down temporarily. When the exercise went back to normal, I stopped gaining weight, but couldn't lose it either.

I have been on MJ since February. I have always only increased my dose when I have needed to, and gone up in half doses (2.5, 3.75, 5, 6.25). I am at the point where I will likely soon up to 7.5 after 35 weeks. This has been key to make sure I don't get the nasty side effects that make you feel awful, and mean I can eat enough to have enough energy to exercise. I focus on high protein.

I now only swim for 2 hours a week, mostly because I now do body pump twice a week, mat pilates once a week and reformer pilates once a week on top of brisk walking 90-120 minutes a day. I also regularly hike, and recently walked 200 miles in two weeks, including 3 mountains, once of which was Snowdon.

I have lost just shy of 27kg. I never have an issue with lack of energy to exercise. I could easily do a lot more, I just don't have time.

1,25 is a quarter of a dose, the full doses are 5, 10 and 15 and we already move up in half dose increments, and 80 percent of people have no side effects. Just for accuracy,

For me the benefit of MJ is just that I can eat less WITHOUT losing energy. Without it I feel so tired the moment I go into calorie deficit and although I push through cycling and running I flop after exhausted. With MJ I don’t feel like I am in deficit even when I am. It’s bloody brilliant. I don’t feel side effects of nausea etc unless I eat badly or too much.

Macro counting with a good amount of carbs, fat and protein has worked well for me.

I was a member of a really good macros group where I learned a lot, for free!

I couldn't do the really high protein/low fat and low calorie counts some people do on here. Each to their own. My view is my body needs carbs for energy like a car needs petrol for fuel.

I'm working part time as a fitness instructor and being on MJ didn't have any negative side effects. Didn't need to lower my weights and of course I can now run faster without lugging all the weight around. And the muscles I built while heavier look quite impressive, now they are visible. I was eating more protein and also used protein shakes on days I didn't feel like eating much.

I also stopped drinking, I think I have had just a few glasses since January - also makes a difference to both weight and overall wellbeing, can recommend. First it was a bit challenging, was so used to coming home Friday evening, opening a bottle of wine...but it was just a habit. Don't even miss it.

I would strongy recommend you add some resistance training to your running though, the latter does not help that much with building muscle.

Good luck!

I’ve lost 2 stone since July so quite slow but have been to the gym every day (including PB in both squat 92.5kg and deadlift 97.5kg and run 5km most days .