Thinking of starting WLI’s but already go to gym/wt train

[BoobyBird29]

Hey Guys,
im seriously thinking about starting wegovy injections (MJ is beyond my budget), am 158cm/86kg.

Keep seeing the importance of introducing fitness/weight training, but I already do this (ironically 3kg heavier than when I started - increased muscle but not that much!).

Has anyone else started WLI’s while
already being a regular at the gym & did this impact your weight loss/leave you needing to do things any differently? (either diet or gym wise)

I started going to the gym a month before I started taking MJ.
I've exercised and dieted previously, so I know the importance of feeding my body to maintain muscle.
So, even though I can't eat a lot most days, I try to have a refeed meal (high calorie) on my rest days to balance things out over the week... I'm losing 1 - 1.5kg a week, which is the most I want to lose - retaining muscle is my goal because building muscle with an unintended high calorie deficit is impossible

I’ve always been very active with the gym and a team sport but also had a bmi of 35 when I started mj. It’s been great for me, now have a BMI of 27 and the gym is so much more enjoyable as I can do so much more! I think my weight loss has been slower than a lot of peoples but that was fine by me.

I think the main difference is that you will be lifting weight to maintain as much as you can of the muscle you already have rather than to build more muscle, so your progression will be a lot slower.

You'll probably find that you can go a lot harder/faster with cardio stuff as your weight goes down.

Thank you for all the replies - so good to hear how it’s worked for you guys @UnimaginableWindBirdrealising that while I’ve got stronger, I’m still as rubbish at cardiac stuff is a driver to do this x

I just started MJ last week. I'm a long time weight/strength and conditioning gym goer. I'm pretty much the same height and weight as you and in my first week haven't lost an ounce! Nor have I felt any side effects. I'm a bad runner (on the couch to 5 k for the 700th time) so I'm hoping dropping some weight will help a lot with that.

Fingers crossed for you @HollywentLightly- now awaiting the arrival of first wegovy pen, keep me posted how you go x

That’s not atypical - I’m sure you know this but it takes months to get up to full dose and everyone starts losing at different points in that process. It’s really not a day 1 drug!

I definitely lost muscle as well as fat on my Mounjaro journey and I didn't focus enough on protein at the start but overall I still have good muscle and it's lovely to be able to see it better now I've lost lots of fat! I have lost some strength but then mass moves mass so that's to be expected and I find myself far more able to do things in the gym than I used to be. Anything involving body weight is now an enjoyable challenge rather than a hopeless failure!

I’ve been going to the gym for a year and a half. I’m perimenopausal, nearly 50 and was very weak when I started. Am starting to feel stronger - but am not able to lift heavy iyswim.

I have been also focusing ion upping my protein over this time to try to lose weight as am 3st overweight with a bmi of 30.

One week into Monj and have lost 5lbs. Am delighted. But concerned about reaching my protein goals - as at the start of the week the suppression was incredibly strong!

It would be helpful to share meal ideas here if anyone is interested as we progress?

I know it in theory, but I'm the only person I know of who hasn't had some drop into their first week!

I’ve weight trained regularly for four years, but my diet was crap. I went on MJ in January, and switched to Wegovy this month, have gone from 110.7kg to 77.75kg. (Just over 5 stone.) I’ve lost a little muscle but overall, I am so much stronger and fitter than I was this time last year! I do aerial arts five days a week and weights 2-3 times a week.

I’ve calorie tracked the whole time to make sure that I’m eating ENOUGH and to make sure I get plenty of protein and fiber.

Everyone is a bit different, however, so please be aware that some people struggle with fatigue (although this is often due to not eating enough!) and it impacts training.

I’m super boring and eat the same thing most days!

Breakfast is Greek yogurt, honey, frozen berries. Lunch is chilli done in my slow cooker (chicken mince, two types of tinned beans, chopped tomatoes, bell pepper and onion), and dinner is always picky bits - cherry tomatoes, sliced ham or chicken, olives, cucumbers, etc.

I do Team RH (he’s a douche but the plan is excellent!) and avg around 1500 calories a day

Yes. I was an avid gym goer, mostly (heavy) weight lifting but I couldn’t get the food under control.

I lost 13kg in 4 months and it’s basically all fat that’s gone. I now look totally ripped with a BMI of 22. I managed to stay on 2.5mg starter dose.

So my bf and I have both tried wli. We both weight training a lot and have done for a while.
In honesty we both found that you have to pick what your goal is. He in particular wanted to maintain muscle and lose just belly fat. It's pretty tough. For starters eating the protein requirements at 1.5 or 2g per kg is almost impossible. You are just not hungry enough. Side effects can also impact your training.
So I'd say if weigh loss is more important than training outcomes then go for it. He decided that was. I decided it wasn't and have come off

I’ve eaten the 2g of protein per kg every day (non negotiable for me as I didn’t want to lose muscle) but I stayed on the starter dose. But yes if I couldn’t had managed that I would have stopped.

Sorry can I ask how you managed it ? I was also on starter dose but couldn't make it at all to the 2g protein. I mean I was nowhere near and that was including a protein shake daily. Did you cut carbs completely ?

I have had to take a week off the gym as WLIs have exhausted me in week 1.
Feeling better this week (2) so have booked a session in tomorrow with my PT. I’m quite apprehensive, but want ti continue to work out.

What are you all managing to eat to fuel your workouts?

I tend to have a protein shake with a banana before morning workouts.
PT is also very critical of WLIs so am not sure I’m going to mention it!

Yes very low carbs but not keto. No grains. Something like 120g - 130g protein, 90g - 100g carbs and 30g fat.

breakfast 300g Fage 0%
lunch Tin tuna
mid afternoon protein shake
dinner 140g chicken

also ate fruit and veg!

I had GDM in both my pregnancies so going low carb is familiar.

think I’ll be eating lots of chicken as not a fan of tinned tuna at all!!

how do you work out the volume of protein in foods/plan them?

I use MyFitnessPal. White fish also works well. I pan fry it and eat with salad. Egg white omelettes also good.

I haven’t really lost any strength; possibly on bench press, I can do 57.5kg for 1 rep (my currentl bodyweight) possibly could manage three reps before I lost the weight but I have got new squat and deadlift PBs since the weight loss. And due to weight loss can now do pull ups. Didn’t lose strength on lat pulldowns. The BIA scales suggest small amounts of muscle loss but that’s inevitable as some of the “muscle” is ligament holding the fat.

I started on MJ in January, having been a very active person, but no weights. Introduced weights as soon as I started taking it, also went back to Couch 2 K 5 to improve my cardiac fitness. I now walk every day, at least 3 miles, weight train 3 times a week and try and get a bit of running in a couple of times a week during my walks.

BMI when I started was just on 29, with terrible asthma, joint pain and constant fatigue. BMI now is just under 21, on maintenance since August. 24kg (4 stone) down and I’ve honestly never felt better. Virtually no asthma, far less joint pain, waaaay more energy. Wish I’d done it ages ago before the huge price hike.