I never feel like I can’t eat - should I be going up?

[blossombb]

I’ve been reading a lot that people really struggle to eat, someone I spoke to earlier can only eat one meal a day. Me on the other hand, I’m averaging between 1400 to 1600 cal a day. I still get hungry and I don’t miss meals.

I have lost just over two stone since I started in August so clearly it’s working. I’m on 5mg and have just over a stone to goal. I’m not snacking anywhere near as much as before MJ and I’m eating smaller portions of the foods I like.

Just wondering if I should be going up so I can restrict slightly more as weight loss is now slowing down. I just never had that feeling where I couldn’t eat anything like a lot of people seem to get?

I wouldn't. I've never had that feeling and I'm now maintaining at goal. If it's working, stick with it

Yes that’s the whole premise you increase dose

If you're continuing to lose weight at around 1 to 2 pounds a week, and you are still feeling the effects of the medication to help you, then no you don't need to move up a dose.

No, I’ve never felt like that either. For me it gives me more control, I can recognise when I’ve eaten enough and stop, I can turn down cakes and not dwell and obsess over it but it’s never stopped me being hungry at meal times and eating a decent meal.

Ive gone from morbidly obese to within the bottom half of health BMI, nice and steady over a year and a half. Unlike other diets throughout my life I’ve been able to stick to this one, remain consistent and make sensible choices about what I eat. That’s with a diet of 1600 -1800 calories when I started out to 1200-1500 now as I maintain.

Not if you don't need to!

A LOT to be frank. I grazed constantly.

No, I'd only move up if you've plateaued and stopped losing. I never felt like I couldn't eat - it just made it easier for me to choose not to eat such a big portion, not to snack, or go back for seconds.

I guess it’s because I can’t seem to eat below 1400. And I probably need to eat less if I want to shift this final stone to get to healthy bmi.

It has been a miracle medication, I can leave the snacks and overeating. It was such a problem before and trying to use this to form new habits

You could consider increasing exercise in order to increase your deficit rather than eating less. Work out your TDEE at your current weight and see what level of deficit 1400 cals puts you in, and then you can work out how you can reduce calories a little and increase your exercise perhaps.

No it isn’t!!!

Sorry to sound like a pantomime character but this is so wrong and it’s important in my view to squash inaccurate myths.

Weight loss injections make you feel fuller so that you eat less, but they shouldn’t - ever - prevent people eating at all. That will lead to increased side effects and less healthy, less sustainable weightloss.

You should be finding you feel fuller sooner, and most people find rich, high fat foods less digestible. If you are still able to finish a large calorific meal, then yes you could consider increasing your dose if your health care professional agrees.

Remember that 1-2 LB a week is healthy, so if you are doing this, you are doing well.

I actually found that dropping calories too low wasn’t helpful in the last bits. What caused that final stone to shift was making sure I got loads of water, made an effort to sleep more and ensured that the food I ate was nutritionally beneficial and not carb based filler. The water and sleep made the biggest difference though, less tired = less craving for quick energy foods = less hungry = better control and better able to stick to calorie limit. More water = less retention, more fat burning, less hungry, better muscle healing.

Do your TdEE calculation, aim for 500 below that but ensure you stay above the BMR number. BMR is how many calories you need to eat to just exist without muscle wastage, organ damage, tiredness, hair failing out, teeth getting damaged etc

Wording is important here. No one should feel they can’t eat. It means you’re on too high a dose. But there is a whole spectrum of appetite suppression between constantly hungry and can’t eat.

personally yes, I’d move to 7,5, reduce further, calorie counts are often wrong, and get to goal, then titrate back down.

I’m shocked people are recommended increasing when the OP has shared a good rate of loss that hasn’t plataeu-d (at the faster end of the recommended 1-2lb per week) just naturally slowed as she approaches a healthy weight - alongside the dream situation of a dose that doesn’t cause side effects or cause overly high suppression which can impact on nutrition.

don’t go up OP, you are only a stone from target, just continue as you are. There’s no up side to increasing your dose. Losing faster would risk all sorts of nutritional issues and a higher dose might bring additional side effects.

the rate of loss does slow. Of course it does when you are so much closer to a healthy weight. It’s not meant to be a straight line. So long as it’s still gradually going down it’s working perfectly at your current dose and you are so lucky not have many of the negative effects others suffer.

You shouldn't be chasing suppression on these jabs. Suppression is a side effect, not the main purpose.

I think you have to think long term, and if you start feeling more suppression now then it will be a struggle for you to come off them once you are at goal weight.

That’s really not true, I went up to ten, then titrated down whilst upping my cals, slowly, to offset the reduction, and it is fine. No matter what dose you’re on, you can’t just go cold turkey, as it is hard, but there are ways to manage it and it is in no way a reason not to move up.

That’s good you have found a way to manage it!
just think in OPs case it is working for her as it is, so why have more medication for her kidneys to deal with.

Actually it’s now shown to heal kidneys, she should move up if she’s struggling ri hit goal. No point staying in a low dose for ages. However if she thinks she can achieve without going ip then of course she should stay as is. I’m simply saying there is no harm in doing so if it starts to not work so well for her she’s in the starter full dose of 5mg. It’s the lowest full dose there is.