May 2025 Starters Thread 7 - Ending the year as we mean to go on ✌️

[FlorenceNightshade]

A sparkly new thread for our chatty gang!

My apologies @Gingercar I'd skimmed the last page and posted without seeing your news.

Sending you my condolences - I'm so sorry to read this. I hope that you are able to take care of yourself. Much love to you ❤️

I’m so sorry for the loss of your Mum, @Gingercar 💐 xx

Half a pound on for me this week, not the end of the world.

So sorry @Gingercar . 💐💐

Thinking of you @Gingercar I lost my mum 3 years ago and miss her every day. When you need support, and you will do you know we are all here for you x

Thanks everyone. I didn’t mean to bring the mood down. I’m ok. I’ve been a bit numb, but it’s starting to sink in a bit, and I feel tired. But I have the cafe open every day except Xmas day, so it will keep me busy.

Aaaah, @Gingercar , please don’t apologise - even after a long illness, the actual fact of a parent’s death still comes as a shock,with so many different emotions.
Good the café is keeping you busy, but don’t neglect your own wellbeing. (( hug )).

DH and I have had a busy morning, sweeping up leaves and planting some lovely new hellebores in the front garden. The ones we had were all dark pinks and burgundies , now interspersed with new greenish- white and pinky- lilac plants.
Just hope they survive attacks by snails, not to mention next door neighbours cat……
Onwards and downwards !

@gingercar- I’m very sorry to hear about your mum. Please be kind to yourself. Everyone grieves in a different way, allow yourself to do it your way.

Good morning friends,

@Gingercar how are you doing today? I hope you’re as well as can be and got some support around you. Sending lots of comfort vibes. 💝

Ive finally been hit by the lurgy, I knew I would, been working pedal to the metal for months and finished on Friday so of course I’m immediately ill. A conversation with a friend yesterday made me think though - are you all taking supplements as part of this journey?

She was saying to me that as a perimenopausal woman I should be thinking about these things (I don’t) and given I’m eating so much less now I think she might be right. I currently take collagen powder and magnesium but that’s it. What are you all taking?

I’m considering getting Vit D and calcium too.

Morning everyone. Ginger so sorry to read about your Mum and sending you best wishes.

I’ve nothing much to report, I’m still that same tricky Lb away from target, but to be honest, I’ve been doing some Xmas socialising and my drinking has crept up, so anything that’s not a gain is a win.

Wishing you all a healthy and restful Christmas, we have come a long way since May, here’s to maintaining good habits. Mostly .

@HKGwould definitely recommend vitamin D supplements, most of us in the northern hemisphere should be taking them during the winter months. I personally also take collagen, but truthfully, that’s more for vanity than health. I think it helps with my skin and hair.

The other stuff is more lifestyle dependent. I’m sure I’m not alone in refocusing my diet on vegetables and protein and the benefits of most vitamins are limited in people who already eat a healthy diet. Lots of people take vitamin C and zinc in winter to try to ward off cold viruses and there is some evidence for doing this. Getting a flu jab first would be my advice.

@HKG - Sorry to hear the lurgy 🦠 has got its claws into you !
Hope you feel much better very soon 💐 xx

I take Vitamin B complex, plus Vitamin D from mid-October to March.
I did take effervescent hydration/ electrolyte/multivitamin tablets daily when I started on MJ ,but not so much recently.
Likewise collagen, tried Ancient and Brave for six months, but to be truthful didn’t notice any benefits.
Had my flu jab in October, and paid privately for the Covid one as wasn’t eligible (too young! 🩷) for the NHS one this year.

@HKG i do take vitamins but irregularly, i tbink im eating well enough so not essential. I pick and mix, some days vit D, some days cod liver oil, other days “jointace” vit etc… if i dont sleep well i’ll take magnesium for a few days, when i get my periods i’ll drink iron supplements - not consistent but i feel i get a bit of everything and that suits me well.

my news: since i moved to a new pen but same dose, the suppression has been pretty intense and ive managed to lose 2kg. Im in two minds because i do want to lose more but i also feel im not eating enough and perhaps i should go down to 2.25 or even 2mg instead of 2.5 (every 4 days). I also wonder, because i have lost 20% of my weight, maybe i dont need as much MJ in my bloodstream to feel the effect? A bit like alcohol, i cannot drink as much as 20kg ago… im tipsy much more quickly.
also im eating so little at the moment, it makes me constipated.. its a bit traumatic being on the toilet (sorry if tmi)

I only take Vitamin D, just from when the clocks fall back until they spring forward again. I've done a bit of research and if you're eating a healthy diet that's the only thing that you're likely to need. Everything else just gets peed out as you already have enough.

Obviously if you've been diagnosed as deficient in anything it's a different matter. And if you feel the benefit of collagen and so on its probably doing you good psychologically. Though I can't find any reputable scientific studies that demonstrate efficacy.

Please prove me wrong - I'd honestly like to be mistaken.

I take a multivitamin, biotin, collagen and physlliam husk. My mother, suddenly a nutrition expert after a conversation with someone who reads and summarises medical papers, says I must start taking cod liver oil. (I haven't yet - saw the price of cod liver oil and bought a bottle of wine instead).

I need to pick up some exercise. I don't do anything, except brisk dog walking. Everyone is on about weight training...I started to look into it but it seems much more complicated than 'buy some weights and pick them up', which is what my daughter advised. I live rurally - no easy access to a gym (and no time or money for one, either). I started reading about it online and it was all about how desperately important it is to have exactly the right technique and there was lots of specialist vocabulary I didn't understand. I will have to make more of an effort in the New Year.

My current issue is terrible constipation. It's my own fault - I had a week of egg-based breakfasts with no vegetable accompaniment and really busy days at work when I didn't drink enough. I've taken Senokot (no joy) and have spent much of the day drinking water and eating dried fruit (which I don't really like doing because of the high number of calories in raisins and prunes etc.) Has anyone got any advice?

its a bit traumatic being on the toilet

I hear you loud and clear!

@DBatteryBand unfortunately no tips here! I have taken up to two senokot on a couple of occasions but i dont like to do that…
i do try to drink at least 1.5liter a day but thats not enough. Its winter, food is more carb rich and i struggle. I do add a spoonful of flaxseed to my porridge every morning but it doesnt seem to make any difference…
veg are key i think - i also try to eat at least one pear and one tangerine a day but not always successful….
summer is so much nicer!

Thanks for sharing everyone! It fascinating seeing what everyone else does. I think I need to get some vit D for sure to start with.

im no help on the constipation either im afraid - i add flaxseed to my protein shakes each morning but im simply not eating enough to be regular. I’m a bit worried about this as it doesn’t bode well for coming off MJ but I’m just not interested in eating at all.

I take collagen, vit C, vit D, biotin, omega 3, magnesium. Not sure how many of those I need, and if it's doing any good.

Prunes are my solution to the other problem. I also have a few nuts with my salad at lunch, along with the usual veg and fruit. It mostly works, but I soon notice if I’m out of routine and my fibre portions have dropped off.

Thanks for the tips. I will add my new-found wisdom....Dulcolax really does work. But you really need to stick to the lowest effective dose, and don't decide, 'Well, this isn't working!' and knock back an extra dose.

I will draw a veil over subsequent events. Suffice to say I am no longer constipated and will never again be able to squeak off a cheeky fart without a degree of trepidation. 😱

@DBatteryBand 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Morning losers! I haven’t posted for a wee while i think maybe feel its a bit mundane now im maintaining! Ive been a pound under goal most of the time but one weigh in was 2 pound over so i just made sure i stuck to my safe foods that i know have helped me lose and it came off in a few days luckily. Ive dropped down from 7.5mg dose to 5mg and after four weeks of 5mg im going to drop to 2.5 and taper that until Ive run out. Should have 16 weeks of MJ left before Im off then I will try it cold turkey….. The scariest thing has been actually eating a little more and trusting Im not going to immediately gain it all back. I’m looking forward to Christmas and wearing my new outfits and excited for photos for the first time in years 😀 no double chins lol.

I hope everyone enjoys a merry slimmer Christmas and I’ve even designed myself a Christmas wreath salad for the buffet so I’ve got something healthy to nibble on on Christmas Eve alongside my family’s beige parade of favourites! It’s a rocket pear pecan and blue cheese wreath and I’m going to put raspberries on for baubles 🤣🤣.

Thank you all so much for all your support over 2025 since May - I am 50 pounds lighter and I have learned it’s never too late to change your life at 55. Cannot wait for 2026 and the holidays I have planned .

What a lovely post, @PinkScot, You’ve done amazingly well and sound so happy.

I also haven’t posted much recently but I have been reading everything. So sorry for your loss @Gingercar .

I’m now maintaining on 5mg and will taper down to 2.5 in January and then eventually go cold turkey. Hopefully it won’t be too difficult but Pharmulous say they will prescribe anytime in the next year if I need it, so that’s peace of mind if the worst happens and I regain some weight.

What an incredible journey it’s been, I honestly couldn’t have done it without Mounjaro, so glad I took the plunge in May. Thank you to you all on this thread for the support and for sharing your ups and downs.

SW: 14 stone 1lb
CW: 9 stone 12lbs

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas. Onwards and downwards.

Good to hear from you , @PinkScot - please don’t think it’s mundane to hear about your “onward journey” ( horrid phrase!).
It’s encouraging, and useful for those of us for whom the target is at last in sight.
Wishing you a very happy Christmas and an exciting 2026.