7 stone lost and suddenly starving hungry

Sweetiedarling7 · 20/12/2025 09:22

I have been wondering if my body is now tolerant to mounjaro. Have been on it a year and lost about 8 stones. Never had any side effects and moved up the doses as they became less effective.
It makes sense to me that 15mg can become less effective as my body is well used to it.
Perhaps this is what is happening to you?
I have pondered a break and then restart.

Mysticmaiden · 20/12/2025 09:26

5050canwormkwell · 20/12/2025 09:17

Help! I have been on mounjaro since September 2024 and have gone from 17 st 4lb to 10st 4lb in that time. I'm on 15mg and still losing a pound or so a week. I was aiming for 9st 12, BMI 23. I'm in my mid 40s and I've been obese my whole life and started dieting when I was 12. Mounjaro is clearly a miracle.

But suddenly I am really hungry. Feels like my last shot of mounjaro was water. I am eating about 1400 cals a day and was awake for ages in the night just so hungry I couldn't sleep. Has this happened to anyone else? What is going on?

I was planning to taper down and try and maintain my weight long term on a lower dose but right now I can't cope on 15mg. I am quite active - run 5k a couple of times a week and walk a lot in daily life

It happened to a friend of mine on 15mg so she increased the frequency to jabbing every 5 days, which cost a lot more. She finally moved to wegovy 1.7mg which she said was ok and then 2.4mg which she said was super strong suppression.
Your body does build tolerance with receptor saturation or it could be due to pmt amd hormonal changes or going through a stressful period. I find eating more carbs makes me hungrier, where protein keeps me fuller. Also drinking plenty of water helps.
I've moved from 10mg to 1.7mg and I wish I'd done it sooner, more energy, better mood/mental health, better sleep, stronger suppression and satiety and excess hair shedding has stopped finally after 14 months on mj. I'm now 9st 0.5lbs bmi 22.7 and will drop to 1mg to maintain which is a lot more affordable. I lost 1.3lbs this week amd it was my birthday yesterday and I still couldn't eat a lot on day 7, managed 1000 cals. I would recommend it.

WeAllHaveWings · 20/12/2025 11:38

How has your diet been looking recently, I found around this time last year when eating/drinking routines changed and there was more treat type foods - higher sugar, carbs, UPF, sweet drinks, snacking habit - around, cravings/hunger came back. It took longer than I expected in January to get back to normal.

Summerhillsquare · 20/12/2025 12:00

My very unscientific theory is that your body reaches its own plateau, or rather equilibrium, when it's ready. Mine is just slightly into the overweight category, but I am v happy to be no longer obese, and so far to have stuck to a sustainable diet post MJ. I think trust your body provided there's some common sense there too is what I'm saying.

nebular · 20/12/2025 14:54

You could be my mounjaro twin, I also started at sept 24, at 17 st 4lb. Based on your bmi, I think we are about the same hight too. My final goal was 10st 3. I reached this in Aug 25. I had made my way up to 15mg, currently I am working down and took my last 7.5mg this week. 5mg next. Since reaching goal I have lost a few more pounds and seem to sit between 9st 12 and 10st. I am definitely feeling the urge to snack more and often get scared that I can’t maintain without mounjaro, but the reality is my weight is fairly stable over the last 4 months and that’s something to be celebrated. You are still losing, all be it slowly. You have lost a massive amount of weight. I am sure you (and me to) will find our balance. The main thing is if the scales aren’t going up, it’s ok.

Charlenedickens · 20/12/2025 16:43

I also have a non scientific theory. And that’s

mounjaro never stops working, if it did it would not be approved for things like diabetes etc, so all the things it’s supposed to do, it keeps doing ie insulin or blood sugar management,
however due to the appetite suppression and our enthusiasm we find it easy to stick to a deficit as the weight losss also incentivises us.
diet fatigue sets in, and we realise we can push through, and we start to crave more food again, this translates to hunger in our brain.
now is the time to stop thinking about the food, and keep focused on goal
‘you will likely find if you did eat all the things your mind was saying you wanted, you’d be full quickly and not very well.

so for me, I think it’s about our minds rather than the drug and its performance.

you can maintain on a lower dose, you up your cals weekly as you reduce your dose monthly, the two offset each other. But you will need to always exert willpower, the drug will not do it for you, and your initial enthusiasm is gone.

so my opinion is this is diet fatigue has set in, and your mind wants you to revert to old habits.

bignewprinz · 20/12/2025 17:06

I get this sometimes, and I have concluded that it's hormonal. Sometimes my menstrual cycle overrules the MJ and it's like I never injected it. I get starving and I ride it out. I always find it corrects itself when my hormones 'settle down', hopefully it will for you too!

(6 months in on 2.5mg)

IsItSnowing · 20/12/2025 17:17

Charlenedickens · 20/12/2025 16:43

I also have a non scientific theory. And that’s

mounjaro never stops working, if it did it would not be approved for things like diabetes etc, so all the things it’s supposed to do, it keeps doing ie insulin or blood sugar management,
however due to the appetite suppression and our enthusiasm we find it easy to stick to a deficit as the weight losss also incentivises us.
diet fatigue sets in, and we realise we can push through, and we start to crave more food again, this translates to hunger in our brain.
now is the time to stop thinking about the food, and keep focused on goal
‘you will likely find if you did eat all the things your mind was saying you wanted, you’d be full quickly and not very well.

so for me, I think it’s about our minds rather than the drug and its performance.

you can maintain on a lower dose, you up your cals weekly as you reduce your dose monthly, the two offset each other. But you will need to always exert willpower, the drug will not do it for you, and your initial enthusiasm is gone.

so my opinion is this is diet fatigue has set in, and your mind wants you to revert to old habits.

This makes a lot of sense. I think it applies to me too.

Original poster

5050canwormkwell · 20/12/2025 20:34

Mysticmaiden · 20/12/2025 09:26

It happened to a friend of mine on 15mg so she increased the frequency to jabbing every 5 days, which cost a lot more. She finally moved to wegovy 1.7mg which she said was ok and then 2.4mg which she said was super strong suppression.
Your body does build tolerance with receptor saturation or it could be due to pmt amd hormonal changes or going through a stressful period. I find eating more carbs makes me hungrier, where protein keeps me fuller. Also drinking plenty of water helps.
I've moved from 10mg to 1.7mg and I wish I'd done it sooner, more energy, better mood/mental health, better sleep, stronger suppression and satiety and excess hair shedding has stopped finally after 14 months on mj. I'm now 9st 0.5lbs bmi 22.7 and will drop to 1mg to maintain which is a lot more affordable. I lost 1.3lbs this week amd it was my birthday yesterday and I still couldn't eat a lot on day 7, managed 1000 cals. I would recommend it.

Show quote history

Thanks - really reassuring to hear that a switch to wegovy helped your friend in the same situation as me! I will keep that up my sleeve. Would be good to save the money too.

OP posts:

InfoSecInTheCity · 20/12/2025 20:55

Take a moment to do a bit of an assessment of the last few days

are you still drinking lots
are you getting enough sleep
sre you approaching your period
are you getting enough protein/fat
have your carbs increased
have you been more active

All of these things can change how hungry you feel, changes in weather and it being more cold and darker can also make us feel hungrier and our bodies to want more calories.

Original poster

5050canwormkwell · 20/12/2025 21:02

bignewprinz · 20/12/2025 17:06

I get this sometimes, and I have concluded that it's hormonal. Sometimes my menstrual cycle overrules the MJ and it's like I never injected it. I get starving and I ride it out. I always find it corrects itself when my hormones 'settle down', hopefully it will for you too!

(6 months in on 2.5mg)

Thank you! Its a week til my period so could be that!

OP posts:

Original poster

5050canwormkwell · 20/12/2025 21:04

Charlenedickens · 20/12/2025 16:43

I also have a non scientific theory. And that’s

mounjaro never stops working, if it did it would not be approved for things like diabetes etc, so all the things it’s supposed to do, it keeps doing ie insulin or blood sugar management,
however due to the appetite suppression and our enthusiasm we find it easy to stick to a deficit as the weight losss also incentivises us.
diet fatigue sets in, and we realise we can push through, and we start to crave more food again, this translates to hunger in our brain.
now is the time to stop thinking about the food, and keep focused on goal
‘you will likely find if you did eat all the things your mind was saying you wanted, you’d be full quickly and not very well.

so for me, I think it’s about our minds rather than the drug and its performance.

you can maintain on a lower dose, you up your cals weekly as you reduce your dose monthly, the two offset each other. But you will need to always exert willpower, the drug will not do it for you, and your initial enthusiasm is gone.

so my opinion is this is diet fatigue has set in, and your mind wants you to revert to old habits.

Well it's possible I guess. But it's odd that my mind would wake me at 3am with gnawing hunger pains and keep me awake (didn't get up and eat). I'm still eating the same number of calories and losing weight, I'm just miserably hungry. So doesn't feel like a lack of willpower.

OP posts:

Charlenedickens · 20/12/2025 22:29

5050canwormkwell · 20/12/2025 21:04

Well it's possible I guess. But it's odd that my mind would wake me at 3am with gnawing hunger pains and keep me awake (didn't get up and eat). I'm still eating the same number of calories and losing weight, I'm just miserably hungry. So doesn't feel like a lack of willpower.

Show quote history

Op think about it logically of course rhd drugs don’t stop working, they are just about to approve it for cardio vascular Health, it’s been used in diabetics for over 2 decades, if they stopped working they would not be available for these ailments, it would be too dangerous.

so the only other option is it has always had this effect on you, but your desire to succeed, snd belief they would and did work, kept you dieting, it would also explain why you got all the way up to 15 mg, which is heck of a strong, and now find it doesn’t work. The drive, and belief has stopped, and now you want the food again and feel hungry,

rhe mind is very powerful. The placebo effect is very real and involves real neuro chemical changes.

Original poster

5050canwormkwell · 21/12/2025 06:26

InfoSecInTheCity · 20/12/2025 20:55

Take a moment to do a bit of an assessment of the last few days

are you still drinking lots
are you getting enough sleep
sre you approaching your period
are you getting enough protein/fat
have your carbs increased
have you been more active

All of these things can change how hungry you feel, changes in weather and it being more cold and darker can also make us feel hungrier and our bodies to want more calories.

Thanks, that's really helpful. I've been poorly recently with winter bugs and struggling to sleep so that could well be relevant. My period is a week away and I've had some Christmas events where I've eaten different foods from normal. Hopefully when these factors all get back to normal I'll feel different....
.

OP posts:

Localfriend · 21/12/2025 06:34

Perhaps this time of year, you are more starkly missing the social side of eating and the enjoyment from food.

Im not talking about stuffing faces with a packet of biscuits, I’m talking about enjoying cheese and biscuits and a glass of red wine with your best friend, or a mince pie and mulled wine whilst last minute shopping with your husband… that kind of thing

ShawnaMacallister · 21/12/2025 06:47

5050canwormkwell · 20/12/2025 21:04

Well it's possible I guess. But it's odd that my mind would wake me at 3am with gnawing hunger pains and keep me awake (didn't get up and eat). I'm still eating the same number of calories and losing weight, I'm just miserably hungry. So doesn't feel like a lack of willpower.

Show quote history

Maybe it's time to reduce the deficit and accept slower weight loss/maintenance? It's far easier to lose 2lb a week at 17 stone than it is at 10 stone. If 1400 calories is leaving you hungry then it's not enough. Eat a bit more, and lose a bit more slowly.

ShawnaMacallister · 21/12/2025 06:50

5050canwormkwell · 21/12/2025 06:26

Thanks, that's really helpful. I've been poorly recently with winter bugs and struggling to sleep so that could well be relevant. My period is a week away and I've had some Christmas events where I've eaten different foods from normal. Hopefully when these factors all get back to normal I'll feel different....
.

Show quote history

Oh yes - eating different food can screw with the Mounjaro effect too. It's a vicious cycle in that the more 'bad' food you eat the less the drug works because by eating high carb/high sugar food you're overriding the beneficial effects of the drug and creating blood sugar spikes. It will even out after Christmas I expect. I do stick by my advice to increase calories though. A 1000 calorie deficit at 10 stone something is really big and leaves you depleted.

Summerbay23 · 21/12/2025 08:29

@Mysticmaiden sorry just checking have you also moved to wegovy 1.7mg? Or did you mean you’ve reduced your MJ dose? Thanks

Carycach4 · 21/12/2025 09:37

I hit a long plateau after about 14 months. Eventually i got weight moving again by (1) reducing the dose from 15 to 10 (2) jabbing every ten or so days. When i returned to 12 oer week, i started losing well again.

Carycach4 · 21/12/2025 09:41

Another thing is that in cold weather you will require more calories to maintain your body temperature (think hiw much energy it takes to heat your house! ) , so that will be making you more hungry.

StealthMama · 21/12/2025 09:48

I would also add to review what your are eating to ensure you remain high protein low carb, and at your current weight with running your metabolism will be good. You probably do need to increase calories, and consider if you can increase excercise with it - for an extra run a week? Then start to downgrade your dose.

ShrankLastWinter · 21/12/2025 09:59

I’ve had much more hormonal fluctuation in hunger since getting close to and then at goal. Hopefully it’ll only be a day or two a month you feel like this.

MildlyAnnoyed · 21/12/2025 10:37

This is what 15mg felt like to me. I had about a month break & re-started on 2.5

Mysticmaiden · 21/12/2025 10:59

Summerbay23 · 21/12/2025 08:29

@Mysticmaiden sorry just checking have you also moved to wegovy 1.7mg? Or did you mean you’ve reduced your MJ dose? Thanks

Yes I moved to wegovy just over a month ago, took my 5th dose yesterday, but I also dropped my mj dose from 15mg to 7.5mg first because as soon as I hit bmi 25 the doses were far too strong for me and I switched because Ivwanted to see if wegovy would reduce my side effects which it has, especially the severe hair loss which is surprising as everyone said its due to low calories but I'm still on low calories

Original poster

5050canwormkwell · 21/12/2025 19:41

Localfriend · 21/12/2025 06:34

Perhaps this time of year, you are more starkly missing the social side of eating and the enjoyment from food.

Im not talking about stuffing faces with a packet of biscuits, I’m talking about enjoying cheese and biscuits and a glass of red wine with your best friend, or a mince pie and mulled wine whilst last minute shopping with your husband… that kind of thing

Edited

That is possible yes. It feels more like physical hunger but your mind can play tricks I guess. I don't drink alcohol anyway and I've been having a little bit of Christmas food that I really fancy and reducing calories elsewhere. Reflecting on it, this is probably half the problem - poor nutrition compared to normal.

OP posts: