Nov 25 starters - thread 2 - the one where we don’t eat everything in sight this Christmas!

[Springbaby2023]

Hi everyone, starting a second thread as the other one is almost full. We made it through month one, now here’s to a happy, healthy and lighter 2026!

They obviously knew something was different 😂 my kids, and DSs GF have nit noticed i have lost weight, they were confused when ny brother mentioned it. I have also just had 5/6 inches cut off ny hair and they said it looked the same, there is no hope 😂

I’ve lost 3.75lbs this week but it’s been hard won. I took my second dose of 5mg on Wednesday (a ‘golden dose’) and I’ve felt sick since yesterday morning, which is odd because my first dose of 5mg was fine. I might go back to 3.75mg next week. Total loss is now just under 50lbs.

@user593 well done that’s incredible!!

Bit disappointed , just 1lb again this week , 3rd week of 5mg
Total 1 stone 11 lbs off - which I’m happy about , however looking at old SW books - when I’ve been a similar weight in the past I can lose the same or more without this expense
All been fine - no side effects , however just been quoted £180 for my next pen which I will need in just over a week and seriously thinking about going back to SW and keep going with the good habits I’ve been doing so far
May massively live to regret that , got approx 10lbs to get to target of 10/6 . Just something stopping me paying again , anyone stopping yet or are you all still doing well ?

well I finally had a loss after a couple of weeks of the scales being all over the place.
So now I've lost 2 stone. Hurrah. Only another fucking 10 to go! wooo hoo

what dose are you on @diggitydoo?

I can’t believe these high weight losses, I’m so envious! @66babe could you maybe get a lower dose and do a bit of a mix of SW and MJ to wean off it?

Thanks @Springbaby2023 yes maybe , it’s the accountability of the scales every week keeps me motivated 🤭
I never intended this to be a long term thing and saw such mixed experiences and opinions about coming off

@66babe if you were in November starter, you have done better than I have!

I think I'm stopping. I kind of wish I hadn't bought the extra pen. The only way I can get any money back for it is if I tell someone - who is on it and loves it - and then I feel like I've got to admit that I tried it and to her I won't look any different!

She might buy off me I know she's worried about the cost

One of my friends lost lots of weight on SW - before this stuff has invented. Also, I know people who had success with 5:2

I thought I was desperate, and I had tried everything before this

Now I think I was just unrealistic about what I can eat.

I think I did didn't explain myself very well talking about side effects and super responders

What I meant was, people with bad side effects and hardly any loss - I think maybe we don't "need" this medication. The people who are feeling really great and losing lots of weight, I think this medication is giving them something that they don't already have

If your body has lots of side-effects, it's basically telling you not to take it! Maybe with the diet, I would've lost weight this much anyway - it's just made it easier to stick to or some days I feel too unwell to eat

My only dilemma is the drug is in my system already so it makes sense to take the rest of it? Because I wouldn't wanna come off it and go back.

also, I don't really feel any different being a stone down. I didn't feel unwell in the first place, so maybe that's why. But you read all this stuff about how people feel better even after losing a few pounds. I feel the same. I didn't have aches, pains or inflammation or anything though.

i've really got to think about why I made this choice. I think my friend getting thinner and thinner in front of my eyes had a lot to do with it.

DH is a high protein person. I said I would never do that. But I think it's probably worth a try.

oh, I ordered some clear protein and it's been held up at the delivery point or something so it's not here anyway.

@RoundandSad hey , I’ve seen how much you’ve struggled , if that was me I would have stopped
Just doesn’t seem worth it for what you’ve been coping with

We definitely are all responding differently.

I've had very few side effects so far. But, in contrast to many others, I've done 13 jabs now and have lost just 1 st and 4 pounds. I lost 1 pound this last 7 days. I jabbed my first 7.5mg on Tuesday, so half a week of that and half a week on 5mg. I seem to be back at much better suppression - not too much and I still have hunger at appropriate times. I'm not feeling tempted by unhealthy foods either but seem to be able to eat anything 🤞. Although I'm losing mostly just the 1 pound a week I'd be delighted to stay like this on 7.5 for a while. We shall see.

It sounds like mounjaro is giving you a hard time mentally and physically @RoundandSad . If you come off you could always decide to go back on in future or you could well be happier without. Good luck whatever you choose to do

@tobee yes it causes me a lot of stress mentally and I don't know why - I thought about it a lot before going on it

I looked at my notes. I've been on it for 92 days. I missed a couple of doses. I've actually got quite a bit left because I went up to 5 mg not realising that I wouldn't be able to cope with it

Some people just power through

But in 92 days, I have not felt great on 47 days

It hasn't stopped me going to work or going out

I know a couple of days I took a nap

Rationally, I feel as if that isn't too bad. Especially considering all the things I was scared would happen

So for the other days, I make a note of side-effects and I write down none if I feel completely normal and energetic

Be interested to know how this compares to others I have a low tolerance for not being at 100% functioning you know normally very energetic but that's gone for at least half the week now

I suppose I'm still hanging onto this dream because so many people said they went back to their ideal weight

@RoundandSad I’d say I’ve felt unwell (a mix of cramps, exhaustion, nausea, headache) 21 days out of 75 (2 days a week), but only 2-3 of those days have been debilitating and stopped me from my normal routine, otherwise it’s been relatively mild.

@user593 I suppose I should also call it mild as I've not had to change anything or cancel anything

I think it just puts me in a really bad mood and if I had lost more weight, I would probably feel differently about it

@RoundandSad you have done so well to cope with all the side effects you have had. The times I did have pretty bad nausea it did get me down but the weightloss pushed me through, then going up to 3.75 was a bit up and down and then getting sinusitis affected me so much. If it had been continuous pretty much like yours I dont think I could have coped so totally understand why you would want to stop. I just read up on it all as much as possible and ate what was recommended to help and hoped it would improve.

You havent lost an insignificant amount of weight and whilst you may not feel different it will still be having an impact on your health inside I guess, I do think you're right with how it works though, I have wondered the same. I had a relatively small amount to lose but it worked on a very low dose and very quickly. I have lost 2 stone 5lb since I started (plus 2lb the week before). I am sure there must have been an insulin issue or something with me.

My mum is pre diabetic and was prescribed it as she waa also having cancer treatment and the drug cocktail was making it worse, her BMI was about 30 or maybe just under. Within days she was in normal levels regarding her diabetes, I wonder if perhaps I had something similar to her but didnt realise. She had nausea like me though, its been tough for her but shes stayed on a low dose. She doesnt have a particularly high protein diet though which apparently can make the nausea worse.

I haven't paid full price since pen 2 as now keep switching, paid £124 last month for 5mg pen, there are a few suppliers under £130 currently. I was originally nervous about switching but have done it a few times now.

I won't stop till target now, SW or WW has worked in the past for me but for the last few years I havent been able to stick to dieting, I make excuses and sabotage it after a couple of weeks, no idea why. For last few weeks I have only lost just over 1lb a week but this week had a surprising loss of 2.3lb. 9lb to go now but will probably try for a couple of lbs more than that. My plan after is to wean off it, reverse diet, then stick to maintenance calories and then after any heavy weekends have a couple of deficit days to make up for it. That used to be my normal method for sticking at the same weight so hopefully it still works for me.

Amazing!! To lose that on such of a low dose is fantastic. I did want to increase doses as felt it would give me somewhere to go when I wanted to reduce doses to potentially come off but I am too nervous to go back up to 3.75 in case the nausea wasnt just related to my sinus infection. I am still losing on 2.5 so it seems pointless really I guess.

@Springbaby2023 Are you feeling any better?

@SexyFrenchDepression was your mum given it for diabetes or something? Why would she take it at the same time as having cancer treatment? Is that what you mean?

I hope she is doing well now

You said something about reverse diet - what do you mean by that?

I read a lot of stuff on here and Reedit people who were having daily side-effects and just getting through it

I suppose if you have a Health reason or a large amount to lose then your more motivated

I think it was to sort the diabetes, she also has a liver problem (unrelated to the cancer). I haven no idea why they prescribed it at the same time, she has Myeloma so had weekly targeted chemo, think she was on her past week or so of that when she started. She is now off chemo till next month when she starts her monthly maintenance chemo. They have told her to continue the MJ though. She is now in remission so monthly chemo till it returns then back to weekly (basically continuing that pattern for the foreseeable future)

Reverse dieting is adding a certain number calories a day, say 50-100 and increase each week to find your true maintenance calories. It just means its a slow process, potentially taking a month or two. There are mixed views about it but all PTs I spoken to highly recommend it. It is successfully used for body builders who have severely restricted diets for competitions when they have to get back to normal eating.

TBH I had neither a health reason I knew of or a lot to lose but I knew I was unhappy with how I looked and now feel back to normal for me, that was and is my motivation, losing each week made me forget and side effects. I wish I had my levels checked before re diabetes as my response to MJ would make more sense. It is easier to push through any side effects if it is making you feel better mentally.

The NSVs help also, managing to get out my size 10 jeans from the back of the wardrobe and being able to wear tight tops with them has helped and not spending hours getting ready trying to find clothes in my wardrobe I feel comfortable in is a massive thing for me. 90% of my jeans/trousers were too small so lived in baggy tops. Seeing one particular photo of me really hit home.

@RoundandSad I think I’ve felt unwell 3-4 weeks, but by unwell sometimes I mean nausea and actual sickness, other times I just mean completely exhausted. I now have two days a week where I basically have to go to bed at 8pm because I’m so tired. I feel like any more than that I’d struggle to continue but because my side effects now feel a bit more predictable in terms of timing, I can mentally handle it. That said I definitely won’t be on of those people who is on it long term. I’d like to shift another stone but then I’m done, even though I won’t be at healthy bmi by then. I can’t wait to feel normal again so I know how you are feeling.

@SexyFrenchDepression Thanks for asking, I am full of a cold still but at least that helps explain why I felt so rubbish Thursday night, it wasn’t just the MJ.

I’m still on 5 mg. I’m lucky that I haven’t really had any side effects, bar a bit of constipation and tiredness. I actually feel much better in mounjaro too. I have PCOS so I think it helps with insulin resistance