September 25 starters - new year, new trousers.

[outofofficeagain]

We won’t make it to Christmas without a new board.

Well done to everyone for getting this far and thank you for your company.

Here’s to a healthy and happy 2026.

Keep us posted Chopsy. I still seem to be losing fairly steadily at 1-2lbs a week and tomorrow is my 6-month mounjaoversay.

a tale of two dresses…

My MIL died not longer after I started MJ. I bought a new dress for the funeral (size 18) and really liked it. It’s long and crepey and flatters my figure. At the time of the funeral, I’d lost maybe 10lbs. I didn’t wear it over the winter as it has short wide sleeves and wouldn’t look good with a cardie, but I wore it again this week for work. I am now about 3 stone lighter than I was at MIL’s funeral but the dress still fits. It definitely fits better and I look better in it, but it’s still a size 18.

I have a birthday coming up and fancied getting a party dress. Found something I liked the look of online (a sequinned tea dress) and ordered it. Swithered over whether to get a 16 or 18, but went with an 18. Picked it up tonight and have just tried it on. I like it, and it fits, if a little tightly, particularly over the bust. It felt surprisingly tight going on around the back. When I tried to take it off I felt something hard at the top of the back and realised it zips up, but I’d managed to get it on easily without unzipping it, which I guess is a victory of sorts. But I definitely couldn’t get in a 16.

So, I guess this is all to say, over 50lbs down and I’m still a bloody size 18! I’m probably a model size 18 now, but still… it’s a little annoying and probably underlines how much I was in denial about my true size before (I know there’s lots of variation between brands, styles and cuts).

@namechange0998776554799000 thank you, I’ll ask my GP if I’m able to change to the patch. It makes sense that it would work as it isn’t absorbed by the stomach. And hopefully it’ll get me back to zero periods and no cravings!

I know what you mean! I was a very tight size 22 (24 really I think), and now I'm just entering the 18s. I'm down 60lbs or so, so was hoping for more than 1.5 clothes sizes! Hopefully the changes will be more obvious now as we are losing from a smaller body!

@GhostOrchid Aww. Try not to get hung up on ready to wear clothing sizes. They’re only useful as a guide to that particular brand. You might still be able to fit into the size 16 dress if you want to give it a try! ☺️

@SoUncertain You’ve gone down at least 3 clothing sizes. 😂

Apologies for stating the obvious to everyone but…The zip is to enable the garment to open up to slip over the widest parts of your body, whether that’s hips, tummy or boobs. That’s also why we have buttons on a fitted blouse to enable it to fit close to the body contours.

Otherwise, the clothes are made with fabrics containing spandex type materials that enables them to stretch very wide. As a former fattie (!), the majority of my clothes were made using stretchy fabrics and over time the stretch fabric loses it’s elasticity and so that’s why you can still wear your smaller sizes when you’ve put on weight.

As someone who enjoys sewing, one thing I learnt very early on is to measure the individual paper pattern pieces before cutting out the precious fabric. This is because some pattern makers are equally annoying with their sizing options and it enables me to adjust the pattern pieces to fit me better. The whole point in sewing for myself really.

When I go clothes shopping (a rarity), I carry a tape measure in my bag to measure the garment before taking it to try it on. I’ve bought a few cheap bits from Primark recently to tide me over as I’m hoping to lose another couple of stones. I was looking at lightweight jumpers and cardigans for this in-between winter/spring weather and I was shocked by their ridiculous sizing discrepancies. Depending on the item I was looking at, I’d need an XL or in a different style, I’d need a SML!

My weight loss on the scales seems to have slowed down a lot, but I'm also now at the stage where the kitchen roll things is becoming apparent - I'm seeing noticeable changes in my shape and appearance with fairly minimal weight loss. And I've only got 5lbs to lose before I hit a "normal" BMI, so I'm hoping to get there by the end of April if I'm not too derailed by Easter.

Thanks for the kind words about my size 18 frustrations. It’s as amusing as it is annoying and I don’t care that much. It’s just a number. And I don’t want to lose my tits entirely and they’re always going to keep me in a bigger size.

@SoUncertain well done on an amazing loss! Size 22/24 to 18 is seriously impressive.

Another week, another kg down so v pleased with that. I did a rough reckoning and think I’m about 4 kgs away from getting out of obese and into overweight. 🙌 I’ve also set myself a new interim goal - 76.2kg or 12 stone 2 - that’s a teenage weight for me. Hopefully there by the end of May or start of June, and then it will be the last pull to my final goal.

SW: 109 kg
CW: 85.4 kg
interim GW: 76 kg
Starting BMI: 40.5
Current BMI: 31.8

Hit my 4 stone loss today 🥳 12 st 9 down to 8 st 9. I have 2 more lb I'd like to shift overall :)

Thinking about maintenance now. I used Google Gemini to come up with a plan, it was actually really helpful!

I'll be doing down clicks over a space of 3 weeks then down another few clicks etc until back at 2.5mg. Currently only on 4.17mg.

Has anyone found a good provider for maintenance or have any experience with Lotus?

Congratulations 🥳
Cloud have a really flexible maintenance policy, they don’t require you to order every month and let you stop and start again during maintenance etc
It’s the reason I switched to them as I got close to goal.
I think they’re slightly more expensive than Lotus though but I’ve always managed to get a £5 or £10 discount code every month.

Congrats @JustPickleRick! I hit my 4 stone loss today but I have around a stone and a half to two stone left to go. I'm planning on switching to Pharmulous for my next order as they seem to be good for maintenance and are reasonably priced.

I ordered a size 12 dress from Vinted and it arrived today and while it's a bit on the small size, it's perfectly wearable. And it's the same style that I was wearing at size 22 which has really made it clear to me just how different I look now compared to last summer.

@JustPickleRick

@UnimaginableWindBird

A 4 stone loss in 7 months is a fantastic achievement.
Well done both of you! 🎉👏👏

Oooo thank you, i'll have a look into cloud. I didn't end up going with Lotus in the end as it would be the same problem I would have for most places...the delivery 🫠 i prefer asda as i can just collect. I had to order another pen from them yesterday as they messaged saying treatments only last 28 days and I haven't ordered 😅 really hope I get one of the pens with extra in it but looking slim since I ordered yesterday and can't collect until monday.

Well done on your size 12 dress victory @UnimaginableWindBird, that's a very clear comparison 🤩 10 dress sizes is amazing. I wish i could see everyone's before photos and their now photos, everyone is absolutely smashing the journey 🙌

Congratulations to everyone who has now reached their goal weight or moved towards their next milestone! My big win this week is that I’m finally (just) overweight based on the BMI chart. I’ve gone from 44.3 to 29.9 🎉My official weigh-in day is Saturday, so I’m hoping not to gain anything back in the latter part of this week!

Help...!
Someone help me stop buying pens...! 😫

I have four 15mg pens in my fridge, but still ordered another one from Lotus - which was delivered today. (It came in a big box with a large sharps bin, 100 wipes and 8 needles... very nice!)

I'm still using a 12.5mg pen taking 6.25mg, which won't finish until end of the month.

I think I'm addicted...! 😂

On a side note... I started using an app (Dose Diary) recommended by someone in another post... it's called dose diary.
It has a page that gives you all kind of stats - but I like the stat comparing my weight loss against the trial... which confirmed that I'm on track even though it's slow/less than a lot of people. I also like the history view

I started off on a roll and have slowed down too. I've lost a single lb since Christmas.

But I'm enjoying the wins. Old jeans back out, North Face Arctic Parka now fits me whereas before I couldn't get it closed.

I've nixed the terrible bingeing habits that led me to gain so much weight so rapidly in the first place - and know how easy these habits are to regain. I've stopped eating foods I know to be a problem for me.

The biggest bonus is that whilst I might have plateaued, and it's a loooong plateau, I haven't rebounded or regained anything. If loss has stalled - even if it's stopped entirely - I'm still in a better place than I was last September.

Hopefully if I stay in deficit something has to come off eventually. I'm not letting this derail me.

Gah. A stall this week. Exactly the same as last week, not even a gram down. I went off track a bit maybe. Met a friend for coffee and shared a piece of cake. Then was out the following evening at fairly short notice (another friend had a spare theatre ticket going) and we got some dinner and a couple of drinks. Big glass of red wine, french onion soup, steak and chips (although cheap chain bistro so not big portions). Suppression still feels good throughout most of the week. Will see how I get on this week, although Easter weekend… then I have a birthday… then I have a holiday. April might be slow. Trust the process they say.

I'm currently away and forgot to bring my pen. Usually take my jab each friday night. Won't be able to take it until monday..... this will be interesting 😂

I haven't been updating my weekly weigh-ins much: not much point given nothing was shifting, but I'm a pound down this week. At last!

My weight currently stands at 12 stone 12, BMI 26.7.

The funny, uneven texture of my legs is quite amusing. I still have the soft, flat backside from my fairly rapid initial 2 stone loss, but the backs of my upper legs are now quite firm because of the exercise bike! It's a funny contrast.

Tomorrow we are off mountain walking in Wales - a much loved activity I thought I would never indulge in again. It's been a year now since the rods came out of my spine and the increase in mobility feels nothing short of spectacular. I was so unfit with joint pain because I couldn't move very well anymore. Getting rid of those things has been the best move ever.

Styling dilemmas and NSV’s!!

I’m 60yrs young, short (5’3”) and still hoping to lose another 2 stones. I’m down to a 14/16 from a probable 22. I’ve started buying a few bits to tide me over but really not sure what to get. 🤔

I bought some v cheap wide leg jeans from Primark last week in size 14 and a 16 thinking they’d probably look ridiculous but they had an elasticated waistband and would do as a manage. (Still slightly terrified of using fitting rooms.)

However, the 16’s were definitely too big and baggy around the bum and thighs and as I was unlikely to get to the city for another month or so to return them, I altered them, using the 14’s as a guide.
(I always have to shorten trousers and jeans anyway.)

They fit great now and I’ve had quite a few compliments since I started wearing them with a couple of deep V neck jumpers in pastel colours.
Honestly, wide jeans were definitely not on my radar as I’m short!

I also had a make-over at the Tom Ford counter in Browne Thomas. Haven’t done that in about 20 years! I’ve bought some new make up and have been wearing it and have been amazed at the feedback from friends at my various activities this week. (Trying not to dwell on the fact I must have looked like a colourful old bag lady for years!!)

The only downside is noticing how much more wrinkly my face is now it’s slimmer. But honestly, that doesn’t bother me. I feel at least 20yrs younger in my head.

😁💃

I had a makeover at the Prada counter in Selfridges a few weeks ago and had so much fun. I got shown an amazing trick to sort my eyebrows. I now wear light make up most days, and enjoy how it makes me look. Taking so much more pride in my appearance now. And have some new size 16 clothes from Seasalt on their way. The Seasalt website reckons I might be a 14 for some of their styles but I’m not listening to such lies.

@GhostOrchid I bet you look great in your lovely make-up but also some of those 16’s are definitely too big!! 😂

Had an email from Ashcroft today saying we might get the new MJ pens in future orders, with an attempt at a PR spin: “The pen has been slightly updated to reduce leftover medicine and make it clearer when your final dose has been given.”

Re the clothes sizing.. I was wearing plus size 22/24 in September. I did my first shopping trip after losing about 60lbs and ended up with size 18 from M&S and White Stuff. I’ve now downsized again after losing a further 20lbs and I’m wearing size 16 skinny jeans (all from Vinted) and size 14 tunics. I think there’s more “flex” with the plus sizes and they probably cover more pounds, but when you get down to 18 and smaller, the sizes start coming down quicker.

So, it’s official weigh-in day today, I’ve stayed overweight so I think I can now say goodbye to the obese category! I finally bought a new bra today and got measured: I’ve gone from 44DD to 40D.

Another NSV from the shopping trip was my running leggings: I got a new pair from a normal sports shop, size M! I bought a pair in January from M&S in size 18 and they feel too loose when I run. I’ve decided that I’ll treat myself to a pair of bum-lift leggings when I can run 5km nonstop 😄

But I think the sizing for women’s clothes is ridiculous, there is no standard sizing. I have to try everything on. I might follow the others and start carrying a tape measure with me when I go shopping.

Hope everyone has had a nice weekend.

Thought I’d give an update on how I’ve been getting on since moving to 7.5mg.

Initially I did 3 weeks of taking 7.5 from a 5mg pen by taking 1.5 doses. I didn’t feel any increased suppression and weight loss still stalled so when my actual 7.5mg pen arrived I didn’t have high hopes.

I took the first dose from my 7.5mg pen on a Tuesday and all day Wednesday I felt so sick, the first time I’ve had nausea on MJ but by Thursday it was gone. Suppression increased. Week 2 of taking from the 7.5mg pen and I had the same problem of feeling sick on the Wednesday although not as bad as week 1, and again it was gone by Thursday. Suppression is better but not to the levels I experienced when I first moved to 5mg.

On the two weeks of taking from the 7.5mg pen, my plateau has finally stopped and I’ve lost 2lb.

I can’t explain why the actual 7.5 pen feels stronger than taking 1.5 doses from a 5mg pen. Despite the initial nausea I’m feeling better on the 7.5 dose, I was getting dizzy spells when I stood up and strangely that has disappeared since increasing.

@Kazzaa46

Presumably it’s the accumulative effect of MJ that’s making you feel more suppression rather than the fact you used a 5mg own initially?

Using the glp plotter website shows that by the 3rd week you’d have over 10mg in your system 24 hours after injecting.

@Chopsy123 thanks for sharing, makes sense. It was technically jab 4 onwards of 7.5mg where I got the nausea but as it coincided with the first dose from the actual 7.5 pen it seemed strange 😆