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.

@GhostOrchid thank you! I feel like I’m so close to my target even though I’m still overweight but I feel so much better.

I was definitely slipping with my portions and didn’t accurately track the calories. Back on track now and the scales are moving.

I’m coming to the end of yet another pen, have been approx 7lb from my target weight for three months now. I don’t understand as I am careful with portions and haven’t changed anything negatively that I can tell.
Is there any research we know of where your body gets accustomed to a dose? I wouldn’t want to go up again if possible as the side effects are rotten.
But I feel as though I am chucking money away. I wonder if I should order the next pen up and count clicks to take slightly less than max dose?

The reason there are different doses is that the body does get used to them over time. I'd say that if you are feeling hungry and getting the food noise back, despite eating decent protein and fibre, then you might need a higher dose. Others on here have suggested jabbing a day earlier though, which does seem a better option rather than going up to a higher dose, especially if you have bad side effects.

@Pinkbox It’s much easier to lose weight at the start of your journey when you’re very overweight as your body needs to use a lot more energy to perform basic functions. As you get close to your target, you have to eat much less than when you started out to continue to lose weight.

The research says you have to eat approx 500cals less than your basic maintenance level for 7 days in order to achieve 1lb a week weight loss, which I think is realistic when you’re close to target. So if you’re still eating about the same amount as when you started, you’re likely eating at maintenance level for your new smaller size.

If you can’t cut back 500cals a day then changing your dose might be the answer?

Weigh in today at 10 stone 8.25lbs - a surprising 2.5lb drop from last week (though that was a STS).

decided to follow the suggestion here of jabbing a day early and I think I’ll do that through the 5mg pen that I just started. And I’ll order a 7.5mg next time there is a code through from Oushk or Cloud. I may just jab 5mg from it anyway but let’s see!

Officially only 1.25lb from my target weight 😳, though I think I may now be aiming for 10 stone 5lbs as that gets me just under BMI 23 and for some reason is what my Garmin watch is telling me to aim for.

@Chopsy123@SoUncertain Thanks for your thoughts. I realised by sticking to similar food I may well have been eating to an out of date calorie max, so have recalculated and it has dropped my daily max by 200cal so that’s a good start. Been a tough couple of days getting used to it! I have also checked that MyFitnessPal has optimum macro targets.
The other thing I need to do is increase my exercise and strength training, which is hard due to various health and pain conditions but I want to start moving downwards again.
I will have a week or two like this and then consider injecting every 6 days instead of buying the next pen, at least for another month.

Asda has just emailed to let me know that the 5 mg pens will be the new version from this month. They say the other sizes will follow later in the year. Is it worth me buying a 7.5 and doing my own doses? Is it easy to work out how much I need to do for 5 mg? I know it will cost more, but it might work out more cost-effective. I already have to use one of the most expensive places due to medical history.

To add - having spoken to a nurse who gives pens out for diabetes use, I am happy to use after the 30 days.

Click count for a 7.5mg pen.

60 clicks = 7.5mg
8 clicks = 1 mg
30 clicks = 3.75mg
40 clicks = 5mg

I worked out that as each pen contains 5 doses in total, that = 300 clicks.
You should be able to get 7.5 doses of 5mg out of the old style 7.5mg pen. Although you’ll probably need to use a syringe for the last couple of doses.

Compared to max 4 doses out of the new style 5mg pen, you should be able to save money. In your shoes, I’d try and stock pile 2 or 3 of the older 7.5mg pens. (I’ve been stockpiling 5mg pens.)

Thanks @Chopsy123 this confirms my plan would save money.
I have been all over the net as I have a final daft question which I can’t find the answer to: Surely, if the 7.5 mg is stronger, the liquid ie the dose is more concentrated. So if I took 40 clicks, I would be giving myself a shorter dose of 7.5 strength. Let’s say a strong dose which lasts for four days and not a full week does of 5mg.
Is this not how it would work or am I confused?

@pinkbox this is what I use https://www.vrgrowth.co.uk/mounjaro-clicks very useful

Yes, 40 clicks is two thirds of the 7.5mg dose that equates to injecting 5mg.
It is exactly the same as injecting 60 clicks (full dose) from a 5mg pen or 30 clicks (half dose) from a 10mg pen.

If you wanted 5mg from a 2.5mg pen, you’d inject twice making 120 clicks in total. You’d still end up having 5mg in total.

If you took 2 x 500 mg paracetamol tablets, it would be the same effect as taking 1x 1000mg tablet as far as your body is concerned. Does that help?

I find this chart very helpful! :)

Yes that does help thanks. I was just fixated on it being a stronger dose just in less liquid. I still flick between seeing it and not 🤪

Weight now at 81.7 kg, my lowest yet, so we’re back in the right direction. BMI still stubbornly clinging on to the wrong side of 30. This phase has felt slow and hard. Still, it’s been quite a good week eating wise. A neighbour I chat to from time to time saw me watering my window box and asked if I’d lost weight and if so how. I was honest. She paid me some very nice compliments, which was lovely to hear.

SW: 109 kg
CW: 81.7 kg
interim GW: 76kg
BMI has dropped from 40.5 to 30.4.

Having recalculated calorie intake due to weight
loss, stuck to the number and walked a little
more…I have put on three pounds since Tuesday 🤦‍♀️ maybe my body was panicking and went into starvation mode? In better news, my metabolic age has now dropped by two years since I started this (according to the electronic scales) 🙂 so now it’s only four years above my actual age!

@Pinkbox I bought some Renpho scales a couple of weeks ago as my electronic Salter ones were starting to lose the first digit on the screen so recording 1 stone instead of 11. 😂

I tried a new battery but it made no difference.

I’ve just checked and my new scales have my metabolic age as 4yrs older and body fat at 34.8%. Not sure how accurate that is just by standing on the scales though. 🤔

@GhostOrchid Well done. 👏👏

Slower progress is still progress and just think how far you’ve come already compared to this time last year. Over 4 stones lost !!! (I can’t picture metric so well)

Mine’s also a Renpho. Works on and off 🙄 My body fat is a bit higher than yours but am happy that both the subcutaneous and visceral fat levels
have dropped. I am pleased to have put a couple
of years back onto my ‘age’ and got
closer to my real one. Now I just need the scales to actually read lower in weight!

Anyone else been thrown into a bit of a ‘no idea what to wear’ crisis by their weight loss?! I’ve spent so much of my life just trying to choose things to be ‘flattering’ that now I’m not even sure I know what I like! I still haven’t found a jeans style I feel good in which isn’t skinny jeans (though I now don’t like skinny jeans because of feeling they are dated). I’ve been wearing leggings in the meantime but feel so mumsy.

Also very thrown by this hot weather. I got all my shorts out this morning and none of them even remotely fit. I’ve done my best with the smallest pair (though even they have been getting looser over the course of the day) but I also don’t really have many summer t-shirts or shirts in ‘new’ sizes so I basically ended up looking a balloon that the air has gone out of!

it’s a bit overwhelming - very much ‘I’ve got nothing to wear’!

@OneDayIWillLearn

Thankfully, we’re not getting the same intense heat over here so although it’s lovely and sunny today, it won’t go above 25 and more like 22 as I live down on the south west coast, less than a mile inland and we usually get a sea breeze.

I did briefly have your dilemma until yesterday when I started to sort through a pile of old summer clothes that I’d not worn in at least 15 years (!!) and had been stored away in vacuum bags. I found a couple of pairs of Monsoon viscose print floaty trousers that need altering but I can do that. Both pairs have clearly never been worn as they still need shortening. 😂 Plus a couple of floaty dresses and some blouses that now fit. Hurrah!!

Luckily, my overall style hasn’t really changed much and I’ve always worn a particular palette of colours so all my separates always work well together. (Mainly blue, turquoise, pink/purple with black, white and grey) Nothing red, yellow, orange, khaki or brown. Last week, I re-cut and sewed a lovely Kantha style turquoise unlined jacket that I made last summer and was hardly worn so that will do for this summer now. I plan to chop up the denim from my old ‘skinny’ jeans to make into bags. Don’t like to throw out good fabric if it’s still useable!

I bought some cheap wide leg jeans from Primark a couple of months ago which I really like. They look ridiculous on the model as they’re far too long for her!
They still have an elasticated waistband so I bought two sizes and I’ve already altered the larger size to fit so they’ll be fine for a few more weeks. I think the secret with Wide leg pants is that they need to fit snug around your bum and skim your thighs and then gently widen out. If they’re too baggy around the bum, they don’t look flattering. Well, that’s only my opinion. 🙂

I also bought a couple of nice quality cotton V neck t shirts from Dunnes (Irish brand very similar to M&S, but cheaper).

I really can’t afford to splash out on a new wardrobe of RTW clothes so I’m happy I’ve got a fall back solution. (I even re-sewed several pairs of knickers to save buying new ones 😂 )

I desperately need new bras and that’s proving tricky as I only drive to the city about once every 2-3 months and buying them online has been more of a miss than hit.

@Chopsy123 That’s really got me thinking, I haven’t adjusted my own clothes for yonks and hadn’t really considered it! Would be a nice project though and I’d prefer that to going through all the palava of selling on Vinted.

Hey I hope everyone’s doing well.
I thought I’d check in. I’ve maintained my target weight for a while now and am still jabbing.

I am loving the fact I can wear most clothes now and not feel worried about my body. I used to hate seeing photos of myself and looking far bigger than what I thought I was based on my perception in the mirror.
But now I’m still sad when I see photos. My face now looks very old and wrinkly. My skin looks crepey in places.
I’m fairly lucky that I don’t have significant loose skin but my bum looks awful. It’s flat, saggy and wrinkly. I no longer feel confident to wear bikini bottoms which I happily wore when bigger.

I feel that in my obsession about trying to shift my tummy as I’m apple shaped and carry weight there, my target weight was actually too low considering my age. I’m 47, 5ft 5 and target was 9 stone. I’m currently about 8 st 13.

I just finished a pen and have another in the fridge. I’ve decided to stop taking MJ for now and gain a bit, maybe look to increase to 9 stone 7 to 10 stone.

Hi :) nice to hear you've been powering on with it all! You've done so well 🥳
Its funny how you can pre-plan what you think is going to be the right weight for you but once you're there it feels all wrong. Are you able to just eat more to put the weight back on or are the jabs suppressing your appetite still? What mg are you on?
I've been at my goal weight (8 st 7) for a while now and have slowly been going back down the doses. I only got as high as 4.17 so not a lot to come down from. Currently at 3mg and I am finding will-power is needed a lot as the food noise is there, has been for a while. I'm aiming to go down to 2.5 eventually. I started to go down the doses when i was close to my goal which has helped me stop losing and switch to maintaining so maybe thats something you could look in to?

We’re the same height and moreorlesss the same age @Kazzaa46 and 9 stone would be way too low for me, but I have quite a solid peasanty build and big boobs. My target is 10.5 stone and can’t really visualise what I’ll look like, if I ever get there. I hope you settle somewhere you’re happy with.

I decided to switch pharmacy this week as the price differential is v significant with the higher doses. That meant new photos and seeing the side by side comparison with my first photo eight months ago it was quite noticeable just how much I’ve lost. I almost don’t recognise myself in the first picture. I think I look now how I thought I looked then. I’ve lost weight most noticeably from my face and lower body, particularly my legs, which has been a pleasant surprise. My boobs aren’t going anywhere (and I really need to get some better bras) and my upper arms are still massively flabby.

Anyway, weight now at 80.9kg (BMI still stuck at 30 annoyingly), so a couple of lbs down on last week, which was a surprise given we were visiting my family for the long weekend which involved some eating out etc. was expecting a stall or slight gain. Hopefully one more push this week and I will only be overweight!