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.

@Absolutelycluelesss If it was me I’d jab early just so it’s one less thing to pack. I’d probably change my jab day a week or two before though just in case doing it early gives side effects so I wasn’t suffering on holiday. Having jabbed on day 6 the last two weeks I have had a couple spells of nausea which I’ve never had before.

Has anyone experienced any hair loss yet? I’m at month 4, a lot of people seem to get it about now. So far so good for me but it’s something that I’m always worried about.

I’ve been taking collagen since the start of my journey. So many people say how it’s given them better hair, less wrinkles etc. After 4 months I’m honestly not sure it has done anything for me. I keep taking it though as the powder gives me 12g extra protein a day.

You don’t have to keep pens refrigerated if they’re already open, although I choose to.

I bought a little travel cool case from Amazon to store the pen and there’s space for a couple of needles and swabs as well. It’s about the size and shape of a glasses case. I’ve not travelled internationally yet though.

I would also jab early @Absolutelycluelesss. I did it a couple months ago when I had to travel for work as was getting quite a lot of nausea and sulphur burps after jabs. Haven't actually had that since!

End of week 18 and I'm down 16.7kg or 39 lbs. I'm pretty happy with that!

Just moved up to 6.2 mg from 5 mg. I'm trying to keep my dose increases low because I don't want to quickly get to the highest dose and have nowhere to go from there. Plus I think it's good to have a little less suppression at the end of the week to make sure I'm not fully reliant on the medicine.

Some of my clothes feel a bit loose but I almost feel embarrassed of scared to try smaller clothes in case they don't fit and I feel bad! I know that's really silly.

Think I’ll also try 6.25 next as don’t want to race through the doses. Might also try the golden dose with the last of my 5mg pen. I haven’t bothered so far but the price jump up to 7.5 is noticeable. Agree that’s it also good to have to use a little bit of willpower.

I’ve been thinking about how MJ is affecting my hair and skin lately, when I started it I bought loads of supplements from Nutrition Geeks which have been good. I also bought the powder collagen that dissolves in hot drinks. I’ve noticed my skin looks much better but my hair is dryer than it has been before, I’m not sure if it would be worse if it wasn’t for the collagen. My hairdresser noticed it was more tangly at the ends too, so it must be as I’m moving through the doses.

Hair is made of keratin and is essentially dead, like your nails, and so any changes to your health and diet will affect the growth cycle at the follicle level. However, it has zero effect on the existing hair strands so it can’t make your hair dryer.

If your hair feels dryer than normal, you can apply external products such as a leave-in conditioner just to the ends to smooth the outer cuticle layer and make it feel softer and less tangly. It’s common during winter to have dry hair as we spend more time indoors in a centrally heated environment and our skin will also feel drier than usual.

However, the MJ can’t have affected your existing hair, only the new growth at follicle level. Your hairdresser should know this from their basic level 2 training! (I have my level 3 hairdressing and loved learning about trichology.)

I’ve since looked online and reports suggest that MJ itself doesn’t affect your hair follicles at all but the changes in diet and especially any rapid weight loss, can shock the hair into moving to the shedding part of the growth cycle, so you lose more hair than usual and your hair will feel less dense overall. However, when your diet has sufficient nutrients, your hair will return to its normal growth cycle.

I’m at a bit of a standstill at the moment but the suppression is still good. I need to make more of an effort with water and protein. I did buy some size 18 jeans today as some of the size 20s are a bit loose now.

My skin is bloody great at the moment and I can see that my jowls have almost disappeared which has cheered me up greatly.

I learned something new about weight loss yesterday when I had one of my occasional massages from a Thai masseuse I see about 3 times a year. She’s very skilful at sorting the body out, it’s definitely not a relaxing experience as she probes away at problem areas to fix knotted muscles and improve lymphatic drainage, uncomfortable at times, but she works miracles and always fixes any aches and pains. She noticed the weight loss with approval, I’ve lost 40lbs since I saw her 4 and a half months ago, saying that shedding excess weight improves all bodily functions. I couldn’t understand why I had developed really painful, stiff shoulder joints in recent months and hadn’t associated it with having shed pounds. I thought it was something to do with aquafit. She explained that weight loss, especially when rapid, causes loss of fat from in and around joints faster that the bones and everything around them can slowly adjust. Those shoulder blades are complicated things attached to many muscles and tendons, and have to make big movements. I’ve certainly noticed losing weight from around my back from the way clothes fit. I’m now looking forward to being able to pull a jumper off over my head or tie my hair up without wincing (once the slight bruising from yesterday’s treatment wears off). MJ is changing our bodies. I’m celebrating reaching a BMI of 30, a milestone of being no longer obese but merely overweight! Onwards

@threescoops how interesting!

Official weigh-in day today and I was 11 stone 13.25 lbs, down 1lb from last week, 1 stone 11lbs since I started, and met my first 2026 goal to have my first official weigh-in starting with an 11 before my weekend away with friends this weekend! Slow and steady wins the race is my mantra!

I’ve been thinking about any treats I’m planning for myself along the way. Of course I’m looking forward to some new clothes and a chance to be a bit more adventurous with colour and pattern when I’m not so embarrassed about coming across as a fat, jolly person.

But the things I’m really keen to do are more about taking things seriously in my overall health which I haven’t felt I deserved when very overweight/ obese. In particular I have a long standing hip issue which I take Naproxen for every day now. I got close to a diagnosis at the start of 2025 but we moved house and all my notes and referrals got lost in the move. It was suggested by various people that my weight was making my hip worse and I’m sure there is some truth in that. It made me feel I didn’t deserve to get any help for it while I continued to be overweight. Now my BMI is down to 26.5 I feel more justified though as the hip pain is as bad as ever! I’m going to really try and get my old doctors to find my notes and maybe go private, at least to see a physio or osteopath, but perhaps to get a proper diagnosis if needed. It all started when I had pelvic pain in pregnancy and has never been right since but the last two years it has gradually got worse. It’s hard to stand up for yourself when you don’t feel you deserve it because of your weight though!

So after my 3 week plateau, I’ve lost 3.25lb in the last 2 weeks.

I’m on day 7 and still have suppression today, it’s been a long time since I’ve had all week suppression.

2 weeks jabbing on day 6, increasing protein and exercise really seems to have done the trick (no idea which part worked or if it was the combo) but I am happily back to 5mg every 7 days.

That’s brilliant @Kazzaa46well done 👏🏼

That’s good to know that jabbing a day earlier does have a positive effect.

Oh, this is wonderful. I'm on a plateau too and this gives me hope!

Well done @Kazzaa46

Feeling a little disheartened today. Last night, I went to my weekly activity and 2 people commented on how slim I was looking. It felt more of a negative comment though as they kept emphasising 'really slim'. Today in work, someone has asked if i've lost even more weight, again saying i look really slim. Now i'm paranoid that i've lost too much. I asked my partner and he said I haven't. I still have 9lbs more to lose until i reach my target. Feel like i'm being judged :( everyone is probably so used to me being more on the chubby side so it's different but i'm only 5ft 2 and not under weight for my height!

how old are you? because I wonder if people stare more at younger women's figures. I'm 67 and it amuses me that although I've lost nearly 3 stone nobody at work has noticed or said anything, and neither has anyone at my aquafit class where we are all nearly naked twice a week. I don't mind because I don't want to discuss it with everyone, but it is funny how older women become invisible (and often a blessing). In theory I've still got another couple of stone to lose so wonder if people will notice then, especially when we have our summer clothes on. I'd love to be considered really slim, that hasn't happened since my 20s, I'd take that as a compliment if I were you!

@JustPickleRick I think people get used to how you look when bigger and it can be a shock to them when you look smaller but I really don’t understand why people think it’s ok to comment on weight in a negative way. I do wonder if it’s a bit of envy too.

I’m had similar reactions from some. I’m late 40s. I’ve also had positive reactions though. Please try to ignore them, it’s about how you feel about yourself when you look in the mirror.

I'm 36. I've been in this job for about 10 years, since my son was 1, so I guess all they've known is the bigger me. 2014 me was a slim size 10 naturally though 🫠
I came home and got upset today and I know some of you are probably thinking what the heck, getting upset over being called slim is crazy, but it didn't feel like compliments today/last night. I had 2 others comment after lunch. Must have been my outfit today lol. I'd rather be slimmer me than bigger me so I need to try and ignore it. My partner will be honest with me and tell me if i've gone too far. I'm good for now

I'm as guilty as anyone of being interested in my appearance, but the benefits to our health of no longer being obese are even more more significant!

@JustPickleRick If you think that someone is making a sly dig, turn it around and give them a big smile and say ‘thank you, you’re so kind’ really sincerely before walking away.

The sly diggers will never dare say anything nasty to your face as they don’t want anyone to know they’re being mean and passive aggressive and they’ll be annoyed and confused that they didn’t upset you.

With road ragers, I wave and blow kisses at them. They think I’m a nutter but who wants to carry on an argument with a certified loon? 😂

Remember, you are not obliged to justify and defend your actions to these people. So always switch it round to something that suits you. Politicians never answer the question posed but reply with their own agenda.

@JustPickleRick my advice is to put the biggest smile on and say ‘oh thanks, do you think so? It must be my strength/resistance training working’.

or my other favourite is ‘Yes I have thank you! I look great don’t I? 4 months of not being a greedy bastard is life changing’. 😆

Just keep looking in the mirror and be incredibly proud of what you have achieved. 💪🏻

I hope everyone’s having a good week.

I’m so proud of myself, 19 weeks, and 19 losses. I have tracked every calorie in and out, my total calorie deficit recorded from 11th Sep 2025 to today sits at 143,955 which translates to 41.1lb. My actual loss to date is 40.7lb. So the difference being 0.4lb - which is no doubt an early days miscalculation of calories in.

Week 19 results:

SW: 12st 3lb
CW: 9st 4.3lb
GW: 9st 1lb

Week 1: -6lb
Week 2: -2lb
Week 3: -1lb
Week 4: -2lb
Week 5: -3lb
Week 6: -2lb
Week 7: -0.5lb
Week 8: -1.2lb
Week 9: -1.4lb
Week 10: -3.6lb
Week 11: -3.1lb
Week 12: -0.3lb
Week 13: -2.9lb
Week 14: -1.8lb
Week 15: -3lb
Week 16: -1.7lb
Week 17: -1.7lb
Week 18: -0.4lb
Week 19: -3.1lb

Total Loss: 2st 12.7lb

Good luck to everyone weighing and jabbing this week!

Hi everyone. @JustPickleRick Don't let people make you feel judged. They're probably really envious of your success.
Speaking of success or lack of recently on my part, I'm currently on a 4 week long plateau. Gained 1kg over Christmas and my weight has stayed the same. Went up to 5mg last week, no change. It's frustrating to say the least.
Anyone else had same and come out the other side?

I honestly don’t understand the need to comment on other people’s appearance, especially if you are not close friends, and even in those situations, there are subtle ways to do it. I compliment new hairstyles, night-out outfits etc when you know people have made the effort, but in no way would I question someone’s weight loss or weight gain if I don’t know that they want to talk about it.

Comments about appearance can be overwhelming. I got the first ones before Christmas after a 3st loss. Some of these were quite direct, especially in the office. Our office can be quite gossipy. I’m mid-management, so they don’t gossip with me but will gossip about me. With that in mind, I’ve been a bit reluctant to wear my new clothes (size 18!!) as I don’t want to draw attention to myself, but I have finally decided to be brave enough this week.

No comments this time, but I could see one of the girls really wanting to say something. I need to practise a response, as I think there will be comments coming up next week. I will be using one of the @Atalosswhat2do examples 😄

In other news, this isn’t really a plateau yet, but my official weigh in day is Saturday and I really want to get to 92kg, which would be a 30kg loss. I was there briefly on Sunday, and now my weight is fluctuating just above! the scales are driving me nuts!

@bluepaperwaspofbxl are you counting the calories? And have you checked your TDEE with your new weight in case that needs to be adjusted for you to remain on calorie deficit?

Hi everyone!

Am I the only one who got the 'GREAT' discount from Numan? I don't see any posts on MN about it.
I received an email from them yesterday - it turns out that there was an error on their website when I ordered a 15mg pen (to maintain my order cycle) 10 days ago.

It was supposed to be £249 with a £110 (1st time customer) discount and I remember seeing £139 at the checkout but thought it had something to do with their subscription which I knew I was going to cancel... turns out that was the amount I was charged...! 😂Checked my credit card transactions and... yep... only paid £139... because the £110 discount was applied twice.

I was ill at the beginning of the week... nothing to do with MJ... ate some dodgy leftovers. OMG... the way I felt... and I thought about everyone that has/is experiencing this on MJ and thought that I would quit straight if I had this side effect! I haven't vomited in over 30 years.

I was so confused because of all of that, that I ended up jabbing (5mg from 10mg pen) 1 day early - after 4 days! 😮I feel fine though.

NSV - found a pair of size 22 skinny jeans with tags on , so they must've been still to small for me. But when I put them on they were loose - fitted more like straight legs jeans, and I needed to wear a tight belt to keep them up.

So far, I've lost 5.75 inches on my waist, 4.5 from my bust, 3 from hips, 4 from around my shoulders, 2 from my thighs, 1.5 from my calf