Talk to me like I'm stupid. I know nothing about injections....

[BG2015]

I'm nearly 57. Struggling to lose weight, unfortunately it doesn't come off as easily as it once did. In my 40's I'd only have to cut back a bit and I'd lose - not now. I'm 5' 8" and weigh just over 13stone. BMI is 28 and I have high blood pressure. Ideal weight would be 11st to 11.7 stone.

It took me 5 months to lose 10lb earlier this year and I was so disappointed after trying so hard. I swim 2-3 times a week and also walk. My diet is pretty healthy with plenty of fruit and veg.

I'm semi-retired so lifestyle has changed slightly. I do enjoy a couple of gins over the weekend.

So how do they work?
How often do you take them?
How do you know what calories to eat?
What happens if you have alcohol?
Exercise?
How long would I need to take them to lose 2stone?
What happens when you're at target weight?
How much do they cost?

Thank you

I'm 53 and the same height as you but I was 17st 4 when i started on Mounjaro. 9 months later I'm just over 12st and aiming for a similar goal range as you.

It's a weekly injection, 1 pen a month, each pen has 4 injections in it. Calories wise, I ballpark rather than track but you need to have an idea of your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) which you can use any number of online calculators to work out, then knock about 500 cals off that to aim for a loss of about 2lbs a week. Don't factor in exercise calories lost as they're always overestimated. Focus on getting lots of protein, fibre and good fats in your diet. I'm not into full on keto level carb-avoidance but I definitely have less of a desire for them and feel better

Alcohol: seems to vary enormously. I found it killed most of my desire to drink, and if I had more than a glass or two of wine things didn't end well. Others seem unaffected entirely on this front. Alcohol will definitely cause temporary water retention though and is basically empty calories.

I lost 2 stone in the first 11 weeks but in general the more you weigh to start, the faster the initial loss. It's definitely slowed since I went below 13st

How it works: slows food transit which makes you feel fuller faster and less hungry in general and imitates hormones which tell your brain you're not hungry. Improves how your body processes sugars.

https://www.pharmacy2u.co.uk/online-doctor/conditions/weight-loss/advice/the-complete-guide-to-mounjaro-your-questions-answered

Cost. Mounjaro is now pricier than Wegovy thanks to Trump. People look on monj.co.uk for price comparisons and discount codes.

It's been an incredible drug for me and worth every penny.

https://monj.co.uk/what-is-mounjaro/

Thank you both.
@GiveMeWordGames did you have any side affects?

So it's a cost of £170 a month for 4 injections - one a week?

What's your plan once you get to your target weight? Do you just stop injecting or wean yourself off?

In the very early days, and also moving up from 2.5 to 5mg (which is the biggest percentage jump as it's doubling the dose) I had the odd occasion of sulphur burps and diarrhoea. Usually related to something I'd done like eat too late/too close to going to bed, or eat a bit too much. Some people find very fatty greasy food triggers side effects. For me it's caramelised onions for some reason! Like the alcohol thing, this one is very individual. Some people get no side effects whatsoever.

The very first couple of nights I had some palpitations, no worse than I experienced in peri-menopause.

I also feel colder then I did before which given I was a menopausal furnace is not entirely a bad thing. This one is quite common and is the only SE which has stuck. All the others were brief and very manageable. (immodium and pepto bismol)

I plan to wean myself off by titrating back down through the doses (I only ever got to 10mg and don't plan to go higher).

Myself and dh started in Jan. he was nearly 20 stone and I was over 12 1/2. I’m 5ft 1. We have only gone up to 5mg and we are now both at almost goal weight. I’m 8st 9 and he’s 12 stone 13. I have to say it’s been easy. We eat what we like and haven’t changed our diet but our portion size has decreased dramatically. He’s gone off wine and I don’t drink like I used to. Cravings have decreased hugely too. No real side effects but the biggest change is recognising ourselves and being able to dress our new body shapes. None of our clothes fit so we have had to buy new which was fun at first but soon became a chore. Vinted has been a godsend. I’ve re bought my old clothes but three sizes smaller 😳. Hope that helps.

Great losses everyone.
This advice is all brilliant

Did you stick to one supplier or move for discounts

I’ve stuck to one supplier. We use MedExpress. there are lots of choices out there but we’ve had no issues with them.

Thank you for the thread, Op and replies.
I'm very interested.
Wasn't over weight until I was first diagnosed with cancer 14 years ago. Just relapsed 2 years ago and had to have a stem cell transplant. Currently in remission. I don't overeat, I am convinced my weight gain is due to illness and medication. I am desperate to lose the weight.

@Bbq1 I too had breast cancer in 2021. Now on Exemestane which stops all production of oestrogen hence my weight gain and struggle to lose it.

Im so tempted to try it but of course have that monkey on my shoulder saying I should be able to eat less and move more and I only have 2 stone to lose. It should be easy. But somehow it isn't anymore.

I get mine in person from a local independent pharmacy because of issues with deliveries to my house regularly going astray and I didn't want the monthly stress, especially in summer with heatwaves etc. So I've stuck with them. A lot of people do swap about between the online pharmacies.

You can get 2.5mg for a lot less than £170, you can click on the top of the column to sort them from low to high. Wegovy is cheaper than mounjaro www.igovy.co.uk
Unfortunately unless you are obese bmi 30 and above or 27 and above with a qualifying health condition or an ethnic minority, you won't be prescribed it.

My BMI is 27.4 or 28 depending on what website I go on. I've got high blood pressure and take 10mg Amlodipine for it, so I believe that means I qualify.

What's your plan once you get to your target weight? Do you just stop injecting or wean yourself off?

Once you stop there is a possibility you will regain quickly.

For most of us that will mean having a maintenance friendly supplier and going through a bit of trial and error, reducing dose and/or coming off.

For some of us it will mean taking a maintenance dose long term if we cannot maintain without the medication. Once I hit my target I plan to reduce the dose as much as possible then maintain on it for at least 6 months before attempting to come off.

The what happens when you reach target is the hard bit really, WLI make the actual losing weight so much easier, as you can eat a lot less and the continued success of the scales going down is very motivating.
For me the maintenance is almost harder,
I think there are many of us who started maybe a year/18 months ago who had no idea when they started that it might be a long term thing, but I can’t see myself coming off anytime soon, I am back down at 5mg, so it is manageable but I’m certainly not yet at a point where I feel comfortable coming off, I’ve invested so much into this that I don’t want to risk putting weight back on again.

Is the maintenance plan cheaper?

It depends who you buy from, I’m with Oushk and they have maintenance plans that once you are on one saves you £25 off the regular price of a pen, but long term use has become more expensive since the MJ price rise in August.

Thanks for starting this thread OP.

I’m thinking of starting too. I’m also post-menopausal, with high blood pressure & cholesterol so would qualify.

I’m deciding between Wegovy & Mounjaro.

Am I right in thinking the cost of Wegovy is going to be much cheaper in January? That might swing my decision.

I had similar stats to you, OP, and had been trying to lost two stone for twenty years, usually losing a stone and putting it back on again. I qualified for it privately at BMI 29 as I have PCOS and endometriosis (though have had surgery and hormonal management and had no symptoms for ten years). I lost 30lbs over six months at 1lb at week going gradually from 2.5mg to 15mg. Just bear in mind that the higher doses cost more. Am now still on 7.5mg having reached goal in November and am maintaining my weight.

In the New Year I'm going to try to lose another half a stone as I'm only just into normal BMI now. I didn't have many side effects at all. I haven't really changed my lifestyle, because my lifestyle was already healthy, and I only gained weight due to pregnancy. It was purely about being able to eat smaller amounts in a sustained way to lose weight steadily. Like you, I'd got to the stage where it took me months to shift a couple of pounds and it was so slow I'd give up.

Obviously my maintenance calories at my new weight are less, and I plan to be very careful and log my food on Nutracheck for some time to come. But I've been doing this for years anyway so it comes naturally. I do plenty of exercise. Barring ilness or other adverse lifestyle change I don't see why I wouldn't continue to maintain a lower weight.

Forgot to say I'm 5'7" and 50. Now maintaining at 11 stone. I lost weight eating averaging around 1400 calories a day. My job is sedentary but I do weights, yoga, swimmimg and cardio several times a week. Maintenance calories seem to be about 1800.

@DeftGoldHedgehogyou sound very similar to me. I've got the Nutracheck app and use it regularly, I find it really good.

I bit the bullet and signed up with Juniper and have been prescribed Wegovy. My pen arrived on Christmas Eve and I'm going to start on 1st Jan.

I was impressed with the thoroughness of the team and I spoke to a medical/prescriber as I take cancer prevention medication that she wants me to inform my oncologist about - which is fine.

Im apprehensive about starting but I was going to crack on with my diet anyway so I'm seeing the injection as just as an aid to help me a bit.

I do have a code for new starters so if anyone wants it please DM me and I'll pass it on. It give me some money off my next injection too.

@ChilledProsecco Why you think Wegovy will be cheaper in January?
It’s already about a 1/3rd cheaper than MJ.
I know the pill form has recently been approved for weight loss, but haven’t seen any prices yet?

The semaglutide pill form in the news has been approved by the FDA in the USA, not by the MHRA in the UK so it won’t be available here for a while yet.

@Itscoldouthere- it’s coming off licence in many countries, so cheaper generic versions (which cost a fraction of the usual price) will be available. I’m not sure where the UK sits with this though.

Good for you, OP. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.