February 2026 starters

[Crossfitgirl]

Hi all, I have my first pen on the way and as far as I can see there is no starter thread for Feb, so I hope it's ok to make one.
All welcome whether recently started or looking to start this month - I think by the time mine arrives it will probably be February!
Hoping for support, experiences, recommendations, more support and the rest!

I am nearly 40, 2 young kids and full time job, starting on wegovy, with the goal of lowering my cholesterol (and reducing my huge belly).

Hi all, just thought I would check in with my fellow February starters. I'm due MJ jab 6 this evening (a little delayed as I stopped two doses whilst on holiday). I've stayed on 2.5mg as its working well for me so far and have had minimal side effects, a fuzzy head and nausea for a day or two after the first couple of doses then nothing since. I've dropped from 11st 7lb to 11st and bought a size 12 dress for the races. I've not been in Size 12 clothes for 10 years. Frankly, I am delighted!

I have done many different diet plans, weightwatchers, slimming world, intermittent fasting to name but a few, but have always defaulted back to a terrible relationship with food, huge portions, grazing all day and binge eating treats in between. I hope MJ will reset those previous bad habits and break my addictive sugar cycle.

Thanks everyone for sharing your stories xx

@RIRO25 with my last pen I force twisted it with some pliers and I had a spare needle head so used that. Some people buy needles from pharmacies and insert it into the red end of the pen and get 0.6mls out.

I use an syringe (Amazon) to take the extra dose. That way I know exactly what I'm taking.

@SwisswolvesLilley Congratulations on being a Size 12!

@Nocameltoeleggingsplease Please don’t beat yourself up, you don’t deserve it. I’ve had a rubbish week and actually put on 2 lbs because I couldn’t resist indulging albeit only on two days whilst on holiday.
However, im trying to think about from the perspective that I’ve been really sensible for 7 weeks and I’ll just have to continue if I want to lose weight. These are entrenched habits we all have and they’ll take some time to shift.

Hello all,

How are we all getting on? I've just taken my 9th jab and the first of 4 x 1mg doses of Wegovy. I am happy to be moving up from 0.5mg to 1mg as I've stalled at 12st 2lb for at least 2 weeks now. I have been eating a little more AND enjoyed a few beers when away so I feel I know WHY but can also tell that my appetite was increasing so feel I needed to increase.

I took it on Saturday night before bed and according to the Voy app, I am around peak dosage in my body. I have had some tiredness and headaches but know I haven't been drinking enough water. I was really good about it early on but I just seem to 'forget' to drink it now.

Anyway, aside from my stomach upset after the fish and chips in Whitby, I have been very lucky in terms of side effects and can carry on pretty much as normal.

So, over 2 months, I remain at a 15lb loss which I KNOW is totally acceptable and even good but I am frustrated at my own lack of self control again. I am now worried how I'll control everything when I need to come off the Wegovy.

Probably just overthinking it. I need to remember why I started this. It wasn't just for weight loss but to reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease, which are both in my immediate family.

Time to reset and pull my socks up!

@DanaScullysLegoHair also pulling my socks up this week and getting back on meal planning a bit better. How is the 1mg so far? Over a stone in 2 months is still extremely good going for you! Definitely up your water again. Let's keep each other in check this week!

I managed to eat relatively well on our theme park weekend, so I'm proud of myself for planning ahead with it and not just getting shite from the food stands!
I had meant to take jab 9 wegovy last night, but I felt sick and shattered after a 4 hour drive. So it's now been 9 days since my last jab, and I've had plenty sweet cravings today and got my appetite and energy back for what feels like the first time in a couple of weeks.

I was debating taking a weeks break, and restarting next weekend. Has anyone done this before? If not, I might drop back down to 0.25 tonight and creep back up to 0.3 / 0.4 over the coming weeks. Suppression was very high when I used a bit extra with my last 2 doses to get this so I don't want to go up to 0.5 yet! Just need to decide.... 0.25 or up a bit... Help me decide!

My pen stayed safe in the carrot bag and is now back in my room with an ice pack waiting for me to open it!

@Crossfitgirl , are you worried about the appetite suppression? Or side effects?
Why would you want to take a break - is it for a bit of 'normalcy'? Or side effects?

If side effects, maybe starting at 0.25mg is the way to go. Skipping a week may cause your body to lose some 'used too it' tolerance and cause you stronger side effects as opposed to lesser side effects, if any.
If your worry is appetite suppression is too strong then maybe 0.25mg instead of going up to 0.3 or 0.4mg.

@Crossfitgirl well done on your forward planning for the trip! It did make me laugh to think of you stashing your pen with the carrots - absolute genius.

Thanks for your response, I'm glad you started this thread so we have a place to 'vent', share and ask questions with those who get it. This is also your sign to DRINK MORE WATER PLEASE (I have my 750ml bottle in front of me 👍)

I think I would continue with the jab this week as soon as you feel up to it, but just tweak the dose up a bit if you feel it is working for you? You know yourself better than any set timeline of doseage increases. Are you feeling any better today?

I feel absolutely fine on the 1mg so far. No noticable changes in appetite supression, just a fair bit of heartburn after eating and my bowels are definitely a smidge slower. Hopefully the supression will increase with the next 1mg dose. I'm definitely getting used to it.

Have you seen the crazy price they want for the 7+mg dose on Voy? I certainly won't be going there 🤣

Hope everyone else is doing OK and plan to enjoy a little treat at Easter?

I'm reflecting on how much my eating behaviour has changed and to what extent those are permanent changes. I am consuming far fewer sweet treats, but on the days when the suppression has worn off I still reach for chocolate so the habit isn't really broken. My portion sizes are definitely smaller though and this would be an easier habit to maintain I think. The other significant behaviour is skipping meals on the 2 days when the suppression is strongest. I have simply never done this in my life and cannot imagine skipping lunch when my appetite is back to normal! I really see why it's incredibly hard to keep the weight off once you quite the jabs

@Rosetime @DanaScullysLegoHair thanks for the advice, I think I hadn't realised just how queasy and low energy I've been feeling until this weekend when I've let it wear off a bit - I just felt miles better yesterday. Full appetite and lots more energy! I had thought maybe a break would do me some good, kick start my energy a bit and help me up the exercise this week, and see how I feel / if I'm able to continue for a few days without it. But you're right, I think a gap may do more harm than good right now. I did read somewhere that you should do 3 month cycles, where you take it for 3 months then come off it and maintain, then go back on it to continue more losses for another 3 months etc but I can't remember where, it might have been someone on one of the diary of a CEO podcast that Bartlett was interviewing, some kind of expert.

That being said, I had only envisaged doing this for about 3 months or so - now I'm sure it'll be longer!

In the end, I opted to aim for 0.3 (22 clicks) so a smidge lower than I think I've had the last couple of weeks. I feel drained today, but I think that is more lack of sleep! Losses have stalled and I'm sure it's down to me being so tired. Hopefully I'll pick up.

So my goals for this week:
-Get consistent good sleep
-Drink lots of water

How's everyone else doing? Did the 750ml get drunk?!

Just in case anyone else is in the public sector and has a Blue Light Card…..you get a discount with a couple of providers! It’s Medexpress and a couple of others, just google it. I picked this up from another thread.

Hi everyone I love this thread, it’s so useful and helpful to hear everyone’s tips and experiences. I took mj shot number 7 today and I’m 0.4lbs off losing a stone. I need to up my exercise as I’m really lacking motivation at the moment.
im also struggling to eat enough fibre; is anyone taking a fibre supplement that they could recommend?

@Yorkshireteaalwayswins I'm adding 15g of chia seeds to my porridge every morning. That's really helped with my fibre in take.

Jab 7 (5mg MJ) for me today also. 6.8kg down in 6 weeks, really happy with my progress so far. Bit nervous that I'm only one jab away from another increase to 7.5mg but hopefully it will go ok.

@StatisticalStitches , that's great progress! You are losing just over 1 kg per week. Can i ask why you are going up to 7.5mg?

@Crossfitgirl , i thought similar. I thought i would use Mj for a few months.. 3-4 months tops, but i see now that i will be on it for much much longer. I have even started considering maintenance for 1- 2 years. To totally change my habits and how I relate with food. I can see i would need a longer time for these new ways to stick and became like second nature. Hope you get some good rest.

Half a pound down for me this week, just about to take my 10th dose of 2.5mg. Slightly disappointed with weight loss this week but on the plus side the body comp scales are actually showing 2pounds of fat loss and 1.5 pound increase in muscle, so I’m going to take it as a win. I haven’t been feeling quite myself either, not sure what’s been up with me. Just a bit run down and definitely a bit over emotional. Anyway - 10 weeks. Can’t quite believe it. I did use the golden dose last week although retrieving it was a nightmare. I went through three needles as they kept just bending. I probably should have bought more robust ones for the extraction part but given it’s going to disappear soon anyway I will probably only have a couple more pens that have it so will just manage with the fine ones I ordered from meduk.

re maintenance, the pharmacist mentioned it last week. I still have 2.5 stone to go so it’s not happening soon, but she did say they don’t recommend stopping for at least a year, ideally longer, after you reach goal. Given I’d also thought about it as something ‘to get me started’ I’ve realised this is long haul. Funnily enough, I’m ok with it (apart from cost and secrecy, but maybe by the end of this year oral medication will be an option). I’ve got a long term chronic condition which means I’ve been on lifelong medication for 15 years already and apart from an annual blood check don’t really give it any thought, so adding something else to that doesn’t have any emotional discomfort for me. .

Week 8. Scales still at 14.2. Which given I had dinner out with friends and another night with a couple of cocktails and a cheese board is a good result. This isn’t going to work if I can’t live a normal life at the same time as changing my eating habits. So had one course at dinner instead of 2, had one round of cheese instead of 3!

@Crossfitgirl how are things today? Did you sleep well? I did indeed drink the 750ml plus more. How is your water intake going?

I've got a sudden bout of vertigo which is very unpleasant. It happened several times on Tuesday night when turning over in bed. I went to the GP yesterday, and have a slight ear infection. I have some ear spray for it (have had it a few times previously) but it is not great for any sort of movement. I keep forgetting and leaning forward or looking up. I nearly headbutted the dryer when feeding the cat 🤣

I plan to go out for a couple of walks over Easter with DP and will have to park the kettlebell workouts I wanted to get on with.

For those who celebrate/mark Easter - what are your Easter lunch plans? I need some inspo for something slightly indulgent and tasty. I'm not a big fan of lamb or pork. Eat chicken all the time and often have a good sirloin. I saw a spatchcocked chicken in M&S yesterday, it had some sort of jalapeno and herb dressing on it. DP thought that might be nice to cook on the BBQ. I don't think I would enjoy or want the faff of a full roast on Sunday, so a chicken/salad/flatbread/cous cous sort of thing might be nice.

I can easily access Waitrose and M&S for things. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

@RedApplePie your body comp scale results are really promising, I think that is a really good achievement!

@soupmaker I'd definitely take that as a win. I know exactly what you mean about wanting to live a normal life, it's exactly how I feel. I think you got it just right with adjusting courses and limiting the cheese rounds.

Do you feel much more aware of what you are actually eating and why? I still feel I will finish what is in front of me more often than stopping when I start to feel full. I will have to work on that. Although I am better at picking up on the cues, something makes me want to finish my 'portion'. Any less feels like I'll go hungry later even when I logically know what I've had is enough.

The mental battle is real. I'm sure I'm not alone.

@Rosetime I'm an NHS patient, my consultant wants me to go up to 7.5mg before my first review with him. I've also already had a dietitian review last week and they are happy with my progress so far.

Great to read so many positive stories, well done all 👏

I am wondering if anyone else’s journey is going painfully slow though? Or am I the only one?!
9 jabs in and I still haven’t reached the 1 stone loss mark 🙄 Weighed the same this morning as I did last week so that was disappointing but I’m glad it wasn’t a gain. That’s the 2nd time I’ve STS on this journey.
I’m going to keep plodding on but this seems a very expensive way to lose just a little bit of weight!
Will attempt to take the golden dose from my 2nd pen today - are people using the same needle to extract into syringe then inject or using fresh needle to inject?

I've also just done jab 9 and haven't reached the stone mark yet. In fact I'm still on just over half a stone. It's still more than I've ever lost through trying though, and I want to lose slowly. I don't have as much to lose as some others on here which I think also contributes.
Also I'm trying to focus on how I look rather than the scales. I feel better in myself, my work pants fit better even if the scales don't show great losses. I'm weight training so may be gaining muscle too? Who knows.

I think i might have reached the end of my mounjaro journey. As crossfitgirl pointed out , I was having a regular reaction a couple of days after jabbing. But this week has been horrendous- 12 hours of d and v. I feel absolutely terrible. Like others, the weight is coming off super slowly- I've not hit the stone mark either.

It's just not worth it.
I've emailed my provider ' s clinical team. Will see what they say.

@InstantRegret @Crossfitgirl my husband is also loosing slowly, 9 weeks, 9.5lb, it’s a long journey though so we’re just pleased it’s going in the right direction!

@Perserverancepayoffplease so sorry you’ve been ill again. It’s just not sustainable being this poorly, is it? The only thing I can think of (based on other threads I’ve read of people further on in their WLI ”journey”) is dropping down to a half dose or extending the days between jabs, maybe? Apologies if you’ve tried that already. It did help me with my symptoms to extend to 8-9 days between doses.

If anyone mentions that WLI are the “easy” or “cheating” I think I’ll scream!
Laid up with such a bad head that my prescription migraine medication won’t touch it. So fed up and tired having been up all night with the pain and blinking loo runs that make me dizzy every time I stand up. Last week I thought I’d cracked it feeling so much better despite a 2lb weight gain. I’m up to 3 litres of water a day and consuming loads of lentils, smoked salmon, eggs, high protein yoghurt and bran flakes I’m swimming three times a week and walking about 8k a day but in between I’m lying around feeling sick, permanent headache and sorry for myself. Oh, this is blinking hard Please someone remind me that this is worth it!