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).

I had my in-person pharmacy review today and a consult with a dietician which is an optional part of the package included in the drug cost. Turns out on the official scales that I have lost 4lbs this month, which is much better than I thought, although still half a pound to go to get into the 12s. Dietician looked at my nutracheck log and my exercise and says I’m really not eating enough for the level of exercise and I’m restricting too much. She has suggested I add in something like a protein shake/coffee (but not collagen which isn’t a complete protein) plus a few more carbs such as sweet potato to my evening meal.

Discussed the whole moving up/staying the same dilemma with the pharmacist. I really don’t want any more suppression but at the same time the endless food chatter is really ramping up. I have realised feeling full is not a real barrier to me overeating so the last week has involved a lot of simply trying to avoid the opportunity to overeat. She suggested I just try 3mg and see how I go on that. Was surprised she was so relaxed about click-dosing and I found that reassuring as I’m such a rule-follower with this.

Both dietician and pharmacist separately said that my goal BMI of 22.5 may turn out to be unrealistic for my level of musculature. I’m currently 28.6 so they suggest I aim for 26 and review how I feel then. At the moment I’ve lost 19 pounds of weight overall with only a pound of that being muscle, which is apparently really good. And there is still plenty of fat available to burn off!

it’s all so exhausting but I simply have to get it right this time, I can’t face one more diet or slimming club. I had said after three months I’d move to online providers for cost, but have decided to stay where I am for now, I find the real life support so reassuring and helpful and makes me feel like there is a strategy to it all rather than me floundering about diy-ing it.

What a fantastic update @RedApplePie, I'm really happy for you. Good luck with the 3mg, I hope it is just the right dose for you.

@RedApplePie , i am happy that you got the support and reassurance you needed. You will get it right and all your efforts will pay off. Everything crossed (but luck is not really needed).
It's a great update.

I used to eat chocolate every day @Crossfitgirl , but gave it up completely when I did Weight Watchers for a year. In the 20+ years since I haven't really been bothered about chocolate, though I have found plenty of other ways to overeat!

I've reached 13lbs off now, in week 11 of Wegovy. Does that make me the slowest loser on this thread?

Hi Everyone - just taken my 11th dose of 2.5. Have lost 16 lbs in total but only 2 in last three weeks. I’ve just reordered the 5mg pen and am now panicking a bit. Apart from the first couple of weeks I haven’t had much in the way of side effects but I’d like to hear others experiences of going from 2.5 to 5. I was going to do it in the Easter break but didn’t feel ready. I’m a teacher so feeling crap in terms of time is not ideal.

It doesn't, I've only lost 12lbs, or 5.4kg since the start of February. I wanted to lose slowly, and I guess it's around a pound a week ish? - so a healthy ish steady loss? So perhaps I am the slowest loser!

The overall pattern is down, but I'd ideally like to lose another half stone before I stop the jabs. I didn't have a huge amount to lose - about 1-1.5 stone, however it's my sky high cholesterol that I really wanted to tackle and I guess I will find out in July when I have some repeat bloods done. My body fat percentage has gone down from 41 to 38, and today is the first weigh in that it's been less than 39 so I'm very pleased with that!

I think I am going to try the dates trick, and give up my sweet treats in favour of a date after tea for a while. I'll let you know how it goes for me @soupmaker ! You're my inspo! It won't be forever, but if it at least helps me break the habit of "needing" a sweet treat that is not fruit then that's something. It's the habits I need to kick.

@Crossfitgirl I buy medjoul dates, they are so good. Perfect with a mug tea or coffee. I try and only eat one or two. Hope it works for you too.

I was also terrified of side effects as I drive a lot and do home visits for work, so not great for access to toilets. And also just coping with little kids. So I bit the bullet and click counted as I just didn't want the jump.

I did 0.3mg for a couple of weeks, and I've just done 2 weeks of 0.4mg (click counted 22 and 30 respectively). I've had less side effects than some of the weeks on 0.25! I've also really honed in on what was causing side effects - it was usually stomach upsets happening after breakfast. So I've had very safe breakfasts of the same ingredients in a smoothie most mornings, and have sipped them slowly throughout the morning and I've had zero diarrhoea since doing this. Only once, when I drank the whole thing rather quickly did I get a bit of a tummy twinge. So I'd say just be mindful of eating really slowly and pausing so as not to over do it, if you go up.

Otherwise, you could always try one week on 0.5 and drop down again if it feels too much. I'm a worrier so doing the click counting felt less worrying and risky than going up a full dose and getting side effects that impacted my work.

Just to add that's on Wegovy not MJ so not sure the clicks will be the same if you're on MJ x

Thanks @Crossfitgirl - that’s reassuring- and I might try that. It’s weird how normal it all feels now. I almost forgot it was jab day last night. I also feel so much better having listened to the first stone. I can walk faster, my knees don’t hurt and my blood pressure has gone down. People are beginning to notice and I’m open about being on a diet but have only told DH and DS2 that I’m on jabs, just be because I can’t be bothered with the conversations. It’s shocking though how little a 5 ft 2 woman has to eat to lose weight but I’m settling into a healthy if a bit dull food routine.

Hello all! Late to the party but I'd love to join if you'll have me.

l've been on Mounjaro for 11 weeks now.

Because of my ethnicity and related health risks, as well of health history, my doctor prescribed it alongside a strict regime - Intermittent Fasting (16:8, 11:00am - 7:00pm), 3 x strength training a week; and diet of high protein and high fibre, low sugar and as few simple carbs as possible. I already walk 10,000 - 15,000 steps a day so I haven't bothered adding cardio to my workouts.

I did 2 months (8 jabs) of Mounjaro 2.5mg and have moved up to 5.mg. The plan is 2 months on 2.5mg, 2 months on 5mg, and 2 months on 7.5mg. The results so far have been very encouraging —

SW: 74kg
CW: 64kg
GW: 59kg

I'm 168cm and 40 years old.

Apologies in advance if I’m waffling on but I haven’t many IRL friends who are also on WLI (grand total of 1!) to chat about my new “side quest” as it were 😂

Welcome @blueberrymatcha !
Welldone on losing 10kg so far.
If one dose is working for you, there is no need to increase. Can i ask is there a particular reason you have planned two months on each dose?
I admire your 3 x a week strength training and also doing IF. Did you start this when you started Mj? How do you find it - does doing IF alongside cause you to get lightheaded? Welcome to the group, you will find like-minded people on here.

Thank you! Looking forward to reading about everyone’s journey on here.

I’ve known our family doctor for about 2 decades and she’s always been quite cautious in her approach. Based on her knowledge of my reactivity/sensitivity she thought 2 months per dose (rather than increasing each month) was sufficient. So far I have to say she’s right. I believe that after 6 months of starting MJ she’s going to titrate (sp?) me down (to 5mg, then 2.5mg) to wean me off after a year.

Yes, I started IF immediately on Day 1 of MJ. It was actually effortles because 2.5mg gave me strong suppression — food aversion really! I had to force myself to eat.

The strength training is non-negotiable to prevent muscle loss. I’ve been using a smart scale weekly to measure my body composition. Despite my training and high protein intake I’ve lost a fair bit of muscle mass, and my doctor is now pushing me to eat more and lift heavier, can you believe it!

Sounds like you have a caring doctor. The understanding of Mj and Wegovy has really progressed over time. It is no longer the done thing to automatically increase your dose after each month.

Some people stay on a dose for months.
So long as they are having good appetite suppression and/or early satiety with minimal/or no side effects and losing weight, they do not need to increase their dose. It is no longer automatic.

Some have reported being on 2.5mg for their entire (8 months, 12 months, 18 months etc) Mj journey, some have been on it for 12 months and their highest dose was 3.75mg or 4mg or 5mg. It varies between people.

Do you have a target weight? Just want to sound a bit if caution, I think it’s a bit early to know when you will reach your target weight. It may be 6 months, it may be shorter or longer. Everyone's journey is different.

Strength training is great and your doctor sounds very encouraging. Great to have someone spurring you on. If you want to read about people's journeys might be a good idea to also check out other threads and other forums.

My doctor’s the best, honestly. A friend of mine who has BDD (she’s model thin, younger than I, gorgeous; but has a very ungenerous view of herself) approached my doctor and asked her to prescribe MJ. My doctor gently refused and instead offered to refer her for counselling to treat her body dysmorphia.

I’d have liked to stay on 2.5mg for my entire journey, in fact my next review is tomorrow (my doctor checks in with me fortnightly) and I’m going to ask if instead of moving up to 7.5mg in a month, could I instead titrate down.

My target weight is 59kg (another 5kg to go) by end of July, so after 6 months of starting. It remains to be seen if I can reach that weight while also increasing my muscle mass!

Thank you for the encouragement ☺️

Hi all, how are we all feeling on this lovely sunny weekend? I am sitting indoors today as I somehow managed to get sunburn yesterday, it just seemed to appear. I did put suncream on but perhaps not soon enough. Do GLP-1s make us more sensitive to the sun I wonder? I'll go investigate shortly.

Really uplifting to see everyone progressing well. I'm so pleased I started now. I had my first 1.7mg Wegovy dose last night, so far, so good. I tend to find my appetite reduces on day 3 and 4 then creeps back in by day 6. I'm really hoping 1.7mg will be the right level for me. My weight has remained the same this week.

I have my holiday in 3 weeks (still on, fingers crossed) and have tried on a bikini, tankini set and swimming costume today and all are passable but my boobs have definitely deflated. I'm not sure beachwear is that flattering on most people's boobs is it anyway - everything flattens you!

I am upping my protein with whey and collagen powder in one but still struggle to fit enough protein in to my day.

Does anyone have any miracle tips or tricks for reducing the look of a squishy belly? It is definitely a lot looser at the moment and my pregnancy stretchmarks (although fine and silvery now) seem more apparent. It is not a good look. Would any creams help? Bio Oil perhaps? I generally use Palmers Cocoa Butter after bathing/showering but it doesn't appear to be doing much for me these days.

@DanaScullysLegoHair i find a tan helps with everything! So why not try something like dove summer glow or garnier gradual tan moisturiser and get a bit of tan on before your break? Remember they have no spf in them though.
Congratulations on your journey so far.

Thanks so much @Nocameltoeleggingsplease, that is a really good idea. I haven't used anything like that in years. It may just help me feel a lot better in shorts too.

@DanaScullysLegoHair I have flat, deflated boobs (they were flat before, and deflated from breastfeeding my kids, now even flatter!).
I actually have just one of those triangular bikinis, which I think flatters my shape the most. I used to wear a lot of wired shaped bikini tops which helped give me a great boob shape, but now I can't stand them they're too uncomfortable!

Re the tummy, I'd be wary of fake tan over stretch marks or gathered skin, as it may darken over these areas so bring more attention to it. I don't know for sure, so maybe try it and see - but I find if I have dry skin or any scars etc it gathers there the same as it does on hands / elbows, so I'm applying that logic.

I have a specific shape of swimwear I like from Next that are really flattering - quite low cut, but slimming around the tummy, I can try and link but they tend to have loads in the same style and they are a bit padded in the boobs too, comfortable and look nice and cover my tummy in a way that doesn't feel frumpy. Let me know if you want me to link you. I've tried high waisted bikinis and they just emphasise my apple shape / make my arse and tummy look huge. And tankinis ride up so I don't like those either haha. What tankini have you gone for?

I did once wear like a CrossFit booty short and crop top set as a swimming costume post pregnancy as it seemed a bit more sucky inny, a bit more bum coverage without being super high waisted, and was nice and casual and kept me all in. I can't seem to find swimwear like this though!

Welcome to @blueberrymatcha your doctor does sound great! Keep us updated!

I have just injected my first dose of 0.5 wegovy today! I had been click counting 0.3 /0.4 but since I had enough left in the pen i thought fuck it, I'll just use up the 0.5. now I'm panicking as I was doing fine the past 2 weeks on 0.4! I'm sure it won't make a huge difference anyway at this stage.
I think I'm set on my next pen being my last one now as well, but we shall see.

I've really plateau'd so I'm thinking of trying IF if I don't lose this week. I've not been great with sweet things though and have struggled to exercise this week, so I may just need to get back on track.

Hope everyone else is doing ok!
I'm keeping an eye on the thread count, do we need a new one when it gets near 1000 replies?

Yes, page 20/1000 posts.

@Crossfitgirl, thanks for your reply, please send a link! I am hoping to have more holidays in the future so finding a nice set would be fab. I just bought a M no brand tankini set from Vinted, same with the high waisted bikini set and Animal brand costume (all new btw) They are OK for what I paid but not quite right.

I will use the tankini top with a new set of bottoms (new ones too low rise) and the high waisted bikini for sunbathing on our balcony. The costume is supposed to be for if/when I decide to go down and swim in the big pool as we have a teeny private plunge pool to dip in and out of.

As for the tanning moisturiser, I can see exactly where you're coming from there. I do tend towards dry skin so would have to exfoliate and moisturise like mad for a few days beforehand if I did try it. How long does it take to fade? I could have a little experiment in the next week and still have 2 weeks for it to disappear if no good.

My stomach is really the only part that bothers me a lot. My weight has gone up and down a fair bit, particularly over the past 5 years, so I guess in your mid 40s, some loss of firmness etc is to be expected. I do have an almost hourglass shape front on but quite a small bum and average boobs.

I am sure all will be well and I won't care that much once I'm actually there. I haven't been abroad for around 8 years now so can't wait.

As for a new thread, yes please! I'm sure the majority of us are here for the long haul so I'd love to stick together if we can 🙂💪

P.S. Voy tells me that I now have the highest concentration of Wegovy circulating at this point - 2.7mg, feeling OK thus far and was up early today putting stuff in the washing machine. I am sure that you will be fine on 0.5mg now and hopefully it gets the scales moving again. It sounds for the most part as if you are on the move a lot and deliberately exercising so don't worry about a little blip. You're doing a lot more than I am at the moment, so well done on that - keep going!

How are you all fitting protein in to your day? I am supposed to be having at least 120g but often struggle to hit 90g. I'd be very grateful for some non-volume protein tips please.

I will wait until 9 to eat breakfast (just eggs, egg whites and a small wholemeal toast), then I'll have my protein powder with water a couple of hours after that. Dinner tonight is the taco mince protein bowl with cottage cheese and I'll try squueze in some Greek yoghurt with a few berries and chia seeds - this is all if my appetite allows...

Thanks.

I’m still losing okay on 0.5 Wegovy but thinking about buying a 1.0 pen next and click counting half doses to carry on at 0.5. It’s only £4 more for the 1.0 pen so feels like a no brainer even if I have to reorder at 6 weeks as I’m not sure suppliers will let you go 8 weeks? I haven’t click counted before so guidance on number of clicks for a half dose would be welcome. Any downsides to my plan please?

Hi everyone, how lovely to hear people talking about wearing bikinis, eh, @DanaScullysLegoHair
You must be feeling confident re weight loss. Welcome, @blueberrymatcha, good to have you in the group.
@WhoInvitedHer I bought a higher dose pen as works out better financially and my provider, local pharmacist, is really chilled about it even when I said I’ll be moving up to 2.5 mg and beyond really slowly.

My weight loss has stalled at 2.25 mg although minimal side effects. Going to brave the relentless headaches and go up to 2.5 mg this week.
Anyone fancy a weekly accountability check in? I’m feeling really bad as have had alcohol 6 times in 2 weeks (two significant birthday parties but I could have driven) and I know that really affects my weight loss and is my vice. Plan to drink only twice this week and then cut down again. And I’m also logging all my food and exercise in MFP as I’m sure my protein levels aren’t that high. Anyone with me? And, any other side effects support other than drinking 2-3 litres of fluids every day?

Re: protein needs, have you considered ready-made high protein meal delivery services such as Frive, Simmer Eats, etc? I tend to pick the meals with 40-50g each. Have one for lunch, one for dinner, and top up your favourite drink with vegan protein (32g per scoop), and you’ll easily hit 112 - 132g a day.