Not sure what to do next

[daysare]

Hi, I’ve put this in weight loss injections as I’ve spent the last six months on Mounjaro, going from fifteen and a half stone to ten and a half. I did this diet; I’ve done it before successfully but I just couldn’t seem to find the willpower. Mounjaro obviously meant I didn’t have those cravings and so on.

Now I need to come off the shakes etc but struggling a bit with eating a healthy, balanced diet. I’m also wondering if I should use the Mounjaro money for a gym instead; at the moment I do nothing but would like to. Definitely can’t afford both. Any thoughts appreciated.

Well this is why you aren't supposed to use Mounjaro to crash diet 🙄 you've lost a stone a month which means you'll have lost a shit ton of your natural muscle and haven't learnt a thing about nutrition and changing habits. Don't bother with the gym whilst coming off Mounjaro - the rebound cravings will be intense and you don't lose weight or even maintain weight loss by going to the gym.
My advice would be to stay on Mounjaro for another 6 months and introduce proper food, aiming to eat at maintenance whilst introducing some weight training to rebuild some muscle.

Thank you - I am looking for advice on what to do next, not really interested in being told everything I did in the past was wrong. 👍🏻

Going to the gym would be great for fitness and health but it’s not going to be a large component in weight loss. If it’s either gym or Mounjaro I’d go with Mounjaro, especially as exercise can be done outside of a gym for less money.

In terms of healthy eating, that plan that you linked to seems to have stages where you gradually move onto actual food rather than having the food replacements all the time. Have you worked through their stages?

Or, you could try one meal each day until you’re happy with that, whether that’s breakfast lunch or dinner. Once you’re happy with that meal, then add another. What aspect of healthy eating are you struggling with?

I’d guess that coming off MJ and shakes at the same time is likely to lead to rapid regain. Don’t think a gym membership would counterbalance that.

My GP reckons you should stay on it for at least a good couple of years once you’ve reached a healthy weight, As low a dose as possible.

Use the time to learn how to eat real food healthily.

You do need to try to regain some muscle mass, though. You can buy weights and train at home for free. Use YouTube videos. Or leisure centre gym may not be expensive.

I gave you advice. You need to rebuild your muscle mass and build some habits that you can continue with when you stop Mounjaro. That will take you at least 6 months more on Mounjaro in my opinion.

I agree that a period of weight stability, several months, using Mounjaro to support that, whilst you figure out healthy eating is a good medium term strategy.

Thanks @ShrankLastWinter . I need a gym with a crèche is the problem (very young children!) and obviously these are private ones and costly, I do think I need to look into some exercise though … it’s difficult. Now I’m not so big I do actually really enjoy exercise as well.

Thanks @SilenceInside . I think you’re right … loath to come off them but the cost and the fact that this is combined with having to buy actual food for me as well as children is hurting me! I just don’t really like vegetables … bad I know.

Stay on Mj and do the ‘refeed’ plan to get you back to eating normal food before taking the Mj away.

Try couch to five k app if you want free exercise that you can fit around your life

The problem is, I can’t. I don’t really have much / any childfree time and I can’t really run with them!

I have a treadmill at home that I use for running and walking, as I also would find it hard to get to a gym due to childcare issues. It might be worth investing in something like that perhaps.

Rather than what you don’t like, focus on what you do like and plan the healthiest meals you can based on that for now. AI tools like ChatGPT can help with that, if you give it clear guidelines.

Maybe its worth getting a PT after the injections, thats my plan as i dont love the gym and to be honest i have no idea how to get the most out of it even though i have the membership. so a PT might help with motivation me thinks, well thats my hope

Thanks. I think I do need to meal plan properly, definitely. Would love to get a treadmill but money just doesn’t allow it.

I don’t really mind the gym, in fact I enjoy it. I just can’t afford it and the injections, realistically.

Stay on mounjaro and create a healthy eating pattern whilst still having support from it, I fear that this is the worst way to lose weight with mj, sorry,especially if you plan to stop.

I’m a huge gym fan and lift heavy several times a week, but in your situation I think I would focus on building a sustainable diet with a focus on protein and fibre, and carry on with MJ while doing this. It is likely that your muscle mass will have been significantly compromised so you would be able to start rebuilding at home with say a set of resistance bands and a set of 3kg dumbbells. You can get these on Amazon or Argos etc for a few quid. You could then follow someone like Henley fitness for ideas. Review in 6 months and if by that time you have a solid eating plan and a regular at home strength programme you can make the decision of gym vs MJ.

That's not going to build muscle. She needs weight training.

Thanks @RedApplePie , I’ve never been very well motivated at home so I’ll have to try!

@Jinksed irrespective of anything else, I’m a healthy weight now and it’s so much easier to maintain this when I have this as motivation. But that’s by the by; the future is now what’s important.

@daysare it's obviously your business how you choose to lose and maintain your weight, but anyone reading your story and perhaps being new to mj might think great I only have to pay for 6 months, drink the shakes, and boom I've lost 5 stone, I'll do the same, I might have thought the same myself a year ago.
One year on I have learnt a lot along the way, and the reality was that it was never going to be a short term fix, however quick the weight disappeared, reality is for most people on mj I think, changing to a high protein diet with lots of fresh food, resistance training, simply done for some like me at home with resistance bands, or more fancy weight training for others in the gym.
I've been maintaining for a while now on a small dose, and a year ago that's not what I thought would be my situation, I tried coming off, the hunger and the weight came back remarkably quickly, so this is how I maintain.
I'm not trying to be deliberately harsh or critical, just my experience.

It isn’t about whether it’s my business or not. I went on Mounjaro to lose weight and I’ve lost weight. So why this finger wagging I don’t know. I imagine other people will do what suits them, just as I have

I don’t think anyone is “finger wagging”. You’ve asked for advice - people are giving it. Don’t come off WLI until you have learned to eat properly. If that means you can’t afford the gym, then you can’t afford the gym. Get some cheep or free weights or resistance bands and do strength training at home.

It’s not finger wagging though is it really? You said you need to come off the shakes didn’t you? People are just trying to help.
Have a look at the Tim Spectors Zoe podcasts - loads of helpful advice about nutrition on MJ. I’ve been on MJ since Oct 24 and have completely changed what I eat. I know that for me (and lots of others) being on MJ was an opportunity to stem the cravings and hunger whilst re-educating my palate and portion sizes. So now it’s lean protein (fish, chicken), pulses, seeds, nuts, grains, veg, salad, fruit, some cheese and Greek yogurt. Hardly any bread and low UPFs. A teaspoon of honey on the yogurt if I want something sweet. You say you don’t like veg - but you could try with the veg or salads/frutis that you do like (there must be some)! Fibre is increasingly being shown as to be as important as protein during any weight loss journey.
Re the gym/exercise vs MJ - you’re likely to regain if you go down that route.
Are you with a pharmacy that provides lots of nutritional advice? Mine does and it’s been fab.
Good luck.

@ElizabethsTailor advice is welcome. Really, it is. But ‘oh you did it all wrong’ is not advice, it’s an opinion (and I’d personally say a wrong opinion given I’ve achieved what I set out to.)

I genuinely don’t want this to be an adversarial thread; I just don’t think there’s anything to be gained from that.

Forgot to say EVOO is the best fat to use.

@letshavetea the problem is I don’t really like any of those things other than a bit of chicken. I wish it was as simple as ‘just eat healthy foods’ but if you don’t like them then obviously that’s a lot harder to do.