Considering weight loss injections at BMI 25 with raised cholesterol and blood pressure

[suki1964]

Im after successfully losing weight , and have maintained for two years through diet and exercise

However Im still top of BMI and I have not been able to drop any lower

Now there are some pharmacies offering to prescribe off label , for my BMI - 25 with High Cholestrol and high blood pressure

I seriously would look and feel a lot healthier with another 10lb off

For the past year Ive been saying to myself Im happy to be where I am. But truth is Im not. Im now getting to the point where Im getting a bit disordered around food , because the minute I take my eye of the ball, I gain, so then Im working twice as hard to get that gain off and stay the same

Has anyone had any experience of starting at a lower BMI with not a lot to lose ?

Am I even mad to think about it ?

I did my first marathon for my 60th birthday and will be doing my next for my 62nd In the mean time I do park runs every week - disclaimer I dont run - I kind of shuffle or walk ruddy fast :).

Ok when I say disordered eating , I know what I should eat, Im 95% on top of it , I know my trigger foods to avoid . I actually work as a early morning cook for a deli counter, between 6 and 10am, Im churning out breakfast baps, sausage rolls, jambons , steak slices , croissants , buns and tarts etc, and I darent sample a morsel because if I do - my day is ruined for food. My meal plan goes to pot because I have this mad head that tells me I just spent x amount of calories on a sausage roll so Ive got to claw those calories back, and my meal plan for that day is so rigid, the only way I feel I can claw it back is by missing a meal . So for example , mid week I blew a day - white bread, thick butter and a packet of crisps. Then because I blew it I skipped a meal, then late night Im hungry and the white bread and butter was in the house so back I went again. Following day I only allowed myself one meal - a turkey burger , salad, and a smaller then small McDonalds portion of air fried fries , a banana and a satsuma

If I do blow out it takes me a while to get back on track, hopefully today is that day

I rarely feel hungry during the day. Im up and out early, get home , take the dog out for 2 miles ( hes a pug, doesnt walk far or fast ) home, have a coffee, get a shower and changed, do the chores, and if Im home I will take lunch - oily fish and salad and grains usually or some sort of protein and similar - grains rather then bread and always some type of veg, be it a soup, salad or cold roasted veg. But if I have to go into town ( Im very rural ) lunch gets missed as its late afternoon before I get home then its another dog walk and its then 4pm ish and dinner time is approaching which means Ill take some fruit and greek yoghurt if Im feeling belly rumbles to keep me going till dinner. So maybe 2 days a week Im actually already doing fasting days , certainly Im intermitting fasting as its 8pm till 1pm the following day between meals most days. Dinner is normal every day fare , which I tweak adding beans and lentils to wet dishes , added veg wherever I can and sides of veg. Very little in the way of potatoes , rice or pasta - I do have them but proper portion sizes, not huge bowl fulls , and its always wholemeal pasta and plain boiled spuds or air fried roasties using sprayed olive oil

I feel like Im doing everything I can, maybe not 100% all the time , and this 10lb won't shift which is why I started thinking for the first time about WLI

It is demoralising and tiring not being able to have a normal relationship with food. Having to only walk down certain aisles in the supermarket because temptation is everywhere . I long to be able to try the pistachio Dubai chocolate for example , but I know I cant because Id not stop at one square, the bar will disappear before I noticed and then Id be wondering why my weight has crept up again and become even stricter on myself.

When I first changed my diet , I was happy that weight loss was slow and steady as it wasnt so hard. I just upped the veg, upped the protein and fibre, cooked from scratch so I had control of the sugar and fat content, and in doing that I never had room for snacks so didnt want them nor miss them. But now, 3 years along , Ive spent 18 months or more playing with the same couple of pounds, Im only one pound lighter this year then this time last year. And now it feels like I spend my life obsessing over food and weight

Oh I see, you mean disordered in the sense of being in a bit of a binge starve cycle rather than just tracking (which I personally don't think is disordered, or at least no more disordered than the rest of our food environment). I suppose what helped me get out of the "blown it" thinking is the realization through looooong experience that it really is just down to calories at the end of the day. It takes 3500 calories extra to gain a pound and minus the same to lose it. Water fluctuations might mask this day to day but over the weeks, it really does work out like that. So if we do eat something not optimally healthy, okay, we can just mentally log it and adjust proportionally later or even over the next few days. I suppose in an ideal world we'd all just do this intuitively and maybe some people do, but obviously a lot don't!

I'm a runner and I don't find running helps with weight loss - I gather there is now a bit of research being done into the effects of cortisol and weight in mid life women and running doesn't help with this. Still good for you. The only way I managed to lose weight was when I was injured and unable to run - I switched long runs for long uphill fast treadmill walks (requires a book to counter the tedium) and weights. Plus a diet that is v high in protein and I switched the times I ate around - so a hearty brunch (scrambled eggs on bacon or smoked salmon or beans and tuna) and then an early high protein dinner so my eating window is 11.30 to 6pm.

@suki1964do you actually track your calories on those days like you describe though? I only speak from my own experience - but when I’m in that starve/ binge cycle I feel like I’m hardly eating but actually I am way over my calories, and they are all nutrient void (sugar, flour, chocolate), and that’s different to intermittent fasting where it is structured and planned in advance, and your meals are nutritious. I totally understand the interest in WLI’s at bmi 25 as I posted upthread so this is not a dig at you in the slightest, but before doing that it might be beneficial to actually just set yourself a calorie goal you can stick to and eat 3 meals at set times each day and no snacks, to ‘reset’ your appetite cycle. I am a runner, and a lifelong disordered eater and I know that the best thing for me is to split my calorie limit in 3 and eat 3 regular meals. I don’t always do it, but it is the quickest way for me to get my head back in the game. If I was to do WLI, and I am looking into it, I know I’d have to be even more rigid about my meals and my calories, not less so.

Funny isn’t it how we’re all so different. I lifted weights and regularly did hiit and rode to work for over 10 years but it wasn’t until I started running that the last 10lb dropped off and I’ve maintained it into my 50s. I do remember, however, my appetite increasing massively in the early days of running and having to work very hard not to eat back those calories.

Don’t just jump into this as it will lead to potential injury.

If you’re running frequently or at higher intensities, there is a real danger in under-fuelling if your diet becomes too restrictive. Restrictive dieting and intense exercise can lead to issues later if you are not getting the right nutrients. Building up to a half marathon will need carb loading but it’s not so much of an issue at 10km

people burn about 100 calories a mile depending upon their running intensity and how long they have been running.

I combine running with Pilates, strength training and walking. And spend time stretching.

You have all been so marvellous, thank you, these threads usually descend into chaos and I really thought Id be slaughtered for even thinking if it

I weighed this morning, as high as I would like to go. Usually a saturday is dont give a damm day but I was good. A huge bowl of berries, greek yoghurt and a measured portion of Bio and me for mid day ish Then I have just had an amazing dhal and rice ( hm ) red lentils, sweet potatoes, aubergines, mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes all cooked into it . There's enough there for 6 portions - DH has chicken in his . Tomorrow I have planned scrambled eggs ( we have our own hens so their eggs are super rich ) , bacon medallions , mushrooms and tomatoes for brunch, then I have slow cooked pork, air fried roasties, carrots, peas , broccoli and cauliflower planned for dinner

Also a 5k planned for the morning

@thenewaveragebear1983 - I dont . I go along with Ive barely eaten in 2/3 days - a biscuit won't harm , I have the spare calories, but of course Im eating calorie dense foods that dont fill me

Starting this thread has really helped me. I knew I was grabbing hold of straws , I also knew deep down I was cheating on myself. I also admit that I am totally weary of tracking, tracking, tracking

So my plans right now, full belly and all that, are to keep trying for an appointment with the practice nurse ( she's the one who does my BP etc) to discuss statins

Look further afield for a physio led pilates - my joints are really hurting as I age and whilst I do keep moving, when I sit a while I know all about it

Go through what I have in the freezers and look at new recipes. to see if I can entice myself to eat properly. I realised as I posted Im eating same old, same old. All well balanced , but I think I need a bit of something different to look forward to

I know I may have offended some by even bringing up that I was looking at WLI's for just 10lb. I may be a lot lower in weight, but I still face the same challenges and battles . I have really turned my life around by changing my diet and adding exercise, but as a typical woman I I want MORE There's women who would pay to change their faces - botox, fillers and lifts, boob jobs, bum lifts, all the power to them For me, I just want to get to that ideal weight for my height and then spend the rest of my life juggling those 3 or 4 lbs that take me out of it , whilst still staying in a healthy range

Just to say, mounjaro really really helped me with my joints, I've lost a hell of a lot of weight which obviously helps, because you're not putting weight on your joints, but the relief was immediate. I think it's some thing to do with the reduction in inflammation.
I actually wasn't eligible and lied slightly to get it, but the residual benefits have been honestly astonishing, I'll keep on it just for those.

Opposite for me :( my knee pain is horrendous!

This is what I think too. Obviously they have to be careful about giving to people who have a low weight and may use it unhealthily, so I can understand they keep prescribing it to people who they know have come from a high bmi and are maintaining, but my doctor knows what weight I have lost and I am maintaining it (for a year now) so should I also be allowed to access it to help with that?