BMI under 27 - Off Label/less to lose

[ritala]

I am mid 40’s and just can’t lose the weight like I used to. I’m fed up of losing and gaming the same two pounds. I’m about a stone and a half more than my happy weight (where I would be approx bmi 23).

I have tried to find a thread for people who have been approved ‘off label’ Wegovy or Mounjaro with less to lose but couldn’t find one, so thought I’d start here. I have a BMI higher than 25 but less than 27 with a couple extra health conditions. Hoping to start after Easter. I’d like to stay with a very low dose if possible. Half a pound a week loss would be good for me. I really want to avoided side effects.

Anyone who is in a similar boat and wants to share experiences or ask questions, please join! X

Feeling much better today, and felt better from the afternoon yesterday (even managed a cocktail last night!) so I am hoping I am past the peak this week. If you have Voy it shows you a graph of when the medication peaks after injection, could be worth planning your week around that for the early weeks when adjusting.

Hello, can I join you? BMI of 28.8 and have just been accepted by voy, for mountjaro. It's on its way to me and I'm hoping to start next week.
I am fed up with my endless cycle of gaining and losing weight, and although I know what I should be doing to lose weight, I'm really struggling with emotional eating. I lost a few stone two years ago, low carb, anti-inflammatory diet, and felt great. I managed to maintain for a good six months, with good habits and daily yoga and walks but then my father became terminally ill, I became his carer and it piled on again. I eat when I'm sad. He died two months ago, and the grief has made the comfort eating spiral. I've been trying really hard to lose again since January, but it's so much harder this time. 7lbs in two months and I am now stuck endlessly losing and gaining the same 2lbs.
So in desperation, I have ordered my first pen. I'm a little scared, and wondering if I have done the right thing!

Welcome to new joiners (and old!) and hope you all had a good weekend. I am hoping to start next weekend (still waiting for pen), but feeling ready for it. I do feel quite nervous. I’m getting a lot of ‘horror stories’ on my feeds, probably down to the amount of googling I’ve been doing. I think it doesn’t help as I am a low BMI (26) and there seems to be a lot of negativity towards lower starters. Oh well. I know we are out there…. Hoping I have a good result with Wegovy and I can shift this stubborn weight.

@ritala peppermint tea and cream crackers really helped with my nausea for the 24 hour bout I had, pleased to say it passed pretty quickly and I have enjoyed the rest of the weekend and intend to inject 3.75 again this week (will def hold off on 5).

Lots of gate keeping of these drugs, I really appreciate this thread.

I agree - so much gatekeeping @kljdhs877! It’s bonkers how much judgement there is. BMI 25+ is overweight - and if you’re like me and an apple shape, it’s also dangerous. I have been a couple of stone heavier than what I am now (many years ago now) and do not want to go to that place again. Surely nipping weight gain in the bud is better than acting relatively?!

I'm glad you had a good weekend and are still in the flow!

Hoping other low BMI starters will join and share experiences too. Thank you for your tips, I’ll get some ginger chews in. Already have peppermint tea so that’s good!

I started yesterday. 2.5mg mounjaro injected yesterday morning. Haven’t noticed any effects yet, although I did decline a trip to the pub last night which is unusual for me!

Been to the gym this morning and debating whether I should tell my PT…

I’m in a similar boat, in terms of being early 40s, with a thyroid issue and the usual weight-loss strategies not really working anymore. I’m considering 2.5mg MJ to shift around 5-6kg and reduce my BMI. I’d plan to be on MJ for as little time as possible but wonder if I’m being naive, and in fact I’d have to stay on for a while to allow for tapering off - even from just a 2.5mg dose?

@loveroadbikelife- that’s what I want to do - stay on the lowest level for a couple of months and then microdose. I’m sure that’s a completely naive way of looking at things too. Basically, I’d like to lose a stone and a half. I can’t believe how difficult it is compared to just eight years ago when I was able to diet with ease. As I’ve said earlier I do have an auto immune disease which I hope Wegovy will help with as well. It sucks getting to 40’s and everything changes.

I al doing lots of reading and listening to podcasts and that’s helping. There are a lot of us out there.

How’s it going @PinotPony? I am starting at the weekend but feeling worried about it.

I have PCOS and hashimotos. I had 10kg to lose. I stayed on 2.5mg and lost it within 10-12 weeks. But I’m still taking it 6 months later (down to 2mg) - because I know if I stop I’ll have to rely on willpower to eat less. And if I don’t eat less I’ll gain weight.

Lots of gate keeping of these drugs,

Isn't there!

I was told on one thread that it is only people who have the disease of obesity that should be allowed WLIs. I was also told that I don't suffer from 'obesity' because I lost about 10kg through calorie counting and will power and have mostly kept it off for about 15 years. The fact that I have always had an unhealthy relationship with food and some mildly disordered eating because of the constant battle with food noise was not relevant.

Using WLIs to get down to a BMI of say 26 and intending to lose more weight and stay on a maintenance dose is completely different to someone starting at a BMI of 26, apparently.

I find the gate keeping and the general hysteria about the fact we can now take a very safe prescription med to be a healthy weight, very odd. All the folks claiming to be all worried about people’s health.

I think it goes to show just how many people. Women in the main, are really messed up about weight and body image. How very significant it is to them, how competitive and jealous some get. It’s by far brought out the worst in some people.

and that’s just utterly sad. It’s shown an underbelly that I don’t think anyone knew just how grim it was.

What used to annoy me (I am largely over it now, but still a bit grrrrr) was the ‘horror’ of someone BMI 25/26 who dared enquire about WLI. “It’s NOT for the likes of you!” Was the general response. “Just diet and exercise!!” “These are drugs for DIABETICS and obese people!”

Interesting because if you’d suggested to a person with BMI 30 to just “diet and exercise”, there’d be uproar but for some reason its ok to say that to someone who is still overweight but not obese.

I do think these drugs will be made available to BMI 25+ without other health issues soon. I hope so. Many of us in this ‘in between’ stage have dealt with food noise and disordered eating for many years but have just about managed to keep a handle on it, but always thinking about what we are eating and ether we can say yes to a brunch etc. It’s a hard way to live. It’s difficult seeing many bigger people have access to WLI and getting down well below BMI 25 whilst the rest of us continue to struggle.

Solidarity to all lower BMI users and those who are curious.

It’s already offered by some to bmi 25. I think it’s a good idea, it can be a real struggle to not gain more, and before any damage is done, allow the person to get to a healthy mid bmi.

thr risk only comes in for those who abuse it. But they will always exist, irrelvant of the criteria. Just like they do with any other drug where it has a wanted benefit.

Very true. I also wonder what will happen when the Wegovy pill becomes more mainstream. I expect more people will be up for taking a pill over the jabs but at the moment I believe there are strict rules with eating and drinking when timing the pill (I think it’s taken daily) so that might reduce compliance.

I am still getting my head around the jabs!

Hello - I too have a stone and a half I want to lose and started mounjaro with Voy as soon as they started prescribing for BMI 25+. My goal weight will take me to BMI 22. I have lost ten pounds so far on 2.5 in five weeks but I had a lot of water retention to lose in that first week due to my cycle.

I do agree about the gate keeping for those of us who have less to lose being so annoying. I have a large waist as I carry my fat round my middle which is v unhealthy and hard to dress. I used to be able to lose weight easily enough until late forties but now steadily gained and lost the same five or six pounds for about four years. I worked so hard and ate healthily enough but just didn’t manage to lose a significant amount at all, despite thinking about my weight negatively daily, if not hourly! It is bliss to be so free of thinking about what I eat or what I don’t eat.

i did have side effects though - a nasty high pain in my stomach and sickness that I worked out was due to eggs. Now I don’t eat those I seem absolutely fine. Now just wondering if I should go up to five next time. I seem extraordinarily stupid about the clicks thing and certainly didn’t mess around with the golden dose, but maybe 3.75 might be a good plan?

@HumphreyCobblers I recommend doing 3.75 if you struggled with 2.5 to start with. I struggled and went on to do 10 weeks on 2.5 by which time I was very well adjusted and no side effects, but I felt very sick the second time I did 3.75 (not the first time weirdly!! Not sure if my cycle impacts). Just injected another 3.75, pray for me tomorrow!

Ok I think I will! I’ll be back to check I have the right number of clicks. 😁 Also where do you get extra needles from for the last dose? Sorry to be so thick!

Oh and best of luck kljdhs877

@HumphreyCobblers not thick! I asked the same, you can get replacement needles from: https://www.chemist-4-u.com/carepoint-ultra-pen-needles-32g-4mm-pack-of-100

you can also google the clicks, loads of calculators and charts online, off the top of my head I think it’s 45 clicks for 3.75mg (mark it on the pen)

And if you use your teeth to force the clicks, you can get the bonus dose out (if the pen has it, these are being phased out).

*on a 5mg pen that should say in regards to clicks

Thank you!

Exactly this! So encouraging to read your post! I have an underactive thyroid + hashimotos + most likely now in early perimenopause. It’s a rubbish combination, which means that even if I eat really carefully and exercise, the scale doesn’t really move. I also just look ‘puffy’, especially in my face because of the autoimmune stuff.
Technically I’m still not overweight (higher end of healthy BMI), but I’ve put on 6kg in 12 months and lost so much confidence. It’s all I really think about all the time. I really believe MJ could help with all of this.

I'm really confused by who is eligible with a BMI of 25+. My BMI is 27. No relevant health conditions. Medexpress and Voy tell me I'm eligible online (answered various questions about my health, weight etc). I paid via Medexpress, was royally messed around with their chaotic planning of a video call, and the doctor pretty much immediately told me I wasn't eligible for Mounjaro. Which they could have told me before taking payment or any personal details based on the info I provided online. Now trying again with Voy but wonder if I'll be led down the same path.

The info on both their websites suggests I am eligible but this seems to be very misleading. What am I missing?

Not loving it TBH.

Can definitely feel that my appetite is suppressed and I’m not hungry. Walked past a stand of donuts earlier and they didn’t even register! I’m eating normally - yoghurt and fruit for breakfast, chicken salad for lunch, meat and veg for dinner - and tracking my calories and macros in MFP.

But have got the most awful gut ache and bloating, trapped wind and keep having to dash to the loo. I’m meant to be running a 10k race on Sunday and getting a bit worried! Not the time to have dodgy digestion…