May 2025 Starters Thread 8. Happy One Year Anniversary To Us!!

[FlorenceNightshade]

As promised a new thread for our Anniversary!

Meandering off topic again , had a lovely trip to London yesterday visiting the late HM Queen’s dress exhibition . Absolutely stunning !
Lunch at Wagamama ( not my choice , but went with the majority ) less so …..
Luckily the 2.5mg I’ve decided is the way ahead gave me sufficient suppression 🤣.

I would kill for some suppression. I’m feeling really fed up at the moment. Hopefully I’m just tired. I’ve only had 3 days off in the school holidays. I’ve put 4-5lbs on over the last few weeks. I’m not really sure why. I have dropped down to 3mg from 12.5 this summer. And I haven’t done as much exercise due to being so busy. But all in a it’s left me feeling a bit down. I can just eat so much and I’m always thinking about food. I’m sick of hearing how people have no appetite on this drug! They’ve just been talking about it on the tv. Why doesn’t it do this to me??🙁
I will pick myself back up and carry on. The holidays will be over soon and I get my life back. I just thought I would have been at goal long ago. I’ve put so much into this and am lucky if I lose 2lbs a month.
Sorry. Just needed a grumble!

@Gingercar
I hear you. I'm currently taking about 11.5mg at the moment and it seems a fairly expensive way of maintaining. BUT I'm not at maintenance yet!

I still need to shift at least another 1.5 stone.

From January to date I've lost just a stone in total. Sometimes it's been more then I go on holiday and put some on, then lose it, then put it on etc.

I am aware that I am eating too much and I've developed such a sweet tooth having given up both alcohol and vaping (both together) for over a year now at the same time as doing WLIs. So trying to do a treble all at once.
(Oral cancer last year made me give up the booze and vapes.)

Fatigue is setting in. It would be fine if I was just maintaining but that's not where I'm at. I need to properly focus to get at least another stone off.

I did look at some old pictures of myself where I was 6 stone heavier and it shocked me so hopefully I can focus and apply myself better.

It was much, much easier to shed those pounds at the start of all this.

@Gingercar Sorry to hear you are feeling so down.

I’ve only had 3 days off in the school holidays. I’ve put 4-5lbs on over the last few weeks. I’m not really sure why. I have dropped down to 3mg from 12.5 this summer. And I haven’t done as much exercise due to being so busy

I wonder if part of the answer is in these sentences? You have dropped your dosage down quite a way - I know you haven’t been fortunate with suppression but the drug works in other ways, too. You have been too busy to exercise, and if memory serves you were really totting up the steps on long walks. And you are tired, which I always find does weird stuff to my body. It starts wanting carbs and holding on to every ounce in case I need it to keep going. I wonder if the pounds will drop back off when the summer rush comes to an end and you have time for yourself again.

Hang in there. ❤

@Gingercar not getting enough sleep is linked to gaining weight. I don't understand why but I've read it so many times that I now believe it.

I've used my current pen 3 times and as far as I can see it's still full. I guess it's not working. Maybe this is why I've been eating more carbs than usual!

What do you think?

I don’t think that pen looks like it’s dispensed anything never mind three full doses (assuming that’s what you’ve taken) @Apprenante

I’ve attached a picture from one of the pharmacy websites for you to compare (when it’s approved)

Do you order online or use a local pharmacy?

I totally agree @FlorenceNightshade and I can't believe it's taken me 3 doses to even notice! It's a pre-price rise pen from June 25 so quite old but well within it's use by date (12/26).

I'll be using syringes to get the doses out and might even treat myself to one this evening!

PS it was from Pillsorted - a perfectly reputable pharmacy - but as I can still use it I'm not going to ask for a replacement.

Grumble away, @Gingercar - we’re here for the bad times , good times and everything in between . ❤️
I think @DBatteryBand may well be on the right track , and I’d also add in the crazy heatwave summer we’ve “ enjoyed” as another possible factor.
Lack of sleep, as @Apprenante confirmed, is hugely significant, and often mentioned by my WW leader - in fact it’s one of the “ 4 pillars” on their tracking app, together with Weight, Activity and Hydration.
I’m convinced we each have an individual “optimum dose” when it comes to MJ - I never felt particularly well ( and oftentimes quite poorly) on 5mg , but suppression -wise I didn’t find it vastly different to the so-called starter dose of 2.5mg.

@FlorenceNightshade - I agree !

For comparison, attached pic is my 5mg pen which I opened on Sunday and have only used one 2.5 dose which was 30 clicks.

Sorry @Apprenante not sure what happened to my photo I will try again!

Have you been using the little needles that you screw on the end, turning half a click and checking liquid is coming out before injecting? I know you're not daft, but I am, and on a few occasions have managed not to inject myself with anything because the needle wasn't properly attached. This happens every few weeks for me - I have to unscrew the needle and try again with another one.

Thanks for trying to find a reason - but actually I think the needles are on properly and I've primed it. But something weird obviously has happened ... I'm not going to worry any more just go back to extracting the dose with insulin needles. At least I've saved money -- and demonstrated that I'm not ready to stop using MJ entirely just yet!

Thanks for listening.

I’m Sleeping ok. I’m just tired from working so much over the holidays. And I think I’m picking at rubbish’s in the cafe a bit, ie, having the odd aero bubble when I’m doing a milkshake, or crumb of cheese when doing a toastie, or drinking the inch of milkshake left over when I’ve made too much. I’ve also had a latte in the sun here and there with my regular customers if I’ve had a moment- it all adds up. I feel I’m grazing a lot too - mostly fruit or popcorn, so not individually bad. But all these things could add up to a lot of calories if added up. Combined with the fact that I’m only doing 10k steps rather than 15k. Hopefully this time next week I’ll be able to do things for me again and step it up. And I think I need to keep a food diary for a few weeks, and see where I am. I’ll stay at 3mg for a couple of weeks too, rather than continuing down.
Thanks again ladies. 😘😘

@ Gingercar
I do think it's enormously difficult for you to be surrounded by food in your cafe and to constantly resist temptation. Under the circumstances of where you work I think you've done/and are doing remarkably well.

I would be utterly hopeless in your shoes.

Totally agree with this - I'd find it very very very very very hard to be surrounded by mini eggs like you were this Easter!

Popping in for a bit of @gingercar appreciation society! You’ve done so well, like the others have said , I can’t imagine how you have done this whilst surrounded by cakes and toasters (my personal weaknesses) and having your movement restricted too. I personally think you are incredible.

May not help much I know but I heard a long time ago, when you are feeling rubbish or not believing in yourself, try to listen to the opinions of those you respect/love instead and defer to them. You trust them in other matters, right? It helps me a little and I tell this to my boys all the time.

anyways, all this to say you are great and hugely successful!

Thank you everyone. You’re a lovely, supportive bunch. I’m feeling more positive. From Tuesday I can get back in the game properly re exercise. It’s already made me think about anything I’m tempted to sneak into my mouth! It’s just a bummer that these five or six lbs took me three months to get off, and I was just a lb off going down to another stone bracket. But hey ho, I will get there! I haven’t reduced the dose age this week or spread it out to a fortnight, so see if that helps.

Hope you’re all ok/doing well.

Has anyone got any tips to deal with craving sweet things?
i don’t really feel hungry but I seem to be craving sweets and have given in on more than one occasion recently to some haribo.

feel like major willpower is required

For me the only way is not to have the things I like in the house! I'm not that bothered about actual sweets, chocolate or cakes but dried fruit and biscuits are my downfall. I think resisting for a few moments in the shop is much easier than resisitng 24/7 when they're in my cupboard.

I don't always mange it though. 😚

I’ve been a bit like that lately too @SignedUpAgain . I find I have to substitute it with something. Like an apple, carrot or grapes. Still sweet but good sugars.

I try (heavy emphasis on "try"!) to have a cold diet lemonade if I have a sweet craving. Preferably with lots of ice.

That said, my sweet cravings are off the charts at the moment.

My biscuit battles are well documented. I also have developed an unfortunate liking for Candy Kittens, specifically the rhubarb and custard flavour. I just try to keep it all in tins and tucked away in the cupboards, although I did commission DD to hide the Candy Kittens from me the other day, which worked very well. I am trying to stick to just having one sweet, rolling the bag up and putting it away and then going to do something, like the ironing, so I am physically removed from the vicinity.

The struggle is real!

This is my new temptation this summer - standing next to these! Doesn’t help that I’ve just had a big delivery and the weather has gone off, so they’ll be hanging around for ages!
(I can resist the dog ice cream!!😆). For the record, the vegan version is much lower in calories than the regular ones (not shown in this pic).

I don't know how you do it, @Gingercar . I would be head-first into that freezer every five minutes.