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

[FlorenceNightshade]

As promised a new thread for our Anniversary!

Oh lovely that’s never going to work. You can’t be eating many calories at all
if you’re only eating one meal a day, or sachets of porridge. Most of us hit plateaus and get really slow losses at this point. It’s normal. You’ve lost a lot of weight. Your body has to adjust. You were lucky that you got fast losses for quite a while initially, but now it just seems like you have joined us in the plodders club. The weight loss is likely to be pretty slow for most of us. I read through a lot of old threads before I started, and lots seemed to have a stall after a year. Lots of people on my MJ Facebook group are grumbling about slow progress too. It’s normal. The trouble is there are always one or two that lose weigh rapidly, and that’s who we all focus on, and hope to be like!

That’s why I posted that first comparison photo - because it’s felt so painfully slow lately - only a stone since Xmas and nothing for the past four weeks. But there is still a difference..

Ive just joined something on Facebook called The Sustainable Weight Loss Support Group. So far I like it. I finished the Prediabetes Prevention Program last week. I like something to “lean on”. That’s also why I’m always yakking on here!

I lost 3 stone really quickly. In about 2 months then it slowed to a stone about every 8 weeks. I moved to Wegovey when the price went up and it slowed to about every 10 weeks.

I find if I do intermittent fasting. Eating between 12 and 8 i lose a bit quicker. I cant always do it though because if Im going out and walking ( I couldnt really walk before, I have Lupus it makes my joints very painful, the weight made it worse still) I have to have breakfast before I go or my blood sugars drop to quick and I get the shakes.

I am waaaay slower than you @Megsdaughter. I’d be over the moon with a stone every 8 weeks. That’s fast to me! My first stone took a month, the second two months, the third two and a half, the fourth took 4 months and the last half stone over two months. Nothing at all in April so far!

I stick to under 1100 calories a day and very low carb. I must admit I am quite strict and have totally changed the way I eat. I was terrible for bread and chocolate. I have very little bread now and I totally went cold turkey on chocolate. Havnt touched it in a year and now dont even miss it.

I didn’t want to do anything too “diet” and have just cut out processed food and refined sugars. Although I have been known to snaffle a little chocolate from my cafe stocks now and again. Easter killed me, I was surrounded by mini eggs! I’ve had little to no suppression and still have LOADS of food noise, so couldn’t fast or eat low calories, even if I wanted to, and I’m quite against cutting carbs, but the carbs I eat are whole meal, seeded or brown now. I mostly eat clean. I’m veggie, so lots and lots of fruit and veg too. I want to be able to continue the habits once off the jabs so I’m trying to eat a balanced and healthy diet. I really enjoy what I eat, still love my food, but it’s healthy food now. I’m probably as addicted to grapes and Greek yogurt now as I used to be to chocolate! I’ve got used to the slow pace now - 4.5 stones in a year is ok for me and my body/skin seems to be slowly shrinking with me too so far. I don’t think I’ll get to a healthy bmi goal, I quite like myself even now, when I’m 2 stone over, so one more stone will probably do for me.

Sorry, that might have sounded like criticism of your methods, and it wasn’t meant to. I was just saying how I couldn’t do it. Not that it’s wrong.

Thats ok.😀 apart from stopping the bread and chocolate, I really eat a lot of what I have always eaten we have aways cooked from scratch with lots of fruit and veggies, but my portion size has probably halved.

Like you I am addicted to greek yogurt, oh and Matzo crackers loaded with cottage cheese, ham and salad one of my favourite lunches.

Everyone looks fantastic in these pics, you gorgeous creatures!

@DidILeaveTheGasOn I had a monstrous plateau a few months back. I went up a dose (was on 7.5mg, and had been for months and months) and kept eating in normal-for-Mounjaro style and the scales have started to move again. You’re not getting enough nutrients from a sachet of porridge, but you know this. Could you go up a dose?

@Megsdaughter I don’t eat many carbs, either - I just don’t fancy them, unless they are in the biscuit tin.

It’s my anniversary!!
crazy to think it was a year ago since I braved the first jab. Lost 50lb by October and went cold turkey. Still the same weight, although I’ve had a lot of sickness unfortunately which has helped.
what has always amazed me is how differently we carry weight. I always assumed I’d be a size 10. Im actually a 12, more often a 14. Yet my BMI is 23. But im happy around here. Another 7lb would be lovely but I don’t think it would be sustainable

Congratulations @MyScaredCat. But sorry you’ve been so sick. 🙁
im always so pleased to hear about people who have maintained post MJ. Just praying that I can follow in your footsteps if I can ever get off this plateau! My scales keep hovering temptingly close to the next lb down, then bouncing up a lb the following day.

It’s a constant battle, never far from my mind. I weigh daily and do panic when I see it going up even by 1lb. I believe that once you’ve had a weight problem unfortunately you always will.

Yes I guess it will always need watching. But it’s great that you’re on top of it. I’m hoping I will rein myself in rather than having my head firmly in the sand while the weight piles on, like I have done in the past.

Oh my ears and whiskers , loving the before and after photos !
Well done , @DidILeaveTheGasOn , @SussexLass87 and @Megsdaughter !

Long day today , will read the full thread tomorrow . So many new posts ! 👍

im so frustrated!!! Weigh in this morning and gained half a lb. I know it’s not much in the scheme of things but that means over the last month I’ve only actually lost 1 lb (though a couple of times over!) and in the last 3 months only 5lbs! I’m so frustrated.

Im down to my last two pens as I just can’t afford it anymore so am rotating down now already. I still had ideally 20 to go. Literally teetering on the edge of chucking myself off this wagon!

😭

Stay on the wagon with us lot, it's nice up here. You've done incredibly well @HKG and you're continuing to do well.

I don't think we're going to see big changes on the scales anymore and I think that's going to take some getting used to. I think @Gingercar mentioned someone that went down a few dress sizes whilst losing very slowly and that makes a lot of sense.

The trouble is, we like measurements, but there isn't an alternative metric to use that would potentially be moving at a faster pace. We may lose between 1-8lbs a month, so we could lose up to 1-2 inches from our waists in a month. But it could be one pound lost and half an inch off but dropping a size somewhere else. (RIP to my boobs).

I'm finding it a bit easier to feel sanguine about this just now, but I'm also sat here hungry and trying not to have breakfast. I think the focus on numbers and the lack of discernable change (on the scales, at least) is causing a bit of problematic behaviour.

We have to remember our training (trying to be stern here). We are doing the right things and the scales have no vested interest in anything. They don't know if we are retaining water, due on, not due on, anything really. We could have lost weight and it isn't reflected on the scale because of lots of reasons.

Remember to be kind to yourself, this is to all of you lovely lot and to me too. We are doing the right things and it is coming off.

@hkg I’ve just weighed in and I’ve not lost ANYTHING at all this month! 😱🙁. Despite doing a lot more walking for the past few weeks and throwing in a lot of big hills to try to help. And I know I haven’t been eating badly. Weirdly I’m not feeling too grumpy or upset about it - I feel like it’s GOT to just be a plateau, and it’s GOT to start moving again at some point. So I’m sat firmly on that wagon- because getting off definitely isn’t going to help.. And overall I’m delighted with the changes over the last year…. It’s a shame weight loss doesn’t come off in direct relation to effort put in, but it just doesn’t!

I too am onto my last big pen (15) from next week, which I might titrate down with, so drag out for ann few weeks, and I also have a rogue 2.5 pen. I’ve currently been on 12.5 for a couple of months. I don’t seem to get much/any suppression from pens anyway, and I’m CONSTANTLY thinking about what I can eat next (I just try to eat fruit or a carrot or a little packet of popcorn when I’m like that) so I don’t think it’s worth what I’d be spending on these big dosages. I’m hoping by July I’ll be off and trying to do the last bit myself (famous last words!). I might even spend the £250+ on a personal trainer that first month, to keep me on track.

@DidILeaveTheGasOn you are SPOT ON of course, I love measurable things. Just don’t trust how I feel or how I see myself. I want hard evidence 🤣🤣🤣. Oh the social conditioning. Your kind (and stern) words are so helpful. Thank you - I really appreciate it!

And you too @Gingercar, I’m sorry the scales weren’t more validating this morning but yous re winning with your attitude to them - that’s the way to do it! I’m going to channel your energy next time! Don’t know if you feel this but I’m nervous of these being the last pens, the fear that it will pile back in but no way to find out without trying it I suppose.

I have my one year anniversary on 20th approximately so I might use that as a motivator. I can say that you two have definitely stopped me flinging myself off that wagon into a chocolate infused fury this morning and for that I salute and thank yous!!!
I have now just had a most of a chicken sandwich and maybe if it’s enough will fuel me for a tiny C25K run in a bit? Have tickets to see Derren Brown this evening so will use that as a distraction too.

thank you my saviours!

@HKG my anniversary is the 20th too!
As well you guys know, my positive thoughts may not be next week- so you can pick me up when it’s my turn!

Yea I’m a bit nervous about stopping the pens, I’ve had a huge stash in the fridge for so long, but I’m also a little bit excited. I hope I can do this myself. At the end of the day I will still be over 27 BMI so can always come back if I really find I spiralled. But I’d be really disappointed to feel that I had to stay on MJ. No disrespect to those who do plan to stay on it. That’s just my personal thoughts..

@DidILeaveTheGasOn how come you don’t have breakfast if you’re feeling hungry?

@Gingercar Think it's a bit of problematic thinking coming into play. I had breakfast after I posted that because I thought honestly, come on, you're in your 40s, you can eat cereal.
Weatabix and banana, was lovely.

@Gingercar i hear you and 100% here if and when you need it for pick me up duties! Whilst nervous im keen to come off them so conflicted as ever! Again no judgement on anyone who stays on but I a)can’t afford even the 2.5 long term and b) I get a fair few side affects so can’t wait to feel ‘normal’ again! I’ll meet you here in the 20th for a virtual party!!!

@DidILeaveTheGasOn im like this too! Often skip breakfast and think ‘you’re a 47 year old woman who feeds two kids, be responsible and eat!’ Thats just my internal monologue! Either way I think your previous wise ‘be kind to ourselves’ words are relevant here too. In all senses!

Yes you are totally right. Also feed two kids (and a small army of cats) and yet begrudge myself breakfast. What a knobhead. Honestly this thread has really helped my mindset today. It started with eating breakfast and escalated to wearing bootcut jeans and gold cowboy boots. I bought them nearly 70lbs ago and they were tight on my feet and I've never worn them.
Now they are so comfy!

With this top and a gold belt, honestly my outfit is an event. My other half said I looked fantastic!

https://www.joebrowns.co.uk/dreamer-graphic-tee-wu334?

Whilst I'm happy to celebrate again on the 20th @HKG and @Gingercar my actual jabbing anniversary is today - so feel free to nibble on a carrot and sip a glass of water to celebrate with me.

So after a year I've gone from 14 stone 8 lbs to between 9 12 and 10 2. My trouser size has dropped from a tight 18 to a comfortable 10/12 and my tops from 22 to 12/14. My bra size has changed from a 40DD to 32G.

My arms and thighs are like melted candles and I just don't look at anything that would be hidden under a swimsuit. Unlike @ElsieMay I won't be wearing a bikini but I'm happy walking around in a swim suit by the pool.

I've joined the local gym and am using it - so far.

My BMI is 27 which is just fine with me.

I'm down to 2.5 mg every 10 days or so and have been maintaining since the beginning of January.

All of this is amazing. I wouldn't have believed anyone who told me that a year could make so much difference.

I'm a happy (old) bunny.

The photos are May 1st 2025 and this week. I'm feeling very brave and quite proud as I post them. Feel free to laugh.

Gosh you look gorg @Apprenante! What a fabulous before and after.

You look wonderful. It takes years off you too. Why would we laugh? Congratulations on a great success! (Love those leggings by the way). 👏👏👏🎉🎉🎉🎉