Mounjaro - 10 stone or more to lose - Thread 15.

[PositiveAttitude]

Everyone welcome - we are all friends here.

Some starting the journey, some already reached their goal, all sharing the ups and downs along the way.

😁💖

It's a value for money exercise. Morbidly obese people with 4 or 5 health conditions, including T2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnoea and heart disease will be very much more ill than someone who is BMI 50 or 60 plus but otherwise "well". They will be costing the NHS more and be more likely to be seriously unwell in the short term. I can see why the NHS would prioritise them over someone who is "just" suffering from a high BMI. Even though it produces the slightly crazy situation where someone can have a very high BMI but not yet qualify for WLI. The NHS would offer Tier 3 weight loss support to them, and probably bariatric surgery, so it's not that there is nothing there at all, just that the options available are much less effective.

At BMI 56 ,I couldn't stand up long enough to peal potatoes for dinner at the side .I had to sit at the kitchen table to do it
I went to the doctor's for help and got approved for weight loss surgery..but I got taken of the list when I lost 8 stone

That's a very clear explanation..thankyou
But I can't see how someone of my old BMI would be considered well .
Maybe in a lot of people the extra conditions were not discovered.. especially if no one was looking for anything wrongg

I've had so many people just assume I met the criteria for mj and don't believe me when I say I didn't do .

I was referred to a weight loss clinic and waited a year, heard nothing, so decided to privately fund MJ. I checked the referral was still in the system and they said yes. It didn’t feel for me like there were any NHS options. I still haven’t heard back about the referral nearly 2 years later.

I should add I say this as someone who can comfortably fund private MJ, but I really feel for the people who struggle to be able to afford it.

@Springflowers2 I guess it’s not that you’d be considered “well” but that you are not as ill or as at risk, if that makes sense.

I have yearly checks due to my high BP which usually involve a blood test, so I knew that my cholesterol was fine and that I wasn’t diabetic. I might have had sleep apnoea in retrospect but it wasn’t diagnosed. I didn’t have heart disease either. Tbh that’s all some kind of miracle considering I’ve been overweight or obese since childhood.

I was on waiting list for 3 years ,going through different tiers,by doing required on line food courses..then I had pre op assessment and got approved for surgery in 6 months ..so I was quite stressed at the thought of surgery and didn't really want it ,if I could manage to loose weight another way ..so I funded mj myself..then just before the 6 months was up ,I got an email saying it would be another 5 years wait for surgery..but they would keep me on the list .but when I lost 8 stone ,I got taken of the list .
So Im Glad I didn't decide to wait another 5 years at BMI 56

@SilenceInside ..yes that makes a lot of sense

I didn't ask because I already knew I didn't meet the criteria of 4 co-morbidities.

As I said, I was never diagnosed with diabetes, it was just the blood test that I had around three months into my MJ journey that identified the pre diabetes (HB1ac was 42 I think at that point). I had a blood test last October I think it was and every result came back perfect so I assume the weight drop just fixed everything!

I was going to the gym once a week and walking my dog multiple times a day at my heaviest.

I was never offered any weight management services , in fact, I don't recall a doctor ever mentioning my weight, let alone weight loss surgery (I was obviously aware it was an issue, I'm not blind and stupid!)

By the way, I have zero idea as to why I was able to be so (relatively) agile at nearly 26 stone, the human body is a weird thing 🤷🏼‍♀️

Thank you! Finally someone responded!

I still went swimming every day ..but didn't like standing for long at all.
I had to ask for weight management service.. numerous times ,they were always very much ..oh let's get your mental health sorted out first ..but I knew my weight was also affecting my mental health...or my mental health was affecting my weight..could be either way round really

I wonder if it has something to do with muscle. We, as overweight people, are very strong. You would have to be to manage to carry an extra 10+ stone around everywhere.

My husband was a BMI 34 and he would be killing it at Go Ape and you would never guess his weight. At a BMI of 38, I'd be clubbing all night on my feet, killing it on the dancefloor and somehow my knees withstood 23st 🥲

I also think it's the same reason why a lot of us get gasped shocked looks if we say we have lost 10+ stone, because many of us look so agile and don't seem to outwardly be struggling. I would only be reminded of how large I was in photos or clothes shopping or climb of the stairs, otherwise it would be forgotten about.

I’m just coming up to 9 weeks and currently on holiday. Lost almost 2 stone but probably another 10 to go. I got to goal on a VLCD about 15 years ago but was younger and could do most things. One of the main reasons for doing this is my mobility. I’m 62. Have really struggled with my knees for the last couple of years. Standing is difficult and I’m walking with a stick. I can walk but need to sit down regularly. I’m also doing a long term conditions programme through Nuffield Health. Would love to hear from those of you further along about the improvements you have had. Appreciate we are all different but would love a bit of encouragement.

I'm a fair bit younger than you, and without any other conditions other than hypermobility, but I have seen a definite improvement in my joint health. I was having pain in my hip, particularly when climbing stairs, and that is all gone. My plantar faciitis is almost completely gone as well with only very minor very occasional flareups. I am able to walk or stand for hours now which I struggled with before. A lot of that is due to increasing my exercise alongside the MJ, but the weight loss has definitely had an impact.

Sorry, @Foolish1984, what do you mean? Your question was answered within 23 minutes?
Or had you asked elsewhere with no response previously?

I started mj with a BMI of 55.3.
Life was a struggle. It had been ok until I became ill with something that was not weight related, but the recovery was tortuously slow because of my weight.

I had been looking to save up for surgery, but thought I would use what I would have been saving each month for the surgery to pay for MJ. I am so glad I did! Now my BMI is 36.1, so still a long way to go still.

My GP was apologetic that he could not prescribe it for me on the NHS. He is great!! I have spoken to him since, and he was so encouraging. I have an appointment to see him in a couple of weeks. I am looking forward to him seeing the difference in me.

@Kabloom I was barely mobile at the start, 22.3 stone and couldn’t walk 5 mins without resting. I had pain in my knees and hip and walked with a stick. 7 stone later and I can now walk my dogs for an hour problem free and go to the gym 3 times a week. Keep going, getting your mobility back is so worth it.

I’m 17 months in (10st10 down with another 3 or 4st to go) and my plantar fasciitis disappeared within a week of starting MJ. I came off my blood pressure medication in March of this year. My IBS has completely disappeared and I no longer get massive nighttime headaches (suspect that was sleep apnoea related). My hba1c has gone from prediabetic to normal levels. Oh and I can walk unlimited distances now easily and I strength train 5 times a week.

You’ve done great so far (I also did the truly awful VLCD back in the day!), the time will fly by and you’ll be seeing the changes yourself soon I’m sure!

I get this a lot, people just not believing I weighed what I weighed. I’m never sure if they’re being polite or are actually shocked but I’ve been overweight my whole life so I think people I’ve known for a long time didn’t/ don’t see my weight for some reason. I’ve never struggled physically, walking or with stairs. I was just perhaps a bit slower than most. I’ve noticed the school run (which I do by foot) getting shorter and shorter (not intentionally, I just seem to move faster!).

I never got to goal on VCLD but I lost 6st twice (to the same weight I am now, but I had less to lose back then, I’ve lost 8st on MJ).

VCLD never taught me how to eat or what worked for by body and it wasn’t sustainable when I came off. I have much higher hopes for MJ. I feel like I know what to do now I just need to keep doing it.

Thank you for the replies and encouragement. I’m certainly hoping for improvements. I can feel a difference in my recovery after a day when I’ve pushed myself a bit. I was really hardcore when I did the VLCD but I’m really enjoying a bit more balance instead of all or nothing. While I’d love to be clocking up a stone a month I’m sure the slow and steady approach allows a lot more opportunity to learn.

Does anybody 5 day jab? I did a 6 day this week and cutting out my usual hungry day 7 was great. Thinking of going to 5 day jabbing as I’m starving again by day 6. Any downsides?