@Onenotsosmallstep I hear your frustration. You have done phenomenally well!
Can I just share the gist of what AI is telling me about my own journey?
My peak BMI a good few years ago was 48.5. In January 2024 it was 41.5 and I managed, through lifestyle change with a LOT of psychological and group support, to reduce it to just under 30 over the course of 16 months. Then I had a bit of a rebound, then got a grip, then lost it….. basically bounced around BMI 30 +/- 1 for over a year. That’s in itself was a huge improvement on previous efforts, when I would have gained substantial amounts of the weight back very rapidly.
A couple of months ago I decided to add Mounjaro to the mix, to get me “the rest of the way.” There is a health incentive for me - type 2 diabetes since 1998, the main weight loss had got me off medication and my blood glucose into the prediabetic range. Which is a massive improvement, but not as good as it potentially could be. And further weight loss is the main thing I could do to facilitate that, hence the mounjaro.
I set my target weight at 11st. That will give me a BMI of 24.2, and is a psychologically pleasing number because it is exactly half my highest weight. When I talked to AI about it, it told me a couple of interesting things
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Because of my degree of obesity and weight cycling, I likely have some loose flabby skin, especially on the abdomen (yes, I do). That has a weight to it, but as it’s subcutaneous rather than internal fat, it is metabolically harmless. It could easily amount to 5-10lb. So if I do reach 11 stone, I would effectively have the metabolism and musculature etc of someone 5-10lb lighter who had never been obese in the first place.
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There is evidence that for older people (I’m 62) the healthiest BMI is a couple of points higher than for younger adults. That equates to nearly a stone for me.
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While the number on the scale is appealing, other things are more important from a health perspective. Waist to height ratio is one - mine has just sneaked under 0.5, which is the target for good health. AI points out that my flabby skin will be making my waist a bit bigger than it would be on a never-obese person. So basically, as far as that metric is concerned, I have arrived.
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For me, blood glucose levels are a significant indicator. I want to get them into the optimal range. At the moment, they will be artificially lowered by the mounjaro. AI is suggesting that once I reach my 11st target that I monitor them closely as and when I try to taper off MJ. Any rise in BG levels is an indicator that my body is not ready to cope without the extra support.
Put all these things together, and what it’s telling me is that I don’t necessarily need to get all the way to 11st to be as healthy as I can be. Or I may need to go a bit further. And of course I may discover that I can’t maintain my weight loss or my blood glucose without MJ - but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.
Overall, though I would encourage you to view your target as a bit fuzzy, rather than a definite line in the sand. And above all, to think about the rest of your life as a healthy person in a healthy body. Don’t allow the sense of incompleteness steal the joy you are hopefully getting from all the things you are now able to do which were once unthinkable.