Considering meds but got some questions

[Schnauzerwoz]

In really need to do something about my weight. I’ve got at least three stone to loose. I have a really bad relationship with food-I can binge eat all day. I think about food all the time. I want to break this cycle but I’m so nervous about medication. I had one bout of acute pancreatitis from an ERCP 6 years ago and all normal since. I think one of my worries is that a lot of my happiness and social life revolves around food. Will that all go away?
I can be prone to health anxiety and I am nervous about the side effects, both long and short term
And how do you manage this with a family? Do you still just cook for them and then just not eat with them?
these might seem like ridiculous questions but these are on my mind and wondered what this lovely community would advise

Why don’t you just try it and see? If you don’t get on with it you can always stop. I’m on wegovy and the side effects are negligible for me. Weight loss is slow but steady. The food noise stopped instantly and I just eat much less than I used to and don’t snack at all

That’s really true • but can you clarity what you mean by “food noise”…do you mean thinking about what to eat etc?

I am not sure if your history with pancreatitis would mean GLP1s are contraindicated, but the pharmacy you choose will tell you that.

To be honest, I wanted the food related “happiness” to go away because it wasn’t actually happiness it was a toxic relationship! I am so much happier around food and eating out now than I have ever been thanks to Mounjaro. I still enjoy food, I just eat less and enjoy what I do eat.

I enjoy cooking for my family, I eat a small portion or an adapted version of what I serve them, so of course I still eat with them. No big deal. I cook with my children too and often discuss recipes and ideas for recipes to try. My DS is currently into bread making!

People seem so terrified of the side effects of these medications, so out of proportion to the actual levels of side effects that people encounter. I wouldn’t have stayed on Mounjaro for two years plus now if I had side effects or some kind of long term harm.

I'm someone who has a tendency to use sweet food as a treat/something to look forward to. The jabs meant that food no longer helped. That was an adjustment, because for me the jabs took away the dopamine hit I got from certain foods - which made it very easy to stop eating them, but did leave me feeling a little lost at first!

However I really needed the jabs to help me break the habit of managing my emotions with food, and finding an alternative. And I still socialise, but food is a much smaller part of that.

I would very much recommend it but I think being prepared for the change psychologically is helpful.

I cook and eat with my family, what would you not? I have been on WLI for almost 2 years and it was only the first few weeks where I struggled to eat very well.

I’m not sure I can help with all of those questions, but I have some immediate thoughts.

You may find that pharmacies are wary of prescribing to you as you’ve had pancreatitis. It may be worth choosing a provider who offers video consultations first, so you can explain. It may help if you’ve checked with your GP first and can confirm they are happy for you to go ahead.

Food noises: I had trouble grasping this idea before using WLI. For me it means I look at the clock and realise I should have had lunch an hour ago. I just don’t care much about food any more. I can still eat a meal out and enjoy it, and I still appreciate nice food, but I can’t eat large quantities! Day to day, I eat what the rest of the family eat, just a child-size portion.

I’ve had quite a lot of nausea and constipation. The constipation I can manage, taking Movicol if needed. The nausea is more annoying, but it’s intermittent and tends to come in waves, often when I need to eat.

i also worry about long term effects, but I’ve decided they are less of a risk than being obese. I try not to google too much!

And finally, I have succeeded in losing weight. Not huge amounts, and not quickly, but about 12kg in a year. It’s worth it for me.

For me, food noise was constantly thinking about the next meal, a nice bit of cake as a treat, are there any biscuits in the cupboard? If there was a tub of m&s flapjacks at work I’d be dipping in several times as I went past. Now, I have to remind myself it’s time to eat and often only eat twice a day. I don’t crave the sweet stuff - total eye opener for me that food doesn’t need to be all consuming.

I'm on Wegovy with no significant side effects. It helps to understand how these medications work.

When you eat a very large meal, your stomach secretes a hormone that tells your brain to stop eating. That's how you get that "I couldn't possibly eat another bite" feeling. GLP1 drugs mimic that hormone. That's why it causes you to stop thinking about food all of the time and be happy with much smaller portions.

I’m on Wegovy and food is really important to me socially and I didn’t want to lose that. It’s been fine. I eat with the family just smaller portions and I hardly snack. It’s also very weird but I have no real desire to eat the crap that I used to like packets of Monster Munch or chocolate biscuits. I don’t miss that at all.
I still go out to eat though and can eat a reasonable amount - certainly enough to make it enjoyable.
I don’t feel the need to drink as much - but can happily have a glass or two of wine or couple of halves of something. I really don’t feel I’ve lost in my relationship with food - only gained from it being easier.

I’ve been taking Mounjaro since December and I’m almost at my goal meaning I would have lost 50lb, I’ve got 4lb to go.
My relationship with food was terrible. I spent my teens until my early thirties happy with my size (size 8/10) and then during covid lockdown gave up smoking.. It was like swapping one addiction for another (food) and gaining 4 stone.
I was the same as you and continually thought about food, that’s what people mean by food noise.
In my experience Mounjaro takes that away. For me it has made it really really easy to stick to a diet. It hasn’t stopped me enjoying food, it just doesn’t consume my thoughts.
I cook the same dinner for everyone and either adapt mine to fit within my calories or just have a smaller portion.
I meet up with the same friends every month at the same Chinese we always go to, I still enjoy it I just eat smaller portions.
If a pharmacy will prescribe it to you try it op, it’s popular for a reason.. over the moon I did it for myself I feel great.
As for side effects it seems different for everyone, I get a headache the day after jabbing, paracetamol gets rid of it.
When I first started I got a little bit of nausea, that stopped after about 8 weeks.

Fellow pancreatitis person here, also about 6/7 years ago. Many suppliers don’t like it but Adsa let you declare it and try on the understanding that you stop immediately if any issues. Mine was caused by stick gallstone so not caused by medications. Dr was also ok with idea.

Exactly the same as me! I only had it because my pancreas got “knicked” during a procedure to remove a gall stone. Never had problems since. Have you felt okay on the meds?

Thank you to everyone who posted-I feel much more confident now. I think it’s the right thing for me to try

@Schnauzerwoz yes, at the beginning I got a weird back pain and panicked (you remember how painful pancreatitis is don’t you?) the Dr kindly took blood tests but kindly said ‘it’s probably just a bit of back pain’ which it was! Tests were fine and I carried on. Lost 4 stone over about a year and a half. I’ve been stuck for a long while now so trying different tactic. My advice is, if you are losing - even like 1 pound a week is to stay on the low doses as long as possible. Don’t rush up through them.

The injections are weekly with a half life, if you don’t like it you just don’t take the next injection, it’s not a commitment or anything past the pen you buy.

That’s so reassuring to hear. I’m my mind I want to do it for about 6 months to get a boost and change my habits. Is that unrealistic?

As a user of almost 2 years I have to say yes. For me it’s a long term thing. I can fully change habits when on WLI but have never managed to do and maintain doing so without them. I did have 3 times your weight to lose though so it might be different but there are threads and threads of people taking it short term, losing weight and then returning to it as they have started to gain. A side note to this is that anecdotally it isn’t as effective second time around.

I think it's unrealistic to think that 6 months is long enough to break years of habits around food. It might not even be enough time to lose three stone. Once you've lost the weight, the real challenge is maintaining it and that is weirdly harder than losing it in the first place.

I am very conscious of the fact that it is Mounjaro that stops me being hungry, makes me fuller quicker and stops me thinking about food all day. If I stop taking it all those things will change, and I need to be able to manage not to overeat on my own. That's a big challenge after a lifetime of not managing it.

You should try it for a month. Monjaro is a far better drug than Ozempic. I have had both. Lost 1.5 stones in 2 months. Ozempic made me feel constantly sick.

I was keen on wegovy as it comes in pill form. I wanted to avoid injections

The injections are easier than you might think. Its a very very thin, short needle, and the device makes it really straightforward. You just stick it in a bit of fat on your belly . Flick the area to numb it, and you don't even feel it. Push the plunger. Done.
It's so easy, I would rather do the injection once a week than bother with pills once a day.

Thanks everyone. I completed the boots questionnaire and I was surprised to find I was accepted so I’m going to give it a go!

I have about a stone and a half to lose. I’m
menopausal and after a lifetime of fitness and good eating I’m beset with sugar cravings, food noise etc. I’m sick of every Monday trying again. It’s been like this for a few years now. I have IBS D and I guess that’s what’s worrying me. Am I going to have weeks of diarrhoea. I want to do it v slowly - is it possible to just stay on a v small dose and do it slowly to keep the side effects at bay?

You can eat with them but have a smaller portion.

Yes! Avoid whatever your trigger foods are. Avoid really greasy foods. I've been on it for 2 years and about to come off. I only had a bad tummy (in the poo dept) when I ate greasy food