August 2026 starters

[chocolatecoveredpretzels]

Hello everyone, I'm due to start on MJ in the next few days, and I'm feeling nervous!

I've been above size 20 since I was about 14/15 years old. The highest weight I've ever logged was 134kg, about 14 years ago. I'm currently 117kg. I also have issues with my heart caused by Cushing's, type 2 diabetes and PMOS.

In the past few years, I'm yo-yo'd between 125kg and 110kg three times. I know how to lose weight and can do it... but as soon as work gets busy or stressful, I fail and give up. I also have an issue with binge and secret eating.

I went for my annual diabetic review yesterday and the nurse basically used the whole time telling me about going on MJ, because my BMI is over 40 (well, as of yesterday's weigh in, I'm 39. something) and because of my other health conditions. I didn't have to fight for it, or request it.. they're just giving it to me.

Now I'm doing as much reading/ video watching as I can to clue myself up.

On my on-track days, I eat:

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with some flavouring- chilli flakes or marmite or 15g cheddar.

Lunch: Chicken thigh fillet in some kind of seasoning mix, salad made of lettuce, pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, sugarsnaps, carrot. Sometimes 3 cream crackers and a laughing cow triangle as well.

Dinner: Varies- roast chicken dinner/ 5% fat mince spaghetti bolognese with wholewheat pasta/ beef burger without the bun with cheese, salad on half the plate, usually without chips, noodles with chicken and stirfry veg.

Snacks: Usually a portion of berries/ a nectarine/ cherries/ 25g peanuts at 4pm.

How does that sound?

I have a treadmill and run/walk at 6.5/6km/hr pace for 30 mins three times a week. The nurse said I should do some weights for my arms too.

Any recommendations for which day I should inject?

Morning, all. 4 weeks since my first jab and I am down 10lb with minimal side effects. I call that a win! Just over 2 stone to go to reach my loose target, although as already said I will be guided more by health markers and how my body feels and functions than by the number on the scale. And the rate of loss is slowing down

Loose skin…. Yes. I’ve been telling myself I haven’t really got any from my previous massive weight loss, but had a realisation recently. I have been thinking that loose skin means just the skin, whereas mine still has lots of fat inside, so it didn’t count. But what I’m realising is that if my skin had tightened up completely along the way then it would be taut over my fat deposits, and it isn’t. No loose skin would look like….. someone wearing a thick wet suit, where the surface perfectly contours to the underlying body shape. Whereas I look more like I’m wearing a padded puffa jacket or duvet! But this body can run and jump and feels strong and healthy.

My 2nd pen, 5mg, is due to be delivered today. I have also ordered some insulin syringes which will arrive tomorrow, which I’m going to use to get the 5th dose out of my first pen. If I can get a little more than 0.6ml then I will, so it would be a slightly higher dose than 2.5. Then next week I’ll take a view on what dose to take depending how the next week feels in terms of suppression and eating, and weight loss next week.

Weigh in yesterday at the end of week 3 and only lost a pound which of course is fine but I couldn’t help but feel a bit bit disappointed as I didn’t do anything really different. Hopefully it’s just a bit of lag and there’s another pound in the post.

so did jab 4 of 1st 2.5 pen last night and there is definitely another dose in there (and they sent another needle) so I’ll order a 5mg pen, do my bonus dose next Thurs then start on the 5mg the following week when I’m back from holiday.

And I REALLY need to get more exercise. I’m almost completely sedentary at the moment!

@TinDogTavern are you familiar with the idea of exercise snacks? Basically very brief stints of exercise, no more than a couple of minutes, done repeatedly throughout the day.

It could be something like star jumps or running up and down stairs, but I think for those of us taking WLI, strength exercises are ideal for this. Do a wall sit while the kettle boils, press-ups against the kitchen counter waiting for the tea to brew, squats or sit-to-stands between the washing machine bleeping that it’s finished and actually unlocking the door! And of course, stand on one leg while brushing your teeth - although these days I tend to do calf raises instead.

Exercise snacks sounds like what my 10yo does. She's an excellent swimmer, and her coach encouraged her to do "land training" (10 press-ups, 10 sit-ups, and 10 squat jumps) whenever she feels like it. It's definitely made a difference to her butterfly stroke! I should follow her example, although I can't manage proper press-ups...

Still, I did PE with Joe Wicks before work this morning so that'll do 🙂

The slow down of loss is annoying. For having energy for life reasons, I can't sustain that level of calorie deficit for full year - I will have to up my minimum calories to get bit of a boost of energy soon. This inevitably will mean further slow down - which is annoying but I have a lot to lose still so I need to accept it is going to take time and I need to pace myself.

I do Les Mills Heavy - without using heavy weights. That means 4 strength exercises a day mainly, only about 10/12 minutes most days. They are very basic lifts, slow and a lot of focus on good form - I recommend them highly.

I'll look those up! I've got some (light!) dumbbells somewhere

This is fab advice thank you. There’s a This Girl Can campaign on at the moment that I heard on the radio that’s trying to encourage women to do ten minute bursts. I’ll have a look at that as well.

I’ve got some weights somewhere from exercising in the bloody living room during Covid.

I’ve told myself I’ll treat myself next month to some nice new kettlebells in the next couple of weights up. The ones we have are probably a bit light but I also find them annoyingly bulky.

@MiaN I’m just going to share 2 snippets of information with you, in case fasting is something you would consider. I won’t bang on about it, promise.

1. The experience of regular fasters is that, once they have got through the initial adaptation phase, energy levels during a fast are as good as normal, even better. Many people find they do their best lifting in the fasted state, and you can also do extended moderate cardio, such as a full day walk, totally fasted. The reason being that once the body’s fat utilisation system gets used to being used, you can tap into it until you run out of body fat. The only exception to this is if you are working at a level which exceeds the maximum rate of fat release from your cells, and doing so for long enough that your glycogen reserves will be depleted. Elite athletes would do that, but your typical recreational exerciser will not. The lack of energy they may perceive when working out is because they haven’t gone through the adaptation process. The way to adapt is to eat keto, or fast, or both.

2. Chronic calorie restriction leads to metabolic slowdown beyond what would be expected purely as the result of lower body weight. Fasting does not. So if you eat 1,429 calories each and every day, your RMR will slow down more than if you eat 2,000 calories on 5 days and nothing on the other 2 days. Both add up to 10 000 calories per week, but they do different things to your hormones and metabolism

Weigh in day,

SW 12st 12
CW 12st 7 (5 lbs in 2 weeks)
GW 11 st

No side effects that I have noted and very happy with loss so far. Appetite reduction even on 2.5 seems ok, went to a garden centre and only had half of a tuna panini.

I’m coming up towards day 6 of my first 5mg dose. I’ve really struggled to eat more than 1600 calories each day, despite burning an estimated 2600-3000 each day. The suppression is working though I hope I get a bit more used to it than I’ve felt this week.

No terrible side effects except one bout of diarrhoea thankfully in the evening and not at work. I experienced the sulphur burps on the second day! I’m 2kg down from last Sunday.

Right now, I’m hovering half a kilo off the lowest weight I’ve reached on my previous (unmedicated) weight losses. Unlike the other times, I feel strong and determined, instead of a bit hopeless and drained.

@PuzzledObserver I LOVE that exercise snack concept! When I’m at work, I naturally move a lot. At weekends, I need to actually exercise intentionally. That seems like a great way to make it fit around our lives.

3000 calories burned in a day! That’s wild. How do you find the time? That’s the equivalent of running 20+ miles.

@TinDogTavern I’m 110kgs and on my feet at work from 7am until 6pm every day! I know the Apple Watch calorie estimates are not hugely accurate, so I take it with a pinch of salt. However, tracking back this week, it says over 3000 every work day, 2500 at the weekend.

@TinDogTavern don’t underestimate the energy cost of moving a large body around. When I was at my biggest (22 stone) in my mid forties, even being only lightly active my estimated expenditure was close to 2,900 per day.

I asked Google to give me estimated TDEE’s for me at my current age and activity level, but at different weights. I was looking for some idea of whether, once I reach goal, I will be able to eat a bit more than I am at the moment and keep the weight off. Ideally without the suppression from Mounjaro.

These were weights were chosen because

22 stone - all time highest
18st 10lb - January 2024
13st 10lb - starting Mounjaro
13stone - current weight
11stone - target

Borrowing my bfs 7.5mg pen as my second 2.5mg one hasn't arrived yet. Am I right in thinking it's 20 clicks to get 2.5 from a 7.5 pen?

Yes, I got 20 clicks too with that site https://monj.co.uk/mounjaro-click-calculator/.

I take it this is a golden dose I can get out normally ok?

This one is better, thanks

@CatMonj some people can take it out by twisting the pen, others - like me use a syringe. I did it with my first pen and will do it again next week with my second pen. There are videos on youtube explaining it well, shall I post one?

From those twisting the pen, some use towels, some teeth, some are strong and just use their hands. Do you have extra pen needles?

Yes, I have plenty of needles, but it won't go to 20 clicks for me so think I'll have to go to chemist and get some syringes and extract that way?

A pist of the video or a link would be really helpful, thanks

Some of you mentioned on here a while ago about taking measurements as well as weighing yourselves. I’ve finally actually done it. I’m focussing on waist as I’ve always had bigger bust and thighs even at much lower weights but the creeping weight round the middle is a new one since I had my daughter a few years ago (not that new I guess). I read somewhere the a healthy range is for your waist to be somewhere between 0.4 and 0.5 of your height. Which is good news as mine is 85cm so only about 4cm off the top end of that healthy range!

Jab day today but I’m going to go out on a run first to help my daughter build her confidence on her bike.

Hope everyone has an exciting weekend planned.

No problem, this one helped me the most.

I notice the guy in the video is using another swab to clean his skin before injecting. Haven’t seen that in any instructions….. does anyone do that?

I am at that annoying stage where I am really d.e.s.p.e.r.a.t.e to get to the next milestone. I have been a tad under 13 stone more days than not since first “visiting” on 1st September. But the trend line is creeping down so slowly, and currently sits at 13st 0.7lb. Grr….. want to get under 13 stone!

I know I shouldn’t obsess about the scale, but…. well…. you know.

Trying to focus more on the health markers. My visceral fat is currently 10, AI suggests 7 or less would be a good goal. And my body fat is 38%. AI suggests an initial goal of 35%, eventually under 30%. And has advised me that my current muscle mass is EXCEPTIONAL but to track it to make sure I’m not losing that. Basically, keep up the strength training, always working at a level which is demanding.