Just about to start mounjaro and I have questions please

[questionsaboutthejabs]

1. priming the pen etc, I need to read the instructions again at length but a quick scan online and it all seemed a bit clicky and complicated. Is it?

2. if eating a higher fat meal eg out with family are you less likely to have side effects if it’s day 6 or 7?

3. if I eat even a small amount of fish and chips will I suffer misery?

4. doors anybody still drink sparkling water? I really enjoy it and bit worried I will suffer misery

5. is there an impact on periods?

6. wtf is collagen and do I really need it?

7. wtf are ‘gummies’

8. best constipation tips?

i would need to halve my body weight to be in healthy BMI and not aiming for that. 20% would make me the lightest I’ve been for 25 years. 10% would take me back 15 years so just that would be nice.

thank you for your attention

1- no, priming is easy. Its just 2 clicks.
2- dont choose the higher fat meal. Choose an option that aligns eith your goal.
3- depends, some prople get side effects but lots of people don't. Again, choose a healthier option whereever you can
4- i think its horrible but i cant see why it would be an issue
5- i have read that it can impact yes. You wont know until you start
6- basically beef or fish bones and cartilage, chemically extracted to make a powder. It only has 8 amino acids so isnt a complete protein. Do you need it? No. Its massively overhyped. However, it has helped my skin so i use the nutrition geeks brand.
7- gummies may as well be sweets. Usually sugar first ingredient. I wouldnt touch them as an adult. Take a proper supplement with water.
8- 2 kiwis daily. Lots of water. 25g fibre minimum per day from various foods. Even more water.

I found the instructions a bit difficult and watched a YouTube video first time I did it and it really helped.

Drink lots of water and eat fibre foods ( weetabix is good)

Im 8 weeks in and have lost a stone. Good luck.

Lloyds pharmacy have a short YouTube video on how to inject Mounjaro. I always find things easier if I’ve seen them rather than just reading the leaflet.

1. Watch a pharmacy video on YouTube and it will be clearer, it’s really straightforward
2. different people react in different ways, proceed carefully and listen to your body
3. Same as #2, if you are worried about fish and chips at this stage are you sure you are ready to start medication and the changes you should be making to your diet
4. same as #2
5. fat stores estrogen so as it is released or as fat decrease it can cause changes
6. not needed
7. not needed
8. stay hydrated, eat fiber, go for a brisk walk, speak to local pharmacy if issue continue and you need something to help

My experience after easily losing over 50lbs and keeping it off.

Priming the pen is straightforward. I only released the tiniest of drops so as not to waste any.

No particular food or drink had any effect on me at all. I just had a reduced appetite and became full quickly. I could eat fatty foods or chips without issue, although fish and chips is not something I’d enjoy anyway. I drank copious quantities of Pepsi max, so fizzy drinks were fine for me. I could also drink alcohol. I never once had nausea or gut/bowel issues.

Collagen is a waste of money. There is absolutely zero evidence it helps skin elasticity or reduces hair loss. I took a good multi vitamin/mineral and tried to eat protein.

Not sure what ‘gummies’ are.

I love sparkling water - have a sodastream - and it's never given me any issues on MJ

Magnesium Citrate is a gentle osmotic laxative and also a good supplement to target in general, at night.

I don't take gummies, or collagen.

I don't actually fancy greasy foods any more but yeah, it's definitely a SE risk if you do.

I lost 6.5 stone in just over a year and have been maintaining for 3 months now.

Sparkling water - I have electrolytes in sparkling water. I would not have it in front of anyone but immediate family. The burps are incredible.

The whole injection process is very easy, first time you will over think it though,

as for food, I’d really not focus on how you can continue your current diet, you want to chose healthy options,and you need to diet to lose weight, the drugs don’t melt the fat off,

You can’t be eating unhealthy food, you have to overhaul your diet. You will put all the weight back on and it’ll have been pointless.

Others have answered most of you questions already but I would just add - I'm veggie so don't eat fish but I do have chip shop chips once a week (on day 7 right before I inject) and have never had any problems. I don't eat anywhere near the portion size I would have had in the past because I just get full/don't fancy any more though. I've also never had particular issues with constipation so it isn't inevitable. I'd see how you react and then look at how to manage it rather than start with treatments straight away. In terms of eating out, you may find that you don't fancy the high fat option any more, but eithet way I would suggest making a healthier choice to support your weight loss, while still making sure you enjoy the meal and don't feel deprived.

Also, it sounds like you have a significant amount of weight to lose so maybe think about joining us on the 10 stone to lose thread - we are a friendly and supportive bunch and more importantly understand what it's like to be starting this journey from that point.

I'm at the end of week 1 and it's really been fine. No side effects at all other than below. Amazed at how it's just stopped the sugar cravings entirely.

On Friday night I drank most of a bottle of wine and I woke up at 6am with a crampy tummy and had a 'runny tummy'. Other than that, no problems.

I've tried tracking my food on my fitness pal just to get an idea of what kind of daily calories I'm eating - not planning on doing this for long but just wanted to get an idea to make sure I'm eating enough/not too much and the right nutrition. I'm a veggie and eat well anyway, just eat too much, plus sweets etc.

Thanks all, very helpful! Obviously I’m planning to eat healthy foods but tbh my diet isn’t too horrific already. It’s portion control that’s non existent. It will take time to relearn emotional connections to some food and if I go out with the family occasionally I want to be able to eat a small amount normally. Onwards :)

I’ve lost over 6 stone in just over 18 months.

As a PP mentioned, watch a video on how to prime your pen, once you’ve done it once you’ll barely think about it the next time 😊

i think the best thing to remember is that everyone reacts differently to the medication, i remained on 2.5mg for over a year and I’m only at 7.5mg now, i have a friend who started a couple of weeks after me who felt zero suppression etc on lower doses so just remember not to compare to others.

i do struggle with indigestion at times, pepto bismol is always in the medicine cabinet!

I, very occasionally, have had a chippy & every time i do I regret it!

i think just make a start and see how you feel on it, you may very well not even crave a chippy!

Make sure you drink plenty water to help avoid constipation, I don’t see why fizzy water wouldn’t be ok…..

I want to be able to eat a small amount normally

What do you mean by "normally"?

Normal eating should be healthy, wholefood options.

If your "eating normally" is unhealthy, greasy, fatty, high sugar foods - then its a mindset and language change that's needed.

These types of meals are possible in the future as occasional treat meals. You'd need to change your mindset away from these being thought of as eating normally.

I’ve lost 5 and a half stone in 11 months.

I eat fish and chips sometimes, but we order one portion and I cut a sliver of fish and take about 10 chips and have some peas and that is plenty. Or I order the grilled sea bass. I find I don’t feel great on fried, fatty food, particularly shortly after I’ve jabbed.

Listen to your body. You’ll figure it out. You’ll probably find your tastes and desires change and with that, your mindset. Good advice from @AmberLime.

Good luck!

@questionsaboutthejabs I would say be open about changing your goals once you’ve been on Mounjaro for a few weeks or months. I have lost half my body weight, just a bit more than that actually. I lost the first 10% pretty quickly. I am now a healthy weight for the first time in about 30 years.

This! You can’t still go out for fish n chips when losing weight OP

Why on earth not? It's all about balance and moderation. I know I am more likely to 'fail' at a diet if I am too restrictive as I will feel deprived. If I want a few chips and a little bit of something fried, why not eat it once in a while? If the rest of your diet is healthy and balanced then there is no reason you can't have something slightly less healthy occasionally. Demonising certain foods is part of what leads to disordered eating.

The pen sounds complicated but is so easy. I found in the early weeks I couldn't really stomach fatty or greasy foods, I just didn't fancy them. If i did eat that sort of stuff i had awful heartburn, that did ease after the first few weeks though. I do eat fish and chips now and again still but I would eat a smaller portion and view it as a treat. We have continued to get a weekly takeaway and i still enjoy it, i just eat less than i used to and am mindful what i eat the rest of that day to allow for it. I take a magnesium tablet every day and that has completely sorted out my constipation, which is something I have suffered with all my life. I keep a pack of Ducolax handy though just in case. One thing i always see on these threads is the importance of protein, this can not be overstated, make sure you eat lots of protein. Lean meat, nuts, high protein yougurts, whatever it's not just important, it's vital. I would recommend using an app to track what you eat, I have nutracheck but there are free ones available. Not only do they count calories but you can set them to add up your protein, carbs, whatever for the day, I find that very helpful. Mounjoro is the best thing that ever happened to me, I am almost 4 stone down and I feel amazing. Poorer, but amazing. Good luck.

doors anybody still drink sparkling water? I really enjoy it and bit worried I will suffer misery

Another sodastream owner here - fizzing my water and adding a slice of frozen lemon (I slice loads and freeze in bulk) is what makes sure I keep hydrated.

See it’s the you can’t eat that attitude that has contributed to my weight over the last thirty years. Who wants to live like that? Completely agree with @RenegadeKeeblerElfDemonising food fuels guilt. It’s really interesting that the response from some to the questions I asked is to lean in to what I can only describe as telling me off. I am more motivated to lose weight today than ever before so will just see how it goes.
Good news - I survived my first jab. Though after sitting on the bathroom floor for a tense 20 mins or so reading the instructions my jabbed leg instantly developed pins and needles when I stood up! Briefly thought asaaargh I’ve ruptured my spleen, developed compartment syndrome and leprosy with a side order of malaria until common sense returned along with the circulation 😀

The food thing is interesting. On one hand it's just a fact that you can't keep eating the stuff you did before and lose weight. On the other hand it's really important we still enjoy food.
What I've found is a change in appetite and I've embraced that. I loved chocolate and used to eat plenty of it. I've had hardly any in the (almost) 6 months I've been on the jabs. I can take a little square off a bar, savour it and not need any more.
I wouldn't order fish and chips now because I already feel a bit full just thinking about it! If fish and chips were the only option I would probably just order fish and peas and scoop out the white fish but leave the batter. This isn't because I'm following some restrictions, it's because I don't have space in my appetite to eat all that.

I find I am enjoying food more now. I'm not snaffling loads in an attempt to fill myself up (I even used to pick the largest piece of bread at communion in church!) so instead I am deliberately choosing things I know I will enjoy. Somehow some of the things I craved before have fallen off that list.

Yes, be careful with fatty foods like fish and chips. I’ve eaten them in small portions ok but only about 5 days after jabbing. I wouldn’t eat them immediately before or within a couple of days of jabbing as anything fatty or carb heavy makes me feel really ill if it’s around jab day when the concentration in my system is higher.

All this is so so true! I can eat whatever I want, I just don't want much of the things that I used to binge/gain weight on. I'm quite satisfied with just a small taste now. I also find that as I cant eat much volume I have to make sure that what I do eat has enough calories and nutrients - I probably eat less salad now as I know it will fill me up initially but mean that I will struggle to eat enough calories/protein across the day.

Yes, I also thought if I could lose 2 stones, I’d be well chuffed, but I’ve lost 4.5 stones so far and would like to lose another stone to take me into the middle of a healthy bmi.

Honestly, you’ll be amazed at your progress if you stick to smaller portions and prioritise protein and fibre. I don’t actually bother calorie counting as I know I don’t eat huge portions or junk food these days.

The odd fish & chips meal is fine but you probably won’t want to finish your plate even though in the past you’d have savoured every mouthful. That’s what I discovered so I’d rather order a light starter or a salad as I know there will be less food wastage. 😂