August 2026 starters (Thread 2!)

[chocolatecoveredpretzels]

Hi everyone and thanks for the bestowed honour of starting the new thread, Puzzled!

It’s so lovely to have all of you along for the ride on here. Thanks for keeping me company! I love reading how things are going for you and being able to ask questions or share things.

Yesterday, I tried on a fleece top I bought last year. It fit me so snugly last year, I looked like a burst sausage in its casing. Now it’s actually loose. My rings are starting to feel a bit loose too- I wear my mum’s engagement and eternity rings and on the cold mornings, they’re starting to slip down my fingers.

I’m down 1.9kg this week and, although I’m still feeling hungry, it’s not an all-consuming hunger that leads to binging. I’ve actually needed to add more food as what I’ve eaten today and yesterday ended up being 1300 calories and 1100 calories. Given that my watch is still estimating approx 3000 calories burned on a typical day at school, I know I need at least 1600 to have enough oomph. Is anyone else finding the same?

I’ll link this thread in the old one so everyone can find their way here.

@MiaN your posts are a perfect illustration of how complex, but also how varied, our experiences with weight and eating are. For most of us, our weight is deeply connected to our emotions, motivation, self-image etc. And the path is totally individual, as in: when weight became an issue, what gave rise to it, what we’ve tried to do about it etc, and what finally works for us in the end.

Those people who try to reduce it to just eat less and move more absolutely do my head in. That takes no account of the differences between us genetically, metabolically, emotionally, in terms of life experience, environment, or any of the 101 other things which feed into eating and weight.

Jab day for me tomorrow, and it is looking very much I basically haven’t lost any weight for 3 weeks now, and barely 3lb in the past month. I think I’m going to go up to 5mg - or perhaps just a few clicks short of that, so that my current pen will give me 3 more doses. And then I’ll be back on track taking the “right” dose.

You're quite right, @MiaN, we have to look after ourselves 🫂

Small real-life win this evening: we've been out to our local bonfire night fireworks display, and I wore my Big Coat over the top of a big jumper and was perfectly comfortable. No feeling uncomfortably squeezed, no using the poppers instead of the zip to gain a bit more freedom. Just cosy warm standing in a field enjoying myself 😊

@chocolatecoveredpretzels wow, that's an amazing weekly loss - 5.7lbs! Well done. Glad the SEs calmed down. Hopefully my experience won't be too horrendous.

@chocolatecoveredpretzels wow, that's an amazing weekly loss - 5.7lbs! Well done. Glad the SEs calmed down. Hopefully my experience won't be too horrendous.

@chocolatecoveredpretzels wow, that's an amazing weekly loss - 5.7lbs! Well done. Glad the SEs calmed down. Hopefully my experience won't be too horrendous.

Sorry for the triple post- WiFi problems

this is such a kind and supportive message, thank you!

After a solid 15 days going between 84 and 85 kg daily, I finally dropped to 82.9 kg this morning. I usually only log my weight on Wednesdays ( jab day), but I had to track this one! This is my first real slowdown since starting 12.5 weeks ago that isn't tied to my food intake—though I did lose weight a little too quickly right before this.
Because I track my calories, I know I've maintained a steady deficit that should be about 1% body weight loss per week. Pushing for heavier suppression and eating even fewer calories right now would likely tank my energy levels, and after dealing with a couple of days of sulfur burps this week. I'm getting pretty close to moving up to the 5 mg dose. I’m hoping to hold off on increasing until Christmas week, but it’s a week-by-week decision. My guiding questions currently: am I maintaining at least a 1% deficit? How is my hunger? Am I hitting my protein and fiber? If I'm struggling with the deficit and feeling hungry all the time despite eating enough fiber, I'll move up.
On a brighter note, I felt great last night going out to hear Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Even though I felt a bit out of fashion in my older clothes, they fit great. I decided to treat myself to a steak dinner before heading out and skipped the drinks. I wanted the weight loss more than the alcohol this time around, and I'm feeling much better for it today.
I'm honestly open to staying on the medication long-term, but given the high cost in Ireland I prefer to going to or staying on the highest doses if possible. We actually drive up to Northern Ireland to fill my prescription and save at least €140 per pen! Yes, I paid 290e per pen in NE and costs 430+ here. That's for 7.5. If I can manage to not go higher then that, or if I have to go higher if it's only for short time will make it more sustainable financially.

@WombatCowgirlinteresting you mentioned the ankles - I hadn’t thought about the fact mine are no longer puffy. I was about 2.5 stone over my target, high blood pressure and borderline high cholesterol, now 5 lbs over target and BP/cholesterol now fine.
i have those smart type scales, need to up muscle a bit if they are accurate so more weight based exercise (I’ve been shifting boxes around all week for daughter’s move does t that count!) but the other measures look good.
Clothes are fitting well (jeans too big but next size down too small!), and I’m tucking in shirts for first time in years. I actually don’t mind seeing myself in mirrors or photos now.

SW 12 st 12
CW 11 st 5 (week 10, 1 st 7 lb lost)
GW 11 st

Jab day for me. I lost a measly 0.1lb this week after zero last week and 0.4lb the week before that. I have gone up to almost but not quite 5mg, 55 clicks, as I think that should give me two more doses the same from this pen. I’ll then do 5 from the next pen, which is due to arrive this week. And depending how it goes, I may order 7.5mg next time, although I wouldn’t go up to that straight away, I’d spread it out a bit longer to keep the cost down a bit.

Also thinking that I will move to a cheaper supplier in the New Year! On Curely subscription and applying my Curely Credits each time, I pay £163.24 for 5mg and a 7.5mg would be £214.20. You could take 5mg from that and make it last 6 doses, which would be the equivalent of paying £141.40 for a 5mg.

Who are you using and what are you paying for 5mg or 7.5mg?

@PuzzledObserver I went up to 7.5 for my 3rd pen - I am half way through. I am a re-starter (stopped before getting down to healthy BMI or 'goal' when the pricing and availability went haywire a year or so ago). Slower losses this time - but working hard on getting all of my other ducks in a row...building muscle, establishing good exercise habits, and locking in good, sustainable eating...

Re pricing
I have been with IQ doctor since restarting as they were my prescriber last time and they price matched. They have now switched to LilyDirect shipping and although they don't price match any more, their pricing is now aligned to MMP.

I have always checked monj.co.uk....BUT it looks like they are struggling a little now that many are switching to LilyDirect shipping as they don't quite have the IQ pricing showing accurately.

I have just paid £390 incl. postage for x1 10mg and x1 12.5mg pens purchased as a bundle (without subscription). I ordered up so that achieved the best price per dose rate and it also enables me to either increase the dose or stay on around 7.5 counting clicks - I have no side effects and am currently losing around 0.5kg per week.

I am happy with the loss rate as I subscribe to the steady is sustainable post MJ thinking. GLP's have started to create an environment where steady, meaningful, progress is seen as disappointing and I am trying hard not to fall in to that way of thought. I also worry slightly that expectation generally around the speed of weight loss achievable is sightly skewed by so many dramatic transformations in the media. I lost slightly faster the first time around, but I also had periods of no or little loss. Yes it would be more rewarding to see the scale dropping more quickly....but..... there is a physical element to my work, and I exercise though the week so I do need to fuel well....I also want to be able to come off MJ in about x4 pens time, so I need to be eating in away that I can carry on with when I stop. At the start I was 94kg @ 162cm I am now...fingers crossed for next weigh!!!....about to nudge under 70kg - 65kg would put me just in to the healthy BMI range.

But for me this is not just about numbers. I am mid 50's and this is about creating a healthy me that is sustainable for the future.

Sadly, I think that the high(er) pricing doesn't help with the shifting of thinking toward wanting faster losses....the £ per kg factor

I paying Voy 190 pounds for 5mg. That includes 10 pounds off for using the app to log. I chose them because they use royal mail so they'll leave the parcel in my garage as I'll definitely be out! They've been excellent so far.

Have you read Fat is a Feminist Issue @PuzzledObserver it chimes very much with what you are saying about the diversity of reasons women become overweight, emotionally speaking: to have a presence, to show their anger or distress, to punish or comfort themselves - and then how the meaning of your fat can change in different contexts, making you feel safe, or sexual, or not sexual, or womanly, or formidable, or disgraced....it's an interesting read from the 70s!

For those of us, including me, who seem to lose weight in plateau and whoosh pattern. I'm sure I've read about fat cells temporarily refilling with water before they empty. I'm imagining bubble wrap! Then the cells finally empty in a whoosh, so we have to keep plodding on knowing things are shifting inside. I also remember reading ( you can tell I'm not a science person) that mounjaro deals with any inflammation first, like emptying the dishwasher being the first invisible step in tidying the kitchen.

@HappyNewt thanks for that - iQDoctor looks pretty good, I may switch to them for my next pen. It would need to be the subscription model to get the good price, though. I’m OK with that - I am expecting to be on MJ for quite a long while. I hope that, once I have reached a point I am happy to call maintenance, that I will be able to reduce the dose, and ideally stop altogether. But I expect that to be a very gradual, and therefore long, process.

And I hear you about the slow and steady loss. Mine was that - after the first couple of weeks of 3+ pounds (likely a lot of water weight), I was losing between 1-1.5 pounds per week. I would be perfectly happy if that continued. But the last 3 weeks, it hasn’t.

@WombatCowgirl no, I’ve never read FIAFI, though I’m aware of it. Maybe another to add to my very long list of books I must get round to reading.

I hope I can put the emotions I experienced over the weekend to good use. One lesson I want to take from this is that I need to understand what it will take to maintain a weight I’m happy with. That means building habits I can sustain: my boring but reliable daily walk, keeping protein prepped, having fruit and vegetables ready, and being more consistent with strength training.

Even on days when I don't have the time or energy for a full workout, I can always manage three sets of bodyweight squats, or glute bridges, calf raises or wall push-ups. Something is better then nothing. I need to establish some solid minimums that I stick to daily, so I don't end up repeating old patterns.

I feel good, although I'm tired as it's day one of my period. Still, I'll get myself ready and out the door for my walk by 6 am.

I am probably due a whoosh and it will start having a pattern linked to my period. 2 whoosh weeks two very slow or no loss weeks.

I like the lack of food noise a lot, I may feel that being on low dose long term is good for me. If it is effective. Any dose over 5 is too expensive in Ireland to sustain long term and I dont want to have to travel for hours to get the medication for years. Hopefully the prices reduce in time.

I was laughing to myself in the supermarket over the weekend when I spotted the mini jam advent calendar. I was trying to lose weight last year and still somehow ended up buying a jam advent calendar. It was hugely hyped, and I didn't want to miss out. My desire to eat healthily simply wasn't strong enough to quiet the food noise. And the funniest part? I don't even particularly love jam!

I don't want that fight back. I lost that battle every time, and it left me feeling defeated, exhausted and drained even in days I did win. If my brain needs medication to restore some peace and quiet around food, then so be it. As much as having weight I am happy with it important, I want that peace with me more.

Week 13 for me today - sticking with 3.75mg

Finally dropped down today after 3 weeks stuck at the same weight:

Current Weight
92.4 kg/ 14 st 7.7 lbs/ 203.7 lbs

Last Week's Weight
93.6 kg/ 14 st 10.4 lbs/206.4 lbs

7-Day Change
-1.2 kg

Mounjaro Starting Weight
104.0 kg/ 16 st 5.3 lbs/229.3 lbs

Loss on Mounjaro
-11.6 kg (-11.2%) -1 st 11.6 lbs -25.6 lbs

Onwards and upwards. Desperate now to get below 90kg/ 200lbs but it's my daughters 9th birthday this week so there will be lots of cake and celebrations so let's see.

I'm never going to be able to count calories, and haven't denied myself anything consciously since I started MJ. I have obviously naturally fancied less/ eaten less and am trying to lean into that intuition rather than being rigid with foods I'm allowed or not as someone who's battled disordered eating for a long time.

You are doing great! That's great loss.
Of course, we are all different, and we each need to figure out what works for us and what we actually need.

I haven't really eaten junk food since I started, and I genuinely feel free. I don't feel that I'm denying myself anything, and my cravings have practically disappeared. The one temptation that still occasionally gets me is seeing a cold Coke Zero in the fridge!

Before 2020, I rarely ate junk food, and this way of eating feels much more like the old me. It's familiar, comfortable and makes me happier.

This week, I bought fillet steak, organic salmon, expensive mangoes and local apples. I feel like I'm treating myself to amazing food that I genuinely enjoy, but that also nourishes me, fuels my body and makes me feel good afterwards. I love the food I eat.

For me, buying and eating those tiny jams I didn't even particularly love was actually taking me away from feeling in harmony with my desire to eat healthily. I don't want to feel like I'm constantly fighting myself or missing out. I want to enjoy food and feel that my choices are aligned with what I genuinely want.

I don't see it as I am not allowed - is the food good enough for me. Some food is just not. But I do for example view fresh bread occasionally as great joy, I will eat some pasta, pizza, sushi, ethnic gods etc. All the fruit I want. Its so personal.

😁 eating some ethnic gods seems quite a niche diet @MiaN 😁

Haha flipping autocorrect got me again. That's funny

@MiaN @WombatCowgirl that autocorrect is going to give me the strength to get through Tuesday! 😆

Yeah.
First rule Have to be ethnic.
Second rule Gods.
Third rule - if I can't get that, no eating. That's how I lose weight 😂

Delicious gods 😂😋 That's amazing 😂

It's Tuesday weigh-in day for me, and I'm going to follow @Mamatriesmounjaro 's excellent example and share aaaaalll the numbers:

Current Weight
84.6 kg / 13 stone, 4 lb and 8.2 oz / 186.51 lb / 33.5 BMI

Last Week's Weight
86.0 kg / 13 stone, 7 lb and 9.6 oz / 189.6 lb

7-Day Change
-1.4 kg / 3.1 lb

Mounjaro Starting Weight
97.8 kg / 15 stone, 5 lb and 9.8 oz / 215.6 lb / 38.7 BMI

Loss on Mounjaro
-13.2 kg / 2 stone, 1 lb and 1.6 oz / 29.1 lb

I'm feeling like I can properly tell that there's been a big change now - my pyjamas are all loose, and my belly is much reduced. I should probably get the tape measure out and see what the change there is. I've had to tighten my watch strap by a hole as it was spinning around my wrist, and my wedding ring is much more able to move than it was before too. I'm going to do jab #4 at 7.5mg, and stick with that dose for the next month too, it's definitely the dosage where I've felt it making a difference, and don't feel any need to go up.

I love seeing everyone's numbers, especially as we're not all weighing in on the same day - I just feel so proud of all of us every time. Well done everyone!

we are kind of twinning on starting and current weight @Anseranser

I heard someone before telling me when they were counting calories, they end up going to McDonalds vs salad bar as the salad didn't have calorie count. I would just estimate without stressing at all if it's accurate and have a nice salad, but it does drive some people mad. It wouldn't cross my mind to choose McDonalds. My husband is losing weight without meds this year, slow but steady and he just cut portions some and doesn't eat much sugary deserts and it's working well for him. He would have some and just move on after. I find it easier to skip. I guess we are all trying to figure out what works for us.

I'm going to weigh myself tomorrow and again on Thursday this week, as I want to track my total loss over the first three months.

I did a dance workout tonight, and it's amazing how much easier dancing is with 14 kg less weight to carry! I'm sticking to 50 clicks tomorrow (just over 4). I do the full dose to 1 and basically count back 10 clicks. This week for some reason felt easier then last

W13 check in and look ahead
-0.7 kg loss this week! I’ll have my official 3-month weigh-in tomorrow, but over the 13 weeks I’m sitting at around 13.5 kg down, which is nearly 30 lbs. I’m absolutely delighted with that result!

I’d like to think of tomorrow as the start of Phase 2. For the next three months, I want to shift my focus slightly towards looking after my energy, being consistent with exercise and continuing to improve my eating habits. In particular, I want to focus on eating properly at mealtimes and reducing the snacking between lunch and dinner. I’ll keep working on my fibre and protein goals and staying away from junk food.

Tomorrow will be my official weigh-in. To be honest, I weighed less on Sunday, but I said I would use Wednesday as my weekly weigh-in day, so I’m going to stick with that. I think I’m owed a little bit of a check in the post.

I’m really happy with the results so far and excited to see what the next three months bring.

I’m sticking with 4.17, which is around 50 clicks on my 5 mg pen. I’m going to try to make this work until Christmas week. I have roughly half a dose left in my current pen and one more 5 mg pen, so it would be great to get the full five weeks out of what I have.

Thank you all so much for the support over the last three months. I hope you’re all feeling just as happy with your own progress and results. ❤️

It’s pretty crazy to think that just a few weeks ago I was hoping to get below 200, and now I’m already approaching 180! Even if I don’t lose another 30 lbs over the next three months, losing 20 lbs would bring me to 160, just one pound above the healthy BMI range. By Valentine’s Day, I could potentially be in the healthy BMI range!

I love having that goal to work towards, and I know it will keep me motivated. I can’t remember whether they call the first three months or the second three months the golden period, but I think I’m going to choose to believe that the best is yet to come!