It’s only day 2 and I could eat my own arm I’m so hungry.

[ThewrathofBethDutton]

I’m 5 fucking stone overweight.

Huge, uncomfortable, feel disgusting, look disgusting, it’s make or break now.

Ive made up my mind.

im almost through the menopause, the 5 stone has attached itself throughout perimeno over the last 4-5 years.

I have tried I have failed multiple times. I can starve, weight watchers, slimming world, MFP, fasting, vegan, vegetarian, meal plan, walk more, move more… I’ve done them all, everyone of them over the last 30 years. I’m still huge.

Peri meno has proven impossible, utterly utterly impossible.
I could drop a stone doing any of the above over 4-5 months before hormones fucked off. Now with very careful changes, the weight WILL NOT BUDGE at all no matter what I do. Not even one LB.

MFP is a great little APP, I get on with it well because I like the nutritional information that it gives.
I like to track my nutritional intake, cholesterol etc, calories & fat secondary. I have 1200 cals a day,

I went to bed last night starving, I’m hungry now, feel like shit.

Pffftt and GAHHHHHH! I hate being so overweight and overwhelmed with the mammoth challenge ahead of me every single day.

What can I do??????

If you feel hungry on a fasting diet drink bisto, honestly - I am not lying it’s so satisfying, and if that’s not enough do an aunt Bessie frozen pudding, a filling snack for less than 100 calories. Or lunch in a 500 calorie day

Also, no evidence of long term damage. GLP-1s have been around for a fair while and there's no evidence that the earlier ones have any serious long term side effects. Also nothing reported from the studies on Mounjaro so far. Clinical trials are ongoing.

Keep going. Its always tough at first. Slow and steady is the way to go. There is a lot of good advice on the thread. Please ignore the weight loss jab recommendations. They are not a permanent fix.

If it's your activity levels and menopause that have changed then you need to somehow get those steps back up again. By all means eat a bit less too, but your body needs activity and gentle / brisk cardio as you get older.

*@soupfiend
*
The drugs (specific brand names and slight tinkers with formulations) have been around for decades. My OH has type 2 diabetes and hsa been on them, one name or another, for around 18 years

You are correct. They haven't been marketed at these dosages or as weight loss drugs but they've been used for decades.

My friend is a close colleague of one of the scientists mentioned in the latter part of this article.

theconversation.com/the-rise-of-ozempic-how-surprise-discoveries-and-lizard-venom-led-to-a-new-class-of-weight-loss-drugs-219721

Losing weight is not about not eating. It’s not the 1990s.
You’re a human being you’ve got to eat. I can understand a teenager having that logic (Oh I don’t eat for a few months or at the very least eat like a rabbit I’ll have the perfect figure and all my dreams and wishes will come true but I’m assuming you’re a fully fledged mature women. I don’t know about your own arm you’ll be eating a horse with a scabby head
If you’re hungry it’s not going to work. I don’t want to state the obvious but have you tried slimming world, even if you don’t want to join an actual class there’s nothing stopping you from following it on line.

Your calories sound too low. You will fail because you’ll be hungry and probably binge on something. I’d up to at least 1800 and see how you go with this. Good luck!

I'm not clear how your diet can be 99% plants but include 2 slices of bread every day. A slice of bread is about 80 calories. So if 1% of your diet is 160 calories, you are eating 16 000 calories a day (15 840 calories of plants).

Of course, I know that's not at all what you meant, but it makes me curious about what you are eating, when you are eating etc. (For what it's worth, I would not try to convince you to count calories or take drugs).

I'd also recommend Mounjaro!

Losing weight during perimenopause it hard but it can be done. You need to build muscle to burn fat. Also consider HRT as that, if prescribed properly, will harmonise your hormones and make weight loss easier.

Given the weight you've put on, you must be overweight and have a BMI which will mean you're eligible for a weight loss jab. Personally, I'd opt for that as that's the only thing that's guaranteed to work.

1,200 calories is far too low if you’re really that overweight and wanting to lose weight sensibly. There’s no way MFP has set you that target if you’ve put sensible parameters in.
You’ve tried all sorts of fads and what not, eg Slimming World is specifically designed for you to fail so you lose some, put it back on and go back to give them more money. Have you tried just eating a “normal” diet but just control your portions? Then you can do basic things and swap say crisps with lunch for an apple and still have treats you can enjoy. All these weight loss things do is demonise types of food and destroy your relationship with food at the same time. Their purpose is to hook you in and keep you coming back to take your money.
There’s a guy on Instagram who breaks things down to a good basic level called mulligainzfitness I think it is. As long as you don’t mind a lot of fruity language.

@claudiaswinklemen the OP said "plant based". Bread can be wholly plant based, as long as it doesn't include any dairy/eggs etc.

Its not about calories, its the type of food you are eating. High sugar, high carb foods plus upfs will all cause blood sugar spikes and will ultimately make you think you are hungry again quicker.
Eat as many fruits and veg and nuts as you want, add in proteins and natural oils to make you full like peanut butter, olive oil, eggs also avocado etc. Add seeds and mixed beans to meals. These are all high calorie but healthy calories and will keep you full. And definitely dont eat ‘fat free’ or foods with artificial sweeteners in and these will only lead to weight gain in the long run.

Referring to the MJ- after being in your situation for the last 7 years following an accident that massively reduced my mobility I became 5 stone overweight as I headed into menopause. Did go from having a busy on my feet all day job to one more office based and less active. Was offered the gastric surgery but I didn’t want to live with malnutrition taking supplements and not ever being able to have certain things in my diet etc. Eventually decided to try the MJ. I would say that no matter what side effects there are they are not going to trump the cardiac disease that I had started to experience with the obesity.
I started 6 months ago and have lost 2 stone. Very slow progress. But the difference in my mobility has been noticeable and allows me to gradually increase my activity. My diabetes has almost reached normal levels which is even more important. My cardiologist can’t believe that my cholesterol which has never responded to statins is improving. It has been a lifesaver for me and as I plan to be on it for a further 6 months at least until I get to my goal weight. It’s not without risk but on balance my quality of life even early in the process has been so much improved that I feel for me it’s worth it. Still developing good eating habits and relationships with food which every yo-yo diet has failed to do has been crucial. The benefit outweighs the risk for me, give it serious consideration to see if it might for you too. Best of luck.

You sound like a very good candidate for Mounjaro OP.

Have you tried intermittent fasting? Start with no food after your evening meal until breakfast. Stretch to 16:8 and beyond.I’m post meno and have lost a stone more or less by doing 18:6( just skip breakfast) and eat healthily but don’t calorie count in my eating window- 12pm-6pm.
IF also has many benefits for health including IBS and diabetes.

Try to forget about calories and think instead about 3 healthy meals and no snacks. I am slim and genuinely have no idea how many calories I eat as number crunching is stressful and not sustainable but I know I fuel my body with good food and that's what matters. You are more likely to feel full for longer if you eat healthily. Junk food is designed to be addictive and make you want more. Here is a typical day for me:

Breakfast hot water and lemon
Raw spinach and banana protein shake
Peanut butter and banana porridge (porridge is great)

Lunch I like chickpeas, avocado, tofu, loads of vegetables (im vegan), tempeh cut into slices and fried. I always try to focus a lot on protein.

Dinner I like so many things - sweet potato curry, spaghetti bolognese, lentils, pasta with chickpeas and pesto. Falafel.

Loads of healthy recipes on bbc good food.

I still eat chocolate but only on Sunday so I don't feel like I'm missing out. I occasionally have some fruit or nuts in the afternoon but generally don't snack.

Good luck, I know it must feel hard.

Nutracheck is a good app. You can see how much fibre you have had so if you've not had enough you up your intake. Also helps if you have a glass of water before reaching for something to eat.

I would recommend Michael Moseley’s book with the 5:2 fasting. Lots of great recipes in there for quicker weight loss. Also, not all calories are created equal, you need to also be getting good quality nutrition with lots of green veg and lean protein - eat more filling things like rice, sweet potato, baked beans (low sugar version), eggs, a few nuts (you DO need some good fats) lean chicken (protein fills you up well), tuna, green beans, broccoli, carrots, veg veg veg. Hope that helps! It’s really hard losing weight you are doing so well to keep this up, sending you lots of strength and determination. Xx

@ThewrathofBethDutton - you could be me!

I have spent my entire adult life losing and re-gaining the same 5 - 6 stone. Menopause just makes it all so much harder.
I have tried every diet known to man since the age of 11 (thanks DM)

I also have PCOS, raised cholesterol and a family history of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
5 years ago I gave up weighing myself because of the effect it was having on my mental health (which I take a high dose of antidepressants for and have done for around 30 years.)

I gained weight - I did not know how much but went from a size 12/14 to size 18. I tried 16:8 for a while which I really liked doing and I think that held my weight steady while I did it (no increase in clothing sizes during that time.)

Then about 9 months ago I stumbled over a thread on here about weight loss injections - @Jimmyneutronsforehead has mentioned this further up this thread.

I read the threads and lurked for months - I must have been living under a rock because I wasn't even aware that weight loss injections existed!

The cost concerned me as £200 a month seemed way out of budget for me.

I started using Mounjaro at the beginning of August - I used a code from another Mumsnetter to make the first pen affordable.

It has been the best thing I've ever done - I'm just over 3 stone down now - I'd like to lose another stone.
I now know what it's like to not have my life controlled by food.
I'm saving the £200 pen cost each month on my grocery/food bill easily. I also had very few side effects luckily - the support from the threads really helped in that respect as I felt completely aware of what side effects I may have and lots of suggestions from those who had already been there to help avoid and deal with those side effects.

I'm aware that there could be long term health implications of the drugs, but from the research I have read so far the risks look less than the risk to me personally from remaining obese.

DM's weight went up and down her whole adult life - she tried all the diets - even amphetamines in the 80's.

She ended up with type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart problems. She now has Alzheimer's.

MJ is thought to have protective effects against dementia and a fair few cancers.

I'm also happy to use MJ for maintenance for the rest of my life if I need to - kind of like the antidepressants I take.

I don't want to end up taking metformin, insulin, statins, blood pressure meds, and the plethora of other drugs DM takes, and I hope that maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle will give me the best chance of avoiding needing those drugs. I know from a lifetime's experience that I cannot do that by myself - for whatever reason I just can't - it's certainly not from lack of effort.

I'm not saying that you should use weight loss injections - but for me it genuinely has changed my life. Have a lurk on the threads on the weight loss boards, do some research for yourself and see what you think - it's an option that you have if you want it.

Feel free to DM me if you want to ask anything. And whatever you decide to do I wish you success!

Haven’t rtft
But hunger is not dangerous - for you at this stage. You have plenty of stored fat. It is a sign that your metabolism is burning through some of that stored fat.
It is uncomfortable, maybe even painful, but the hunger pangs come and go, and in time the sensation will adjust to be more accurate than now.
Good luck!

If 1200 calories is maintenance for you and you are 5 stone overweight then something is not right metabolically. I started about 4 stone overweight at 5ft 8in and my TDEE was 2300 with a goal of 1800 calories to lose 1-2 lbs a week.

I strongly recommend that you seek some medical advice as a starting point, if you haven't already.

In particular blood tests to investigate:

• thyroid disfunction
• HbA1C to test glucose levels
• hormone panel looking for signs of PCOS like high testosterone.

These will help to identify if there's something working against you that you could treat. If you have T2 Diabetes or insulin resistant PCOS then you're fighting a losing battle trying to lose weight based purely on calories, you need metformin, Mounjaro, potentially even insulin to supplement what your body is not creating. That will reduce hunger, reduce cravings, allow you to break down the glucose more effectively so it doesn't convert so readily into fat.

@ThewrathofBethDutton, there is a lot of research about drugs like Mounjaro as this type of drug has been used successfully to treat diabetes for many years. Some people do have bad side-effects, so you have to try and see if it works for you (I had none). And, some of the side-effects people have reported are the same as those you might get anyway from rapid weight loss. So prioritizing protein, going up slowly with your dose to ensure that are getting adequate nutrition, are going to be important - just as important as they are on another other diet plan.
I have now lost 60 lbs in total, easily. I had no side-effects - no hair-loss, no "ozempic face" and my high blood pressure is now at normal levels, my knees and back are no longer sore, my high cholesterol is now normal.
Continuing to be overweight has far more significant health risks.

This is true. For many women, 1200 calories is what they need to have to lose weight.
However, I think it also depends on your starting weight and if OP is 5 stone overweight she can probably lose weight on more than 1200.

1200 is not correct for you . Look at someone like Nicole fatloss over 40. She goes through how to correctly work out your calories and ideas how to drop weight and tone up . She is on tiktok or instagram. She’s great