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??????

I recommend having some Greek yogurt everyday. Watch your portion size and use a smaller plate. I have found success by limiting the portion size and having a little of everything. Be sure to drink lots of water.
I was 12.5 stone when I had dd 2 years ago and am now down to 10. I went through a stressful time in 2024 and lost a stone then. Very best of luck on your journey and, remember that you are attractive and worthwhile just as you are. There is no compulsion to lose the weight quickly. My feeling is that I needed 2 years to lose the weight; I did not spring into shape after dd's birth.

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

Yes, you're quite right, I did think she's said plants and I was wrong. Still, I think when people say 'plant-based' they don't mean vegetarian (which would include bread, pasta etc.). I think plant-based, in the context of diets, means vegetables, fruit, legumes, seeds etc.

Where did you get your calories from?
https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html
If you haven't already use a BMR calculator and work out a calorie deficit that works for you but 1200 seems very low!

Dont count calories, stop the cakes, pasta and bread, pastries. Eat meat, boiled potatoes, feat cheese, tofu, fish, yogurt, fruit and veg. Try to eat 3 meals a day. In a week stick to the same menu, eating it 3 times a day. In a second week start reducing almost invisibly the portion sizes. Soon well enough you would be capable to go into a new habit of eating less

I use the Sistema Microwave Mug 656ml Plastic Fast Stews Hot Drinks Cups and bowls for smaller potions. I don't cut out any thing from my meals. I only cut down on drinking fizzy drinks, and chocolate. If I have a bad day, I accept it. Then I get back to losing weight. I am forcing my self to keep a food diary. I did lose 2 stone but put it back on due to comfort eating. Because three close family members have died in the last 3 years. So far I am down to 11stone 5. I want to lose 3-4 stone.

Another vote for MJ here......what I've spent on the drug I've saved in "take aways".........

There is no such thing as starvation mode, please stop peddling myths like this

The horrible reality about losing weight is that you have to eat less, and that is unpleasant, sometimes you might feel a bit hungry, that is also unpleasant, but its momentary, its fleeting, it gets better and then the less you weigh, the less it happens because your body gets used to it and needs slightly less.

People dont want to feel hungry, we are humans and are designed to respond when hungry, thats why WLI do work because they can help us with that but the bottom line whether on them or not, we have to eat less to get into a deficit. Its hard but theres no point telling people that theres a different way, you have to eat less than you need.

I used to do 5:2 and it does work, but I’m finding 16:8 equally as effective, and easier

Well done for taking the bull by horns and making better choices, it’s a difficult step to take!!
I’m in the same position as you, I’m 52 menopausal and the weight piled on.
I worked out my TDEE and BMR and started off by putting myself in a calorie deficit and not caring where those calories came from as long as I stuck to my calories, as time went on I took more care where those calories came from.
I bought a treadmill and walked every single day to get my steps in.
a year on and I have now lost 7 stone.
I go to the gym to do a mixture of weight training and classes to help with endurance and stamina.
it’s not been easy, I have good days and not so good days but slow and steady wins the race.
one thing I will say is 1200 calories seems way to low. My calories are 1800 and that gives me a 300 daily deficit
it is possible to lose the weight, it’s finding what works for you - don’t lose hope, you can do this (and I’m saying this as someone who has always struggled to lose weight) x

Weight loss injections have a high success rate, surgery has a high success rate

No weight loss method/tool/routine is perfect, lots of people put some weight back on, lots of people dont. Some might put all their weight back on.

If you are going to quote statistics, please provide information about the studies (Ive read plenty myself) because the studies dont show that 60% go back to their original weight. There are different statistics as to whether someone was morbidly obese/overweight/obese to start with.

The detail is important. If you are thinking of surgery yourself you need to inform yourself better.

My bariatric nurse also said to drink hot drinks when 'hungry', so you're right about that at least.

OP, a particular trigger of mine when I think Im hungry (but not really) is when Im cold or tired and if Im cold AND tired I think Im ravenous. Losing weight in the depths of winter is very very difficult. It goes against our human instinct for survival. Make sure you're having lots of hot food, dont be eating things like carrot sticks or cucumber to stay 'full', eat soup and drink hot drinks. Bovril is great.

Slimming world has one of the lowest rates of sustainability to be honest and the reason why, it doesnt teach people to eat less. It pretends you dont have to eat less. See WW also for this.

I would go to the GP and get a full review - it is unusual to put on weight in the way you describe and I would want to rule out other more serious reasons.

Some great advice on this thread to help OP push on through the toughest part, which is the "Start"...

I think we can all relate to being super focussed on a weight loss program/goal at some point in our lives, I know I can (several times!)

However, I caught onto that while this is great temporarily, it sort of fizzles out over time.....

Got educated on setting your own personal "IDENTITY" mentality and it really does make the difference to your long term health rather than setting "goals"

IE - we say, when I get to "X" weight (insert your own definition) - Then I WILL be happy!

We get to THAT weight

And guess what..

We are HAPPY!

But then things move on, we loose focus and we become more than likely "above" THAT GOAL weight, but we suceeded as our GOAL right?
BUT we didn't think about how we would maintain it, for the long haul as the GOAL win was just too good!

An IDENTITY mentality just lets you feel more in control.

For example

Your "IDENTITY" could be for you to commit to be a person within a "normal weight category for your age/height etc"

Once you make a commitment to yourself (as you are the most reliable person you will ever know right?) Things just kind of click into place naturally and you just do what it takes for the duration to loose weight and maintain it, as it just feels so bloody good to always be your A1 self!

HTH!

Ditto

You're on 1550? Are you male or have a very active lifestyle? Most people need a LOT less than they think. Women with sedentary lifestyles only actually NEED 1600 to 1800 per day (the 1600 figure is for a sedentary woman over 50).

Honestly, OP, if you choose the correct foods, and combination of foods there is absolutely no need to feel hungry. I don't believe in formal diet "plans" AT ALL, they are a money making racket, designed to keeping you failing and coming back again and again. They are unmaintainable. You just need to commit to educating yourself about portion size and calories for a while so that you don't choose stuff that is calorie dense or obviously bad for you with loads of empty calories. Don't buy ultra processed food with "low fat" on the labelr "Slimming World friendly" or whatetever, because they're full of absolute crap and will leave you hungry, or having portion sizes that are way too big (because we have followed the US and normalised large portions and plates, unfortunately). YOu're never going to lose weight if you reallyneed to but have 3 courses in a restaurant because you tell yourself you deserve it. Just have 2 courses and choose the tomato-based sauce rather than the creamy or cheesy sauce, or the fish option which isn't deep fried in batter and comes with triple cooked chips and tartare sauce, or the beef tacos instead of the steak pie and triple cooked chips. Fill up on as much salad or veg as you want. Always have a decent breakfast otherwise you'll be snacking by mid morning.

Etc Etc.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/how-many-calories-you-should-eat-to-stay-slim-depending-on-your-exact-age-a7074901.html

Yes us oldies are on sparrow rations. Being able to maintain on about 1800 is a distant memory.

One little tip: olives really help me feel full. I know they can carry a lot of sodium but they are so hearty. Sometimes I have them on toast for breakfast (chopped up).

Excellent tip about olives

It's a myth that we're designed to respond when hungry, assuming by "respond" you mean to eat something. Do you think in times gone by there was readily available food there to snack on whenever anyone felt a bit hungry? The truth is we have become used as a Western society to have food available to us whenever we need it round the clock, at home and out of the home so that if we want to, we need NEVER feel hungry. Too many people have not learned to recognise that mild transitory hunger pangs are totally normal. If you have good eating habits and eat 3 good meals a day you will rarely feel them outside of these times. Sometimes you might feel them if, for example, you're running a bit late with cooking your evening meal. You can choose to ignore them knowing that you won't die from waiting a bit longer till your meal is actually ready, and that it will provide all the calories you need. THere is absolutely no need to raid the snack cupboard because your hunger must be sated immediately.

Likewise, you might wake up in the early hours very occasionally and feel a bit peckish. If you KNOW you've had all the calories you need the day before andthat you will have a good breakfast when you wake, there is absolutely no need to get up and eat something to stop what are probably very mild hunger pangs - they will go away on their own.

I'd agree with this, but I do think calorie counting is useful to start with if you really have no idea what the calorie dense foods are, or what a normal portion size looks like.

In fairness this article underlines the fact that it hasn’t been around for a long time, nor are there long-term studies.

This linked article says Mounjaro wasn’t used in mice until 2013 and didn’t get approval for diabetes until 2022.

It was approved for weight loss in November 2023, and I believe clinical trials on humans started in 2018.

Mounjaro is a different group of drug to Ozempic, as it’s a dual-agonist. It really hasn’t been around for long as GLP-1 drugs.

We don’t have long-term data on Mounjaro as this group of drugs has only been used in trials for the last 5-6 years. And for the data we do have, lots of it relates to diabetic individuals which is very different. A diabetic body and non-diabetic body have some key differences so separate long term data is needed for both groups independently.

I understand why so many people have chosen to use Mounjaro but it’s not helpful to describe it as a drug with extensive, long-term data. For many it may still be preferable because obesity has its own risks, but it is important for people considering using it to understand that it’s a relatively new drug.

Which pharmacy please?

@orangegato it doesn't matter which pharmacy other than for price and the services they offer. The medication is the same from any provider, as there is only one manufacturer currently. Have a look at this price comparison website for regulated and registered GPhC pharmacies:

monj.co.uk

To gain 2lb a week you would need to be overeating by 1000 calories per day.