Do I want to try weight loss jabs… help

[BleachedWail]

I am 45, have been fat as long as I remember. I have dieted on and off since I was 11 but never been a healthy BMI. Since I had children I just stopped dieting at all and am now over 18 stone at 5ft 5in. I have no diagnosis but I eat compulsively every day, I have a happy and full life but food is my one true friend and my greatest source of sorrow… a treat, reward and punishment in one.

I have tried every single diet, usually more than once.

I know all the theory of healthy eating but since I was old enough to remember I have eaten in such a way that had brought me to this position. I know no other way unless I try very hard and ultimately fall off the wagon. I’ve been doing this a long time now, my health is starting to suffer and my weight stops me doing things I might enjoy- I don’t swim on holiday, can’t go on rides, can’t sit in certain chairs - you get the idea.

I could comfortably afford Wegovy… I could possibly make Mounjaro work financially….

I know people who have had great success.

I am scared that they will give me horrible side effects… I’m scared they won’t work…. I’m scared they will and I will need it forever…

I’’m also a bit scared that I’ll lose a part of myself that has always relied on food for comfort- a sort of weird core element of myself- which is stupid really.

Also if it fails … then what.

I tell myself that I can count calorie, but 30 years of failure suggests otherwise.

So what do I do? And if I go for it do I go for Wegovy (which is affordable and I’ll be on it long term) or stretch myself for Mounjaro… but what if I can’t keep up payments for higher doses…

Yes, you could try either. They are intended for people in your position, and the likelihood is that they will work for you and you will have mild or no side effects. They work for 90% or so of people.

I will declare my bias, in that I’ve been taking Mounjaro for 18 months and lost around 11st, so far. It’s worked well for me.

That’s an incredible achievement Silenceinside, considering the loss I am presuming you also have a complicated relationship with food. Do you have any regrets in going down this route and has the mental impact of the process been ok?

OP I started MJ in June at 23 stone, I’ve never been slim- I’m currently over six stone loss so far, 16 stone 12 on the scales this morning -and am a regular gym goer now, calorie count, (I never managed this previously on a million diets) my mood is totally different, I’m not sure if this is from clean eating, or the hormones - but my only regret is not having started it earlier! I don’t cheat at all, I eat unprocessed foods, prioritise protein and fibre- and honestly have zero side effects. If you go for it- I hope it works well for you. Totally life changing

I started in July 2024 at 15st and I am 5ft 1. I am now down to 8st 10 and I have maintained for 9 months. I am still on a low dose. I am 46 and have been overweight since the age of 20.

I worried about the side effects but the only issues I have had is a bit of hair loss. I had very thick hair to begin with so its made it more manageable.

It will give you eggy burps if you eat anything too fatty. Its also stopped me from drinking fizzy drinks. I wish it had existed years ago!

It is shocking how much more confident I am and how much nicer people tend to speak to you (could be just me.)

I’m probably the wrong sort of person to ask, my relationship with food was not particularly complex. I just used it as a tool to soothe me, in simple terms. Particularly when busy and stressed which unfortunately for me was a lot of the time. I have also been overweight or obese since childhood so these are deeply ingrained behaviours even though not very complex. Then, because I’ve been obese for so long, my response to food was probably altered compared to someone who’s always been a healthy weight. That makes it harder to lose weight and stick to it.

Losing the weight really isn’t an incredible achievement. It’s just time, and the consistency that Mounjaro brings.

I have no regrets at all. I could have started sooner, but I was quite needle phobic so it took me a while to override that reluctance.

The mental impact has been fantastic. From the first week I felt instant relief from feeling hopeless about my weight. Such a burden lifted. My general mood has been so much less stressed and pissed off! I feel like have have so much more headspace to deal with lots of other stuff, and I am forward thinking and excited about the future.

That is amazing, can I ask how you managed the transition from eating as you would have normally to clean eating, did you do any prep before starting? Also did the ‘head’ side of eating just ‘disappear’? Just scared of that leap

Not thrilled about the needles either!

It’s encouraging seeing stories from those who have been in a similar position to myself .

I tend to find when I take my dose of MJ I feel my stomach feels tight and full, it could be psychological. It also takes away all the food noise. Weirdly I found salad and veg much tastier than I did previously.

Also chocolate and ice cream tastes sickly when I am on it. I had a few days break over xmas and it went back to being tasty.

The needles are not a biggie when you get used to it!

I will never regret it. My starting point was a bit different as I was prescribed it for diabetes control when insulin and metformin wasn’t doing the job, it’s completely fixed that my levels are all in normal range now and no more insulin or metformin just the Mounjaro. What it’s done for my weight and overall health though feels like a miracle,

Ive been obese since primary school, I weigh less now at 42 than I did when I was 11, I’ve tried every diet, forced myself to stick to calorie limits for months for very little reward, crying myself to sleep because I was so hungry.

In 18 months I’ve lost 9stone, gone from a size 22/24 to a size 10/12, my BP is normal, my cholesterol is normal, my liver and kidney function tests are normal, I can do exercise without feeling like I’m dying and it’s actually enjoyable.

I have never had any side effects except for feeling the cold more.

Oh yes it’s important to say that the needles are tiny and very fine, and you don’t really feel a thing. They also don’t look like a normal syringe either, so I found that helped.

I’m on wegovy prescribed by the nhs through their weight management program. Im on the max dose now, I started at 22st 1lb 7 months ago, I’ve lost 2 stone so far. Its slow coming off, but its coming with honestly no side affect and no mental impact.
It was strange at first the feeling of no longer being interested/ excited by takeaway etc but I’m used to it now. I still have takeaways, sometimes I get immediate diarrhoea after it but it isn’t bad and it just tells me I overdid it with the fat content. That’s not often though. No regrets whatsoever coming on them.

wegovy isn’t as strong as Mj which is why it’s slow I guess but I think that’s okay since I don’t get side affects and Im not calorie counting so its easier I’m just getting full quickly and not getting the food noise

another who has been overweight since childhood in a family of non overweight people but with a strong history of diabetes regardless. I am just coming up to my anniversary and have lost about 5 stone. Ideally I’d lose one more but would be happy with half a stone. I’ve lost weight twice before and once kept it off for over 6 years but the second it stopped being a primary focus (Covid) the speed with which I regained was amazing. I ate fairly healthily/not a huge snacker but way too much, no off switch and had/have a ‘food as treat’ mentality.

I am on mj and it just quietens things. I still like food but it has less power over me. I do get side effects (am prone to sulphur burps regardless of what I eat) but they are manageable. I ache less, I move more, my blood pressure is back from borderline high to normal. It’s not easy despite what people say - over Christmas I saw how easy it was for me to go back to my old ways when I stopped tracking and being accountable even on the mj. But it allows for consistency and breathing space.

also I am viewing it as a long term thing - if not this then I’d be on blood pressure meds or based upon my family history, diabetes medication. I am lucky to be able to afford it but also our shopping bills did decrease so whilst it’s not cost neutral, it wasn’t as expensive as I had expected especially at the lower doses.

its not for everyone but also you can just try it - if it doesn’t work you can stop!

I am feeling v encouraged-I was worried it might make me sick but it seems that might be an unlikely side effect. Did anyone start counting calories or eating differently before they started?

Thank you

Yes, I had already moved to a low carb, high fibre diet for several weeks before starting MJ and was eating 500 calories less than my TDEE (there are calculators online). I think it helped as my digestive system wasn’t full of grease and stodgy when I took the first injection.

Right… think I might try it 😬

@BleachedWail I spent the week before my first pen was delivered eating healthily and in a calorie deficit, lost 2 pounds that week, and I think that helped when I did the first injection. I had previously been pretty much constantly snacking on crap (on top of home cooked healthy meals) and I am glad that it was all out of my system. I had a pretty strong and immediate effect from day 1 which I wasn’t expecting. I think if my digestive system was still full of snacky carbs that I might have felt unwell.

Try it. I am a natural piggy. I have lost 6 stone and feel like a new person. Can't promise it will work for you but it's worth a try.

Who do you order from, there’s so much choice, and presumably everyone on MJ rather than Wegovy ?

As the saying goes, you only regret the things you did’t do.

I’m down 7.5stone in the last 9 months and I have at least another 6 stone to go, no side effects, no regrets.

More people are starting to try Wegovy as it's cheaper than Mounjaro, but Mounjaro is still the more popular choice despite the recent price hike in Sept 2025.

There is a price comparison website for Mounjaro https://monj.co.uk which lists many of the GPhC registered pharmacies. You can sort the table by price, looking at the starting dose of 2.5mg. I’d have a look at that and read some of the Trust Pilot reviews for the pharmacies you are interested in.

A couple of things to be aware of, the prices quoted include any new customer discounts. You won’t get that discount for a second order from the same pharmacy, so check out what the cost will jump to.

Also, some suppliers operate a subscription model and/or offer additional services like coaching, apps, free scales etc. if you sign up to a subscription service make sure you know what you’re committing to and if/how you can cancel.

OP your post was exactly what was in my head before I started..& I’m
sure most other users of the medication. There are some good podcasts that give lots of info on the drug and when I understood that in effect it’s a hormone rather than a medicine, my mindset shifted.. some of us have a hormone deficiency that means we get more hungrier than others, GLPs top it up - like HRT- and everything is right again! So many psychological tangles around weight though which lead us to feel we’re ‘cheating’ if we go down the path of using the pens. I’d say go for it, you can always stop if you’re one of the very very rare few it disagrees with or doesn’t work for. More likely, this time next year you’ll be feeling 100% happier & healthier! Maybe seek a little counselling alongside it if you’re worried about your identity shifting without food as a central part of your life- I understand how scary that feels for you now. Good luck & keep us posted!

I know it’s not very mumsnet but I do wish I could ‘heart’ these kind replies! I do appreciate your time and consideration