Disgusted with what I look like.

[Keepingtimer]

I've just seen a video of myself and just honestly can't believe how awful I look.
Im four stones overweight with high cholesterol, high blood sugar , pre diabetes . I've had years and years of stress and it shows in my face and body.
I've had a underactive thyroid for over thirty years.

Im about to go on a low calorie shake diet through the NHS at the end of the month.

im just so upset and horrified by what I look like. I look like I'm dying.

if this shake diet doesn't work I don't know where there is to go. I can't seem to stick to a diet for more than about three weeks myself . I'm scared to take weight loss drugs.

I walk three or four miles several times a week and eat a healthy diet. It's just crept up on me over years.

Has anyone felt this desperate and turned it around?

That’s not necessarily true. I am under a consultant endocrinologist. My maintenance calorie intake is around 1350 calories a day. It’s very easy to see how I gained weight.

HRT made the weight pile on and the only thing that has helped me are WLI.

Have you addressed the ongoing stress you mention?

Don't add to your burden and worries re your weight if that is still ongoing. Tackle that. Then focus on you and the weight

In a remarkably similar position at this end (and photos/video of myself is horrifying).BUT I have longterm health issue following covid, a recent bereavement and an exceptionally difficult professional life. I am working on my professional remit to reduce my hours/change lane. The rest will follow once I have agency in my working life.

My point being, you can't do everything at once. Take one issue at a time and tackle it, but that stress in your life is the thing to remove/address as a matter of urgency

Good luck OP

But unless OP can get that on the NHS because of the diabetes risk, then it will have to be paid for and it’s expensive, not to mention what you do after you stop it, and the longer term effects of it. I am not allowed to have it because of bowel/liver issues, so that says a lot.

Depressingly, mine is the same. Short with a sedentary job, peri-menopausal. Maintenance is about 1350, to lose I really needs to be at 900ish which is torture.

This is another thing I worry about if I do go on the Oestrogen gel for example, will i gain weight. As I put on a few years ago whilst on medication and managed to lose it, when I came off of it, plus went on the mini pill which help my PMS symptoms.

Just had a consultation with the pharmacist at my GP practice the other day about it, and they made it sound quite complicated, I felt like they were trying to put me off.

@Keepingtimer Unless you are extremely short, being 4 stone overweight is hardly a disaster and getting to a healthy weight should be achievable within a reasonable timeframe.

As with EVERY DRUG EVER MADE THERE ARE ‘SIDE EFFECTS’ !! It just depends on your body’s reaction. These drugs are not new and have been used to treat diabetes for over a decade. You need to apply some logic and read some proper research to understand the risk. However - put simplistically the chance of you having a serious side effect vs the chances of 4 stone excess weight has on your health, makes WLI an overwhelming logical choice.

Shakes/IF/Calorie control diets do actually work if you have super will power. I do. I tried them all for over a decade. However the thing they all have in common is that they are not sustainable. You will almost certainly put it all back on and more.

Again. Look at some of the peer reviewed large scale studies of weight loss done by Kings college Institute of bariatrics. They studied the realistic chance of someone with simple obesity (BMI 30-40 returning to normal weight through diet and exercise alone. The results were quite sobering. For Women, it was one in 124. Of those incredibly tenacious ‘ones’ 78% had put it all back on and more within five years. For those with morbid obesity BMI 40+ it was one in 674 again with the 78% regain rate of those who were successful.

As you can see from studies by people who know what they’re talking about as opposed to TikTok, Instagram or my brother’s neighbours sisters horse… Diet without any additional help is simply not sustainable except for an incredibly rare tiny less than one percentage.

Now look at the SUMMOUNT Studies for weight loss injection and make the sensible logical decision that will almost certainly prolong your life. Reduce your chances of Heart disease, high blood pressure,/Stroke and premature death.

In 2024 I weigh 115 kg I started on Mojarro in April 2024 by January 20 25 I had reached my goal and weighed 63 kg almost half of my body weight gone (8st 8)

Firstly I have never had a single side-effect from Mounjaro , Secondly, it did absolutely nothing for me to start with. You may read on here about women who seem to be able to lose many stones on 2.5 mg. That was not my experience. I did not really start to lose anything until I was in the third month at 7.5 the majority of my weight was lost between June and End ofJanuary 25. Since then I have maintained on 5g. My weight fluctuates between 62-64 kg bright in the middle of healthy BMI.

Like you OP, I had High blood pressure for which I took medication and would’ve been taking medication for life had this miracle drug not helped me. I took statins for high cholesterol, my cholesterol is now in the normal range. I had osteoarthritis weight related in my knee. Sleep apnea. Ridiculously low self esteem and my body hurt. My blood tests also always showed high levels of inflammation.

You have an underactive thyroid just like me. This makes the questioning of lifelong medication even more bizarre and illogical. You are currently taking levothyroxine a drug that you must take every day to keep you alive. I also take levothyroxine albeit not At the same dose since my weight loss however it is still a drug we both must take every day. I take Mojarro every week for very similar reasons without it I would gain become morbidly obese as I had really severe insulin resistance which you almost certainly have as well. I take Mojarro every week to keep me from heart disease and stroke which would be the inevitable outcome of obesity.

https://share.google/aimode/U6j2vHi5zWWzpqBEW

There's no real evidence to show that HRT makes you gain weight. I've been on it for two years and not gained. It's more likely the effects of ageing and a slowing metabolism than the actual HRT. Most woman find they gain weight during menopause.

Totally agree. Not sustainable at all and I say that as someone that’s struggled with weight my whole life.

op. One step at a time. Try WLI. The first time in my adult life I have maintained my weight loss for 2 years. I lost 11 stone. Life is totally different now. Don’t focus on taking it the rest of your life just focus on what you need to do for now. Also consider that shakes are also an extreme attempt to loose weight and you wouldn’t be able to stay on those for life either.

Dont listen to silly stories. A lot of it going round, and its bollocks.

I felt similar and looked awful, bloated, shapeless and generally a mess. Tried everything but weight would not shift, and I felt tired all the time. I have been on Mounjaro for over 6 months now - zero side effect, lost 26kg. Feel great.

Things do ‘have to be paid for’. Sometimes people, especially women, seem to have trouble spending money on themselves but in this situation it should be prioritised.

She's delighted with the service. I don't know how widespread this is but she is a bit squeamish with needles and also had some health issues so felt much more reassured because the pharmacist took a full medical history, and keeps check of her blood pressure, any symptoms etc. And has done it slow and steady with dosages etc over the course of over a year now. My friend looks and feels so much better and is almost down to goal BMI (imagine!) at which point they will put her on a maintenance dose and keep managing it (she is only thirties but has always struggled with her weight).

You do obviously pay for the service and she is paying more overall than people just buying the pens themselves on the internet (I don't know how much more, sorry) but she feels it's totally worth it. Also pointed out that she is spending a lot less on food and snacking at work.

I think everything is a balance of risk but, like you, she realised that the risk from being 4st overweight were by far the most pressing concern at this point. I hope you can find a similar pharmacy service that will help x

Shakes are not going to be of much of any use here because the underlying problem remains ie the under active thyroid.

I would now ask for a second opinion re your under active thyroid as this can and does cause weight gain through water and salt retention. Many GPs are simply not up to speed when it comes to such issues and you need to see a specialist like an endocrinologist. That person should also be able to advise you re the weight loss drugs.

I thought you don’t have an issue with eating poorly?

Either way, Mounjaro doesn’t just work by suppressing appetite. Its affects blood sugars and works through a number of other mechanisms. Obesity is complex - it’s not purely about eating too much. Educate yourself properly instead of listening to your son, who clearly knows nothing about it.

How come you're overweight then? You're eating more calories than your body requires, so how is that happening?

It really is insidious misogyny isnt it, that the narrative around a successful weight loss support treatment is that 'you better not take it because you'll look older'

Yeah stay fat and die earlier or live with life long illnesses caused by obesity. Nice.

It’s an old trope. You don’t look older, you look your age. People who are carrying extra weight tend to look younger.

Portion sizes and lack of activity

I'm on thyroid medication, they ask you for extensive family history re thyroid before they prescribe them to you.

The point is not to stay on them for life! It's an NHS programme designed to last three months to reverse pre diabetes and diabetes.

There's a difference. Thyroid medication is an absolute necessity. Weight loss drugs are just one way to lose weight and they are expensive, with side effects.

Then if there are so many effective ways why are you struggling?

OP, you are full of reasons/excuses but it seems to me you don’t want to be helped. Not sure why you posted.

Has anyone successfully lost weight using shakes? It seems utterly outdated and frankly, tortuous.

You really should give Mounjaro a try. It won’t just enable you to lose the weight easily, it will help reduce cholesterol, BP and blood sugar. It’s also been shown to reduce inflammation.

I was probably similarly fat to you. I started at a BMI of 27.8. It’s now 19.5 and I look and feel fabulous. Plus - it was SO easy. I can’t ring the bell loudly enough for it.

It's finding whatever suits you best.

If you don't want wli, that's fine but you need to stop making all these excuses why you can't change.

Try intermittent fasting by stopping eating at 6pm and then nothing before lunch tomorrow. You could do this by gradually increasing how many days per week you fast.

Or do strictly half portions of whatever you eat now.

Or double your exercise so you burn more calories, but you'd still have to count calories with that.

Or just admit you're not going to do anything about it and watch the weight increase.

That's bloody amazing. Well done you. You've truly charged your body and life. Really interesting to read, I need to lose that amount or I weld settle for less. I turned down bariatric surgery in favour of Wegovy. I'm only a few months in and have lost two stones. I have wondered if I've made the right decision and will I really be able to lose what I want to lose with with Wegovy, also what happens when I come off it. Reading your comment is really encouraging, thanks, well done you.