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I`m the wrong side of 50, been on Levothyroxine for under active thyroid for 10 years, Been gaining weight for 10 years as a result.
Ive tried everything, and even on 1400 calories a day cannot lose weight the conventional way.
Health was getting worse, pre diabetes became T2 diabetes, Developed Non Alchohol retated Fatty Liver disease and elevated cholesterol (Both as side effects of the other medications) for which they wanted to put me on statins.
My BMI was 30.5 with T2D and ive been trying for a year to get Ozempic on the NHS.
I did a lot of research into it beforehand and in april started on a private prescription of Mounjaro.
January myself and the mrs had started eating cleaner with less processed foods etc but wasnt really losing anything consistently, it was very up and down.
Since January, I am now down 12.5 KG, BMI is down to 27, body fat down massively, lost 4" in waist size, can fit into a suit Ive not been in for 7 years etc.
But the real benefit is in health, bloods results show a reduction of HBA1c from 47 to 37, Cholesterol down from 6.5 to 5, liver function returning to normal etc and thats from Jan - June.
Some people call it cheating, but you wouldnt say the same about BP meds or Statins for reducing risk of heart disease or stroke, and Obesety / T2 Diabetes is a massive problem.
Its not about being lazy, its about a genuine improvement of health for many people, myself included.
GLP1 isnt an "easy" option either, you do have to change a lot, its expensive.
But it has also been shown to reset your bodies baseline, which diets dont do.
So I am hoping that at the end of it my new baseline will be somewhere around 65kg / 20% body fat and with a sensible taper off and sustainable changes to eating habits I`ll maintain somewhere around that weight, rather than nearly 90KG as I was at the start of the year.
Okay TJ, if you say so. Seeing as you know everything I must be wrong, obviously. Red meat doesn’t contain vitamin C and I have scurvy, as do all other people practicing a carnivore way of eating of which there are a lot.
yes you are wrong and almost certainly deficient in a whole range of vitamins, and other micro nutrients. Its also an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle and one our bodies are not adapted for
I don't know everything but this is very basic stuff
Well the recent blood panel I had done didn’t mention any deficiencies. My weight/height ratio is very healthy. My blood pressure is excellent. 6ft tall, 11 stone 8lbs, 30” waist. The same as I was when I was 18, I’m 54 now. (I was 16 stone a few years ago) I sleep extremely well. My arthritis has all but gone, that to me is incredible. Just from quitting carbs and eating fatty red meat (beef and lamb mostly), eggs, butter, salt, a tiny bit of fermented sauerkraut as a condiment and drinking apple cider vinegar in sparkling water for the microbial benefits. I’ll take it.
That sounds remarkable. Can you share some before and after pics to validate (apologies if coming across suspicious, but this is STW where the boundary between truth & fiction is not often clear)
Sounds remarkable, but far from the only example. Dave Macleod is a very good climber, qualified nutritionist and there's some interesting stuff on his YouTube channel etc. He follows a similar diet
Back on track, this price rise is outrageous - fortunately not passed onto the NHS, but wow. There will be people getting into major debt to fund the treatment.
I'm just due to buy my next dose and there seems to be problems with stock. I suspect people will be stock pilling doses before the price increase. I'm planning to buy one more and then quit as I can't justify £300+ a month for it. I'll see if I can continue losing weight without it and if not I might try one of the cheaper semaglutides.
nutritionist is a meaningless label. anyone can call themselves a nutritionist and the "qualifications" vary from reasonable to complete nonsensse
I`m the wrong side of 50, been on Levothyroxine for under active thyroid for 10 years, Been gaining weight for 10 years as a result.
Worth reading up on the condition, your doctor may be treating a test and/or keeping you undermedicated. Take control.
This isn't a thread on what diet you're religiously wedded to, start another if you want to go on about a caveman diet (maybe also post what the life expectancy and rate of malnutrition was back then to).
As for the price rise, yeah that's a bit annoying and shit for people that won't be able to carry on with it privately. I will be for now (and currently I still think it would be pretty much cost neutral with what I was previously spending on food vs what I am now).
This isn't a thread on what diet you're religiously wedded to, start another if you want to go on about a caveman diet (maybe also post what the life expectancy and rate of malnutrition was back then to).
As for the price rise, yeah that's a bit annoying and shit for people that won't be able to carry on with it privately. I will be for now (and currently I still think it would be pretty much cost neutral with what I was previously spending on food vs what I am now).
Steak and eggs have gone up in price as well. However they are significantly less costly than scientist made drugs that contain god knows what and have no long term testing.
Simplest and most natural way of losing visceral body fat whilst not diminishing muscle mass is to cut carb/sugar intake and UPF’s especially seed oils.
Bit shit to hear about the price rises as if it does rise that much I'm pretty sure I couldn't afford that. I've just taken my 3rd shot of the 2.5mg so had to order the next lot. I ordered the 4 x 5mg pen but afterwards I wondered if I should have just stuck with the 2.5mg as it's all going really well so far. I've lost nearly 12kgs in the 18 days since my first shot, the bulk of that was in week 1 and now it's coming off more steadily. I'm doing a bit better at making sure I eat enough now too whereas in the first week I was barely eating as I just wasn't thinking about food at all. I'm now using Myfitnesspal to ensure I get enough calories rather than making sure I don't eat too many. I've started to notice a bit of difference in my body which is a good feeling, but the best bit is I'm noticing the difference on the bike not having to pedal quite so much bulk up the hills.
At some point I'm going to try and work out how much I'm saving by not popping to the shop and buying beer and snacks and maybe I can then justify the expense once the price rises
I've lost nearly 12kgs in the 18 days since my first shot, the bulk of that was in week 1
Holy shit. That’s far too fast.
Self control when you you could just stick a needle in yourself instead? That idea will never catch on.
"When you stop taking weight loss medications, you may experience weight regain, increased appetite, and changes in metabolic function, often leading to a return to previous eating habits."
Good one big pharma. Over a fkn barrel eh?
This is why support with lifestyle changes are always pushed by experts as a necessary accompaniment/follow-up.
My company provides these, and I hpe we'll see an increase in demand rather than a decrease - because people are relying solely on the jabs.
Perhaps I'm being naive though.
Something important which people on here appear to be missing when taking these injections is the need to still ensure your eating/drinking/exercising healthily. You will need to be taking in the correct vitamins/nutrients and especially protein and exercise.
Yes your excess fat may fall off, but you want to avoid muscle falling off too. Sudden weight loss can weaken the heart muscle too, I`d imagine vast majority of those obese people who these injections are for will not be used to regularly exercising to the point of keeping their hearts strong and healthy.
Crash diets are known high risk for triggering irregular heart beats and increasing clot risks leading to strokes etc.
The big problem with these injections is that people do not know about these risks - or if they do they ignore them. Plus bought privately they are receiving no monitoring for extreme weight loss as what has been identified above.
Please be safe and be sensible people.
I was speaking to an NHS dietician at the weekend, and she was saying larger people on these drugs need to be consuming a huge amount of protein to counter muscle loss as a result of their calorie deficit.
Which is obviously challenging when their appetite is massively decreased anyway.
Think it was 1.5g per kg of bodyweight, per day.
Curious whether those of you getting the jabs privately are receiving this kind of advice, and able to meet it?
was speaking to an NHS dietician at the weekend, and she was saying larger people on these drugs need to be consuming a huge amount of protein to counter muscle loss as a result of their calorie deficit.
Which is obviously challenging when their appetite is massively decreased anyway.
Think it was 1.5g per kg of bodyweight, per day.
Curious whether those of you getting the jabs privately are receiving this kind of advice, and able to meet it?
wife seems to be being quite sensible about it and has been watching/reading all the advice to the nth degree.
she's trying to eat as much protein as possible as per the advice and i suppose for satiety too.
had a good first week where a fair few lbs dropped off, bit slower now but she's happy with that as long as its going in the right direction. she's a little worried about the imminent price increase so has just ordered a load more for the next months i think.
I was speaking to an NHS dietician at the weekend, and she was saying larger people on these drugs need to be consuming a huge amount of protein to counter muscle loss as a result of their calorie deficit.
Which is obviously challenging when their appetite is massively decreased anyway.
Think it was 1.5g per kg of bodyweight, per day.
Curious whether those of you getting the jabs privately are receiving this kind of advice, and able to meet it?
That sounds like far too much. For me that'd mean the equivalent of eating 3 chicken breasts every day which I'd struggle with on Mounjaro. I'm generally getting about 1g per Kg and and my power level on the smart trainer seems to be staying about the same. Riding outside is getting noticeably easier with the weight loss.
I was advised to eat plenty of protein (no actual amount was specified) and do weight bearing exercises along with my cycling. Creatine is also useful to mitigate muscle loss so I'm taking 5g of that a day along with a multivitamin.
Something important which people on here appear to be missing when taking these injections is the need to still ensure your eating/drinking/exercising healthily
Well apart from all the times it has already been mentioned.
That sounds like far too much. For me that'd mean the equivalent of eating 3 chicken breasts every day which I'd struggle with on Mounjaro.
This is exactly the convo we had, we'd just had chicken for tea and I asked how many pieces it would equal.
But she did point out that protein from all food adds up quickly, and that protein powder is probably useful for a lot of people.
A quick google suggests 0.8g to 1.5g is the recommended range, so it's quite possible a lot of people have been told lower.
I`m the wrong side of 50, been on Levothyroxine for under active thyroid for 10 years, Been gaining weight for 10 years as a result.
Worth reading up on the condition, your doctor may be treating a test and/or keeping you undermedicated. Take control.
Yep; any pointers you could share? It's a minefield.
His rather blunt suggestion to a recently slimmed down colleague, regarding her friend who receives the injection, that spending £100 on a set of trainers rather than £150 a month on injections being more beneficial does hold a lot of truth
This is as debatable as all the various diets being thrown into the mix here. I have been exercising continuously for years. Sometimes 5 days a week, sometimes 3, sometimes 7, always more than a couch potato. Across that time I have continuously gained weight, lost weight, gained, weight, then gained a bit more. At no point was exercise the cause of losing weight, it was always diet change. As a wise person once said, "You can't out run a bad diet" So giving a fatty some running shoes is going to do $h!t.
Back to the point of the OP. I am down to 12st 1lb from 13st 6, but have lost a lot of muscle. I started the injections at a time where my exercise dropped off and then with the increase in lethergy I stupidly and stubbornly refused to pick up the weights. This, combined with my reduced appetite have caused the muscle wastage. I have just lost my job so have a lot of free time, I am now committed to building back that muscle and lost strength over the coming months, and have no excuses not to do that.
My BMI is still 26 according to the calculator and I still have excess lard around my chest and belly. I am hoping to start seeing my weight go up a little but the BMI (or fat % on smart scales) continue to drop as I get some of that lost muscle back. So far the benefits have outweighed (pardon the pun) the bad on this injection journey but I am really kicking myself about the muscle loss, I really think they could do a better job of calling this out.
BMI is a flawed method of assessing lardiness. Better off with waist to height.
You can out cycle a bad diet on my big bike ride i was attempting to eat 4000 calories a day. I lost 10 kg. Its a bit extreme as an example mind you but i was eating significantly more than i usually do but still lost a significant amount of weight down lighter than i had been for 30 years
You can out cycle a bad diet on my big bike ride i was attempting to eat 4000 calories a day. I lost 10 kg. Its a bit extreme as an example mind you but i was eating significantly more than i usually do but still lost a significant amount of weight down lighter than i had been for 30 years
4000 is just getting started. I've always put on weight on bikepacking hols.
You can out cycle a bad diet on my big bike ride i was attempting to eat 4000 calories a day. I lost 10 kg. Its a bit extreme as an example mind you but i was eating significantly more than i usually do but still lost a significant amount of weight down lighter than i had been for 30 years
How much of the big ride was grinding out the miles vs HIIT hill climbs etc? Isn’t it current thinking that short bursts of HIIT are more beneficial for health and that long drawn out low intensity stuff like jogging/cycling don’t particularly contribute to weight loss.
Yes, you can out cycle a poor diet but you have to spend a lot of time in the saddle. Most people who have commitments like a job and family don't have enough time to devote to riding to be lucky enough to eat whatever they want and still lose weight.
Think it was 1.5g per kg of bodyweight, per day.
probably per kg lean body weight not total body weight. Lean bodyweight can be calculated from total weight as 0.65 x Ht(cm) - 59. I’m 179 cm so 1.5 g/kg is 86g of protein a day.
The loss of muscle is an issue, and strategies such as combination therapies that help to sustain or build muscle are being studied. Early days, but an anti-myostatin agent has prove successful in cancer cachexia (end stage cancer shows extreme weight loss).
As for heart health in the obese, unsurprisingly, their hearts are working rather hard as they carry excess weight around (presuming they move, which they do). They also have higher bone mineral density, which is another area of concern for this class.
Self control when you you could just stick a needle in yourself instead? That idea will never catch on.
GLP-1 is perhaps (like statins) a genuine wonder drug. Obesity is crippling lives and costing a fortune in otherwise preventable disease. it's has few side effects, is tolerable for most folks and it may even be, as a side effect, a treatment for liver disease, kidney disease, may have neuroprotective effects and protects against cardiovascular disease and stroke.
But yeah, will power...
The same as I was when I was 18, I’m 54 now. (I was 16 stone a few years ago) I sleep extremely well. My arthritis has all but gone, that to me is incredible. Just from quitting carbs and eating fatty red meat
I'm more or less the same shape as I was when I was 18, I'm 57. My jeans waist size hasn't changed. I've never been 16 stone, I sleep extremely well, never had arthritis. I eat carbs like a machine and I've never really eaten meat, red or otherwise.
Anecdote is not data
When calculating your recommended protein intake its best not to do so based on your current weight of course .. its where you want to be, and a little bit more just in case.
I totally agree with the comment of being able to out cycling a bad diet. To achieve weight loss you need to create a calorie deficit; burning more energy than you are putting in is the way, however some peoples metabolisms can take some kick starting. Another reminder is that some people over estimate the amount of calories they are burning. My wife will do an hour on the trainer, and afterwards state she has burned in excess of 700 calories ... and whilst she may have got out of breath at times, and sweated a bit, I am pretty sure she is burning little more than 300 at best.
Without getting too far off topic my point on the "buy em some running shoes" i still stick with. The majority of people will not lose weight as they dont have the time or inclination to do the extremes of exercise that would drive decent weight loss. They keep eating badly, and possibly more as they think they can after going for a 2 mile jog.
I am hoping the weight loss injections are teaching me that i can lose weight, and that it may reset my mind and body on what a "decent sized" meal looks like for the future. Once I come off the injections it is going to be a battle, I do realise this, but i am hoping that the before and after photos will give me strength to fight those food and booze cravings when they return.
Self control when you you could just stick a needle in yourself instead? That idea will never catch on.
This thread does expose a few dickheads. Why can't we just accept that losing weight is good for individuals and good for the NHS. There are lots of different ways to lose weight, some of these work for some people and some do not. If a person has the means to pay for medication to help, then why push back against that?
So many judgement, arrogant and intolerant experts on this thread.
Just catching up with some of this. As i say, I'm more conscious of eating enough now and because I don't eat much I'm trying to consume plenty of protein and fibre in what I do eat. I've been taking a daily vitamin supplement for a while and might look into the creatine that was mentioned earlier. I've have a gym membership but have been too embarrassed to return since the weight gain, but I've booked a PT session for next month that'll hopefully kick start that again as I used to enjoy going a couple of times a week especially when the weather isn't great for mtbing.
I'm not concerned about the speed with which I'm losing weight at the moment as I have a lot to lose and I do and always have done lots of exercise (except the period after the op when I put on a lot of this extra weight). I ride 4-5 times a week 100+ miles the problem I had was I ate and drank lots. I weighed myself this morning and I'm now 117kgs so that is just under 12kgs since I started (6-7kgs of that was in week 1 so probably a load of water weight). My goal is to get below 100kgs over the next 3 months which would be a very reasonable 1.5kgs per week. Obviously I'm thinking about what will happen once I get to the goal and eventually come off it, but I'm trying to be positive and hoping that some of the things I'm learning about portion size and eating better will stick, but who knows, maybe I'll be on it for life, that certainly beats being a fat old bastard with high blood pressure and a kebab away from heart disease.
You can out cycle a bad diet on my big bike ride i was attempting to eat 4000 calories a day. I lost 10 kg. Its a bit extreme as an example mind you but i was eating significantly more than i usually do but still lost a significant amount of weight down lighter than i had been for 30 years
How much of the big ride was grinding out the miles vs HIIT hill climbs etc? Isn’t it current thinking that short bursts of HIIT are more beneficial for health and that long drawn out low intensity stuff like jogging/cycling don’t particularly contribute to weight loss.
It was a long low i intensity pootle. 4 months plus riding 6 hrs a day six days a weej
Self control when you you could just stick a needle in yourself instead? That idea will never catch on.
Just wait until the orals arrive. Orfoglipron already shown good results in Ph3. Oral semaglutide isn’t so great as most of it is not absorbed. But orals are coming. I think that incretin pharmacology is nothing short of remarkable.
And like nickc, I’ve never been heavier than 76kg in my life, am about the same weight as when I married over 30 years ago, eat a mixed diet and lots of carbs. I also cycle a lot now, but didn’t due to Long Covid for two years (weight went from muscle in legs to adipose on tummy, and back again).
Maybe I have more GLP1 receptors, or they are more receptive to satiety signalling? I view GLP1/GIP supplementation as restoring homeostasis. If it helps stop addictive gambling, sleep apnoea, crisp cravings (never had food cravings, personally) and who knows what else, all good.
The thing about these drugs suppressing other addictive urges is fascinating.
Totally agree they could end up as widespread as statins, as a harm reduction/preventative measure.
The piecemeal nature of health funding appears to be a barrier to this for now though, since very few people seem able to get them prescribed on the NHS? I presume that's a funding thing rather than a shortage thing anyway.
crisp cravings
If they do a version that just targets this, then I'm in.
BIL has been thinking of getting rid of his parents wedding dinner service circa 1940 as its just been sitting in a box since his father died. In the end he just thought stuff it we might as well use it for every day use. He's now significantly reduced portion sizes instead of using the bin lids we tend to get these days for dinner plates.
The same as I was when I was 18, I’m 54 now. (I was 16 stone a few years ago) I sleep extremely well. My arthritis has all but gone, that to me is incredible. Just from quitting carbs and eating fatty red meat
I'm more or less the same shape as I was when I was 18, I'm 57. My jeans waist size hasn't changed. I've never been 16 stone, I sleep extremely well, never had arthritis. I eat carbs like a machine and I've never really eaten meat, red or otherwise.
Anecdote is not data
Nothing wrong with anecdotes as long as they are honest.
Accurate data in regards to nutrition and exercise is very hard to correlate due to the non ability to carry out strictly controlled studies on human participants.
You can out cycle a bad diet on my big bike ride i was attempting to eat 4000 calories a day. I lost 10 kg. Its a bit extreme as an example mind you but i was eating significantly more than i usually do but still lost a significant amount of weight down lighter than i had been for 30 years
How much of the big ride was grinding out the miles vs HIIT hill climbs etc? Isn’t it current thinking that short bursts of HIIT are more beneficial for health and that long drawn out low intensity stuff like jogging/cycling don’t particularly contribute to weight loss.
It was a long low i intensity pootle. 4 months plus riding 6 hrs a day six days a weej
So a completely unrealistic amount of exercise for 99% of people.
Oh absolutely but it shows that activity plays a huge part.
Same as when i retired i gained weight despite not changing my diet as my activity decreased.
You cannot gain weight without a calorie surplus. You cannot lose weight without a calorie deficit
One potential side effect I've had is developing PET (Patulous Eustachian Tube), as one of the possible causes is rapid weight loss. Curious if anyone else on jabs has this? It's where the Eustachian tube stays open (so you hear yourself breathing and your voice sounds distorted to you), mine comes and goes, annoyingly talking triggers it quite often (you then also can't really judge how loud you're talking). I started experiencing it 2-3 months ago and thought I just had water trapped in my ear initially. About to try saline drips to see if that helps.
You cannot gain weight without a calorie surplus. You cannot lose weight without a calorie deficit
There has been some research* with gut biome and even "poo" implants that appear to yield results (sometimes drastic) where the calorie intake doesn't change. Now that doesn't change your above statement, but it does show that there are factors beyond what we can control in terms of calorie intake and what we burn through activity that effects the equation. Irrc the laws of thermodynamics describe a "closed system" which does not describe the human digestive system.
*which I haven't delved into very much and I probably wouldn't understand it if I did.
Msp
Those sorts of factors are very much fringe effects. On a rough back of the fag packet calculated to lose 10kg over that time is only a couple of hundred calorie deficit it a day
Most folk who struggle to lose weight vastly underestimate the amount they eat
Most folk also overestimate how many calories exercise uses
Tomorrow will be my last does of the 2.5mg pen. I have a 5mg pen that I'm due to start the following week.
I'm wondering if I really need to up the dose as it's been going really well and certainly don't feel like it's working any less than it did from the first dose. Those that have been on it for a while what would you recommend, as I'm also thinking with the 4x 5mg pen I could continue dosing at 2.5mg and make it last 8 weeks.
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Those that have been on it for a while what would you recommend
The only person who should be offering this advice is the doctor who prescribed it.
Those that have been on it for a while what would you recommend, as I'm also thinking with the 4x 5mg pen I could continue dosing at 2.5mg and make it last 8 weeks.
That's what I did. Roughly speaking, I recall doing 2.5 for two months. 5 for one month. 7.5 two months, 10 for two, 12.5 for about three months then taper down back to my current 2.5.
You can forget about getting advice from the prescribing doctor, sadly. Neither they nor your own GP have the time for that sort of thing. That itself is an issue, because standard advice from the manufacturer is up the dose every month and most doctors would likely advise sticking with that if asked. Many people will feel rotten doing that.
Stick with the lowest dose you feel is working for you as long as you can.
Oh absolutely but it shows that activity plays a huge part.
Same as when i retired i gained weight despite not changing my diet as my activity decreased.
You cannot gain weight without a calorie surplus. You cannot lose weight without a calorie deficit
The release of insulin following the consumption of carbohydrates is what causes weight gain. The same mass of carbs compared to mass of fat/protein will release significantly different amounts of insulin. The more insulin released the more fat will be stored. Those who graze feed often with carbs will gain the most weight. Those who consume little or no carbs and eat once or twice a day will gain the least.
I'm wondering if I really need to up the dose as it's been going really well and certainly don't feel like it's working any less than it did from the first dose
Good question, I just followed the standard advice of slowly increasing my dosage until I hit the 15mg (I didn't really have any side effects so didn't need to stick or reduce the dose to try and alleviate them). Looking back though I don't think past 7.5mg it had anymore of an effect on me in terms of appetite suppression so I probably could (should?) have stopped upping my dose then.
I'm in the process now of reducing my dose (next order is 10mg) to try and find a dose whereby I don't feel the need to snack etc. but still want to eat 2 or 3 decent sized meals a day (as right now I'm definitely not eating enough and will be losing lean muscle mass, which isn't great as I'm trying to get fitter through cycling). I figure I'll stick there for a few months whilst trying to sort my diet out and then hopefully come off it completely.
One thing that worries me is if I do stop (I sound like an addict now...) but then find myself putting weight back on can I restart or do I need to wait for my BMI to hit 30 again? I should probably ask the online pharmacy clinician...
There's an interesting Docu/soap/whatever on Netflix about The Biggest Loser show and it shows how many of the contestants have struggled after the show and most are the same size as pre-show despite losing sometimes 240lb of weight at the time and being shown time and time again how to do it.
I do wonder how many of 'you' will go straight back up to the overweight as soon as stopping the medication.
I'm not preaching BTW, i've got 3-4st to drop myself, but i'm not sure this is the answer i want.
I'm not preaching BTW, i've got 3-4st to drop myself, but i'm not sure this is the answer i want.
The thing is @weeksy no matter how you lose the weight you (not you personally) will put it back on if you go back to the same eating routine you had before you lost it. The injections are a much more achievable way of losing weight for me as I dont have any cravings to fight, but i am under no illusions that once I stop, something will have to change with my diet. I am hoping that getting back to a weight i haven't been at for 20 years will spur me to not undo it all. It will be tough though.
I'm not preaching BTW, i've got 3-4st to drop myself, but i'm not sure this is the answer i want.
The thing is @weeksy no matter how you lose the weight you (not you personally) will put it back on if you go back to the same eating routine you had before you lost it. The injections are a much more achievable way of losing weight for me as I dont have any cravings to fight, but i am under no illusions that once I stop, something will have to change with my diet. I am hoping that getting back to a weight i haven't been at for 20 years will spur me to not undo it all. It will be tough though.
Granted on the first bit, but i guess the point was, if you lose it in a controlled manner using diet/exercise you're likely more prepared for the 'after' side of things as it's less of an artifical way of losing it, so on the drugs you're not 'learning' in terms of both the process and the urges, but if you're doing it the cold hard way, you're likely learning the lessons better ?
but if you're doing it the cold hard way, you're likely learning the lessons better ?
Plenty of people do it the hard way, then slip back into old habits gradually and before you know it you're 10-12 kgs heavier than you want to be...
I'm considering a short course just to kick start myself back into some semblance of shape. Need to do more research if that's viable or not.
but if you're doing it the cold hard way, you're likely learning the lessons better ?
I agree with you to a point. I did it the cold hard way last year when I was even heavier than when I started on the injections. I never managed to get back to a point where I was in good shape but I did shed over 1st. It was really hard going though, and despite having all the literature and knowing how to lose the weight and keep the weight off I slowly put a lot of it back on across the year.
I know this is a little extreme but bear with me. Like there are people out there who will succumb to gambling, drug use, or other addictions quite easily and struggle massively to quit, I think the same can be said for food and drink. There are people who just have that inherent ability to ignore the beer and the Donar kebab (or those annoying types who can have 1 beer, and a chicken kebab) and then there are those who have one beer and crave another and another and fall face first into a yummy curry at 10.30PM. I unfortunately fall into the latter of those catagories. If I had tried drugs I would probably be dead by now (Thanks for the heads up Zammo) So, my journey once the injections drop off will be an interesting one. Fingers crossed I will enjoy the new lightweight version of me so much that I won't want to ruin it.
Oh absolutely but it shows that activity plays a huge part.
Up to a point. If you'd have carried on with your "bike around the world" adventure, your body would've adapted and the weight loss would've plateaued, and you may have even started to gain again.
Late last week I was sent an email with the new price of Mounjaro. I think I will be coming off it in a couple of months based on this new price. Need to get cracking on the coping methods pre-injections
I dont think youre learning the habit any better the ' old way', else thered be a lot more people retaining those habits. And that's not the case. If using drugs,can artificially teach you a new habit and reinforce it for 6 months , thats effective
My experience with Wegovy turned rough after my gallbladder surgery. I later found out that the FDA only added gallbladder warnings in 2022, years after people reported issues. The Ozempic lawsuit breakdown lists that timeline and the label changes - December 2017, March 2022, and again in 2024. That's the kind of stuff I wish doctors had mentioned before prescribing it as a "safe" appetite suppressant
I think the gallbladder stuff is related to fast weightloss so is not directly associated to the drugs themselves but more the outcome of using the drugs??? So if you took a slower approach and took lower doses for longer, the liklihood of gallbladder issues is reduced?
The above is not a statement, more of a question.
I wasn't aware of the gall bladder stuff. Thanks for the heads up. I recently found out I have developed gall stones when I had a scan for a broken back. I was puzzled as to how I could have developed them (basically zero cholesterol levels my whole life due to a quirk of genetic blood chemistry). Now I've got a hint about them. No issues or symptoms arising from the gall stones, so just wait and watch there. I'm about 10 months in on Mounjaro and keeping at a dose that doesn't suppress my appetite but does punish me for overeating on the idea of a bit of aversion therapy to reinforce being able to eat less while also getting the health benefits re diabetes, blood pressure, and liver function (all of which are why I'm really on the drugs). Saying that, I've lost about 15% of my body weight, which does help with overall health.
What dose are you on now? Only 7 weeks in and was planning on staying at 5 for a while - 7.5 is ruinously more expensive without swapping supplier every 4 weeks. I plan to see if I can sustain between .5 and 1kg loss weekly. Not really upped exercise yet, merely changing diet has been the biggest difference.
10mg. 1kg loss a week is a huge amount over a long time. Having read up on the gall stones thing, mebbes not a great idea to lose that fast over a sustained period of time.
0.5-1kg is referred to on an NHS site as slow and steady though? I don't know if the body gets used to the drug so I'd need to increase dose to maintain level of appetite suppression. Definitely would not want more - am finding that massively reduced sugar intake is working for me. Don't understand why you would want to take the drugs and continue with a poor diet, though I do know someone with this approach.
am finding that massively reduced sugar intake is working for me.
Ta daaaaa!
Cutting carbs/sugar is 99% it. Get into ketosis as much as possible and watch the fat do one!
What dose are you on now? Only 7 weeks in and was planning on staying at 5 for a while - 7.5 is ruinously more expensive without swapping supplier every 4 weeks. I plan to see if I can sustain between .5 and 1kg loss weekly. Not really upped exercise yet, merely changing diet has been the biggest difference.
I started at the beginning of July and other than the first month on 2.5mg have stayed at 5mg, partially to keep the cost down, and partially as I didn't want to risk side effects and not be able to exercise as much. I'm down 17kg in that period but weight loss has started to slow slightly and I've also increased the amount of exercise from about 100km a week on average to over 150km.
keeping at a dose that doesn't suppress my appetite but does punish me for overeating
Eh? The whole point of these drugs is to suppress your appetite. Are you saying it just makes you feel sick if you eat a certain amount and you're using that to reduce the amount you eat? If so that sounds a bit odd to say the least.
Eh? The whole point of these drugs is to suppress your appetite. Are you saying it just makes you feel sick if you eat a certain amount and you're using that to reduce the amount you eat? If so that sounds a bit odd to say the least.
They make you feel sated sooner due to some magic it does with the communication between stomach and brain. They slow down the processing of food in the gut which can mean you feel sick if you try to eat the same amount of food as you would under your pre-injection state. It hasn't happened to me but a friend had an issue where they went out for dinner in the first month and wolfed down a 3 course meal. This caused sickness. But as long as you listen to your brain and stop when you reach your new "fullness" level, there isnt an issue.
The only other thing to mention on sickness is that nausea is a common side effect. But it isnt how the drug manages the weight loss.
keeping at a dose that doesn't suppress my appetite but does punish me for overeating
Eh? The whole point of these drugs is to suppress your appetite. Are you saying it just makes you feel sick if you eat a certain amount and you're using that to reduce the amount you eat? If so that sounds a bit odd to say the least.
That's exactly how they work for me. I'm still just as hungry as I've always been but get stomach ache if I eat too much, and that's less than a normal portion. Sugary things and strong alcohol are the same. I can't eat gels or jelly babies at all now.
That's exactly how they work for me. I'm still just as hungry as I've always been but get stomach ache if I eat too much, and that's less than a normal portion. Sugary things and strong alcohol are the same. I can't eat gels or jelly babies at all now.
That's not how they are supposed to work. I literally have no interest in food, not a thought for it. Wonder if trying a different version for you as it sounds quite unpleasant
Different strokes for different folks. I've found the appetite suppression effect wears off after time as your body adapts. You either up the dose to get it back or try to see if the overall effect works for you without the massive appetite suppression. The drug does a number of things to your system and some of them directly cause appetite suppression, some of them have other effects (e.g. lower bile production) that can have side effects such as nausea if you push it too much. I think that training your mind over time to not eat as much as it will make you not well is better in the long term than relying on a physical "block" on appetite that would disappear if an when you stop using the drug. If you're not using the drug, should you really be criticising how it works for folks?
I'm using it for treatment of diabetes, high blood pressure, and liver function issues (i.e. what it was originally intended for). The weight loss bit is a side effect of how it works for those, but is definitely a handy side effect. I'm hoping over time to reduce the dose I need to still treat those areas while not needing any appetite suppression as some of the other side effects (like the gall bladder bit talked about earlier) are not magic darts to say the least.
As this thread is supposed to be about sharing the experience of folks actually using the drug, saying what works and doesn't work for each person is exactly what this is about. Not about criticising people for not being what you expect.
I'm more or less the same shape as I was when I was 18, I'm 57. My jeans waist size hasn't changed. I've never been 16 stone, I sleep extremely well, never had arthritis. I eat carbs like a machine and I've never really eaten meat, red or otherwise.
Anecdote is not data
Yeah, but you spend far too much time reading masses of military history so your HR is probably zone 2 constantly, with barely suppressed anxiety over the state of the world.
<sorry /not> 🤣
As a wise person once said, "You can't out run a bad diet
Am I missing something here? The whole point of that phrase is the 'bad diet' bit, ie eat healthily. Not that any exercise will be undone by any food!
That's not how they are supposed to work. I literally have no interest in food, not a thought for it. Wonder if trying a different version for you as it sounds quite unpleasant
It's still having the desired effect of me losing weight and hopefully it'll make the transition easier when coming off it.
[Mod] All, a polite reminder of the purpose of this thread which is to discuss experiences. It is not to criticise what folk are doing. Thanks for your co-operation.
@Fat-boy-fat Sorry if I came across as critical. Not sure if it was my poor use of the quotation function when answering the original comment from FuzzyWuzzy or if I was a bit preachy.
My experience has been positive on Mounjaro but due to the cost I have moved to Wegovy now. First month on that and waiting to see if I react differently.
@Fat-boy-fat Sorry if I came across as critical. Not sure if it was my poor use of the quotation function when answering the original comment from FuzzyWuzzy or if I was a bit preachy.
My experience has been positive on Mounjaro but due to the cost I have moved to Wegovy now. First month on that and waiting to see if I react differently.
im a bit confused why you needed to. I’ve never seen you as a fat fella
@weeksy, I hide it well under black clothes. It also helps that it doesn't show much on my face. 14st with a body fat % of 30 on the smart scales is where I was in Feb. I am now at 24% and 11st 10. As I am only 5ft 8 i am about right weight wise now but need to drop some more fat from around the chest and stomach along with building back some muscle loss.
Every day's a school day I guess, I knew people had differing experiences on Mounjaro but I always assumed the nausea part was either something that went away as you got used to it (I had it briefly going from 2.5 to 5mg) or you stopped it and tried one of the others. Using the nausea as the primary method to reduce food intake sounds unpleasant but fair play for sticking with it, not sure I could!