u/Wise-Cupcake-5371

After the issues of the last few times, I started a new 12.5mg pen. 1st injection just done.

Let's see what happens. I hope after spending a few weeks back to 10mg, my tolerance of 12.5 is better. Last time my appetite suppression was excessive and I was worried about not eating and even drinking water was less than my usual.

I know that's great for losing weight rapidly but I'm more interested in staying healthy while losing weight! I still need to be able to eat nutrinionally dense foods and drink my water without having to think twice about it.

My 6month review is coming up and I'm nervous about that too. I need to keep going as I'm nowhere near where I need to be weight-wise.

I will use this thread over the week as I journal the effects of 12.5mg on me this time around. Hope it might be useful to others.

Love.

And just when I thought things are settling... lol

I am better now, but the last 2 days were scary.

The slow gastric emptying reared its ugly face and I emptied the entire stomach in one go in the middle of the night. Spent the day tired, weaked and sleepy. I gave my stomach a break.

Today I'm better, much better in fact, for which I'm grateful.

What a roller coaster it's been in the last month.

It bothers me as I have to be close to home "just in case".

I have a planned holiday and I want to go only if I'm stable again.

Sigh.

Stay patient, stay in for the long haul.

Love <3

Well, after the recent snafu with my 12.5mg dose and heatwaves and potassium and other meds in review, I got down to 10mg after a couple of weeks off MJ here and there. (I stopped the 12.5mg during the heatwave and waiting for my prescribers and GP to advise on the other stuff going). My appetite returned and I ate more than before (but still healthy and wholesome foods). Well, I weighed myself this morning and I have lost a bit. I thought at best I was maintaining, so that was a good surprise. I was losing more on 12.5mg but I had stopped eating and was feeling sick and weak.

Now, on 10mg the loss is slower but my energy is back and I can balance my other meds and diet easier.

It's a fine balance, isn't it.

I did not need to get scared. I also measured my waist and yes, I've also lost inches from my waist, despite the up's and down's with my diet.

For me the lesson from this backtrack is: 1) the whole MJ thing is not an exact science, the body is a lot more complex than that, and 2) as long as you keep on the route, any diversions are par for the course.

Imagine this: when piloting an airplane, the weather and airtraffic conditions could temporarily change the momentary route of a plane. As long as the plane is still directed towards its final destination, any detours are fine.

Keep up on the route.

And don't be scared of any necessary diversions as long as you get back at it as soon as possible.

With love <3

It's ridiculous but I finally feel so much better today.

We lost the blazing sun and the temps are almost too cool for this time of the year, but the respite from the endless heatwaves are so welcome by my body.

In the last few weeks, I had a mini crisis due to a combination of MJ 12.5mg, the heat, and my BP meds. I kept losing potassium, which brought everything to a screetching halt. With the medical help of both my GP, and MJ prescriber, I'm back down to 10mg, stopped the specific BP med (for now), and my gut is back to working order. My sleep is also better as I eat earlier in the day as before the heatwave.

Yesterday was the first day of success in terms of eating enough and well throughout the day. I had reached a point that I had to stop cooking (who likes to cook at 35 degrees) but also had zero appetite and even some aversion to certain foods (bananas no longer taste well while I'm on MJ).

I have avoided the scales as my focus was for me to get my rhythm again with diet and meds. However, more people have noticed and commented that I've lost weight. My clothes are loose now to the point where I cannot ubt admit the new reality. Still a lot of weight to lose to get anywhere near my healthy weight but getting down from the plus plus sizes feels good.

I will keep this up for another week, when I'm due for a review from my MJ team. Then we see if I am ready to go to 12.5mg again.

If you are just starting, know that this journey like all others can have retours and peaks and valleys along the way. Don't get scared, stay flexible, stay in close touch with your doctors, and be in it for the long haul. TA

Oh dear. I am on day 5 after my 1st injection of the 12.5mg MJ.

Day 1 was full of serious nausea.

Day 2 to now, nausea seems gone but I cannot eat. Food aversion that some have decribed it as, is right. It is impossible to finish any normal portion of food. Slow gastric emptying is real and because of my acid reflux it interfers with my sleep.

The only things that I tolerate somewhat are the bland things that are not so nutritious, like white bread, rice, banana (can't finish a normal size banana, too strong a taste!).

I do keep up the water as I take pills but the whole thing is leaving me pretty fatigued.

I sleep a lot. And no matter how good my sleep, I'm tired within a few hours of waking.

I'm dreading the second dose this Sunday.

Should I microdose or persist?

I'm a bit concerned about being underfed and exhausted.

I always get similar effects in the first couple of days after each injection, but the food aversion is news to me. No weight loss either. But it;s only week 1 on 12.5mg. I want to give it time but I also don't want to continue feeling this bad. It's not only appetite suppression, it is also an aversion to food. This is new. I could still eat in the previous dosages, this time, I have to push and force myself.

I tried to make up with liquid calories but the slow gastric emptying was felt for 12hrs after drinking one of the shakes (I didn't even finish it, but I managed about 3/4 of it)!

Of course fatigue could be due to the heat and eating less, and some of my other conditions (although I'm not a diabetic).

Well, I guess if I see weight loss at least I can feel encouraged to continue. Or should I microdose?

Grateful for advice from those who have been there, done that and can tell what they did and how they managed. TA

I was supposed to start on the 12.5mg pen on Tue this week but I got it now.

I didn't want the higher dose to interfere with the extreme heat, as I was already feeling very bad as it was due to the heat.

It's a much cooler day today so I got the 1st injection from my 12.5mg pen.

Curious how this will work.

10mg was wonderful for me, let's hope 12.5 will be like that as well.

And that the cooler weather stays.

I had a f2f yesterday for my cardiac test results, and we also discussed MJ.

I was delighted to fibd her well-informed. I was talking about my experience and how it worked and that it requires changes, not as easy as people seem to think and she says "it's not magic". It was music to my ears as I know that most GPs have clue they were not trained about it in med school.

She also agreed with the thought that obesity is a disease and I might have to stay on it for life.

I'm just sharing how grateful and relieved I am. I have a blood test today to see how things go. Fingers X'ed.

I don't know if anyone disintergrates into a melting mess during heatwaves, like I do.

My sleep is disrupted, my exercise is disrupted, drinking water and eating salty stuff becomes a priority.

Getting out is out until near sundown when the temp is back to the early 20s.

Doing any kind of focused work is out the window. Brain becomes a sloppy mash.

How do you guys deal? I need to protect my sleep and exercise when it heats 30s. I just lose the will to do anything active other than housework.

I will do it now! Going for the 5th dose off my 10mg MJ kwickpen. Fingers X'ed.

Any last minute advice, comment now or forever keep your silence. 😉

🫣🤞

Please don't comment if you are not going to be kind. Thanks.

I know I shouldn't have taken so hard and initially I brushed it off, but it stayed with me.

I met a dear friend earlier and she asked me if I had started my weight loss medication. When I said yes, she asked me if it works. I asked her if she can see any difference and she exclaimed a quick anddefinite no. That hurt.

I know this is one person's view and she is a good friend, she is also a bit overweight but not as obese as I am. I think she was honest that she couldn't see a difference.

When I started on this journey I was 20kg heavier.

Wearing loose clothes can cover your weight well. Esp if people don't care to notice.

I tend to wear the same clothes now that I'm 20kg lighter.

I just wish the damn thing worked a bit faster lol.

I keep getting stuck after I lose something noticeable. And after weeks of getting stuck I then lose again. I'm at 10mg, so I don't have a lot of new pens to see a bigger loss on.

I'm scared I may be stuck in my high numbers forever. (I'm still BMI 56, so a long way to go for anywhere near the healthy range.)

Despite my efforts.

And despite MJ.

This is a continuation from yesterday's post.

They contacted me with the typical "it's not our fault blah blah".

My syringe is arriving tommorow.

What is great is that I still have appetite suppression (I'm on 10mg MJ, past my 4th week now).

It is so good to see that. I really think slowing down the doses is helpful.

I did feel a bit out of control yesterday but I think it was more the anxiety of the missing dose than actual hunger.

Very interesting to observe.

I'm glad I have the option of the syringe as I will be smarter with my pens now. Since my body is faring well past the 4th week on 10mg, I will go slow and ride it out. As long as I'm not getting the food noise back.

Just thought I'd share. Those of us on NHS MJ standard protocol do not have a chance to test this slower route. I'm glad I accidentally can test it now. Let's see what happens and if things get too delayed, I can use my 5th dose.

Well, for the first time since on NHS, my prescription is not ready yet.

This means that today that I'm due to start 12.5mg I will have nothing to inject.

I've notified them for the delay obviously but I received no response, I should hear something from Monday, I hope.

Very weird as they have been so good with this so far.

Anyone else on NHS MJ and had a similar expwerience?

The weight I lost in the beginnning of the week (1wk on 10mg) is kept down and I'm due for the next injection tomorrow. Pretty happy.

I've finally left the 150kg point where I've been hovering at while on 7.5mg.

I also slept better last night, and maybe that helped too.

Let's hope it continues to go well.

What do people do after they reach the final dose of MJ and have NOT reached their goal weight?

NB: I know what people can do if you *have* reached your goal weight. I'm asking what happens if you reach the highest dose on MJ and you still have a lot of weight to lose.

TA

Well, that is like a day and night kindof feeling from 7.5 to 10!

The 'burps were there, but nothing different or worth noting.

Then, I woke up feeling too full on my stomach still (hello slow gastric emptying). Went to the loo to pee, and I ended up vomiting before peeing for the 1st time since I started on GLP1 medication.

Again nothing serious, there was no food in the stomach obviously, and I ate in deficit all day yesterday as usual.

It is a note-worthy difference in side effects though.

Feeling good overall (well, after I cleaned up self and surrounding areas, and changed clothes lol). No other side effects.

I will take it easier today, more water, for sure.

Any suggestions on how to eat today to ease into it, welcome. Maybe withhold coffee? I don't know. It doesn't feel like I need to do anything at all. I will nurse my water for the next few hours and take it from there.

Weight still stuck but lost a few more inches from my waist (not from chest and hips, but from the waist). This is great as the belly fat is really a bad indicator for one's own health. Cannot see it in the mirror but I can feel it in how the clothes fit.

I was all set to go until they informed us that there will be a photographer around and we need to consent to our photos being taken and shared in social and other media.

I'm not ready for this. I'm finishing my 3rd week of 7.5mg MJ and still at 150kg (plus or minus a kilo depending on water loss, BM, etc).

I know I feel better (lost 15kg since January this year, starting without GLP1's and continued first with Wegovy and then with MJ) but still going very slowly and not looking like a normal person size. My ideal weight would be around 65kg, so I'm more than double that.

I just want to cry. I know it takes patience, and I know I'm doing well in terms of nutrition and exercise but turning down unique events (only a very small group was invited and I was so lucky to be in that group) is just so disheartening. (NB: nothing to do with "social class", this event was about an innovative technology I am a user of)

How do you relax in the journey? I can't live under a rock until I'm under 100kg (assuming I will ever be under 100kg).

Sorry for the dispirited post. I need your support if at all possible.

As some may know, I've started daily walking and cycling as part of my May fundraiser in honour of my sister who died from brain tumour on 25/4. The funds are for the Brain Tumour Research charity, a very niche charity that carries the torch for brain cancer patients and their families.

I don't know if it's the added activity but I have lost less than 0.5kg this week. My eating is stable. 7.5mg controls my appetite well without major issues. But digestion is definitely slower now. It's a nice stability but just wish my weight would come off a bit faster. On Saturday I will take my measeurements again to see how things have been body-volume-wise but I know that exercise is helping me. My sleep is finally getting better. This morning my apnea machine marked 0.0 apnea events overnight!

So grateful that I'm on this journey. It really makes it easier to tune into my body and do my best to help it, work with it rather than against it.

Food is still wholesome. Added Purition shakes on the days when I've no time to cook. Purition is real foods with zero added nasties. I still prefer real foods (I do love food) but I love to have options to good nutrition when I can't cook or eat a cooked meal. Drinking natural ingredients is a very handy alternative for every now and then when it's needed.

Overall good progress. Daily exercise, good nutrition, better sleep, better overall energy too.

My cardiac tests are next week, let's hope all is well. (I also noticed that the breathlessness during exertion is almost gone.)

I got my Renpho scales today and it's been a revelation.

As I suspected my cals are too low and I'm very low in muscle and protein.

(And of course very high in fat.)

Even my water is low.

I am going to work on improving things. That is exactly why I need to see these numbers.

I knew I was not eating enough. I'm barely eating 1100 cals according to the scales (and it;'s right according to my calculations as well). So no wonder I'm so tired!

Time to change things. I will add those proten shakes/smoothies more frequently in my day. Up my water again. And stick to 3 small meals per day (I barely have two as it is).

This is really useful as reference. And no wonder my poor body is not losing faster! I'm not giving it what it needs. (It does lose, but at the epxense of muscle, bone mass etc. Not good.)

If you are thinking of getting those body composition scales, please do. They can give you a good picture of what is going on with your nutrition while on the MJ journey.

My goal is to be healthy. What's the point losing weight and being sick?

Plus I suspect, when I'm healthier in terms of composition, I will be able to lose better and faster.

I know some people use this community for information online.

I prefer to use it for camaraderie and mutual support.

So, to those who supported me on my Beurer scales issue, major thank you as the seller has refunded me for it. (As I was in the middle of bereavement, I didn't have the energy to deal with returns but I gave it a shot after being encouraged by the community here.)

Also, to say that I'm on week 2 of the 7.5mg dose and this is a smoothier ride than 5mg was. The issues I had in the beginning of the week while on 5mg (bloating, eating nothing etc.) are far more mild on 7.5mg. Also the weight loss is now spread along all days of the week (I jab weekly) instead of only in the beginning of the week while I was at 5mg. The difference is enough to make me pay attention.

I'm still grieving and my body needs a lot of sleep and good nutrition. I have started the protein + fibre (from Purition) shakes to support my body and it definitely helps me.

Let's hope the stress mellows down a bit as I've been running on adrenaline and cortisol all these months with my sister dying day by day and week by week.

From tomorrow, May 1st, I will resume my walks to honour my sister and fundraise for others dying from brain cancer.

Hugs and gratitude ❤