Mounjaro, wegovy, omazpic…any experiences

Embarrassing, but I’ve recently had a referral to orthopaedics in relation to knee osteoarthritis and potential knee replacement knocked back due to my BMI being too high. Also for being too young (54) but thats another battle as my other knee was replaced 6 years ago, but I was 5/6 stone lighter.

Anyway I’m desperate to lose the weight as soon as I can to get a re-referral as  even a recent steroid  injection hasn’t helped as much as I’d hoped. I have already restarted MFP and do as much as my knees and joints and other health issues allow at the gym for strength and ebike when knee and weather allows.

I am a well built stocky guy with size 13 feet so BMI has never worked for me anyway, but regardless I do need to lose a shit ton of fat.

Any experiences?

Ta.

You’ve managed the biggest battle which is having a good, identifiable reason for losing weight.  That’s what gets you through the tough times as losing weight is tough.  If you don’t have that it can be easy to give up

For me I didn’t have a huge amount to lose but I used MFP over a week to baseline how much I actually took in each day.  I then took 500 cal/day off of that total and that helped me lose around 500g/week.  500g/day isn’t too bad really and I did it without changing any diet, mainly stopping snacking.  You end up a a bit hungry but in a manageable way and the weight comes off slowly but reliably.  Try and lose much more and it seems you start messing with your basic metabolic rate and you then have to start doing other funny things to counteract that effect.

slow and steady for me so it’s a lifestyle change rather than a short weight loss then back to normal.

Cheers, appreciate that input, but I’m just after experiences of the weight loss injections. I know what to do in terms of weight loss, and I know slow and steady is the way, but I really want to get through this BMI road block to see orthopaedics as soon as I can. I need to lose 17kg as a minimum I think, ideally 27kg for BMI of 30.

My weight has rocketed due to being out of work with a number of health conditions, so other than when I can get to the gym or out on my bike I’m largely stuck in the house. Load bearing kills after no time, push the trolley around the supermarket and I’m in lots of pain and needing the sofa when I get home. Ironically my biggest love (other than cycling) has always been walking/hiking and has been my ‘profession’ before health issues stopped work.

I’ve set my daily calories at 2300 which is probably atleast 700 cals below maintenance for me.

I’ve researched this a lot and have come to the conclusion that it works.

I’m happy to go through my situation but for the sake of the OPs question, I think you’ll get great results from it given your circumstances.

However, the NHS won’t just put you on it without trying regular weight management protocols first – these can last 12 weeks to 12 months before they send you up a tier and onto the drugs.

I’m 52 and currently going through the NHS – very early stages so nowhere near drug referal.

If you want to use it privately, there seems to be plenty of places offering it for around £200 a month after what are probably some ‘easy’ questions.

So in short, I’d expect the drug to work for you – getting it is another matter.

I dated someone who had used it very successfully. Didn’t sound like there were any downsides.

On another note, did the GP offer to refer you to a weight-loss programme at all?

My employer provides these in various parts of the country and they can be very helpful. You often don’t even need a referral. They are free to the end user BTW.

Cheers.

No GP didn’t offer a referral at all despite some discussion, and tbh at the time I was a bit in shock/upset so not thinking straight with other questions about what i could do for my knee . I have search my NHS trust and there’s possibly a clinic they can refer to but it’s basically a 2 hour round trip and then other delays as you say with referrals and other programmes first.  They did have some other local clinic but doesn’t look like it’s still running and my BMI is too high for that 🙄

BMI is 39 as of this morning, apparently when they weighed me about 5 weeks ago it was 40.5, but that was in clothes (thankfully minus size 13 shoes 🤣)

We’re prepared to pay the £200 for a handful of months from savings if it gets me near where I need to be. I was looking at it on the Superdrug online doctor thing.

I have ordered some knee sleeves that should help for when I go to the gym or shopping/out and about, and looking at re-organising my gym routine to not load my knees (no deadlift/bent over row/RDLs standing presses/ (box) squats, but do some machine leg work.

Be great to hear from anyone (or S.O.) who’s used it to see if they felt ok on it, side effects etc.

Asda Online will prescribe wegovy if you meet thier criteria which I think is either BMI of over 30 or 27 with a weight related health issue, there’s a few questions to answer (general health) and I think prices start at £169 for a 4 week course of 0.25 injectables. If you have diabetes or kidney issues you may get rejected though.

Does it work? Broadly yes, some pts I know at my practice have reported experiencing diarrhoea and nausea , stomach cramps and so on, and some folks don’t tolerate it it, but as a single weekly injection I’ve seen committed pts lose a shit tonne (technical term) and they say it’s convenient, easy and works.

Cheers Nickc,

Didn’t realise Asda did it, might be more convenient as the nearest Superdrug to collect from is 2 hour round trip, though they do post with a special courier.

No diabetes or kidney issues, blood pressure is fine. Mainly just have knackered joints, ME/CFS, sleep issues.

If you’re comfortable sharing which local authority you are under (who you pay council tax to), I can have a quick look for you?

We certainly offer remote sessions to people in many of our areas.

@Chakaping it’s Arbroath, Angus Council.

Ta.

I think this would be your local provider:

https://www.nhstayside.scot.nhs.uk/OurServicesA-Z/NutritionandDieteticService/PROD_361040/index.htm

Looks like you may need a referral from GP, or perhaps a nurse at the surgery could do it.

Good luck with the injections.  It will be interesting to see how well it works

Cheers 👍

Well I’ve ordered the Mounjaro from Superdrug as it’s supposed to be more effective still than Wegovy, the order has been approved.  You also have to send photo of yourself from the front and one looking down at the scale with the weight on it,  as well as some general health questions.

It should be here tomorrow, but probably won’t start it until Monday as I’m away next weekend and they’re weekly injections that need to be stored in the fridge.

I’ll update my experiences here for any one else.

they’re weekly injections that need to be stored in the fridge.

Do you do the injections yourself?  Are they the single shot clicky type things?

Yeh you do them yourself in to your stomach, front thigh, or upper arm. I had to do blood thinner shots in my stomach after my other knee replacement, so I know what to expect, not great fun, but not an issue.

Apparently it’s one injector pen with 4 x weekly doses in it. The first month is 2.5mg a shot, then it increases each month upto 15mg per shot maximum depending how it goes for you.

Didn’t sound like there were any downsides.

There certainly are –  I listened to an interesting podcast on Ozempic, etc recently (Science Vs) and the main one is muscle loss and possibly bone density – much more so than if you were to lose weight in a more gradual way. Definitely something to be aware of. They also mentioned the nausea/vomiting issue but that doesn’t affect everyone the same apparently!

and the main one is muscle loss and possibly bone density

But if you’re exercising regularly, that shouldn’t be an issue. I did read an American study that  pointed out this very thing, but the study was based around very elderly folks taking weigh loss injectables. How much of an issue it would be for a n active 50 year old is probs moot.

Didn’t sound like there were any downsides.

There certainly are

I meant there weren’t any downsides  for the lady in particular, it had been overwhelmingly positive.

I know very little about the drugs myself, but perhaps they’re like vaping as a harm reduction tool – massively better than smoking but not without issues.

Obviously there are potential side effects with any medication, the main likely ones with this being some nausea, diarrhea or constipation which apparently eases as you get used to it. As with anything a long list of other possibilities.

This one isn’t ozempic but tirzepatide which uses a couple of different hormones to control appetite. Tried to copy and paste the details but it all went a bit crazy and CBA typing it.

Yeh I’m doing strength training at the gym and part of my diet is ensuring plenty of protein too.

I’m intrigued by these drugs and I am tempted.

As a Novo Nordisk share holder I  think they are great.

They have a tablet version of Wegovy in development that’s is a couple of years away, I reckon once it’s available it will be very popular.

They have a tablet version of Wegovy in development that’s is a couple of years away,

More than that I think. There are some huge hurdles to overcome to get these drugs to work in tablet form, but yes, if they do get to that stage, it’ll be crazy popular.

The guy who runs a diabetes podcast I listen to (he’s not a diabetic), has been using Wegovy. He’s covered his his experience over a few episodes.

He seems to be very happy with the results.

Google “Juicebox Podcast Wegovy”

You may be better off calorie counting. Hard, potentially slow, but that can help build ‘eat less, move more’ habits that are sustainable.

once on any of these you will likely stay on them.

They seem to have an emerging set of associated benefits which may appeal.

and always read the label.

the black box warnings may be of interest.
https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/downloadpdffile.cfm?setId=ee06186f-2aa3-4990-a760-757579d8f77b

https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=adec4fd2-6858-4c99-91d4-531f5f2a2d79

etc

I am calorie counting with MyFitnessPal and moving as much as my body allows (strength training and ebiking) as in the original posts.  This is to help speed that up so that I can get my BMI low enough for a re-referral to orthopaedics sooner rather than later, as they knocked my referral back due to BMI being too high.

I know weight loss is 80% diet (or there abouts), but when you’re not very mobile due to knee arthritis it’s not so easy.

Will check out that podcast 👍

Apologies for the slightly wobbly source, and I’m not against the medication in any way (I know nothing about medicine) but isn’t one of the concerns that if you want to keep the weight off, you have to keep taking the medication? Not that there’s anything wrong with that – plenty of people have to take medication indefinitely – I am just mentioning/asking.

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/heres-how-much-weight-people-regain-after-stopping-mounjaro-zepbound

Well it’s something I’ve wondered about as it does mess with those hormones, the same as when someone stops a diet and puts weight back on.

I am trying to sort my eating out too, so that I’m not relying only on the jabs to lose weight, it’s an added help to get me to the BMI where orthopaedics will see me.

The hope is that I can get my BMI down enough to get my knee looked at and sorted out so that I can be more active which, along with better eating, with help keep it off.

How are these drugs working inside you to make you lose weight?

Suppresses the appetite?

Increases metabolism?

Can you carry on eating more than you should and still lose weight?

Google…

Mounjaro helps with weight loss by decreasing food intake and slowing down how fast food travels through your digestive tract (called gastric emptying). This may help you to feel fuller for a longer period of time and reduce how much food you eat. Studies show this action may occur in the brain.

Mounjaro is a single molecule that activates glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors. GIP and GLP-1 are both natural incretin hormones.

GIP has been shown to decrease how much you eat and increase your energy expenditure, which results in weight loss. When combined with a GLP-1 receptor agonist, this may result in greater positive effects on blood glucose and body weight.

Mounjaro also slows the movement of food from the stomach into the small intestine. As a result, you may feel full more quickly and for a longer period of time, so you eat less.

In this order; cut out all ultra processed foods and seed oils. Quit alcohol. Then gradually go low carb (keto). Over a period of say 3 months aim to get fully fat adapted before going full on carnivore. Beef, butter and eggs will do. No need for expensive cuts of meat like rib eyes. 20% mince is fine. Lidl do nice grass fed beef mince.

Ive done all this. Lost over 3 stone. Lowered my blood pressure and got rid of my arthritis. My weight to height ratio (not BMI) is bang on. Im developing a ‘six pack’ without any exercise other than walking as part of my day job. Im 53, feel 23, in fact better. No brain fog, no depression, no aches and pains.

What you eat is 95% of it. Good luck.

I don’t drink alcohol anyway, nor fizzy pop other than the odd full fat coke on a long ride (but thats been a long time). Drinks are decaf tea & coffee, and fizzy water.

I did do low carb some years ago which worked and I’m heading towards that again, but I’ve no plans to go full keto or carnivore.

My doctor yelled at me about fizzy water. Said it increases the size of your stomach and reduces feeling of fullness, and is bad for teeth. 🙁

Surely its worth a go? Whats 12 weeks in the scheme of things if it deals with your ailments? If you try carnivore and it works you can if you so wish begin to slowly reintroduce other foods. Keep a food diary, if you notice symptoms returning you can then attribute them to certain foods which you can then cut out for good. I’d rather go without some foods and be pain free.

“More than that I think. There are some huge hurdles to overcome to get these drugs to work in tablet form, but yes, if they do get to that stage, it’ll be crazy popular.”

It passed a clinical trial a couple months back, but its still a way off.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-09/novo-s-weight-loss-pill-isn-t-coming-soon-to-a-pharmacy-near-you

As mentioned above, losing muscle could be an issue as you won’t want to eat anything. As this fellow found. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4WyBUZ05tk

For the op to speed up weight loss this approach may help.

As James said the studies weren’t done on people strength training and prioritising protein, which will help minimise muscle loss. Bear in mind that on any weight loss diet you likely to lose muscle too, and have a chance of putting it back on afterwards.

If it helps me not fixate on food and change that mindset (as some have noted it does )  I’ll be very happy. I can’t bear to throw away food, or not finish what I’ve paid for if eating out.  Plenty have said the ‘food noise’ goes away and you’ve not got a constant drive for food, as it if retrains.your brain, and if it does I’ll be over the moon.

But as I said the immediate priority is to get the stupid BMI number down as soon as I can to access orthopaedic consultation.

Anyway it’s arrived, so we’ll see how it goes…

I would be worried about what happens if you’re taking it long term.

Perhaps over time you readjust and increase your food intake.

What happens when you stop taking it? Do you balloon up?

Looking forwards to the progress @longdog

Please keep us updated with highs and lows when you can.

I’m especially interested in what it does for hunger needs against hunger desires – eg habitual eating.

I suffer a lot with eating through habit, and if this helps take that away, I can see it being great and not as bad as it could be coming off the drug, once the habit is broken.

A good friend of mine is using Mounjaro, she has been on it for 4 weeks (5 injections) and lost a stone. She has said there is no hunger and her cravings have pretty much vanished as well. She was someone who always craved a sugar hit/adored chocolate but this has gone completely.

Be aware that there is an issue with getting the 7.5mg dose pen at the moment. You will have a few weeks before you are at that point, but it’s proving difficult to purchase. The info at the moment is saying to stay on 5mg until the 7.5mg is available, however the feedback from other users is that the weight really starts coming off at 7.5 and above

Please dont take meds to lose weight. Just cut carbs and seed oils and the weight will go. No muscle loss if you eat healthy fats and protein. Most Drs in the UK get little to no nutritritional training so are not best placed to advise you as they simply dont know the facts.

Semaglutide tablets are available on the nhs and I’ve seen patients get really good results so possibly an option for your GP?

As the fat is lost quickly, the skin doesn’t always have time to shrink as with a gradual weight loss program. It can look like you’re in a skin bin bag…

Also worth doing some research into the mental health side effects as well.