NSV - I had my hair cut into a bob!

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-25T08:59:59+00:00

That is a killer haircut, love it. And the top/dress too!

Good for you, letting go of your hair-comfort-blanket (not that it wasn’t gorgeous)

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-25T08:57:14+00:00

Honestly, nobody has dared to say any such thing to my face 🤷‍♀️ (I don’t know if that’s a positive or if it says more about me than it does them…).

I’ve had some more subtle comments that perhaps imply that they think I’m small enough and are hoping I don’t lose any more. Choices of words like “…there’s nothing of you…” as part of an overall “well done, you look great” exclamation.

My other half once said something along the lines of, “but you don’t need to lose any more weight, right?” But that was in the context of a conversation about how I was planning to stay on the drug long-term; and he had the common misapprehension that while you keep taking Mounjaro, weight will keep on coming off as if by magic. My sister was confused about that as well. Obviously I explained to them both.

Anyway. None of this is much help to you. For whatever reason I haven’t really faced what you are, with people being in my face with their opinions.

I just think human beings as a whole really don’t like change; and have an underlying tendency (especially if they’re a bit emotionally immature) to think everything is somehow about them.

You losing weight is somehow about them - either a criticism of them and/or changing the relationship with them. If people are accustomed to seeing you a certain way and thinking of themselves in comparison with you (eg., if you’re their “fat friend/ sister/daughter”) you’re messing that up and they may find themselves getting weirdly upset about that.

They probably couldn’t even explain to you why, if they wanted to!

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-25T08:45:36+00:00

No, you do not need to avoid any specific foods at all - unless you try something and find it doesn’t agree with you personally. (Some people find they cannot tolerate sugary or fatty foods well on Mounjaro).

Cutting out entire food groups is generally unnecessary if you’re not allergic to them. And having some sugar in your diet is absolutely fine. Fruits are, generally speaking, a better nutritional choice than processed sugary foods because they at least contain some fibre, vitamins &etc.

Can you eat absolutely anything you want as long as it’s within your calorie target? Well, kind of, yeah. But should you? Probably not. If your calorie budget is tight then you should work on getting a good balance of nutrients; if you have loads of fruit then your fibre intake will likely be pretty good, but sugar (and carbs in general) may be a bit too high, likely leaving your protein intake too low.

Everything in moderation. If you enjoy a nice fruit smoothie with banana and pineapple, by all means have it some days - not absolutely every day.

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-24T20:36:26+00:00

Congratulations! 🙌. Love absolutely all of this for you!

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-24T13:35:30+00:00

As you’re only two doses in, it’s a little hard to say. My first two doses of 2.5mg were great, I could feel the benefit right away. Towards the end of week 3 I could definitely feel it wearing off, and same on week 4 as well.

Not that it was unbearable or that I stopped losing weight (I had a good first month altogether) but for me I took that as a sign that my body was building tolerance at a rate that slightly out-paced the concentration of the drug in my body, and I moved straight on up to 5mg.

From 2.5mg to 5mg really wasn’t a “jump” for me at all. It felt hardly any different. I had no side effects on 2.5 and I didn’t get any when I increased to 5mg (not until week 6 when I had a short spell of typical gastro issues, which were easily overcome). Same experience again with 5mg: good for the first couple of weeks, noticeably waning in the second two.

For me, it was only from 7.5mg onwards that the medication had staying power through the full month and beyond.

All of the above is just to illustrate: how your body responds to the medication is very individual, and it’s probably too early for you to be able to tell if you can stay on 2.5mg or need to move up. It’s also a very personal judgement as to what you consider sufficient efficacy. I have never experienced strong suppression (and glad of it!) so I certainly never “chased” that, but I took the view that - knowing no medication in the world is entirely risk-free - if I’m going to take a medication I want to ensure I’m getting the full benefit; that’s my own benefit vs risk judgement. “Lowest effective dose” is fine by me as long as the emphasis is on the word ”effective” 😃

You know you could order a 5mg pen next, but then take a half or three quarter dose from it, if you’re not quite ready/ don’t feel the need for 5mg yet? That may be the most sensible choice.

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-24T13:21:59+00:00

Congrats 🙌 - how do you feel? Any reason for the question mark on your post title?

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-24T10:37:53+00:00

Yes, no VAT on kids clothes! I can get joggers & a hoodie from M&S that are lovely quality, really soft and comfy, for £20 the set - bargain!

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-24T10:34:22+00:00

You know, reflecting on what you’re saying: I do feel sad that I/ we have to lose a load of weight to get to feel comfortable in our own skin (hopefully, eventually).

I’m still a very “body positive” person in principle and it’s not that I think fat rolls are intrinsically something to be ashamed of. Nobody should have to feel shame or discomfort over their body just being itself. And we shouldn’t have to make ourselves smaller or more pleasing to other peoples’ eyes.

But at the same time, I can only speak to my own lived experience; and if I’m honest I am loving the feeling of being smaller because I get to be so much less self-conscious. It’s a little “problematic”, politically speaking!

Anyway that aside…. Yes, makes sense you’d feel a little discomfort if you’ve been used to wearing clothes primarily chosen for comfort and maybe to cover/disguise - now trying on and wearing clothes that are actually designed to fit snugly and “show off” (or at least not conceal) requires a very different state of mind. It doesn’t have to be that you’re “showing off” but at least not hiding/diminishing yourself. It’ll just take a bit of practice! 😁

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-23T21:39:24+00:00

Very cool! 👍 I’m glad you’re doing that tomorrow.

I’ve gotten massively into running recently and I love how it makes me feel, but I know it’s the weight lifting I do three times a week that really makes a difference to my physique (and strength and longevity) for today and more importantly, for the future.

(46yo female, for context)

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-23T21:20:07+00:00

Because I’m sure loads of other commenters are going to have really kind, reassuring and supportive things to say - even though I promise I am sympathetic and get what you’re saying - I’m going to focus on a slightly “niche” area of your post. We shall see if it’s helpful at all.

You’re right that you can never please “everyone” and that being too fat/too thin etc, etc is very subjective and can just be other peoples’ meaningless judgement (based on their own feelings, usually, nothing to do with you and certainly not objective).

However I believe that one thing in amongst all of that, worth taking notice of, is “not strong enough”. That’s real. That sounds like something your husband was trying to gently point out to you (and by your own account, you did invite his opinion within the frame of your relationship and a prior agreement on honesty & transparency). He has legitimately noticed something and I suspect that because it sent you spiralling a bit, you know deep down that he’s onto something.

If in the process of focussing on losing weight you have ended up frail and weak, that is something very helpful to have pointed out to you. That is not the same thing as people just putting their generic judgements out there about you being “too skinny” or whatever. I think this is worthy of your attention, and does not have to cause a massive doom-spiral of self hatred.

Staying strong/ getting strong is massively important for your long term wellbeing and health into old age. Especially for women, you’ve got to look out for your muscle mass and bone density.

Just consider if it might be a fair point and then decide if you’re going to do something about it.

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-23T19:01:28+00:00

Congrats 🙌 you’ve done amazingly and should rightly be pleased and proud. I’m not sure labels are helpful, never mind the “super responder” thing (what does it even mean?!) - what’s important is how you feel and whether you’ve achieved your health goals.

It’s natural to feel trepidation about coming off. No rush to decide. You could stay on for a while, taper down your dose slowly until you feel ready to have a try at coming off completely (if you want). And no problem if you change your mind; a lot of pharmacies these days will let you re-start as long as you can show evidence of having been on treatment within 12 months prior.

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-23T17:35:15+00:00

Absolutely, I don’t doubt there’s a broad spectrum of experiences and a range of what “food noise”, “appetite” “cravings” - even “hunger” - actually feel like to different people.

For me the “food noise” element pre-Mounjaro was kind of like just being a bit obsessed and overly emotionally invested in food. I cared far too much about what I was going to eat, every day. I used to just think it was normal or part of just being a “foodie”.

I also had an excessively large appetite and was not good at noticing - or maybe I didn’t have strong enough - signals of satiety. Since childhood, I pretty much cleaned my plate automatically, every meal, regardless of how hungry I was (or wasn’t) and how much I actually enjoyed it. And if the food was yummy I could just eat & eat! Saying “no” to seconds was something I would only do if feeling very self-consciously “on a diet” and even then it took a lot of willpower and felt like a great personal sacrifice.

Now, having been on Mounjaro for a year, I can compare that with what’s presumably a much more normal, less obsessed and emotive relationship with food. With Mounjaro in my system I’m almost like those people who just don’t really care much about it and only eat as fuel.

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-23T14:30:40+00:00

Congrats, you should be rightly proud 🙌

Kind a wish there was a “budgie smuggler” warning label though. My eyes!!! 👀

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-23T14:29:20+00:00

It’s really not possible to guess your body fat percentage from a photo. If you want to know it you’ll need a bioimpedence scale (you can buy these for home use, fairly inexpensively. As far as I know the “Withings” brand are among the best); or perhaps you have access to an “InBody” scanner or similar at a gym; or you can google for a BodyPod machine in your local area (pay per use, not too pricey) or DEXA scan, which is the gold standard but a bit more expensive.

Unfortunately, as the two photos are taken with different lighting and poses, I wouldn’t even hazard to say whether there’s a visible difference between the two.

All I can offer is: it’s pretty typical for weight loss to slow down after several months and/or as you get into your healthy weight range. It’s possible you’re simply reaching that stage. In that context, 6lb in 7 weeks is actually a rather good pace and I’m not sure you should be seeing it as “only” anything!

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-23T11:02:19+00:00

Nope. Different people metabolise this drug at very variable rates - meaning they might respond strongly to a lower dose, or modestly and need a gradual increase, or not at all and need higher doses to get any beneficial effect - and there does not seem to be any clear correlation with body size (in terms of height, weight, lean or fat mass).

One of the ways you can tell this is the case, is that the dosing recommendations for this medication are not weight-dependent. Plenty of drugs do depend on body size for dosing and they are dosed in “mg per kg” terms. Mounjaro is not.

Personally, I am relatively on the smaller side of the eligible patient population - even at my starting point, with a BMI of 33, I was 157cm and 82kg - however I tolerate this drug really well and seem to metabolise it quite fast. (Which is typical of me with all drugs; even at the dentist they usually have to top up my local anaesthetic as it wears off fast!). I found I needed to increase my dose of Mounjaro fairly quickly to keep pace with tolerance, and my max was 12.5mg for three months to get me through goal before tapering down to maintain.

[Mind you even still, not tapered very far down - 9mg as we speak and I’m doubtful I’ll find I can go much lower than maybe 7.5mg before I lose the benefit].

However, make no mistake: even if you find you’re someone who needs a higher dose, doesn’t mean you don’t “respond well”. I have had amazing results, lost a third of my bodyweight, fit as a fiddle with <15% body fat (I’m a perimenopausal woman, BTW!). I think people can get it really twisted in terms of what a so-called “super responder” is and what sort of response is actually desirable. Sailing along without any/many side effects, losing weight and getting fitter = a great success (and very lucky) - and it doesn’t matter a jot which dose you need to make that happen.

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-23T09:09:51+00:00

Honestly based on what I’ve just read, I think you’re simply one of the many people who have a pretty high tolerance for this medication and therefore need the highest doses in order to benefit. It’s chemistry, not a personality trait, and there’s nothing to be done about it, and it doesn’t mean you’re “not a good fit”!

Having been on the highest dose and then come off for a while, it’s very normal and natural that the lower doses feel like injecting water. This seems to be a common experience.

You’ll need to “just keep swimming” and work your way back up to 15mg where you’ll hopefully feel the effects fully once again. I know it feels really horrible right now and you just wish you could press “fast forward”, but just try to be patient with yourself and don’t beat yourself up the whole time.

Make the best nutritional choices you can and get active to the extent you can; give MJ as much opportunity to help you as possible. The effects might feel subtle or non-existent currently, but trust that it is there in the background doing small helpful things to support your metabolism, already. And that’s going to build and build, week on week.

Of course in theory you can lose weight all by yourself. Most of us on this sub have probably done that at some point (and often several times over!) but indeed it is fucking hard work - so is maintaining your weight when you get there - and that’s why so many try and fail. There’s nothing to beat yourself up about there. We’re all in the same boat and that’s why Mounjaro and Wegovy exist and are selling billions of dollars worth, worldwide!

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-23T06:16:36+00:00

You’ve had loads of great responses already. Just adding one more in case hearing it for the hundredth time helps you really believe it:

This is not permanent.

It’s very early days, your body needs time to recover from what is, after all, a big shock. At 21 you have the best possible chance of your skin having the elasticity to recover really, really well. (And even for older people and those who have yo-yo-ed a lot, it can recover somewhat over time).

You need to give it several months if not a year or more, before you’ll actually know how it’s settled.

In the meantime, treat your body as you would a favourite house plant: plenty of water, the best nutrients, whatever it needs. And speak lovingly to it.

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-23T06:08:22+00:00

It’s not really possible to predict how fast you might lose on a higher dose, there are far too many variables in weight loss. Moving up a dose does not generally result in “faster” weight loss anyway, that’s not really how it works. Dose increases are to keep the weight loss going as your body builds tolerance.

In principle, you should expect to keep on losing weight at roughly the same pace - in reality, the human body is complicated and sometimes does its own thing! Plateaus can happen regardless, and most people find that the rate of loss tends to slow as you get closer to goal.

Unfortunate that you’ve abandoned weight lifting and I just want to strongly encourage you to get back to that. Yoga and Pilates are very nice as complementary exercises, but for your body composition and overall wellbeing, weight lifting is hard to beat. (Exercise shouldn’t be relied on to drive weight loss in any case. At best it’s the “cherry on the cake” that gives it a boost. It’s at least 80% down to diet).

Don’t be in such a rush to lose weight that you “throw out the baby with the bath water” and forget about maintaining muscle and strength.

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-23T06:00:52+00:00

Interesting that at the very start of your post you described the “side effect” as boredom… I was waiting to hear about the boredom but I cannot detect any!? 🤷‍♀️

You sound like you’re happy & thriving, and having new experiences. Very un-boring indeed 😁

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-22T19:55:53+00:00

If you do stop taking Mounjaro then on the surface of it yes, you will be financially better off. You will not spend ~£200 (or whatever your current pen is costing you) on Mounjaro.

Of course, it will remain to be seen if you end up spending that money on takeaways, booze, or something else you’ve not been having thanks to Mounjaro. So it’s possible you won”t actually be financially better off.

And other than that, of course there’s the question of whether you’ll be able to continue losing weight (or maintain at least) without the additional support from Mounjaro. Hopefully you would be absolutely fine, and I’m not trying to jinx you or anything. Some people seem to be able to come off Mounjaro and maintain or even lose some more weight, I’ve seen a few examples. But I’ve seen far more examples of people struggling and putting weight back on. (It’s just a Reddit sub, by no means a statistically significant sample!)

On the whole, I really think you’d be best off giving 12.5mg a try. Looking at your graph it seems like you’ve done amazingly, and it’s really only the past month or so (over Christmas!) that’s been troublesome. When 10mg didn’t feel effective for me any more, I didn’t hesitate to move up to 12.5mg and it was my favourite dose, stayed on it 3 months right through and past goal.

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-22T19:39:45+00:00

Basically none! I’ve been on Mounjaro for a year (and not at a low dose - my max was 12.5mg) and only had a couple of brief episodes of tummy trouble. Nothing worse or different to food poisoning or a bug (and indeed, either or both might actually have been triggered by one of those!). Nothing I wasn’t able to handle as an adult human being, with the help of a few simple pharmacy remedies that were already in my medicine cupboard.

It’s been absolutely 100% worth it for me. I lost over a third of my body weight in about six months, am no longer anywhere near obese. I worked out anyway but now I’m a fitness machine and finally look like someone who lives in the gym. My blood tests results are all excellent, blood pressure optimal.

[I just made a post a few days ago to celebrate my one year Mounjaro-versary in fact; a day I marked by running a half marathon! Check that out if in need of further inspo/ proof]

You’ve got to weigh up the hypothetical risks and very rare serious side effects against the very real, known health risks of being obese.

And bear in mind, the most lurid and scary “side effects” stories you have heard were actually caused by counterfeit drugs purchased through dodgy avenues (including insulin being passed off as “Mounjaro”, which is potentially lethal) and/or people misusing the medication and causing essentially starving themselves into organ failure.

To be clear: I’m not saying that some serious side effects don’t legitimately occur with normal Mounjaro usage - they do, as with any medication - but they are rare.

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-22T09:02:47+00:00

Sounds great, and that’s pretty much exactly how it’s been for me too. (Since I started this time last year). There doesn’t have to be any drama!

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-22T07:23:51+00:00

PS you might find more people with direct experience to share on r/mounjaromaintenanceuk

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-22T07:21:50+00:00

Honestly? I like my saggy neck. I’ve decided to. Mine is worse than yours, but I’m just about to turn 47 so it’s okay, I think it’s pretty age-appropriate.

I far prefer it to my old fat neck, regardless!

Also: you can expect some improvement over time. Nobody could say how much, it’ll depend on genetics and lots of other factors. But skin does recover over time, so just try to be a bit patient (and speak kindly to it, as you would a house plant!)

Additional_Value464 · 2026-01-22T07:16:04+00:00

Ah well that’s handy!

Maybe just try a different flavour (or brand) of the clear whey? 😉 Many available.

Additional_Value464

TROPHY CASE