Mounjaro + Keto

ems1583

I'm prediabetic and my MD recommended Mounjaro, been taking 2.5 mg for 4 weeks now. My progress been slow, not sure why. I've been doing Keto and IF with it. I know they say to consume at least 100 g of protein, but with Keto, I also prioritize my fats with my macros. I started Mounjaro March 18, and today lost 8 lbs. Started Keto 2 weeks prior to Mounjaro. My starting weight prior to Keto was 183 lbs. Been doing Les Mills for 2 weeks now 5x/week just 30 mins. Before would only do 2-3x cardio HIIT. I experimented on my cal, triee 1400 and 1200 and now 1300. My goal weight is 130 lbs to be at normal BMI. Please do advise on what works best for Mounjaro in terms of calories and type of diet. Thank you!

neanderthin

Well, even though it's a GLP-1 and a GIP which helps slow gastric emptying and increase the feeling of fullness, basically it improves appetite regulation which helps if someone is looking to lose weight but they still need to be in a calorie deficit. These drugs are suppose to make people less hungry, but that of course doesn't happen to everyone and it could also just have a small effect but regardless if an overweight or obese person is somehow believing these should work automatically then some people might be disappointed. People still need to heed their calorie consumption. BTW nothing wrong with 8lbs even though some of that is water, just be patient. In reality the ketogenic diet will basically result with a similar effect where the diet's satiety level is heightened and for me personally I need to remember to eat sometimes, and yes make sure your getting at least that much protein and don't neglect the fat required in a ketogenic diet because disaster awaits.

ems1583

Thank you for the reply. Yes, I'm not really hungry, I force myself to eat to catch up on protein and fats. I decided to stay Keto because my doctor or insurance can discontinue it anytime soon since I'm only prediabetic. I'm quite sure my A1C is normal by now. Its just a battle between protein and fat like which one to eat and not exceed my calorie limit. My nutritionist said to not go down to 1200 as it will slow down the metabolism. Not sure if that applied with Mounjaro.

chris_in_cal

neanderthin wrote: »

Well, even though it's a GLP-1 and a GIP which helps slow gastric emptying and increase the feeling of fullness, basically it improves appetite regulation which helps if someone is looking to lose weight but they still need to be in a calorie deficit.

This is a thoughtful well written description. Mounjaro is very effective (miraculously), but as @neanderthin wrote, it won't work for everyone.

There is nothing wrong with 1lbs/week loss. So about a year for you to slowly and steadily get to 130 lbs.

Typically it is not slowly and steadily. The first 8 lbs tend to come off more quickly than the last 8 lbs.

Patience, persistence, flexibility, humility, all will help you in getting to your goal weight.

AnnPT77

I don't think calorie needs differ with the drugs . What seems to differ in those who are helped by the drugs - based on discussion here - is more the internal "food noise" in one's head, the cravings, appetite - as you say. Those who are succeeding find it easier to stick with the right calories that are needed for weight loss, and also the nutrition that also helps manage appetite/energy.

If you've lost 8 pounds since mid-March, that's pretty fast loss . . . especially at 183 pounds. That's averaging 1.6 pounds per week.

I started at 183 pounds, too - no GLP-1 drugs. (I'm not dissing GLP-1 drugs: If they help you, that's great. They didn't exist when I lost weigh AFAIK.)

March 8 to now (4/13) is about 5 weeks. Many of us here (including me) think 0.5-1% of current weight is a reasonable (health promoting) loss rate, with a bias toward the 0.5% end unless severely obese. Unless you're very petite, 183 isn't severely obese. (Context: I'm 5'5".) 0.5% to 1% would be 0.9 pounds to 1.83 pounds. You're toward the upper end of that range, though I grant that some of the early loss will be from lowered water retention, especially with keto.

Still, you're close to the aggressive (fast loss) side of the sweet spot. I'd suggest adjusting your plans and expectations, not speeding your loss.

The real prize in all of this, IMO, is finding a new set of routine habits that we can live with forever to achieve and then stay at a healthy weight long term, ideally forever. Too many people, IMO, think "lose fast, then we're done". It's not that. It's about finding and practicing good forever habits: A new routine of eating and activity that we can continue forever to stay healthy. I would speculate that finding and practicing those new habits could be especially important, since you feel that your access to the drugs may be cut off.

Best wishes for continuing, long-term success!

ems1583

Thank you for your response! That was reassuring. Yes, I'm petite, only 5 ' 3". I guess I get jealous of other people losing weight fast, I used to but after having 3 kids back to back and being at 40 y/o I feel like my metabolism has gone down. I was thrown off ketosis over the weekend, blaming it on hawaiin bros, lol keto is hard, I know its hard to sustain. I decided to do low carb high protein this time based on article posted by another MJ user. It really does help with the food noise and feeling of fullness making low carb and lower calorie sustainable while on the drug. Yes, with insurances being strict and I wont be prediabetic when I see my doc, who knows it might be ended soon. I really need to stick to good healthy eating habits and regular exercise. My kids are my inspiration, upon knowing I'm prediabetic, it was an awakening.

AnnPT77

ems1583 wrote: »

Thank you for your response! That was reassuring. Yes, I'm petite, only 5 ' 3". I guess I get jealous of other people losing weight fast, I used to but after having 3 kids back to back and being at 40 y/o I feel like my metabolism has gone down. I was thrown off ketosis over the weekend, blaming it on hawaiin bros, lol keto is hard, I know its hard to sustain. I decided to do low carb high protein this time based on article posted by another MJ user. It really does help with the food noise and feeling of fullness making low carb and lower calorie sustainable while on the drug. Yes, with insurances being strict and I wont be prediabetic when I see my doc, who knows it might be ended soon. I really need to stick to good healthy eating habits and regular exercise. My kids are my inspiration, upon knowing I'm prediabetic, it was an awakening.

A thing to ask yourself about the "lose weight fast" people is whether they reach goal weight, and then stay there long term. I don't know about you, but that long term is what I want for myself.

Sometimes a moderate loss rate that's reasonably easy can get a person to goal weight in less calendar time than fast loss that causes bouts of deprivation-triggered over-eating, breaks in the action, or even giving up altogether.

As a bonus, seeking those relatively easy changes of habit, and practicing them, can help a person stay at a healthy weight longer term, vs. tactics that require white-knuckled willpower or motivation to stick with. I don't know about you, but it's not realistic for me to stay motivated for the entire rest of my life. (I'm entering year 8 at a healthy weight after around 30 previous years of overweight/obesity, and around a year of loss at age 59-60.)

For myself, I eat balanced macros, plenty of carbs (125-150g+ while losing, 225g+ in maintenance mostly from veg/fruit and carbs in no-sugar-added dairy foods, a few whole grains), kind of high protein. I'm not saying you should do that - what works best is individual. I'm suggesting thinking through what's sustainable for you. Keto is optional for weight loss, but if you can't see doing it forever, that's a consideration. Keto can have health benefits for some people, and like you some find it helps with appetite management, but it's optional generically speaking for weight loss. It's fine to use tactics for loss that aren't forever habits, but I think it's useful at some point during loss to find and practice those forever habits. (The cushion of a moderate calorie deficit is helpful in case of any failed experiments with tactics! )

You know yourself best, so I'm not telling you what to do. It's more like encouraging you to think hard about what's best for you, selecting tactics thoughtfully from what others suggest, rather than believing anyone who tells you there's one true way, or a universally perfect weight management formula.