One month in - who wants to be accountability buddies? Introduce yourself

Julieboolieaz

Hi!
I am still kind of new to this. I am taking compounded semaglutide and just finished my 4th dose. I am down 13 lbs so far (probably mostly water) from 220 to 207. While I'm at the low "introductory" dose, I have already had greatly reduced appetite and much lower food noise. It's been amazing!!

A bit about me. I'm 55, through menopause, mom to 4 kids (2 littles still at home). My goal is to lose 60lbs by next June (Maui trip just booked). I want to get back to the gym but recently got a concussion so I'm taking it easy. When the kids go back to school in 2 weeks I plan to get back at it - hopefully my head will be better by then. If not I'll at least walk on the treadmill, but I want to take some pump classes and lift again.

I lost 120 lbs (Atkins) 20 years ago and kept it off for 15 years. then Hashimoto's thyroiditis, menopause and Covid (shut the gym for 2 years) put on 50-60 lbs. It's been so hard - I have tried and tried to lose again, I know how to do it, but my body will not cooperate. My Dr (endocrinologist) suggested Semaglutide and said it's very helpful for hormonally reisistant types.

I'm very encouraged by the disinterest in food so far. I just got home from 2 weeks of vacation and did really well. I am not tempted and have been focusing on protein (shakes, yogurt, chicken) - I'm trying to eat at least 1000 calories a day. I was forcing myself for the first 2 weeks. I feel better now - eating 1000-1200 a day, but could easily do 500 if I wanted to, not sure which would be more effective?

Ok- So that's me. I'd really like a few friends who are in similar situations and want to check in, share suggestions and encourage one another!!

BCLadybug888

My goodness, sounds like you are off to a great start!👍🏻

I started Mounjaro 5 weeks ago, and will move from 2.5 to 5 dose after 6 weeks. My endocrinologist said I may well need to go up to the higher doses, like 15, but since that is still in short supply, he suggested going another 6 weeks at 5, then reassess.

So far I am down about 4 lbs, had no side effects whatsoever, but haven't noticed much benefit either - I do seem to get full at meals quicker, but then can be hungry later, so hasn't really helped me to 'effortlessly' reduce calories. I aim for 1300-1600 calories daily. I lost almost 50 lbs the first year on MFP (joined Aug 2021) then slowly regained about 15 over the next 18 months, but this year I'm back losing and down the 15!
However, since I have possibly another hundred to lose, this pace is frustrating and really hoping Mounjaro helps me make steady progress. I will continue to do all the 'things' alongside the drug that are the habits I have been building for the last 3 years - eating whole foods, focusing on adequate protein, drinking water, getting enough sleep, becoming more active, overnight intermittent fasting, yada yada yada.

Would love to have some folks to walk alongside on this journey ❤️

PS - I am.on vacation now, we'll see how that goes!!

Julieboolieaz

LOL! I just got back from 2 weeks of vacation. I actually lost a few lbs while away! Even on the therapeutic dose I had really reduced appetite and not much interest in food. Today was my next shot - and the bumped up (double what I was doing for the therapeutic dose). I was a bit hungrier the last few days, so I went ahead and increased it as instructed. I had planned to just stay at that lower dose as it was working well for me, but with the added hunger this week I decided to just follow the protocol. We'll see how I feel. I've had minimal side effects, and love that freedom and power over food. I am not tempted by much, which is lovely!!

I booked a family vacation to Maui next June. My oldest daughter and I are both on Sema and shooting to lose 60 lbs by June. that's about 1 lb a week, if I lose consistently.

So far I'm down 14 lbs since I started. I was on vacation the week before I started but it was legit water weight if not more permanent. So I'm happy so far. I have tried to lose so many different ways the last few years but just can not get it to go. Stupid hormones. for whatever reason this med seems to be effective with hormonal weight and others have had good success. I am hopeful I will too.

I also got a concussion while I was away so I am not starting back to the gym yet. I will probably give it a few weeks (kids go. back to school too) and then get back at it. Even if it's only walking or biking initially I want to get more active. I was so fit and strong before I would love to feel like that again!


SW- 220lbs
CW-206 lbs
GW-160 lbs

BCLadybug888

I am 5 days into vacation, seem to be up 1 lb, which if true - I'll take it! I have been endeavouring to eat at maintenance. 5 more days to go!

I did Atkins/keto my last serious attempt at weightloss before this one, and it worked pretty good - lost 50 lbs over 10 months or so - but my weightloss slowed eventually (per usual) and then began regain, sticking my head in the sand for a pity party, and the weight rolled back on...

When I joined MFP I pledged to myself that this time it is FOR LIFE regardless of how long it takes, and setbacks will not defeat me as I am never going to give up fully again. Praying this medication makes the process a little easier and a little faster!

PS I had a mild concussion last September, took a while to fully go but it did, and I am fully recovered from it now.

ha110w33nsp00k

My name is Kristina. I am 43, soon to be 44, 5’3” and 194.6 lbs. I’ve been post menopausal since 2012. I tried BHRT/HRT off/on for about 10 years and gave up in 2023. I got down to 133 lbs, in 2017, but I’ve steadily gained about 70 lbs. I started Semaglutide compound on 6-15-24. My starting weight was 200.8 lbs. I’m curious to know your height? Those calories sound way too low to get 100+ grams of protein per day. It’s very important to get enough protein while taking these drugs. I’d, definitely, be interested in having an accountability partner. My cell number is 208-457-2521. If you end up texting, please introduce yourself as your username first, so I know who you are.

BCLadybug888

Hi Kristina, I agree that protein is very important to fit into our calories - it is important for preserving muscle mass as we lose weight, so that hopefully we lose mostly fat.

When in deficit, I eat 1400-1600 calories and rarely get in 100g protein, but try. Right now I am on vacation and eating 2200-2400 as maintenance level. I am 5'4.5" and weigh 258.
I have one more dose of 2.5 for this week, then move up to 5 for 6 weeks. I do feel fuller at meal time, but have lots of junk food around to snack on here and temperature is very hot, and we're just sitting around mostly so I have gained a little last week and this...looking forward to getting back home to regular eating/activity at the end of the week, but will enjoy these last couple days of r & r!

Here's the view from our motel balcony

Julieboolieaz

BCLadybug888 wrote: »

I am 5 days into vacation, seem to be up 1 lb, which if true - I'll take it! I have been endeavouring to eat at maintenance. 5 more days to go!

I did Atkins/keto my last serious attempt at weightloss before this one, and it worked pretty good - lost 50 lbs over 10 months or so - but my weightloss slowed eventually (per usual) and then began regain, sticking my head in the sand for a pity party, and the weight rolled back on...

When I joined MFP I pledged to myself that this time it is FOR LIFE regardless of how long it takes, and setbacks will not defeat me as I am never going to give up fully again. Praying this medication makes the process a little easier and a little faster!

PS I had a mild concussion last September, took a while to fully go but it did, and I am fully recovered from it now.

Thank you! I am feeling a lot better this week and hopefully it'll be fully resolved soon.
This is definitely a life thing. I've been overweight all of my life so I have battled that long too.

I lost a lb this past week down to 205. I lose really slow!! But at least there is some movement. I went to the gym once - walked for 30 minutes then some upper body weights. I want to get back to 3x a week and lifting. I am traveling this weekend but I will be back to the gym on Monday. I do best when I'm working out - it takes a while to get back to the routine.

Sorry I missed your replies - MFP didn't notify me, I hope we are all doing well and losing!! I took my 7th shot today. I'm feeling pretty good overall - occasionally a bit of nausea but not too much beyond that.
Have a good weekend!!

BCLadybug888

@Julieboolieaz, glad to hear you are feeling better and healing. Don't push it though.

Well, I ended vacation up 4ish lbs, but it is coming off quickly now that I'm home and back on track. Often vacation weight gain takes me weeks to sort out, so I'm very encouraged! I think the medication may be helping in that regard as it is not my norm, despite best efforts 🤔
1 lb to go, and then back to my regularly scheduled program which was to get below 250 in September before my next vacation, not sure I will make it as running out of weeks! Going on a 7 day cruise embarking Sept 7 (I fly out on the 6th).

My dose increased from 2.5 to 5ml this week. Still no obvious side effects - hurray! I will be on this dose for at least 4 weeks as the next dose up (7.5) is not available and has no date for arrival. 10ml is though, curiously. Maybe 5ml will be enough anyway; time will tell.

I find it really hard to build a new habit, and even after focusing on something (like drinking more water) for months, I can easily slip back to old ways. This year I have been focusing on increasing activity, but not so much as dedicated exercise - more as just moving more and embracing some inefficiencies, like taking something upstairs in the moment vs sitting it at the bottom of the stairs to bring up later, marching around or doing countertop pushups when boiling the kettle or waiting on the microwave - that sort of stuff. And aiming for a walk everyday (even if just 15 minutes). I am a work in progress 😆.

Julieboolieaz

I'm with you on moving more. I try to get to the gym a few times a week and like to walk outside when it cools off. I went once this week. I need to move more but I am kind of tired too so it's a struggle. Any little bit helps though!

I went away last weekend and came home up 2 lbs. I think travel in general makes you gain a bit-backing up usually. I'm back down now and another new lb too. I am tracking around 1 lb a week which works for me. I'm down a total of 17lbs and just took my 8th shot. I've been at the 0.5 dose the last 4 weeks. I have appetite suppression without feeling sick. I am supposed to go up again next week but I am thinking about staying at this dose longer. I have heard that eventually your body adjusts and you get used to this medication? Not sure that is true. But if it's working at a lower dose I'm not sure why I should go up? Also it'll stretch my supply as this is expensive!!

Anyway - hope you're doing well! Almost 2 months in and happy so far. I need to not look at those rapid losers - the -30 in a few weeks crowd. Only robs my joy. Compared to the last few years where I could not lose a lb and kept gaining despite my efforts, I am happy!!

germangirlvt

Hi all

My name is Sabine and I’m a 53-year-old postmenopausal woman. Struggling with weight all my life.

5’7”
SW 236lbs
UGW 199lbs
CW 222

In 2019 two of my friends and I went through a nutritionist/gym assisted program and all lost quite a bit of weight. I was at my highest weight of 251 pounds and, by the end of the year, I was down to 214. Exercised regularly, healthy, eating habits, felt great.

And then Covid hit and those two years were super hard for me. I was mostly home alone as my husband traveled a lot, no gums, lost my dad to Covid, gained much of the weight back, went through menopause and hormonal weight gain, And as of January this year, I was back to 236 pounds.

In Addition, I herniated three discs in my back last year and I am now severely restricted on what I can do exercise wise until I have surgery, hopefully this fall.

Sooooooo I finally decided it was time to take advantage of everything that is offered to me and I started my Tirzepatide journey July 27.

I am down 14 pounds in four weeks on 2.5 and feeling really good. I was a pretty healthy eater, eating very little processed food, lots of green and protein, very few carbs. But I am constant grazer and this medication helps me concentrate on eating ‘useful’ food.

I returned to MyFitnessPal just this week after I stopped using it halfway through Covid. It’s been really good going back to looking at what you put in your body on a daily basis and being held accountable in a way that’s not ‘OMG look what she’s eating’ way 😂

I also went to get a DEXA scan in April, because when I went for surgery consult the first thing my potential surgeon said was have you ever thought about losing weight. Seriously dude. Great bedside manners.

The scan confirmed, that I have a really high amount of muscle mass versus fat, but obviously, still need to lose weight weight to feel healthier. I’m only mentioning this because I am such a hater of the BMI concept and was surprised that a highly educated medical professional still based his entire judgment on that number. 😒

Love that that is a community of like-minded people Who don’t judge how somebody chooses to live their life and journey to health and I hope we can all support each other!

Thanks for having me!

Sabine

Julieboolieaz

Great to meet you!
I went through a similar Covid season, lost my mom then, and menopause, hashimotos and no gym were a bad combination for me too!

You're losing a lot faster than me!! Way to go! I miss having more muscle mass - I was lifting heavy weights 5x a week before covid. Sigh.

What are you all eating? I shoot for between 1000-1200 cals a day and 100 g of protein. I supplement with protein shakes every day to get more protein in. I'm not restating carbs this time. I'm a VERY slow loser. But I am actually losing so I'm going to keep at it!

I need to get my exercise routine in place and consistent. I am sporadic and still shying away from squats and bigger lifts (getting over a concussion still). But I am going, adding cardio first and some lighter weights. I'll ramp them up little by little.

Just touching base! Hope you're all doing well and feeling good!!

germangirlvt

It sounds like we are sooo similar in our story. So sorry on the loss of your mom, too. And damn, concussions are no joke.

I struggle with getting the protein and enough calories in. Just don’t feel like eating anything …. Which is not good either.

I’ve been doing a shake in the morning with protein powder, PBFit powder, banana, frozen fruit, yoghurt or soft tofu and then almond milk or juice. Depending on the mood, greens lol.

I snack on almonds, cheese, cold cuts, veggies etc during the day … I’m definitely a snacker but at least I’ve gone from sweets (hmmmm chocolate!) to more protein snacks.

Dinners are hard because we’re empty nesters so cooking has fallen off the wayside. I’ll have salads with tuna or chicken and eggs … and recently got into the crazy TikTok cucumber salad guy 😂 and promptly sliced off my thumb pad with the mandolin slicer 😳

Does anyone have recommendations for a good protein bar as well as premade shake?

Kudos to all of us for taking charge of our bodies!

Julieboolieaz

Ooh- sorry about your thumb!! Hope you're ok now!!

Thanks for sharing what you eat! I have been living on the Fair Life chocolate protein shakes. 30g of protein and taste like chocolate milk. I get them at Costco and they've been a big part of keeping me going. I was eating a lot of yogurt in the beginning but burned out on it.

I usually have collagen in my morning coffee then I won't eat til about noon most days. I have a protein shake and maybe a piece of fruit or something? Depends on what we have going on. I will have a normal ish dinner. We have grown kids but have "round 2" my 6yo daughter and 7 yo son, so I still make dinner every night. I try to focus on protein throughout the day but haven't really restricted anything. I was low carb for so many years. But this time I'm keeping it lowish but not LOW. When I've had a little nausea I have had crackers or pretzels that seem to help.

What I really need is to add exercise. I used to lift weights 5 days a week before Covid but have not been able to get back into that routine since. I felt so good when I was lifting - strong and fit. I would like to start walking regularly too. It's a bit hot here still for that though.

I hit 200.5 today!! YAY!! I am almost down 20 lbs. It's a bit of a miracle to be honest!! I upped my dose on my last shot and was feeling it for sure the next day. I had a bad headache all weekend but today seems better (thankfully!). I don't know if the headache was dehydration or from the concussion? I am hoping just the shot and that it won't happen after the next one as I adjust. I was debating going up but it is good that I did - curbed my appetite a lot. I may stay at this dose for 8 weeks instead of 4, we'll see. I'm on week 9 of this and so far so good!!

I hope you are all doing well!! KUTGW!!

BCLadybug888

Hey, you are both doing so good - great to hear!

Me, not so much. My move up to 5ml has triggered lots of nausea and feeling bloated and tired and headachy.

I have had 3 doses, and cannot bring myself to do it again. I leave on vacation Friday night, last thing I need is to be on an airplane for 6 hours like this...

I've decided to go off entirely and see how I do with my continued lifestyle refinements after I return from vacation. Disappointed of course, but since I have derived little benefit and cost is prohibitive, these side effects have done me in. Sucks to not be an incredible success story - wah, wah, why not me??

Anyway, so glad you are having success and wish for your journeys to continue with every bit of help possible! God speed and God bless 😊

Julieboolieaz

Have a great vacation!! I would say go back down to the lower dose. I see a lot of people stay at the lower dose and lose well. If it's working there's no reason to up it, IMO.

I took my 10th dose on Thursday. I weighed in at 199 today!! HOORAY!! I'm back in ONEderland!! It's been far too long since I was here. I am still losing about 1 lb a week which I am very happy with. There is always someone who is losing faster than me (I am a slow loser) but I am just so happy to actually be losing at all! I have tried for so many years to get this weight back off and am just so pleased it's actually helping and coming off!!

I really need to get back to lifting weights. I got a new tattoo this week (celebrating my 20 lbs loss and one I had been waiting to do for a while!) so my arm is down for a few weeks. I did walk twice this week which is a good start for me. I will be working a lot next week (substitute teacher) which makes things harder.

Anyway, just checking in with you guys. I hope you're all feeling good and losing. I am very happy with slow losses - it's actually much better for your skin and you tend to keep slow losses off longer than quick ones. Just trying to keep my eye on the prize of 160lb in June 2025.

Julieboolieaz

Just a quick check in !! I am in ONEderland!! YAY!! I'm at 199 lbs! Woohoo! I am so happy to be back in the hundreds! Now on to new and smaller numbers!!

I hope you guys are doing well!!

Julieboolieaz

Accountably check in:

SW- 220lbs - 7/5
CW - 197.5 - 9/14 (10 weeks)
GW - 160

I am really happy. Losing about a lb a week. Most days I am torn between making myself eat more (up to 1000-1200 calories) or just skip eating because I'm just not interested. I actually feel like I lose better when I eat more - and I do try to focus on protein as best I can. I am not intentionally staying low carb - I was low carb for 15 years. I am enjoying eating variety when I am hungry. I am rarely hungry. I am working my way up the dosage but am happy at this dose. I am at 40 units which is 1mg. This week was my third dose at this level. I am supposed to do one more at this level then increase. I am thinking about staying at this level another few weeks, if it's still curbing appetite this well. It's more economical if I do, and I also think there's a point of saturation where it doesn't work as well over time. I have read that a few places, but am not sure. The mechanism of weight loss is the decreased calories since we're eating so much less, but I do think there's a hormonal aspect to it, as calorie restriction alone has not worked for me. I have been very disciplined but could not budge this weight until now.

Anyway, I am excited and optimistic!!

I am heading to Disneyland at the end of the week with my oldest and youngest daughters. I am normally one to gain 5 lbs on vacation, but it won't be too bad this time. Splitting meals with my kids will be pretty easy and economical!!

Hope you're all doing well!! Check in when you can!

Julieboolieaz

Checking in:
SW: 220lbs 7/5/24
CW: 193lbs 10/17/24 (15 weeks) down 27lbs. Considering how hard I have worked the last few weeks and haven't been able to lose anything I am overjoyed!!
GW: 160 lbs