Women over 50 | Food Noise | Mounjaro | All the challenges that come during and after

leejanemcg

Hello,

My name is Lee, I'm from Melbourne Australia. I am 56 yrs old.

I started my Mounjaro journey in April this year.

My starting weight was 140.3kg and is now 123.1kg

My goal weight is 80kg

I started this post because I feel there is a need for support for those (including me) that deals with a lot of "food noise".

Before I started mounjaro, food noise monopolised my thoughts every day. If I went to work, what food am I taking, is it enough. If I go out to dinner, what am I going to eat, will I look like a pig if eat too much in public. I constantly had food or snacks with me all the time! If I went out anywhere, what food do I take and so on ……

On Mounjaro, the food noise stopped instantly! this is great! so far I have lost just over 17kgs in 14 weeks.

I joined a Mounjaro Facebook group to chat with people on the same journey and have discovered that a lot of people are gaining weight back when they stop mounjaro and the food noise returned as well and have gone back to using Mounjaro and feel they have to stay on it long term!

This terrifies me! Not only is it insanely expensive in Australia, don't want to rely on injections to keep my weight and thoughts at bay for ever :(

So I am here seeking other peoples stories and how their mental health is going.

No lectures please.

thanks

Girlonthewall

Hi I'm not 50 (45) but I really wanted to comment as your comments on food noise really resonated with me. I'm on week 2 (6lb down in week 1) and literally just took dose 2. The ceasing of food noise was instant for me. Oh my I cannot express what a huge relief this was. I really had no idea how loud it was!!! Do normal people have this no food noise? If do my goodness no wonder they aren't overweight. I'm praying it continues as this week has been a blessing. Just not constantly thinking about food is such a relief. I'm really not bothered about food at all but am eating a healthy balanced diet. I've always eaten pretty well but just too much and constantly and as I've got older the weight has crept on. It's alarming however how loud the food noise had become. I'm probably being dramatic but I think I can understand the addiction to harmful substances if their noise is as loud as my food noise was. Obviously it is not the same of course but the relief is something that shocked me. I'm on 2.5mg does anyone know if the effects wear off? I thought that over the wrek they would but not felt any hunger pangs at all even this morning (end of day 7). I've tried every diet and struggled with my weight my entire life and I'm praying that the awful food noise can be silenced!

Fursian

I'm not on any of the weight loss drugs, but I am interested in the effects they have on food noise. I asked an AI Assistant the general consensus and I'll share what it found here, for anyone else that is interested.

" Will stopping Mounjaro mean food noise never goes away?
Many people fear that once they stop tirzepatide (Mounjaro), their “food noise”—that constant mental chatter about eating—will roar back so strongly that lifelong injections become the only way to stay sane. Here’s what the evidence shows:

Why appetite and weight bounce back after stopping
• Mounjaro mimics the gut hormones GLP-1 and GIP to blunt hunger and slow gastric emptying. The moment you stop, your brain’s built-in appetite signals rebound.
• In clinical trials, patients switched from Mounjaro to placebo regained roughly half of their lost weight within eight weeks of stopping treatment.
• Pharmacists report that within one to two weeks after the last injection, “rebound hunger and appetite” often return to pre-drug levels.

Does this mean lifelong injections?
• Regulatory bodies generally cap GLP-1 drugs at two years of NHS-funded treatment, but many experts acknowledge that stopping cold “sets patients up to fail” unless strong behavioral tools are in place.
• The drug isn’t fixing a permanent hormonal defect—it’s managing appetite while you’re on it. Once off, the body’s natural “set point” nudges you back toward previous weight and cravings.

Can you silence food noise without drugs?
Yes—with effort and the right strategies. Key approaches include:
• Building robust eating habits: protein-rich meals, high fiber, consistent meal timing.
• Stress and cue management: mindfulness, trigger-spotting, alternative reward systems.
• Behavioral support: cognitive-behavioral therapy, coaching or structured programs to rewire food-related thoughts.
• Gradual tapering: slowly reducing dose gives hunger hormones time to adjust rather than crashing all at once.

Is there a point of no return for hormones?
• No clear “point of no return” exists where your body irreversibly loses hormonal flexibility. Appetite regulation remains plastic—but it demands sustained lifestyle shifts.
• Those who taper off Mounjaro while cementing new habits maintain weight far better than sudden stoppers (59% maintain loss at six months with a slow taper versus far fewer with abrupt cessation).

Even if you choose to stop Mounjaro, food noise can be tamed without lifelong injections—but only by intentionally rebuilding your relationship with food and leveraging proven behavioral tools. If you’re planning to come off, work closely with healthcare professionals to design a taper and support plan that fronts your long-term mental and metabolic health. "