After hearing about another lady’s weightloss success on Mounjaro last year, I decided to do some thorough research to find out whether this trendy-new weight loss method would be for me.
It’s important to note: before looking around for new ideas to help me lose weight, I’d already managed to lose 2st 7lbs on my own through diet and exercise. However, after a three-month standstill, the success stories from those on weight loss injections began piquing my curiosity.
With plenty of providers around, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda and Mounjaro, making headlines in all the papers and celebrities on social media modelling drastic weight drops, it’s hard not to feel like you need them to help you lose weight.
Aside from Ozempic, the other three are available on prescription in the UK to those who are obese with certain health conditions, or those who are referred to a specialist weight-loss clinic. Outside of those reasons, if you want it, you’ll have to pay for it. Providing your GP says it’s ok.
After a lot of research, I decided on a course of Mounjaro – here’s my experience.
What is Mounjaro?
Mounjaro is the user-friendly brand name given to tirzepatide, a drug that activates GLP and GLP-1 receptors to increase the hormone levels in the body.
Tirzepatide also helps the body produce more insulin, slows down your liver’s production of glucose, and slows the rate of digestion. All of this reduces your appetite, as well as helping you feel fuller for longer.
If your brain isn’t thinking about food, you won’t want to eat any and you’ll lose weight. Simple, right?
Getting prescribed Mounjaro
As I have an underactive thyroid, I firstly needed to see if I could have it.
Once I did my homework, I decided to go through a known pharmacy – Asda – and was given a set of questions to answer. I answered these as honestly as possible: at the end of the day, Mounjaro is an injection, and I don’t want to be injecting myself with something that could potentially react with one of my medications or be incompatible with any health issue.
As well as the questionnaire, I had to send in pictures of my body, as well as a scale showing my current weight. The pharmacy then sent my information off to a doctor, who reviewed the information along with my health records. Luckily, Mounjaro wasn’t deemed an issue to take with my thyroid medication, and, a few days later, it was approved.
Not long after, I received four weeks worth of jabs along with use and storage instructions (you have to keep it refrigerated). An individual dose consisted of 2.5ml of solution, which needed to be injected once a week. I opted for a lower dosage initially, a) to get my body used to the level of calorie intake, and b) so I could learn the necessary diet to maintain a steady level of weight loss.
Cost
A single course of Mounjaro, at the time I began taking the medication, cost £180.
This course lasted four weeks.
Getting started
As you’ll see on the internet with other big losers, a ‘before’ photo is an incredibly important thing to take. In losing weight, you get used to looking at yourself in the mirror everyday making it hard to see any real changes in your body shape, which can be discouraging and reduce your motivation. Having a ‘before’ picture gives you something to compare to.
I opted for a photo of myself at a party in a size 18 blue wrap dress that I still had in my wardrobe, choosing to wear that same dress for all of my progress photos to make the comparison even more powerful.
I waited until Sunday so someone was around just in case of any complications (which there wasn’t). The next day I felt slightly sick and had a dry mouth but that didn’t last long. The effects were instant, yet really bizarre. It stopped me thinking about food or much else. I didn’t fancy eating, but I knew I had to. I couldn’t even imagine foods that I liked. No wonder it helps with weight loss.
After three weeks I put in an order for another month, this time increasing to 5ml. For every injection, I kept with Sundays, felt sick momentarily on a Monday morning, then was fine again by mid-morning.
I have decided to finish this month off and do one more month after that which will give me the boost I need to continue with the weight loss. Ideally I would like to lose another two stone so I still have some hard work ahead of me.
I also got myself a set of smart scales which documented my weight and BMI so I could see how well I was doing.
Mounjaro might take away your feelings of hunger while you’re injecting, but after you’ve finished the course, those feelings will hit you like a double-decker food truck. To ensure I didn’t put the weight straight back on once the medication course finished, I learnt about food and good nutrition. Three balanced meals, no snacking, meals with more protein and ‘good’ fats and vegetables than carbohydrates to help me feel more satiated for longer. And of course, hitting more than the NHS’ recommended 5-a-day.
The importance of not just relying on diet to lose weight, either. Exercise is also a good suppressor of appetite, as well as helping to burn calories and keep weight off.
Results
After the initial round of jabs, I’d lost 7 pounds.
At the six week mark (four weeks of 2.5ml and two weeks of 5ml), I’d lost 14 pounds (one stone). This wasn’t a result of suppressed appetite alone: I’d also got into the habit of exercising everyday, going to the gym, and walking the dog a solid 5km three to four times a week.
Two months in (the initial 2.5ml course and the 5ml month), my total weight loss had hit 3st 4lbs. Looking at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t see it, but friends who I hadn’t seen all noticed the difference. It took looking at progress photos for me to be able to see the difference, and doing so was quite eye opening.
At my final weigh in – seven weeks after my last round of Mounjaro – I was 2st 7lbs lighter than when I started.
As you can see, I’d lost more weight mid-treatment than my final weigh-in. Why? Christmas, the party season, and the gym. Muscle is heavier than fat, and those uphill walks and deadlifts might not have helped me lose more weight, but my overall form and physical wellbeing is far better for it.
Did I encounter any side effects of Mounjaro?
I have found that some days where I don’t drink enough, I suffer with headaches, so I am more conscious about how much I drink. As I find water boring, I begun to experiment with different fruit infusions. Some were better than others, I must say.
You do have side effects if you drink too much alcohol, such as bad acid.
For context on how much food your body can cope with in one sitting after a few months of reduced appetite: I had a large bread roll with cheese as a treat one Saturday and felt uncomfortably full for the rest of the day.
Other side effects I experienced include: constipation, low vitamin B12 (which was due to the reduction in my protein intake), and hair loss which might have been down to the reduced B12 levels.
Was Mounjaro helpful in achieving my weightloss goals?
Yes, it has been incredibly helpful. My weightloss had stalled and Mounjaro helped me lose three dress sizes. One course might not be enough for you to reach your goal weight, so be prepared to fork out a second £180 for round two (or three).
Another thing you also need to prepare for: the price of a new wardrobe. I managed to recoup some of my clothes spend by selling my old size 18/20 clothes on Vinted, but redoing my wardrobe to a size 14 is something I didn’t think about before starting the jabs. Another benefit? There’s far more variety to choose from among the smaller sizes. I also felt more confident wearing leggings to the gym.
Speaking of the gym: I was also far more confident there as well. I had the confidence to try new exercises and push myself harder, which, in turn, will help me lose more weight and get fitter in the long run.
The most important part? Learning how much you can and can’t eat. To maintain the same level of weight loss off the jabs, I’d need to continue eating the same amount of calories as if I was still injecting. To maintain weight, I gradually increased the number of calories I was eating per day. If my weight began creeping up, I’d know to lower the calories back down.
In short, Mounjaro has helped me drop three dress sizes, I can walk a lot faster and further before becoming breathless, and I feel a lot fitter, too.
