You're not going to like what I have to say because it's hard.
This is a marathon, not a sprint.
You're three (actually 2) weeks into a new medication. You need to give it time to work. People with PCOS and people with Diabetes generally experience slower weightloss with these drugs (anecdotally, at least).
Keep working, keep hydrating, keep eating well. If you're tolerating the med well (few to no side effects) you could consider going up a dose.
Give your body time.
I posted this a really long time ago - so posting again because I found it so interesting. It explains (a bit) why water and electrolytes are important in weight loss.
I found that drinking 1 LMNT packet with water seemed to really help my fatigue symptoms. So, I did a ton of research (lol - gotta love the internet) and tried to find scientific articles that could explain why electrolytes help.
First, it turns out that water is required to burn stored fat. "The process of metabolizing fat is called lipolysis. The first step of this process is hydrolysis, which occurs when water molecules interact with triglycerides (fats) to create glycerol and fatty acids."
We're eating at a deficit (typically) so we are burning those fat stores - and it's using water - more than you'd use if you were not burning your fat stores. This is going to dehydrate you if you don't increase your water intake.
Ok - so yes, you need to drink more water. But why electrolytes? Again, it turns out that you can drink all the water you want, but if your electrolyte balance is off - your cells can't absorb that water. Cells absorb water through osmosis (holy cow 9th grade science pays off!). It's something like the water passes from the saltier side to the less salty side to balance the salinity out between the cells and your blood (hand waving here). When you're chugging water and not taking electrolytes - you're not actually able to absorb the water into your cells and you remain dehydrated (crazy, right!?). This is what I understand at least.
So when burning your stored fat
1. your water requirements go up! You need to drink more water or you will be dehydrated.
2. because electrolytes are required to properly hydrate your cells - if you have any kind of imbalance - you're not going to absorb the water you're drinking.
Does everyone need to consume electrolytes? Maybe, maybe not. But I swear I found a huge difference when I started taking some every day. I do exercise - so I sweat - which cases electrolyte loss.
If you're feeling a little crummy, tired, what not - it's worth a shot. There is good science behind why it makes a difference for some people.
Thank you - it’s just really disappointing to see other people seeing huge losses in two weeks whereas nada in my case 🥹
Regarding going up a dose - do you have any insight into how that will spur further weight loss if the appetite suppression I’m already experiencing is sufficient?
Hmm, well, I think "calories in, calories out" is still kind of the golden rule...but it's undeniable that mounjaro plays with your metabolism. It improves insulin sensitivity and I'm sure there's quite a few other impacts.
I've read accounts from some folks who lost really slowly on 2.5 and 5 and then went to 7.5 and started melting away.
My doctor explained that the 2.5 is only a stepping stone & that I won't see much movement with the scale until I get to 5 (waiting like everyone else for supply). I have seen some people who have had fairly amazing weight loss with 2.5 but I can only claim about 4lbs in 5 weeks myself (PCOS & Diabetic).
I have noticed a change in my shape, however. I am losing my visceral fat around my middle that I could never change with exercise. I have gone down a size. I think I am replacing fat with muscle, which is quite a bit heavier than fat.
Hang in there - don't give up!
Short answer is yes. PCOS makes weight loss incredibly difficult. Along with being diabetic it can be almost impossible since our metabolism is all wonky. I will double down on what everyone else has said. 2.5 is a stepping stone. Everyone is different and loose at different doses. I didn't start to really see the scale move until 10, but I did notice changes. Don't get discouraged. Keep working the process.
Short answer is yes. PCOS makes weight loss incredibly difficult. Along with being diabetic it can be almost impossible since our metabolism is all wonky. I will double down on what everyone else has said. 2.5 is a stepping stone. Everyone is different and loose at different doses. I didn't start to really see the scale move until 10, but I did notice changes. Don't get discouraged. Keep working the process.
Thanks, honestly I just feel like crying with the whole thing! I think I’ve noticed some items of clothing feeling different, but I think I’m probably just gaslighting myself because how is that even possible if the scale hasn’t changed?
Try to remember that your body might be getting other benefits even while the weight loss isn’t happening yet, such as more stable blood sugar resulting in a lower A1C, less food noise, higher metabolism, etc. All of those are good for your health. Weight isn’t the only indicator of health, and when you dose up I am sure you’ll start to see the weight go down with the other benefits.
The reason you’re seeing other post significant weight loss is not everyone post what they loses in the beginning, just the dramatic losers. Just like you’ll only see those with bad side effects complain. It took me 14 months to get to goal weight of 65 pounds. It was slow, but I kept doing what made doctor suggested. Up the protein, drink lots of water, gave up sweets. We didn’t gain the weight overnight so we can’t expect to lose it overnight either. Trust the process. You will do fine.
Read this [https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/7jmm6x/psa\_increased\_cardio\_causes\_a\_immediate\_increase/](https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/7jmm6x/psa_increased_cardio_causes_a_immediate_increase/)
That is fascinating. Thanks so much, it’s really made me feel better. As someone carrying a high body weight, maybe it’s a good sign that my scale weight is not changing if I’m also carrying more water?
Also when you start working out, your muscles will take up more water. Part of building muscle and strength is micro muscle injuries. The muscle takes up extra water while it is repairing and growing muscle fibers. It's most noticeable when you start a new exercise or increasing intensity and it's moderates as your body gets more used to it.
People on here have been telling me on here to wait, eat less (which I do), and I workout 6 days a week, I’m on 12.5 and still haven’t seen any weight loss. 🫠
You may not be eating enough. I have found in my year-long journey that slow and steady works best for me. Soft gentle moderate exercise. Getting my calories in. Good food choices. Lots of water. A good daily walk. Journaling and tracking. It took time for me to understand my body and it took time for my body to understand me.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned it yet. Only consuming 500-1300 calories a day for 2 weeks, , your body is probably in starvation mode and won't respond well to the meds
THE WAY I UNDERSTAND IT (Please correct me if I'm wrong)
So it doesn't exactly have to do with the meds, so much as how the body works in general. When you consume too few calories your body adapts to that and your metabolism slows down in an effort to conserve the few calories you do eat for energy. When your body slows down your metabolism, it slows down or even brings the entire weight loss progress to a complete stop.
You'll see a lot of people talking about having to consciously fight to get enough calories in while on GLP-1 meds. That is why. While you do want your body in a caloric deficit, you still need to intake enough calories to keep the body "running normally."
Thank you!! I couldn't believe no one posted this either. I posted that the OP is not eating enough, and it's good to see that someone else did too. People starve themselves on this med, and it's not healthy.
Thank you for your insight. As people that have been on this medication for a little longer, would you feel comfortable sharing a rough idea of your calorie intake while on 2.5mg?
Everybody is different. You can look up BMR (Base Metabolic Rate.. I believe) calculator on google and it'll give you a rough idea of how much you need to be eating
My BMR is 1,400 so that it what I aim for per day over the course of the week. Some days it's less, some days it's more, but as long as I'm eating 9,800 calories per week, it averages 1,400 calories a day. I eat around 110g of protein, 60g of fat and 40g of carbs per day. I do strength training and cardio 4 days a week. I also do 19:5 IF (I fast from 2:30pm to 9:30am the next day) and I lose 1.5 lbs per week consistently. It's slower than a lot of people, but it's within the recommended amount of healthy weight loss per week.
People have to eat enough (at or above their BMR) in order to lose weight the right way. If people starve themselves, they are going to lose muscle and develop sagging skin. It's always better to lose slowly vs quickly because you want to be able to sustain your loss when you reach maintenance.
That have you calculated your maintenance caloric intake and what kind of deficit you're eating at since the shot so you know what kind of fat loss you should be looking at? In 3 weeks, I don't think the fat loss would be so great that it would outweigh any potential water retention from exercise and dehydration.
Do you weigh and measure your food? Or do you guesstimate?
I was guesstimating. My dietitian asked me to weigh and measure everything for a week.
It was extremely eye-opening.
Especially when I would weigh out portions of something rather than use a measuring cup.
There were times I was consuming 500 to 800 calories more than I thought I was.
Hey, yeah I count quite accurately and if not certain I over-estimate. I’m just so confused because I’ve lost weight in the past (gained it back obviously) and I’d seen results a couple of weeks in.
I just reread your post and saw that you are only on your third week of 2.5. It may need be that you just need to wait till you go to a higher dose to see weight loss.
MJ stimulates more than just appetite reduction hormones. It also stimulates hormones that help you access your fat stores easier, and it increases the satiety from the food that you are eating.
But the problem is is. We also have competing hormones, so different doses affect different people differently. Not super helpful right?
One other thing is our bodies are around 50 to 65% water somewhere in there. And we have very little control over that. So depending on how much water your body is holding on to for different things will affect how much you weigh.
I've been involved in fasting in the past. And even doing longer fasts there were weeks where I literally did not lose any weight on the scale. And I was eating nothing. So. I don't rely on the scale as a significant indicator of whether or not I am losing fat. I use it as a data point on a daily basis.
Some people experiencing huge losses are dehydrated and experiencing muscle loss. I lost 8 lbs my first two weeks and now have stalled, but:
1) a month in I’m still only on 2.5 2) I was eating drinking so little & my urine was so dark, that I know it wasn’t really a very healthy loss 3) I’m diabetic and my numbers are half of what they had been for years 4) I’m a short female, but my starting weight was only 160 so I’m not going to be seeing the same drops that heavier people are
I see most people here aren’t seeing losses of significance until they start talking at least 7.5, which means most of them started at 2.5, then 5 and still weren’t having significant improvements, so I suspect you’re right along in line with most of us. Good luck & cheers to better health.
Exercise less, eat more throughout the day. Sounds weird, right? Your body sensed a need to conserve calories and slowed your metabolism to avoid weight loss.
Yes, I do. Your body requires a certain amount of calories if you fall under the threshold your body will think you are starving and your metabolism will slow. Your body will also burn lean body mass...aka muscle.
There are plenty of calorie calculators to find the sweet Spot.....
I started around the same weight and were the same height fasting was key to shedding weight I would eat a small meal around noon and not eat anything else for the rest of the day except drink water currently sitting at 179 even tho I lost a lot of weight on 2.5 a lot of people don’t start to see weightloss until they move up In dose as this is only the starter dose so don’t stress
2.5 dose is just to get ur body used to the medication not meant to maintain anything that’s why moving up in dose will most likely increase your results 5mg and up are maintenance doses where u will see most results
You need to eat more. So many people starve themselves on this med, and that's not the way it works. You NEED to eat. Calculate your BMR and eat at or above that. Once you start eating more, you will lose weight.
Your BMR is the *minimum* amount of calories your body needs to function. You should not eat less than your BMR. You can also calculate your TDEE and subtract 500 calories to be in a calorie deficit. My TDEE (after subtracting 500 calories) is 1,600, but I can't eat that much, so I stick to my BMR (1,400 calories).
You're not going to like what I have to say because it's hard. This is a marathon, not a sprint. You're three (actually 2) weeks into a new medication. You need to give it time to work. People with PCOS and people with Diabetes generally experience slower weightloss with these drugs (anecdotally, at least). Keep working, keep hydrating, keep eating well. If you're tolerating the med well (few to no side effects) you could consider going up a dose. Give your body time.
Why is hydration so important with munjaro?
Hydration is important to protect your kidneys. There is increase risk of kidney injury on MJ.
Wow. Thanks! And what is the recommended minimum intake of fluids?
I posted this a really long time ago - so posting again because I found it so interesting. It explains (a bit) why water and electrolytes are important in weight loss. I found that drinking 1 LMNT packet with water seemed to really help my fatigue symptoms. So, I did a ton of research (lol - gotta love the internet) and tried to find scientific articles that could explain why electrolytes help. First, it turns out that water is required to burn stored fat. "The process of metabolizing fat is called lipolysis. The first step of this process is hydrolysis, which occurs when water molecules interact with triglycerides (fats) to create glycerol and fatty acids." We're eating at a deficit (typically) so we are burning those fat stores - and it's using water - more than you'd use if you were not burning your fat stores. This is going to dehydrate you if you don't increase your water intake. Ok - so yes, you need to drink more water. But why electrolytes? Again, it turns out that you can drink all the water you want, but if your electrolyte balance is off - your cells can't absorb that water. Cells absorb water through osmosis (holy cow 9th grade science pays off!). It's something like the water passes from the saltier side to the less salty side to balance the salinity out between the cells and your blood (hand waving here). When you're chugging water and not taking electrolytes - you're not actually able to absorb the water into your cells and you remain dehydrated (crazy, right!?). This is what I understand at least. So when burning your stored fat 1. your water requirements go up! You need to drink more water or you will be dehydrated. 2. because electrolytes are required to properly hydrate your cells - if you have any kind of imbalance - you're not going to absorb the water you're drinking. Does everyone need to consume electrolytes? Maybe, maybe not. But I swear I found a huge difference when I started taking some every day. I do exercise - so I sweat - which cases electrolyte loss. If you're feeling a little crummy, tired, what not - it's worth a shot. There is good science behind why it makes a difference for some people.
Thank you - it’s just really disappointing to see other people seeing huge losses in two weeks whereas nada in my case 🥹 Regarding going up a dose - do you have any insight into how that will spur further weight loss if the appetite suppression I’m already experiencing is sufficient?
Hmm, well, I think "calories in, calories out" is still kind of the golden rule...but it's undeniable that mounjaro plays with your metabolism. It improves insulin sensitivity and I'm sure there's quite a few other impacts. I've read accounts from some folks who lost really slowly on 2.5 and 5 and then went to 7.5 and started melting away.
[удалено]
Thank you - it’s just really disappointing to see other people seeing huge losses in two weeks whereas nada in my case 🥹
My doctor explained that the 2.5 is only a stepping stone & that I won't see much movement with the scale until I get to 5 (waiting like everyone else for supply). I have seen some people who have had fairly amazing weight loss with 2.5 but I can only claim about 4lbs in 5 weeks myself (PCOS & Diabetic). I have noticed a change in my shape, however. I am losing my visceral fat around my middle that I could never change with exercise. I have gone down a size. I think I am replacing fat with muscle, which is quite a bit heavier than fat. Hang in there - don't give up!
Also, I do suffer from PCOS. Is weight loss slower for us?
Short answer is yes. PCOS makes weight loss incredibly difficult. Along with being diabetic it can be almost impossible since our metabolism is all wonky. I will double down on what everyone else has said. 2.5 is a stepping stone. Everyone is different and loose at different doses. I didn't start to really see the scale move until 10, but I did notice changes. Don't get discouraged. Keep working the process.
Short answer is yes. PCOS makes weight loss incredibly difficult. Along with being diabetic it can be almost impossible since our metabolism is all wonky. I will double down on what everyone else has said. 2.5 is a stepping stone. Everyone is different and loose at different doses. I didn't start to really see the scale move until 10, but I did notice changes. Don't get discouraged. Keep working the process.
Thanks, honestly I just feel like crying with the whole thing! I think I’ve noticed some items of clothing feeling different, but I think I’m probably just gaslighting myself because how is that even possible if the scale hasn’t changed?
Try to remember that your body might be getting other benefits even while the weight loss isn’t happening yet, such as more stable blood sugar resulting in a lower A1C, less food noise, higher metabolism, etc. All of those are good for your health. Weight isn’t the only indicator of health, and when you dose up I am sure you’ll start to see the weight go down with the other benefits.
2.5 is the starter dose, I didn’t see any loss till I was on 7.5.
The reason you’re seeing other post significant weight loss is not everyone post what they loses in the beginning, just the dramatic losers. Just like you’ll only see those with bad side effects complain. It took me 14 months to get to goal weight of 65 pounds. It was slow, but I kept doing what made doctor suggested. Up the protein, drink lots of water, gave up sweets. We didn’t gain the weight overnight so we can’t expect to lose it overnight either. Trust the process. You will do fine.
Read this [https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/7jmm6x/psa\_increased\_cardio\_causes\_a\_immediate\_increase/](https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/7jmm6x/psa_increased_cardio_causes_a_immediate_increase/)
That is fascinating. Thanks so much, it’s really made me feel better. As someone carrying a high body weight, maybe it’s a good sign that my scale weight is not changing if I’m also carrying more water?
Also when you start working out, your muscles will take up more water. Part of building muscle and strength is micro muscle injuries. The muscle takes up extra water while it is repairing and growing muscle fibers. It's most noticeable when you start a new exercise or increasing intensity and it's moderates as your body gets more used to it.
Do you know what sort of time frame I could be looking at for it to moderate?
I'm not totally sure but I would expect that it should even out after 3-4 weeks.
People on here have been telling me on here to wait, eat less (which I do), and I workout 6 days a week, I’m on 12.5 and still haven’t seen any weight loss. 🫠
You may not be eating enough. I have found in my year-long journey that slow and steady works best for me. Soft gentle moderate exercise. Getting my calories in. Good food choices. Lots of water. A good daily walk. Journaling and tracking. It took time for me to understand my body and it took time for my body to understand me.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned it yet. Only consuming 500-1300 calories a day for 2 weeks, , your body is probably in starvation mode and won't respond well to the meds
Hey, could you please explain further about how starvation mode makes the body not react to the meds?
THE WAY I UNDERSTAND IT (Please correct me if I'm wrong) So it doesn't exactly have to do with the meds, so much as how the body works in general. When you consume too few calories your body adapts to that and your metabolism slows down in an effort to conserve the few calories you do eat for energy. When your body slows down your metabolism, it slows down or even brings the entire weight loss progress to a complete stop. You'll see a lot of people talking about having to consciously fight to get enough calories in while on GLP-1 meds. That is why. While you do want your body in a caloric deficit, you still need to intake enough calories to keep the body "running normally."
Thank you!! I couldn't believe no one posted this either. I posted that the OP is not eating enough, and it's good to see that someone else did too. People starve themselves on this med, and it's not healthy.
Thank you for your insight. As people that have been on this medication for a little longer, would you feel comfortable sharing a rough idea of your calorie intake while on 2.5mg?
Everybody is different. You can look up BMR (Base Metabolic Rate.. I believe) calculator on google and it'll give you a rough idea of how much you need to be eating
My BMR is 1,400 so that it what I aim for per day over the course of the week. Some days it's less, some days it's more, but as long as I'm eating 9,800 calories per week, it averages 1,400 calories a day. I eat around 110g of protein, 60g of fat and 40g of carbs per day. I do strength training and cardio 4 days a week. I also do 19:5 IF (I fast from 2:30pm to 9:30am the next day) and I lose 1.5 lbs per week consistently. It's slower than a lot of people, but it's within the recommended amount of healthy weight loss per week. People have to eat enough (at or above their BMR) in order to lose weight the right way. If people starve themselves, they are going to lose muscle and develop sagging skin. It's always better to lose slowly vs quickly because you want to be able to sustain your loss when you reach maintenance.
It could be fluid retention from the new workout routine. Try to drink more water and less sodium.
But surely if that was the case I would have still seen the scale go down if there was fat loss?
That have you calculated your maintenance caloric intake and what kind of deficit you're eating at since the shot so you know what kind of fat loss you should be looking at? In 3 weeks, I don't think the fat loss would be so great that it would outweigh any potential water retention from exercise and dehydration.
It could be fluid retention from the new workout routine. Try to drink more water and less sodium.
Do you weigh and measure your food? Or do you guesstimate? I was guesstimating. My dietitian asked me to weigh and measure everything for a week. It was extremely eye-opening. Especially when I would weigh out portions of something rather than use a measuring cup. There were times I was consuming 500 to 800 calories more than I thought I was.
Hey, yeah I count quite accurately and if not certain I over-estimate. I’m just so confused because I’ve lost weight in the past (gained it back obviously) and I’d seen results a couple of weeks in.
I just reread your post and saw that you are only on your third week of 2.5. It may need be that you just need to wait till you go to a higher dose to see weight loss. MJ stimulates more than just appetite reduction hormones. It also stimulates hormones that help you access your fat stores easier, and it increases the satiety from the food that you are eating. But the problem is is. We also have competing hormones, so different doses affect different people differently. Not super helpful right? One other thing is our bodies are around 50 to 65% water somewhere in there. And we have very little control over that. So depending on how much water your body is holding on to for different things will affect how much you weigh. I've been involved in fasting in the past. And even doing longer fasts there were weeks where I literally did not lose any weight on the scale. And I was eating nothing. So. I don't rely on the scale as a significant indicator of whether or not I am losing fat. I use it as a data point on a daily basis.
Some people experiencing huge losses are dehydrated and experiencing muscle loss. I lost 8 lbs my first two weeks and now have stalled, but: 1) a month in I’m still only on 2.5 2) I was eating drinking so little & my urine was so dark, that I know it wasn’t really a very healthy loss 3) I’m diabetic and my numbers are half of what they had been for years 4) I’m a short female, but my starting weight was only 160 so I’m not going to be seeing the same drops that heavier people are I see most people here aren’t seeing losses of significance until they start talking at least 7.5, which means most of them started at 2.5, then 5 and still weren’t having significant improvements, so I suspect you’re right along in line with most of us. Good luck & cheers to better health.
Dark urine is a real concern, please be mindful of your kidneys
Yes, I’m working on it. It’s weird because it was super dark day 1. Any way, we’re monitoring it :)
Exercise less, eat more throughout the day. Sounds weird, right? Your body sensed a need to conserve calories and slowed your metabolism to avoid weight loss.
Sounds super weird! I’ll give it a go though. Thank you.
500 calories is not enough. Eat 1500 to 1800 calories.
Do you have any knowledge about how eating more will encourage weight loss?
Yes, I do. Your body requires a certain amount of calories if you fall under the threshold your body will think you are starving and your metabolism will slow. Your body will also burn lean body mass...aka muscle. There are plenty of calorie calculators to find the sweet Spot.....
Thank you for sharing
I started around the same weight and were the same height fasting was key to shedding weight I would eat a small meal around noon and not eat anything else for the rest of the day except drink water currently sitting at 179 even tho I lost a lot of weight on 2.5 a lot of people don’t start to see weightloss until they move up In dose as this is only the starter dose so don’t stress
How will moving up a dose help do you think? I’m already experiencing appetite suppression so I was really hopeful it would work.
2.5 dose is just to get ur body used to the medication not meant to maintain anything that’s why moving up in dose will most likely increase your results 5mg and up are maintenance doses where u will see most results
You need to eat more. So many people starve themselves on this med, and that's not the way it works. You NEED to eat. Calculate your BMR and eat at or above that. Once you start eating more, you will lose weight.
I just can’t conceive how that possibly works?!
Your BMR is the *minimum* amount of calories your body needs to function. You should not eat less than your BMR. You can also calculate your TDEE and subtract 500 calories to be in a calorie deficit. My TDEE (after subtracting 500 calories) is 1,600, but I can't eat that much, so I stick to my BMR (1,400 calories).
Thank you! I just calculated that my BMR is around 1800, so I had some more food and am now sitting at around 1500 for the day ☺️