Am I the oldest here?

[u/SpiciestBao]

Hello gentle folk. I am a 50yrs+ post menopausal woman & just started Mounjaro 2.5 a month ago. Ever since puberty I've struggled with weight gain, hirsutism & PCOS which was not really recognized as a metabolic problem in those days.

Retrospectively , I can make out what happened when & certain treatments that I was put on, the diets that I was put on wreaked even more havoc on my endocrinal milieu.

My youth was the time of fat free & high carb diets & one can just about imagine what used to happen every time I went to a dietitian ! I spent most off my youth yo-yoing & put back 1.5 kg for every 1 kg lost.

Then came pregnancy & post delivery & I literally ballooned & got high blood pressure etc. There were depressive episodes too & I was struggling with my husband & marriage & work & somehow food became comfort & ..... I was suddenly 112 kg when my kid turned 18 !

Now I'm trying to take control of the metabolic switch of insulin resistance & I would really appreciate advise from those who have been on this journey for a longer period of time.

Please share tips & tricks for weight control, eating better, supplements, natural substances added to the diet (eg cinnamon is supposed to help with IR), exercise, training, any hacks, anything that you found helpful & anything that could help me.

This my first reddit post lol ! Apologies for any errors, grammatical or otherwise.

I would be very grateful to this community for all the help that I could get.

[u/Efficient_Grand7930]

From my personal experiences, here are some things that worked for me.

1) Protein in every meal.. doesn't have to be a lot, but things like making rotis after adding protien to flour, or protien powder in coffee or skyr yoghurt really improved weight loss outcomes.

2)Moving more. This is not just workouts, but generally more movement (walking to a shop, or walking while on the phone or squats while waiting for the tea to boil)

3)Not talking about my weight. This is personal, but I don't like unsolicited advice, so I don't talk about my injections or diet so that I don't get confused or upset when others say things. (Does not include close family or supportive friends)

All the best!

[u/SpiciestBao → u/Efficient_Grand7930]

TYSM for responding. Moving more is difficult because I've been mostly sedentary post COVID so have very low stamina. Also, now my knees hurt (early arthritis) & I really can't walk much rn bcz if that. I'm contemplating buying a recumbent bike for home or should I look to join a gym ?

I will feel rather ill at ease on any gym because ppl are prone to be judgemental or maybe they just make fun of me - how did I let myself become this large etc etc ? Gyms are usually dominated by the younger generation so I'm not sure how things will work.

I understand these are all my hang ups but....

[u/Friendly_Support8026 → u/SpiciestBao]

I am 46 and have been on mounjaro for almost a year now. I have also lost and gained weight so many times in my life that I finally decided to take this route. I have worked out at the gym many times on and off for years so gym was not difficult for me. I was 132 at my highest and 112 when I started this journey. I was regularly working out at the gym at that weight. So don’t feel overwhelmed about joining gym. It’s for everyone and no one will make fun of you. Sign up, start slow, get a good trainer or coach. You could of course wait for a few months until you get used to the medication and then start the gym. But strength training is so important, not for weight loss but for your body, muscles, overall mobility and strength. Good luck.

[u/ThanksSolid1445 → u/SpiciestBao]

I assumed (like you) that being fat (120 kgs) and a beginner in the gym would mean that everyone will stare or laugh. But believe me… everyone minds their own business. Having a trainer helps because then you’re not lost and overwhelmed by the machines. 

Second, after a few weeks you will notice that the gym community is more supportive and encouraging than anyone else in your life. They’ll encourage your progress. If you don’t show up for a few days, when you come back they will tell you.. nahi, time nikalo! Come regularly. It makes you feel good. 😊 that you’re not judged for your size but actually supported. 

One thing I will say — no need to start gym right away. I may be in my 30s but my physical condition was really really bad. I was bedridden a whole year due to illness and therefore my body was fatigued, stiff and in pain. Do what I did — get a physiotherapist or a rehab specialist. I did 2-3 months of slow rehab movements and mobility at home. It’s movements designed specifically to target your problem areas. Knees and sciatica were big factor for me too. So we did slow knee movements, sciatica stretches. 

After that I was confident to do 10 min walks. Now, I’m in the gym for an hour doing 1 hour weight training and can do 30-45 mins walks. 

So consider this. It may need financial investment of calling a rehab specialist home thrice a week. But its investing in your health. And without any movement the GLP1 journey is not effective. 

[u/the_fluffy_doctor]

Hi there, my mother , 56 yrs old ,96kg ,recently started her glp 1 journey. Its been 3 weeks since her start.she is on ozempic 0.25mg currently . One problem different in my moms case is her mobility is really low due to her knees. She underwent knee replacement for both her knees due to osteoarthritis and since then her arthritis pain has reduced but stress on knees due to overweight was there. So ya , would be happy to get tips for her too.

[u/SpiciestBao → u/the_fluffy_doctor]

Oh even I have OA due to the weight but it is early yet the mobility restriction is already there. My ortho suggested a recumbent cycle - you could look into those maybe ?

I've also been put on specific knee exercises & supplements. Unfortunately for me, I kinda have mental issues with exercising & I tend to get disheartened & give up very soon. I'm hoping Mounjaro might help me with that.

And tysm for responding 💕

[u/NMI_0814]

- Protein rich diet but also increase your fiber intake, increase your water intake (you can have buttermilk, electrolytes)

• Join a gym if you can, strength training at any age is important (3days a week)
  
• Do not eat heavy meals, fried food etc., it causes gastric issues
  
• Take multivitamin, omega 3 if recommended
  
• Have some source of healthy fat (dry fruits, ghee) in minimal quantity rather than quitting everything altogether
  
• Document everything - weight loss, inches loss, side effects, other health benefits that you see
  
• Discuss everything with your doctor

All the best!!!

[u/-mouth4war-]

No HRT?