Mounjaro Journey, 25 weeks, 7.5mg

Another week has rolled by — and with it, a fair bit of chaos, anticipation, and some very strange dreams!

Hopefully, today marks the end of the building saga. All being well, the new glass will finally arrive (hopefully in one piece and the right size this time!) and be fitted, and our builder is popping back to sort out the last little snagging bits. I can’t pretend we’ll miss having the house full of tradesmen… it will be lovely to have our space back again.

I’ve also been planning the next episode of my Weight Loss Journey on YouTube. The script is pretty much there… but actually recording it? Impossible! Between the drilling, banging, door slamming and general chaos, it’s been far too noisy and disrupted to even think about hitting “record.” I mean, a bit of background sound might add atmosphere, but I’m not sure anyone wants an unsolicited guest appearance from a power drill halfway through my heartfelt narration!

Food-wise, it’s been a sociable week. I’ve eaten out twice, catching up with friends, and both times ended up choosing a salad — one crispy beef with cashews, and the other a crispy duck salad. Both delicious. I even had a dessert, which is rare for me, but there was a tempting spiced orange panna cotta with a brandy snap calling my name… and honestly, it was worth it!

Crispy Beef salad with lotus root crisps and cashews
Crispy Peking Duck salad with Mixed Leaves, Carrot & Mooli Ribbons, Spring Onion, Cucumber, Sesame Dressing & Plum Sauce

Other food discoveries this week – Warburtons crumpet “thins” – 61 calories each.  Every bit as good as a regular crumpet.  And I made my first ever rock cakes (or should I say the lovely Sam made them for me!)  162 calories each – I enjoyed 2.  I think Mike and the builders may have looked after the remaining 10 between them.

Rock cakes – really simple to make with store cupboard ingredients. 162 calories each.
Warburton Crumpet thins. 61 calories and every bit as nice as a regular crumpet!

We’ve got another meal out this week, too. We’re taking Mum to meet two friends she did her nursing training with in the 1950’s — women she’s known for decades. They don’t live too far from us (Portsmouth).  We’re meeting halfway in a pub. Their adult children (who are around our age) will be there too; we all used to meet up during school holidays when we were younger. The last time we were together was sadly for a funeral, so it will be lovely to see them all in far nicer circumstances. And yes… I’ve studied the menu, and ham, egg and chips might be happening!

My Mounjaro dreams have been doing their own thing lately — incredibly vivid, detailed, and not always pleasant! I’ve woken up a few times feeling very relieved that they were just dreams.

Does anyone else get those incredibly clear, almost cinematic dreams? Mine often involve strangers… it amazes me what the brain can conjure up when I’m asleep.

And now — just two weeks to go until our holiday! I’m curious (and hopeful!) to see how Mounjaro will influence my holiday eating and, crucially, the usual post-holiday weight gain. Normally I can gain around 7lbs in two weeks, despite being mindful. I never go wild with food or drink, but it’s impossible to track calories accurately, and I’m less active because I’m relying on my wheelchair more during the day.

What gives me hope is how much Mounjaro has changed my appetite. Alcohol doesn’t appeal at all, sweet things don’t tempt me, and my appetite is reduced. I just don’t feel the need to snack between meals. So we’ll see! At worst, a small gain… at best, maybe nothing at all.  Now that would be a result!

Either way, I’m very ready for sunshine, a comfortable spot to sit in the warmth, and losing myself in my Kindle.

Weigh in this week:

Weight this week:  58.3kg (about 9st 2lbs) Last week 58.7kg (about 9st 3lbs)

Loss:  400g (about 1 pound)

To goal: 1.3kg (about 3lbs)

Mounjaro Journey, 24 weeks, 7.5mg

The building work had all been going so well… and I was quietly grateful for that. Then Thursday arrived. The HUGE glass doors were delivered and fitted — or rather, delivered, yes… but fitted, absolutely not. Somewhere along the line, someone mis-measured the glass. So instead of a beautiful three-pane sliding door, we currently have two wooden panels standing in for glass. A slightly rustic chic I didn’t ask for!

     

Thankfully, the window company have been mortified, and new glass is already being manufactured. It should arrive on Friday, with fitting scheduled for a week today. I’m counting down the days.

The builders, to their credit, have been outstanding throughout. Tidy, conscientious, polite — and the quality of their work has really impressed us. With luck, they’ll only be on-site for a few more days, and once the glass goes in, we should finally be finished.

The first episode of my video shorts about my weight-loss journey has also received such positive feedback. It’s been strange, actually — writing the script made me pause and really reflect on my life so far, and on all the factors that shaped how I’ve managed to achieve what I have. Not just the weight loss. Because of that, the next episode will begin with a short prologue that touches on some of those things. I’ve genuinely enjoyed building this narrative, even if it is rather time-consuming.  Please do take the time to watch it – and leave me a comment or a like!

This week’s other project: a new laminate floor going into an upstairs bedroom. We lifted the existing floor so we could re-use the boards to patch around the new window, and now it’s time to lay the replacement.

Weight-loss update:
My measurements continue to shrink, and so does the number on the scales. I took another 7.5mg injection yesterday — seven days since the last — and everything feels steady.

Clothes, ready for the charity shop

Oh, and I tackled the wardrobe. I now have a big pile of clothes that simply don’t fit anymore! But as most of my blouses come from Vinted, it hasn’t caused too much heartache — and I’ve treated myself to plenty of lovely replacements.

Food this week:
We enjoyed pies twice — a chicken, mushroom and leek pie, and a slow-cooked beef pie made from puff pastry and beef we unearthed from the freezer (from 2024!). I do adore pies, but pastry is a treat best enjoyed sparingly. Delicious all the same.

I also made a little YouTube video showing a butterbean and red pesto dish, which included a tour of my kitchen and some of the things that make it more accessible to me.

Weight this week:  58.5kg (about 9st 3lbs) Last week 59.3kg (about 9st 4.7lbs)

Loss:  800g (about 1½ pounds)

To goal: 1.5kg (about 3lbs)

Mounjaro Journey, 23 weeks, 7.5mg

Another week has flashed past — honestly, where does the time go?

Our building work has been going full steam ahead, and thankfully, the weather has been kind to us. It’s been mild and mostly dry, which has worked in the builders’ favour. The team arrive every morning around 7.30am, breaks for their early lunch at 10.30am (yes, really!), and finishes up by 3.30pm — just as it’s starting to get dark. It’s a good routine and doesn’t interfere too much with our evenings.

This week I took my jab as a split dose — 5mg on Thursday and 7.5mg on Sunday — because the appetite suppression was starting to wear off. It’s such a weird feeling when those old thoughts about food and eating start to return. It always reminds me just how much I don’t miss them!

Me, as a baby (about 18 months)

Away from all the drilling and dust, I’ve been working on something much more creative — a new YouTube series! I’m planning a collection of short videos that narrate and illustrate my 13-year weight-loss journey. The first one went live yesterday and looks back over my childhood, exploring how my impairment shaped my relationship with food and body image. It covers the period from my birth right through to 2012 — the first fifty years of my life!

Future videos will dive deeper into specific topics such as calorie counting, life events that could have easily derailed me (but didn’t!), exercise, and my experience of excess skin removal.

I’d love it if you could take a look at the video, leave me a comment on YouTube, and give it a thumbs-up if you enjoy it. Your feedback really means a lot — and it helps me know what you’d like to see next.

Meanwhile, on the Mounjaro front, things are still moving in the right direction. I’m continuing to fine-tune my doses and listen carefully to my body. It’s fascinating to see how my long-term journey – from years of calorie counting to now – is evolving with this new chapter. Every week feels like a small but meaningful step forward.

Weight progress chart

 

Weight this week:  59.3kg (about 9st 4.7lbs)

Last week 59.5kg (about 9st 5.2lbs)Loss: 200g (about half a pound)

Weight to lose: 2.3kg (about 5lbs)

 

 

Mounjaro Journey, 22 weeks, 7.5mg

Hello lovely subscribers and followers. How’s your week been?

We’ve had a fairly relaxing week, which has been wonderful.  That’s given us ample opportunity to get everything done in the house before the building work starts today.  So an early start, as the builder arrived at 7.30am, and we needed to move the car off the drive beforehand.  Skip and steel delivery due this morning (a very heavy 4-metre steel beam which is needed to support the walls and roof above).

The two tall windows and door will be replaced with three large sliding panels, which will be just under 4 metres in total.
We’re still left with enough space to sit and eat at our dining table. The area underneath the beam (behind the wine cabinet) will be screened off temporarily whilst the building work takes place.

The room was emptied – our upstairs bedroom looks like a jungle as all the large houseplants have moved there temporarily.  The empty room downstairs is barren and echoey.  Our very nervous cat (Frank) isn’t amused with all the disruption and furniture movement.

By the way, if you want details on any of the food images I share in each post, I’m happy to provide more details on what is on my plate, including calories and nutrition.

I recognise the images are too small for you to pick out the detail.  But this week has included aubergine parmigiana, Alaskan sockeye salmon fillet with a Teriyaki marinade, venison meatballs with a spicy tomato spaghetti,  rump steak with a mushroom sauce, Thai green chicken curry, homemade butternut squash, ginger, chilli & coconut soup, kipper fillets with sourdough baguette, venison meatballs with a cranberry gravy, roasted pepper stuffed with Moroccan spiced lamb mince, cream of tomato soup with farmhouse pate and multi-grain crackers.

This week’s plans include a visit to the dental hygienist for a descale and polish, and a full-day “Away Day” with Reading Voluntary Action, the local charity for which I serve as a Trustee.  It’s also my daughter’s 29th birthday!  How did those years fly by?  It seems no time at all since she was in primary school, and she’s now an independent young woman with her own home.  I’ve bought her a bean-to-cup coffee machine, which she’s already making good use of.

This week, to try to combat the effects of the “Mounjaro breath” that seems to arrive about 24 hours after taking an injection, I’ve taken a 2.5mg injection on Friday, and I’ll take 5mg on Thursday after the Away Day, so splitting a 7.5mg dose.  I don’t want to be breathing that awful breath for the hygienist appointment, so this is damage limitation!  I’ll also be chewing on my peppermint oil capsules regularly.  These really help with the sulphur burps too.

Has anyone else experienced that weird-smelling Mounjaro breath? Have you found any remedies or solutions?

Weight this week:  59.5kg    (Last week 59.7kg)

Loss:  200g (about half a pound)

Weight to lose: 2.5kg