Mounjaro

Mounjaro Journey = 18 weeks, 2 x 5mg

flidfit Disability, Emotional well being, Mounjaro

Another week has passed.  I have noticed this week that my hunger levels have increased.  My meals are starting to look kind of “back to normal”.  They were never huge, but I am clearing everything on my plate and enjoying it a bit too much.  I plan to take a 7.5mg dose of Mounjaro this week to see if increasing the dosage slightly has any effect on my appetite suppression.

I am in no hurry to reach the “finishing line”.  I recognise that there will never be an end to remaining mindful about what I consume and keeping track of my calorie intake if I want to maintain my weight loss.  That is the reality of being a very short, not very mobile older woman.

It’s not a vanity thing; I want to be lighter.  I accepted in my twenties that my body shape precludes me from being an “ideal shape”.  However, I do want to preserve my good health at a time in my life when the likelihood of avoidable conditions is increasing.

It’s (thankfully) been a quieter week in terms of socialising and eating out.  We arranged to attend a charity fundraising quiz at a local Cuban restaurant/bar.  We were raising funds for PACT (Parents and Children Together).

“PACT changes lives by building and nurturing adoptive families and empowering women, children and parents to rebuild after trauma and embrace a positive future.

Established in 1911, PACT is now one of the UK’s leading charities in its field and is dedicated to finding secure and loving families for children waiting to be adopted, continued support through therapeutic services, supporting and empowering women facing multiple disadvantages and the recovery of children affected by domestic abuse.”

The theme of the evening was our town, Reading.  The Quiz Master was Terry from Terry’s Reading Walkabouts, and he and his wife had set the questions.  I hoped that we might have an advantage, my partner and I being lifelong residents of the town.  Our team came in a respectful joint 4th place (out of approximately 15 teams), so we were pleased with that.

The food we ordered sadly didn’t match the ambience of the evening or the excellent company.  We were served dry (chicken), which lacked identifiable flavours.  My radish salad helped to add some crunch and colour.  The spicy rice may well have been a microwaved rice pouch!  Ah well…. The purpose of the night wasn’t eating a lovely meal, which was just as well!  I enjoy these reminders of why eating out isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

My car took a trip to the garage this week, as it has developed an issue with the power steering.  Sadly, my usual garage was unable to identify or resolve the problem and advised that it be booked in to the main dealership.  It’s booked to be with them over two days this week, so we’ll be grounded.  Well, at least in terms of driving anywhere…

If you’d like to watch my latest YouTube video update, you can view it here!  Here are a couple of comparison pictures, taken six weeks apart—definitely less of a tyre around my middle.  I’m going to be doing my measurements this week, so I will share them with you next week!

My weight this week:

400g (approximately 1lb), current weight 61kg, down 10.4kg from my starting weight on 2nd June 2025.  Just 4kg away from my target weight.

BMI down from 35.3 to 30.2.

Mounjaro Journey 17 weeks, 2 x 5mg

flidfit Eating Out, Eating Out, Mounjaro, Vegan / Plant based, Vegeterian

Another good week… I’m a little late posting an update as I have been celebrating my birthday (63!) and my sister and brother-in-law are staying for five days.  They live about a 3-hour drive away, so we are treating their stay as a mini-staycation and have been enjoying days out.  We were joined by my daughter and her boyfriend for two days – they travelled all the way from Leeds (about 4 hours away) to join in the birthday celebrations.

These included a boat trip along the River Thames, a lovely walk in the sunshine along the river to Caversham for lunch at Vegivores, a vegan restaurant, and a morning trip to a local museum – The Museum of English Rural Life.

Food choices have been good – I prepared all of our evening meals in advance and put them into the freezer.  A fish pie, a carrot, lentil and beef bolognese and a Moroccan spiced minced lamb with stuffed roasted peppers.

We took packed lunches (salad for me) and our vegan restaurant lunch was carefully selected – a vegan macaroni cheese and delicious tahini crunch salad – shredded rainbow veggies, tahini dressing, sesame, mint and lime.

 

Of course, there was (birthday) cake, homemade butternut squash spiced cake.  I enjoyed one slice, and the rest was eagerly consumed by everyone else over the staycation.

I took 2 x 5mg injections from my 10mg pen 5 days apart.  I could feel hunger pangs returning on day 4!

I realise the feeling-hungry sensation was a daily occurrence before Mounjaro… and I most certainly don’t miss it.

As the maximum effect of the injection occurs around 48 hours after administration, it’s helpful to time it before the food noise becomes too overwhelming and hunger pangs become too unbearable.

Weight loss this week – 600g (approximately 1.3 lb), so my current weight is 61.4kg, down 10kg from my starting weight on June 2nd.

Just 4.4kg away from my target weight.

Mounjaro Journey – 16 weeks, 5mg

flidfit Disability, Emotional well being, Exercise, Mounjaro

It’s been a good week.

My regular support / right-hand woman is away on holiday, so the two mornings she usually comes to assist me have been a little more leisurely!  That’s not to say I’ve enjoyed a lie-in.  In fact, I’ve been getting up a little earlier in order to get things done she’d usually help me with.

I’ve been working on an idea to create my vlogs – seeking some expert input from my daughter, who has advanced social media/marketing experience.  I’m not after thousands of post views or subscribers, but I feel it would be beneficial to share some aspects of my 13-year weight loss journey.  I hope that these resources can help others who encounter extra obstacles to weight loss—whether due to impairments, injuries, medication side effects, limited time, or caring responsibilities.

My journey hasn’t just been about seeing the pounds disappear.  Yes, initially, it was about losing weight.  As my journey has progressed, it has become about increasing my activity levels and exercising, about developing strategies and habits to embed in my everyday life to make the weight loss sustainable.

Without these strategies, there is no doubt that my weight loss would have fallen by the wayside, and I’d be several more kilos overweight than I was back in 2012.

It’s also been an emotional journey. There is no doubt that I have grown in confidence.  I am naturally a confident individual; some might call me overbearing at times, especially in group situations.

The confidence I have acquired over the years has been about my ability to change myself.  As I’ve seen the physical changes in my body and stamina occur, I am reassured that I can continue to do this and that I can continue to succeed.

This week, I’ve also started incorporating some strength and toning exercises using resistance training bands.  I know it’s inevitable that some of my body parts are looking a little saggier (I’m deflating, my OH tells me!).  That comes with age… and we cannot stop ageing.

I’m doing these exercises (just a set of 30 reps each) to build/maintain my muscle mass, especially my core muscles.  I can’t use my arms to push myself up from a chair or bed, so I depend on my core strength instead.

Mounjaro this week:

I took a 5mg dose on Wednesday from a 10mg pen using a spare pen needle.

 

Weight loss this week: 0.0kg

Stayed the same: 62kg / 9½ stone

My weight did bump around a bit during the week, but I’ve stayed within my calorie deficit, so I’m just hanging on in here!

 

Mounjaro Journey – 15 weeks 7.5mg

flidfit Disability, Eating Out, Eating Out, Exercise, Mounjaro, Pain, Travel

Ever since I started taking Tirzepatide, many of those whom I’ve told ask me the very same question.  “What happens when you stop taking it?”

The short answer is, I don’t know.  Taking Mounjaro long-term at a reduced dose may enable me to maintain my weight in the future.

What I do know is that the extra boost I get from the drug in terms of appetite suppression and switching off my “food noise” has really made a massive difference.

The use of Mounjaro to assist my weight loss journey is just one small step or strategy helping me to stay on track with my weight loss journey.  A journey that has been over 13 years long.

13 years is a long time to be diligently logging food, weighing every item that one eats and drinks, keeping within a daily calorie limit and never really taking one’s eye off the ball.  Social occasions, days out and holidays present a challenge.  I need to stay on track and continue as best I can with my journey.  One bad day or a week’s holiday cannot derail me.

Of course, I do relax a little when I’m on holiday, but I soon realised that I can’t really ever take my eye off the ball…. I used to, but then I came to recognise that it’s very easy to gain weight that has taken me a great deal of time and effort to lose.
Inevitably, I am eating and drinking more when I’m away from home.  I’m unable to weigh my food portions.  I am also moving less.  Without my gym ball, my daily exercise routine doesn’t happen.   I am much more reliant upon my wheelchair.  At home, although I’m not particularly mobile, I still move about when doing housework, walking from room to room, preparing meals, etc.  Each day starts with my exercise, about 45 minutes of stretching and bouncing.

The other thing I have recognised this week is the huge wealth of valuable knowledge and experience I have around losing weight when you have a physical disability that severely impacts on your activity levels.  It’s time to share that with – whoever wants to hear about it – and I am sure that there are many out there who (like me!) have used their impairment / illness / lack of mobility as an excuse as to why they are overweight and why they can’t lose their additional weight.

When I started on my weight loss journey, the road ahead was long, and of course I wanted to lose that weight quickly and without effort.  Once I accepted that it would take time and I could reap the benefit of my effort and see regular small weight losses, things became much easier.  I just accepted that I needed to do my best every day and to keep on keeping on, things became easier.

That was my starting point.  A severely obese (BMI of 44), very short, disabled woman who ate to excess and didn’t move at all.  I sat in front of my computer or in front of the TV.  Then went to bed to sleep.
If anyone had told me in 2012 that I’d lose 4½ stone in 18 months and would be exercising daily, I’d never have believed you.  Of course, written like that, it seems an incredible achievement.  I never set myself a specific goal.  I didn’t go from zero to one hundred in days or even weeks and months.  I began slowly – doing what I was able to do and gradually increasing the amount I moved.  My confidence grew in my ability to set and achieve weight loss and fitness targets.
A little corner of our garage provided me with my own gym
I have covered my introduction to exercise in the very early days of my blog.  I had a few sessions with a personal trainer from the Physio clinic I attended to explore cardiovascular exercise that I could manage.

From there, I progressed to strength training and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) in my own home gym equipped with a treadmill and other small items of gym equipment.  A little corner of the garage provided me with the perfect gym – just a few steps from my front door.

During 2014, we cared for a terminally ill relative who lived with us for the final 14 months of their life.  The garage gym provided me with a welcome respite from the situation.  Whatever the weather, I could be “at the gym”.  I didn’t have to worry about traffic, suitable weather or finding a parking spot.  I could fully immerse myself in my exercise session.

This was to stand me in good stead for dealing with the period of the two Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020.

I started to run!  I gradually built up my stamina to walk for sustained periods initially (on the treadmill, whilst holding on to a support bar.  Later I began to walk faster and then run using the Alter-G anti-gravity treadmill, which was available at a private hospital just a 10-minute drive from my home.  Running was something I had never done.  The last time I ran was at secondary school, not wishing to end up too far back in the very long lunch hall queue….

This week, I’ve started vlogging…. I am aiming to share aspects of my weight loss journey with those who may be looking for inspiration or ideas.  I’m using CapCut and YouTube, but – be warned – I’m learning new skills along the way.  Rather like this Blog, it will be a bit rough and ready as I get to grips with how to achieve what I want and the capabilities of the software, which is streets ahead of my own video-making capabilities!
Weight loss this week:
Last week’s weight:  62.7kg, this week 62.0kg
This week’s loss: 0.7kg (1½lb)
Total loss since starting Mounjaro, 2nd June 2025: 9.4kg (1½ stone)
Total loss in 13 years and 7 months:  – 27kg – down to 62kg from 89kg (4st 3½lb)

 

 

 

 

 

Mounjaro Journey – 14 weeks – split dose (2.5mg & 5mg)

flidfit Mounjaro

This week was busy, including a night away from home. 

We had a funeral to attend at the crematorium in Havant, about 1.5 hours drive away.  We drove down the afternoon before and booked into a hotel close to the crematorium.

This was a long-standing family friend, my sister’s godmother’s husband. 

It was important to my Mum that she be there to support her friend, someone she’d nursed with in Portsmouth many moons ago.

Mum has another nursing friend in the same area – the three of them stay in regular contact.  When my sisters and I were younger, our parents would often travel down to Porchester / Southsea during the school holidays to visit these lifelong family friends.  Their “children” were a similar age to us.

It was fortunate that around 3 years ago, my sisters and I took my Mum down to Southsea for an overnight visit to the seaside and to meet with these friends (and their now adult children…).  It was a really lovely evening hosted by one of their daughters. We were well looked after and had the chance to catch up on all of the family news.  That was the last time we saw Ken.

We tried to inject a little joy into the trip and we genuinely enjoy spending time together as a family.  My 91-year-old Mum seems to be attending funerals every other week recently.

In one of the dry spells inbetween the rain showers, we drove to and walked around Emsworth, a picturesque harbour-side village nestled in Chichester Harbour.

Emsworth, Chichester Harbour

Food whilst we were away was…. a challenge.  I don’t usually eat breakfast, but I ate breakfast at the hotel as I knew we wouldn’t be eating anything until the funeral wake, at around 2pm.  The food on offer at the wake was plentiful, but all brown – not even a little green garnish!  I just cannot eat too much bread, pastry, fried food without feeling queasy.  I didn’t drink enough either – when I am at home I glug down pints of cold drinks, but I was distracted and spent a great deal of time driving.

The wake was the opportunity to see Mum’s friends, so a nice end to an otherwise sad occasion.

Earlier this week, I received the information regarding price increases of Mounjaro from my supplier Voy:

“While manufacturer prices have risen by 100%, we’re offering our existing customers exclusive pricing. Your cost will only increase by 10–20%, depending on your current dose.”

My next pen (10mg) will increase from £229.00 to £279.00.  So not too bad and certainly not the predicted 100-170%.  

I have two 10mg pens obtained before the price hike – one from Voy with 3 doses remaining and another I managed to obtain from Superdrug.  I am now planning to start taking 5mg doses from my 10mg pens (I have bought some spare pen needles).  That should ensure the pens last twice as long and, all being well, I’m covered for the next 16 weeks. 

My dose of Mounjaro this week was taken in a “split” (two) doses – extracting the “golden dose” in two pens, so 2.5mg on Monday and 5mg on Thursday – equivalent to a 7.5mg dose over the week.  Less than my 10mg taken last Monday.

It was useful to monitor how this affected my appetite suppression and regulating the food noise, as at some point (in the not too distant future), I would like to drop my dose back down with a view to maintaining my weight.

By the way, that is a cake in the food images!  My favourite – a carrot cake.  Way too calorific though, over 400 calories per slice.  I settled for two half slices.  The remainder has been portioned and popped into the freezer to be dutifully eaten by my partner.

Weight loss this week: 1.2kg (2lbs)

I’m now down to 62.7kg, 9st 12lbs.

Under 6kg (12lbs) to reach my weight loss target of 57kg (9 stone).

In case anyone reading this is considering weight loss using Mounjaro, I have a link which will enable you to get £50 off your first order:

For anyone else considering Mounjaro, I have a link which will enable you to get £50 off your first order:

Voy is giving £50 off to new users — here’s my link if you want to try it. If you don’t lose at least 10% of your body weight in 6 months, they will refund you!
https://joinvoy.com/r/U-I3GBXgFKqs?raf=RAF50&rv=2&referrer=Simone

For transparency, this will also earn me £50 off my next order from them 🙂

Mounjaro Journey – 13 weeks in, 10mg

flidfit Eating Out, Mounjaro

 

It’s been a lovely, relaxing week with just the right mix of social events and routine things.  I had the opportunity to catch up with my Mum and took her to her local pub The Bull for lunch.  I “shared” a starter of pâte, chutney and toast (I had a third of it), then a chicken kebab with flatbread, Greek salad and tzatziki.  I have to say, the tzatziki I make myself is far superior (and tastier!).  As I had taken advantage of the “3 courses for £23” – which I knew would be far too much food, I selected the Eton Mess for dessert.  Oh my, that was far too sickly and sweet for my taste.  So after two small spoonfuls, I passed it over to OH, who polished it off!  I’d only selected the 3-course option, as many of the main courses were £17/£18 and I knew I wouldn’t be able to consume a whole meal.

Talking of sweet things, since starting this journey, I haven’t consumed any chocolate!  Although this isn’t something that features regularly in my diet, I do enjoy the odd chunk.  I am not enjoying sweet things (thanks to Mounjaro) –  just seeing a picture of something that is sweet or thinking sweet treats (cakes, chocolate, desserts) makes me feel quite nauseous!  

Saturday evening, despite the rain showers, we ventured out to BunkFest at Wallingford.  This large, not-for-profit event is a free-to-attend, family-friendly community festival held annually in Wallingford, Oxfordshire (about a 30-minute drive from Reading).  It combines music, dance, a beer festival, food and entertainment. We went last year, specifically to see The Mark II.  They’re an amazing 7-piece band blasting out soul and Motown.  We love them!  I ate some Thai food, which was “ok” but very salty – the weight jumped right up the following morning!  My drinks were lime cordial and soda, as well as plenty of water.

I’ve moved up this week to the 10mg dosage of tirzepatide – so far, so good.  I have been experiencing very slight nausea after I’ve eaten dinner in the evening.  I’m planning to take a dose from my 2.5ml pen today and will see how that affects my appetite – I am planning to “top up” with a 5ml dose later in the week (5 days) if required.  At some point, in the not-too-distant future, I’ll be experimenting with reducing dosage (micro-dosing).  I’m keen to see whether I am still able to reap the benefits of the appetite suppressant, keep the food noise “switched off” and rid myself of the slight nausea. The Voy app allows me to visually monitor the amount of Tirzepatide in my system.  If anything, I’ll be under-dosing rather than over-dosing.  

I did some measurements!  Here are the results:

Very pleased indeed to see the centimetres coming off the places where I’d most like to see it disappear from!

Weight loss this week: 600g (1lb)

Total loss since 02/06/25:  7.5kg / 16 ½lbs

Still to go: 7kg – yay!  I am over halfway to my goal weight.

 

 

 

Mounjaro Journey – 12 weeks in, 7.5mg

flidfit Disability, Eating Out, Eating Out, Mounjaro

This week has been much quieter from the point of view of having fewer social activities planned.  Enjoyed a coffee in the garden in 24 degrees this morning – on a Bank Holiday Monday too!

I have some support to assist me in doing the sort of everyday things that most people can do without any difficulties – my disability affects my dexterity, limits my mobility and my reach.  As I get older (63 next month!) I am slowing down more and more.  If only my ageing body were able to achieve all the things I plan in my head!  That’s where the valuable practical support provided by my wonderful PA Sam (Samantha) comes in handy.

Two mornings a week, I spend three hours working alongside Sam, who is a human whirlwind.  She helps me cook, clean, do the laundry, recycling… and this week also some sewing repairs and a trip to get my car cleaned inside and out.  I find myself feeling exhausted after she’s been, but in a very fulfilled way.  Sam came to work for me shortly after the Covid lockdown in July 2020. We work well together.

My sister also works to support me and spends a day with me every other week.  This is wonderful, because as well as having support for more time-consuming tasks (pruning roses, trip to the recycling centre with a car load of rubbish…), we get to exchange news and have a proper chat, putting the world to rights.

I love spending time with my sisters.  I have two of them.  We have come to recognise in recent years that the close relationship we enjoy as sisters isn’t what most families have.  We are very close in age (three years between oldest and youngest), all of us have quite different personalities, and each has very different strengths and weaknesses.  The most important thing we share is solidarity and honesty.  I would do anything for my sisters, and they would do the same for me.  We acknowledge and celebrate our differences.  Together, we create a formidable team that works well together, working collaboratively to support our Mum, who is 90 and has dementia but still lives in her own home.  More importantly, we support one another.

Back to Mounjaro.  Side effects…. I’d be interested to hear whether anyone else using Mounjaro has vivid dreams?  My dreams are wild and wacky and often involve traumatic events!  I’m always glad to wake up to the fact that it was all just a dream.  Perhaps it’s because I’ve been waking at around 4-5 am, and then drift back into a restless REM sleep.  My dreams involve total strangers, but I can see these people in vivid detail.  This may well be down to the medication.  Thankfully, they don’t leave me too traumatised, and I do wake up feeling refreshed.

One social event this week – a trip to a local venue, Park House, which is close by on the University of Reading campus.  A lovely old house with plenty of outdoor seating.  It’s always busy, but mostly university staff and members of the public, rather than students (and often large social groups).

My choice of food was a puy lentil, quinoa, lemon & sumac salad with seared rump steak.  Although the description sounded good, the food sadly didn’t match up.  Thankfully the company was excellent! I drank 2 pints of stout which made up for the disappointing meal!

There were around 12 of us altogether and the conversation was good – gardening, travel, food loves (and hates).  Bees and bee propolis.  I was given a jar of honey by one lady who has bee hives, and some propolis was delivered the following day to allow my partner to make a propolis tincture.  Propolis has anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.  In return for the propolis, she’ll get a bottle of the tincture he makes.

My final week on 7.5mg, my 10g pen is in the fridge; I’ll be taking my first dose today.

Weight loss progress – a week ago I was 65.6kg (10 stone 3lbs) and today at weigh-in I was 64.1kg (10st 1b), so a loss of 1.5kg.  Total loss of 7.2kg and over halfway to my goal weight of 57kg.

Mounjaro weight loss chart. I weigh myself every morning (when at home)

 

This is the entire 13+ years of my weight loss journey. The start of taking Mounjaro is the sharp decline at the end (June 2025)

 

 

Mounjaro Journey – 11 weeks in, 7.5mg

flidfit Disability, Eating Out, Mounjaro, Travel

I’ve not got as many images to share this week as I ate out a lot…. I feel it a little anti-social to start photographing one’s food.  But it was all delicious.

This will be my last week on the 7.5ml dosage, and we’ve been hit with the news that there will be substantial price increases for Mounjaro sometime in September.  Some reports are suggesting as much as 170% with the cost for the highest dose rising from £122 to £330.

My next injection pen will wing it’s way to me this week, increasing from 7.5ml to 10ml.  I am fortunate not to have experienced any side effects so far and am hoping this will continue.  So… depending on the hike in cost, it may be time to switch to Wegovy?  I’ll cross that bridge once I need to.

One thing for sure is that weight loss medication is making a difference to me. Mounjaro mimics the GLP-1 hormone (glucagon-like peptide-1), which tells your brain to let you know you’re full and slows down how quickly you digest your food. It helps me feel fuller for longer and reducing cravings.

Wegovy only works on GLP-1, whereas Mounjaro works on GLP-1 and the GIP hormone (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide).

The price increase is not something to concern myself with just yet!

I reported last week that I had two big social weekends, one immediately after the other, and this weekend was my second such weekend!  I was responsible for organising a weekend for 14 friends visiting Reading from Canada, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Scotland, Sweden and… Oxford.

Myself and my partner stayed at the hotel with everyone else so that we could fully participate in the programme of events that I’d planned.

I was a little apprehensive about everything going according to plan and without any mishaps or emergencies.  I’d done everything in my power to ensure this!  Most of the group are damaged as a consequence of the drug Thalidomide, which is how my own impairments were caused.  Six of us are wheelchair users!  So getting everything right was imperative.

Terry Dixon, Terry’s Walkabouts explains how locks work and describes the route of the Kennet and Avon Canal.

It all went brilliantly – from start to finish.  We had a brilliant private walking tour of Reading, which took in Reading Abbey, the Harris Arcade, and we heard all about Huntley and Palmers Biscuit factory production, learned about the Kennet and Avon Canal which runs through the centre of Reading and how locks operate.

I ate breakfast in the hotel each morning, drank alcohol, ate lunch and enjoyed dinner in restaurants.  I most definitely was eating far less than pre-Mounjaro – I even left food on my plate.  Even though it was all very delicious, I just felt full long before my plate was empty.  I enjoyed a Beetroot and rose syrup iced latte (sounds interesting I thought… must give it a try!)

Beetroot and rose syrup latte. Matcha latte.

And my weight??? I’m 65.2kg so slightly down from last weeks 65.9kg. Earlier in the week the scales gave me a 64.9kg reading – given all the socialising, I am very happy with a small loss!

This week things are back to normal so I can crack on with eating well, eating less and shifting some more weight!

 

 

Mounjaro Journey – 10 weeks in

flidfit Disability, Eating Out, Eating Out, Mounjaro, Travel

Wow, this was a social week!  I’m not used to eating out very often, but the next couple of weeks are quite full-on in terms of being away from home and eating meals out.

On Friday evening, I was invited to join a friend and his wife, who were visiting from Germany and were passing through Reading on their way from London to Exeter.

As a wheelchair user, I prefer to use venues that I know work well for me, in terms of travelling into the centre of town (by wheelchair, a 20-minute “run”) and which have plenty of space around tables and a decent accessible loo.

I settled on Cote Brasserie, which also offers great value for money.  I’ve never had a bad dining experience, and the food is “good enough”.  I settled on the “Prix Fixe” menu (two courses for £21.50).  My choices were the “Poulet au Bacon”, a marinated chicken breast in garlic, thyme & smoked paprika, with a smoked bacon velouté and salad vierge served with frites.  Not bad for 625 calories.  Then I chose two scoops of ice cream for around 200 calories.  Other desserts sounded more appealing, but in my view, just not worth 400-600 calories!  I drank two Blood Orange & Grapefruit sodas (around 100 calories each).

Saturday to Monday, I travelled to Bedford, two nights away with a group of amazing women.  These are disabled women whom I got to know when all of our children were just a few years old – they are now all approaching or already in their 30s (the children that is….!). Bedford was lovely (a market town on the banks of the River Ouse).  The weather was fab.

Together with others, we established a national organisation (charity) to support disabled people who were or who were planning to be parents.  That’s not “parents of disabled children” but where the parents themselves face challenges and barriers because of their impairments. Being a new parent is challenging enough without the added complication of an impairment.

Now I could devote a whole blog post to just how invaluable this organisation was to disabled parents who might otherwise have been isolated and alone in working out how to overcome the many barriers they faced – not just the physical, but almost more importantly, the attitudinal attitudes towards anyone who may need support to be the parent(s) they want to be.  BUT…. that’s not what this Blog is all about…  these women I count amongst the strongest, most capable and supportive bunch of people you will ever meet, and I love catching up with them all.

So…. food was enjoyed, alcohol was consumed.  The sun shone brightly and we talked (a lot!)  I travelled home to my next Mounjaro injection.

Scores on the doors……. weight is 65.9kg today, so up from 65.4kg (500g) last Monday.  I’d have been surprised to see a loss, to be honest.  This will likely be mostly food in transit.  Usually, following a weekend of eating more calories and moving less, the damage is worse!

Mounjaro Journey – 9 weeks in

flidfit Eating Out, Eating Out, Fakeaways, Healthy Swaps, Mounjaro, Recipes, Uncategorized

After my Blog post last week, where I expressed my slight disappointment about the lack of movement on the scales, I thought it would be prudent to take body measurements.  I’m so pleased that I did!  Whilst the scales haven’t moved much in the past month, the inches (or centimetres) are disappearing.

I have to say I was quite astonished – especially at the 8cm from my waist!  It’s given me faith in the process that my excess pounds are slowly disappearing!

I’ve lost 0.9kg this week (just under 2lbs), which brings my total loss in 9 weeks to 6.1kg (13½lbs).  I’m fairly confident that I’ll be hitting that 1 stone barrier over the coming week.

This week, I’ve discovered some great recipes to help increase my daily protein intake – simple and quick.

I came across a recipe for “sheet kebabs”.  Now I love a kebab, but threading chunks of meat onto a skewer and then getting them back off the skewer once they’re on my plate provides somewhat of a challenge with just three fingers, no thumbs, and shortened arms.  I usually end up wearing the marinade or losing half of my chunks of meat across the table top.  The “sheet kebab” method involves mixing all of the ingredients in a bowl and then pressing the meat mixture into a lined baking tray or dish, scoring it into (kebab-sized) lengths and cooking.  No skewers involved at all!

This preparation method meant I could dispense with all of those challenges (and mess).  I used pork mince, but chicken, lamb or beef would also work well.

Indian Spiced Sheet Pan Kebab – 99 calories each

Pork, Mince, 5% Fat – 454g

Red Pepper, Raw – ½ Med / 70g

Red Onions, Raw – ½ Med / 75g

Garlic, Raw – 3 Cloves/9g

Ground Cumin – 1½ Tsps / 7.5g

Ground Coriander, Ground -, 1½ Tsps / 7.5g

Cornflour – 1½ Tsps / 7.5g

Ground Garam Masala – 2 Tsps / 10g

Olive Oil, Extra Virgin – 7ml

Fresh coriander – 1 bunch / 20g

Method

Preparation:  Peel and finely dice the red onion.  Peel and mince the garlic.  De-seed and finely chop the red pepper.  Chop the fresh coriander.

In a large mixing bowl, using your hands (or someone else’s hands in my case…), mix together the spices, cornflour, red onion, garlic, red pepper and fresh coriander.  Ensure that they are well combined.

Line a baking dish (approx. 20cm x 20cm) with baking parchment.  Transfer the mince mixture to the dish and press it out evenly to fill the tray.

Use a knife to score the meat into 8 thin strips, about 2-3cm wide.  Adjust according to the shape of the pan you are using.

Then score each strip diagonally to create a decorative pattern.  This helps the meat to cook evenly and crisp up a little.  Use a brush to brush over the oil.  The oil will ensure better browning.

Preheat the grill to medium.

Place the tray under the hot grill and cook for 6–8 minutes, or until the top is browned, caramelised, and cooked through.  No need to flip.

 

Nutrition Data Per Serving (one kebab strip)

Calories (kcal) 98.6

Protein (g) 0.9

Carbohydrate (g) 3.6

Fat (g) 3.6

Fibre (g) 12.9

Fruit & Veg 0.3

Serve:
Slice or lift out the kebab strips and serve inside pitta breads or wraps with salad and a mint yoghurt dip or tzatziki. Perfect for a quick weeknight meal.

Tips
Try it with a spicy sweet chilli sauce or mango chutney for extra punch.  I had a few kebabs left over, so I chopped them into cubes and served them as meatballs (meatcubes!) with a Moroccan spiced sauce the following day.  Delicious!

Next weekend I have the challenge of a weekend away with some girlfriends – we are staying in a hotel and eating out 2 nights in a row.  My exercise will be limited as I don’t really fancy transporting my gym ball away to a hotel!  But I am determined to remain in control of my eating… I will make sensible choices.  I love a challenge.

Life is for living and weekends away are part of that.