Mounjaro to the Rescue!

This is a huge positive development in my weight loss journey! Back in December I met with the Weight Management Specialist within my surgical team. I’ve been at a stall for over 3 months now and they referred me to him to see what the next step would be. We talked about options, most of which I had already done before deciding on the surgery, so the next thing he suggested was to start a GLP-1 medicine (ie. Mounjaro, Ozempic, Zepbound, Trulicity, Wegovy, etc.). Thing is, I don’t have type II diabetes but I do have insulin resistance.

Not surprisingly, my insurance denied the prior authorization because I do not have type II diabetes (we even double checked my A1C to make sure I didn’t qualify, and I’m proud to say that it went down from the last time). Since one of my biggest issues in losing weight is my insulin resistance, my doc appealed the decision and then we waited. And waited. And waited. I had honestly given up hope and was waiting on the second denial letter.

I wish I could show a video of the feelings that happened inside my body when I got a text on Sunday from the pharmacy saying my prescription for Mounjaro had been approved. I was at Michael’s with my oldest and I literally froze in place and then started shaking. My eyes teared up and I kept saying, “I can’t believe they approved it” over and over again. It took 6 weeks to get the go ahead from my insurance and I really didn’t believe it would happen. I actually went directly to the pharmacy after that to pick it up, just in case they changed their minds. Dumb, I know.

I took my first injection of 2.5 mg on Sunday night and it was like someone flipped a switch in my brain and turned off the constant internal chatter about food. I was no longer thinking about my next meal, where I could go to get this, or that I was craving that. The internal monologue was incessant and so frustrating, and now it’s quiet. I don’t think I have ever quieted that voice before.

I’m half way through my first week and I don’t have any major side effects. The first day after the shot I hurt all over like I had gotten a deep tissue massage and was feeling tender the next day. Other than that, I felt great. Yesterday I didn’t have an appetite. My stomach growled once, so I ate, but otherwise I had to remember to eat so I was hitting my protein goal.

WHAT?!? I had to REMEMBER to eat?? That is absolutely unheard of for me. Sure, I might miss a meal here and there because I’m busy, but to make a solid effort to remember to eat throughout the day is crazy to me. Plus, we went to the grocery store and I wasn’t plotting in my head how to get everything I saw and eat it. I hated grocery shopping and watching food shows because I always wanted to eat junk while doing it.

I’m not expecting any loss this week, or even the next few. I’m on the 2.5 mg pen for four weeks, and then I move up to 5 mg. This is just the introductory dose to get your body used to it before titrating up. Most don’t experience much loss on the lowest dose, so if it happens I’ll consider myself thankful. I am only 4 pounds from ONEderland and I have been here for months. It’s time to break this plateau and crush those numbers!