How you can turbocharge your Mounjaro just in time for summer... and conquer the plateau: LOUISE ATKINSON reveals secret weapons all jabbers need to use when weight loss slows - including this injection site trick
When I started taking Mounjaro last year I found losing weight was easy. In eight months I lost two stone, bringing me just a few pounds short of my goal – but then I hit the dreaded MJ plateau.A quick glance over the many Facebook support groups confirms that this is most definitely a ‘thing’, and many users, like me, have been infuriated about paying £180 to £300 a month for that magic elixir when the ultimate goal remains tantalisingly out of reach.Medics say the plateau hits partly because your body gets used to the appetite suppression and slower gastric emptying and partly because old habits – the ones that caused you to gradually gain weight in the past – inevitably start to reappear.But I have discovered you can kickstart the weight loss and get the scales moving to ensure you look your skinny jab best when you hit the beach this summer.Change the injection siteTikTok is awash with videos variously claiming you’ll lose weight faster if you switch from injecting your tummy to injecting into your upper arm, your thigh, or switching from one arm to the other.It turns out some injection sites can be more effective than others – it depends on your fat distribution.The reason you inject into fatty tissue is specifically to slow absorption, so the drug’s effectiveness can be spread evenly across the days between injections.When injected into fat, the GLP-1 binds to proteins in the blood which act like a sponge or carrier, prolonging its life in the bloodstream and protecting it from being broken down or flushed out so quickly, so that it remains active in your system for days instead of hours. Some injection sites can be more effective than others – it depends on your fat distributionInjecting into muscle can mean faster absorption but the effects of the drug may be less predictable – and could only last a few days.If you’ve already lost quite a bit of weight, you may find fat deposits have shrunk on your thigh and upper arm, making it more likely that injecting there will hit muscle rather than fat.Targeting the stomach is usually best, but move your injection site slightly each week. Injecting in exactly the same spot as this can damage the tissues in that area, impairing absorption.Re-shrink your portionsAs you lose weight your body burns fewer calories day to day, so you just can’t get away with eating the quantities of food you used to eat.You may no longer experience the miraculous ‘push that plate away’ suppression the jabs gave you in the early days, but it’s good to aim to go back to eating the way you did then.That means smaller meals on smaller plates and being hyper alert to the tiniest sign that you might be full. The fullness signalling is probably still there but you might have stopped listening to it.Meet your protein targetsIf late-night snacking is sabotaging your weight loss now you might not be taking on board enough protein during the day.Protein helps to increase muscle, support metabolism, improve fat loss, increase energy and reduce cravings. Louise Atkinson lost two stone In eight month, then hit the dreaded 'MJ plateau' You might not be taking on board enough protein during the day, she writesRob Hobson, consultant nutritionist at Healthspan and author of The Low Appetite Cookbook (published by HarperCollins), recommends aiming to eat 1.2g to 1.6g of protein per kilogram of target body weight per day.That means aiming for 25-30g of protein from meat, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts or pulses at each meal – always eat protein first before carbs or extras, then salad/veg to keep your fibre levels up.Up your dose (a bit)A few weeks on a higher dose might be just enough to jolt your metabolism back into losing rather than maintaining and, if you’re clever, it doesn’t need to cost you more.If your prescriber is willing to sell you a higher-dose pen you can spread the extra cost over six or seven weeks by injecting less than the full dose of the new pen.This move is considered ‘off label’ and is not recommended by pharmacists, but plenty of users do it.If you are moving up from 2.5mg to a 5mg pen you can line up 3mg or 4mg by carefully counting the number of clicks when you turn the dial.Whatever strength you buy, 60 clicks is a full dose, 30 clicks would be half that dose, and by counting the clicks you may find your new sweet spot somewhere in the middle.Lift weightsDon’t think you can bust through a plateau by doubling your daily step count or taking on an extra spin class. Strength training is your secret weapon for breaking through an MJ plateau.Muscle burns calories even when you’re asleep, so if you’ve been slacking in the gym, now is the time to pick up the bigger dumbbells and really build muscle. Push weights at least twice a week. Strength training is your secret weapon for breaking through an MJ plateauSkip breakfastA plateau normally means you’re eating more calories than you’re burning and one way to cut back is to take advantage of the albeit mild appetite suppression to add in a bit of intermittent fasting by not eating for the first part of the day and scheduling your meals during a shorter window later on.Gabi Newman, nutritionist with www.thefast800.com suggests switching from three meals a day to two.All you have to do is nudge breakfast back to a late morning brunch and have your protein-rich lunchtime feast later in the afternoon.Shorten your weekMost users report suppression is strongest on days two to five so it makes sense to shift your jab timings so maximum suppression targets your ‘toughest’ days each week.I find jabbing on Thursday or Friday helps stop me overeating at the weekend when routines are flexible and temptation is greatest.To do this, try slowly nudging your jab day one day earlier. Each dose is supposed to be kept seven days apart but as long as you don’t jab twice in a five-day period, you can safely jab on day six and so effectively shorten your week in the process.Drink rightMany people find GLP-1s switch off all desire for wine and cocktails but when you’ve been on the jabs for a while a cold glass of rose on a summer’s day can be difficult to resist.Alcohol slows fat loss, messes with sleep and hormones, and it’s probably sticking a spanner in your weight loss works, so if you really want to bust that MJ plateau, a few weeks of abstinence might be called for.And are you drinking the many litres of water each day that you diligently quaffed at the start of your Mounjaro journey?If you really want to show off your new GLP-enhanced body this summer, this is your prompt to get back on the water and to cut back on the booze.
