GLP-1 medications like Mounjaro can significantly reduce appetite and food cravings, with users reporting that the constant preoccupation with food (food noise) diminishes within hours of the first injection. Research indicates that body weight, age, and sex have minimal impact on medication efficacy, and the treatment works best when combined with dietary changes such as reducing processed foods and increasing protein and water intake.
Deep Dive
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Deep Dive
He Weighed 466 Pounds! Then Mounjaro Changed EverythingAdded:
Hello and welcome to the downsized. My name is Christopher Durham and this is our opportunity to talk to GLP1 users from all around the world about their journey or as I like to call it their adventure that we like to call the downsized dish. Today I'm excited to welcome Nigel all the way from across the pond in England. Hello Nigel.
>> Hi. How are you?
>> Before we jump into with into it with Nigel, let me give you all the obligatories. Of course, first of all, we're not doctors. You're not a doctor Nigel, right?
>> No. No, these are prescription medications no matter what country you're in. So, make sure you talk to your doctor and get a plan built just for you. So many people have so many other things going on in their lives. We want to make sure you take care of yourselves. In addition to that, I will ask you if you if you haven't already, please take a moment to like and subscribe. Hit the bell so it alerts you every time we publish a video like this and you'll learn Nigel has also started a channel. So, when he tells you about that, you can go subscribe to his as well. All right, welcome Nigel, man.
Tell me about you.
>> Thank you. Um I'm 53 um from the UK.
Um I work part-time mental health. Um and I'm pretty much an advocacy advocate for like body positivity.
Um so yeah.
>> Well, so tell me about your weight loss journey.
my weight loss journey. I started November weighing 466 pounds.
Um, currently I'm at 382, I believe. So, so far I've lost 84 pounds in since November.
>> 84 pounds since November. So, 36 So, 366. Were you eligible for any of the government programs or >> none whatsoever?
Dude, they're killing us.
>> Yeah, the criteria is really strict here.
>> No, I mean, we've talked to a number of folks from over there and even when they were eligible, it was so far out. They were like, "We're on the list. Maybe sometime in 5 years we'll be able to get it." But, um, so how did you come to Montaro then?
>> I feel like I discovered it quite late.
I think it was after all the prices went up. So I was hearing more about a price increase for this weight loss injection. So that made me look into it more what what everyone was talking about. Um and then I'd done a lot of research. I'd done the research through the NHS website and medical websites, but I was more interested in doing research for what individuals were doing and how it was affecting them. And um I felt like I probably researched it for a good six or seven weeks before taking the plunge myself.
>> So I mean that's that's interesting. So did you find a lot of good resources out there beyond NHS? I know there's seems like UK channels are popping up all the time on YouTube.
>> Um yeah, I mean the research was very we seem to have a lot a lot more negative um negativity about um GLP once over fields and compared to the USA. Um, and a lot of our media was concentrating more on the um, possible side effects or long-term damage or >> what it could cause. So, I I felt like I wanted to do a lot more research watching just everyday individuals who were actually taking the injections and how it was for them, the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, >> yep.
I mean, I think it's it's interesting.
It's this is certainly a class of medication that people will go out and and start doing the looking for stuff on you know tell me your story kind of questions.
>> Yeah.
>> Well, so talk to me though. So what what what was the the piece that finally pushed you over? Why did you finally decide to because you're having to go out and pay cash, right?
>> Yeah.
Think what pushed me over? I mean there was a lot of anxiety because I've tried I feel like I've been dieting on and off all my life and I found with every every time I tried to lose weight before I have had some success. Um probably around about 10 to 12 years ago I actually weighed around 603 lb. Um I I managed to lose again around about 84 stone 84 pounds not stone. Um but soon as I stopped that that particular sleeping group I was with the the weight piled on each time and a bit more. So every time I every time I lost weight, it just it came back again and always a bit more, which kind of frightened me cuz it just felt like if I didn't diet and I just stayed where I was, I would like although I was very big, I would always seem to stay around about that size.
>> Mhm. Whereas taking the a GRP1, the experience for me has been totally different, especially with the the lack of food noises. That is that is my number one, the lack of food noises.
>> Well, so talk to me. G tell me more about that.
>> Before taking a GRP one, I would definitely be someone who was continuously thinking of food. I I would be sitting there eating my dinner in an evening and I'd be thinking, "Oh, two days time this particular restaurant or this particular takeaway has this offer on and I'm going to get that." And the food just felt like it was constant all the time. Um, and the strange thing was when I first took my first ever injection, I really thought maybe this was just like a placebo effect, but it actually it felt like the food noises stopped for me within about two to three hours after >> wow >> first injection.
>> So, it really it really it really hit you hard. I mean, that's for everybody out there that it doesn't work for everybody that way. And that's and there's no way to change how it works for you. So it's very specific. Um you know I think it's intriguing though because it is amazing how variable it is person to person.
>> It's also changed a lot of the food that it's really strange in respect of looking back on my childhood. We have certain foods that we don't like as children >> but later on as adults we might enjoy those foods. Um, but there's lots of foods as an adult that I've never liked, never enjoyed at all. But since being on a GLP1 and then trying these different foods again and actually enjoying them and that that's really strange, but in a good way.
>> Yeah, I've talked to a couple of scientists and there's some folks working on research around that and it's I think there's so much of processed food in particular that is really about salt, fat, and sugar.
that there's all these other flavor components in food that the GLP ones actually help you taste.
>> Yeah.
>> Salt, fat, and sugar gets in the way of all that stuff. Right.
>> It's amazing though. I mean, it's for me. I I was in a place where even I mean, I've now been in these two and a half years. Things are just hyper sweet for me. If if I eat too I can eat a couple of bites of something sweet, but then it's like it's just too much. Yeah, I recently celebrated my birthday um just over a week or so ago and I think that was the um first takeaway that I've had in 6 months and I can honestly say I really did not enjoy it and several hours later maybe about three or four hours later I re I really paid for that with stomach cramps and just general stomach pain for about 3 to four hours.
>> Well, so what are you eating then?
>> What what am I eating now?
>> Yep.
>> Uh definitely not eating any processed food. I eat a lot of um chicken, which was good because I've always I think one of the benefits for me on a GP1 they say they say about having lots of protein and lots of water. Um I've always been someone who drinks a lot of water anyway. Um, and I'm someone who loves chicken, so that wasn't difficult for me. Um, but now I'd have the chicken. It definitely won't be fried chicken like I used to have. So, um, chicken, steak, lots of salad, lots of vegetables.
Um, yeah. And I just I've just totally cut out all all the rubbish type foods. All the processed foods, biscuits.
I'm with you, man. I'm with you. Well, so let's let's take a look at some of your your pictures here. Let me pop them up here.
Uh here we go. Tell me about these.
Um the one on the right is probably taken around when I was at the five stone mark.
Um, and the one on the left was taken, I would say, about a year ago when I was at my heaviest.
>> And how tall are you?
>> I'm 6'3.
>> Okay. So, you're tall.
>> Yeah.
>> All right.
>> So, yeah, they're they're more recent pictures probably in the last couple of months.
>> Yeah, you can your face is getting slimmer there. That's How about this one?
Yeah, that was probably around about um around about three stone loss.
>> So, you're doing real well. All right.
Some older pictures here.
>> Yeah, that's they're probably about two years two to three years old. Um probably would have been around about one about 490 495.
That must be a big cat, too.
>> We also have a cat.
>> Wow. I look so busy.
>> You know.
>> Yeah.
>> Just It's amazing though. So anyway, so you've done very well with this. I mean, your average weekly loss has done you've been beating the average, I guess. Yeah, I'm losing around about 14 pounds a month.
>> Go. And what does your doctor say about all that?
>> Um, my doctor's pleased, but my doctor has very little do, unfortunately, has very little to do with my actual health care. Um, I feel like they kind of just ignore it.
Um, and I speak to other people and it's either one way or the other. If you're a larger person, they're continuously moaning about your weight and you should lose weight or you just get totally ignored. And for me, I feel like I've just been totally ignored. Um, I was actually going around about 10 years ago, I was due to have biatric surgery.
>> Mhm. um three or four days before the operation, I decided I didn't want to because I felt scared. Um because it's such an invasive procedure.
Um I spoke to my GP about that and he said, "Not to worry, lots of people change their mind before surgery. We can come back and look at it later on." And since then, they never mentioned my weight.
Not once have they mentioned my weight.
>> Yeah. I mean, it's just and and my doctor has been largely that way as well. I mean, but how a 6'3 man's this 500 lb walks into your office and you don't go, "Hey, we should talk about this."
>> Yeah.
>> Because that means you were a big guy.
You were right.
>> Yeah.
>> I'm still a big guy, but obviously I was even I was even bigger.
>> Yeah. Well, so was it giving you other problems? Were there were there other coorbidities that it was causing?
>> I think the the the difficulty for me is I never minded actually um being a big guy >> is I've always been a big body positive guy.
>> Um I find it I find it quite I suppose upsetting when you look at the media and magazines etc. And we're always told that we should look like this, men and women, how we should look. Um whereas there's no matter what your size, you can still be a beautiful person.
>> Um so my size has never really bothered me by that. However, as I'm now got older and just approaching 53, I'd always said to myself, I I'll lose the weight by by 50. Um but that that that came and gone. Um I suppose in the last year I found that really bad back pain, really bad pain in my knees, um blood pressure, pre-diabetes, and realizing it's pretty obvious that carrying so much weight and being older as well is um yeah, it's not good.
Yeah, there's there's no way for us to beat the age thing. It just you get enough miles on your body and I'm with you, man.
>> Well, so you started when did you say September? Is that what >> November?
>> November.
>> Yeah.
>> So, we're now it's now um the end of May, I guess. You know, May. So, talk to me about your titration. How how how has that been?
Um, I started off obviously on the introduction dose of 2.5.
I think I stopped on stayed on that for a couple of months. Um, that's it.
That's that was really well.
Um, and strangely enough, I'm I'm not knowing as much research as I do now, I thought automatically going up to five milligrams would make the weight come off faster um and make everything so much more better than it already was. But it made no diff it made no difference. But I I stuck with the the the five um for couple of months.
Um, and then I went up to 7.5, which I'm currently at at the moment. Um, and again, maybe I should maybe listen to my own research as well, but I kind of think I'm a really big guy. Maybe I just need maybe I I should be on a bigger dose. Whereas, >> yes, >> and I've heard you talk about this and Lorraine about for a lot of people, whether it's the induction dose or the smaller doses, for a lot of people, they work. So, I feel at the moment I'm going to try to stick on the 7.5 and just flow with it for the moment.
>> Yeah. And I'll tell you, I was just reading earlier today, there's a whole new set of research that has come out that says, and I'll abbreviate it, but it's basically that your your actual body weight, so you could be 5 foot tall and weigh 200 lb or you could be six foot tall and weigh 700 lb, has no impact on the efficacy of the medication. Yeah. your age and your sex don't as well. Women lose a little bit more, but that that's it. And they did all this research on it. So, if you're losing weight, hang out, man. Hang out.
I think it's exciting. So, I know you started a YouTube channel, too, right?
>> Yeah, I started my YouTube channel. Um, I feel like in some respect, maybe it was more for myself. Um, I wasn't necessarily wanting or expecting lots of viewers, but what I was wanting was I was seeing a lot of her videos and not to take anything away from anyone else where a lot of people want to lose >> two to three stone.
>> Yeah.
>> I'm thinking realistically I want to lose between 10 and 15 stones. So like that's a lot of weight and there must be I can't be the only person this this size in the world obviously and it just seems such a daunting long journey.
Um and I just want other people of of similar size to know that they're not alone.
>> Yeah. No, I think that's good. We've interviewed a couple of people. So, we interviewed a guy named Jamie Seler who's lost, I think, almost 400 lb at this point.
>> Wow.
>> He's he's about as tall as you. If you haven't seen it, you should go back and watch it. There's another guy named Jamie as well who lost 500 lb.
He started at seven, I want to say 15 or so. Um, and they've both done really well. But I mean it's it always amazes me just the impact of these medications on people's lives and the stories they have to tell and you know so it's I I love it that people are people are like aren't you worried about more people starting channels. I'm like no start a channel.
Go ahead do it. I'll have you on. We'll talk about it. It's fine.
>> So that's his channel there on the bottom. So once we're done here go subscribe UK Big Chubs Mjaro Journey.
Make sure you check it out.
And are so how many how long when did you start the channel?
>> Uh again I think I started it pretty late November maybe early December.
>> Okay. So you were right there at the beginning. And how often are you publishing?
>> I only actually when I first started I thought I would love to do one every week. Um but realistically I think I do one rather about every four weeks. So monthly monthly.
>> That's fine. It's more because I I just don't feel each week what I could talk about in respect to oh I lost two pound this week.
>> Yeah.
>> What else to say?
>> Yeah. Well, I I get it. Believe me.
Absolutely. Well, so let's talk about side effects. So, what side effects have you had?
Um, the only real side effects I had on the 2.5 and the five was like an acidy taste in my mouth.
>> Mhm.
>> Um, but that's normally a sign when I when I feel that when I've got that acidy taste is to drink more to drink more water and I normally find within >> 30 minutes to an hour that will subside and disappear.
Um but since going on to a 7.5 um yeah constipation was definitely an issue.
Um I have struggled with that for the first couple of weeks quite bad but touch work that's now eased off and everything's back to normal. So >> then have you found something to help you with that?
>> Um Pepto thanks to a lot of the USA people who seem to take that. Um, so I looked on Amazon and gave that a go. That seems to work great. Um, I also managed to get some medication from my doctor. What it basically just helps with constipation and >> again making sure I'm drinking plenty of water. So, >> and so are you working out now as as well or no?
>> I've got all the equipment, but I have not started yet.
I actually I've got um a dumbbell the dumbbells and the the weights and the bench and I've got one of these magic AI mirrors with the personal trainer all built in.
>> Those things are expensive, man.
>> No, I know. Um I just need to find the wheelpower to start an exercise um regime.
>> Do you have any mobility issues or no?
>> Um I've asked some osteoarthritis in my knees.
>> Mhm. Um but and that's another thing I did find is I would say before taking a GP1 I would wake up every day with my back and my back pain 10 being the worst.
probably every day around about 7 or 8.
Literally within two weeks of being on GRP1, the pain has now gone down to on a bad day for me it's more of a two or three.
>> Oh, it's that inflammation thing, man.
It's people people are like, "It's just the weight loss." I'm like, "No, it's more than the weight loss."
>> Yeah. the uh I was just I explained to my doctor before in respect to the pain uh again he wouldn't mention my weight looking back now it's obvious it's like of course I'm going to have pain look how big you are that's a lot of weight to carry um and I would explain to my doctor I would wake up my back would be absolutely killing me and it would not subside until around about 10 or 11:00 in the evening just before I go to bed and then the old process will start again every single day. Um, but now I many of days I wake up with no back pain whatsoever.
>> That's good.
That's good. So, you're Let's see here.
Have you gone down in size yet in clothes yet or no?
>> Oh my god. Yeah. I think the clothes has been more expensive than the medication.
Um, my t-shirts or my shirts were actually a 10 XL and yeah, you can buy 10 XL clothes, believe it or not, in the UK as well.
Um, so I've gone down from a 10XL to a 5XL.
Um, and I've gone down from a 60 waist in jeans to a 44 waist.
>> 40. Wow, that's that's a big jump. Yeah.
So, it's very very expensive as well.
>> Yeah. We have uh I think I've shopped thrift stores here more in the last year and a half, two years than I ever have in my whole life because you walked in and we >> I'm like, ah, hopefully I don't need these jeans for more than a few months and, you know, spend 10 bucks on them, not you know, full price. Yeah, >> I think I chucked 10 large black bin bags. Sorry, ch donated 10 large bin bags of of clothes and it was it was kind of bittersweet because a lot of the clothes um a lot of them were still new with tags.
>> Mhm.
>> Cuz I'm being a gay guy, I'm a bit like a woman. I like my clothes. I like my bags. I like my shoes. So, and we we tend to buy a lot of clothes and think, "Yeah, we we'll wear that." And we never do, but it just gets chucked in the cupboard. So, kind of felt a bit sweet having to like give all these clothes away because they just don't fit me. So, >> well, that that's fine. We'll get you down to wait and you can go buy all the all the new stuff.
>> Yeah.
And I'll tell you when when you can walk into a in to 63 so it'll still be a little more challenging for you but uh when you can walk into a store and just buy off the rack even from designer places it's nice. We were when we did a cruise a couple weeks ago and we're in Spain and I'm walking through these just beautiful Spanish men's stores and I'm like it's so honestly it was amazing because that's you know I was in a place not as big as you were but I I couldn't walk in most stores and wear anything. So u well tell me about your channel though. So you said you wanted to inspire you know people about about your size. So, how many videos do you have so far?
>> Um, I think I've only got around about I recently uploaded one a couple of days ago. I think that's my eighth video.
>> Okay.
>> Um, yeah, eight videos so far. Oh, and like I yeah, like I said, I just I think there's plenty of channels out there for people who want to already need to live to the Freestone, but I don't feel there's many channels out there for I suppose a lot of us bigger guys and girls who are extremely big.
>> Again, to me, that just seems extremely daunting. And I can understand it if you're 55£ 550. Um, where do you start? And I just >> Yeah, if I if I can just help one person on their journey, then my job's done really.
>> Well, so are you telling your friends and family you're using the medication or >> Yeah, I have no shame and no shame in using telling them that information. Um, I think I learned from day one as well doing the research is that it's not this magic injection where I'm just going to lose weight. You've got to obviously it's an aid and you've got to work with the injection. So from day one I totally changed what food I ate and cut out I cut out all the rubbish and all the processed food. So So I'm working alongside the the pen rather than expecting the pen to do all the work for me.
>> I think that's good man. I mean it's it's amazing. We talk to people from all over the world and there's a lot of different perspectives on it. So I've talked to people who say I haven't told anybody yet. This is the first time I've said it out loud.
>> Yeah. I mean I don't mind telling nobody anybody but I just again I don't let it define me. I mean like >> Yeah.
>> It's like being a gay man. It's like there's more to me than just being a gay man or being a gr and we all have lots of different like boxes I guess. So, >> I think that's a smart way to do it. I mean, it's, you know, we're a lot more than the one little thing people want want to define us by.
>> Exactly.
>> Well, so have you gotten good feedback on your channel? Are you starting to get subscribers? And >> it's quite strange. Um, Christopher, um, I think for me because, uh, a lot of my subscribers initially were there because I was a big guy and celebrated like body positivity and being a big guy or a big girl and that it's fine to be proud of who you are. Um, so I think I'll probably upset a lot of people by actually losing weight. So where a lot of people are going to get congratulated for losing weight. Um it's yeah it's been a bit double-edged sword to be honest.
>> Yeah.
>> But like the people I've spoken to who clearly like bigger people. I've explained to them about my reasons for doing it and my health and getting older. And I would say 99% of them have been extremely supportive.
>> Oh that's good. I mean, it's I I think the conversation around weight and body positivity and I it we've come a long way, but we've still got a long way to go. And I don't honestly know what it looks like 5 years from now. You know what, you know, what is that conversation? You You're obviously talking to people about it all the time, though.
>> Yeah. I mean I found it really interesting like going back a couple of years and particularly some a celebrity like Lizo or Megan Trainer etc >> who were very very big girls um and they were very body positive and they've lost the weight and a lot of people will criticize them now for losing the weight but we only know them from what from their music or from TV etc. We don't actually know what's going on for them.
We don't know their their health issues, etc. So, like I think people should be a little bit less judgmental and just think a bit more out the box to be honest.
Well, I think it's what we've discovered in doing these interviews is there are so unfortunately so many people who have so many comorbidities or that are driven by obesity that even if you can be positive about what you weigh, it's really hard to be positive about type 2 diabetes or cardiac issues or I you got to stay alive.
>> Yeah.
>> So, yeah. And I'm I'm actually the last two or three weeks I'm actually looking forward. I've never actually experienced what it I don't feel like I've ever experienced what it's like to be a a smaller thinner person.
>> So that's going to be a whole new journey for me.
>> Oh well, it's there's nothing wrong with that. You know, it's the good thing is you you wake up every day and you're feeling a little bit better. Hopefully your back's a little bit better, your knees are a little bit better and >> a lot better. Yeah. Thank you.
>> You know, so it's it's a good thing.
Well, what tips would you give people if they were thinking about this?
>> What tips?
I would just say start it because there I would do your re do your research. I think that's important to do your research, but do your research on real people and and see what what their experience is. Uh the good, the bad, and the ugly. Um but yeah, I mean I just I just my only regret for me was not starting it not starting it sooner and not being aware of the medication um sooner.
>> I mean that's that's the same one I give. So >> and plenty of water and plenty of protein.
>> All all good things, man.
>> Well, what goals do you have for your channel?
My only goal is, like I said, if I can inspire one or two people of my size to start their journey and to be able to change their life and just to feel better, that's my only aspirations for my channel. True.
>> Yeah, I know. That's a good aspiration, man. Well, very good. Well, in closing, is there anything else that you'd like to add? No, I think we've covered most of it to be honest. Apart from like thank you for you guys for having your channel and for involving the community within your channel.
>> No, we appreciate it, man. I It's I tell people all the time and they're like, "Well, you haven't interviewed somebody who's done this or done this." And I'm like, "Well, would you like to come home?"
>> If you haven't seen somebody like you yet, you know who that is? It's you. So, >> and just be careful about commenting on one of your videos because they might want to interview you.
>> I mean, we invite people every week and, you know, go to our website, the downsize.org, and sign up for it. It's honestly, I would do an interview every day with somebody. I don't We don't really We haven't turned anybody down yet. I'm sure somebody terrible, you know, Hitler will show up and I'll go, "Yeah, I don't think so." But so far, everybody's been really kind. They're making their way their own way. And you know, it's all been great stories. And I'm like, if I just learn one person from one thing from everybody, hey, it's like a college degree right there.
>> And congratulations to both of you and Lorraine on your weight loss as well.
>> Well, thank you. We appreciate it. You know, it's I think it's it's amazing how much these medications have changed things and made things possible. So, it's a good thing.
>> Come a long way. I'm looking forward to the future now.
Well, very good. Well, we want you to have a future. Well, you you'll have to come back in six months or a year and do give us an updated interview and we'll uh see how you're doing.
>> I feel like I feel like you're going to be killing it even then. So, >> I hope so. Thank you, Christopher.
>> Well, I appreciate it, man. All right.
If anybody else would like to come on and do an interview, make sure you go to the downsize.org. And yes, we invite everybody. If you are waiting for a personal invitation, this is your personal invitation. Fill out the form.
It's called Downsized Dish. It's like four or five questions. It's not hard.
We just kind of want to know who you are and we'll get it scheduled and do an interview just like this and you can tell your story. All right. Thank you very much for joining us, man. I appreciate it. Thank you.
>> All right. My name is Christopher Durham. If you haven't already, like and subscribe to The Downsized and then go over to UK Big Chubs MARO Journey and like and subscribe there. Follow him because he's got a lot of cool stuff he's talking about. And we'll see you next time. My name is Christopher Durham and we are the downsized.
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