One month on Mounjaro: overthinking, pizza betrayal, and learning to enjoy exercise...

33y.o female, starting weight 115 kilos. I started Mounjaro one month ago. I'm currently on my 5th dose, 2.5mg - basically a Mounjaro toddler, still figuring out how to walk in this new body-brain relationship.

Here's what I've learned so far, in bite-sized, occasionally chaotic pieces.

• It's difficult to not overthink everything.

I was not prepared for the mental Olympics this journey demands. Am I doing this right? Am I losing enough? Too fast? What about loose skin? Should I be doing more, less, cartwheels, yoga, becoming a monk? Turns out my brain signed up for a weight loss journey and decided to also run a 24/7 committee meeting about it. The scale changes faster than the brain does. Mine is still in the waiting room.

• Stay away from certain foods (your stomach will file a formal complaint).

Early on, I went out with friends determined to prove I was still "normal me." Normal me had pizza and an Aperol Spritz. Normal me felt fantastic for approximately nine minutes. Then normal me's stomach turned into a maraca full of angry gas. A few weeks later, history repeated itself with a small burger. Same betrayal, smaller portion, equally dramatic aftermath. My body has started reviewing my food choices like a very strict food critic, and it does not believe in second chances.

• Losing weight is a dopamine hit. Not losing weight feels like a personal attack.

It stings when the number doesn't move, even though logically I know that's just how bodies work, especially bodies with hormones that have their own opinions, calendars, and mood swings (hi, periods). Weight loss isn't a straight line; it's more like a caffeinated toddler drawing with a crayon. The scale plateauing isn't failure. It's biology being extremely, unbothered, itself.

• We all have different biology, different stories, different everything.

Reading other people's stories on this sub/Reddit has been genuinely eye-opening. Thank you to everyone who's shared, it's an excellent, humbling reminder that nobody's journey is a copy-paste of anyone else's. Comparison is the thief of joy, and apparently also the thief of accurate expectations.

• Seek advice from people you actually trust.

I'm an anxious gal, shocking revelation, I know. But having a doctor, physiotherapist, nutritionist, and psychologist who I trust and can actually ask questions to has made a real difference. If you don't trust the professional you're working with, that's your sign to find a new one. You're allowed to shop around for your own care team like it's a farmers market. A good support team is worth more than any app, tracker, or Reddit thread (sorry, Reddit thread).

• I can enjoy exercise. Shocker.

I feel horrible during. I feel amazing after. My libido came back from vacation. My mental struggles softened. And the most annoying part of all this? Everyone who ever told me "exercise is great for your mental health" was, infuriatingly, correct. I hate that they were right. I love that I'm reaping the benefits anyway.

• Sharing the journey feels great. Support from friends and family is worth it.

At the start, I had this very cinematic idea: take the drug quietly, disappear for a year, reemerge fitter and smaller like some kind of glow-up movie montage. Very dramatic. Very unnecessary. Eventually I asked myself: who exactly am I performing this secrecy for? So I stopped hiding it. I talk about it openly with friends now, and I've gotten zero judgment, just genuine curiosity, check-ins, and support. Turns out being seen mid-journey feels a lot better than a surprise reveal nobody asked for.

• Lower your expectations, for the best.

I lost 2kg a week at first, and naturally, my brain immediately did math: if I keep losing 2kg a week, when will I hit my goal weight? Cute plan. Then my period showed up, the loss slowed down, and I felt weirdly betrayed by a math problem I invented myself. I learned, to never let your spreadsheet make promises your hormones didn't agree to.

• It will take more time.

I wanted a magic wand. I've genuinely dreamed, more than once, of just unzipping a "fat suit" and stepping out as some pre-assembled version of myself, I saw that in the series "My Mad Fat diaries", anyone remember that ? Well, this is not Wonderland, and there is no zipper.

This is going to take time, and honestly, the weight-and-health worries will probably be part of my life in some form, always. For years I just… didn't think about it. Blocked it out because that felt easier. Now, reconnecting with my body, actually paying attention to it, is doing more good than I expected. I used to side-eye friends who were "careful" about what they ate. Now I get it. They weren't being precious. They just understood their bodies better than I understood mine.

So that's month one: equal parts overthinking, stomach rebellion, unexpected gym enjoyment, and slowly learning to trust the process (and my doctor, and my friends, and occasionally myself).

I'd love to hear from you ! What's been the most surprising part for you so far? Drop a comment below, I read every single one. 💛