Mounjaro – what to expect on your weight loss journey

What actually happens when you take Mounjaro, a GLP-1 medication that helps people with overweight or obesity lose weight by suppressing appetite?

You might have heard about the weight losses seen in the clinical studies, or maybe you know someone who has used Mounjaro, and you’re wondering how long it takes to lose weight and what the weight loss journey looks like. Let’s take a look…

What does the ‘end’ of the weight loss journey look like?

Let’s start with where you want to get to. If we’re thinking about what the journey looks like, then it’s good to know where you are headed.

You might think of hitting a particular weight loss goal, or just overall health improvement, but when it comes to overweight and obesity, we need to rethink the way these conditions are managed – we should not expect a quick fix with a long-term effect, but instead we should focus on creating a lifelong strategy, whether that is with medication or without. So, when a weight loss or health goal is achieved, the journey shifts to focus on weight maintenance.

And we know that many people struggle in this phase, often regaining the weight lost.

But holistic changes made to habits and behaviours – in areas of nutrition, movement, sleep, stress and more – mean that maintaining weight loss becomes less of a task and more of a natural extension of your daily life; it’s just the new normal – a healthier way to live.

But you are reading this to find out what weight loss looks like on Mounjaro – how does it happen, and how long does it take? So, let’s take a look.

Weight losses seen in clinical studies – what does it mean?

In one clinical study of Mounjaro for weight management, different doses of Mounjaro were given for 72 weeks (1 year, 5 months). The results varied by the maintenance dose:

• 5 mg – average weight loss of 16% of bodyweight
• 10 mg – average weight loss of 21.4 % of bodyweight
• 15 mg – average weight loss of 22.5 % of bodyweight

It is important to note that these are averages; some people lost more weight, and some people lost less weight, than the average.

Everyone will have a different weight loss experience when taking Mounjaro, and no one knows what their experience will be.

What happens when you first start taking Mounjaro?

If you are taking Mounjaro for the first time, you’ll start on the lowest dose of 2.5 mg for the first 4 weeks.

During this time, you’ll be adjusting to the impact of a new medication, whether that’s managing side effects or changing eating habits to reflect appetite changes:

• Side effects of the digestive system are relatively common when using Mounjaro, especially when first starting treatment or when increasing your dose, but they tend to reduce. If you have side effects, try to work out how you can best manage these, or if you are part of the Genwell weight care programme, you could reach out to your wellbeing coach for advice, to help you feel well throughout your journey.
• Changes to appetite might mean you start feeling fuller after meals or have less hunger and fewer cravings. This can help you take control of your appetite and eating habits, giving you space to eat the way you want to and focus on nourishing your body
• If regular exercise isn’t something you’ve been doing already, when you feel ready, you can start to introduce more movement into your daily routines and build in some resistance training too

After these early stages of adjustment, the focus shifts to making steady progress at a healthy pace, creating lasting changes for a healthy future:

• Explore what truly nourishes your body and build healthy eating habits
• Find ways of moving that feel enjoyable and realistic, so activity becomes a natural part of your everyday life
• Explore other factors that could affect your health and wellbeing, as well as your weight loss progress – including sleep habits, stress management, hormone balance and more

When does the weight loss start?

One thing you can expect when taking Mounjaro is for your weight loss to be gradual. And this is always the healthiest way to lose weight.

Mounjaro won’t give you instant weight loss. You might start to feel the effects of the medication – reducing your appetite – quite quickly, but it takes a little longer to see the results in terms of weight loss.

However, clinical studies of Mounjaro showed that weight loss occurred early after starting treatment and then continued throughout the study:

• There was some weight loss seen after the first 4 weeks of treatment with the initial 2.5 mg dose
• After another 4 weeks of treatment on the 5 mg dose, further weight loss was seen, up to around 6% of bodyweight
• Weight loss continued, gradually, throughout the study – the amount lost depending on the dose taken

Key messages

• Weight loss journeys on Mounjaro are different for everyone – focus on building healthy habits and let the journey take its course.
• The first few weeks are about adjusting to a new medication
• Side effects of the digestive system may occur, particularly when you first start treatment or increase the dose
• Changes to appetite can allow you to take control of eating habits – with a healthier approach, weight loss can follow
• Weight loss can happen early in treatment and then continue gradually over several months

Genwell reflections

Mounjaro is an effective treatment to help people with overweight or obesity lose weight. But every weight loss journey is different – because everyone is unique.

If you are prescribed Mounjaro and are part of the Genwell care programme, we will be with you every step of your journey, not only helping you reach your weight loss goals but helping you achieve a healthier future, built on long-lasting healthy habits.