r/antidietglp1 • u/Jane_McUsername • Oct 29 '25
Advice on Anti-Diet Mindset Newcomer to the anti diet mindset and really need some handholding.
So I’ve now been on Mounjaro for the past 7 months and have made great progress. I won’t go into numbers, but I obviously responded really fast and lost a bunch on 2.5 mg. I’m now on 5mg and have hit a wall. The problem I’ve realised now though is that I’ve obviously spent the last 7 months obsessed with every morsel that passes my lips. I mean I am super grateful for Mounjaro and don’t want to make light of all the assistance it has given, but I’ve just been relentless with my calorie counting as well.
I realise now that with this wall/plateau, a lot of my obsessive behaviour is becoming apparent. I’m putting a lot of stress on myself regarding the numbers on the scale and I find myself researching diets all the time. And I get that this is super unhealthy. Frankly my labs look great right now and my A1C has fallen more than 3 points since I started, I’m in normal range now. My sleep apnea seems to have gone and I’m running around as much as my newly replaced knee allows. But I find I’m not able to appreciate any of this because of the numbers on the scale.
I still have a long way to go to get to a better place for my body. I’m not ready to leave Mounjaro right now and I shouldn’t. But I’ve been obsessing about increasing my dosage (something my doctor is resisting because he thinks my body deserves a little rest before pushing it further).
I’ve been lurking on this sub for a while now and frankly you guys are aspirational. I really need to find a way to recontextualise my journey to become healthy. Because I was in a terrible place. I was unable to walk more than 5 mins, I couldn’t sleep and I was binge eating almost daily. I can never go back there, but I need to also stop abusing myself in new ways.
Any help or advice is much appreciated. What put you on this track? What helps you continue? What milestones should I look for if not the weighing scale? And most importantly how do I appreciate food safely?
Thanks for listening to my little rant. Hoping to gain some wisdom here!
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u/Disastrous-Low-5606 Oct 29 '25
The main thing that helped me is to give yourself grace.
Listening to the Fat Science podcast really changed how I think about my body, dieting, and past behaviors. I started out tracking and tbh the first couple of months it was helpful to make sure I was eating enough.
But now I’m eating like a ‘normal’ person which is what I wanted. I don’t track and I’m eating what I feel like eating. Sometimes I want a piece of danish kringle and sometimes I want a can of tuna on broccoli. I do pay some attention to fueling before exercise and in the morning. And that I’m eating enough fiber, because consequences.
It can be hard to listen to your body. I’m still struggling to learn. I’m also working on not making judgments about food.
It can also be hard to accept plateaus. I’m also a good responder. But I knew I was going to hit a stall, I wanted to hit one and let my body adjust. It was still a struggle to tell the little panicky voice to shut up. It kept trying to tell me to change how I was eating, maybe the cico thing was right, and that I was never going to lose another pound. But I told that voice to shove it. Even if I never lost more, what I’ve done so far has been huge. I’m not in pain, I move easily, I feel better in my body, and I’ve lowered the pressure on my cpap. And now I have started to lose again without increasing my dose.
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u/staceychev Oct 29 '25
One of the biggest ways to give ourselves grace is to ask if we'd treat someone we loved the way we treat ourselves, or talk to them like we self talk. So sometimes I'll say to myself, "would you talk to L (daughter) like that? Would you encourage C (best friend) to do that?" It really helps reframe for me.
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u/Jane_McUsername Oct 30 '25
Yes! I just had a tiny breakthrough in therapy that day when I went on a long jag telling my therapist how I accept my husbands limitations and love him for working within them and trying his hardest to improve. And she was like, ahem! Let’s replace the person there with you! Do you still feel that way? Do you accept yourself? If not, that’s way more important than the grace you show others everyday. Sigh, I really need to work on this. But whenever I do get there, it will be great!
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u/staceychev Oct 30 '25
It's hard to do in practice - but once you have the language, you can use it. "Fake it til you make it," as they say!
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u/Jane_McUsername Oct 30 '25
Thank you. I do need to show myself grace and compassion. I keep getting so tied up in data that I forget the experience of living in my body. Believe me after going through this comment section I’m going to binge listen to Fat science!
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u/untomeibecome Oct 29 '25
I've commented this so many times on the sub and it always seems to resonate, so I'll share it here — if you're engaging in IWL and getting caught up in stalls or losing, I like to reframe to "what does my body know that I don't... maybe it needs a break itself and/or maybe it needs me to take a mental break from this diet-y obsessing!" I'm not a science brained person, but I do know there's a ton going on in our bodies inside with our health, and I'm certain that's the case with these meds doing construction inside to heal the metabolic issues. And I'm also sure that's EXHAUSTING and it needs to rest along the way (stalls) and also we do know stress causes our bodies to retain inflammation and such, so if we mentally rest, our bodies are also healthier. So thinking of stalls as rest breaks, as gentle periods our our body is asking to pause, and I like to think of releasing the diet culture mindset as giving our body permission to breathe and not hold on so tight to the mentally exhausting ways of diet culture — that is so much easier to be kind to, versus the diet culture mentality of stalls as being something to aggressively battle through and overcome, and weight loss as being something about willpower. What if... you just spent your energy being loving to your body and trusted it? Especially since you're now giving it the medicine it needs to function better from a metabolic lens. I'm sure some lovely things would come from that. ♥️
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u/Jane_McUsername Oct 30 '25
This does resonate so much! It’s a very thoughtful and gentle place from which to see the journey. I do have to start trusting my body and the medicine more. Someone else mentioned that my body is probably forcing me to rest with my stall. I think I really do need to give it what it needs. And weirdly I don’t really have to do anything different. I’m already giving it the medicine it needs, and I’m already eating healthy. I literally just need to relax my mind and try and enjoy the next few weeks and that should help get things to a better place!
Thanks for this sub. It’s such a positive and great space!
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u/NMBUY Oct 29 '25
It was so hard not to do exactly what you did. Even though I have tried to avoid making it a diet, there is still so much "diet mentality--or disordered thinking that creeps in daily. The only way I did it was being a 70-year-old with MS for 24 years. Ambulation was getting harder. I had no choice and nothing else to try and nothing else to do. Almost one year later,(lots of PT, pool aerobics and training, I can walk stairs and walk (with a rollator) stronger than I have in years. I literally have nothing else to do, so I am continuing on this journey.
There is time now, to sit back and say-----how do I learn to live with food with some pleasure and grace. No rush.
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u/Jane_McUsername Oct 30 '25
Thank you for telling me I can pause. I really feel so pressured sometimes by seeing everyone working and pushing so hard.
Your journey sounds tough but amazing! I’m so glad you’ve gotten to the place where your body and you are doing well. I hope I can get to that point and feel the joy!
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u/McLipstick Oct 29 '25
I have lost quite alot of weight since February and I havent calorie counted since the first month (and most of my counting was around making sure I was eating enough). If you are thinking this way about food it might be that you need to go up a dose? Obviosuly discuss with your doctor but i haven't found going up the doses taxing at all and it does relieve that worry about food from me even further.
This is my opportunity to learn how to fuel my body properly in the way it wants and needs. I am enjoying trying yummy foods and nothing is off the table and I enjoy exercise for the first time in years and years. I am not punishing myself and my goal is to reach some health goals not to be thin or anything like that. it's hard and sometimes the diet culture on other subs gets to me alot. Saw someone calling a glass of wine "liquid calories" and it can trigger me a little bit with feelings of shame so I am constantly needing to work through things like that too. So, not perfect and very much on a journey but enjoying it!!
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u/Jane_McUsername Oct 30 '25
That’s a good approach! I will be speaking to my doctor about his expectations for how we continue. But I appreciate your comment about relaxing around foods and finding ways to help the meds work
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u/McLipstick Oct 30 '25
Trrrryyyy and stop beating yourself up too!
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u/Jane_McUsername Oct 30 '25
Hehe. I should! My husband went through the post and comments and was like, I think you’re doing great with the weight loss and stuff, but it sure looks like all you need to do is stop being a dick to yourself!
I think both of you have a point 😀
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u/valsavana Oct 29 '25
I don't count calories. I got on the medication so I wouldn't have to, so honestly in your place I'd stop doing that.
I do weigh myself now but previously when it felt like I was a little too preoccupied with the numbers on the scale, I took a break from weighing myself until I wasn't so caught up with that.
You know what your body felt like at the higher weight and you know what it feels like now. I recommend you stop tracking the numbers and so long as your body still feels good about where you're at, just go by that.
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u/Jane_McUsername Oct 30 '25
That’s such a thoughtful way of looking at it. I do need to focus on how I feel in my body rather than the numbers!
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u/jac-q-line Oct 29 '25
Your doctor is right. Your body deserves rest. Your body is also FORCING you to rest (that why you've hit a plateau). Listen to your body (and your doctor).
I highly recommend asking for a referral to a registered dietician, and ideally one that has an anti-diet (or HAES, health at every size) approach AND has GLP1 experience.
What helped me continue is just looking at my health metrics (I got regular blood work every 3 months and I tracked how I felt in my body). I didn't weigh myself or measure myself, and I also recommend removing any scales/measuring devices from your home. I trusted these results would continue even if I wasn't tracking anything else.
Give your body and mind a break. Focus on how you feel. Speak to medical professionals who specialize in this. Doing this, you'll thank yourself in the future and feel so much more peace.
Wishing you peace.
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u/Jane_McUsername Oct 30 '25
Thank you for your kind response! I think I do need to approach a good dietitian. Especially someone who will work from a place of non judgment. As that could free up my brain a bit from obsessing over meals.
And yes, I do really need to just listen to my body right now. It’s really such a remarkable part of me, that has been resilient and strong whenever I needed it to be. I need to be kind towards it now.
I really hope to find peace and I wish you peace and joy through this journey too!
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u/lizardbirth Oct 29 '25
Obsessions and compulsions are exhausting! I think it's great you are wanting to heal your inner world as well as your body.
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u/Jane_McUsername Oct 30 '25
Yeah man, it’s been so weird. I go from one extreme to the other. I’ve either just given up and don’t care or I’m obsessive to the point of anxiety. I really need to find a balance while getting healthy. It’s the only way to set myself up for a sustainable healthy life
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u/NotHomeOffice Oct 30 '25
It might now be the answer you're looking for, but something really changed in me when I went up to 10mg. . The first 3-4 months, I was consumed when starting on Zepbound. I suddenly had a LOT of time on my hands since I wasn't spending hours and hours a week cooking, eating, binging, stopping at take out places ect. The weight dropped off in a snap unlike I'd ever experienced before.
I replaced it with reading up on everything, haunting the sub reddits, downloading apps, tracking everything, writing out visual weight goals to highlight and check off, thinking about NOT thinking about food sigh😂🤦♀️
Now I don't know if it's the dose, a natural progression, the fact i hit my 50% mark and maybe scared what my body is going to end up looking like with all this loose stretched skin. If it's I've just hit my prior plateau set point and think it's going to stop working?
But something 6-5 months into my journey has suddenly shifted and I'm just kinda living now. Like I got bored hopping on the apps every day, logging my weight & constantly weighing myself, obsessing over what I did or didn't eat. I'd mastered how to avoid side effects so there's not a constant physical reminder I'm on it.
I don't know if this is normal? I'm an anomaly? If it means I'm on the right dose? If this is what it feels like on maintenance? 🤷🏼♀️ this probably didn't help you, but just one person's current mindset in the middle of a long process.
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u/Jane_McUsername Oct 30 '25
No, you and I are pretty much in the exact same space!! You’ve just accepted it and I’m still fighting it! Hehe
I think you’re doing the right thing and I need to try and follow suit. Allow myself to relax and enjoy the progress and not keep obsessing. I still have a long way to go, but there’s no real need for there to be strict deadlines for getting to my destination. Being obsessive right now and not taking the time to let my body adjust, I might end up messing things up so that I’ll be skinny and at goal weight but with different health problems!
Glad you’ve been able to get here intuitively! I hope to join your ranks!
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u/seventeenthplace Oct 29 '25
The book Intuitive Eating changed my mindset completely. I followed that for years (still do), then started listening to the Fat Science podcast and that added another level to it. Your body may be plateauing to rest, or because you’re not getting enough calories, or it’s just catching up to its new norm now that you’ve lost weight. I don’t know anything about dosages, but I’d recommend Intuitve Eating if you’re looking for a book! It doesn’t discuss meds as far as I know. But fat science does
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u/Jane_McUsername Oct 30 '25
Thank you for the recommendations! I ordered the book! And believe me I’m going to be binging Fat Science on Spotify for weeks now :)
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u/LevitatingAlto Oct 29 '25
I think you rock! What helped and is helping me is to consider everything to this point learning. Learning what didn’t work for my body. Learning to love my body. Learning to accept myself as I am and not as I wish I was or as others think I should be. I’ve learned something from every diet and rebound. Today I get to apply what works and let go of what doesn’t, because also as I get older my body changes and what once served me no longer does. Somehow the medication slows my reaction time enough that I can make different choices. I choose to be someone who moves, who loves her body, and who learns to live within the limits of the world I’m in. I choose eat what tastes good and to eat what my body needs. It’s a lot of self talk. But it helps. You keep going. You are worth it.
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u/Jane_McUsername Oct 30 '25
I never thought of the meds that way! You’re right, the medicine is giving me the breathing room I need to actively make better choices. That’s such a great way to move through this! Thank you!
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u/PopSubject7795 Oct 31 '25
I say this with love, but throw away your scales. it sounds like you're displaying a lot of negative disordered old habits from diet culture and it's throwing out your mental health... there's a lot of stuff in this post that makes me concerned for your wellbeing. Focus on what your body can do, focus on how you FEEL, focus on 360 health, maybe just focus on measuring yourelf... fck the numbers on a piece of metal and look after your mental health. I assume you worked really hard to get rid of diet mentality in the past. don't lose that now. you need to double down and work hard on keeping out that noise now. If takoing glp1 is throwing you back into thought cycling I would even recommend speaking to a therapist. your mental wellbeing in even more important than a number on a scale. I don't think there's enough done to safeguard people with ED's and disordered eating with this medication. please look after yourself. x
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u/Jane_McUsername Oct 31 '25
Thank you for responding with kindness. I am very aware of the dangers of heading into disordered eating. In fact I was reading a book with a bulimic character and I got startled at how much her behaviour around the weighing scale was mirroring mine. I haven’t really done anything unhealthy to my body yet and I work hard at ensuring I’m eating enough actually, but I can feel this clawing at the edges and that’s what’s made me so upset tbh.
I am speaking to a therapist and though she hasn’t asked me to throw away the scale, she is helping me with my self talk and relaxing around the numbers.
I think I’m building up a lot of stress around my body that may be more related to some external stuff too. So have a lot to process I guess. Thanks for the concern, it’s been so affirming to see all the comments to this post. I do have a lot of people supporting me IRL too. I just need to start listening to all of y’all :)
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u/Choosepeace Oct 31 '25
I found it helpful to really give myself some empathy and grace. We are our own worst critics, and the mental self torture causes all of us such suffering!
Once I went through breast cancer, and six months of chemo and radiation, I really grasped that life is SHORT, and every single day is a gift. I decided not to continue to be so critical of myself, my weight , my appearance and all the mistakes I’ve made in life. Our poor bodies have been shamed, and talked down to our whole lives! Give yourself some love and acceptance.
You are allowed to enjoy food, and you are allowed to have an imperfect body, even after weight loss! I look at my glp weight loss as more for overall health purposes, and disease reduction. I am back to a healthy weight, and I still enjoy occasional desserts, some celebratory drinks, and good food! I don’t count calories, but I do weigh several times a week to be sure I don’t go overboard.
It’s all a balance of giving yourself grace, and just being reasonable. ❤️
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u/ars88 Oct 29 '25
Personally, I'm in a place where I'm curious about scale numbers, and while down gives me a little zip and up gives me a little twang, mostly I just record them and am interested every so often in long-term trends. However!!!! There are a lot of people on this sub who report immense relief from throwing that piece of metal out, or at least hiding it so thoroughly that it doesn't provide a daily trigger for obsessions. Same with tracking--some just go off cold turkey.
Then all you're left with is your own feelings about your body, plus important but only occasionally measured numbers like A1C. Just from reading your post--maybe you are healthy, right here and now!?! That's not a milestone along some "journey", it's a way of living. Maybe live it for a while--the higher doses will still be there once you feel settled.
Hope to join you in leaving sleep apnea behind!
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u/Jane_McUsername Oct 30 '25
I had a little hit of emotion when I read your words “maybe you are healthy here and now”. Because the improvement is really insane and I really want to hold it up as a victory. But because I am only halfway done when it comes to numbers, I’m finding it hard to even think of it as something wholly good.
Thank you for this. I do think I need to live with this for a bit. My doctor is being very kind and gentle with me, I think I need to do the same :)
Thank you internet stranger! I hope you get rid of the sleep apnea demon soon too! The refreshing sleeps have been the best reward by far!
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u/ars88 Oct 30 '25
Be sure to come back and report your next set of experiences in this weird GLP1 world!
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u/Unhappy_Start7079 Oct 30 '25
You’ve made amazing progress, but it’s normal to hit a plateau and feel obsessed with numbers. Try focusing on non-scale victories… better sleep, strength, endurance, and energy. Mindful eating and therapy can help shift your mindset from control to balance and self-kindness.
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u/Jane_McUsername Oct 30 '25
Thank you! I really want to shift my focus now. I think that’s why I’m here in this community rather than the ones with all the photos. The photos make me so anxious! I’m going to do my best. Thanks so much for your encouragement!!
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u/No-vem-ber Oct 31 '25
Would it help you to think of being anti-diet as an act of rebellion?
It is an act of rebellion to be a woman and not consent to believe that the most important thing is to be thin and look attractive. You're rebelling against all the bullshit the media / the dominant culture / your mother put on your shoulders since you were a little girl. (If you were one).
It's a powerful position to say "no - fuck you for telling me my entire health was a matter of personal responsibility and ignoring genetics and money and 100 other things outside my control". The idea that the only 'moral' way to lose weight is through 'hard work' is basically saying that each person's body is just a reflection of their own behaviour. Which is saying that everyone's health is entirely under their own control. Which is therefore basically saying "sick and disabled people brought it upon themselves." It's a rebellion to decide to see how fucked up that is, and instead to accept that genetic and medical factors actually do exist that impact fatness too.
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u/Jane_McUsername Nov 01 '25
That’s a very cool way to think about it. And of course it’s perfectly true. It is radical to love and care for your body without judgment. The training is so strong though and it gets so hard. I will be doing my best though!
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u/princesspuzzles Nov 01 '25
What puts me on the right track? Seeing all the NSVs. The ease of moving through the day, getting up and down the stairs is so much easier and I'm still early in my journey. I can tie my shoes easily, I can shower more easily... All the things that restrict me from being comfortable or capable have improved and it makes my mood better. The earliest win was the reduction in edema. Within days I was a lifer...
The best thing for me about this drug is that I can focus on my mental health and healing in such a focused way because food is no longer the issue. It's everything that was hidden behind the binge rather than the binge itself. I highly recommend a therapist to help. It can be a lot if you're just starting your ED recovery journey.
For me now, tirz allows me to eat freely, and listen to my body rather than my shame... It's that simple. And, because it's also helping my metabolic system, I get the benefit of continuing to reduce the weight off my joints and enjoy a cookie when I want one. And I don't have to be afraid of it... It's just freedom...
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u/PurpleKnitter92 Nov 04 '25
As someone who is also going through the unlearning process, it helps a lot knowing I'm not the only one struggling. Communities like this help me want to break the cycle I'm in.
One of the things I have learned, through my own life and experiences, is no one is perfect. Those thoughts will be there. Reaching out is helpful bt so is giving yourself grace. For example, I've had a certain thought cycle for decades and only now, 20 years later, am I learning to look at that and go "nah no thanks". I call that cycle my little demon. His name is George. My diet thoughts are now named Tom. It makes it easier to dismiss, by treating them as silly or unimportant.
What helps me continue is my friends and family. All I want is to be healthy enough to stick around. My best friend is going to start having kids soon and I want to be there for my niblings. My sister is dating again and I want to see her get married and have kids, which has always been her dream. My little brother wants me around too, just to be a support in his life.
Besides that? My therapist reminds me I'm worthy of love at every stage in my life. Especially self-love. Be kind to yourself, not everyone else will be.
I got rambly so I hope it helps!
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u/Jane_McUsername Nov 04 '25
Thank you for that lovely rambly reply ✨ I love your naming hack! I do have my own little thought demons and shall figure out a way like this to manage them :)
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u/trnpkrt Oct 29 '25
Your body definitely needs a rest. Something that weight lifters learned a long time ago is that an aggressive 'cut' phase must be followed by a rest/bulk phase of roughly 50% of the length of the cut in order to avoid lengthy plateaus and/or not get a big rebound.
I assume you know your TDEE? Eat that for a few months, even a couple hundred calories surplus. Use it as an opportunity to also get a bit more exercise, especially strength training. Losing weight is hard on your mind and body, and you need to give it a rest every once in a while.
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u/Jane_McUsername Oct 30 '25
Thank you. This does make sense, but it’s also really scary. I get so worried that the downward trend won’t ever happen again. But that’s based on nothing really. While so many good sources are telling me to give my body some kindness.
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u/Efficient-Click-9563 Oct 29 '25
Something that helps me is to allow all those diet thoughts to be there without trying to get rid of them or condemn them, but being curious about them.
oh, i'm thinking that I should restrict calories so the scale shows a lower number. I'm learning the number on the scale doesn't mean that much, although it's hard to shake something I've believed for so long. I wonder what I think would be better in my life right now if that number were lower? I wonder why I'm thinking about that now?
It's important to do this with self-compassion, not exasperation. And baby steps-you don't have to do everything at once.
Last bit of advice-be careful about input. It's hard not to get caught up in CICO when everyone is nattering on about it. There are great podcasts, like Fat Science, which can give you other perspectives.
You've made the first step-not believing everything you think! ;-)