Nobody warns you that the bathroom scales can heckle, but mine absolutely did. One month ago I stepped on, looked down, and there it was: 100. Three smug little digits staring back at me, and I swear I heard them snigger. I didn’t know it at the time, but that was the morning my Mounjaro first month really started.
Now, I’m not silly. I knew I’d put on weight. I own a mirror, and I own jeans, and both had been dropping hints for a while. But there’s something about seeing triple figures that feels like being slapped in the face with a wet lettuce leaf. I was just so over it. Over starting again, over the promises I kept making myself, and over that soul-destroying cycle of losing five kilos and then finding them again a few months later, plus interest, like some dodgy loan I never signed up for.
If you’ve ever said “I’ll start Monday,” you’ll know exactly what I mean. I’ve said it more times than I can count. Poor old Monday has been carrying my entire weight loss plan on its back for years, and honestly, I think Monday was as exhausted as I was.
So this time, I decided to do something different.
Starting Mounjaro in Australia: Why I Saw My GP First
I made an appointment with my GP, and we had a proper, honest chat about it. She organised blood tests, and we agreed on a plan for keeping an eye on things as I went. I’ll be honest, that made me feel a whole lot better. I wasn’t about to jab myself with something, cross my fingers and hope for the best. If I was going to do this, I wanted to do it properly.
We started me on 2.5 mg once a week, which is the starting dose, and that’s where I’ve stayed for the whole first month.
My First Mounjaro Injection: Five Minutes of Drama, Two Seconds of Needle
I’d built that first injection up into a very big deal in my head. I sat there with the pen, looked at my stomach, looked back at the pen, then looked at my stomach again, and eventually said out loud to nobody in particular, “Right. I really hope you know what you’re doing, because I definitely don’t.”
And then? Click. Done. The needle is tiny, and it barely hurt. All that drama for about two seconds of actual effort. I felt a bit ridiculous, if I’m honest, but mostly relieved.
Mounjaro and Food Noise: The Snack Committee Has Been Dissolved
This is the part that genuinely shocked me, and it’s the bit I keep telling my friends about. I expected to feel less hungry. What I didn’t expect was that Mounjaro would change the noise in my head.
Before, it was like I had a little food committee permanently in session up there. What am I having for lunch? Am I actually hungry or just bored? Should I have something sweet? Better not. Okay, maybe just one. What’s for dinner? Is there dessert? Could I squeeze in another? It went round and round all day, and nobody ever moved to adjourn the meeting.
Now that committee has gone remarkably quiet. Don’t get me wrong, I still love food, and I’m never going to be one of those women who gets genuinely excited about a salad. But that constant chatter about my next snack has pretty much stopped, and I can’t tell you how much headspace that’s freed up!
The other surprise is that I actually get full now. Properly full. I’ll sit down fully intending to demolish a meal and find myself tapping out halfway through, completely satisfied. It’s taken some getting used to, because I was raised to clear my plate, but it turns out you don’t have to finish everything just because it’s there. Sorry, Mum.
Eating Protein on Mounjaro (It’s My Whole Personality Now)
If you’d told me a year ago that I’d become that woman standing in the supermarket aisle reading the back of yoghurt tubs, I’d have laughed at you. Yet here we are.
When you’re losing weight, you need to make sure you’re getting enough protein, so I’ve had to start paying real attention to what I’m eating. Chicken, eggs, tuna and Greek yoghurt pretty much run my life now. I compare protein content the way other people compare house prices, and I’ve become far more emotionally invested in nutrition panels than any normal person should be.
Mounjaro Side Effects: Headaches, Water and a Mental Map of Every Toilet
Then there’s the water. I’m aiming for around three litres a day, because I’ve learnt the hard way that if I slack off, a headache turns up uninvited by mid-afternoon.
Three litres doesn’t sound like much until you actually try to drink it. Some days it feels like my whole life is drinking water, carrying water, and then urgently looking for somewhere to get rid of it again. I could now give you a guided tour of every public toilet within a 20 km radius, which is not a life skill I expected to pick up at this age.
Thinking about Mounjaro Side effects, I’ve honestly been pretty lucky. Apart from a few mild headaches, mostly on days I didn’t drink enough, it’s been very manageable for me. I know everyone’s different, but so far nothing has stopped me from getting on with normal life.
Mounjaro and Fatty Food: Don’t Say You Weren’t Warned
Well, almost nothing. There’s one lesson I learnt very quickly, and I learnt it the hard way.
Mounjaro has turned my digestive system into a very blunt communicator. If I eat something greasy, there’s no polite little hint that I may have made a poor choice. My body basically grabs a megaphone and yells, “WRONG CHOICE. FIND A TOILET. NOW.”
So I listen. Oh, believe me, I listen. If I know I’m going to be out of the house for a while, the fatty food stays well and truly off the menu. Some gambles just aren’t worth taking, especially when you’ve got no idea where the nearest loo is.
My Mounjaro First Month Results: 100 Kilos to 95
Which brings me back to my old nemesis, the scales.
At the end of my first month, I stepped on with the usual mix of hope and dread, and this time the number was 95. Five kilos gone in four weeks. I may or may not have done a small, very undignified happy dance in the bathroom.
I’m not kidding myself, though. I know I won’t drop five kilos every month, and I’m sure there’ll be weeks when those scales sit there like a sulky teenager refusing to budge. But right now, five kilos feels like proof that something is actually shifting.
My jeans agree, too. Clothes that used to cut off my circulation now do up without a fight, and I’ve started eyeing off pieces in the back of my wardrobe that I’d quietly given up on. There’s nothing quite like pulling on a pair of jeans that don’t fight back to put you in a good mood for the day.
How Much Does Mounjaro Cost in Australia? My $290 Reality Check
Now, there is one small detail I should mention. Mounjaro is costing me around $290 a month, so yes, this had better work.
At that price, I feel like I’m entitled to a few extras. I want the weight loss, obviously, but I’d also like glowing skin, a better wardrobe, a spotless house and ideally the lawn mowed. So far, the pen has shown absolutely zero interest in the housework, which I think is a bit rude.
But five kilos in the first month? I’ll admit that’s taken a fair bit of the sting out of the bank statement.
But this is only the starting dose, so it is going to go up from here.
Mounjaro Month Two: What Happens Next?
Honestly? I have no idea, and for once in my life, I’m okay with that.
I’m trying to remind myself that this isn’t just about the number on the scales. It’s about feeling better, eating a bit smarter, drinking my body weight in water and actually listening to my body instead of fighting it every single day. My GP is still keeping an eye on my bloods, so we’re watching my whole health, not just the kilos.
And I’m not giving up the good stuff either. There’ll still be birthdays, dinners, holidays and chocolate, because I’m not about to start living on lettuce and protein shakes. Nobody needs that energy. I just want something that works and that I can actually live with long term.
So, one month in, here’s what I’ve got: one tiny injection pen, one enormous water bottle, a deep and unexpected love of protein, a healthy terror of fatty food and an encyclopaedic knowledge of public toilets. But more than any of that, I’ve got something I haven’t felt in a very long time.
Hope.
And at $290 a month, it had better be worth it. Stay tuned . . .
Mounjaro First Month FAQs
Q: How much weight can you lose in the first month on Mounjaro?
I lost 5 kilos in my first month on the 2.5 mg starting dose, going from 100 kg to 95 kg. Results vary a lot from person to person, so please don’t use mine as a target.
Q: What dose of Mounjaro do you start on?
I started on 2.5 mg once a week and stayed there for the full first month, as advised by my GP.
Q: What are the side effects of Mounjaro in the first month?
For me, it was a few mild headaches (mostly when I didn’t drink enough water) and a very strong reaction to fatty food. Common side effects can include nausea, diarrhoea and constipation, so it’s worth talking to your GP about what to watch for.
Q: How much does Mounjaro cost in Australia?
I’m paying around $290 a month. Your cost may be different depending on your dose and pharmacy.
Q: Do you need a prescription for Mounjaro?
Yes. Mounjaro is a prescription medicine in Australia, so you’ll need to see your GP first.
Are you on Mounjaro, or thinking about giving it a go? Got a toilet horror story you’re dying to share? Tell us all about it in the comments. We’re not judging. Much.
This is one writer’s personal experience and isn’t medical advice. Mounjaro is a prescription medicine, so chat to your GP about whether it’s right for you.
