My Mounjaro Diet: What I Eat After Losing 160 Pounds

I’ve been writing about food for 15 years. Recipes, cookbooks, more casseroles than any one woman should admit to.

And the question I get asked most right now isn’t about any of them.

It’s this. “Jo, what do you actually eat?”

Fair. I’m a food blogger who’s lost about 160 pounds in 15 months. That’s a bit like finding out the pastry chef is on a cleanse. People want to see inside the fridge.

So come on in. I’ll show you everything. The cottage cheese. The jerky I hide in the pantry. The muffin I ate yesterday. And the dragon fruit, which we’ll get to, and which I’m sorry about in advance.

If you want the whole story of how I got started, the rash, the blood pressure, the blood work, it’s in The Boring Answer to How I Lost 150 Pounds. This one is the tasty sequel. Fewer doctors. More snacks.

Why This Time Is Different

I want to start here, because it matters more than any food on this list.

I’ve been on diets for about 30 years. All of them. The ones with points. The ones with shakes. The ones that started on a Monday and ended on a Thursday. I could lead a guided tour of the diet graveyard. I know where everybody’s buried.

I never stuck with a single one for 15 months. Most of them didn’t see February.

And every time one fell apart, I came to the same conclusion. It was me. I didn’t want it enough. Other women could do this and I couldn’t, so the problem must be me.

Then I started Mounjaro. And my blood work showed I was insulin resistant. My doctor explained that’s part of why I always gained weight so easily and lost it so slowly.

I sat with that for a long time. 30 years of thinking I was weak. And it turns out something was going on in my body that nobody had checked for.

So here’s my honest answer to why this time is different. It’s the medication. I really believe it saved my life. I don’t say that to be dramatic. I say it because I mean it.

But please hear the next part too, because it’s just as true.

It isn’t magic. It doesn’t do the work for you. I still track everything I eat. I still hit my protein every day. I still choose the chicken breast. I still go for the walk when I’d rather sit on the couch.

What the medication does is make the work doable. It turned down the food noise. You know that voice? The one that talks about snacks from the minute you wake up? It finally went quiet.

And when it’s quiet, you can hear yourself think. You can make a good choice. And then you can make another one tomorrow. And the day after that.

That’s all this has been. A lot of tomorrows in a row.

My Blood Pressure and Insulin Results After Mounjaro

This whole thing started with my blood pressure.

If you read The Boring Answer to How I Lost 150 Pounds, you know the story. A rash sent me to urgent care. They put a blood pressure cuff on me, and the number was through the roof. My doctor didn’t sugarcoat it. He told me I was at the age where this turns into heart attacks and strokes. That was the day everything changed.

So I started on blood pressure medication. And I started on Mounjaro. And I started doing the work.

I check my blood pressure at home and share the numbers with my doctor every month. And over time, those numbers kept coming down. And down. And down.

And then my doctor took me off my blood pressure medication. I don’t need it anymore.

I can’t even tell you what that felt like. The scale is nice. Smaller clothes are fun. But this is the one that matters most to me. The scary number that started all of this is gone. The thing my doctor warned me about isn’t the thing I’m walking toward anymore.

That’s why I keep saying this medication saved my life. It’s not about how I look. It’s about the number on that cuff.

Please don’t stop any medication on your own because of what you read here. That decision belongs with your doctor, and mine took it seriously. The first week I was off it, he had me call him twice to give him my numbers. He was worried my blood pressure might spike without the medication, and he wanted to catch it right away if it did. It didn’t. But that’s exactly why you don’t do this without your doctor.

It was one of the happiest appointments I’ve ever had.

And it’s not just my blood pressure.

Remember the insulin resistance? The reason I always gained weight so easily and lost it so slowly? Last September, my fasting insulin was 170. This September, it was 85. Cut right in half.

My numbers are back in a healthy range. I read that result 3 times. 30 years of thinking I was weak, and here’s a number on a piece of paper proving my body can change.

The scale gets all the attention. But these 2 numbers are the ones I’m proudest of.

What It Feels Like Now

This is the part that’s hard to explain if you haven’t lived it.

For years, eating felt like a fight. Me against the pantry. And the pantry usually won.

Now I sometimes have to remember to eat. Me. The woman with an 80 pound case of pasta in her house. I’ll look up in the afternoon and realize I haven’t had lunch and I still have protein to hit.

I still taste everything I make for the blog. That’s my job and I love it. I just don’t eat the whole pan anymore. Which means there’s usually a lot of food left over. So now I text my neighbors and deliver dinner to them in my golf cart. I’m basically a meal delivery service with a very small menu and a very cute vehicle.

And if I eat too much now, my stomach lets me know. Fast. I learned that once, and I didn’t need a second lesson.

Some days I still can’t believe it. I’m not white knuckling anything. I’m just living. And the weight keeps coming off.

Why Protein Matters on Mounjaro

If you only take one thing from this post, make it protein.

When you lose weight, you don’t only lose fat. You can lose muscle too. And you want to keep your muscle. It keeps you strong. It helps you move. It helps your body burn energy. Eating enough protein helps you hold on to it while the pounds come off.

Protein also keeps you full. On Mounjaro, I’m not very hungry to begin with. So when I do eat, I want every bite to count.

That’s why almost everything on this list is high protein. It’s not a trend. It’s the plan.

I track it all in MyNetDiary. I can snap a photo of my plate and it figures out what’s on it. For someone who eats homemade food all day, that’s the only way tracking would ever work.

How much protein you need is a great question for your doctor. Mine helped me find my number, and I hit it every day, ok almost every day, let’s not push it.

My High Protein Coffee

Every morning starts the same way.

Coffee. With protein milk and a scoop of collagen stirred in. That’s roughly 20 grams of protein before I’ve even put on real pants.

So why collagen?

Because when you lose a lot of weight, your skin doesn’t always get the memo. It has a little catching up to do. I’d like to give it all the help I can.

And because of my hair. I lost some along the way, and I’m not about to lose any more without a fight.

Collagen is a protein your body already makes. It’s what keeps your skin firm and stretchy. It’s also part of your hair, your nails, your bones, and your joints. As we get older, we make less of it.

Studies have shown that collagen supplements can help skin stay more elastic and hydrated. There’s also research showing it may help with joint pain. The evidence for hair and nails is smaller, but it’s promising.

Will it work miracles? No. Nothing in a scoop does. But it’s an easy little thing I can do every morning, and I’ll take every little thing I can get.

It mixes right into coffee. No clumps. No funny taste. I hate funny taste in my coffee!

One thing to know. Collagen isn’t a complete protein, so it can’t be your only protein. That’s why I pair it with protein milk, and why the rest of my day is full of chicken, eggs, and cottage cheese.

It’s the easiest win of my day. I’d be drinking coffee anyway. Now it’s coffee with benefits.

My Vitamins and Supplements on Mounjaro

When you’re eating less, it’s harder to get everything your body needs from food alone. So I fill in the gaps. Here’s what I take every day.

Multivitamin for women over 50: My everyday basics. It covers the little stuff I might miss when my portions are smaller.

Fiber gummies: Because Mounjaro and your digestion don’t always get along. If you’ve read this far, you already know about the dragon fruit. These are its backup.

Vitamin K2 and D3: These 2 are often paired together. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, and K2 helps it go where it belongs, like your bones.

Vitamin D3: I live in Alberta. Although it’s sunny 300 some days here, it’s a very cold winter, and I don’t always make it outside.

Collagen gummies: Yes, more collagen. I already have it in my coffee, but my skin has a lot of catching up to do, so I’m giving it all the help I can.

One A Day Hair, Skin and Nails: For my hair, mostly. I lost some along the way and I’m not losing any more without a fight.

Vitamin B12: It helps your body make energy, and after 9 months of feeling tired, I’m a big fan of anything that helps with energy.

I’m not telling you to take any of these. Everybody’s body is different, and what’s right for me might not be right for you. I talked to my doctor about every single one of these before I started, and that’s exactly what I’d tell you to do too.

What’s in My Fridge on Mounjaro

If you opened my fridge right now, here’s what you’d find. I promise it’s more exciting than it sounds.

High protein cottage cheese: Always there. Always one more container than I need, just in case there’s a cottage cheese shortage I don’t know about.

Pressed cottage cheese: My secret weapon. It’s drier and firmer than regular cottage cheese, and it has way more protein. If you haven’t tried it, go find some. I’ll wait right here.

High protein Greek yogurt: Thick and creamy. I top it with berries and call it breakfast, lunch, or a snack, depending on the day.

Berries: Any kind. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, whatever looks pretty. On yogurt, in cottage cheese, or eaten over the sink like a raccoon. I contain multitudes.

High protein cereal: Yes, cereal. I’m a grown woman and I still love a bowl of cereal. The high protein kind means I can have it and still hit my goals.

Turkey deli meat: For the days I don’t want to cook. And yes, a food blogger has those days. Plenty of them.

Hard boiled eggs: I keep a batch ready to go. Peel, salt, eat. Done.

Dempster’s protein bagels and protein bread: Yes, I still eat bagels. And bread. I just switched to Dempster’s protein versions, which I find at Costco or Safeway. A toasted protein bagel with pressed cottage cheese and a fresh tomato is my favorite breakfast right now.

The High Protein Dinners I Make Most

Chicken breast. So much chicken breast. If chicken breast had a fan club, I’d be the president, the treasurer, and the lady who brings the snacks.

When I first started, I couldn’t handle anything fatty. So chicken breast became my best friend. It still is. I make it every way you can think of. Here are the ones on repeat in my kitchen:

• Air Fryer Chicken Breast
• Baked Chicken Breast
• Easy Grilled Chicken Breast
• Instant Pot Chicken Breast
• Garlic and Paprika Chicken
• Chicken Souvlaki

Need more? I’ve got a whole roundup of 22 Easy Chicken Breast Recipes.

Steak. Every once in a while. A good steak feels like a party, and I don’t skip parties. Try my Garlic Butter Steak Bites or my Easy Thai Steak Salad when you want steak that’s a little lighter.

Potatoes. Yes. I eat potatoes. I love potatoes. Nobody’s taking my potatoes.

Salads and Fresh Tomatoes

I eat a lot of salads. And this summer I ate a lot of tomatoes, because our greenhouse grew enough tomatoes for a small town.

Here’s my favorite thing to eat right now. Ripe tomatoes, sliced. A little Maldon salt on top. A spoonful of pressed cottage cheese on the side.

That’s it. Salty, juicy, creamy, fresh. It’s so simple I almost feel silly calling it a recipe. So I won’t.

If you grow tomatoes, please try this before the season’s over.

Want something with more going on? Try my many different salad recipes.

Fruit I Eat on Mounjaro

I eat fruit every day. Whatever’s in season. Plums and peaches in the summer. Grapes. Oranges. And apples. Always apples.

Let me tell you about Envy apples. They’re so crisp and so sweet. They’re my absolute favorite. If an apple could be a love language, it would be this one.

And then there’s yellow dragon fruit. I eat yellow dragon fruit for 1 reason. When I’m constipated, it helps. There. I said it. We’re friends now.

If you’re on Mounjaro, you probably already know why this matters. If you don’t know yet, you will. Keep some in the house. Future you will send present you a thank you card.

High Protein Snacks I Keep on Hand

Quest chips: For when I need crunchy and salty. They’re high protein, so it’s a snack that helps instead of hurts.

Korean BBQ Pork Jerky from Costco: My favorite. My absolute favorite. If you ever find me hiding in the pantry, this is what I’m holding. Sweet, savory, chewy, and full of protein. I’d buy stock in it if I could.

Yes, I Still Eat Treats on Mounjaro

This is my favorite question to answer.

Yes. I eat treats.

Yesterday I made cranberry orange muffins. They’re coming to the blog next month. And yes, I ate one. And at the end of the day I was still in my calorie deficit and I’d still hit my protein goal.

I love Werther’s. Always have. Still do. I have ice cream when I’m in the mood for it.

The only difference now is the portion. 1 muffin, not 3. A small scoop, not the carton. A couple of Werther’s, not the whole bag.

You know that old saying, balance is key? I used to roll my eyes at it. Now I live by it. Turns out it was true the whole time. I just didn’t want to hear it.

Walking for Weight Loss

I know what you’re thinking. “Jo, when do you start the workouts?” Here’s the honest answer. I didn’t. Not for a long time.

For the first 9 months, my energy was gone. Low energy was one of my side effects, and some days just getting through work was the whole workout. I’m telling you this because so many people think exercise has to come first. It didn’t for me. And that’s okay.

Then, around 9 months in, the energy came back. And I started walking. Every day, instead of once or twice a week.

Now I get my 10,000 steps most days, on the walking loop around our property or if the weather is bad, on my treadmill. Han Solo and Jack Ryan come along, and they’d like it noted that they’re excellent coaches.

But the steps aren’t really what I want to tell you about.

When you carry an extra 150 pounds, you do math every time you leave the house. How far is the parking lot from the door? Are there stairs? Is there a railing? Will there be chairs? Will the chairs have arms?

You do that math so often it stops feeling like math. It’s just how you live. And then one day you notice you’re not doing it anymore.

That’s what walking gives me now. Not just steps. Freedom. I walk because I can. Because it feels good. Because my knees aren’t filing complaints anymore.

I also do the sauna, and some light weights. Very light. Let’s not make this a whole thing about the weights.

My Evening Tea

Every night ends the same way too. A cup of tea with honey, which Remo makes for me. Isn’t that sweet?

My favorite right now is peach and orange tea with a little bit of honey. OMG. At the risk of sounding like every influencer out there, I’m OBSESSED.

It’s my little ritual. Warm and cozy. It tells my brain the day is done.

I used to have a bagel with my tea at night. Not anymore. I don’t need the bagel. The tea is enough.

And no, I don’t do intermittent fasting. If I want a piece of fruit after 6, I have a piece of fruit after 6. Nobody’s checking.

What My Husband Eats

Remo eats what I cook. He just adds bread. Always bread.

And sandwiches. Remo makes killer sandwiches. He also makes a mean breakfast and great salads, and he’d want me to tell you that, so I’m telling you.

He doesn’t eat the way I eat, and that’s fine. I don’t need him to. He’s been right beside me this whole time, and that’s what counts.

My Mounjaro Side Effects, the Short Version

The full, very honest version is in The Boring Answer to How I Lost 150 Pounds. Here’s the short one.

At the start, I had a little nausea the day after my injection. Very little. When my dose went up, I had diarrhea or constipation. Sometimes one, sometimes the other. I still don’t understand how a person gets both.

I had gas. And sulfur burps, which were the worst part of the whole thing. If you know, you know. If you don’t, I’m happy for you.

I had low energy for about 9 months. When I went up to the max dose, I threw up the day after my injection for a couple of weeks. Then, after a couple of months on the max dose, it all went away.

2 things stayed. I can’t eat fatty food anymore. But I don’t crave it either, so it’s a fair trade. And I had some hair loss, which I think is a mix of menopause and losing weight.

I never once thought about stopping. Not once. Not even during the sulfur burps.

The Christmas That Felt Different

I’ll leave you with this one, because it’s the moment I knew this time was real.

You have to understand how much I love Christmas. I start decorating on November 1st. Every year. I put up 13 trees, including a 12 foot one. Remo thinks that’s too many trees. He’s stopped arguing about it. There’s also a 6 foot Santa in the foyer who moves, talks, and plays music, and he greets everyone who walks through the door.

So Christmas is a big deal in this house. And as a food blogger, it’s also the busiest time of my whole year. I’m testing and tasting and photographing from November right through New Year’s.

Every single year of my adult life, Christmas ended the same way. A few extra pounds. Then January would roll around with a new plan, a new Monday, and a new promise to myself. I knew that routine so well I could have set my watch by it.

Last Christmas, I didn’t skip a thing. I hosted 2 Christmas parties. I made all my traditional meals. I baked all my cookies. All the stuff I make every single year, I made it. And I tasted everything. Every cookie, every dish, every bite.

Then in January, I stepped on the scale. And it went down. Down! Woohoo!

For the first time in my adult life, I lost weight over the holidays instead of gaining. No new plan waiting for me in January. No new Monday. I didn’t need one.

I don’t have a joke for that one. It just felt big.

Do I Still Eat Fast Food on Mounjaro?

This one surprises people the most, so let’s talk about it.

The short answer is no. Not really. And it’s not because I’m being good. It’s because I just don’t want it.

That might not sound like a big deal. But you have to know who you’re talking to. I used to crave a good burger. A really good one, juicy and messy, the kind you need 6 napkins for. And pizza? Pizza was my weakness. Cheesy, greasy, hot from the box. I loved it.

Now I never crave it. Not even pizza.

Remo still orders pizza every once in a while. It shows up at the door, the box opens, the whole house smells like it. And I can honestly say I don’t look forward to it. I don’t hover. I don’t sneak a slice. I don’t sit there staring at it like a doodle at the dinner table.

How strange is that? I’ve been a pizza girl my whole life. If you’d told me a few years ago that pizza would show up and I’d shrug, I would’ve laughed in your face. Then probably ordered a pizza.

Part of it is the medication turning down the food noise. That voice that used to whisper “you know what sounds good right now?” is gone. Part of it is that fatty food just doesn’t sit well with me anymore. My stomach has made its feelings very clear, and I’ve learned to listen.

But part of it is something I didn’t expect. When you’re eating food that actually makes you feel good, you stop missing the food that didn’t. I’d rather have my tomatoes with Maldon salt. I’d rather have my chicken. I’d rather wake up feeling great than go to bed feeling stuffed.

This is the thing I want you to hear if you’re just starting out. You don’t have to spend the rest of your life fighting your cravings. For me, a lot of them just went away. Quietly. Without a fight.

And honestly? That was the biggest relief of all.

Mounjaro Diet FAQ

What I Want You to Know

This is what works for me. It might not be what works for you, and that’s okay.

I’m not a doctor and I’m not a dietitian. Every step of this went through my own doctor. If you’re thinking about Mounjaro or any big change to how you eat, start there.

But if you came here wondering what a food blogger eats after losing 160 pounds, now you know.

A lot of chicken. A lot of cottage cheese. 1 muffin. A walk with 2 doodles. And a cup of tea at the end of the day.

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