Mounjaro, end of the journey

[Justkeeprollingalong]

I've had a very successful weight loss with Mounjaro - in 10 weeks I've lost 22lb. I've 6lb more to go with 2 x 7.5ml doses left in my current pen.
I'm thinking one more pen. I will probably go for the 10ml.
Has anyone come off Mounjaro?
Did you use the last pen to gradually reduce the dose or did you go 'cold turkey'?
If you reduced, how did it actually work with the pen?
Also how quickly did the appetite suppression wear off?
Thanks

@Justkeeprollingalong and @Pigriver , great to see you’re both doing great with maintaining your weight loss. Hope to see your updates in another 3 months and beyond and tips as well for people like me who wish to do this at some point.

So you never moved up from 2.5 and still managed to lose 4 stone that’s fantastic!

Thanks for sharing as I’m approaching the end of my MJ journey after 5months on 2.5-3mg I’ve lost nearly 3stone. I’ve got one more pen so was spacing out doses planning to increase days between. I’m nervous to come off but I’ve completely reset my diet, shifted the menopause pounds and run 3x a week plus averaging 13-14k steps a day with dog walks. So I’m optimistic plus I gave up all alcohol and just don’t miss it. Thanks for giving me hope that I can maintain this.

I'm 3 weeks away from finishing MJ, I was on 2.5 for 4 months, one month at 5 and back down again. In the last week there's definitely been more alcohol creeping in and the kids snacks are calling to me. I've been listening to various podcasts and have decided to do 12:8 to maintain - I need something with that type of structure. Also gym at least 3x per week. I am feeling so so good in my clothes now and have got rid of all but one pair of elasticated waist trousers I refuse to go back up again.

For those who have finished - how did you decide on goal weight?
I’m now at what smart BMI says is a healthy weight for me (have lost 2 stone). I feel good. I can see that I’m still not skinny (am a size 12), but this feels like what would be a maintainable weight for me. I’m still about 9lbs off what the NHS calculator thinks would be healthy. Waist-height ratio is just under half.
I’ve never been a skinny person and very unsure about whether I should seek to get lower to give myself a buffer when I come off, or just focus on healthy habits to stay about this weight?

@EBoo80 My goal weight changed a few times. I thought I wanted to be 12 stone 4lb which would make a BMI of 25.5. However when I got there I realised I wanted to be slighter slimmer and regain a 30 inch waist. I'm now 11.3 with BMI of 23.2 and that feels right although I'm not quite at that waist size but my weight to waist ratio looks good now. Now I need to see if this is realistic in maintenance.

I always go by clothes rather than weight. I am happy with getting comfortably into size 14 jeans with no stretch and size 12 tops plus not having a big double chin in photos. I did get down to a small 12 a decade ago but it was not a comfortable weight for my body and I only maintained for about 5 minutes.

Yes, that’s similar to me @Callmejudith I have ‘strapping’ shoulders so tend to be smaller on bottom half.
I’m in two minds, but there’s practical things too, like just now many of my clothes still fit, I don’t have much loose skin, it’s been easy to pass off to people as just eating healthy. Whereas if I’m slimmer than I’ve been since I was 16, there will be more questions I can’t be bothered answering…

Yep - I am pretty muscular especially my thighs and way more so than the previous time I lost weight so I know I don't want in anyway to make my thighs smaller!

I also can't be arsed with the questions. I have got away with MJ being a complete secret and I feel like if I'm suddenly a size 10 everyone will guess.

I am doing 12:8 now and lots of gym so if I drop a few more pounds I'd be delighted but I'd also be happy to maintain

I wasn’t on MJ, but I was on Ozempic last year and had to stop cold turkey as I was pregnant (lost 4 stone whilst taking it).

I wasn’t yet at goal weight (at least another 2 stone to go), and I was worried about what would happen once I was off, especially in light of being pregnant and what that does to your weight!

What I found was that the time on the injections had really helped break the cycle of emotional eating and even without it, I didn’t feel any need to go back to old habits.

baby was born 2 weeks ago and I’m 15lbs over my pre pregnancy weight, so obviously gained but not a mad amount. I fully intend to try MJ once I’ve finished breastfeeding to get the last couple of stone off, but I’m no longer worried about the Maintanance aspect of it

@CaptinKitty - double congratulations for you!

My update: I've managed to keep the weight off for around 3 months now. My food is still good, though not as excellent as it was on mounjaro so I go up and down quite a bit. But I'm happy that I'm always around 3-7lb into the healthy category and can live a normal life.

I've also got into exercise. I've been boxercising 3 times per week for 2 months and I've just decided to aim for a 10k. I'm still so pleased I did MJ and (although it's still early days) I'm pretty sure I can stay healthy without it.

@JemimaTiggywinkles that’s fantastic!
It’s great to hear such positive news. Good luck with your 10k.

Great news @JemimaTiggywinkles im at the end my five months onMJ, and ran my first 10k in four years last week. I’d been Working on my 5k getting more comfortable and non stop then adding on a 1k every few weeks to the longer slower run. It’s fab to think I can do it again and it’s SO much easier 3 stone lighter! Good luck with running.

i think the thing is a lot of people know how to maintain weight or lose a little but don't have the commitment to stick consistently to prolonged sustained weight loss as it's really challenging. I think having had the push to get the weight off with a reasonable effort people will be able to keep it off as that's easier than trying to maintain a sustained loss. It is still effort though

I would love to hear how the people who came off MJ are doing now. Almost at the end of my journey, but worried about maintaining. I am looking at the various maintenance plans on offer at the moment.

Very belated congratulations! @CaptinKitty 💐
Don't know how I missed you having a baby. Hope you're enjoying the snuggles.

Hi all, it's now 5 months since my last shot. I've settled at 10st 10lb. Exactly 2 stone less than when I started and 2lb over my goal weight.
I'm eating sensibly and running 3 times a week.
I feel great!

I want this to me in a few months! Great progress you've made.

My bmi was over 40. It’s now 31. I did have horrendous gastric side effects but that’s mostly subsided now. I think I was unlucky with side effects. It has been totally worth it though and I’d do it all again

I am in maintenance, which for me means 5mg doses, spread out to cover the full 40 days (so 1 shot every 10 days). I've not regained any weight, but I do feel hungry again and eat/snack more. Which to me is the best of both worlds -- the freedom to eat what I want, when I want, without gaining (and without having the little voice in my head tell me I'm going to gain weight). I can finally truly enjoy food.

I am getting near to maintenance..6 pounds to go. Can I ask who you are ordering from and what is their policy on ordering pens? I like the idea of spreading doses out, but thought you had to use MJ up once opened within 30 days?

I am with the Family Chemist. Their maintenance policy is described here: https://www.thefamilychemist.co.uk/maintenance-therapy-on-weight-loss-medications-wegovy-and-mounjaro/.

I only use four doses, not the extra fifth one. So roughly my schedule is:

Dose 1 - Monday (imagine this is January 1st)
Dose 2 - Monday + 2 = Wednesday (the 10th)
Dose 3 - Wednesday + 2 = Friday (the 19th)
Dose 4 - Friday + 2 = Sunday (the 28th)

Which falls within guidelines of using the medication within 30 days. The 4th dose would 'end' on the 28th + 10 days, so roughly the 8th of the next month, which is when I would start a new pen. I hope that makes sense 😊

@NoMoreCoffeePlease many thanks for the information. This is very helpful. How long will the Family Chemist let you stay on MJ? My goal is 6 pounds away. I am staying at the top of the recommended BMI weight..well actually 2 pounds above that at 9 stone. I want the option of taking a break to see how I get on and then going back on if I feel the need. Not sure if your provider allows that. So far Ouschk and Cloud seem to be the only ones allowing this. The option of staying on, MJ as long as I or having a break then going back on it is one of my key criteria. Well done on getting to maintenance 👏

From what I can tell, they will stop prescribing if the patient keeps losing weight to unhealthy BMI levels while on the maintenance dose, so under 19. I am not sure if they support the 'taking a break' thing if your BMI is still within healthy ranges.

My BMI is roughly 22.5 and pretty stable. Plus, my blood pressure has come down, and my cholesterol is even better than it used to be. I became a bit complacent with working out after I reached my goal weight (I lost my motivation when I didn't have to lose weight anymore), but I'm back on track with working out this year and taking collagen supplements again etc. My life has completely changed thanks to Mounjaro😊