I’ve finished Mounjaro - weekly update to report on what happens when you finish!

[NearingendofMJ]

I started taking MJ at the beginning of April. I’ve been a slow loser, and have lost 2 stone in the time I’ve been on MJ.

My starting weight was 84kg and I am now 71.5, I am 5’7.

I took my last injection last Sunday, so just over a week ago and it was around 6mg (counting clicks on a 12.5mg pen)

I have definitely noticed hunger today. However I am able to deal with that at the moment by reminding myself I had lunch an hour ago etc so I do not need to eat.

I think everyone on these meds worries what may happen when you stop. It’s like any diet, if there isn’t a lifestyle change, you will regain all the weight.

I thought I’d start a thread for some real life experience of what will happen - I’m aware I’ll still have MJ in my system for the next couple of weeks, but will be a good experiment to see if the hunger becomes unbearable or manageable with my new found knowledge of better food groups to eat!

Having been on MJ for 6 months I’m fairly sure I am able to make better choices now - famous last words 😂

Thanks for the update OP. I too would like you to keep posting even if I didn’t agree entirely with separate points you made - those are not the basis of this thread.

People all have different opinions on stuff but there isn't enough information out there about what happens after you stop taking weight loss drugs so this thread could be very useful for people in future (as well as for your accountability @NearingendofMJ so Good on you for continuing it.

Wow that’s an incredible achievement by your mum Tohaveandtohold and very inspiring!

Ok so if you took it last Sunday you have what another 1-2 weeks of the drug in your system? It will be interesting to see how you feel as this decreases, and then when you are without the drug. I think for the first 3-6 months it is very easy to be dedicated, and focused, it is after this that the issues creep in. When that initial enthusiasm wears off.

That is partly why this thread will be so interesting - to see how OP finds it now and again in a fortnight, a month and a year.

It has a half life of 5 days apparently, so I am 15 days out from the last dose - maybe my enthusiasm will wear off but that is my job to ensure I keep at the forefront of my mind why I started this weight loss journey.

@NearingendofMJ also really interested in your experience and the ones of anyone who has decided to stop MJ.
Good or bad, I think it will us/me a lot on what works well and maybe any pitfall too.

And btw well done for your weight loss!

So I’ve read it takes 30 days to leave your system entirely. There’s an app called Shotsy which tells you how much you’ll have left after each shot.

Okay - we will see what happens in another 2 weeks then. Last dose was around 6mg so not huge. People say hunger returns after 5-6 days so I’d have thought some of mine was due to having less drug in my system.

But who knows, maybe after 30 days I’ll eat everything in sight and pile all 2.5 stone back on overnight 🤷‍♀️

I’ve just checked a half life calculator - on day 15 maximum left in my system would be 0.75mg - so over 3 times less than a 2.5mg dose, which is not therapeutic - so some of the maintaining must be down to me

@NearingendofMJ I’m not trying to undermine you. I’m sorry if it came across like that.

@NearingendofMJ I too am interested in following your progress. It's a great thread.

I think there will be some people who, for a variety of reasons, will be fine maintaining their weight loss off MJ and some who won't. I don't know where I sit yet! I would prefer not to have to keep taking it simply because of the cost really. But if I need to stay on a low dose for a longer time to help my body adjust to its new set point and balance my blood sugars (I was pre-diabetic) I'm ok with that too.

I'm learning a lot from all the reading I'm doing on this subject and one thing I am taking away from pretty much everything I read is that obesity is complex and multifactorial. There is no single cause and therefore no single remedy. My GP was supportive of me trying MJ to deal with the weight and prediabetes but he did caution that you can't rely on it alone, you have to make other changes too, because calorie restriction on its own won't fix the problem of insulin resistance (which is a cause of prediabetes and type 2).

The causes of obesity are multiple and different for different people, therefore what works to tackle it will also be different for different people. Your choice to try to maintain without medical assistance shouldn't negate the choices of those who choose to remain on it, and vice versa, because what predisposed and caused you to develop obesity and then struggle to lose weight might be different for someone else.

I don’t necessarily agree with this. After 3-6 months you’ve really laid some new habits down. We all know it’s never going to be easy, we know we need to make changes FOREVER.

Be interesting to come back in a year to see how op is doing then

I would like to hope that anyone who comes mj can keep the weight off for a good few weeks fault easily , if not months

Well there's many people on this thread that would love to see that happen but it's very unlikely because you have to overeat by 3500 calories to gain lb a weight.

I know I criticised but come on! Let’s hold a person going for it up. Why sow doubt? We’re all different. Good habits will help a lot.

I think it's great to see what maintenance will be like without MJ. I don't feel it's inevitable people will automatically pile on weight instantly, and I would definitely hope that lots of us will be well placed to keep up good habits. That would be my ideal scenario for myself.

My issue would be with the rather sweeping pronouncements about it being the same process whatever BMI you are, about how it's all will power or how everyone says it's all hormones etc. That's the kind of thing that people were criticising, I don't think anyone was objecting to the idea that some people would find it easier to maintain now they'd learnt good ways of eating. There's always the odd voice of doom that says people who use MJ will just fail instantly, but that's coming from a different position. But past history really does have an impact. For example, it may take 3500 extra calories to put on an extra pound that you have never weighed before, but there's plenty of evidence to show people can regain weight much more easily than that. It's not as hard to regain a pound as it is to create a new one.

Given that people have had very different experiences of food and eating, their experiences and reactions to the impact of MJ and of ceasing MJ are likely to be different too. So it would be nice to share experiences without pronouncing about other people or what supposed universal factors about weight are when in practice they've been shown to vary greatly amongst people.

There's a saying that the people who have the most willpower are the ones that experience the least temptation. I think people who have just found themselves putting on a bit of weight in the last few years because they didn't think about healthy eating are going to be in a very different position from others who have an extensive history of obesity or dieting/regaining. The 'willpower' required in both instances is of a completely different order.

In general, people have (or rather an individual person will have) roughly the same number of fat cells in their body throughout their life. Before we gain excess fat, or when we lose weight (fat) the cells don't disappear, they are just empty. It is part of our hunter gatherer ancestry, where if we had a successful hunting season or found a honeycomb we could easily lay down fat stores carrying us through less fortunate months.

One of the reasons that people often put weight (fat) back on after a diet ends is that the empty cells are there and primed ready to go... I imagine it like a balloon. It takes a lot of breath and energy to blow up a new balloon. But if you let the air out, it is much easier to blow it up the second time - and so on as the membrane becomes more elastic. For all of us who are/have been on this MJ journey, that is always going to be a risk.

However, in obesity, our bodies can create new fat cells, beyond those that we were born with (I think it is the creation of new fat cells that is related to the 3500 calorie figure, rather than re-filling existing cells). So some people who have been at the more extreme ends of obesity will, on average, have more fat cells. All of which have the potential to be refilled.

And there is some evidence that people who are obese, particularly those who were overweight as children, may start their lives with a generally higher number of fat cells.

We're not starting this journey or maintenance on an even playing field. Add into that all the hormonal, emotional and psychosocial factors and it's complex. Each of us will have to navigate our way through maintaining our new weight, and the challenges will vary according to each circumstance.

@NearingendofMJ I think this thread, and others looking at different approaches, are essential in helping us find our own path, whatever that might be.

That sounds very boring and possibly hard to maintain forever

Hence why we are all on mj

Agree @Twiglets1 and @TheBoldHelper hence in 6/12mths time be very interested to know how op is doing

Aye, it's not untrue though. Everything I've read confirms that the path to tackling obesity and fixing broken hunger and satiety mechanisms lies in restricting intake of refined carbs, sugar, artificial sweeteners and ultra processed foods, and eating as many whole natural foods as possible, as well as intermittent fasting if you have insulin resistance.

The problem is, it's easier in theory than in practice. We live in an obesogenic environment. We're busy, working long hours, don't have the time to cook, etc. And the processed foods are hyper palatable as well as cheap, easily accessible and convenient.

Thinking a whole food based diet was boring was a big contributor to ending up needing MJ for me, along with stress/burnout and having zero motivation or energy to cook from scratch. And if you think healthy food is boring, you are less likely to be motivated to cook it when you're already exhausted. Vicious cycle.

A rather snippy answer. The truth is, you do still have product in your system and you are fresh off, so hugely motivated, as many will be when they get to the same position, the difficulty is not today tomottow or next month, it is in 6 months or a year, when the novelty has worn off, can you maintain this same motivation indefinitely, when you’re not posting on mumsnet about it,or telling everyone how to do it. That’s the complexity op, when we all look the other way, when life gets in the way again, can you live the rest of your life like this.

Thanks for this, I’m less than a stone to target so I’m really interested!

Do you know what I’m just really tired of this - everyone telling me I’m going to put it straight back on/MJ is still in my system/I’m telling everyone how to do it.

Im not telling anyone anything. I was simply sharing my opinion, but I’m fully aware now not to do that.

I started the thread because I would have wanted to know the real life results of someone who had stopped taking it.

I have no intention to lie or no incentive for anyone else to come of Mounjaro or lose/gain/stay the same.

I accept everything everyone has said that obesity is different in some than others but this is a pile on now and I’m really tired of it.

I can clearly see there is fear of stopping MJ and the want for me to fail. Maybe I will. Who knows, but I was just trying to help by giving my real life results - none of this about me showing off or being better than anyone else. It was about me and my journey, and who knows where that’ll take me.

If you don’t agree with stopping or want to know what happens/still think I’m full of MJ then please feel free to scroll on

You will not put it straight back on. You know the challenge and will be prepared. Maybe batch cook a couple of high protein and high fibre meals.