You've reached your goal weight - come chat about maintenance, not regaining, going cold turkey or titrating down

[MargoLivebetter]

Would people who've hit their target weight be interested in a general thread on how they are getting on? You might be titrating your WLI down, you might be going cold turkey, you might be on a maintenance programme or you might have gone back on.

I used MJ for 5 months and I've hit my goal and I'm muddling through with my own version of "maintenance". I'm doing a 1.25 dose weekly to use up what I've got left and cut down gradually, so I don't lose all the benefits of MJ immediately. I was a complete lightweight and did the whole 5 months on just 2.5, as I had savage suppression and loss of appetite. So, I'm just halving my dosage.

I'd be interested to hear how others are getting on, given it all feels a bit new and the long-term aspects of weight maintenance are not yet much talked about.

Thanks for setting this up.

I’m at goal this week!

I am planning to taper down from my high of 6.25mg staring with 5mg next dose until I find my equilibrium. I plan to stay on Mounjaro for several months to cement the loss.

I would like to try being off it for a while too (in a while) to see if that’s possible.

It’s all a bit unknown isn’t it? The Wild West. Everyone trying to work out what is best for them.

There is good evidence that some people are able to maintain off GLP-1 medication and some definitely are not.

There is no good research to confirm the best way to do it. Although growing anecdotal evidence that a taper to a lower dose for 6+ months can increase chances of maintaining GLP-1 free.

I think it’s no surprise that the pharmacy studies clearly show that a maintenance dose is very effective - they of course want that to be the case.

I’m still early days with a lot to lose (another 4 stone to go) but am thinking about how I can make any losses sustainable so will be watching this thread, thank you for setting it up.

I’m 11 weeks in and found I had to move up to 7.5 (my next pen is 7.5mg too). Hoping I won’t need to scale all the way up to 15mg, we shall see how things go! My side effects have been minimal though.

I switched from MedExpress to cloud pharmacy for maintenance.

So far so good! Lots of flexibility and no insistence on having me send my medical records to them!

Bumping this to see if there are any more takers.

I reached my target weight just before Christmas after losing 3 stone over 6 months on mounjaro. I started reducing from 7.5 to 5 about 4 weeks ago and it's been 2 weeks now since my last jab. The only reason I have stopped taking it is because of the hair loss which was getting a bit much! I've been ok this week and stuck to my TDEE but am anxious about how I'm going to feel going forward. I have a spare pen in the fridge in case the food noise comes back with a vengeance but I'm really hoping the good food habits I have adopted and the exercise I'm doing now will mean I can maintain my weight. Will be really good to see how others are doing either reducing the dose or going cold turkey!

I am about 4 to 7 lb away from what I consider my dream target weight and currently have a healthy BMI of 22.6.

I have booked a maintenance call for middle of next month with Oushk re my maintenance plan. I am thinking of maybe a month on month off plan, which would help reduce costs. Though know after being overweight for so many years I will have to be on it in some form for life.

As well as keep the weight off I want to increase my muscle mass, am in my late 50s, so losing muscle anyway and know muscle is one of first things to go with weight loss.
Have made a concerted effort to increase my protein intake to 130g a day and fibre to 20-30g of fibre. Weight training twice per week and walking most days. I want to be slim and healthy long term.

As we are all finding the work doesn’t stop after the weight loss.

I'll join! I just came to create my own thread, as I've no support buddies anymore. I'm half a stone from target, having lost over 6.5st over the last 20 months on Saxenda.
I've actually just decided to increase my calories this week, and take the final half stone slow, in the hope that getting in to maintenance mode will be easier. I'm only aiming for 1/2lb a week loss. I've been losing about 1lb a week mostly. So I've gone from 1300 cals to 1500.
As I'm on saxenda, there are no maintenance plans. My bmi is 26.5, so I can't get it anymore. I have just under 2 pens left. For the final pen I am going to reduce my dose further (I'm only on 1.2mg - the 2nd dose) anyway. So I've got about 6 weeks left on medication. This means my final few lb will have to be just me on my own. I'm not going to lie. I am worried. BUT I think I've got the tools I need to do this. I am not even convinced the meds do an awful lot anymore. I get food noise, cravings, hunger, and do have to exercise willpower. The only thing I think it does now is keep my blood sugar stable - I don't get the crashes I used to get. I'm also not hungry in the mornings except for maybe 2-3 mins of hunger pangs which if I ignore, are gone as quick as they came. Then I'm fine for hours and hours!
So, it will be interesting to see. My focus is now on toning and increasing muscle mass. I know I'm doing it - but it's much harder in a calorie deficit. I'll be happier when I get this maintenance on the road and know I can sustain these massive changes. I've gone from a totally sedentary lifestyle to a very active, walking, weight lifting, healthy eating enthusiast! I've changed my lifestyle completely. So 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞.
I definitely need a support system in this final hurdle! So hopefully we can all help one another.

I'll join in too! I'm the same as you, I've reached my goal weight, didn't move off of 2.5 and like you I'm halving the dosage on the pen I have left. I'm now eating at maintenance calories. So far I am getting on fine as I feel so much better now more comfortable and exercise has improved massively. My pharmacy does offer maintenance for 2 years and whilst I'd like to stay on it money is a factor!

@Sillystring100 isn’t the hair loss caused by the weight loss rather than the drug? So once you’re maintaining it should resolve anyway.

Thank you all for sharing your experience (or worries). I've just completed my first week on my own version of "maintenance" and the scales have remained the same. The half dose definitely has some effect for me, just dials back the food noise to a very manageable level. I have a good 10 weeks of half dose to take and that will mean I will have been on MJ for nearly 8 months, which I'm hoping will be long enough to have got me into good eating habits and out of old ways of thinking and dealing with things (my emotions mainly).

@CoolRubyDreamer how long ago did you hit your goal weight and how long did you take MJ for?

Congratulations @ThisMustBeMyDream on your loss and lifestyle transformation. How are you feeling about yourself these days?

How's everyone else doing too?

I'm a bit grumpy this morning as Monday is my official weigh in day, although I'm a daily weigher. The scales look like I've gained 2lb this week, hitting a new high this morning. It has weakened my resolve slightly, but I'm going to persevere with another week at higher calories for 1/2lb loss per week. I know full well the fluctuations, but it is disheartening at times. I'm going to the gym now so I'll weigh on their scales to see muscle mass etc as really that's what I need to be doing. Deep breaths, and on with my day!!
I do hope that 1540 cals aren't my maintenance cals but I do suspect they could be... we shall see.

@ThisMustBeMyDream stern talk incoming. 1-2lb could be water weight, a big poo, it definitely isn't 1-2lb of body fat gained in a week, that is impossible. If your weight is creeping up more generally, then it might be worth understanding if it is muscle, if you are doing lots of exercise. Have you got those fancy scales that tell you your body composition? I don't, but I'm thinking they might be a good idea.

Also, how do your clothes feel. I can tell very quickly if I'm gaining actual flubber as my clothes start to feel tighter?

@shrinkingthiswinter, rapid weight loss can contribute to hair loss. However I have not lost the weight quickly and my diet has been better than ever. I have prioritized protein and have taken a good multivitamin and collagen. I previously have lost a similar amount of weight but didn't have this issue. As I am now at my target weight I felt it's worth going it alone and see if my hair improves. It's all guess work though!

I know, I know! I think my problem is that I'm not sure yet. I obviously gained over Christmas, I went up to 10st 10 (from 10st 4), and then once I went back to my normal meals it dropped to 10st 6.5 within the week. The next week it was down to 10st 5. This seemed right in comparison to what I'd eaten and excercised. Last week once I'd got to 10st 5 I thought now was the time to try and slow the loss to half a lb a week. I probably should have waited a bit longer for my post Christmas weight to stabilise. So this week I've varied from 10st 5 to 10st 6. Then this morning 10st 7. I know it doesn't mean anything as such. I know to give it time! But I'm anxious to see if these calories will still allow me to lose weight, or if it is my maintenance (which is slightly depressing!). I've come this far, so there's no going back!
I'm literally outside the gym now where the scales that do all the fancy calculations are... I'll update 😂.

@Sillystring100 I don't really know what to suggest in this situation, but I've had dreadful hairloss in the past. Mine has always been related to low iron levels, but I know everyone is different. It is all a bit of a guessing game trying to figure out what the issue is. Have you ever had hairloss in the past?

Raises hand I'm on Wegovy 1.7 and am pretty much at goal. I have two weeks of 1.7 left and then planning to taper off. I'm pretty nervous.

@beguilingeyes it is a bit nerve-wracking but hopefully we can all help.

Gah. Muscle mass down by 100g, body fat up 400g. So all the gain is fat. Not muscle. Wonderful!

morning all
@ThisMustBeMyDream totally hear you on the disheartening of an up weigh. Two pounds is nothing in the grand scheme of things and completely unlikely to be 2lbs of fat in a week. You don’t need me to list all the things it could be because you know! But I’m metaphorically flipping the Vs at the scales on your behalf!

I tracked every morsel of food I ate for six months but stopped in Dec as it was time. I still have some days eating exactly as was so 1200 and some when having significantly more. I haven’t worked out maintenance cals I probably should.

Oh my goodness I started my message and then had to jump on a work call (I know -rude!) so can see chat moved on in the mean time
please take the fancy gym scales with a pinch of salt! They’ll hopefully be helpful for an approximate long term trend but they cannot track your body comp accurately.

@ThisMustBeMyDream ok, so only 400g of fat. That isn't much at all. I imagine a week of careful food intake and you will easily shift that. I think this is how its going to be, or at least I imagine that this is how it will be for me.

Thanks for cheering me up! I'm okay really, I anticipated this would be the hardest bit. I'll give another week at these cals, and if no change, back down to 1300 ☹️. I can do it, I can do it, I CAN do it! Back on the treadmill I go for my uphill walk.... never have I ever been so determined in my life for anything!

I stopped to save money. Am at a healthy weight now but not quite goal. Muddling through trying to eat healthy at the moment

It took me 6 months to reach my goal which was just before Christmas and I've been maintaining now eating at my maintenance calories fluctuating between 9.8 to 9.11. I definitely feeling optimistic that I've put in the work with changing my habits, I am getting food noise come back now but find it a lot easier to ignore long may that continue 😅

Thank you @CoolRubyDreamer good to hear that you are staying stable - despite having to deal with Christmas too!