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.

How much monthly does 2.5 cost?

@beguilingeyes at Oushk, 2.5mg on maintenance is £114.75 with free delivery. That includes the 15% off maintenance code but for a first order, use WELCOME to get £30 off bringing it down to £105 (normal price £135).

That's more than I was hoping. Might have to be done though. Thanks.

Welcome @SpiderMother and @NeverJustInTime . Great to see more people looking to maintain and stay accountable.

It's weigh in Monday for me and I'm 1lb down this week. So that's about two months now at the same weight. Still on the tiny half dose of MJ, which I have supplies to do for another 8 weeks. Managing not to calorie count via an app, but doing a bit of a mental calculation each day. So far so good.

@Nothanksiwillwalk that sounds like a sensible plan. No point in jeopardizing all your hard work and struggling.

@MargoLivebetter Well done, what's your plan for the end of the 8 weeks?

I'm still losing a bit, now down to 9st11 and didn't want to get below 10st. So reducing dose yet again, now 4mg from highest of 10mg. I was finding I was gaining a pound or two at weekends after losing during the week but this hasn't happened last couple of weeks and now facing starting the week without that cushion. It's very odd how effective this very low dose still is but maybe fits with being a 'super responder'. I think I'll be back at 2.5 before too long.

@KrankyKumquat I'm hoping that by the end of the 8 weeks, I will have hard wired 8 months of sensible, mindful, non-emotional eating and created strong new habits that I can maintain. Hunger was never my issue, it was emotional eating and also a bit of portion control. I am fully aware now of when emotions are driving my little feet to the kitchen cupboards and 9/10 I have found alternative ways to cope with the emotions. Portion control has dramatically improved too and I feel fully able to leave food on my plate, which was something I could never do previously.

It sounds like you are having success titrating down, which is really good news. Other than the obvious (consuming too many calories), what was it made you put on the weight originally?

@MargoLivebetter
I've been overweight since childhood, over 50 years, first diet at age 8 (banana and milk!). As I got older, competitive sports kept my weight okish but hit menopause and old strategies like fasting, just didn't work and weight and alcohol use crept up, especially during COVID and various terrible life events. Never been a big eater, never binged or ate more than 2 meals a day - but ate too much per portion and enjoyed beige food too much! And the more I exercised, the hungrier I got. Have completely over-hauled diet in last year - no sugar, no UPFs, low carb, low alcohol but resigned to staying on a low dose as know I'll eat very little to gain weight in my battered old body. Plus I'm chasing all the other potential health benefits especially dementia risk. I just need to find the right dose...

Sounds like you've a good plan in place.

That's so impressive @KrankyKumquat . It is a challenge to detangle it all, but for me the detangling is essential, otherwise I feel like I'm trying to walk on a narrow path in fog or the dark. Like you, I've been dieting for decades. Fingers crossed all the work will reap the rewards.

I’m in my 20s and always was slim before 2023, so I feel one goal is to get to my old weight. That would will take my BMI to 20. My BMI is currently 22.

However I’m also wanting to be more fit and active and build abs and glutes/gain muscle mass, so I’m not fixed about my end weight or BMI.

What I have noticed post-MJ weight loss, is that my body fat percentage is much higher now than it was when I was previously this weight. My gym measured me at 28.5% body fat with callipers last week. With my BMI, it just goes to show that I likely lost some muscle mass on MJ as opposed to pure fat.

I’m still taking MJ for a few more months as I’m titrating down the doses - going cold turkey didn’t work well for me. I have started weight lifting, various gym classes including reformer Pilates and more intense cardio. I’m hoping that by the time I finish MJ, I’ll have decreased my body fat down enough where it makes sense to fully focus on building muscle mass.

I really do think the decades of dieting do a proper job on our metabolisms which is why older women seem to do really well on WLIs. We tell ourselves we eat too much which is why we're fat but if you look closely at your diet, as I did, we often really don't compared to non-fat friends and family. It's also why I take all this tdee stuff with a pinch of salt - we've very different calorie needs to the average.

Hopefully, metabolisms can be re-set after a long enough period of good control. I hear a lot less about 'stomach shrinking' which was the big idea a few years ago - hopefully this also will play a part in maintaining.

I’m looking for advice and opinions please as I can’t work out what to do.

I’m at my goal weight (BMI 24) after six months of weekly injections on MJ, through Voy. I stayed at 2.5 as I lost weight consistently and couldn’t have continued with any worse side effects than that gave me.

And now I don’t know what to do. I haven’t told Voy as they don’t support maintenance. Oushk have accepted me (I’ve told them my current weight) but have just sent me a 2.5 pen and haven’t given any advice about how often to inject or whether to reduce dose etc.

I won’t be able to maintain on my own. MJ has been amazing for me and I’m so much happier now. But I won’t be able to stay this way without it.

@WhoWhereWhatWhy
Have you had your video maintenance consultation with Oushk or just ordered as a new customer? That's the opportunity to discuss the 'how', although they won't recommend sub-dosing less than 2.5, they might talk you through spreading out doses. They also recommend increasing calories by 100 per day to prevent further weight loss until you find your balance between dose and diet.

@eeeeeeeee I have consciously forced down protein and done lots of body resistance, Pilates type stuff to try not to lose any. At my age, it is an ongoing concern! Sounds like you have a good plan in place to build muscle.

@WhoWhereWhatWhy I never managed more than the 2.5 dose either. I am now taking 1.25 because I have enough supply left to do that. In the end I will have done 5 months on 2.5 and about 16 weeks on 1.25. Taking me to just shy of 9 months in all. Truthfully, I don't know how much effect the half dose has, but I have maintained for two months now, so something is working. What makes you think you can't manage without MJ at all?

Hello everyone i found this thread today and hopping on here in hopes of navigating the maintenance period.
Lost 42lb over almost a year on MJ via Zava im just 5lb away from goal, only to learn they don’t offer a flexible maintenance plan.
Moved over to cloud today who accepted me faff free and are much cheaper too!
Im hoping to reduce my dose slowly to the lowest level possible for me to maintain once at my goal.
Im keen to keep the anti inflammatory, cardiovascular and low food noise benefits longer term. How I manage that im not sure but hope cloud will allow me to order less frequently than monthly and i can spread doses out myself.
has anyone got experience of doing similar? Thanks

welcome @DamnedIfIDoDamnedIfIDont . Congratulations on your weight loss and health improvements. Quite a few posters on here either titrating down or maintaining on lower doses. I haven't heard of Cloud before, so I'm off to look them up. Everyone on this thread is slightly doing their own thing, as it is all uncharted territory. You've got a plan, so now you'll have to see what works. I inject a half dose weekly. Some are cold turkey, some are still titrating down, some are trying different options.

What dose of MJ did you get up to, what are you on now, what were the drivers for you getting fat?

@MargoLivebetter thank you! I wish I started resistance training sooner. Luckily I have already seen changes in the right direction since working out more.

Sometimes I struggle with lifting like 25kg for example, which coincidentally is virtually how much weight I have lost. Crazy to think a year ago I was lugging around all that extra weight🤯

Thanks for the replies. Maybe I’ve signed up as a new subscription customer with Oushk rather than for a maintenance programme. I’ve just got in touch with them again and booked in a maintenance consultation.

The reason I don’t think I can continue to maintain this weight without MJ is that I haven’t established enough or sufficiently entrenched good habits. It’s the suppression that is working. I’m in a bit of a catch 22 in that I don’t have huge amounts of extra energy to exercise or regain muscle (which I’ve denotes lost) or appetite to eat enough protein for this and to stop hair loss whilst on MJ too. I know that I need to inject a smaller dose or less frequently. I’m hoping that Oushk will put together a plan for me and I will have to work on the rest.

What are you eating @WhoWhereWhatWhy ? What does a typical day look like for you?

Thank you, and yes uncharted waters indeed. Having support and ideas will help every one of us.
i have mega strong food noise and found i had to titrate up to next strength quite quickly to stop that and keep me on track. Im currently on 15mg but i take half a dose twice a week otherwise I get a dreadful acid tummy.
i had a very physical job and weight wasn’t much of an issue until an accident left me struggling to even walk. Not being mobile but eating normally meant the weight crept up and up. I had a knee replacement, worked hard on my mobility, eating healthy etc but the weight didn’t seem to budge so a year ago i started on MJ, lost 3 stone and feel amazing. I’ve trained myself to eat less times per day so stick to 2 meals which is one main and one decent snack meal before 4pm
hoping these changes are now ingrained.

id like to keep the benefits of MJ but on a much lower dose like others here seem to be on. Agree its going to be trial and error as we are all different i guess.
loving this MN group 🥰

That's fantastic all around @DamnedIfIDoDamnedIfIDont . So glad to hear you have your mobility back. No wonder you feel amazing! 🎉

@MargoLivebetter I definitely don't eat anything like enough protein. And I have a weakness for sweet carbs.

So yesterday I ate:

Breakfast - Almond croissant
Lunch - Coronation chicken sandwich (home made)
Dinner - Pizzas (home made)
G&T (this is unusual, I barely drink really)

I know what I should be eating (i don't like eggs, mushrooms, cauliflower or broccoli but eat pretty much everything else) but I can't seem to make it part of my thinking. I know that I haven't incorporated anything like good habits in my eating or exercise. And I know that I need to!

@WhoWhereWhatWhy sometimes when we have to write it down, it brings it home harder! The stand out there for me is that you are eating so little protein. If that is similar to what you eat every day, you are going to be significantly protein deficient. Anyhow, you know this stuff, so I won't bang on. Sounds like you have an opportunity for a plan to increase your protein!

I've been working hard to increase protein as I barely eat any different types of meat as I don't like most of it. I really recommend lidl protein puddings. I never wanted to eat anything like that, but omg, they've saved my life. My PT at the gym recommended them to me as I was only managing about 40g per day. I now eat 2 a day, one after lunch and one after dinner. They are a sweet treat (I cut out other sweet stuff to keep them in my cals!). They really give me that protein boost as well as meeting my need for something sweet (which did go for a while at the start of this 2 year journey, but did return after about 6 months).
My go to protein sources are chicken, and bread mostly. Oh and eggs! Milk too. Other than that I struggle. I eat a chicken sandwich (I've never eaten butter, so it's just plain bread) for lunch with fruit and a protein pudding. Sometimes (especially in summer) it will be a chicken salad. Also chicken soup 🙈. Lots of chicken!
Dinner rotates between about 10 meals including chicken stew, spag bol (with quorn), lentil dahl, veggie sausage and mash, pasta bake (lots of yummy cheese for the protein!), chicken, bacon and mango salad with a side of potato wedges, 2 eggs (air fryer) chips and mushy peas (so low cal and a real treat!), bacon mushroom and cheese on (air fryer) chips, pasta and sauce with roast med veg and cheese, baked potatoes with cheese and a side of chicken salad.
I love carbs as you can see above! Sweet carbs is a definite love 🤣. My fibre is crap though. That's my current work!

Greek yoghurt - real stuff not "Greek style" and go for full fat, it's delicious and you can add other delicious stuff like berries, spices, maple syrup or peanut butter to make it more of a dessert.

Longley farms full fat cottage cheese - forget that every other brand exists, this is the only one worth eating. You can use it as a base for pizza crusts and pancakes too, loads of protein recipes online, as a way to still eat 'carby' textured foods but with lots more protein.

@WhoWhereWhatWhy don’t be hard on yourself for not instilling “better habits” up to this point. I think it’s very normal to feel a flood of release upon starting WLI - in that finally, we feel able to take off the vice-like grip over our eating that so many of us have felt for years. Decades of dieting, restricting, losing, gaining, and all the guilt and shame that comes with that.

I don’t think any of this is about you not knowing how to eat more protein. We all know what we should do. The question is how can you move towards wanting to eat those things that you know you should. I have been a bit similar in that for the first time ever in my life, I can eat an almond croissant without wanting to eat four - so I have been allowing myself to. I’ve been leaning into the lack of restriction.

However, like you I’m also nearing maintenance. Weight loss is very slow, and I want to start focusing more on protein and strength training. I’m trying to frame this as more the next stage of this journey of healing my relationship with food, rather than chastising myself for not being better until now.