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.

I agree @SpiderMother The weight loss is seductive and my brain does initially automatically just think "yay another 1lb off" but I realise I'm now maintaining and have to shift that mindset.

Me also, I've never been at a point of maintenance either - it's a learning curve!

@SnacklessWonder hi, please can I ask how tall you are and how you settled on a goal weight? I have set on 9st at the moment as it’s a nice round number that seems achievable but would love to be in the 8s if at all possible.

@IReallyNeedThisToWork my maintaining target is 8.10 which is around 22.5 bmi for me - I’m 5ft 2. I’m actually a little under now at around 8.7 - 8.8. Middle bmi felt like a logical target. I am generally petite/small framed.

@SpiderMother thanks for that. I’m also 5ft 2 and would appear to be fairly small framed (who knew that was hidden under the weight all these years?!?!). It’s bizarre that my head still thinks 8.10 is waaaay too tiny and completely unachievable yet 9st feels realistic 🤷‍♀️

I do have a little fantasy of being 8st 6 as that would mean I had lost half my body weight on MJ!

I'm currently 9st 12.5 at 5ft 2.5 and am aiming for 9st 11 for a bmi of 25. I actually like my body at this size. I'm now a size 8 in clothing, and have an hourglass figure and decent enough curves. I will allow myself to drop a few more lb I think, just to allow for any fluctuations so I never have to see a 10 on the scales again! So I'll probably settle around 9st 7/8ish. I'm more than happy with that having lost over 45% of my body weight. My aim initially was to get to 11st, so ive more than smashed that! Once I got there, I knew I could make it to a healthy bmi, so that's why I settled on my current target. I also didn't want to lose my curves. My current measurements are 34.5 in over bust, 28 in under bust, 25.5 in waist, 34 in hips. I don't want to drop below a size 8 as it will make buying clothes in shops harder (ironically, that's what pushed me towards the weight loss in the first place when I started going in to size 20s which were harder to find in shops!).
Tbh, if I had some skin removal surgery (which I isn't that bad, but would improve things somewhat) I'd probably drop a good few more lb. When I lift my tummy skin, my tummy is totally flat. Shame I can't afford it, nor sure if I'd even want it 🙈. It would also probably put me in a size 6, which I don't particualry want to be for the reasons above! I am also aware that my weight and measurements and dress size are possibly unusual. I think most who measure what I do and wear that size weigh a good stone less. Be interested to hear of anyone else like me.

hello all. I’m at goal weight now and 25 BMI after 7 months in wegovy. I’ve been tapering for the last 4 of them and have only lost 6 pounds since Christmas, so I hope it will be ok for me - last injection is on Monday. I haven’t done any exercise at all in this time as I’ve been horrifically busy at work on a mega project but that finishes on Wednesday, so my no1 goal is so start exercising again to help me maintain

I’ve enjoyed reading about your journeys. I have a maintenance call with Oushk next week. I am a pound away from the top of my bmi but want to stop for a few months due to lots of travel I have planned. Maybe have access to a low dose pen if I need it, before deciding on a proper maintenance plan in September. I’m wondering about the £15 a month plan, but also wondering if better to buy a 5mg pen instead and just keep in the fridge? I haven’t seem many posts about people paying the £15 to stay on the books.
Any advice welcome :-)

Welcome @bge and @Sadteacher

I accidentally went cold turkey this week. I got to Wednesday and realised that I had completely forgotten to do my 1.25 dose. So, I didn't do it to see what happened this week. I have maintained my weight. I'm exactly the same this morning as last Monday. However, I did notice that I think about food more again. It is really weird because I'm not hungry but I just find my mind wandering to food. I do not for the life of me understand how MJ prevents that from happening but there we are. I also noticed that the weariness has lifted too. I definitely have more spring in my step. I noticed this when I reduced from 2.5 to 1.25 but there was still a bit of a weariness and now that has passed completely. I am sleeping better too.

I am going to carry on cold turkey for now.

Keep up the cold turkey, I’ve been off it since Feb 1st and although the food noise and hunger was there at first it’s definitely stabilised and I’m not thinking much about either of them now. This thread is great as a positive message for us all, it’s possible to carry on losing or maintaining once we’re done with the jabs.

@ThisMustBeMyDream can’t believe how similar we are when I read this 😄. I’m the same height and had the same 11st target as you. Currently I’m 9st 9lb and lost weight because I had also reached a size 20 which at our height just can’t be healthy!

I’m bigger than you size-wise though. I’m approx a size 10 and my curves haven’t come back as well as I hoped. I had 2 babies close together and it ruined my figure. Like you, being able to remove the excess skin/fat on my stomach would take off several pounds and I would be much happier (but not able/willing to go through skin removal surgery).

I had reduced my dose down with a view to going cold turkey but as I get married in a few weeks and my weight was going up I had to increase my dose back to 7.5mg. I’m worried about coming off it and not being able to maintain my new weight. I’ve been either overweight or obese since my early twenties. I’m now 40.

@PissedOffNeighbour22 OMG! You are literally my twin. I'm 40, and getting married this summer too!
Do you know what, go and try the 8s! You might be surprised! I can wear a 10 fine, but the 8s fit also! Give it a go!
I've been overweight since my first child, who was born when I was 17. I never managed to lose the weight after him. I have a copy of my entire maternity record from him, and my booking weight was 60kg, which was around 9st 6ish. Imagine being the weight I was when I was 17! It amazes me every day! I got down to 11st when I was 30, and maintained for 3 years even with having a child in that time. But I didn't make the lifestyle changes that I did now, which I'm hoping will help me maintain longer term. Like you, I'm scared of stopping the medication. I should have stopped a couple of weeks ago. But I chickened out and ordered more. So I've enough for 2 more months currently. I can eek it out to a lower dose and it would last me 4 months. I get married in 4 months so I don't know what I'm better doing right now! Arghhhhh! Do you have a plan for maintaining?

@ThisMustBeMyDream I was in the mounjaro thread since starting and they all had a twin on there so can’t believe I’ve finally found mine on here a year later 😂

I think I have a few size 8 clothes but assumed they were large fitting. I’m still a 10/12 (petite fit usually) on the bottom half due to my stomach so I don’t think I could pull off an 8 yet.

I got down to 10st at 30 but my first marriage broke down shortly after and I gained almost 3st in around 6mths 🤯.

We were going to book august bank holiday for the wedding but I wasn’t sure I could maintain that long so when they offered us Easter instead we decided to just go for it and have a very short notice wedding. We only booked it at the end of January.

I don’t have a plan yet for maintaining. I’m loathe to pay a company to stay on their books (ie Oushk) but that might be my only option to be re-prescribed as I don’t have any medical conditions so would have to be bmi 30 to get hold of it again if I go cold turkey. I was previously eeking out the doses and will do that again until I properly decide what to do. Are you thinking of sticking with the current dose until the wedding?

Weighed in at my lowest weight again today for the second day on the trot. 3lbs lighter than when I stopped MJ three months ago. I am only trying to maintain, rather than lose so obviously happy with that.

It's a blessed relief after all the naysayers on here who want to say that it would be impossible...the terrible hunger will come back, you'll be ravenous, you'll pile it back on, it's the hormones and you won't be able to control of it. None of it is true, not for me anyway. Of course you are hungry again but not really any hungrIER than you were. Yes, you'll put weight back on if you go back to old habits, that's not rocket science.

It's not easy as you still have to be mindful of what you eat, but I don't calorie count. I listen to my body and I keep aware so I am not overeating.

Fantastic @SnacklessWonder . Well done. It is great to prove that it is possible, isn't it. Feels like another huge achievement.

It really is @MargoLivebetter there are people on here (and the media) who want to make out that you'll never manage on your own, and I think that negativity can really get into your head.

I know I got really worried and stressed about coming off because of this but also knew I didn't want to stay on long term (mainly cost and the fact I am already on lots of meds) but it's been fine.

I weigh daily, I watch what I eat. My tastes and habits have changed. I don't eat anywhere near the amount of crap I did before, I can't, I feel too full and bloated! I crave more veggies and salads. I still eat out, have takeaways etc but it's balanced.

https://www.thefamilychemist.co.uk/maintenance-therapy-on-weight-loss-medications-wegovy-and-mounjaro/

In case it helps here is another option for maintenance. It's not a personal recommendation but who I plan to switch as I don't want to pay for maintenance.

Has anyone experienced dizziness or possible low blood pressure on MJ? I get it when I stand up. I’m wondering if it’s a sign to stop maintenance

@eeeeeeeee yes. I have low BP and it was definitely worse on MJ. Make sure you are well hydrated, as that makes a huge difference. I also always have a toffee in my pocket, as a bit of sugar seems to help too. Weightloss generally also lowers BP, so if you run a bit low and you lose weight, you will only have lower BP, if that makes sense.

Yeah, I have low blood pressure too. If I stand up too quickly the room sways a little before my head sorts itself out. I’m very mindful to get out of bed slowly, and am careful when I stand up - just taking a few extra moments seems to help me. And, yes, definitely agree that hydration helps.

Hi! Do you accept one more? 👀

I’ve been on MJ for 10 months now and have lost 6 stone 3 lbs (or 40 kg)! I’ve gone from BMI 37 to BMI 23 and from a size 18 to a size 10! I am on 7.5mg. I am currently 67.7 kg and my goal is 65kg. I am nearing the beginning of maintenance.
My plan is to titrate down the doses and come off MJ by July/August.

Welcome @3wDavid congratulations on your loss and BMI. That is fantastic. Keep us posted as to how your get on with the maintenance.

@eeeeeeeee
When you say 'a sign to stop maintenance'.....I really suffered with dizziness during the weight loss stage; in fact it was my only adverse SE. I checked my BP periodically and it had plummeted over 40points. Since I've reached goal weight, the dizziness has gone completely. My BP is still under 100 and I'm not eating much more (and fasting regularly). So, I'm inclined to think it's caused directly by the drug itself - reducing my dose from 10mg to 4mg has sorted it, without my BP bouncing back up which is important to me at my age.

@3wDavid
Hi there, long time no speak. Well done on getting to the other side!

Well, it's a pleasure to meet you! My thread long died a death pretty much, as I'm on Saxenda and it stopped being available in 99% of places around
6 months after I started, and 3 months of that I was doing really long drives to pick it up from various boots pharmacies around the country! You could only get 1 pen too, so I was doing it weekly at one point (it's a daily injection, and on the max dose it lasts 6 days). Anyway, I have just about managed to still get it from the last pharmacy on earth that stock it (manual). Everyone else got to target, gave up, or switched to wegovy, then mounjaro as most are on now. So I've been out on a limb really. Just pootling along. I know most of you on mounjaro have done it far quicker. But it worked for me on sax with absolutely no side effects, so I was loathe to switch. So I stuck it out.
It's nice to find some new buddies to prattle on to!
I guess you will both not believe, but also believe, as we are twins (!)... my marriage broke down at 30. Both on my wedding day and 30th birthday in fact (it is a long story, involves him being a cheating cunt, but there you go!). I went the other way and carried on losing weight as I was so miserable that I couldn't eat. I was in the early stages of pregnancy too, so that was really tough. I dropped to 11st after I had my baby, and stayed at that for the next 3 years... until I met my current partner and we both got happy and fat together!
You are brave booking such a quick wedding, although it certainly can be done! We booked ours in Sept for this July. We've spent this evening practicing our first dance. All I can say is, we need to get the professionals in on this one 🤣. Have you chosen a dress? It was so hard to decide for me! Even now, I'm not certain on if I've made the right choice!

Re: meds - I've got enough on my current dose to last 2 months. I can half it again to last me 4 months which I'm seriously contemplating. I can't get a maintenance plan as manual don't do them, and it's the only place I can get saxenda on. I don't think they will supply anymore either.

In other news, I rather prematurely ejaculated 🤣 in that I HIT TARGET TODAY!!!!! 100lb.... 7st 2....45kg. 42% of my body weight GONE! It came totally out of the blue. I'm a daily weigher, and I wasn't expecting this for maybe 2 more weeks. I was totally taken by surprise this morning and on my own dancing around at 6.55am like a naked looney 🤣. So yeah. It's maintenance baby! I started another thread for advice about it, but my plan so far is to up my calories by 100 a day, then move it up by 100 every 2 weeks and see where my maintenance level is. I'm on 1500, and have calculated it is maybe 1850 on a Conservative measurement. But I'm going to enjoy finding out! I also need to decide what to do with the medication... I don't want to make too many changes at the same time! I also know I need to continue to calorie count. It will be important for me to continue that for a while longer yet. Eventually I hope not to need it, but I definitely do right now.