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.

@scoobs321 welcome and well done on all that you did lose and your increase in exercise and all of that really positive stuff. Don't forget how far you have come, when you are feeling a bit down.

It is a bit of a chore and a bore to have to keep on it, but I guess that is the challenge facing all of us now.

I'm mid 50s, so don't have any advantage of relative youth these days. I have to be very mindful about what I eat and I know that this is going to be something I do for a long time to come. If I over-consume in any way the lbs return. I find my weekly weigh in report on here is a good way to keep me on track and accountable. Let us know how you get on.

@MargoLivebetter Im the same with protein, if I don’t get enough I enter the danger zone for stuffing my face

@scoobs321 i didn’t calorie count on MJ either due to previous obsession/ all or nothing attitude. But if/when I start to gain I plan on dusting off my fitness pal and making sure I am eating to my new TDEE. I can already feel my portion sizes creeping back up and I am back to finishing my plate.

@MargoLivebetter thank you - I've been following the thread for a while now, so thought it was about time I added my two pennorth! Im mid 50s too, so I know weight loss wont be as easy as in youth. Im still very happy with what I've achieved, just dont want have let it all be for nothing. I definately dont want to be putting myself back in my old fat clothes again.

@ShaunaSadeki its the portion sizes and also the ability to actually eat it all instead of leaving some!

Just checking in to say I am still tapering down and the weird excessive hunger in the mornings has stopped totally. I'm having 7.5mg every approx. 10 days and have a 5mg pen ready in the fridge for when this one ends. I am already noticing much higher interest in food than on the higher doses (but only sometimes, not every day) but it's OK. I'm maintaining at bmi 23.5 and exercising 5 days a week.

@BemusedBrenda that all sounds really good news. I'm glad you have found something that seems to work for you.

I was posting on another thread that was a bit doom and gloom about everyone putting the weight back on when they finish WLI. It was following some research and an article in the Guardian. I think there is a huge opportunity for more support to be offered for the post WLI bit, or even the tapered down bit or the micro-dosing bit - or whatever that ends up looking like for people.

@MargoLivebetter I saw that thread and the article, very doom and gloom! That's what prompted me to post. I would really like to be able to stop the jab totally but I am open minded about it maybe being necessary to keep on at a low dose.

If all goes well I'll have been tapering down for 5 months before stopping. I weigh daily and plan to continue with that so I'll know pretty quickly if cold turkey isn't working out for me.

I wish there was a way for all of us to share our results with the manufacturers, many of us keep spreadsheets or use apps and we must have an absolute goldmine of data that could surely give a much better picture of outcomes than the small trials they run (even without being controlled properly like a trial) . A lot of posters from the early MJ threads on MN must be many months into maintenance by now. I'd love to know how they are all doing.

I’m in my second week of maintenance 😁 I set my goal weight at lower than I thought I might get, and was thrilled at how relatively easy it was to get there, when everything else was failing. I ended up going a bit lower, so that I had a buffer to play with as I got used to maintaining.

I was at 5mg for most of my time, and I decided to try titration, so I’m on 2.5mg. I have been more hungry, and I have changed my eating. Also in 50s, so I have also increased my protein, and reduced my carbs. The main thing is trying to avoid the sugar. I do notice how my tolerance of sugar has shifted, and so I find things just taste sweeter (too sweet often).

I had thought I would stay on 2.5 for three months, but so far my weight is staying very clearly at the same place (as long as I keep up my three gym visits a week). So I think I might try stopping at the end of this pen. Not spending the money would be great. That gives me more time to manage things before I go on holiday. I am worried about my holiday. It is a long once-in-a-lifetime trip, and so it will all be eating out and no gym. I’m worried about spending lots of money on clothes I might grow out of. But it has just occurred to me that the money I save on pens can absolutely guilt-free be spent on summer clothes 😁

Welcome @phyllidafosset . Sounds like it is going well so far. Congratulations on all that you lost too. Really good that you are less inclined to want sweet stuff - that is a big help.

Holidays and special occasions are very tricky. I know this only too well having not so long ago eaten a box of delicious and expensive chocolates that I didn't need or particularly want but felt I should because they were such a special gift!!!!!

I haven't been on a holiday since coming off, but I have had a few special occasion dinners, barbeques etc and in the main I've been able to carry on making healthy choices (other than the chocolates!). Instead of seeing it as missing out, I frame it in my head now that I am looking after myself as best I can by not eating stuff that I know is actually bad for me or unnecessary. Somehow that framing makes me feel ok and not like I'm being punished in some way, which is how I used to see it.

@phyllidafosset - is there a way to plan to stay active on your lovely holiday? I haven’t had big holidays on maintenance (sadly) but some very sedentary work trips, and I’ve taken to doing 20 minute HIIT workouts on YouTube in my hotel room. I feel like staying active and eating well are linked for me. And I’m finding activity so much easier and more rewarding now that I’m lighter.

Hello - I started MJ last July and lost 4.5 stone (30 kg). I started maintaining in Feb/March by titrating down. I then tried stopping. The food noise increased and I gained a couple of kg. So I’ve decided to use Oushk for maintenance and am taking 1.7mg approx (40 clicks) about 10 days. Would be great to stop eventually but this is what I’m doing for now. Am now back to my lowest point as this small dose seems to be enough to remove my evening snacking issues! Trying to build up exercise, keep up protein and low carb approach. It seems to be working. I’ve stopped calorie counting for now as I have a pretty good idea of what I can eat to maintain.
Good luck with your holiday @phyllidafosset- I agree with trying to still take exercise while away and not throwing caution to the winds!!

Hi @Bamboozled5 congratulations on your loss. That's fantastic. Great to hear that the small dose of MJ is helping you keep at a steady weight. I suspect that the longer we keep eating well and developing good habits the better it has to be for long term outcome.

Hi all, room for a little(r) one? I’m on the October starters list and am not far off my revised goal weight of 9st now (I’m 5’3” and pear shaped/small frame). I did get down to 8st 10/11 briefly in 2020 by breastfeeding but that’s not a sustainable weight loss or maintenance strategy

I have been a bit sporadic with the jabs due to surgery and an AI holiday over the past month, but only got as high as 5mg before that. I jabbed with 2.5 on Saturday and have low food noise and ok suppression, I will do 3.75 this weekend and next, then 3x5 probably (stretching to 35 days for the pen) and that’ll be it for me.
my maintenance strategy is the Why We Eat Too Much book by Dr Andrew Jenkinson, so massively reduced wheat, sugar, UPFs and veg oil. I’ve not restricted calories at all on my MJ journey and followed his principles and it’s been super easy. It won’t be as easy when the willpower needs to kick in though

Hi, I'd love to join you. I lost 4 stone on MJ but had been lucky enough to get a London marathon place in the ballot for this year. I couldn't manage the last few weeks of training on MJ as I just wasn't eating enough and the 10 mg made me really tired and queasy so I went cold turkey. I had a BMI of 26.5 when I stopped in Feb, a few lbs over the goal I had set for myself. I immediately gained 5lbs and was really worried but I settled there and I haven't gained any more since (apart from marathon week when i was carb loading). In fact, since I finished marathon training and cut my running down a bit I've been less hungry and my weight is going down again. I'm now 1.5lb over my lowest weight and 6lbs from my original goal. I'm so relieved but I'm aware I'm going to have to work at making this stick long term. One thing that's helping is my new jeans. I love my new size 12s (down from squeezing into an size 18) but they don't have a lot of give so I'm aware much faster if I'm over eating or if I've gained a couple of lbs. I can readjust and it's much easier to lose a couple of lbs than a couple of stone!
I feel so much healthier and happier so I have everything crossed I can maintain.

I'm wondering if there's a list of things to try?
a maintenance dose. Orlistat. Or other options?

@Bamboozled5 thats very interesting, is Oushk aware of how you are taking it? Do they question how often you order?
I’m in maintenance with them and hope to end up doing similar to you, currently on 7.5, but hoping to go down to 5 next pen.
I know months ago they did talk a bit about micro-dosing, stretching out timescale's etc but it seems like any off licence talk is not allowed anymore.
I intend to keep on taking a small dose, I’m post menopausal and there seems to be good evidence coming out of USA that it’s beneficial in lots of ways, but I do think it’s all a bit of an experiment and maintenance is actually harder than loosing the weight in the first place.

@Itscoldouthere
Although it's not allowed on the FB page, you can discuss off licence prescribing in a maintenance video call. I reduced from 10 to 5mg pens very slowly with their agreement as I was continuing to lose weight. I now buy 5mg pens and take 4mg every 7 days so get 6 doses which is the limit of my risk tolerance!. You do have to order every 6 weeks but I haven't experienced whether they're really strict with this - I'm trying to build up a bit of a stockpile so every 5 weeks still suits me. (I'm a little concerned about shortages of lower doses in future)

That’s interesting. I wanted to talk about this with Hira during maintenance call but was too scared to bring it up. To be honest I’ve always ordered next pen up but took a bit less to get at least 6 doses as I’m trying to do this as cheaply as possible. I had hoped to be titrating down by now but my body refusing to lose the last few lbs. Would like to eventually maintain on 5 (currently on 7)

@Angie7654
I get your reluctance, it is a bit scary but honestly, she was really sympathetic as obvs she recognised I'd got a big pen but was still losing so something had to change and i wasn't going to just bin a 10mg pen. Once you're up and running on a plan, you can change your pen size without a big fuss, I just ordered the 7.5, then the 5mg with a brief explanation on the consult form and it came without question. I think she knows we're all probably doing the 5th dose as we've been at this a long time now....

@KrankyKumquat I’m glad to hear this, I had quite a loose maintenance call with Hira as I probably booked my call a bit early as I moved over from elsewhere back in January, so wasn’t really at target weigh, I then lost another 3kg so have been maintaining since March, I had quite a few side effects whilst loosing the last 3kg, I think 10 didn’t agree with me, I’ve been much better back on 7.5 but intend to go down to 5 for my next pen, so I hope there isn’t stock issues, I still have a 10 pen in my fridge, which I should have used but didn’t, I’m now thinking I should use it next by taking a smaller amount, then I won’t feel so pressured about stock. I’d ideally like to end up taking less than 2.5, or 2.5 every 10 days but thinking I won’t be doing this till towards the end of the year.

@KrankyKumquatthats great to know thank you. I’ll hopefully start titrating down once I lose these last few lbs.

@Itscoldouthere
Re stock issues. I'm not on the FB page any more so didn't see the recent live (wish they'd share to the maintenance group) but apparently she mentioned shortage of 2.5 and 5 this week.

I’m on MJ -now 12.5 mg gone from 17.8 to 14.13 since mid Jan

what I wondered is when we get within the healthy bmi bracket can we qualify to get it still? To keep going or maintain?
As a friend of mine who wants to lose around 1.5/2 stone doesn’t qualify as her BMI not high enough apparently?

@KrankyKumquat yes I watched it, she talked about how their suppliers haven’t been keeping to their agreements and making changes to quotas etc, they got less 12.5 than expected and no 2.5/5 turned up last week, they had stock but apparently couldn’t fulfil 9 orders, sounds like they are being messed around.
I don’t know if 2.5/5 is generally becoming a problem, but did see a thread where someone said another pharmacy was out of stock, I suppose if more and more people are starting and trying to stay low 2.5/5 will be vulnerable to stock issues.
She also said it was due to supplier location changing to Ireland so maybe it’s a temporary blip, her advice was if need be order elsewhere, they won’t mind, just let them know if there’s a break in your ordering, which I suppose is all they can say really.

@Itscoldouthere
Oh blimey, that sounds worrying. Thanks for confirming, I think I'll get another in ASAP.
@Lardychops several pharmacies do maintenance at less than 25bmi now. A lot of us here are with oushk but there are other good ones too. Your friend must be with someone who doesn't do maintenance below bmi25 I guess. Moving is easy to do though.

@Lardychops yes you can still get it if you are currently using, you need to check what BMI your current supplier goes down to, if they support maintenance or not, some stop supplying around BMI 23 but pharmacies with maintenance programmes often go as low as BMI 19.
You may need to change if your current supplier doesn’t offer maintenance but it’s easy to do you will just need to show your prescription history and provide photos weights etc.
Your friend won’t get it with a BMI of 28 unless she has 2 related weight conditions, or certain ethnicity then you can start with BMI 27 but most people need a BMI over 30 to be accepted.