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.

@camshaft I feel your pain. I came off Wegovy in March and have put on eight pounds (so far). The food noise is deafening.
I think I may need a long term maintenance dose.

@MargoLivebetter@Tohaveandtohold
really appreciate your responses thank you. I will reach out to ousck. Never used them whilst on MJ but it’s worth a shot! And the fact I’ve got a 5mg pen left over, means I could still be within the window of prescribing it (fingers crossed)!

I also have put on weight in the last month...so restarted 2.5mg this week.
The food noise is strong.
Grrr

@MargoLivebetterive got a consultation on Tuesday with Oushk so fingers crossed they’ll let me have a maintenance plan with them! I’m not confident as my last jab date was 23/03 so 2 months to the day!

Hi @Gotya12 Sorry for late response. @MargoLivebetter is right. I finished MJ at the end of December and was 8st 11.6lb, I am now 8st 6.2lb - that's without calorie counting, I am just being mindful. Bounced up 2lb this week but I think that's because I walked a marathon at the weekend but it's back down again after a few days.

Good to hear @camshaft . Let us know how you get on.

Great stuff @SnacklessWonder . Glad to hear it is all still going well. I've managed to shed another 1/2lb, so I'm only 1lb up now. Dull but doable.

watching with interest

A little update. So I went up to 12.5, had a few side effects for the first time so clicked and only took 9mg. Reached the very top of my bmi so happy with that. Then had a month off for a few family celebrations, putting a few pounds back on. Went right back to salads etc and not a pound budged.
I then ordered a 7.5 pen and took 3 mg then 4mg as I’d had a few weeks off. I’ve dropped all the excess weight in just 2 weeks. I will take the three remaining 7.5 doses to try and give myself a buffer for life’s events, then order a 5mg. I am on oushk’s taper plan but I think I want to have a few pens more before stopping completely. I am quite happy to order pens to nip anything in the bud, it’s all a learning curve! I did explain on my maintenance consultation I had a few holidays etc coming up so my ordering would be a bit sporadic and they were ok with that!

Just catching up on this thread and really resonated with this post. I thought I was 5'2 for a long time (or perhaps I always knew I was 5'1.5 but wanted to be taller for the BMI), my goal weight has therefore usually been around 8 stone 12 (for 22.5 BMI). I hadn't been near there since 2020 and therefore initially set my goal weight to a healthy BMI, then a bit lower, then 8 stone 12 and now 8 stone 7 (actually set it to 8 stone 9 for slimming world so that I could get to my target before my holiday).

My renpho scales still give me a high reading for subcutaneous fat. It has been so easy to get to this weight I think that's why I've struggled. Previously it has been such a hard slog that I've been so pleased to stop losing and eat more food!

I'm not sure how I feel about the scales staying the same. I think I will probably get a bit lighter (I may need some weight in my pockets for slimming world) say 8 stone 4. I just never want to be fat again! I plan to stay on mj for the foreseeable future.

A whole lot of success stories here about people maintaining without Mounjaro. Gives me hope. https://www.reddit.com/r/GLPGrad/

I was a few pounds short of my goal so gradually came off it. I’ve been so so hungry, tummy rumbling all the time, food noise back, wanting all the bad stuff. Put on 3lbs in just over a week. I feel I should have got to my goal weight first then reduced down. So ordered another pen, hopefully they will prescribe it, then back on it for a bit longer. Worried I may never be able to come off it. Thought I had conquered the food noise and bad foods but obviously not

but the jabs helped us lose th weight - they won’t help us not get hungry for ever more! I am maintaining off it but I have made peace with the fact I’ll be ‘dieting’ for the rest of my life. I will need to weigh in every day, track my food, not eat things I want to it. Wegovy got me back to a healthy weight and I look good and fit all my lovely clothes again, but it’s not magic

for me it’s like my house - if it was in a state I might pay for professional declutterers to make it tidy and organized. But for the rest of my life I’d still have to put the bowls in the dishwasher and sweep the floor every bloody day

sorry if this is patronising, it’s not meant to be. It is what I have realised as I am maintaining and realising what it needed long term. At least I look good now though and am healthier! Wegovy got me over the misery of trying to lose weight, but now it’s on me

Thats the same as me @bge I've used to the jabs to get back to my desired weight but now the hard work is all on me - and I've learned what it takes to keep it under control.

I told my husband how 4lbs melted away again in the last 2 weeks and even he commented I haven’t been doing anything differently. I eat healthily all of the time, my downfall is wine but I’m still drinking too. Must be something to do with reducing inflammation for me, my appetite doesn’t change. I really think I’ll taper over a year or so, no hurry.

I've been reading all your posts with interest. My BMI is currently 27.8, and I think I've got a stone to go to reach the top of a healthy BMI. I'm so anxious now about regaining - I have lost 5 stone and everyone has commented on it as it's obviously noticeable, and I feel like a fraud every time as I keep thinking it's just going to go back on again.

I think I've made a mistake and just switched to Simple for a lower price, but they don't really support maintenance. After three months off, you have to have a qualifying BMI to restart.

Does anyone know when the latest you should switch to a maintenance provider is, please? Ideally I want to taper down, then go it alone and restart if I need to without having to get back to a qualifying BMI, if that makes sense.

Thank you!

Welcome new posters and all those regulars checking in.

I agree with you @bge that I will also be watching what I eat forever, so as not to regain. I'm within half a pound of being back to my target weight. Sufficient protein makes all the difference for me. If I'm not getting enough then I want to snack and feel hungry.

State of mind also makes a big difference for me too. I find that if I think of healthy, nutritious food as a gift to myself then it shifts my whole way of thinking. If I look at healthy food as a benefit that I am fortunate to be able to give myself, then mentally it feels like I am rewarding myself and looking after myself. It makes me want to eat crap way less. I try not to think of the shite food (biscuits, cakes, crisps, sweets, chocolate, wine etc) as treats, because they are not. They are nutritionless garbage and make me inflamed and fat. So mentally eating cake isn't a treat anymore. Eating a high protein tasty chicken wrap is a treat. Not sure if I'm explaining myself well but hopefully that makes some sense.

@Forevafatty I switched to Oushk at about bmi 26, ordered one pen then straight into maintenance with them.

That's good to know - there's still time to switch. Can I ask what maintenance plan you are on with them?
And what BMI did you get to before switching to maintenance?
Thank you.

I had my call with oushk this morning.
my last jab was 23/03 so over 2 months ago. The chap I spoke with was lovely, agreed I can go onto the Conti plan as long as I prove all my previous orders (with other providers).
I will be starting back on 2.5mg - my current bmi is 26 so will be working towards losing the weight I’ve regained in the past couple of months then maintaining. I’m super delighted that they’ve accepted me!

25 point something. I’m a pound or two above a healthy bmi. I’m happy with that but want to drop 4lbs to give myself a buffer. I’m on taper.

I've switched to Simple for maintenance for two reasons. Firstly, the price - they price match including to discounts, so are the cheapest out there.

Secondly, the fact you can re-start within 12 weeks seems great to me. If I try and go it alone (and to be honest, I'm not even sure I will, but I wanted the option!) I'm pretty sure I'll know within 12 weeks whether it's possible or not. I actually reckon I'd know in a couple of weeks!

I moved to them last week, and after placing my order had to book a telephone consultation, which I was able to do for the following day. That's because my BMI was 23.7 (it was over 30 when I started Mounjaro in January). So they wanted to chat through what my goal was, what my plans were etc. It was really helpful.

As long as your BMI stays in the healthy range they are happy for you to continue on Mounjaro for as long as you want, so no pressure to come off. And as I said above, confirmed that you are able to re-start within 12 weeks if you come off and decide it isn't working for you going it alone.

My husband is with Oushk, so his pens cost more than mine (although he had the benefit of the maintenance discount with the latest pen he has ordered). I have been impressed with them overall, but I think they're expensive. And I do think it's a bit cheeky that if you decide to come off the pens you basically have to pay £15 a month to 'stay on the books' so to speak in order that you can go back on them if you feel the need to without having to get back to a qualifying BMI.

I did a lot of research as to who to go to for maintenance. I was with IQ doctor prior to moving.

So far so good with Simple, obviously if things change then there are other providers out there doing maintenance, so for me it's just about knowing your options, and always having a plan B in place in case plan A doesn't work out!

I get what you’re saying - but think it’s also a legitimate option to opt to have a cleaner each week, if realistically your lifestyle means you’re failing to keep on top of things. I’d look at an ongoing maintenance dose in that way.

I’m not quite at that stage yet but planning to taper down slowly and stay on the Oushk maintenance program for a while - either on a low dose if it proves necessary, or the option where you don’t continue with a dose but can order as and when you need to. There are particular times of year when a helping hand would be useful - a spate of family birthdays for which I end up baking a succession of cakes, Christmas etc

I’ve hit target today (well more or less, I’m 0.6lbs away). So I will start to taper off 10mg next Monday. I’ve lost 40lbs, 33 on MJ and am now a size 8-10 and BMI 23. Can’t quite believe it!

It is like witchcraft. I wish these things had been invented when I was in my 20s...although I probably wouldn't have been able to afford it then.