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.

@MargoLivebetter I am still maintaining, gaining a smidge then cutting back and it comes off. Every other time I have lost a load of weight I have started gaining back immediately, but I am aware this is still early days.

I can’t say I wouldn’t like to lose another half a stone on my bottom half but it doesn’t come off that way and I am happy with my intake and don’t feel deprived. I am focussing on strength training to try and change my shape a bit and not totally dreading holiday in a few weeks, but will be even happier if I am a bit less wobbly by then

How are we all doing?

Jumping on to say I hit my lowest weight at the weekend, and 6lbs lighter than when I stopped using Mounjaro at the end of December.

Really pleased with how it's going. No calorie counting, just sensible eating and moving more.

Still maintaining here, 3lb under target, and been maintaining that since mid May after slowing increasing cals to find my maintenance (it's around 1850).
Keeping up all my good habits, and feeling great!
I've been really stressed the last few weeks, but didn't return to old emotional eating habits so that's a big positive (my wedding dress didn't fit me after alterations with less than 6 weeks to the wedding, so pretty stressful to have to sort out!). I get married in just over 4 weeks, so I'm keen to see how things go after that!

Well done @SnacklessWonder , it’s always refreshing to read your updates.
I’m also doing well, almost 20 weeks since my last jab and I’m also almost 6lbs lighter than when I stopped the jab at my last weight on Saturday. It’s just like a second chance really, mindful eating and I’ve continued with weight training

Amazing @Tohaveandtohold!

It's quite frankly, a relief isn't it. So much bad press - even on here - repeatedly being told "you'll gain it back as soon as you stop..."

Great news @SnacklessWonder , @Tohaveandtohold , @ThisMustBeMyDream and @ShaunaSadeki . It is really encouraging to hear that it can be done and it doesn't have to be come off WLI and turn back into fatties again, like the media narrative seems to want everyone to believe.

Good luck with the wedding dress @ThisMustBeMyDream and the wedding too of course! 😀

Following on from a chat on a different thread, can I ask for those who are maintaining and supporting continuing to calorie count, what sort of daily cals you are aiming for?
I’m 5”8, fairly active and I think settling around 2000 per day…

I’m maintaining easily on 1600 with twice a month meals out which I don’t count (5-6, not very active). I would like to lose another half stone (I finished the jabs at BMI 26) so I need to think about dropping to 1500 four days a week, I think that will take off another pound a month (my target is Christmas)

I'm 5ft2, active (I log as burning 3500-4000 cals per week in excercise and steps). And it seems to be around 1850, but it's early days still.

@EBoo80 I'm trying to wean myself off strictly calorie counting but at least 5 days per week I am on roughly 1600-1800 calories. I'm 5ft 7 and am at my goal weight of 10 stone. I do moderate exercise, so walk approx 8k steps per day and do 3-4 sessions of Pilates a week. I'm in my mid-50s, so any metabolic advantage youth might have given me is long gone! I do eat a bit more at the weekends but I doubt very much that I ever go above 2500 calories in a day.

I am not calorie counting @EBoo80. I am 5ft 1, office job. I have no idea how many calories I eat (or drink in wine 😆) but I am mindful.

I don't eat as many carbs, I don't snack, I've completely given up foods like pizza and pasta as they bloat me, haven't had a takeaway in probably 10 months - I just eat better and I am very conscious now to do more steps - whether it helps or not I don't know, but I have a deal with myself to never end a weekday on less than 7,000 steps (which isn't always easy working from home).

DH offered me a snack sausage roll yesterday and I was like nope, what a waste of 170 calories!

I maintain what keeps me on track is daily weighing. If I go up 0.5/1lb I adjust my eating for a day or two until it goes back. It's only ever a blip.

@SnacklessWonder
Daily weighing is really important for me too. I can adjust and my body responds within 24-48 hrs. Like you, I have also tried reintroducing carbs as I missed spaghetti bol so much - it was a disaster, so bloated and uncomfortable for hours after - so it's an easy decision to avoid now. I'm liking having a couple of slices of seeded loaf every day though - god, I missed bread.

I'm only on 3mg now, from 10mg at my highest, so it's hard to judge how much is the med and how much the new me now. I'm going to continue reducing very slowly till I hit the point where it's clearly not working so I may end up being one of those trendy microdosers 😅. If I didn't have such hope invested in the possible other long term health benefits (dementia ain't gonna get me 🤞), I think I'd definitely be ready to give going it alone, a go now, which is an interesting and surprising development and maybe suggests titrating down slowly is an effective way off coming off, but I'm loathe to make generalisations as people like you are clearly doing really, really well.

what REALLY makes the difference for me is not calories but time of eating. If I have normal breakfast and lunch, but. High protein dinner at 5pm, the next day I’ll have a flat stomach and be a lb down. I like to eat with my family but if I can do this 1 or 2 days it really suits my body

Really appreciating all these suggestions and tips. Hard agree that evening eating does me no good at all, and am definitely sticking with my 'protein and fibre' first approach.

@KrankyKumquat we're so similar in our approach! I cut out bread/pasta/most refined sugar and UPFs and try reintroducing but think I've got a minor gluten intolerance that was probably always there but worse now. I haven't calorie counted once and lost 25% of my body weight since October.

I have read a lot around hormones and their impact on appetite/weight. Given how the body can speed up or slow down your metabolism by up to 600kcal a day means there's little point tracking calories, your body is doing stuff behind the scenes.

@lapuf
I think i lasted 2 weeks with calorie counting when I started. However, i was eating the same few things all the time so soon got bored with it. It was bit more helpful with portion size, although appetite suppression and satiety has always been high so I'd still not be able to scoff my old size portions.

You're right about hormones and it surprises me the power of even a small dose of MJ even after a year on it. Behaviour on holiday, which previously would have resulted in a half stone gain, now leads to less than a 2lb gain. Quite remarkable.

Hey people! My journey with MJ ended about 6 weeks ago having lost almost 3 stone to get to 10st 7lb ish. The MJ is totally out of my system now and the hunger is back with a vengeance 😬

Ive been calorie counting and only put on 2lb which I’m over the moon about.

Ive totallly changed my eating habits but know for the rest of my life I have to watch what I eat and catch it if my weight creeps up.

I’ve pretty much read the whole thread and the losses are incredible!

I now feel ready to embrace my new life and ramp up my exercise - starting playing squash twice a week too (knees couldn’t take my weight before!)

Daily weighing is a must for me. I think stopping doing that after previous diets allowed me to lie to myself when weight crept on. I am a little bit more than I should be eating person so a biscuit here and a glass of wine there - but it all added up and I lied to myself about eating cleanly. I hope I have learned my lesson this time that eating and drinking are a great pleasure in my life but it takes balance. The thing I love most is the end of food noise. I love feeling so free from the constant noise in my head

@NachoCheesed and @spinningisthebest sounds like you both have strategies for success. Protein helps me massively with the hunger @NachoCheesed . If I don't eat enough I'm hungry! Have you checked you eating enough.

Another week stable for me. I'm still at goal weight, 26 weeks after reaching it. Definitely a lifetime achievement award for me!!!!

All still good here too, taking effort to maintain exercise routine when I would rather be down at the beach, but I am so much happier now when at the beach, so it is worth it! Home life is very stressful at the the moment, so coping with exercise rather than food,

Because I am making a conscious effort to stop eating when I have had enough but before I am full up, I do get hungrier more quickly.

But I went to a bbq at the weekend and was really restrained with the food, not so much the drink. But it felt normal and only a slight effort rather than a huge one to not go back for seconds. It helps being vegan as I can never eat the birthday cake or half of the delicious side dishes unless it is my party 😂

Hope everyone is loving being svelte in this weather?

Forgot to say: I am also making an effort to only eat what I enjoy, even if out for a meal. If the burger bun looks rubbish I just leave it, rather than think I need to get my moneys worth or think that it might be my last chance to eat ever or I might get hungry again and it would be the worst thing in the world

Well done @ShaunaSadeki . Agree it is so much better to be less heavy in hot weather! Definitely not feeling the heat so much.

Wow incredible! 6 months 🙌
Any tips? Remind me did you come off mj or stay on?
I'm a month into maintenance on 2.5mg and still finding my way but this is the longest I've maintained a weight loss ever. I'm thinking daily or near daily weighing (not sticking head in the sand). I'm prioritising protein and fibre and enjoying food when I want it. I haven't quite figured out what a maintenance day looks like at the moment I think I tend to eat less during the week after an indulgent weekend so I'm really just gaining and losing but in much smaller amounts than previously, caught and adjusted mid-week rather than after many weeks of the scales going up. I know when I've overdone it I do tend to avoid the scales sometimes that can be a good thing if it's a temporary weight gain but I don't think I've got it quite right here yet, I'm thinking I'm better off picking some days that I weigh without fail, probably not once a week as that can sometimes give false positives or negatives? It is definitely more complicated than I thought it would be!

After a pancreatitis scare, it looks like I’m going cold turkey. I had planned to titrate slowly down the doses and thought I might end up on some sort of microdosing schedule so I’m a bit worried tbh. I’m worried how my will power will hold up when the appetite and food noise come back.

@tinyemmy I initially cut down from 2.5 to 1.25. I did that for 2 months and then forgot to take it, so I went cold turkey.

I weigh once a week always on the same day. Protein has become my best friend. If I don’t eat enough I
want to pick and snack. If I eat enough I get food silence! I’m still a bit tempted when I’m stressed, angry or bored but I have a jar of sweets and one sweet will buy me enough time to do something else to sort out the emotional trigger.

Lots of others on here having maintenance success too.

@Cantbesurewhat happened? Are you ok?