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.

@Tohaveandtohold that is an impressive change to your lifestyle. I increasingly find myself waking up early and wonder if instead of lying in bed feeling irritated that I'm awake so early, I wouldn't be better employed getting up and doing my Pilates.

Well said @Tohaveandtohold and good luck. I'm with you all the way.

I also am determined to be in the 5%. I have to be. I have a heart condition and a high dementia risk as it is. I'm mid 40s with a small child, I owe it to them. This isn't just about looking good. It's about heath and life and death. If that's not a motivator to keep the weight off, nothing ever will be.

I also have a super healthy and fit husband to help me!

@SnacklessWonder I agree that we have to believe that maintaining is both possible and achievable and that our health is worth it. I'm riddled with 3 different types of arthritis and being well within my healthy BMI range makes a world of difference to my joints. Also not eating so many carbs and sweet things definitely lowers my inflammatory markers, so lots to be gained.

Hi there, fellow maintainers. Glad to see a new thread which I'm hoping will give all of us a place to share ideas. I'm most definitely not part of the 5% as I'm also after the additional health benefits due to my age, previous alcohol use and family health history. I know the empirical evidence behind these additional benefits is only just emerging but my reading of it is that it's showing immense promise and I don't have time to sit on the fence and wait and see. It's not because of a lack of motivation, discipline, healthy lifestyle or knowledge that I'm going to continue on a low dose for as long as I can. I also accept the need to fiddle with doses and scheduling as there's no alternative way and EL and prescribers aren't taking a lead on maintenance at the moment.

Started MJ in May and lost 5st by end of November. BMI dropped from 32 to 20 something.
Never got higher than 10mg and have spent the last 5 weeks reducing dose to 5mg. I've continued to lose weight very slowly and mustn't drop below 10st (I'm 5'9'') so only got a couple of pounds buffer. I'm finding this stage much harder than the losing weight bit tbh. I'm trying to overcome my reluctance to up calories and stop chasing the thrill of weight drops, and find the sweet spot in terms of dose. But I'm telling myself this isn't a race and I can afford to sit awhile and just enjoy being thin for the first time in my life!

welcome @KrankyKumquat another amazing loss on MJ. Agree, that there is definitely no race to be completed, just looking for long-term consistency.

I don't think I'll be part of the 5% either, at least not easily! I've gained and lost lots of times over the years. I've not really learned anything new from this process as I already knew what worked for me and didn't, but MJ has made it much easier and stickable with. I had my daughter when I was 41 and soon after became a single parent, so it was really important to me to be healthy. I managed to lose weight fairly easily because there was such an incentive. But it all crept on again eventually and then some. I didn't suddenly stop caring about not being there for her, I just couldn't translate that feeling into not eating, and then I felt even worse, which perpetuated it!

I've still got a way to go till maintenance, but think about it a lot as I've struggled previously. Sometimes I've maintained for years and then gained again. This time round I think I'm going to experiment with low or widely spaced doses for at least a year to give myself more time to exist at my eventual maintenance weight. (Assuming I can manage this with providers.) I'd love to think I could be free of taking medication and having expense, but I don't really trust myself. I definitely know people who've lost weight and seemed to have kept it off permanently by all kinds of means, so it's not inevitable to regain. However, I used to think I'd be one of them and feel a bit complacent. Now I'm going to be more pessimistic to try to maximise my chances of being one of them!

It is definitely a huge part of the process @weaselyeyes - the sort of happily ever after that rarely gets talked about and is clearly not going to be easy, otherwise none of us would probably have been on WLI in the first place! I think in the past, my goal has always been overly focused on the loss itself, as it was always such a grim and unpleasant struggle.

I think the WLI have given all of us a chance to consider more the afterwards. Let's hope we can all keep each other accountable and on track.

I'm trying to overcome my reluctance to up calories and stop chasing the thrill of weight drops,

@KrankyKumquat I think that is one of the hardest things. I'm successfully maintaining despite not being overly careful and I'm still disappointed when I don't "lose", it's a difficult mindset to let go of.

Got invited to share my post in this feed….😊
would love to help x

After searching mumsnet and reading so many reviews and looking for hints and tips, I wanted to give back to help other people.
I started Mounjaro Sept 2024, I lost nearly 3 stone the week before Christmas - was so happy!!
start weight: 13 stone 6lbs
end weight 10 stone 10lbs
just over 3 months to complete
age: 45
height: 5ft 6”
dosage: started 2.5mg, appetite very low, only increased to 3.75mg (5mg pen) after 6 weeks, found that strong, decreased to 3mg, played around with number of clicks, (found on mumsnet) This also helped get 5 weeks worth of doses from the 5mg pen!
Then tapered off to 2.5mg for last 2 weeks before stopping. (Advised from company I was buying from)
side affects: to start - exhaustion! So tired, that stayed but not as bad after month 1, appetite v low, got better 2 days before next injection. Some headaches. Went to bed early the entire time as so tired. Also napped a lot!
Day 2/3 after injection were the worse days with side affect and appetite so low.
diet: I ate super healthy! 0% alcohol, as alcohol wasn’t sitting right with me, made me feel really weird.
High protein all the way, only bread on weekends.
exercise: got myself a garmin smart watch with step count etc. helped me no end in switching my mentally to moving! Minimum 10k steps a day.
since stopping the injection:
stopped week before Xmas 2024, controlled my eating and binging for Xmas, though why eat so much rubbish, just because it’s Christmas? Then went on holiday over new year to canaries, really careful with food, salads, and healthy teas, yes I did drink alcohol, but not in excess. I also enjoyed alcohol again which was a nice feeling.
Came back, carried on same approach to food and exercise as when I was injecting. I weigh every 2 weeks to keep a check in. Never put any weight on!
Current weight: 10 stone 9lbs, 1lb less than final injection weight in Dec. (23rd Jan 2025 today)
summary: I NEVER want to go back to feeling the way I did when on Mounjaro - yes it was manageable, but it wasn’t great, that has been enough for me to change the way I think about food and exercise, I only walk, no fancy gyms etc. I have zero time with 2 young children and working full time. But I can always fit a 2 mile walk in each day. Or if my watch says under 10k I’ll walk around the house once kids down lol.
The garmin watch has helped me so much to monitor kcal’s burned, steps etc.
Food - protein all the way, it’s my focus and to find substitutes. If I fancy something sweet I got ice pops in, 15kcals. I changed my eating and movement during the injection phase. I have also set myself targets to lose 2lbs prior to a holiday or weekends away, so I can have the odd over calorie meal / alcohol. I also get a food delivery each week, with similar evening meals, e.g.
stir-fry
salmon, spinach, med veg, Tex mex rice
jacket potato's
reduced fat meat balls and pasta
steak, mushrooms, peppers, couscous
eggs - in all shapes and sizes for meal options
protein yoghurts
mug shot pots (easy for when in office)
fruit
Also the feeling of buying and fitting into lovely smaller clothes makes me feel soooo good!
So that’s my story. Wanted to post something as I’ve been so grateful for all the posts I’ve read on here before and during my injectable phase. x

Thank you for posting @Sunshineliberty . Look forward to hearing how it continues to go.

Well, panic over here. Weight is such a strange thing! After starting the week at 10st 7 when I had adjusted my cals the week before to try to lose 1/2lb a week, but somehow had ended up 2lb heavier.... it has come back off, and this morning I was 10st 4lb which is the lowest weight I got to before christmas. I admit that on Tuesday after remaining at 10st 7, i adjusted my cals back down to 1lb a week loss levels. Admittedly, it's too soon on those cals to see a 3lb loss, so I'm just going to have to wing this really. I can't work out what my body is up to. So I'm committing for the next month to stick with these cals and see after that if I can up them at all.
Maintenance is going to be harder than I thought!

Good news @ThisMustBeMyDream . It also sounds like you have a plan as well, which is half of the battle! Maybe you move lots of water around, as it definitely can't be body fat that quickly on or off. Do you still have periods? That can have a lot to do with water weight. I'm a gimmer, so I'm period free these days and it has made a huge difference in the fluctuations I used to see when I was younger.

Yes, I'm 40, and still have periods. I was on my period last week, and it finished Monday, which was the day my weight was highest. However, I don't usually get that with my periods. It doesn't seem to make much difference at all to be honest. I know for lots of women it does though. As I daily weigh and have for 20 months now, I'd definitely notice if there was a pattern to it. The only thing I have noticed is my weight can take a few weeks to catch up. For example, in November I made a commitment to get 10k steps per day, 90 mins activity and burn at least 300cals. I hit it and had my most active month. My weight only shifted down by 2.3lb. My calculations told me that i should have lost at least 4lb, but actually... probably more like 5lb. December, when I fully expected to lose very little, maybe 2lb at best... I lost 4.2lb. I suspect it takes a while for my body to catch up with what is going on. Who knows, it's a bloody mystery 😂.

Hi everyone! Glad I found this thread I really need somewhere to keep me accountable.

I was on MJ from June-December and lost 15kg. I am determined to keep it off. I have been great with the gym but the food noise is definitely creeping back in I need to suppress it! One good thing is I need a lot of dental work so really need to stay off sugar for that which is helping on the food front. I have also told DH to stop buying treats.

Would love to join this group.

Started mounjaro in April, was 16st.

Have reached my goal of 10st last week, but have set a new target of 9.5

I am anxious about how to manage without mounjaro, the key thing for me has been the food noise. I have always loved food, constantly thinking about it. And now for the first time I couldn't care less about what is for dinner, it's just fuel.

I am 10mg

Can I join you too? My 30week journey on MJ is ending after losing 3-stone and feeling so validated by this drug. I knew how to eat healthy and always exercised lots but have spent my life overweight which moved into obese in my late40s. My body would just not lose weight but I was a quick responder to MJ stayed on low dose through out and lost 1-2lbs every week. I’m running 3x a week and as fast as I was 5yrs ago, I walked min12k steps every single day mostly with the dog. I’m in my 50s now and feeling amazing that all my health markers have improved. I really hope I can ride through the food noise returning, and if need be find a supplier go give me a top up every few months if it gets too much. I’m convinced I had a missing or low hormone receptor to appetite control and MJ is the missing piece. My DD is diagnosed ASD & adhd and watching her have no awareness of being hungry or suddenly needing sugar like a heat seeking missile confirms my suspicions. She’s lucky a very healthy weight but I was already overweight at her age.

Welcome @NewYear0Me , @frostydaytoday and @Callmejudith . We all have our different struggles, so hopefully this thread will help us stay accountable and maintaining.

Hi All
I lost 3 stone last year, BMI 32.4 down to 24. As I am early 60's I did not want to go lower. I only got to 7.5mg and after a chat with the prescriber have titrated down to 5mg. I was thinking of going down further but 5mg which I have been taking for the last 3 months, seems to be my sweet spot for maintenance at the moment. I'm eating healthily, exercise everyday and I feel really well on it. I was taking pain killers for arthritis most days but rarely need them now. My weight is staying within 2-3 pounds of GW. After 30+ years of yo-yo dieting this feels amazing. I think I will continue with 5mg for the next month or two and then go down to 2.5mg as I would prefer to be on a lower dose if that works well for me. I'm interested in the experience of others maintaining.

@FarriersGirl
We seem to be very similar. I'm going to stick at 5mg for a little while too as I'm feeling really well on it after titrating down from 10mg. But would hope to be able to get to 2.5 eventually. My weight fluctuates by a pound or two, sometimes inexplicably as I'm post-menopausal too but I have a theory this may be linked to having a saltier meal and holding on to water a bit. I have struggled to stop losing as I titrated down (I think I've lost almost a stone on maintenance) but I'm beginning to better understand what I can and should eat as time goes on and getting some balance now. It is a little scary to still feel the power of the drugs though - it would be very easy, for me at least, to get to a dangerously low weight - for the 3 days after injecting, I'm still feeling like I eat because I should rather than because I want to but then I allow myself to eat more at the end of the week to try to balance things out.

Thanks @KrankyKumquat I agree that is feels like quite a balancing act to maintain at a given weight. I also find that my appetite varies quite a bit from one week to the next for no obvious reason given I am post menopause and do a very similar amount of exercise daily. Some weeks I am not too fussed about food. The next week I have to sit on my hands to avoid raiding the biscuit tin😋

@FarriersGirl
Yes it does vary. I'm finding carbs quite dangerous - it always was my fav food, nothing better than a sausage roll for lunch or a big bowl of pasta for tea 😅. But do find I gain ounces from just a sandwich now, and then I want more, so I avoid. Luckily I'm not finding it so hard to keep off chocolate, biscuits or alcohol (mostly!). But I'm pretty bored with my same old daily diet.
It was sooo much easier when I was just focusing on consistent losses.

Do you mind me asking who is supplying you for maintenance? I used Zava when buying every month but I stopped a couple of months ago as I had a spare to use up. I’ve been on 2.5mg for a while but am very nervous as this will be my first week without a Monday jab for 8 months, but I have put lots of good habits in place.

@NewYear0Me
It's Oushk.

Thanks @KrankyKumquat ive seen them mentioned so I’ll see how I get on and contact them if I really start to struggle after a few weeks. I was musing earlier it’s got so much easier to run and do yoga now I’m a lot smaller it’s just more enjoyable as my joints don’t hurt as much which in my 50s I’m very grateful for.

I'd recommend booking a consult now rather than waiting as there's no slots free till towards end Feb. If you've a long break in your prescription, they may be reluctant to take you on. You don't have to buy a pen, just sign up to the plan.