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.

Yes, my back pain has definitely worsened since stopping MJ. I will see how it is with restarting it. I’ve had 3 different people comment a bit negatively on my weight loss recently (about 4.5 stone). Two asked if I had cancer 😳 and one said to not lose any more. Bearing in mind that my BMI is about 23.5 this is a bit bizarre. I guess I just look quite significantly thinner - one of these people hadn’t seen me for a year so I suppose it was a bit of a shock!!

To those who notice strange things happening in the first few weeks that they come off WLI, I would say give it a bit of time. I had an IBS flare up and definitely noticed all sorts of food noise again in the first few weeks I came off. However, things did settle down. Also check your protein intake. Eating protein definitely helps me quell hunger. If I eat enough, I'm not hungry and it massively helps dampen the food noise.

@Bamboozled5 I am sorry to hear someone asked if you had cancer. What a shocker. Some people need to think before they speak!

@Yetanotherusername2000 I am riddled with arthritis and noticed a huge improvement in my inflammatory arthritis whilst on MJ. Since coming off, although not quite as amazing as it was, it is still better than before. I think part of that is I eat so much less carbs and sugars, which aggravate inflammation. Fingers crossed you don't see a deterioration.

@lozza8256 I really hope that whatever is causing the weight gain eases. It can't possibly be fat that quickly, so it must be water retention of some sort.

@Bellyblueboy what dose were you on when you came off? How long have you been on WLI? Do you know what drives your food noise? For me it was comfort eating and not eating enough protein.

I agree with @MargoLivebetter I was a bit wobbly when I stopped MJ and it could have gone either way and I still need to be v careful about protein and fibre and what I eat. But I hit a new low on the scales on Saturday, back up a bit now though.

I think I have posted this before, but I am taking psyllium husk as I read it is natures ozempic and loosely following the Gucose Godess tips for blood sugar

Great news @ShaunaSadeki 👏

I have been off for 3.5 weeks and put on 3lbs. My visceral fat has also gone up. I’m still monitoring what I eat and exercising. It’s the hunger and food noise I’m struggling with. I’m lying in bed now and my stomach is gurgling. I’ve had 200-300 calories more than I would have had on MJ.

I'm on 2.5 but my desire to eat sugar is really high so I'm toying with 3.75 at my next dose. I've been maintaining since the end of May, but I'm going up and down like a yo-yo

@Cantbesure have you tried a rennie or gaviscon when your tummy is gurgling/rumbling? I found that stomach acid mimicked hunger sensations. Bit of a long shot, but might be worth a try?

@tinyemmy have you tried just having one sweet when your crave sugar? I get this sometimes, so I have a jar of toffees. I'll have one and that seems to satisfy the craving and it is only 30 calories.

Hi everyone

I’m up 4 pounds but had a celebratory 2 weeks. I’m up from 9.8 to 9.12 (bmi 22ish mark )
im hoping once I start behaving again it will come off though suspect one or two of those pounds have made it on as fat and take longer.

since stopping im more hungry (but i ignore and have protein and glass of water) and I’m def needing less calories than when on munjaro - it def helps either way insulin etc so I’m finding my maintenance on the meds is much more than maintence off the meds. So I need to adjust that. I have had one: two major over indulgences too which I didn’t feel the need for on the meds. Life is def better on the meds! But I need to learn to live without

I’ve continued if not done more excercise…which hasn’t counteracted things

so here we go operation back down! I’m sure I can do it and am intent on being on the other side of the statistics that says we gain it all back

also finding my tummy was flat when on the meds and suddenly have a big round belly again?! Which can’t be due to the 4 pounds I’ve gained surely

@Gotya12 did you celebrate with more carbs and drinks than usual? Both those things will give me a bloated round tummy! 😬

I have stopped for about a week now, haven’t injected for 2 weeks, I dont have any cravings or hunger back, have upped calories slowly so from 1100, now about 1300 average a day, but plan to slowly increase but currently cant as seemed to have gained a pound and don’t want to risk further gain, not sure if it is possible water I am holding on to, but going to be super cautious, I stopped didnt go downwards as felt I wanted to see how I would be, my problem has always been my metabolism so I am hyper aware that I definitely had insulin resistance and that is why it was impossible to loose even on the lower calories, any tips to continue to fight that part of it?

@happyshortsas a prediabetic of several years before mounjaro, ive been researching a little. Weight loss and use of GLP meds show reversal in prediabetes and some cases of insulin resistance. I've also read that higher protein low carb helps body produce natural GLP so try that and please let me know if it helps.
I'm at bmi 24.8 and will be tapering down in a few months most likely, I'm on 15mg and definitely don't want to stay on mounjaro due to it affecting my dopamine and feeling low. I have been using L tyrosine to counteract it which is working wonderfully, but I'd also like to try with diet and exercise myself.
Berberine is another appetite suppressant, nature's GLP I've read which I might try when I come off it.

Thank you, I am focusing on low carb and high protein and have very much kept my diet identical lots of vegetables and protein and weighing and calorie counting still. I reckon I was also pre diabetes as looking at historical blood tests my score was 40 and 41 was the diabetic line, would you believe they never told me this information!! Will let you know how I get on. This weekend I did have a home burger and a McDonald’s quarter pounder so they may have caused extra salt/carbs but were all included in my calorie counting. So may be water weight we shall see! Thanks so much for responding to me and good luck for your final few pounds

I’m currently taking 40mg of omeprazole a day due to severe stomach pains a few weeks ago (and what prompted me to come off MJ cold turkey) so I don’t think it will be acid. Good tip though.

41-47 is prediabetes, 48 and above is diabetes. I was 45. At 40 you were fine so not to worry, but still could have insulin resistance. My friend was 42 and monitored every 6 months with more blood tests and advice.
My GP didn't even tell me I was prediabetic, it was only 2 months ago I found out when I changed to a new GP and they updated my digital records! I had the nhs healthy heart check in June 22! I also had an abnormal liver test and was anaemic and was told just to take iron tablets. They are shocking. I'm waiting to come down from 15mg before I get my bloods taken next as I've heard you can get abnormal cholesterol and some other results while burning fat.

@Histoscientist speaking of cholesterol, I had my bloods done recently after a year of weight loss and MJ. My kidney function had improved to optimal, diabetes 34, liver normal and total cholesterol much improved to 4.4 from 5.8 (HDL up and LDL down). I just hope I can keep it up!!

Thank you that is really helpful information, awful your doctor didnt tell you all of that!!

I find once I open the flood gates I can't stop. This wasn't an issue when I was on a higher dose... I might see if I can try and bring it under control!

I have been about 8 weeks with no injection but today I have a 2.5 pen I’m starting because I have been feeling so so hungry for the last 3-4 weeks, and I can feel the fat creeping back on. I am off on holiday and so I can’t get to the gym, so I am really hoping this well enabled me to enjoy my holiday without the stress or guilt of too much hunger! 🤞🤞🤞

I’ve been without MJ for 5 months now and if it’s any comfort for those who are seeing an increase on the scale in the early days, I initially lost 2lbs then gained 3lbs 3 weeks after I stopped. As my BMI was close to 25 then, I was worried. I wasn’t going back on the Jab because one of the reasons I stopped was a pain I was feeling which was making me paranoid. Anyway, I didn’t do anything differently besides continue with strength training and drink more water and in the next 4 weeks, I lost the 3lbs. I’m currently 8lbs less than my last MJ weight and even now, my weight still fluctuates and I gain and lose the same 2lbs then randomly lose another 1lbs for example with no changes to my routine, lifestyle or eating habits.

Thanks @Tohaveandtohold that’s a message I needed to read. When you say you didn’t do things differently were you still calorie tracking, and were you eating for loss or to maintain? I’m 3lbs up in 3.5 weeks and definitely feeling the panic.

Thank you for posting your experience. This really helps. Were you still eating healthy? Did you go high protein and low carb? Did you have food cravings for junk?

I’m now maintaining. Lost 6s. Actually ended up losing another 7lbs when trying not to ha ha so 6.5 s loss.

BMI was 38. Now 23 point Something

Well done, that's great! 👏 how long have you been maintaining for? Is it easy to stay on track? Worried about the hunger returning and it being ravenous.

I think about 6w

I started going down the doses. Im hardcore so been on 15 for 3/4mths

but what I have noticed is pain is back as lowering doses . Went to 7.5 and knee ankle hips which all have arthritis have started to flare up

I’m more on it for pain then weight loss now

Are you going to stay on 7.5mg? Was it controlling your hunger? I am also on 15mg, only started it this week after 9 months journey and its super strong, I've struggled to eat this week and its jab day today. I was prediabetic, so the lower doses wore off in weeks for me.
Yes it reduces inflammation and I've had no ibs symptoms since being on it. Shame your arthritis pain is back. Hopefully the tablet version will be an easier and cheaper form to take for everyone with inflammatory diseases.
I'm at bmi 24.8 so will taper down in a month or 2, but if I needed 15mg for suppression, I can't imagine the lower doses doing much for me so I might as well come off, but I no longer crave carbs now so will see if it comes back. All my prediabetes symptoms went after weeks on 10mg.