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.

That's good to know, thank you. Did you just have a back log of pens from when you were regularly taking it? I think this idea of taking doses as needed is really interesting.

No, I had an oushk maintenance chat and explained I had a few holidays/ events coming up but wanted the safety net of a pen or two rather than going cold turkey. I wonder if it would be trickier to order another pen now as I have had a longer gap.

Quick check in from me, still maintaining 🎉

Had a wobbly few days at the beginning of the week, lost all motivation for exercise (just as I have signed up to train for a half marathon) and just wanted to sit on the sofa and eat. So tired I cancelled my body pump class on Monday. But dragged self out for it last night and went for a jog this morning.

I have a few things booked in to keep me on the straight and narrow.

Off on a much needed holiday next week, so have kept bikini in mind this week. Bit worried about holiday turning into a carb fest as I’m vegan and we will be staying somewhere quite remote. But taking protein powder and will detour on the drive from the airport for soya milk, then will make the best choices possible, whilst enjoying myself, just can’t live off Lays and Mythos the whole time.

Then we are going to a festival a couple of weeks later and have a very small and quite ridiculous sequinned crop top and mini skirt to wear that currently looks pretty good on, so that should help me get right back on it after holiday 😂.

Then I will have to get serious about the running as I signed up to do it for charity, so I won’t be able to bottle out.

Enjoy your holiday @ShaunaSadeki . Loving the sound of your festival outfit, can't beat a sequin or two.

Have a fantastic holiday @ShaunaSadeki and enjoy the lays and mythos! How is Greece as a vegan? I’ve enjoyed it as a veggie with Greek yogurt and cheese galore!

well done on signing up for a half. When is it? I’m doing a 10K (first in years) in a couple of weeks and wondering whether a half is doable given my age and knees!

thanks @MargoLivebetter

@Cantbesure it wasn’t great when I went a few years ago but have heard it has improved. Hopeful that I can survive on dolmades and those giant baked beans when we eat out. My half is not until October, I will be happy to just finish it. I did a 10k for the first time last October but haven’t jogged that far since.
Good luck with your 10k, remember to carb load the day before and let us know how it goes

I'm floundering a bit now I'm nearing maintenance. Nearly six stone lost, but my BMI is still 26 - I need to lose another 8 pounds to have a BMI of under 25 for the first time in my adult life.

I just have no plans at all. I'm thinking of titrating down slowly-ish. I don't want to stay on MJ forever, but I had a bit of a hungry day earlier this week and it gave me a frightening reminder of what life used to be like when I was relentlessly hungry all the time.

I'd like to come off it, and presumably if my weight rose over 27, I'd be eligible to restart (as I have high blood pressure). There's only actually 12 pounds between the top of a healthy BMI and a BMI of 27, so not a huge gap.

But then I have the fear - what if the criteria changes or they stop prescribing for some reason so I can never restart? Also, I'm not with one of the maintenance pharmacies who let you restart after a while at the minute.

I've also thought about ordering every 8 weeks, which I think you can do, and taking half amounts for that time. I know that will mean the pen is used for over 30 days though.

Sorry for the long post - I'm obsessing a bit about this and feel better for writing it down! Thank you if you read it!

@ShaunaSadeki I’ve just done 9k this evening and actually enjoyed it so hopefully the 10K will be fine. Maybe I will follow your lead and train for a half… have a fabulous holiday.

Well done, you will smash it if you can cover the distance pre-race!

@Forevafatty welcome. I think a lot of us on here spent our final approach to goal weight stressing about how it would be when we got there and what would happen then!

If you trawl through this thread, you'll see there is no one size fits all approach and people are trying different ways to manage maintenance that works for them. On the one hand that isn't very helpful as no one can probably give you the answer for what will work for you, on the other hand it shows you can probably try various options to find something that will work.

Do you know what drives your hunger? Do you think it is some kind of physical dysregulation in that your body is signalling hunger because you may be teetering on the edge or pre-diabetic, or is it habit or emotional driven? I think it really helps to know what drove the over consumption of calories. For me it was portion control and emotional eating that had made me fat, but everyone will be different. I do think it helps to know what the underlying cause was, because it helps to find non-WLI ways to tackle that too - IYSWIM.

@Cantbesure that is a fantastic distance to run! I'm so impressed.

Delurking - I have lost 5st 12 with maybe 9lbs still to go, so approaching maintenance and really appreciate this thread. I have been on 10mg for months but starting to reduce now for this last bit, currently on 8.5mg. (Also because I am not feeling great at the mo, getting a few symptoms that I suspect might be down to MJ, although I have been very lucky with side effects overall.) I would love to maintain without it at some point but if I need to stay on it I will do my best to make that work financially! Just planning on a very gentle taper for now and see what happens…

Checking in. I reached my goal weight and healthy BMI 4 months ago. I’m currently 4.5lb below that target, at 10 stone 9.4lb, BMI 24.1. Since hitting target I’ve not gone back over it, but hovered within a range of 5lb under.
I’m still taking a 2.5mg dose each week at the moment, but hoping to gradually move off. I’ve not reordered for a while so that may force me to stop at the end of the pen I have yet to start.
I’ve not found it too bad so far, staying on 2 meals a day, lots of veg and salad, the odd treat but in controlled portions.
ww went on a all inclusive holiday for a week and I put on a couple of pounds but nothing too excessive despite eating and drinking what I wanted.
I think it’s really helped that my DH is also trying to lose and keep off weight so we’re in it together.

I’m enjoying wearing clothes that fit and look nice.
I’m exercising every day and enjoying that.
i am a bit nervous of keeping it all off long term, I want to stay this weight now.
We’ve got a long trip coming up (3 weeks) it’ll be interesting to see where we are when we come back. Hopefully not put on too much.

Hi, I’m coming up to my target weight which obviously I’m thrilled about after being obese for so long! Very worried about the weight piling back on. For me it was the constant feeling of hunger/not being full and having no off switch to food. Honestly I never stopped thinking about food!
Anyway, looking at swift for maintenance. Has anyone used? Need to change asap as BMI hovering just above 25. Thanks!

Fantastic loss @gimmemounjaro . Gentle taper sounds like a good plan.

@HesDeadBenYouCanStopNow that all sounds really positive. I think it is satisfying to know that you can put a few pounds on and then lose them again -or at least it is for me.

welcome @Starlightstargazer I don't know Swift, but someone else on here might. Congrats on nearly reaching goal weight too.

I forgot to say, that I'm still the same weight. I seem to gain a pound or two, lose a pound or two, but essentially hover at around 2lb either side of my goal weight. I have definitely shrunk further though. All my clothes are looser, so I can only assume that I am toning up and the wobbly stuff is shriveling more. I think because I'm crepey, it just takes longer for the shrinkage to happen 😂.

So WWJ and I’m still losing. I don’t get it
I’m eating another 600c a day and generally do eat 1800.
sometimes I go over and sometimes more like 1600
But always way over my 1200 when was trying losing weight
I am now the lightest I have ever ever ever been
I got to 10.10 on ww 25yrs ago or so and struggled to keep it there and face looked gaunt
I wanted to be 11s as I can keep it there but if I gain to 11.5 tech back to overweight so have leeway of 4/5lbs
I got to 1010 this time and face ok but didn’t went to go lower as bmi is 23
im now 10.7
tho guess gives me a 7lb leeway before holiday
but I’m not trying to lose weight
I had lost 6s and happy with that. Then 6s 4 and all fine
now it 6s 11.
almost 7s and I’m not trying to lose it now

I only have to look at food to put on weight. Home tomorrow from a weeks holiday with good bread & cheese.

My bmi was at 22 but I'm short and only need 1000 call a day.
On 7.5mg but missed this week's jab as on hols 😬...5mg was too low.

Hi all

Hope it’s ok for me to join!
I started in January and have lost 5 stone, current BMI 24 and like others, one eye on maintenance! I’d ideally like to lose another half a stone to take me to 23 and give me some
leeway ( also hopefully lose the stubborn fat on my stomach and upper abdomen!!).

I’ve got a maintenance call with Oushk next month but not yet got an idea of what that will look like. I do have hope, I was away for just over 2 weeks until last week and didn’t take a
pen with me. I definitely felt hungrier the second week ( could have been because we were walking an average of 22k steps a day!!), came back and lost 4 pounds!!! Anyway hope
it’s ok for me to lurk and read while I get my head around maintenance!

have a great weekend all!

I’m sure after my holiday I will gain it back

2kg back on.
Mixture of white baguettes & ice cream.
Jeans feel tight so back on it

I have started cutting back (currently taking 5mg every 9 or 10 days) but have completely missed a dose as it's my birthday this week and I don't want to risk feeling nauseous when we go away. It's 12 days since I last jabbed and today I actually felt hungry, with a rumbling tummy. I plan to observe that feeling, and not try to immediately solve the hunger.

That sounds really good @Blondeshavemorefun . Do you want to keep losing or is it time to add in a few more calories?

@2025istheyeari good to see you here and congratulations on all that you have lost. Let us know how it goes with Oushk.

@Dithercats in a way I think it is good to know that you can put a bit on and lose it again. Life is like that and we are all going to have times when we eat a bit more or do a bit less and the pounds will come back on. As long as we can lose it again before it stays there permanently, then we will be fine. Let us know how it goes.

@20bloodypounds I did notice lots of things as the MJ left my system, but for me it has mainly stabilised again and I mostly find that if I am hungry now, it is because I am genuinely hungry and not food noise! It did take me a while to recognise all of that, so observation sounds like a good plan.

Like you @Dithercats I'm short, yesterday BMI was 22, today after a couple of pounds on it is 22.6! I fly on holiday today with no access to scales. I've jabbed 3.75 and won't jab again for 9/10 days, hopefully I stay on the straight and narrow and don't go crazy. I'm definitely not ready to lower the dose again. I did about 8 weeks on 2.5 but I wouldn't say it was food noise, more dopamine seeking behaviour. Just mindless eating and pushing my stomach to feel stretched. When I get back from holiday I think I will remain on a higher dose and get the eating back under control again. I'd ideally like to keep my BMI at 22, although being so short it doesn't give a lot of rope and I'm struggling a bit with that need for control - daily weighing and to some extent adjusting depending on the scales (although have been ignoring the gains over the last couple of days). I was giving myself just a 2lb buffer but I'm now just within the original buffer I set. I'm still a very healthy weight, my clothes fit but I want it to stay that way! I think I also need to rethink how my buffer works...

No I don’t want to lose anymore

I added back my 500 tdee and app said to eat 1860 instead of 1200 I have been having

I honestly don’t think I can eat more but also don’t want to as don’t want to start gaining

I will reduce again after my holiday. I did go to 7.5 but starting to get hip pain again so Increased back to 10 for my holiday as want to enjoy it

Checking in.

I have about 5 pounds to lose as and when but I'm mid tapering off. I was only on a low dose anyhow.

I'm getting used to feeling properly hungry again.
When food noise pops up I'm using cbt techniques to understand what the trigger is.
I reminded myself of proper portion sizes whilst I was on mj so that's helping too.

Prepare for whinges as the last few mls of mj leave my system. 😁

@blessingindisguise22 good luck as you taper off. Give it a bit of time and see how you go. I found that things did settle significantly after a bit of a bumpy start.