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.

Hi @Pinkyp22 I'm sorry you have been having such a stressful time.
I can't give any advice on maintenance as I'm in the same position as you and just trying to navigate it myself. I'm also considering how to use my remaining pens to come off completely (a 7.5 which ive now decided to take 5 from) and a 5 on order. My original plan had been to stay on a low dose for at least a year. I have been doing more exercise as I do think that's key - strength training and pilates plus walking. I've been using YouTube free content as can't afford a PT and hate gyms. I've found some good stuff - the key i think is to find content where they really focus on explaining form. Also to start at the right beginners level and work up. For me, Lucy Wyndham Read has lots using body strength and I did that for a long time before progressing to using weights. Pilates Live UK has some great sessions of different lengths and all levels and also separate detailed explainers of how to perform different moves. I've surprised myself by actually enjoying exercising after all these years!
Other than that, I'm hoping that focusing on protein and fibre will help the food noise somewhat. I really don't want to put the weight back on. We've got this!

Ah in that case I quite agree! GPs should definitely wait for evidence / instruction before prescribing to any random who has seen a video on TikTok claiming Mounjaro will improve their handwriting or whatever 😆

Hi @Fromthesidelines
Thanks so much for the reply.
I was trying to stay on as long as possible, but we are buying a house so I knew as soon as we move I'd have to come off, but now with this whole price increase thing it's not viable for me to be spending that much.

You are right there is loads of free content on you tube, it's just knowing where to start isn't it. I will search for her, thank for the recommendation.
I wouldn't go near a gym either, besides from feeling very out of place, It just wouldn't be an environment I'd enjoy.
I have a walking pad at home but that can get so very boring even when watching the TV.

Im also hoping focusing on protien will be key, I have learnt a lot over this year about myself and about how to better nourish my body, so fingers crossed.
If I could get the last fee stubborn lbs off I'd be really happy.

I get it. I had initially thought that I would probably stay on a lower dose to get me through the winter and possibly beyond. Knowing that my maintenance calories will be at my goal weight will be 1350 a day and that I’m likely to find that challenging, worries me without the safety net of MJ to manage the food noise. And yet, at the higher prices I don’t think I can stay on it long term.

Exercise wise, I loathe Gyms and haven’t the patience to watch videos, but I have got some surprisingly good work outs include strength training from chat GPT.

@Pinkyp22 – I’m so sorry to hear that you are having such a bad time of it. I’m the same as you, really not sure what to do with exercise. There is so much information out there, its difficult to know what to do for the best.

The decision regarding my new MJ pen has been made. I got an email, along with loads of other I suppose, to say that their stocks are finished and they wont be taking on any other orders at the moment. So I’ll just need to make my pen last as long as possible and hope for the best. I’m concentrating on logging everything on MFP and trying to ensure that I have enough protein.

I almost feel lucky that I’d been forced to come off cold turkey before this price hike. Although my food noise has hit me hard and I’ve been eating above my maintenance cals this week. I’ve put on a couple of pounds which I really need to tackle before it gets any worse.

Thank you for this thread. I am navigating gradually reducing my mounjaro, having been on it since February, and I am now back on the 2.5mg dose. It does feel I am on my own in this process, as my prescriber has not got given much information and it is all new to my GP. So I am very grateful for everyone else's experiences and advice. I am now at what I think of as my "normal weight", i.e. what I was before a period of long term steroid use, and I would be happy to stick around this weight, 60kg, BMI 22. Since I started reducing my doses, my weight loss has been minimal which is ok by me - I don't want to have to replace my wardrobe again!

The mounjaro, plus weight loss has helped to bring my type 2 diabetes seems under control with my last HBA1C well within healthy parameters for the first time in 2 years. Prior to starting mounjaro, I was on the maximum dose of metformin, but my sugar levels were not under control. I was waking in the small hours of the morning due to my blood sugars surging to high double figures. That resolved almost immediately once I was on mounjaro, even at the starting dose. Since being on mounjaro and with good all round scores on my last diabetes review, I have halved my metformin dose on the GP's advice. I'm waiting until I've come off the mounjaro before I try coming off metformin completely - if I do.

Ideally I would prefer to stay on a low dose of mounjaro instead of metformin to control the type 2 diabetes. But metformin is free (to me). And like for a few others, the mounjaro price rise could be the deciding factor.

Welcome @Pinkyp22 and @Fairyflaps . I hope I haven't missed any other newcomers - apologies if I have 😬.

I suspect that very sadly lots more MJ takers are going to find themselves going cold turkey much sooner than they would have liked. The price hike makes me feel so angry.

@Fairyflaps is there no way that your GP would consider you receiving MJ on the NHS? I just do not understand how a medical health professional wouldn't want to support such huge progress in your HBA1C levels. It just seems like madness to me!

I ordered mj last month but so far no dispatch email 🙄
I suspect my journey will end now but i'm happy as bmi 21 but desperately do not want to put on again....

Can I join this thread please? I've reached a BMI of 22 (November 2024 starter) and am currently maintaining on 5mg. I have quite a stockpile of pens in my fridge as I changed provider from Asda to Cloud and ended up doubling up on my orders for a few months. I got another pen arriving tomorrow from Cloud so I'm intending to carry on for the next 6 months with my current stockpile but may transition to Wegovy after that to carry on my maintenance journey.

I have just started a new relationship and my boyfriend commented yesterday that I am really little and he loved how I look. I haven't told him yet that I used to be 2.5 stone heavier or that I am on Mounjaro but I intend to let him know as I think its important to be honest. I really hope that he tells me that he would like me even if I was a bit bigger as I don't want too much pressure to stay thin as that might trigger me a bit to lose even more weight.

Hey! Can I join? BMI is now 21.3 (down from over 33!) and I’ve lost 5st 3lb. I want to lose another 2lb to get me down to 9st (BMI 21).

I’ve already started titrating off mounjaro and I’ve started back at the gym doing 2 weight classes (only probs 20kg max weights but it’s something) and one 5km run a week.
Highest dose was 7.5 and I’ve been on 5 the past 2 weeks, then I’ve got one 2.5 pen. Then that’s me done 😪slightly scared as I’m very hungry tonight … jab is due tomorrow! Glad I’m not needing to come off cold turkey but I’m in my panicky how can I do this mindset. I’ve found it so easy losing weight with mounjaro it’s going to be a massive adjustment, and I’m prone to yo-yo dieting.

I don’t calorie count and I think I need to start. So that’s one thing I can focus on. What have you found best to make the transition? My colleague suggested when I’m off mounjaro to take berberine & chromium picolinate so I’m thinking I may order to start once it’s ended. He’s a body builder type so seems to know his stuff. Has anyone used it before?

Wishing you all the best on your maintenance journeys. I think this going to be the hardest part!

Welcome @LilyRose88 and @Fluck . Hopefully lots of different experiences on this thread to help you.

@Fluck don't panic! It is ok to feel hungry, it is normal. It is what you do with the hunger that matters. Calorie counting sounds like it could work well for you. I calorie counted whilst I took MJ and for a while when I came off. I now know the calorie content of most of the things I eat, so I'm less regimented about it but when I gained 3 pounds I counted again until I lost them.

@LilyRose88 do you still plan to lose more or just maintain now?

@Dithercats that's great that you have achieved your goal BMI. What is your maintenance plan?

@MargoLivebetter i weigh everyday and so trying to keep on the same kg. If it creeps up I reduce what I eat the next few days. I have a really sweet tooth so can't keep much in or i will eat it, mj or not. I went down to 5mg mj but food noise was huge so back at 7.5mg now. Mj shipped today thankfully

@Dithercats do you know why you have a sweet tooth? What is it about sweet things that makes you want them so much?

My blood sugar is naturally very low, so i'm often trying to grab something that will quickly make it rise. When I need to eat it must be now. I also have a really beige diet as I have arfid - these high carb foods cause a high blood sugar which then crashes dramatically (reactive hypoglycaemia). It's a vicious cycle.

@Dithercats do you know why you have hypoglycaemia? Is it linked to any medications that you take? Do you get much protein in your diet? Have you tried to increase protein? I appreciate with ARFID you may be more restricted. That was my lightbulb moment, realising that for donkeys years I hadn't been eating enough protein. If finally helped me to end the constant feelings of hunger.

Yes it's linked to a gut issue is have. Has always been that way. Medics advise I eat 2 hourly to keep threads sugar stable.
I do eat protein yes so will try to up that and see if it helps
Thanks

@MargoLivebetter I think I will aim to stick at my current weight. I am now a size 12 top and a size 10 bottom (wretched boobs!) and that seems to suit me. My legs are quite skinny and I don't want to lose any more weight from them. I'm 9 stone 8 and 5ft 5.5 and I've got broad shoulders so need a bit of flesh on me.

I would hope that Mounjaro or other GLPs will become available to me on the NHS in time. Perhaps when they develop a tablet form, which will make storage and manufacture much cheaper.

Metformin is generic so it's cheap. I will say that the gut disturbance side effects of metformin, especially when I first started on it, were far worse than any I experienced on mounjaro. My GP had told me that the next prescription options for managing my type 2 diabetes would have caused weight gain as a side effect. This was part of the reason why I decided to try mounjaro, when the metformin even at maximum dosage was no longer keeping my blood sugars under control. I was already (and continue to be) on a low carb diet.

@Fairyflaps yes, I think it won't be long before there are generic versions of the GLP1 type meds too. I can't remember when the patents end, but I don't think it is that far off. Plus a tablet options too. I still think it should be an option for you at the moment on the NHS, but I guess we are where we are!

Just wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar.

I got to goal in May, losing over four stone almost exactly a year after starting. Apart from only one month on 2.5 I spent time on each dose going up. I finished on one month on 12.5 for the last push. In all that time side effects were fairly minimal. I ate a high protein, minimal UPF diet. I was able to eat out etc albeit smaller portions and choosing wisely. I coukd even enjoy the occasional glass of wine or two though never been a frequent drinker.
My plan was to go slowly down the doses to find a sweet spot for maintenance, hold it for a while and then try to come off but prepared to go back on if I needed to. Price issues may make that sooner.

I had a 10 but that actually felt stronger than I needed, so took 7.5 for the 4th and 5th dose and ordered a 7.5 next. On the last 7.5 from the 10 pen, I started to have side effects - sulphur burps (never had these before), feeling sick and out of sorts. So I only took 5 from my first dose of the 7.5 (last Thursday) but still feeling the same! I went to the pub with friends at the weekend and had half a lager and felt really weird and had a hangover the following day! I go on holiday on Friday and in my previous two have just cracked on with whatever dose I'm on but contemplating taking 2.5 as don't want to feel rubbish the whole time.

I have a 5 on order but taking 2.5 would extend its use.

I've been bobbing either side of goal weight so far. But just wondering if anyone else started feeling side effects this late in the journey!

@Fromthesidelines
well done on your weight loss !
I started sept and loss 3 stone had minimal side effects apart from 1 time when had large takeaway meal.
however 2 weeks ago went out for meal and drinks, but not many felt rough next day and stomach felt so weird for one week I have decided to stop it completely I am half a stone from goal but happy to stop now as it has concerned me and stomach still not %100 like you say weird as out of the blue.
only ever got as high as 5 ml have a pen left and 2 more in fridge plan was titrate down

Thanks. Interesting to know someone else has had something similar. Like you, I don't want to feel like this indefinitely. I may well use my remaining pen and the one on order to microdose if 2.5 still feels weird and then try to maintain alone. Be interested in how you get on. At least you have some back up to try again at a low dose if you feel you need it.

@Fromthesidelines yes I’ve had similar, first when I’d hit my WL goal and was on my 3rd 10mg pen, I started getting lots of indigestion, sulphur burps, then had an episode of projectile vomiting, it was horrific.
I dropped to 7.5 and all fine till toward end of pen 3, again 1 day of sickness and lots of indigestion.
I’ve been on 5 for 3 months now and have not had any side effects, generally feel good and I’m thinking of dropping down to 2.5 soon.
I think with the weight loss the higher strengths just became too much for me.
It did really worry me when it happened as it made me feel really unwell, although only for a short time, I couldn’t think of any food that it could have been linked to either.
I’m interested in the idea in taking a half dose of 2.5 but not there yet, so I’ll see how I feel once on 2.5.

Thanks @Itscoldouthere I'm going to take 2.5 from the remaining pen and see how I go. Your experience is encouraging. As you say it's probably the lower weight making the dose feel stronger.