Thanks for the thread OP@MargoLivebetter . It's lovely to see everyone maintaining or trying to maintain - with or without MJ, I hope we all succeed!
I started last February and have been maintaining since November. I'm maintaining with MJ for several reasons: One being that I'm on meds that cause weight gain as side effects (the reason I became obese in the first place); Two, for other unexpected health benefits I get from being on MJ such as no more sleep apnea, snoring and bruxism (I've not had to use my mouth guard since about two weeks into starting MJ. Prior to that, I used it everyday or I'd suffer the consequences). I have a couple of minor sleep issues as well that MJ seems to have dealt with and given me better sleep quality (although a certain high dose at one point gave me horrible insomnia so I had to go down).
I also have IBS - mixed, but MJ has made me more regular. I now have a bit of constipation but not anywhere near as bad as it used to be; I almost rarely have diarrhoea now.
My acid reflux that wasn't fully controlled with medication now behaves with MJ in addition to my meds. I very rarely need to take the extra tablets for bad days.
MJ has also stabilised my blood sugar and metabolism as they were out of whack. Food noise is rarely present; I can eat and be satisfied well before any damage is done. Every once in a while, I get extremely hungry or a bit of unusual food noise and once I eat, I'm fine for the rest of the time. I don't know why that happens but it's not often enough to be a problem - I assume it's my body needing a bit more extra than it has and I'm fine feeding it when it needs it rather than eating just for the sake of it.
Generally MJ has only added to my quality of life so I can't be without it now.
I eat healthy, eat less, basically no snacking, exercise as much as I can considering some health conditions I have, including fibromyalgia (I have a treadmill and exercise plate at home that I use when I'm able to). I was very active prior to illness and enjoyed exercising.
My maintenance strategy is to have the right dose that will enable MJ to remain stable in my system while giving me the same health benefits but with low-medium appetite suppression and low food noise. I was in the science field in my former life so I manage to find the right doses and schedule that help with this (I won't go into specifics as I don't want to give 'medical ideas/advice' but basically, I'll say that it's not always the same dose each jab time).
I have a maintenance weight range which means a leeway of 4lbs (or roughly 2kg) from my goal weight. As long as my weight doesn't fluctuate past 4lbs loss or gain at any time from my goal weight, I'm fine. If it does, I have to actively do something about it so it doesn't start creeping up/down - so either increase or reduce my calories again to get back to my goal weight or into my maintenance weight range. I feel this will help me not to fear gaining and losing the odd pound or two here and there or obsess over calorie counting until it's necessary, as long as I'm still (casually) mindful of what I eat.
Somehow I didn't realise how much I'd gained until...I did! Nothing worked to shift the weight until I found MJ. I needed to lose 4 stone to get to my former weight but I went further and lost 6 stone to get to my ideal weight which is right in the middle of 'healthy weight' for me, according to the nhs bmi calculator. I can't remember the last time I was this weight, probably before DC. BMI is 21. I hope to never go out of the healthy weight range again.
I'm still ordering my pens as normal and I go up or down as needed. My highest dose was 10mg. I currently order either a 2.5mg or 5mg pen but I'm not limited to those if I need to go up. I mainly use Cloud Pharmacy now but also use a couple of other providers if they're more affordable when I need to order. I don't need to specifically 'go on a maintenance plan' with anyone as long as they allow me to keep ordering at a healthy weight. I just want to carry on doing my own thing and know they're there to help whenever I have an issue or question.
My GP records show that I'm on Mounjaro and I spoke with my GP about it when I started. We were trying to find a solution to my weight gain prior to that and my GP suggested GLP-1 medication as one of the options but couldn't prescribe. I did my own research before I chose Mounjaro. So far, it's still working out. I'll see how my maintenance strategy goes by the end of the year and re-evaluate if needed.🤞