Mounjaro: Do you feel like this is the final weight loss journey?

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I don't know why, but there's just something about Mounjaro that makes me feel like I will never yoyo and regain again. Do you feel that way too?

I don't intend to stay on the medication long term - I have a plan for coming off it and future maintenance that I believe I can do because of the work I have done on Mounjaro.

That said - I firmly believe there are people who will need Mounjaro for life, not because they have bad habits but because their biology will never be conducive for weightloss/maintaining a lower weight without it.

I sincerely hope so.

I haven’t really yo-yoed previously. Just steadily put on a few pounds a year until I found myself at 50 with 4 extra stone. Actually, I had once or twice lost a few pounds and up to 1.5 stone but could never sustain the effort of the diet long enough to lose it all. Then it would slowly creep back on.

What I hope, and plan, is to keep the habit I’ve got into of daily weighing and never allow myself to go over a certain weight. If I hit my threshold a couple of weeks of effort should sort it out. I can do a couple of weeks on willpower alone so I don’t see why I would need the MJ. The daily weighing will be really important though because I hardly ever weighed myself before now.

I haven’t yo yo’d really in the past so I hope this will be it for me.
I have always exercised since DD1 was born 11 years ago but not actively been trying to lose weight so was always in an overweight BMI.
When I got pregnant with DC3, it was a high risk pregnancy so I stopped exercising and I put on almost 2.5 stone from being pregnant and breastfeeding. I just let it all go. I’ve stopped bf and started exercising again but wasn’t really losing weight. MJ has helped me to lose the weight and I’m close to having a healthy BMI again.
When I stop using MJ, I plan to not stop exercising to maintain aa I’ve done before and continue to be mindful of everything from food etc. Also not getting pregnant anymore so even better.

I feel like Mounjaro is the end solution in terms of major weight loss. I feel I can get to my ultimate goal weight using it, which I've never been able to do before. I don't believe I'll put it all back on afterwards. Having reached my goal, I feel that I can have the mental attitude to maintain it and take preventative action if I start gaining again.

But taking these injections has proved to me that there is a medical reason why I'm prone to gaining weight. In that respect, I think that if I stopped mounjaro, I would regain some weight. I expect to either stay on a low maintenance dose long term or use it intermittently if I find it hard to maintain goal weight.

Yes, but I will stay on it.i even told my doctor this at my check up yesterday, I will stay on a low maintenance dose for life. If I find my weight increasing, I will increase the dose.

However I also clearly had developed some form of medical issue, ie insulin resistance or metabolic disease, whether the weight caused that or vice Versa I don’t know,

even if I hadn’t though, I would still stay on, the health benefits are enormous and quite frankly I’ve had decades of either yo yoing or struggling to maintain, feeling deprived, hungry etc, and it’s shit. The food noise, the hunger, the deprivation.

id pay the money every month just to not have to do that.

I understand I am one of the lucky ones in that I can afford this, but I do beleive within a decade, obesity will be a very minor problem in western society, as the drugs will become cheaper, more will become available, and every obese person who can take them will.

I also understand a lot of negativity and resentment on this forum, but where that comes from obese people, they also will be able to get their hands on the drugs in the next few years and that resentment and envy will go. The novelty will also wear off, and it will be mainstream.

I hope so. I’ve yo-yo dieted since I was 18 and I’m 40 now. If maintenance dosing isn’t available then my feeling is I’ll do the major weight loss now (5-6 stone) and then I’ll probably go up and down a stone from there once I stop. I really hope I have it in me to stop myself regaining it all but I guess past experience shows otherwise. But yes I hope I will never have to lose this amount of weight again in one go.

Well if this doesn't work for me, nothing will and that will feel incredibly depressing :( To be honest, I don't know how I'll handle it, especially if I'm a few hundred or eve thousand pounds down as well. I don't think I'll handle it well.

Right now though, I am optimistic I will finally reach my goal weight :)

Yes I do really feel this is working for me and I am learning through my weight loss journey how to eat correctly, and maintain. I am 8 weeks in, have lost 25 1/2 lb, and it’s changed my life.

I started at 28 stone and have a long long way to go, but I am excited for the future healthier me…..luckily I have no known health issues, but I’m already feeling the benefits and have lost 6, and 5 inches off my waist and hips, my knee doesn’t hurt so I am out walking again.

Yes. Totally! 5 1/2 stone down and never going back!

Yes for me this is the only thing I've seen as realistically working for me long term. I haven't been a yo-yo dieter as much as some have but I've lost a couple of stone on two particular occasions and not been able to maintain it so I've made my peace with potentially being on this for a long time, if not for life.

In theory I will try coming off it when I reach my goal weight which I'm hoping will be this year (but may be next year) but I'm planning to switch to a provider with a good maintenance plan (like Oushk) before I get below 30 BMI in case I do need to do this forever. I'm not chasing total suppression like some people are, I'm more using it in a way to 'prop up' sensible choices so I hopefully have the chance to retrain my brain. I'm hoping also to be in a regular exercise plan when I reach target so I'm hopeful that will help. I'm also currently in a better financial position than I have been for a long time and trying to make some better choices in that way to invest in my general health and wellbeing to make a healthier lifestyle easier.

I'm prepared to stay on it forever so as long as it continues to help me eat like a normal person then yes. I feel like it's a literal miracle to be honest.

Oh I have very intention of staying on this or whatever comes next forever! The lack of food noise and desire to drink are life changing!!

Yes. I'm now 9 and a half stone and intend to stay here

Without MJ though I feel this won't happen. I truly know how to eat healthily and all about nutrition. I could honestly undertake a phd on it all so for me, it's not about ' new healthy habits'

MJ has done something to my physiology so without it, I'll revert back. I just know it

However I'm reluctant to take it forever more so I'm going to explore where the minimum I can get away with taking on maintenance and maintain my weight

I find this really interesting. I've read lots of comments on here and other sites from people who are knowledgable about nutrition and what they should be eating (including myself - I have learnt so much over the years from undertaking so many different diets!). And I think this really proves that there's something else going on inside which makes us revert to bad choices. I feel so good when I eat well but there's always that demon inside of me craving sugar etc. and I can't let it go. I'd love to know more about it.

Well done on your weight loss by the way. 9st 7 is my ultimate goal. I start on Friday and my SW is 12st 2. How much have you lost to get there?

@discoballv Hi and thanks! I was just a touch under 15 stone and have lost about 5 and a half stone. Started last April and I was into the 9s by November but it's very slow now, chipping away at it

I've slowly accepted that for me, I can't fucking control myself! I have no idea why. I've spent decades thinking people (me included) who just binge or stuff down 3 magnums in one go or entire tubes of Pringles etc are just greedy: I now think differently and I believe obesity is a disease for some people

I suffer with a lack of self control when not on MJ. I also suffer with that ' oh I've eaten a chocolate bar and ruined it all so now I'll eat a load more for a few weeks, put another half stone on and then I'll start the cycle again'

On MJ, I eat what I think is normally. I often have a bar of chocolate or some ice cream. I eat pasta a few times a week, whatever I want. I don't cut carbs. I just eat three times a day with one snack and I eat about 1500 calories a day, sometimes 1800 and sometimes 1300 but my average is definitely 1500. And crucially - I don't feel out of control if I eat day, sometimes macaroni cheese followed by a pudding. I keep the portions smaller and just ... eat it without thought?

So that's the difference for me really. I can also 'feel' my body is dealing with the food I eat differently. It's processing it differently

I know that sounds weird 😀

Sounds like you're smashing your journey so far!

@discoballv sorry - misread slightly! You're starting at 12 stone 2? You'll honestly be in the 9s by summer

I hope so, but I’m not getting too excited as I’ve thought that before with things 😞

I know I’m dependent on it which isn’t a great feeling and I more than likely would regain when I come off so I suspect I’ll need it for life to maintain.

I’m just waiting for some sort of supply issue or risk of long term use to be found!

Like @FerretChops i feel I’m eating “normally” for once. Like one of those people who doesn’t think about food all the time and can forget about a half finished chocolate bar in the drawer 😱
I definitely could eat healthier, it’s a bit chaotic at times eg having wine and mini cheddars for dinner 😬 but the volume I’m having is so much less and I can stop at one packet of mini cheddars!

Thank you @FerretChops - yes I am starting at 12st 2 but this is around the smallest I've ever been in my adult life. I lost 2st recently loosely following low carb and intermittent fasting but have gained half a stone since the summer as I always hit a point where my brain can't do it any more. We sound very similar - I could have written your last post!

Do you think how you feel on MJ is just how normal people feel and eat? I can't imagine it! I too have always thought I am just greedy and why can't I control myself. I have been desperate to be thin ever since I was a pre-teen and feel like shit when I binge on rubbish food, so why isn't that enough to stop me doing it?

You have done exceptionally well. I bet you are thrilled!!

Yes it has been life changing for me, I have lost 4st and a few lbs in 18 weeks and I'm not quite done yet.
I am also under no illusions that I will probably need MJ for the rest of my life.

I am cautiously optimistic as I don't think that I can take another round of losing and gaining back 5 plus stone.
If this doesn't work it is give up or weight loss surgery and that isn't guaranteed to stick.
When I was 17 I developed binge eating tendencies and I am now 40. MJ has cured this whilst I am on the jab so will likely stay on it or some variation of it for life.
I have never truly got to goal.
Been about 1 1/2 stone over and then gained back weight.
I wouldn't say the jab is life changing for me at the moment but it will be if I can finally get to my goal weight and maintain.

All the studies suggest when you cone off it you get rebound hunger and 99% regain

I don't intend coming off it ever for this reason get it free for diabetes so no reason to.

I don’t think so.
Inevitably I will need to reduce/come off it because if/when my bmi gets low enough I’m sure they’ll stop prescribing it.
Although I haven’t looked into what maintenance might look like so possibly.
i’ve got PCOS which has caused insulin resistance. It’s been virtually impossible to shift weight before, my body just clings on to it for dear life. Somehow this has reset/balanced out my hormones and the weight has reduced. My periods are returning now I’m back to a fairly sensible weight and my has obviously put the balance into my hormones where it was all off kilter.
when I come off MJ the balance will
tip again and I imagine the weight will flood back on and I don’t know how to stop that happening.

Why let your bmi get so low they need to stop prescribing why not have a target weight and use it for maintenance to that weight, so for example I’m aiming for 23 bmi.

Not a private patient, but surely if you used to be obese you would 'qualify ' for a maintenance dose? As otherwise most people would just regain and have to be prescribed again when they hit the bmi they needed to be? Which would be far unhealthier than just staying on a maintenance dose?

I don’t know when they would stop prescribing, I ought to ask them. I also don’t know what maintenance looks like. Is it just one jab a month, or 2.5 every week? I’m going to have a look at some of the maintenance threads. I’m still a way off it yet but need to get my head around it.
Good point, I haven’t got a target in mind, I just needed to shift some weight before I put myself into diabetes territory. I’ve lost almost 3 stone and the difference in how I feel is staggering. I’ll have a proper think about a target.