beginning to panic

[ashamedtramp]

ive used the injections very successfully for just over a year now, and am really happy with the results, but at christmas it was time to stop. my BMI was at 27, i was looking great and feeling great.

so i stopped.. and although i have not piled masses of weight back on, probs a couple of poounds, i'm panicing because my eating is now totally out of control and i don't want to be back there again.

i've now ordered another pen! i had to send photos in this time round, must be a new thing since i did them last year.

and now i wait for the answer.. what do i do if i can't have another prescription? am i destined to just get fat again? how do i curb these ridiculous binge eating sessions?

i really wish now, believe it or not, that i hadn't started the things in the first place, because i have been given happiness for the first time in years about my weight, and to attain it, im stuck (if i can get them) these injections.

anyone come off them successfully?

Why is your eating out of control? What changed from what you were eating on the injections to be able to lose weight.

After a year on injections you should have developed a lot of habits that would help you stop gaining weight rapidly again.

You might not get approved if your bmi is 27 unless your previous supplier provides maintenance and will prescribe again.

What's your plan to reduce what you are eating?

My good friend who was obese has been using the injections for two years. She has lost so much weight. Her doctor has been very clear about the fact that she will be on them for the rest of her life.

We live overseas and there's a different approach to the injections in many ways. I wonder if being honest about the lifelong need for them is one of them.

It might be time to look at getting some help with the binge eating, which is the issue you've been left with now that you've lost the weight.

There's the organisation BEAT which has lots of resources and ways to access help.

You will be experiencing lots of health benefits having lost weight, so it has been worth it even though you're not feeling that way right now.

@ashamedtramp this is my biggest concern and why I have accepted I will probably be using GLP-1s for the rest of my life.

I think it is very unfair for people to come on repeating the same old boring, uninformed lines, that you should have "use the time when you were on it to make changes to your diet" if when you are using the injections you don't have the compulsive behaviours that the GLP-1 hormones removed. How could you work on those compulsions when they were not there? Please do not feel you are in anyway a failure for this.

I am eating so healthy just now - lean grilled meat/salads/vegs/eggs and loving them - what I enjoy on mounjaro has changed, surely that is all I can do during this time to "change my diet", and even if that becomes a "habit", if/when I come off Mounjaro in the future and if that same food noise returns, I am sure I will have the same issue. If I had the capability to ignore that constant noise that was there from the moment I woke until I feel asleep at night and drove the compulsion to eat then I wouldn't have needed WLI in the first place!

Hope with your prescription history available you find someone who will take you on for maintenance. Good luck.

This is such an annoying response. Of course she made changes otherwise she wouldn't have lost weight. And exercise won't prevent weight gain. It's really hard to curb your appetite when coming off WLIs. There's a reflective response where your appetite seems to increase a huge amount. Also obesity generates further propensity for obesity even after losing weight.

Tell us you don't understand obesity without telling us etc

@ashamedtramp there are a few threads here about maintenance which might be useful to you to chat to people who are in a similar position to you. You can probably find them with an advanced search, I'd link but I'm on the app which makes it hard to search.

HOLD ON EVERYONE! @Spottyshirt has arrived to tell us how to do this better than we have been doing.

Right, taking notes:

To cure our lifelong obesity problems, we need to

1. Eat less
2. Move more and
3. Have therapy

I can’t believe I’ve wasted so much time and energy not trying this before 🙄

Oooh burn 🙄🙄

Therapy is not a magical bullet that is going to fix a biological response. WLI help regulate hunger hormones, metabolism, compulsions/cravings, so when someone stops, their body returns to its previous state. It isn’t about willpower; it’s about science. Weight management is complex, and answers like that attempting to shame someone for struggling (especially while advocating for therapy!) is unhelpful. Support and understanding go much further.

Therapy may be helpful for some people but it is not a substitute for medical treatment. It is like taking insulin from someone with diabetes and expecting therapy will regulate their blood sugar.

OP, you've done nothing wrong and have nothing to be ashamed of. This isn’t about ‘learning good habits’—the urge to binge eat isn’t a moral failing, and it doesn’t necessarily mean therapy is the answer for everyone.

I’m taking this medication long-term because, despite knowing how to eat healthily and exercise, my neurodivergent brain tends toward self-sabotage. For me, only medication has provided real support—believe me, I’ve tried therapy over the years!

I truly hope you get approved for another pen. But if not, or while you wait, please be kind to yourself. We all know that self-criticism won’t get us where we want to be. Instead, maybe focus on what feels manageable—tracking calories, meal planning, or whatever works for you. Most importantly, give yourself grace. You deserve it.

For a diabetic to try without insulin and "will" their blood sugar to regulate?

You say that like it's a stupid idea. It's really not - outcomes are indicating that it may be necessary to stay on it long term for maintenance and that's ok

Then what are you doing on the WLI boards anyway? How is your contribution helpful?

I’m saying that both obesity and diabetes are biological diseases, they are not just about willpower. Obesity isnt a "choice" it is hormones, metabolism, and brain chemistry, just like diabetes. If someone stops taking medication that was helping regulate these then their body naturally reverts.

The point of the analogy isnt to say they are identical, but to try to show that dismissing medical treatment and suggesting therapy ignores the science behind both of these serious conditions.

Clearly, you have a troublesome issue with either WLI or people with obesity, and are just on to shame and not be constructive. That is your personal issue to sort out for yourself, it is not my place to educate you on it. I won't be responding further - perhaps therapy, that you advocate for, might be helpful for you?

I hate to pop your bubble but it’s not an either/or.

Many of us are doing all these things AND taking the injections. And we still know that we’ll need to take this medication long term.

Why does that bother you?