What happens when you stop?

[Greenpolkadots]

I’m considering MJ. But I don’t think I can afford it long term due to a low income.
I can take it short term - probably 6 months.

What will happen once I need to stop eventually? Will the wait just pile back on?

*weight not wait!

It's like any other weight loss programme, if you go back to your previous habits then you risk putting weight back on. The idea is to try to change your habits and lifestyle so that doesn't happen.

Sadly, statistically it's very likely you'll put weight back on. But, statistically, that's true regardless of how the weight is lost ie it would be the same without the use of WLI's.

Personally I think I will have to stay on them in some form for life

My plan is to work on changing the way I live while I am on it, so eating better, exercising more and drinking less alcohol. I have decided I will use it for 6 months, then consider if I can come off and lose whatever weight is left to lose without it.

So I guess it depends on how much you need to lose, and how well you tackle your bad habits.

If you go back to your previous eating and drinking habits then yes the weight will go back on.

There’s a thread about this somewhere here. The OP stopped 6 months ago and has regained 6lbs but is happy with that as I think she went below her initial target anyway. One comment that really resonated with me was that, going forward, you simply need to make every single decision a good one in terms of eating healthily and controlling portion size etc

I completely agree, and you would need to do that whatever way you chose to lose the weight. MJ is just helping you to get there

Statistically it's very likely it will go back on. I'm resigned to needing to pay for it for the very long term.

The actual cost is reduced when you factor in all the food that you don't eat and buy, as you usually can't manage to eat the same volume and often types of food that you used to. A lot of people have gone off sweet treats, unhealthy snacks, takeaways, alcohol etc it affects the dopamine link so many save via not fuelling addictions too.
For best results, mounjaro is best used with a calorie controlled diet, over the time of taking it, stomach will shrink and making better food choices should help after you come off it.

What “statistics” are you referring to? I can’t imagine there is that much out there yet as MJ has only been licensed in this country specifically for weight loss relatively recently.

The statistics aren't based on mounjaro specifically - rather they are based on people who lose weight - regardless of how they do it. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-people-diet-lose-weight-and-gain-it-all-back

But if you stop taking the medication that is helping the weight loss then you're just the same as anyone else who's lost weight via diet. If someone falls back to their original eating habits then it's going to cause weight to go back on.

This is only one person's experience, but here's mine-

I did MJ for about 4 months last year and lost 10kg. I stopped abruptly, partly as I was planning to slowly come off them and also partly as I had a bereavement that essentially took over my entire life for the next six months. During this time, calorie counting or even being aware of my weight was the last thing on my mind and I regained 5kg.

I am now back on MJ and have lost that weight that I gained, and intend to continue this time until I get to my target weight. However having seen how easy it to put the weight back on if you come off the injections and aren't remotely mindful, I am aware I will need to be stricter and try and use this time on the injections to intentionally build better habits.

I am aware that if I am unable to be on the jabs for the rest of my life (unlikely) then I will have to intentionally calorie count. This has always been difficult for me to do alone, but I am going to try harder to do this intentionally.

Come off the jabs and start to consume too many calories: you'll put the weight back on.

Come off the jabs and figure out your maintenance calories and stick to them: you'll stay the same weight or thereabouts.

Same as any other weight loss method.

Well exactly. People try to disparage WLI by sneering that users will put the weight straight back on “and more” once they stop when in reality, that is the danger with any other weight-loss method.
But when you are SO overweight and the journey to a healthy body is such a huge one, it can be easy to feel so despondent you can’t even begin and “what the heck, one more cupcake won’t make a difference.”
But once you’ve had such amazing help in getting that weight off, hopefully learning new habits along the way, it’s easier to keep it off with a maintenance I take than eat what is required in order to lose massive amounts(over a long period of time).

I took it for 5 months and lost nearly 3 stone.

Been off it 3 months and not gained anything.