Piling the weight back on when stopping MJ

[Richtea67]

Hi all....I'm so disappointed. I lost 3 and a half stone, have been off injections for a month and regained nearly 7lbs 😩. I was a slow loser (1-2lb per week) and focused on changing habits and reducing portion size rather than diets/calorie counting (this has led to binging previously). I have kept up with a lot of the habits (smoothie for breakfast, cutting out alcohol and healthy high protein snacks). But portion sizes have definitely gone up as I'm hungrier! And I've been more tempted by the biscuits at work and the kids treats! Any advice?? I'm considering re starting if I put too much weight on, but financially this would be a struggle, which is part of the reason I came off them. My starting weight was 14.5 stones, weight when stopping injections 11 stones and at present nearly half a stone back on!! Help!

"I’d track calories for a week, scrupulously, and aim for what should be your maintenance level of calories at your current weight. I would try to fill up with protein and lots of leafy/non-carby veg to try to avoid the snacking".

Golly, none of us have ever thought of that, thanks so much for the tips. If only we had known that before.

Hey, if you take it once a month, can I ask how you make sure you don’t go over the 30 days? Isn’t there a thing about not keeping the medication outside the fridge for longer than 30 days? Seems like it would be quite wasteful otherwise?

But they don't give it as opinion. They give it as fact and advice. Incorrect fact and advice. Which is both damaging and incredibly patronising.

You know it's just us stupid lazy fat people! We don't understand what healthy eating and portion control is. ....

Also, have you considered walking? 😂

The thing is though, depending in your stats 1600 is maintenance calories to be a healthy weight for a lot of people. Also those men were only given carbs to eat it seems like (potatoes, bread, macaroni.) No wonder they felt like shit!

I came to the conclusion that I was addicted to sugar because I only binged and overate specific things that were full of sugar. I had zero portion control in front of certain foods only. the food noise was gone when I cold turkey stopped sugar (not even fruit) however the emotional cravings meant I experimented with keto desserts and treats, like an addict desperate for anything. I like how keto and low carb treats taste but they're kind of slowing my weight loss a bit and they still don't hit this 'emotional void' that sugar did, so I'm slowly losing interest in keto treats. I am eating things that taste good but my brain is still craving the sugar.

All the almond flour and sweeteners in the world are just not giving me the high and soothed feeling that sugar gave me before feeling sick and self loathing.. kind of like binging on alcohol then punishing myself with a hangover and shame. A part of me craves that cycle because it's a well established pattern.

I think taking out sugar is forcing me to deal with my feelings because keto/low carb food just doesn't fill the emotional aspect. It tastes good, I feel amazing, but emotionally empty sort of. It's early days for me though so I'm very optimistic. I know at the core I need to deal with my feelings in a healthy way and avoid sugar like an addict avoids their drug. Maybe some other bodies can process sugar differently but I know I can't and can't afford more of my life wasted trying to 'manage' sugar is like an alcoholic trying to socially drink again.

Because obesity isn't simply about a lack of willpower or motivation!

"But why can't you? Surely once someone has lost the weight (quickly and easily with WLI) then it must be easier to control what they eat, go to the gym, walk, etc. as they will want to stick at their new weight and not pile it all (and more) back on?"

This makes no sense and shows such a lack of understanding. We always wanted to be slimmer, just as yes, of course we want now to stick at our new weight. I It wasn't enough, if it was that simple we never would have been obese in the first place.

It's the same, for me anyway, regarding alcohol, I knew for years that I drank too much and of course I wanted to cut back, being well aware of all the downsides. Like many, I said time and time again over years I would cut back or stop. I just couldn't. If wanting to do so was enough I would have done it. It wasn't. If it was that easy why would anyone ever have an alcohol problem, when the evidence of harm is so clear? Since being on MJ (nearly 5 months) I have had probably five single glasses of wine. I was at a bottle of day at times before.

without MJ, losing weight is a full time effort for me. I have no energy or headspace for anything else. And food is everywhere - it's like sending a gambling addict to a casino and asking them to just try to gamble less.

I think things like portion size and resisting temptation and understanding need Vs want are the lessons that should be learned whilst taking MJ. The fact that you haven't means that the weight is going back on. As others have said track your calories for a week see how much you are actually eating now. You literally can't have your cake and eat it. You can either eat and put on weight or stay strict and stay the weight you are. MJ is the quick fix. The hard work starts now.

@BurnoutGP whilst I understand your sentiments totally and it’s complicated as plenty have hormonal and medication weight issues too , it’s a really individual thing and some are indeed fat for those very reasons, yes I accept it’s a disease and disordered mentally but it would be silly to think that many aren’t fat because they do indeed have these issues-portion control on evening dinners was definitely my issue and I own that . My 27 year old son is overweight because to be frank he drinks too much beer and likes Korean fried chicken , cheese and ham toasties or steak and fries etc and isn’t over fond of veg or salad- he eats the wrong things, drinks too much beer and isn’t that keen on gyms - that’s all there is to it in his case .

Portion control is very hard. Constant hunger isn't a normal state of being, some people might get a warped gratification from it but others don't experience it that way. It can take time, you're relearning basically everything to do with your relationship with food so nobody should be beating themselves up about and nobody should be beating other people up about it either.

The continual wilful ignorance of the actual problems people have with food is getting really fucking boring.

@SaltedPotato yes, most of us know all that very well. Many have been on various programmes, some for years. Slimming World, WW, Cambridge, all the rest. I myself used a calorie counting app called Nutracheck. I am also a doctor. I understand "portion size and resisting temptation and understanding need Vs want" perfectly well. The fact that you think we don't shows that you are not in our boat, luckily for you!

It's never 'impossible' to lose weight.
Difficult, oh yes.
You would find that out quite quickly if you were unfortunate enough to become unwell, or experienced a food shortage, war, or famine.

I think most of you would find that out, eventually, if you just actually stepped out of your SUV's for long enough to work up a sweat. We might be able to have walkable towns once again!

People have convinced themselves that activity isn't necessary. That there isn't a remote possibility of reducing the volume of food. This is misleading no matter how difficult it is once the body has reached a much larger 'set point'.

The country needs better mental health care for food addiction, that's for sure, and more resources to steer parent's into avoiding their children becoming obese.

If you are very obese then I would imagine you ought to be prescribed the drugs for as long as they benefit your health. Perhaps for all time - same as with blood pressure or statins.

I came off it 6 months ago after a 3 stone weight loss. I put on about half a stone, as I expected, but I have managed to maintain now.

Having said that, it is NOT easy to maintain - I've just had to accept that I'm going to be hungry a lot of the time.

MJ does not rewire your brain. Most obese people are obese because our brains do not "learn" this. Believe it or not we are not stupid just because we are fat. We know portion size and healthy eating probably better because we have been trying to "learn" our whole lives.

Blaming fat people for out of town retailing is novel, got to give you that.

Op i think if you have started gaining weight again it's time to think about why you are over eating in the first instance. The injections are designed to give ppl a chance.at weight loss by suppressing their appetite whilst they lose weight they are meant to learn better habits, let the stomach shrink as well as it would have slightly following the drop in calorie and over all get use to eating less and eating better. The injections are not the cure to over eating, otherwise ppl would need to be on them forever or you simply wouldn't over eat ever again. I would speak to the advisors and find out if it's too early for you to come off as part of the actual plan of the injections and in the mean time get experimenting with different cooking ideas of how to make healthy treats that are higher in protein and fiber to help you beat those cravings. Good luck Op.

"Most of you "???
You mean us fat stupid lazy people?
Jeezus

I second this. It is hard to maintain but it is so motivating to be in lovely clothes and look good. I have accepted I need to weigh myself daily for th rest of my life and not put my head in the sand ever

It's like trying to teach people on low incomes how to make cardboard meals. You can feed your whole family for 25p a week!

When in reality nobody knows how to budget better than people on low incomes.

That is in fact not in any way shape or form how these drugs are designed. NOT.AT.ALL.
What are your qualifications to state this?

I can’t be the only person that knows people who have lost 4 or 5 stone ( not via wli) and have maintained it- give or take a stone or so - they’ve certainly not gone up by 4 or 5 stone again. It is doable for plenty but they have all said to me when I’ve asked that they now weight themselves weekly, and lose a few pounds at first sign of it going up , don’t eat deserts or cake very often at all , those that drank drink far less and every single one has upped their exercise somewhat . This is from people in their 40s to late 60s. They gave all said too they can’t eat as much now they are smaller anyway

And in fact all the newer studies are showing that yes these drugs will likely be needed for long term maintenance. Again they have not been designed for quick fixes/teach your brain etc etc