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!

yes I still reorder as if I have use up the pen but I don’t use up the pen in one month
I can make it last 2 sometimes 3 months

You know that 5lb/half stone you lost in your first 7/10 days.... That was water weight. Whatever weight you finish on, I'd always add 5-7 lbs onto it as your true weight, these jabs really dehydrate you. That saying, either up the exercise or decrease the calorie intake, or you will sneak it all back on within 6 months

I sometimes wonder if the fact that the weight loss happens so quickly, if it effects how quickly people rebound after stopping.

If, instead of losing whatever lb's per week they gave half or even quarter of the doses and you lost the weight 4 x slower. WOuld this give people time to work with the drug in changing their eating and exercise habits slowly, whilst their bodies became adjusted to it rather than the overnight sensation of turning off the hunger signals.

A pen would last 4 x as long. It wouldnt necessarily be any cheaper or more expensive. The effects might be more of a build up. slow burn process and it would enable gaps in the market for support in helping make lifelong changes rather than always relying on the drug.

Not as sexy as dropping from size 16 to a size 8 in a few months but might give people the chance to get something long term out of it rather than easy come, easy go.

To maintain the weight lost you need to go very low carb, basically mimicking the way the drug works with diet, ideally keep exercising, oh and eat lots of protein which will curb the hunger somewhat.

Weight loss drugs are no different to liposuction : if you don’t change your lifestyle you will just get put the weight on again.

Sorry to hijack but no adult should ever mention diets to a child. My child has an eating disorder. ED'S are often due to their parents obsessions with food.. If a parent is constantly on a diet or stressing about food you are increasing risks of your child developing an ED. It's very complicated but that is a factor. it's not that you let them eat everything but common sense in giving your child a mix of food fruit veg and treats and exercise but never to make a huge deal of weight. I'm sorry your family member told you you were gaining weight that is really wrong. My child was called fat (she was thin but kids can be bitchy) by another child that triggered into this cycle. Kids need to be a certain weight to have periods. Puberty and hormones change women's bodies a lot as we all know. I think it probably works for people that comfort eat too its a disorder in a way the same as those that starve themselves but less dangerous so maybe not taken as seriously. It's a really sad thing to be constantly thinking about food it can take over peoples lives. When we went to the therapy there was a sign that said 'if everyone ate the same and did the same exercise, we would all still have completely different body shapes' I think that's the best message to give to all children.

Well, the OP asked for advice and that’s what she’s giving her. Stop shutting people down. The advice won’t be relevant to everyone but I for one love reading how people are maintaining their weight loss.

No, it's means compulsions.

Food noise is not craving for "unhealthy food" (well not in my case anyway). It's obsessive-compulsive type symptoms about food, full stop. I very rarely eat (or ate) anything objectively "unhealthy" in itself, but I just ate too much and too often.

Actually only a small % lose that quickly. The ones you see in tiktok or the ones who arw ridiculous with their calories. Most people lose slow and steady a few lbs a week. Which is perfectly safe.

Well said.

no, food noise is not cravings for unhealthy food. It's constant, intrusive thoughts about food. When to eat, what to eat, what about my calories, oh I can't eat any more but haven't hit the protein yet, but if I eat this now then I can't have dinner, what will I eat tomorrow etc etc. Constant.

I'm worried too I've lost 6 stone and have another 6 to loose ,I'm terrified I'm going to put it back on .
It's been so hard loosing weight even with mj ,I don't stand a chance without it .
I'm praying by the time I need a maintenance does there's a daily pill that's affordable

@BurnoutGP I see you offering only rather negative facts which isn’t really great to be honest as a GP - what is your solution then? That people have to accept either being overweight or being medicated towards appetite suppression for a lifetime and at considerable cost - ? Not trying to be a Debbie downer just realistic - Unless it becomes hugely cheaper many women don’t have GP income and cannot realistically budget an extra £140 a month ad infinitum just so it keeps their weight down and for those who are only 1 to 2 stone above ideal but can maintain that , I would rather not limit myself in terms of what I can eat without feeling shit . - and I’m not talking cakes, biscuits etc - even home made stir fry’s with a bit of a kick or curry’s with cauliflower rice gave me off guts and heartburn the next day . I would rather simply be a bit over the ideal and be relatively fit -and good vitamin intake.this is all totally different to those with BMIs over 35 etc or diabetics ( who I can totally see why it benefits) and yes I don’t have a down on MJ although it wasn’t for me after 6 weeks - I do have a downer though on being negative about weight gain unless you stay on it from the outset without at least having a try without for a few months and sticking to new habits. ( diabetics aside) If they can’t and their weight goes back up then by all means try it again. It’s not free - you can’t discount that fact , and for all those saying you spend less on food, I certainly didn’t as was eating a lot of salmon, chicken breast, berries, good Greek yoghurt , tinned crab ( very nice) prawns, good salad - this doesn’t come cheap either - and yes I do know quite a few who were diabetic who lost a fair bit by low carbing and high protein and haven’t regained over a significant period and not usedWLI - most did a keto type diet and whilst as you know you never say someone isn’t diabetic anymore their numbers are firmly in the pre diabetic range or even just below.

@BurnoutGP hope your bedside manner is a bit more pleasant than your forum manner by the way -My GP actually agreed with me and said whilst many do put weight back on it’s not a given -unless it’s medication reasons or underlying metabolic reason then a lot of it is consistency in good habits - for those that have metabolic reasons or diabetes then she recommended it whole heartedly -

I'm confused? You want me to lie /pretend so people aren't realistic in their expectations??

I'm very straight talking. I give honest facts to my patients. I am 100% behind this drug. But with correct information and education
I am afraid that every single study so far has showed weight gain on stopping?
Shall we pretend this isn't the case??

If they are needed for lifelong health, they should be available on prescription, just like antidepressants, insulin or thyroxine.

Really good post and I'm sorry your child and family are dealing with an ED x

Maybe in a decade they will be. At the moment that would bankrupt the NHS in a week.

Every single method of weight loss shows the same. We can stop pretending it's something big and scary about this medication specifically.

Would it not save the NHS money in the long run ,as obesity causes so many problems the NHS has to fix

They are available on prescription?

I knew almost as soon as I started taking it, that I'd never be able to come off it. It has completely changed my relationship with food.

As I see it, there are only 2 choices. Stay on it and stick to a strict maintenance calorie level going forward or come off it and somewhow stick to the calorie levels. I don't think the second option will work for me.

So I've decided that I will try to reduce my dose when I get to goal but I will keep taking it. Financialy, that's not ideal but it probably balances out ok because I no longer eat the amount of snacks/treats that I did before and that saves me a lot of money.

I've got 12 stone to loose to get to a normal BMI
I can't believe I let it get that bad ,I'm shocked at myself
But I'm not looking for the NHS to sort me out ,I'm paying for injections and giving up anything else I spend money on to afford them .
I put the weight on ,it's my responsibility to get it off , however I can .
But I've very worried about regain ,and I'd rather have the facts ,that a lot of people are putting weight back on ,so I can be prepared and plan for how I will manage that

When did I disagree with this? I am disagreeing with all the "this drug will teach you how to eat healthy food and portions" in a really short time and you will live happily ever after as a slim person. I am trying to give an educated informed opinion on long term use/stopping...which was what this thread was about.
My opinion is just as valid (dare I say more so) than all the anecdotal nonsense being spouted..