Does it come back on once you stop?

[AbsoluteBeginner1]

Just wondering if people have seen this or have you kept it off? If this something for the rest of your life?

I want to know that too..

The likelihood is that it will. That's why prescribers are increasingly offering life / long term maintenance so you can stay a healthy weight.

Apparently if you stop using it, your appetite comes back big-time. I understand you have to staying at least a maintenance dose.

I’m planning on staying on maintenance dose.

It is like any other medication taken for a health condition. You stop taking it, the problem will return.

It is too early in the use of this to know for sure so I am doing what I can to give myself the best odds.

Strength training (alongside walking regularly) while losing the weight to minimise muscle loss (and ideally gain more muscle) while losing weight is the main thing but this is supported by a higher protein and fibre diet.

I feel (but I don't have evidence) that having higher protein and fibre is why I have only needed to go up to 5mg of MJ to lose the weight.

I have not tried to come off MJ yet but I am going to try to keep a stable weight for 6 months before very slowly decreasing, I don't know yet if it will work.

When you lose a significant amount of weight (using any method, not just WLI) your endocrine system releases hormones to increase your appetite and encourage weight regain, this carries on for at least a year after losing the weight.

I've read a lot of comments saying that people should use the time on WLI to reset their relationship with food and develop healthier habits. Obviously these are positive things to do in general, but these healthier habits may not be enough in the face of an super-charged appetite and an endocrine system actively working to drive weight gain.

I've lost more than 30% of my starting weight and have made lifestyle changes which I hope will be long-term, but I still plan to stay on WLI for at least a couple of years, if not indefinitely.

Well of course it will, if you go back to how you ate prior. This is not rocket science is it?

The GLP reduces your appetite so you eat less, resulting in weight loss. Stop taking it and your appetite returns…if you ‘give in’ to this appetite you’ll eat to satisfy it…and put weight back on.

Obviously we have options to control what we eat, so SOME people with impulse control will make good food choices. Others (I’d be one of them 🥴) would return to old habits and weight would creep back up 🤷‍♀️

Not sure how you were unable to work this out for yourself to be honest.

I've been off three weeks (.on the Feb staters thread). Financial reasons.

Week 1 fine. Ate as I did on the jab.
Week 2 a definite inclination to snack more ie the biscuits at work.
Week 3 trying to stay low carb to stay mindful.

I haven't gained - people still saying I look thin but I can see over time a few extra calories will add up over the year.

Its fab having had an easy way to shift 2 stone initially though and I stay hopeful it's the kickstart.

Also the fact it's summer and l'm in shorts helps

2 months off. Continuing weightloss via calorie tracking app. Food noise is back but seeing the results has helped keep me on track. I lost 20kg on Mounjaro. Ive since lost a further 4kg.
5kg to go to target.
All my bigger clothes have been charity bagged so there is no going back 😂Mounjaro and new clothes = £1,900. Thats my motivation (and I have some sort of abs I think) I did alot of weights as a chunk pre mounjaro, they were just hidden!

It depends on so many variables. The underlying reasons for weight gain, whether you’ve made lifestyle changes or just continued eating the same stuff and just relied on the appetite suppressant part to eat less of it, your weight history.

I am off and maintaining (lost another 5lbs actually) but I’ve totally overhauled my diet and exercise regime in that time, because MJ allowed me to make those changes and stick to them for long enough to become a new lifestyle. I also haven’t had a long history of obesity from childhood, mine happened after pregnancies and some personal life stuff. Up until then I’d generally been a healthy weight.

When I had my maintenance consultation, they asked about the above and my history with weight etc so we could find the right approach. For me that was just coming off, but for others who are perhaps more predisposed to obesity since childhood or have issues to do with insulin resistance or hormonal imbalances, then staying on might be more appropriate. It’s just a really individual thing.

The research says yes, in all likelihood you will gain most of it back. I did first find round. Second time round I will have to be so much more careful.

I think a lot of people simply don’t understand how this drug works. If you do then you would never ask this question. As a PP has said above, it’s a medication like any other , to fix a medical problem.

Obesity is a disease with fatal consequences not a lifestyle choice. Do not confuse obesity with needing to drop a few pounds because of poor lifestyle choices over a period of a few months. Obesity is a life threatening condition making those suffering from it miserable, often leading to a poor quality of life both physically and mentally. Not to mention a huge drain on NHS resources.

When I was obese I was prescribed blood pressure medication and statins for high cholesterol. When these drugs stabilised these conditions, my doctor didn’t say ‘ok time to stop taking them now’ .. because she’s not a brain dead. ! My bp and cholesterol stabilised BECAUSE I took the medication. Without them my BP/Cholesterol would return to dangerous levels within weeks. My GP expected me to remain on these medications for life.

MJ is the EXACT same thing. Mounjaro is a dual incretin receptor agonist, meaning it targets two hormones involved in appetite and blood sugar control. The two major issues that are prevalent in obese individuals. Crudely put, they stop you feeling constantly hungry and when you do actually eat ,( especially if you have educated yourself sufficiently to prioritise protein and complex carbohydrates. ) you feel satiated.

Therefore - no matter how much an obese person has retrained themselves to eat mindfully, the insulin resistance is still there without the medication and weight gain will inevitably happen. This is especially true for those who saw little weight loss on lower doses and only really got a good suppression and consequent weight loss on higher doses. (10/12.5/15mg) . Signifying a body with greater insulin resistance.

The irony is that one of the primary causes of insulin resistance is yo-yo dieting. So far from being the fat stupid people , unaware of the health issues from being obese - the opposite is true. We are often acutely aware of the issues and have spent half our lives desperately trying to battle our own bodies.

I’ve lost 4 stone with a sleeve gastrectomy, over a 2 year period and remained there . Still obese. I lost a further 5.5 stone over a 9 month period, with the majority of it lost in 6 months on the higher doses.. 10mg + .

I am on a maintenance dose of 7.5mg which I hope to remain on for life. As am now BMI 22.5 and with the exception of thyroxine. Medication free .

I wish I could afford the maintenance dose for life, I lost 6.5 stone and have put 1 back on since coming off the injections and feel awful

Don’t feel awful - you’ll eat more to compensate!
5 stone is amazing. Be proud that you are not 5 stone heavier. This is the new you.

Of course hormones play a part in insulin resistance ( it’s why women of a certain age get heavy middles regardless of previous shape) but clearly food is the major component of weight gain. No one can get fat without fuel.

Please don't feel awful. Your body is fighting to put the weight back on. Be kind to yourself. Every pound you keep off is a success

I lost 4 stone on Mounjaro and then I stopped because 10mg made me feel so ill. I titrated down on the advice of the pharmacist but once I got down to 2.5 I’ve never known hunger like it! I was waking up starving. Anyway I’ve ended up putting on 18lb which I’m gutted about but I seem to have stopped now and settled at this weight so I’m going to work to get the extra 18lb off but it’s not easy and part of me wishes I had just put up with feeling unwell!

Having looked at the science behind it and read a few peer reviewed studies.. I cannot see how you would not gain if your body is insulin resistant. Except possibly to be abandoned on a desert island with only coconuts to eat (even then we would almost certainly eat too many !)

The money is of course an issue . I am far from wealthy . However I kept a close eye on my ‘incidental’ food spending. (Coffees , pastries , sweeties from the petrol station.. at home nibbles ( bits of cheese , crackers , ham, chutney.. etc etc ) none of which I’m interested in on MJ. and I found that over 5 weeks I was still nearly £10 less than my £149 MJ pen. For me (previously Obese type Il BMI 36.. pre diabetic, BP meds and statins ) now BMI 22.5 no meds and great BP/Cholesterol. Health wise this is a priority cost .

Wow you've done amazingly well. 🤗