Thread 2 because we have reached our goal weights and we want to maintain not regain. We might be going cold turkey or titrating down or staying on!

[MargoLivebetter]

Can't believe we filled up a whole thread! Welcome to thread 2.

On a positive note to start us off, I've lost 1lb of the two that I gained from my autumnal apple crumble caper. Filling full of resolve and pleased to know I can gain a pound or two (which is of course completely normal) and then lose them again.

Oh phew, I thought it was just me. I feel like buying size 10 clothes is akin to gaslighting myself. I realise this makes no sense, but I can't get past this feeling of temporariness.

I think for me, losing weight in the past has always been temporary, and stress always sent me back to old habits. I don’t think your feelings are that odd, I think it’s part of adapting to a new reality which is quite alien. That will take time. Going to be lots of strange and unexpected emotions to work through!

I totally get that @1clavdivs . I don't even really believe that I am a size 8 again, I keep looking in the mirror and still see myself as fat. I know I can't be, when I look at old clothes I can tell how far I've come, and people are telling me how different I look....but somehow my eyes don't see it yet!

I totally get the temporary thing. I’m wearing a size 8 (or sometimes even a 6) and I’ve been really brutal in getting rid of all my size 12’s and 14’s to try and get in the mindset that this is it now. But I’ve never in my life been this size so it’s hard. I think I’ve been at least a size 12 since being a pre-teen, and an 18 at my biggest, so it’s difficult to get used to! I still feel the same as I did before but then catch myself in the mirror or a window and it shocks me.

I get the temporary thing too. I guess that in the past, it always was. Long experience has shown me that every diet I've ever done whilst immediately successful has ultimately failed. This time that seems to have changed.

I have really knuckled under the last 10 days and I am back to rigourous calorie counting. I'm aiming for 1300 calories and I have lost 1.5lb. I will be sticking with this to get back down to goal weight - another 1.5lb to go. In the past, I have never been able to do this and as soon as the pounds went back on, I've just thought "fuck it" and eaten more and then hated myself and then eaten more to try and alleviate the hatred (mad, I know!!!!). Fingers crossed this will be the way I can manage it going forwards. You have company @Tarragon123 !

I'm also considering contacting Pharmalous in November and ordering a pen in case I need it in December. I think just knowing that I had it in the fridge would give me a sense of reassurance, in case I really struggled with the inevitable piles of food on offer.

I don't feel I've stopped MJ though I've been off 1 month now.

My biggest SE was anhedonia. It's the medical word for a sort of low grade depression. A lae person's meh. Lower energy or enthusiasm.

I started in March. In June I got a fancy new Garmin watch that gave me all sorts of measurements that my old one didn't. I'm a triathlete , to discover that my HRV was unusually low. HRV is Heart Rate Variability, and normal is 50 to 80, low is not good. I had noticed that my resting HR had gone from 52 average to 60 average on MJ- an increase of 15%. Not knowing about the HRV I wondered if it was age and menopause catching up.

Anyway, I got Covid in August and was really tired after. HRV dropped into 20s and my watch and trainer told me to rest. I was at the end of a 5mg pen so decided to pause MJ too. I was at my goal of 24.5 bmi.

Anyway my HRV is back to 33, resting hr still 60 but I have a race in 4 weeks and I'm back training (lightly).

Trouble is I'm struggling to eat healthy. I crave sugar in the evenings. Weight is creeping up. I wonder if my anhedonia was a drop in HRV.

I was prescribed MJ by my GP. ( BMI 27.4 with high cholesterol), but I never felt she was keen. I was only a little overweight. Because MJ is so new I wonder how much the average doctor knows.

My plan is to go another month without MJ but has anyone any recommendations for a Dr type with MJ experience?

Agree with you all. I'm wearing 6/8 now but I'm clinging on to some of my nicer huge clothes because I'm scared I'll need them again and regret it. I have sold loads, and I've even got rid of the size 10s that I got last winter and now hang off me, but I just can't believe I'll stay this size.

I'm still on MJ, I keep saying just one more month. But I'm on holiday at the end of October and don't want to mess things up before then. For me, it's just as much the sugar lows and shakiness that I'm scared of coming back - even though I know this was more related to my weight so likely won't happen again.

After staying at 8st since about July, I've lost 2lbs over the last two weeks though so I'm coming down to 5mg now. Maybe I'll come down to 2.5mg afterwards and stay on that until I feel ready.

I am back to being strict too @Tarragon123 and @MargoLivebetter. Lost a bit of my gain and then noticed that I wasn’t weighing myself and the portion sizes and carbs were creeping up.

I have been mildly unwell this week so all exercise and race training has gone out of the window, as when poorly with the same symptoms a few months ago I pushed through and ended up ill for nearly 2 months, so going to have to rely on cutting down food.

Luckily or unluckily I will be in a bikini with some (young, thin) work colleagues in a few weeks and the realisation of this got me on the scales this morning to assess the damage 😂

Def contact pharmolous @MargoLivebetter as they seem good and always wise to have a pen /on their books

Been on Mounjaro for 15 months now, I am not quite ready to join your supportive maintenance threads yet, I have around 1st to lose before I get there.

I have been lurking now and again, not quite keeping up, but thinking ahead to how maintenance will look for me once I get there. I have always known maintenance will be the hardest part of any weight loss journey and your threads confirm it. I put your previous >100,000 words 😱 thread into AI for a summary and below this is what it came up from your posts which has been insightful - thank you!

Look forward to joining you all properly in a month or two.......... or three!

🧭 Weight Maintenance Guide (Post-GLP1 / MJ / Wegovy)

✅ What Works

• Taper, don’t stop suddenly → gradually reduce dose (lower mg or extend time between jabs).
• Define a weight range → allow 4–6 lbs leeway instead of chasing a single “goal number.”
• High protein + fibre → aim for ~1g protein per lb of goal weight and ~30g fibre/day.
• Exercise consistently → strength training + walking/cardio help protect muscle and metabolism.
• Track & monitor → daily/weekly weigh-ins, calorie logging, or using “tight clothes” as feedback.
• Mindset shift → treat maintenance like a chronic condition (like BP or thyroid meds).

❌ Common Pitfalls

• Stopping cold turkey → hunger & food noise return quickly.
• “I’ll just wing it” → dropping tracking or routine too soon often leads back to old habits.
• Social events & holidays → biggest triggers for overeating/regain.
• Underestimating maintenance calories → many find them lower than calculators predict.
• Ignoring emotional eating → without coping strategies, weight creeps back.

⚖️ Off-License / Experimental Strategies

• Micro-dosing pens (using fewer clicks to stretch supply).
• Extended intervals (every 10+ days instead of weekly).
• Stretching pens past 30 days (typically to get 6 doses instead of 5)
• Flex plans with some pharmacies → lets you restart easily if regain happens.
• Alternative meds (metformin, SGLT2 inhibitors, Orlistat) – anecdotal, limited evidence.
• Future hope → oral GLP-1s expected to make long-term use easier.

📉 Set Point Theory (Thread Insights)

• Body weight may have a natural “set point” influenced by hormones (ghrelin, leptin).
• After weight loss, hunger signals can spike as the body resists moving from its old set point.
• Some posters hoped holding their new weight for 1–2 years might allow the body to “reset” to a lower set point.
• Others described being at a new “settling weight” where their body seemed to hover naturally.
• Takeaway: expect extra vigilance early on; it may get easier over time as physiology adapts.

💡 Extra Tips

• Build habits now → protein-first meals, meal kits, repeatable “safe” foods.
• Plan for lifelong vigilance → most regain happens within 2–5 years without effort.
• Therapy/support → address emotional eating, use community/accountability threads.
• Skin & body changes → strength training, moisturiser, slower loss help; some consider RF/laser.
• Be kind → 1–2 lbs fluctuations = water/glycogen/hormones, not fat gain.

✨ Bottom Line:
Maintenance isn’t passive — it’s an active, lifelong process. Success comes from tapering meds slowly, prioritising protein/fibre, exercising regularly, monitoring weight, planning for set point challenges, and accepting vigilance as permanent.

That is really useful @WeAllHaveWings - thank you!

@WeAllHaveWings this is brilliant. Thanks so much. Best of luck getting to your goal 😊👍❤️

Hello, can I join? Have lost 3 stone since April and now at goal at 9st 9!!!! Cannot believe it, feel amazing and shopping like mad ( but storing some bigger stuff just in case!) Some days, I still feel fat, even though I'm not. Brain hasn't caught up. Have three doses left in current pen and was going to see how it goes after that. Do go to gym, so hopefully that helps. It is amazing to hear how this has changed lives after years of dieting. I feel that a weight has literally been lifted off my shoulders ( no pun intended 😀).

Thank you @WeAllHaveWings that was a really useful post. Look forward to seeing you here soon.

Welcome @Schoolsec . Congratulations on your loss, sounds like you are buzzing! What's your plan for maintenance now that you have hit goal?

I am delighted to report that I am back to only 1lb above my goal weight. I had actually gone 5lb over in total 😵, so I am really, really, really pleased that with back to basics calorie counting I've shifted 4lb in two weeks and I think by the end of this week, I should have lost that last 1lb. This is where I have ALWAYS failed in the past, so I'm feeling very relieved and happy.

I know it sounds slightly daft, but being on this thread and hearing how you are all doing, what is working for you and what the challenges are, somehow helps me keep accountable.

Well done @MargoLivebetter! This is where I always fall down too. I’m brilliant at dieting and brilliant at being fat.

Ah @ShaunaSadeki your comment made me chuckle. We are going to turn that around and get brilliant at maintaining now though 😊.

Posting here in case we have any My Fitness Pal experts! I have used it since 2012 but last week in the Progress area where you log weight and upload progress photos it has started displaying oldest results first! Its a long way to scroll down 😱
I have asked the AI Help on MFP and it can't help. Chat GPT says there's no way to change it. I have now emailed MFP help direct but wondered if anyone has had this before?
I love looking back at my progress this last year as I am now the best weight I have ever been.

What dose and injection interval are most people using or aiming for for maintenance?

And what pen strength is the cheapest one to use if you go the micro dose route.

Can you buy the screw-on needles that are originally supplied with MJ if you are counting clicks (rather than buying the syringes which I use for the ‘golden dose’).

Fabulous post! Thank you
i too want to know the answers to all your questions 🙌

We definitely will and I agree, I find this thread so helpful to keep myself accountable

I’m planing to decrease to 1.25-2mg a week long term.

i’m planning to count clicks (can buy extra pen needles)

i’m going to use a 5mg pen mostly as i think 10-12 weeks is long enough to stretch an open pen even if 10mg could be cheaper.

if i have a gap in ordering will need to go back to a 2.5mg pen. Thats ok.

@DelightedDelicious
You can buy the needles here:
https://www.chemist-4-u.com/carepoint-pen-needles-31g-4mm-pack-of-100

I'm maintaining on 1.25mg every 7 days, from a 2.5mg. I like a weekly injection so didn't want to increase days.
Obviously, the cheapest way to do it is with a small dose from a big pen but you'll need to weigh up what you're comfortable with, risk wise, and bear in mind what your prescriber will let you have - you probably won't be able to go for a bigger pen if you're at goal weight or low bmi, and certainly not be able to jump from, say, a 5mg pen to a 15mg pen (prescribers aren't daft). You'll also probably need to reorder every 6-8 weeks anyway.

You'll also have to test what works for you - not everyone can get to a really low dose, some struggle with weight gain/increased appetite as they reduce, others, like me, struggle to stop losing weight even over several months of maintaining.

@WeAllHaveWings I love Chat GPT although it has it's detractors. Very interested in how you fed all the threads into it...would never have thought of that! 🤔

Thanks @MeridaBrave and @KrankyKumquat for your very helpful posts.

Has anyone incorporated any of the ‘natural’ ways to increase GLP-1 eg fermented foods, high fibre, Swiss chard, spinach, some supplement beginning with B?

Yes. Have been trying this for years. Maybe helps a little…. But still ended up taking MJ..