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.

@Mysticmaiden
I am currently 154 lbs / 11st / BMI 22.7, how about you? Aiming to stay in the 150s, so BMI 22.2-23.5. I don’t think I had prediabetes or insulin resistance.

I would love to think I am back to normal! I’m not sure if it’s that, or I just need less MJ now that I’m smaller, or am I just not eating and/or drinking enough. I do feel very full after a meal and don’t want to eat again for ages. My ‘not feeling quite right’ symptoms are mostly cardio vascular related, so low blood pressure (a known side effect of MJ) leading to feeling wobbly and faint, and palpitations. My B12 was low the other day so could also be that, although I am supplementing that now. Or it might be something else unconnected, who knows. I am a bit worried that if it is MJ related, does that mean I am also heading for gallstones / pancreatitis 😬

Anyway - same - I want to stay on until safely past Christmas and my birthday! Plus I have these pens to use up, although I can always just keep them for a rainy day I guess. I also want to buy a couple more at 2.5mg to get on the books of pharmacies which support flexible maintenance. I like the idea of being able to go back on MJ within a year of your last dose, without needing to be BMI 30 again, seems like a good safety net that would help to take the pressure off when finally trying to live MJ-free.

Would I be able to join you please?
Started at the end of November, have now reached goal weight.
Have been on 5mg but I'm planning to very gradually taper down.

Placemarking. I have to come down from 7.5mg. I got a 5mg orb but not quite sure what I will do with it. I need to take my last dose at the end of this month. So recommendations welcome.

I’ve pretty much done the same. Initially i had to go up the doses as per online suppliers advice. Then i stayed on 15mg pen but basically made it last me 2 months. Always kept it refrigerated, sterilised the pen each time, used a new needle every time too. had no issues whatsoever, had perfect suppression. Im at goal now and on here for support and knowledge of how to navigate the further titration down slowly to zero meds. Its such a lovely group here thanks for this thread

Hi. Can I join. I'm 52 and have lost 10 stone 12 pounds in 14 months. I was 19 stone now 8:2. I've had a horrible month at work and lost weight when I trying to maintain. I'm on 5mg of MJ.

Welcome @Witchyandtwitchy , @RightImDoingThis , @JunoRoma , @Therunecaster and @Smoothwater . So great to see so many new maintainers or nearly maintainers.

I found the starting and losing thread WLI that I was on (August2024) that @Blondeshavemorefun set up so useful and helped keep me motivated, addressed worries / queries, made me realise we react differently etc, that I wanted similar when I finished too. So here we are.

I have a terrible memory for names and sometimes I'm really active on MN (if work is quiet) and other times I'm not around at all, so if I miss people as they join I am really sorry and it definitely isn't intentional!

Please can I join too? I’m now at goal having lost 2 stone 3 and I’m utterly amazed to be 8-10 and a size 10. MJ has changed my life and like everyone worried about putting weight back on and the cravings coming back.
I have been tracking calories and macros and think that’s going to be how I learn what maintenance is for me, and I’ve got a 6 months stock of MJ.

Ive just dropped from 5 to 3.75 so hoping that will be ok. Planned to stay on 3.75 for 6 weeks then drop to 2.5.
Hearing your stories and learning how everyone else is handling maintenance is really helpful, thank you so much for the thread 😀

welcome @Iwouldratherbemuckingout . It is life changing stuff isn't it! That's definitely a phrase to keep hold of. You have changed your life and now you get to enjoy that and stick with it.

When I find myself wobbling off, I find myself coming back to realising how much I enjoy being slim now and that helps me stay motivated.

Really interesting and helpful updates from everyone, thank you. Especially @tinyemmy @Choux @DamnedIfIDoDamnedIfIDont about spreading a pen out over a longer period of time. I agree that if one is careful with hygiene and storage I am happy with it. I have loads of extra swabs and keep my pen at the back of the fridge.

It's also really interesting to hear about those whose bodies seem to have started to acclimatise to their new weights and are needing to titrate down the doses due to onset of side effects at the higher doses. @gimmemounjaro @Mysticmaiden

My blood pressure is now extremely low. I always had a low BP and used to faint as a teenager/in my 20's but I think being overweight bumped it up a bit.
I take my BP weekly as my mother needs to check hers every week, but didn't want to. So I sent her an at home kit; my sister and I have the same ones and so we compare BP's each week as a fun way to get her to check hers. (and as a nurse/bossy daughter, it means I keep an eye on her!) mine is currently 90/50 at best, when I get a bit light headed it can go to 70/50.
Like you @gimmemounjaro I also get some palpitations which is just my body trying to compensate. I do find plenty of fluids helps, and also making sure I have enough salt in my diet.
DD has an extreme version called reflex syncope, there is great website which gives good tips for low BP events, STARS.

Thanks @MagnoliaTreePetals I will have a look at STARS. Like you I have always been on the low side and fainted a few times as a youngster. Losing weight and cleaning up my diet a bit have probably lowered it further. Plus I gave up smoking about a year ago too. And it’s listed as a side effect of MJ, not sure if that is just because of the weight loss or whether there is a separate mechanism for the drug itself acting on blood pressure. I have also been getting some pain on exertion so have a cardiology appointment coming up just in case. In the meantime I am eating more often, more salt and drinking more. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about. Ugh, I really don’t like it though!

Hi! I'd like to join please ❤️

I've lost 8 stone since march 2024 on MJ and I'm switching to wegovy for maintenance.

My body seems happy at 10 and a half stone and I look and feel incredible.

I thought there was always the 30d guidelines as that’s all they have tested on

Welcome @No33 what incredible weight loss! Congratulations.

And I so grateful we started aug 2024 and managed to afford this @MargoLivebetter

I worked out I spent just under £2k over the year which is £37 a week to be heathy

I couldn’t do it at sept 25 prices esp as im hardcore and even 15 didn’t really effect me

Well done. Do you have before /after pics

i love those

Im 5ft 3, you must be a lot taller than me as I am 9st 8.9lbs 135lbs bmi 23.9 now, started at 13st 1lbs bmi 32.4, my body fat and subcutaneousare low now both below 20% but my visceral is still 11 according to my scales, so i need to bring that down!
Sounds like you have done great to get to a bmi in 22s! What did you start with bmi and weight wise?
The only thing with doses is it doesn't seem like it goes with body size, as some users stay on 2.5mg or lower doses and have a lot of weight to lose, i was a size 14-16 and needed higher doses as was ravenous hungry when it dropped or wore off. So I think it's more dependent on metabolic issues and how well your body responds to medication and produces insulin. So I don't think losing weight would cause the dose to be too strong, I think it's more health or metabolic related, but who knows.

I've also been low in B12 and D, been anaemic since 19, was rejected when I wanted to give blood, now I pay for b12 injections every few months. Started taking some strong liquid vitamins by swedish nutra which as helping. I didn't eat meat for 5 years and mainly ate carbs, and all my health issues started then, so maybe it was inadequate protein and nutrition related. I also get low blood pressure now especially on mornings but I had high bp before mounjaro.

With Oushk it's a forever maintenance plan, they charge £15 a month if you want to come off and order when you want, or they have other plans which don't have a monthly fee.

@Mysticmaiden yes I’m taller than you, 5’9” - started at 17st 3, BMI 35.6, so I have lost just over 6 st. I have never been this weight before as an adult so it wouldn’t be surprising if my body needs a bit of time to adjust. I think you’re right it’s probably not as simple as lighter people need less MJ, but then again I thought it wasn’t really possible to ‘get better’ from obesity and that’s why most people need to stay on it. I suppose some people do manage to maintain without the meds so maybe (hopefully!) I am one of those. I was away a couple of weeks ago celebrating various family stuff and put on 3 lbs, lost it again in a few days, my body seemed to just ping straight back down so that was encouraging.

I am on meds which wreck your B12 levels long term (only recently discovered this) so have had one injection so far and happy to pay for that every couple of months, I take an oral supplement in the meantime too.

i’ve found a couple of pharmacies that are happy to let you go back on MJ as long as your last dose was less than a year ago so that’s great for me, no subscription or anything. Only if you’re a customer though, and I need a couple of 2.5mg pens so will buy those there to get on the books. Might move to Oushk after that if I still feel I need the safety net. I HOPE though that this time next year I’m off MJ, still maintaining, feeling well, all side effects gone. I am really missing running so would love to get back to that if/when signed off by the cardiologist 🤞

I do, but there are people in MN I know, and they don't know I'm on MJ 😆

@MagnoliaTreePetals Thank you for the STARS website recommendation. I'm another low BP person. My main side effect on Wegovy/MJ has been getting a bit dizzy and faint from time to time. Keeping hydrated and enough salt are the keys for me especially during such a hot summer when I've felt even less like eating!

On Wegovy I sometimes used to get a racing heart which was a little scary but that doesn't happen on MJ.

Hi all- may I join? I've been on mounjaro and reached my goal weight. Always intended to come off entirely if I can. Nervous though! I never went higher than 5mg so planning to stretch out my jabs (jabbing day 9 this week rather than day 7), then day 10 next time, then drop to 2.5mg at day 10 for a few weeks then stretch to 14 days then come off entirely.

Going to calorie, protein and fibre count to support maintenance.

Will change it up if it's not working.

Does that sound sensible? Any advice?

Interesting discussion. I too went up the doses, staying a while on each dose except 2.5, to 12.5 without too much in the way of side effects. I reached goal in early May, almost exactly a year after I started. Weight loss was comparatively slow, averaging 1lb a week. I eat extremely healthily - no UPFs, prioritising protein, complex carbs, lots of water. Take all the usual supplements. My original plan had been to get to the lowest dose needed to maintain and stay on more or less indefinitely. I had no wish to regain after 25 years of yoyoing.

BUT I have ended up going down the doses much more quickly than planned. I've had the dreaded sulphur burps though no change in what I was eating, just marginally in quantity. I also just feel generally a bit off, a bit nauseous quite often. I'm not a big drinker but going up i was still able to enjoy an occasional glass of wine, now just one glass makes me feel really awful. I'm currently taking 3.75 from a 7.5 pen.

My mood is also a bit flat and I'm not as happy with my body at BMI 24 as I thought I would be. My hair, the one part of me i liked, is so thin it looks awful. It has been falling out for the last year and still thinning despite me no longer losing weight and spending a fortune on products and supplements. My nails are also still a car crash. Despite exercising throughout - walking, pilates, yoga and resistance training - and progressing in terms of challenge, I don't seem to be able to develop more muscle. So still flabby in parts, flat bum and loose skin. I have high BP, which neither being on mj nor losing weight seems to have improved significantly, so still on the meds. Ankles also still swell up by the end of the day unless I wear compression tights. So I don't seem to have some of the other benefits that make people want to stay on.

So I'm now thinking I might come off and see if that helps with hair loss (there seems to be some emerging evidence that this can be caused by mj itself and is not just a function of weight loss) and body recomposition. But scared of putting it back on. At least my high BP means I could go back at BMI 27.

I don’t show my head lol. Cut it off or cover with a smiley

Welcome @KenIsAnAccessory that sounds like a great approach. I halved my dose and then forgot to take it and ended up stopping. Initially calorie counted, but only do that now if I put on a pound or two. Just see how you go. I think that is the joy of self-managing this medication, you can listen to your own body and adjust accordingly. Keep us posted.

@Fromthesidelines give yourself time to adjust to the weight. I achieved goal in January and despite not changing weight since then, I have dropped down a dress size. I think it takes time for the body to 're-tighten', specially if you are a mid-50s crone like me. My hair is also growing back again. It didn't quite come out in handfuls, but I definitely lost more while I was on MJ than I would usually. I'm a bit fine haired at the best of times, so I'm very glad it is coming back again now. MJ flattened my mood too and and I felt low grade weary but that has changed back to normal as well now. Most of us were in a state of panic about going back to being fat again, but hopefully you can see that lots of us haven't. 😀

Hi all, I started MJ in early February this year, and am now just below my target weight. My heaviest weight was 15st 1, I lost almost a couple of stone but was just going up and down so started MJ when I was 13st 4. Am now 9st 6 and as long as I don't go over 9st 9 I'm happy. My max does was 5mg and I have one more jab and then I'm done. I am just going to come off it, and I'm confident my eating habits won't change. I will carry on weighing myself every day so I can keep a check on myself, and I have to say, I will not miss the dreaded sulphur burps.

Welcome @Dozycuntlaters . Great loss, you must be feeling fantastic. Let us know how it goes.