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.

Although maybe the variation is also good. Do you feel the supression wearing off after 10 days, and do you experience hunger and learn to understand it? And to learn how to manage it? That in itself is a valuable lesson.

One of the things I love about MJ and all the threads and posts on it, is how much agency we have in how we use and manage this medication. So many posters taking responsibility for every decision - starting with the decision to take and (for the vast majority) pay for the injections.

Unlike those in clinical trials or those with precribed drugs, we have: adjusted our dosage in response to side effects; discovered the 'golden dose' to maximise vfm; taken OTC to counteract side effects; gone up the doses faster or slower according to weight loss / appetite supression / side effects; changed suppliers according to price, criteria etc.

Particularly in maintenance we are experimenting with how long we use pens for, how often we inject, coming on and off the drug, using MJ alongside other approaches.

And through it all, supporting and encouraging each other. It feels strong and powerful.

You make it make sense

Hi Everyone,

I’m feeling all worried - think I need to calm down but it’s hard.

I last injected 3.75mg on sat 18th (decreasing down from 5mg) I’m now 2lbs up from the weight I was then. Things I’ve done differently - increased my exercise - 2 x bodypump which I haven’t done for a while, 3 x runs including 9k yesterday and cycling to and from work which I have done through a lot of my journey but I had been slacking off with. I have also made an attempt to eat back some of my exercise calories so probably increased cals by 200 / day ish over the week. Went for a meal out on sat - posh tapas style curry and two pints of beer, I didn’t eat a huge amount.

I recognise I might be hanging onto some water after the meal out on sat and maybe I’ve got a bit of muscle swelling from exercise… I am a bit sore…

I was going to inject 3.75mg today but I don’t feel hungry, I’ve not got food noise and I’m not struggling not to eat so part of me wants to let the week play out and see what my weight does but part of me feels scared this is the beginning of it all coming back…

please can someone give me a stern talking to - I can’t have gained 2lbs of fat in 9 days? I was losing on 3.75mg in July - I can’t now be gaining on it in October?

It’s natural to see a rise and have a panic. It sounds like it’s accountable for, so as you say let it ride. My issue in the past was seeing with an increase or no decrease and then becoming disheartened and giving up. Weight is going to fluctuate and eating in a deficit / at maintenance consistently over time should bring you back down again once inflammation has passed.

@20bloodypounds couldn't agree more. It is so good to see everyone doing their own thing and no one judging.

@Incognitoburrito88 I think this kind of thing is bound to happen. There is a lot of anxiety around weight gain for many of us, as we have invested so much to get where we are. 2lb is a very small amount and like you say is most likely water weight or even a big poo! I've put on and lost a few pounds multiple times now since hitting goal weight and the most important thing for me, is knowing that I can lose them again. I think it is part of "maintaining" in a way, knowing that you can gain a few and then lose them again. Don't be hard on yourself - just see how you go this next week. I'm sure that they will come off again.

@Incognitoburrito88
Is that the first time you've weighed in those 9 days? If so, it could be the result of just one meal. I weigh every day - this morning I'm up 1.5lbs, like I am every Monday as I now always eat a full roast dinner and drink wine on a Sunday. As usual, I had the squits this morning and have a terrible thirst so I have a handy reminder of my sins 😅. But I always fast on a Monday and just eat fruit and salad and do a Pilates class and I can be certain that the 1.5lbs will be gone tomorrow.

I only weigh weekly but I always fluctuate around 1-2kg from my target, which is about 4 pounds max. I would only worry if I go above that. It never stays on for long if I'm at the higher end, just my regular monthly fluctuations as hormones change probably accounts for most of it.

I weigh myself several times a week now, about every other day, as a routine before I hop into the shower in the morning. What I notice is sometimes I gain a pound or two before I lose. Perhaps it's constipation and my body is desperately clinging on!

@Incognitoburrito88 It will almost certainly be increasing the exercise which has done it. It creates muscle tears and water retention. But it can also make you hungrier, so watch that.

Hi everyone. I really need your help so please please respond if you have advice or experience.
I'm 4 months into the mounjaro journey and have been on 7.5mg for the last 2 months and continuing with 7.5mg. However the last few weeks i've been losing a lot of hair! A LOT! It's not noticeable on my head yet but i'm so scared of it falling out that it's making me want to quite the jabs even thought i'm only half way to my goal :( I know it's not the jab doing it but rather the weight loss (1-2lbs average per week and slowing).
Did any of you experience hair loss and how long did that last before it went back to normal hair loss?
I'm so worried, i went through this when i was in my 20's on accutane and it just dried the shit out of my hair and so much broke off.

@MtKiloMounjaro yes, I had hair thinning, which also made me worried as my hair is not the thickest at the best of times. Completely stopped coming out when I stopped MJ and stopped losing weight. Make sure you are eating plenty of protein and that you are not iron deficient. I've suffered all my life with periods of hair loss and when I was still having periods, it was always to do with being low in iron.

I’m 11 months in and maintaining.

I lost quickly at first, 4 stone in 4 months. Hair started a fall out 3 months after this. I read somewhere that hair works on a 3 month cycle so this made sense as it was 3 months after the weight loss shock. It fell out for about a month but is now fine and growing back.

I am joining to get inspiration as to how to maintain. I'm hoping to get to my end weight at Christmas then do a few weeks lowering the dose. I need inspiring that this weight can stay off for good without the need to take mounjaro for life as that is unaffordable.

Reading this and I'm finding it an interesting question, as I'm also spacing out jabs and feeling like I want to do this to 'challenge' myself as to how it goes. Not sure why when I read this question. Will ponder ...

Welcome @Merlin23 . Have a good read through. Hopefully lots of inspiration to be found. Everyone is taking their own approach but pretty much everyone posting is maintaining, so it is definitely possible.

Thank you. I have lost 62lbs in 6 months. I have 10-14lbs to be under healthy weight with a little wriggle room.
Healthy weight is only 4lbs away.

You'll be there in no time @Merlin23 . What dose are you currently on? Have you thought about how you will come off?

Never lost hair so can’t be of any help

I'm currently on 6.5mg, I was on 7.5mg but was making me have an upset stomach.
I've got half a 10mg pen left and one arriving tomorrow. I'll use those on 6-6.5mg until gone then use a new 7.5mg to go down to 5mg for 2-4 weeks then 2.5mg until all gone. If happy with weight loss sooner, I'll go lower sooner and stay on a low dose for longer.
Then I will eat off smaller plates and hope all my cravings don't come back. I
will also hopefully use this group to support me as I'll support others.
We can do this.

Thanks so much to everyone who answered. I feel a lot better.

@KrankyKumquat i weigh every day and am usually quite good at not taking too much notice of the figure but I could see in my diary that I was 2lb up from where I had been last week.

@spoonbillstretford thank you! When I see it all written down I can see that I’ve increased my exercise a lot - I’ve got so much more energy for it than I did on 5mg so hopefully it is just causing inflammation which will pass.

I’m going to give it until Friday to see what happens but I will jab then anyway as I think 2 wks is enough of a stretch at this point - if I get super hungry before then I’ll jab earlier.

Hi, thought I would get myself over to a maintenance thread as I am now trying to maintain my loss..

Started in August 2024 at 18 stone 6 BMI 36 and I've got myself down to 10 stone 11 which gives me a BMI of 21.7, I have seen 10 stone 10, and that's the lowest I want to be, BMI 21.5 ..

I wanted to see 10.10 to have a few lbs leeway as I want 11 stone to be my max I think, Currently on 10mg and just started a new 10 pen so will def be on that for another 5 weeks then gonna think about trying to do 7.5 and see how I fair with that!!

waves at fellow August 2024 starter @morbidcuriosity . Great to see you here. Congratulations on all that you lost. How are you feeling? Sounds like you have a plan for reducing slowly, which lots of others are doing too.

@Merlin23 that seems like a sensible way to go. Keep us posted.

Glad you are feeling better @Incognitoburrito88 .

I managed 11 days on the 1.25 dose before starting to feel the itchy food noise coming back. I did my 2nd dose this morning. If I can do about that for a few months to get me through Christmas and the carby dark months, I will be ok with that. I've been reading up more about the effects of MJ on the hypothalamus and reward centres in the brain and I think that must account for the reduction in food noise that I get.

@MargoLivebetter "The MJ definitely calms inflammation. I had an attractive angry patch of Psoriasis that had reappeared, which has almost gone again since restarting."
My understanding is that a lot of these issues such as psoriasis are driven by blood glucose. MJ is great at controlling blood glucose, including minimising spikes, so it really helps with things like this. Glucose Goddess' TV series talks about this a lot, well worth a watch if you haven't seen it already (might have been C4 or channel 5 i think)

Good morning everyone.
Some of my fellow August 2024 starters are on this group but thought i would introduce myself.
Following this thread with great interest.
I've maintained since June with a blip after 3 weeks away in a different country. Got back to my goal by going up to 15 mg for a few weeks. Been on holiday recently for nearly 3 weeks and stayed the same weight. I am going down the doses and had my first jab of 7.5 on Sunday. Like many I am so scared of regaining weight and didn't plan to ever come off MJ.
I'm 69 years old and have had a lifelong battle with my weight. I am now the lightest I have been in most of my adult life and 23.6 BMI

Only a shortie so can only lose weight on 1000 calories. Maintenance calories are around 1350. I always calorie count apart from on holiday and big celebrations.
Hoping to eventually maintain on 5 mg or 2.5.

Recently diagnosed with a condition called hyperthyroidism, apparently quite rare but I am probably going to have to have surgery.
The parathyroid has a different function to the thyroid and if it's not working properly this can lead to kidney stones (had these) and osteoporosis.
Some of the symptoms of parathroidism are exactly the same as side effects of MJ...tiredness, constipation, upset tummy, aching joints, thirsty, weeing a lot. Lucky for me that they detected my condition as I just assumed these things were happening because I was on MJ.

That's more than enough from me. Looking forward to continuing the maintenance journey and getting through the winter months together.

Wishing everyone the very best ☺️