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.

The challenge is how to only order every second month? I’m doing similar (10 doses of 2.5mg from a 5mg pen) but I plan a break of 6 months in the new year to use up my stock and I know I’ll have to start again on 2.5mg.

@Incognitoburrito88 why are you going to take 3.75? Why not try something lower? Maybe you're experiencing what several others do - that you were priviously insulin resistant (to some extent) and now you're not. You body is doing exactly what it was designed to do. So even though your MJ doses are smaller and you are eating more, you may still lose a couple of pounds. Experiment! If you're at the low end of where you'd like to be you've got the space see how things change.

I'm doing one month on and one month off (2.5mg) so I can try and understand how my body is feeling with amost zero MJ, and how my behaviours have changed around food and drink. n=1 so not scientific, but then it is my body and my psychology and they always behave in line with the scientific norms :)

@FurForksSake for years (and still now) every bit of generic advice (including the NHS and most food packaging) says an average of 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 for men. It makes me so mad. If you are shorter than average AND if you have a smaller, healthier body, then 2,000 calories is way, way, way too much. Believing I could eat that is part of why I was obese in the first place. Even the reknownd Valter Longo talks about 'fasting' as 1,000 calories. I'm tempted to write "the small person's guide to eating normally". Nothing extreme, nothing prohibited; trying to address the challenge of eating enough protein AND enough fibre. AND a rainbow. And whatever gut health, heart health, bone health targets we are supposed to be achieving...

I’m not losing but don’t went to. Managed to maintain since June but on. With help

When I’m spoke to them I said I had a stash and took a pic of them all so proving I had 4 ones in think Aug and they said as long as I gave proof I should I be ok

But I know I will always choose chocolate over an apple!

But@Merlin23 the best thing is not to be faced with that choice, getting our food habits into a place where we're not looking for a 'snack' or either an apple or some chocolate. So eating enough protein, healthy fat and fibre that we don't 'need' something. And being well planned enough that when we get home from work we know what's for dinner and we're not grazing the cupboards. And having always an apple or a small bit of cheese or a mini-peparoni handy so that we can satisfy the 'bored mouth' and don't have to buy some chocolate.

I think it’s fear mainly! I’ve lost weight so many times before and regained it. I’m scared of titrating down too fast and loosing control. I think I would find going back up to 3.75 if I couldn’t manage on 2.5mg a bit of a failure. My plan was to stay on 3.75 until I had dealt with my Xmas and new year gains and then go down to 2.5 but maybe you are right. I’m now 16 days post jab (not going to take it until after my long run tomorrow) so theoretically I think I shouldn’t be taking 3.75… I’ll make a decision in the morning. My BMI is still 21.9 so I’m not on the cusp of being too thin - I still have a bit of weight to play with.

When titrating down from 7.5mg, it took me 7 jabs, but over 10 weeks. I went straight to 5mg for 5 weeks, then 2.5mg for 5 weeks. I actually thought I lengthened it out more than that - but just checked my shotsy.

I actually got really bored of taking it - I was very ready to come off. Although worried about what it would be like. I didn't find a huge difference suddenly hit me - it was small. And it's mainly that I tend to always finish my meals at home again - because I have smaller portions now. If I'm out, I still don't finish it. And my snacking has ramped up - but I'm trying to focus that on meat, eggs, fish. But I don't always win. Particularly at work where there is stuff I wouldn't buy at home.

I'm winning at the moment though - because you can eat more when you aren't trying to lose. I find maintenance is easier in some ways than losing. I could never be good all week - which is why the jabs helped me. Now I don't need to be good all week - I just need to be good for at least 4 days of it....

I need get myself used to eating a bit more to maintain. I weighed today and I’ve lost 2kg since I decided to maintain! So going to track what I eat carefully and get my BMR of 1500.

Can I check how people are calculating maintenance calories? So according to my renpho scales my BMR is 1300. And according to chat gpt my mix of 13000 steps pee
day, weightlifting etc means I’m expending about 600-700 calories per day. So my maintenance level is about 1900/2000…..? What do you think? Is that your experience ? X

@Fluffypiece I think it’s likely to be somewhere between the two. I’d start at 1500 and see what the scales do.

@Fluffypiece it's going to be trial and error to a certain degree as those calculators can only ever give an average, every body is different and especially if you're someone who's dieted a lot in the past your body will be that much more "efficient" and you'll need less calories to maintain. I would do as Forks suggests and opt for somewhere in the middle and adjust up/down depending on the scales.

I never count my exercise, so mine is 1500. I’ll try that first and see if I maintain of need to go up or down. I’m 168cm and 63kg.

I’m lifting very heavy every day (eg 90 mins in gym including for example 80kg squat or deadlift) and I’m not convinced the exercise calories is anywhere near 700. Perhaps that high if also doing a lot of cardio? I was thinking closer to 1,800.

I found this quite helpful, there are 2 podcasts on same topic this is the first one (second one follows directly on). https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/unpaused-with-dr-mary-claire-haver/id1846701533?i=1000736237669

Thanks all! Super helpful 🙏🏼

@Fluffypiece have you tried an adaptive TDEE calculator? You input your weight and your previous days calories and over a period of a out 3 weeks it calculates your accurate tdee.

Oh no. I will check that out - thank you!! Xx 😙

@Fluffypiece agree with others. I don't count any of my exercise calories. However, my BMR according to my Renpho is 1265. I stopped properly tracking about 6 weeks ago in an effort to stop obsessing (ha!) but I tend to average around 1550 over the week and I'm not gaining. Less at the start, more at the weekend. I exercise 4 or 5 days a week for about 45-60 mins

So much interesting information being shared. Thank you @MeridaBrave , @Choux and @KrankyKumquat for the links.

I'm convinced more options are going to become available, mainly because I think the pharmaceutical companies can hear the happy kerching of their coffers being filled. Win, win I think.

@FurForksSake I've worked out my calorie intake by seeing where I tip over into gain, I log what I eat in MyNetDiary, which is a free calorie calculator. Most days I stick to 1300 calories. If I significantly increase my exercise I can go to up to 1500. And I can have one day of slightly more indulgence without putting on weight, as long as it is only one day out of 7. No idea where 2000 calories a day comes from but I'm 5ft 6" and mid 50s and definitely couldn't eat that many every day.

@Itscoldouthere it is definitely a difficult time of year for so many reasons. Hang in there.

I’m mid-forties, active, above average height (172cm), 70g, high muscle mass… and I’m not sure I can eat 2000 cal every day without gaining weight. I’m still figuring out maintenance but it may be more like 1800. Or maybe it’s 1800 usually plus some immoderate days.

My watch thinks I use 1950-2450 a day, but I don’t think that’s true. If it were true, I would still be losing quickly.

@ShrankLastWinter my watch estimates that in the last year on average I use 1950 calories per day (adding active and resting energy averages together). It must be over-estimating, because I cannot eat that many calories per day and not gain weight.

Usually 500 ish more

Well I made the switch. Took the first dose of Wegovy yesterday and I've barely managed to scrape 900cals today. I know it's early days, but that's a good start! (Not aiming to lose weight, just maintain, but I was worried it wouldn't work at all.)

Tho I’ve been eating 1800 and 5ft 7 and still in my ballpark after 6mths