Oh come all ye injectors, slimmer and maintaining, oh come ye, oh come ye to Thread Number Three! For all those who've hit goal, maintaining in whatever way they can / want to / aim to etc

[MargoLivebetter]

Welcome fellow maintainers to our third thread! Tis the season to be joyful and we do have reasons to be joyful, as we are still here. Not always the perfect journey and full of treats and temptations, but we'd have nothing to talk about otherwise. So hop on the Magical Maintenance Sleigh of Wonder and lets go! (Apologies to all those reading this for the first time in March! I got a bit carried away my festive season puns.)

Thanks for the recommendation. It's included in my Spotify Premium account so I can listen on my commute and at the gym. I love accumulating as much knowledge and information as possible. I feel like it protects me from the ill-informed and spiteful nonsense spouted the anti-WLI threads!

I couldn't find it on Spotify!

@Merlin23 I just searched under "audiobooks" it might be premium only? I get so many hours of books included every month.

Strange as I just listened to a book using a 3 month trial. Nevermind I got it on Audiobooks.com

It’s lovely to hear from someone who has been maintaining for longer, gives me so much hope. Like you, exercises especially weight training is what I’ve also devoted myself to as well. I exercise 5 days a week without fail and it helps to keep me on track. It’ll be 11 months that I’ve been off the jab on the 15th of Jan and it’s going great here as well. I weighed less than I did then and I’m generally very happy.

Great to hear your story @Iamsoraven ! I've only been off for 3 months, but got through Xmas ok, and I think that's because I've embraced running (my new addiction) alongside weights.

This thread is like a treasure trove! I spent some time finding out about Weightless, thank you for the recommendation. The author is Dr Rocio Salas-Whalen. She is an endocrinologist with plenty to say about GLP meds, obesity and the menopause too. I've been listening to some of the online interviews she has done on YouTube and they are really good. She explains stuff in a way that is very relatable and understandable. The one I'm currently listening to is on YouTube in an interview with "The Neuro Experience" channel.

Yes thank you for the tip about the Weightless book, I’ve just started listening to it free as I’m a Spotify premium member, just what I needed as I also got new Renpho scales, which I know you need to take the info with a pinch of salt but they tell me my body fat is 34 % and in the obese category, which was rather disappointing as I’d lost 25kg and although I’ve put 4kg back on I thought I was just maintaining.
I shall up my exercise and weights, I’ve just started a 12 week challenge with the fitness person I follow so hopefully I’ll lose some body fat along the way.

PHEW!

I've been away from scales for a couple of weeks, on holiday in southern Europe where it turns out the Mediterranean diet is a big lie - there is nothing to eat but carbs, ice cream, and oranges. I think I had an ice cream everyday, plus cakes, wine... On the other hand I did try to make as good menu choices as possible and to be careful with portion size. And step count was very high, sometimes over 20 000, plus horse riding and even a jog! But I was quite worried about what the scales would say.

Turns out I didn't gain, in fact scales think I've increased muscle a tiny bit while maintaining.

SW 103.6 kg
TW 73 kg
Pre-Christmas weight 70.5kg (once got 70.0 but only once)
CW 70.3kg (BMI 23.8)

Although exercise isn't the key to weight loss, I do think that for me it's really important. I lost much more the weeks I spent more time being active, and now I'm maintaining I think it's crucial, especially to balance ice cream-y weeks. It was always in periods of inactivity that I gained weight in the past.

I am a couple years down the line so all I can suggest is trying to reframe weight or your body in different terms, rather than what it looks like what can it do? If I gain a couple of kg I will not really worry too much if I know I am otherwise taking care of myself but if this is alongside over indulging for weeks and falling back into bad habits or stop doing my healthy habits it’s time to have a word with myself

Exercise is not the key to weight loss, but it is the main key to maintaining a weight loss. I was only over eating 100-200 calories every day for a few years to gain all the weight I did in the first place and that is the equivalent to a good brisk 5k walk

https://theconversation.com/how-eggs-can-help-you-come-off-wegovy-cracking-the-problem-of-weight-regain-271883

I love the disclaimer that he’s a paid consultant for the egg industry 🤣

Also he states that glp’s only work due to suppression. That isn’t true, is it?

Weight regain after jabs is on several of the news sites today. Some study is out I think.

Don't you love the positivity. The media always latch on to the negativity, they don't look for the success stories.

According to R4 we are all doomed 🤣

It feeds the sensationalism and the desire to still paint overweight people in a bad light, even when they do something to change it.

In my own experience, it was perfectly possible to maintain as long as I was pretty strict with my diet and exercise regime. As soon as my routines went out of whack and I started having more treats, drinking during the week and not limiting it to weekends, not cooking from scratch as much due to being tired/time limited my weight started to go up again and my blood tests went back into prediabetic range. As a former Type 2 who reversed it, you are never cured and will always be vulnerable to it, and poor blood sugar control will = weight gain.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c050ljnrv2qo

Yes was just coming on to see if anyone had seen this? Sorry I didn't realise that about the egg article.

@Orangesandlemons77 I think eggs sounds promising but the article was a bit of a sales pitch. I’m definitely going to think about how I can add eggs!

I read the bbc article, it wasn’t based on anything new, just a review of old studies into the medical studies of older glps. It showed that those in the trials gained 0.4kg a month compared to 0.1kg for typical dieters.

There is no data on real world use of Mounjaro or those that taper and maintain using medication. So it’s just click bait really.

Morning all

also listening to R4 about the Oxford University study.
im particularly interested as thinking about how to cut out the drugs going forward. Been on 5mg for a year now, few kg off target and kind of want to stop for medical and financial reasons.
tbh I don’t feel like I have any suppression any more - certainly didn’t stop my alcohol consumption over Xmas. But I have lipedema and I feel like glp medications reduce inflammation if not my desire to eat any more.

reassured to hear stories from those of you who are maintaining successfully, even though it sounds like exercise will be the way to go unfortunately.
After a lifetime of going to the gym regularly to attempt to lose weight, (and obviously keep a healthy heart) I must admit it’s been lovely to be able to lose without putting the hours in. Looks like I’ll need to look at going back….

I am not even going to bother reading the stuff in the news today. I feel like this data is all old. What we need is big, properly controlled studies on people like us who have self funded our treatment controlling our dosing / taper etc. The study populations in their studies are not representative of the people now using the drug…

I’ve not clicked the egg article but I love eggs - I eat tons of them and I do think they are a perfect food for a healthy diet - hmm maybe I could be sponsored by them too!!!!

I was feeling annoyed today that my Christmas gain has not melted away (I’m 10st 2 - zone of tolerance 10st - 10st 7lb but I was 9 13 before Xmas and quite liked it!!) but then I realised that I’ve only been back in my regime since Saturday - and my period started yesterday so maybe I need to give myself a bit of grace and stop stressing!

Lovely to hear from the long term maintainers. I feel like exercise is key too. I do lift a couple of days a week - probably not heavy enough I’m building up to that - but I am back in love with running again and that is really helping. I’ve signed up for a marathon in September and my main focus for this year is being in the best possible shape for that. I’m working so hard on optimising my nutrition so my body is properly fuelled and strong for my long runs. Last weekend I was powering up a hill 15km into my long run and I just couldn’t believe this was me - 44yrs old, mum of 4 actually running up a hill - I’m so in awe of my body right now.

I’ve been listening to a lot of the Zoe podcasts and my goal for 2026 is to try and introduce more fermented foods - I’m feeling a terrible urge to fill my fridge with strange jars!!

I think to stay off them long term and maintain most will need to:
cut out UPF
less carbs - and no simple carbs
lots veg
enough protein
maintenance / increase muscle mass from weight lifting
cardio exercise / steps

I think it’s pointless looking at studies for those not doing this, of course will regain

I do think there is some basis of truth about the regain as a possibility because this is true of almost all diet plans/strategies which is often why people cycle back in and out because the new habits haven’t stuck deep into your psyche, or the old habits are really hard to die. My 5st weight loss took well over 12 months, I think if I had lost it really fast with less effort involved I would be at risk of slipping back like all the other times in the lost-gained-lost-gained cycle.

I lost 5st other times in my life but only really had a period of a few months of maintenance before it gained it slowly back. I’ve never maintained a WL for this long before.

For me, maintenance is a lot about repeating mantras to myself and asking myself questions and being honest - you don’t need to eat that do you/didn't you already have a cake and should you eat another/you aren’t actually hungry/let’s go for a walk/what would be a better option

Maybe it’s not a bad thing to publicise this because people will research how to not regain the weight and find out it’s possible to not but it takes work. Perhaps also this is setting up the narrative with drug companies to stay on for life rather than the 2 years that gets discussed?

I've had a look at some of the media reports of the study. Whilst the doom mongering is annoying, I do think that there are some useful aspects. I particularly like the acknowledgement by the co-author of the report that:

“Obesity is a chronic relapsing condition and it’s very clear that . . . some sort of intervention needs to continue if we’re going to sustain the benefits of these treatments.”

To my mind this has to be recognised. Part of the reason I wanted to start a maintenance thread, is because I knew I'd need to keep accountable and wanted to keep up the encouragement, tips and support that I had found so helpful whilst I was losing - not just for myself but for everyone else too. The series of threads I was on (thanks @Blondeshavemorefun who kept the August 2024 starters ones running) were always supportive and encouraging and really helped me and all the others who kept posting.

Staying slim is a challenge for lots of people who lose weight, regardless of how they do it. It certainly has been a problem all of my life. I am a very successful dieter!!!! I have not been a successful maintainer. So, whilst I really dislike the doom mongering and clickbait approach of some of the coverage, I hope that it leads to more understanding of the challenges.

I’m so glad to have this thread, and to see that so many are maintaining either with or without MJ.

Im back on it, low dose only, after being off for 3 months and gaining back 5 lbs. This is the 3 time back on MJ as I tried to come off for 3/4 months previously and gained back 6 lbs. Not huge amounts I know but I’m short and like many of us, have a history of yo yoing. I’m also ND and believe there is a strong dopamine - emotional/binge element that I’ve had to really crack down on and do emotional work on.

I have previously lost weight without MJ but that was a time in my life before kids, before stress of real life work, and I was very nutrition and exercise oriented. I have to accept that perhaps this is a mindset I need to adopt again when I come off. I maintained for a good year or two before gaining when I started my first career which was emotionally stressful.

I do plan to come off MJ again, to TTC another DC. Pregnancy is actually a time I don’t gain weight strangely as I’m very nutrition focused and cut out junk!

5ft4, 33 years old
SW 12s10
CW 10s8
GW 9s7 to 9s10
(lowest weight I’ve been was 8s12 in the past but was too thin for my frame)
want to remain accountable!

Also reassuring to hear some measured responses to the BBC content on Mounjaro this morning, scare mongering and based on a very specific sample from the sounds of it , plus not new data from what I can gather