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Weight loss injections/treatments

Discuss weight-loss injections and treatments, including personal experiences. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any treatments.

Coming off the Jabs - please tell me what happened?

258 replies

coconuttyz · 24/01/2026 18:12

I’ve been off Mounjaro for 2 months now. I got down to my target and started to worry about the injections so decided to stop - I’ve gained 5lbs in that time.
Currently trying to maintain by counting calories (1350 a day) 10,000 daily steps plus running 5K x3 times a week.
Was anyone able to maintain following a similar pattern?
I’m sure the 5lbs gained has gone straight to my stomach and hips, but otherwise I still feel quite lean.

Any advice and tips welcome!

TIA Flowers

OP posts:
ThisMustBeMyDream · 24/01/2026 23:39

I'm almost 1 year post stopping. I've maintained my loss with normal fluctuations (ie. Holiday or Christmas small increases which I've lost again).
I lost 7.5st to a bmi of 24.5.
I changed my lifestyle from sedentary, to 3 x weight lifting and 3x cardio sessions per week. Heavy lifting. I aim to get as many steps as I can. I don't have a target as some days I do lots, some days not as many due to work etc.
I'm 5ft 2, and my maintenance is 1900cals so long as I keep up the excercise and as much walking as I can. Without the excercise, it would be 1400 at best. And depressing.
Honestly, the only way to keep it off is to excercise as much as you can fit in to allow you to eat more.

Strippe · 24/01/2026 23:41

You need to lift heavy weights at the gym. Build muscle this will put your base line calories up. Losing weight can sometimes make you lose muscle so that you need less calories to survive. However it also mean you can put weight on quicker. If you build muscle you will be able to eat more calories without gaining weight

ShawnaMacallister · 25/01/2026 05:51

Strippe · 24/01/2026 23:41

You need to lift heavy weights at the gym. Build muscle this will put your base line calories up. Losing weight can sometimes make you lose muscle so that you need less calories to survive. However it also mean you can put weight on quicker. If you build muscle you will be able to eat more calories without gaining weight

This is so true! Some people find it difficult to believe that my TDEE at age 45 and 5'4 is 2000 calories but it is, and it's because I'm muscled. I'm not body builder level but I've lifted weights regularly since 2019 and when I was obese I was also muscled and now I'm 11 stone with visible muscle. This means I can eat more, despite only going to the gym twice a week and my only other exercise being walking about 10k a day.

Thoseslippers · 25/01/2026 06:08

Make sure you aren't eating too low calories. The online calculators such as nutracheck abd my fitness pal give super low calorie estimates.
I came off mounjaro about 6 months ago. I had a difficult time with the mounjaro causing me to be ill however I lost 5 stone. I have kept it off for 6 months by calorie counting (although I gained a few lbs over christmas which easily came off again)
However you need to eat your actual maintainance calories. Im 5ft 7 and mine are 2000 a day. This will increase if you do a high amount of excercise.
It seems like A LOT of food to eat when you have been eating sp little on mounjaro and its hard to get your head around again.
If you undereat this will be very bad long term with muscle wastage abd eventually you will binge eat as your body will try and prevent you from starving. This might lead to a yo yo pattern and eventually to piling the weight back on.
This is a whole lifestyle change abd you cannot live a happy healthy life on 1300 kals unless you are naturally extremely petite or a child.

Twiglets1 · 25/01/2026 06:09

My friend (and her daughter) both put the weight back on when they came off weight loss drugs.

My friend has started them again and is looking slimmer again, she said her daughter plans to restart in the Spring.

Friends plan is to take them every time she gains too much weight but also have regular breaks. She's not a rich woman so I know it's a big deal to pay for them. I don't know what to think about it all really.

Mumsknot · 25/01/2026 06:28

Yes the problem Dp has is he can’t afford to be on it for life. He put the weight back on and more in a matter of months. Now we are doing MyFitnessPal together. The problem is he has the food noise and he’s not lost much yet!

Springsnail · 25/01/2026 06:49

JBJ · 24/01/2026 21:14

It’s nearly 2 weeks since I took my last jab, unfortunately because I got gallstones and then pancreatitis, so had to stop. 8st down and 2st from target. I’m terrified tbh, as I’d come to terms either being on it long term and now I’m going it alone with no warning. Currently haven’t regained my appetite, but I’ve also been very ill and having to stay very low fat because of that, but who knows what will happen once my gallbladder is out and I can resume some kind of normality?

Once your gallbladder is out you can go back on them . probably need to give it a few months to settle your system down though.

Springsnail · 25/01/2026 06:51

Thoseslippers · 25/01/2026 06:08

Make sure you aren't eating too low calories. The online calculators such as nutracheck abd my fitness pal give super low calorie estimates.
I came off mounjaro about 6 months ago. I had a difficult time with the mounjaro causing me to be ill however I lost 5 stone. I have kept it off for 6 months by calorie counting (although I gained a few lbs over christmas which easily came off again)
However you need to eat your actual maintainance calories. Im 5ft 7 and mine are 2000 a day. This will increase if you do a high amount of excercise.
It seems like A LOT of food to eat when you have been eating sp little on mounjaro and its hard to get your head around again.
If you undereat this will be very bad long term with muscle wastage abd eventually you will binge eat as your body will try and prevent you from starving. This might lead to a yo yo pattern and eventually to piling the weight back on.
This is a whole lifestyle change abd you cannot live a happy healthy life on 1300 kals unless you are naturally extremely petite or a child.

Where have you got this information from may I ask ..
I'm sorting of in this trap ,and wondering how to get out

Sal7252 · 25/01/2026 06:57

I have been considering going on the jabs (as know people they have worked really well for) but I’ve been worried about maintenance. I’m breastfeeding (so would need to stop this to go on them) and wanting to try for another baby at some point this year so I’m using Chat GTP and it seems to be working… I asked it if it could help me loose weight without the jabs and it is! It may be worth asking it if it can help you maintain - I’ve had a coach and a PT in the last few years and neither of them were this effective 😂

LaurieFairyCake · 25/01/2026 06:58

This is why I will never come off them. I maintain at a 1000 calories, no normal person can eat that little and NOT be very hungry (I’m short and small bones).

I’ve not lost one further pound in 10 months and I’m maintaining at 10mg. This is my lowest weight for me, I won’t even try a lower dose now.

Springsnail · 25/01/2026 07:03

LaurieFairyCake · 25/01/2026 06:58

This is why I will never come off them. I maintain at a 1000 calories, no normal person can eat that little and NOT be very hungry (I’m short and small bones).

I’ve not lost one further pound in 10 months and I’m maintaining at 10mg. This is my lowest weight for me, I won’t even try a lower dose now.

I'm in the same boat ..but not loosing weight..every time I eat near 1000 calories a pound goes on the scale.
So I drop back down to 800
There was that book the 800 calories fast diet ,that made it seem unfair was ok to drop this low ..

Springsnail · 25/01/2026 07:04

Don't know where the word unfair came from ..keypad has a mind of its own

JournalistEmily · 25/01/2026 07:07

I was on 2.5 from sept-end of nov when i got an autoimmune condition (and yes, i directly blame the jabs) I lost 12lbs. So far I have put 4lbs back on (altho it did include xmas) I think you have to use them to go well under your target to allow some leeway. If i hadnt had those health issues id have stayed on.

autumn1610 · 25/01/2026 07:07

I’ve put nearly a stone back on stopped in Sept and weighed the other day

LaurieFairyCake · 25/01/2026 07:07

Are you short and small boned too? Chat gpt has been very good at reassuring me here, as I’m almost peri etc. it has said when I’m ready I can start titrating up slowly with calories by an extra 20-50 a day until I get to 1200. I can’t remember what it called it, peri brain Grin
but honestly I’m fine at maintaining, I don’t need to lose weight now and my inflammation levels are perfect now

JournalistEmily · 25/01/2026 07:13

TheChosenTwo · 24/01/2026 20:25

I’m planning to never come off them!
I have insulin resistant PCOS, not sure if it can be reversed with weight loss but the injection balances out what my body couldn’t do by itself.
I’ll be on them for as long as they’ll keep prescribing them to me. I’m fairly sure that if I come off them I’ll put the weight back on so I’m just not planning on coming off them. Will cross the bridge if I come to it (them no longer prescribing it to me, I can’t control that).

Hi :-) Take spearmint tea with myoinositol. It put my pcos in remission (proven by scans as i was having ivf at the time)

DrJump · 25/01/2026 07:15

It took me about 6 months to realize I didn't have a handle on my eating. So I'm back on and am going up a dose.

Fishingboatbobbingnight · 25/01/2026 07:21

The jabs control your blood sugar and the production of the appetite stimulating hormone. If you stop taking it then your blood sugar will be uncontrolled and your appetite will come back. It’s not rocket science. If you take blood pressure medication your blood pressure comes down. If you stop it will go up again. That’s why all the crap about lifestyle changes are just that - crap.

You can eat healthily all you like but once the medication is out of your system you WILL feel hunger and you WILL NOT have the willpower that comes in this jab.

I haven’t lost 8 stone on MJ and am not going back to the catalogue of health problems that being obese caused. So I’m staying on MJ for life. Been maintaining on 5mg since Jan 24 .

OneAlertOliveFinch · 25/01/2026 07:38

Stopped 7 months ago and am maintaining my lowest MJ weight. I weigh myself weekly and cut if I'm a pound or two of I'm heavier. It's easy to fix a couple pounds weight gain. It's not easy to fix a couple stone. Nip the weight gain in the bud before it snowballs.

Menopants · 25/01/2026 07:43

I came off at the start of August and maintaining by eating 2 meals a day lots of protein and exercise. I have put back on all the muscle I lost while on mounjaro and continued to lose fat. I titrated down on my last pen. It is possible to maintain without the injections but obviously easier with. I was just uneasy with the thought of relying on them forever and also the cost.

Wickedlittledancer · 25/01/2026 07:53

people need to work out their maintainence cals. Whilst coming off. So reverse diet, increase cals by a hundred or so a week, as you reduce the dose of the meds, till you know you’re eating to maintenance and then stop the drugs and keep eating to that level. For ever.

its incredibly difficult. 80 percent of people who diet regain the weight, slimming world has a 97 percent regain rate. Any diet it’s effectively for life. Obesity is a relapse disease.

so when normal hunger returns, people go back to eating as they did. Maybe quickly maybe they struggle trying to maintain for months or years, but ultimately they regain. It’s the same for any weight loss method. People relapse. Life gets in the way, they don’t want to just eat maintenance cals. Portion sizes creep up, the occasional treat.

im staying on a low maintenance dose, im lucky i can afford it, although i hope the price comes down at some point. But ultimately I know life will get in the way, I want to continue to socialise, have fun, and just not always be stressed or feeling deprived, worried about the number on the scales and counting cals. I’ve been there, done that and it’s utterly miserable.

so yeah the only way I think to do it, is to reverse diet, find out your maintenance cals, make sure your new habits are embedded and then stick to it. And recognise it’s just the same as if you’d never taken the drugs when you stop, hunger will return, your body will process blood sugar and insulin as it used to, and you will absolutely 100 percent be back to what you were pre drugs, just slimmer.

Inthebleakmidwinter1 · 25/01/2026 08:01

I lost 2 stone and I’ve put a couple of lbs back in since Sept. i do have to be mindful but I’m not strictly counting calories. 1350 cals seems pretty low for maintenance.
it took me a year to lose that so I was pretty slow compared to most I don’t know if that makes a difference.

ResusciAnnie · 25/01/2026 08:02

ChrisMartinsKisskam · 24/01/2026 22:37

Yes and pretty much most of the people I know do the same

I’ve been on it for over 18 months ( ozempic) with 0 issues and it’s worked perfectly well for me

Edited

So, not the ‘wrong thread’ then? You know people can see your original message…. Why lie!

Fishingboatbobbingnight · 25/01/2026 08:02

The jabs control your blood sugar and the production of the appetite stimulating hormone. If you stop taking it then your blood sugar will be uncontrolled and your appetite will come back. It’s not rocket science. If you take blood pressure medication your blood pressure comes down. If you stop it will go up again. That’s why all the crap about lifestyle changes are just that - crap.

You can eat healthily all you like but once the medication is out of your system you WILL feel hunger and you WILL NOT have the willpower that comes in this jab.

I haven’t lost 8 stone on MJ and am not going back to the catalogue of health problems that being obese caused. So I’m staying on MJ for life. Been maintaining on 5mg since Jan 24 .

It’s really important that people read the medical stuff about these drugs so they know exactly what they are and how they work. Or people will end up wasting a lot of money .

EdinaTheConfessor · 25/01/2026 08:03

Those who have gone back on the injections after a break - have you been able to restart with previous provider while at a healthy bmi?
I haven’t ordered since August with a bmi of 22. I had a bit of a stockpile which got me to a bmi of 20, but I have gained a bit and now my bmi is 21.5. Would I be able to restart after such a long break? Just want to lose this half a stone again and think I’ll need to stay on it long term to maintain as I’m petrified of is sneaking back on. I am running and doing Pilates but it’s still not shifting.