Has anyone NOT regained weight after stopping WLI?

[gettingalife]

I’ve just read the responses to another thread about what happens when you stop WLI. The majority or people say they’ve regained all weight lost. This is so depressing.

I’m at my target weight now, after losing 3 stone on 5mg, and am terrified of regaining when I stop. I’ve injected 2.5mg for the last 2 weeks and already feel my appetite increasing. I’m tracking calories (1500 - I’m 5ft 1), run 5k 3x a week and walk at least 10,000 steps a day so I’m doing what I should (I think?). Anyone not regained? And what have you done?

There definitely one lady who posts in the thread started by Margo who has been off for a year and not regained. Be great to get all the good news examples in one place!

Ive been on for three years in March and I did stop at one point and gained ten pound. I intend to stay on 15mg until the pill come out and switch to that for maintenance.

I read that thread everyone isn’t saying they regained it all, they are saying they started to regain. Most are at a stone or less.

as per my response on that thread, the drugs don’t work if you don’t take them. So you need to reverse diet and work out maintenance cals and then stick to it forever. It’s the same as any other diet. There is no way round it.

I agree with above poster, I have approx 1 stone still to lose, I will stay on MJ until tablet comes out which will be so much cheaper and I will remain on that for life.

Op, with that amount of exercise and only eating 1500 calories, I honestly can’t see how you’d gain any weight!

I wonder whether these drugs reduce your metabolism or something?

I eat more and exercise less than you and keep my bmi at a healthy level, but I’ve never taken WLIs

For me personally, this theory has not been proven medically, but I firmly believe I have some sort of chemical/hormone imbalance.

I am almost 60, my endocrine system evidently does not work without the addition of thyroxine and HRT. I plan to be on both of those for life.

No amount of resetting, eat less, move more, is going to help me maintain my weight loss if I am insulin resistant due to fecked hormones.
Which is why, I am prepared to be on GLP1 for life.

I've been off MJ for almost as long as I was on it. No regain, and I don't anticipate any, as I tend to eat the same way most days.

I think my activity levels help. I have a walking pad and standing desk, and now regularly walk for a few hours per day while working.

If I stop MJ I am hungrier than ever. It is frightening. I think I’m fucked without it (and I was only just borderline eligible with my BMI).

See , this puts me off starting. I cant afford to take the jab forever

theres no way i can run 5km three times a week nor stick to 1500 cals

spunds like a tough regime

You’re not hungrier than ever, you’re just as hungry as before , you are just not used to it, so it feels that way. It’s why we end up overweight in the first place, when you stop it’s like you’ve never taken them,

I had a lot to lose and have been on Mounjaro for 19 months, I started maintaining with Mounjaro this month, and will plan a trial to come off in 6-9 months or so depending on how well maintenance goes.

I have noticed through that time, some posters who are well into maintenance gradually stop posting here so you might not get too many replies from successful maintainers, that does mean there aren’t any, I hope they are off enjoying their slimmer, healthier lives!

@LollylavenderI hope you’re right! I’m treading really carefully so will see if another 200 calories a day keeps me at my current weight over the next week. I have always had low blood sugar which is why I gained weight originally. I was always hungry! I’m just worried about this and keeping my energy levels up while working once I come off. But like a previous poster said, it’s all about sticking to the maintenance calories forever.

Maybe the jabs actually DO make you hungrier than before? Maybe they reduce your metabolism? You also lose muscle mass when using the jabs, and less muscle means a lower metabolism.

Me - I lost 5 stone and completed overhauled my diet, gave up UPFs and I am the same weight since last April when I finished. I fluctuate maybe 3-4 lbs depending on how much I drink (not very much these days) and if I’ve been on holiday, but I always go back to ‘base’ weight

OP you sound like the model example of what WLI should do, get you to a manageable weight and exercise more, eat less and keep the weight off.

My last jab was start of November.. Ive not gained anything since then.. and let's just say I definitely wasn't eating healthy over the festive season 😂

@WeAllHaveWingsah interesting! I hope so too! But also hope there are a few who still lurk and are willing to share how they’ve done it.

Being in a large calorie deficit for a long time day in, day out does reduce your metabolism but that is true regardless of whether you’re on the jabs or not. Losing weight fast also makes it more likely you’ll lose muscle mass, regardless of the method, but the jabs themselves don't make you lose muscle mass. I’ve been on them since September, always aimed for a slow loss of 1lb/ week with plenty of exercise and according to my body comp scales I have lost no muscle mass at all. I consciously have a couple of days a week when I’m not in calorie deficit to keep my metabolism more stable.

Completely understand anxiety about regain. It worries me too. But … cautiously optimistic. I lost 3 stone and since August have been injecting 2.5mg about once a month. Am 2kg lighter than August now. When I started MJ cut out all UPF, refined sugar and snacks, concentrating on fibre/ protein and complex carbs ( and fruit). Am eating exactly the same diet as when on MJ , but not really hungrier than ‘end of the week MJ’ days. Jabbing low dose intermittently hopefully will just ‘embed’ current diet as ‘rest of life’ diet. Personally I think there has been a metabolic reset but think I am v v lucky with this ( am sure we all vary in this regard) as I think previously I was on verge of pre - diabetes - ‘looked at food’ and put on kgs, but weight loss corrected this and body able to handle food better without regaining weight as I did in the past pre MJ. Again realise I am lucky but just wanted to post something positive !

I've got a lot to lose, and I've been thinking about this; I've been on the starting dose of Wegovy for a couple of months and my appetite is already half of what it was...I can cope with the current side-effects but not if they get more noticeable with each higher dose.

I am wondering if it's possible to stay on the low dose and lose a little each week through doing Fast 800 or something similar...so the WLI are making weight loss possible, rather than me being entirely reliant on them to make it happen.

And that way, maybe, when it's time to come off them, I won't notice the lack of them so much, especially as I'll hopefully have got used to the new way of eating.

Does this sound reasonable or does it not work like that?

You lose muscle mass when losing weight regardless of how you lose weight 🙄

Yes. When substantial weight loss occurs through caloric restriction, whether through dieting, bariatric surgery, or GLP-1 and GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists, loss of muscle mass is an unwanted consequence, as high caloric deficits lead to the body breaking down skeletal muscle tissue for energy. The report notes the magnitude of lean body mass loss can be similar to that resulting from bariatric surgery, cancer treatment, or 10 years of ageing, stating: “The loss of lean body mass (muscle and bone) associated with GLP-1 receptor agonists can have a significant negative impact on long-term health.”
The review shows that loss of muscle mass is particularly concerning for older adults due to the increasing risk of frailty and falls.

The key words here are “high caloric deficits” which I don’t think most are doing as anecdotally looking at all the monthly starter threads and on Reddit etc most are losing 1-2lbs a week, which is considered safe and healthy.

however there are some who lose more and move into a high calorific deficit territory and they will likely lose muscle. But safe weight loss it’s not a concern.

people should however protect their muscle at all costs, so eating enough protein and doing strength training, and then immediately go into body recomp when at goal, say for 6 months to ensure their muscle is fully where it should be.

I am off 3 months and have gained 2lbs which I could shed if need be but I think my goal weight was too low and I got caught up on the scale figures as opposed to what weight suited me.
I was on MJ for 14 months, stuck to low doses and weaned off on a very low dose for about 2 months.
I exercise a lot and I eat quite similar to when I was on MJ.

Yep the food noise came back but at least I know what it is now and I know it isn’t normal and I don’t need to feed myself every time I have an urge. Like I know to keep up the protein every day and drink water. I’m not half as lazy as pre MJ too. I have low calorie snacks in and I cook from scratch about 80% of the time. I still go long periods without eating - unheard of in my pre MJ days. Some of the habits learned on MJ do stick.

I was absolutely shitting myself when I stopped MJ and thought the scales would race up cartoon style - it hasn’t, so not everyone will suddenly pile on the stones they lost. I don’t count calories or be obsessive about food, I keep active and keep up with the macros - so far so good.

The only thing I wish I had done more of is weights - but I think it might be ok now I’m maintaining and I’ve had some results the last two months re definition and strength by including them. I’m not young, I know there’s a price to pay but I’m happier not lugging around an extra 4 stone.

I’m def hungrier than before. I have a bigger appetite when I’m not on it than when I started. I am concerned it reduces my own hormonal ability to know when I’m full. Plus the issue with fat cells surviving for a decade and having memories.