Has anyone started WLI after losing a lot in other ways

[PuzzledObserver]

Just that, really. I’ve been overweight/obese/morbidly obese virtually my whole life, with massive yo-yos due to being a binge eater. Over the course of 2024 I lost well over 5 stone with a low carb whole food eating style plus fasting, although the starting point was already more than 3 stone below my max. Then I started going into reverse (cos I started bingeing again) and realised I needed to address my eating issues in their own right.

This I have done/am doing for the last 6 months or so. I lost some of the regain, and seem now to have stabilised. My BMI now is somewhere around 30, compared to 48.5 at my biggest. I would definitely still qualify for WLI, though, as I have type 2 diabetes and I believe you only need a BMI of 27 with that.

Don’t get me wrong, my life is utterly transformed. But I can’t help thinking…. What if…. What if, left to myself this is as far as I can go, whereas the WLI might get me another 2-3 stone and get me firmly in the healthy range.

Anyone been in a similar situation?

I think most of the people on the 10st plus WLI thread have lost substantial amounts before (and put it back on). You're not unique.

What is your question?

I lost 8st (ftom 18st 4 to 10st 4) in 2017 with low calories clean eating and running.

Regained post covid.

Have now lost 5 1/2 st (17st 11 to 12st 4) low calories clean eating and WLI. I intend to lose 2-3st more.

Not sure what you're asking? If you are happy to pay, you will get a prescription and I don't see why you wouldn't try?

Are you on insulin for your diabetes?

I lost about three stones before starting mounjaro. I knew I would struggle to lose more without help so that is why I began wli.
Now lost a further five stones or so.
Definitely try mounjaro.

My question is not about starting WLI after regaining all you’ve lost. It’s about starting after you’ve lost a lot and kept it off, but don’t seem to be able to get any further.

I used to be on metformin plus Trulicity. Have been on other medications in the past, but never insulin.

I am now on no medication and my HbA1C was 45 last month. It’s 28 years since I was diagnosed.

Thanks for responding.

Had you maintained that three stone loss for a while before starting mounjaro - or did you make the decision to start when your weight loss seemed stalled? How does it compare to previous weight loss experience.

Are you done now with your further 5 stone loss, or have you further to go? If you’re done - are you happy with your current level? Do you think you will stay on it, or do you think you will be able to stop?

firstly, well done, an amazing achievement even before the jabs. I cant see any reason not to use them to lose the last part of the weight, you must already have good habits and this is a good helping hand. You mnight also only need a few months to shed the final amount and then you can decide if your happy with it and stop when you are

@PuzzledObserver I was always planning to start mounjaro once I had got as far as I could because having such a lot to lose I knew (from past experience) that I would run out of steam once I reached a plateau.

As regards my weight now, I am pretty happy but if I could lose another stone or even two I would be even happier.

My main reason for weight loss was to enable surgery and I am long past being well under the required bmi limit (although still waiting for surgery) so my goal has been achieved.

I may well stay on mounjaro for life, if I can afford it, because it has helped my inflammation so much.

I also feel so much better in that I am no longer a slave to food. I always felt like an addict who couldn’t be satisfied because I had no full signal.

I still love food but thanks to mounjaro it doesn’t dominate me.

Thank you, food for thought there.

Thank you, that’s helpful.

I do consider myself an addict. It’s not that I have no full signal, I do - although I am not good at paying attention to it. Sometimes I still find myself realising after the event that what I ate was more than I needed. I normally eat twice a day and have a strict rule not to eat between meals, and that helps to limit the amount of excess I can take in.

The difference between now and then is that I used to routinely eat past the full signal even though I could feel it. That is what I no longer do.

Well done on your weight loss. I lost nearly 3 stone before I started WLIs, but I was miserable. Hungry all the time and couldn’t stop thinking about the next thing to go in my mouth. However it’s totally different on the jabs; I feel full up, and I have a break from the food noise that plagued me. I eat my meals and don’t think about food anymore than that. I’ve lost 4 stone on the jabs and it’s been significantly easier than doing it on my own was.

Thank you-

i wouldn’t say that I was miserable when losing the weight, or now. I believe I could maintain my current weight without too much difficulty - because I am dealing with my binge eating, and when you stop doing that routinely, you eat a lot less. My current level is still overweight, though.

Well done on your weight loss. I lost 3 stone following a healthy eating and exercise plan, I went from 15s3lb to 12s3 (it took a long time!) and I managed to stay within a few lbs of that weight for 2 years.

I then had a health check and was told I should try to loose at least another stone (to improve my BMI and health) so I used WLI to get to 10s9lb, It really helped me not to feel hungry and to think about food as much!

I have just stopped WLI and I have started to feel hungry again, my intention is to try to maintain my current weight. I can’t afford to pay for WLI for the rest of my life so I really hope I will manage. Wishing you good luck and steady losses!

Thank you, and thank you for sharing your story. I wish you all the best in the future.

I lost most of my weight with low carb and fasting, both intermittent and extended. One thing I learned during that is that, for many people including me, eating low carb is an effective way of reducing hunger. I notice that on the occasions when I DO have more carbs, I am always hungrier for the next day or two than I have got accustomed to. Having got used to this, I will allow myself to eat as much low carb food as is required to sate my hunger, then after a couple of days it settles down again.

I offer this in case it is of any use to you.

Thank you, I’ll give that a try! I do enjoy carbs but protein is more filling so I’m going to focus on that and vegetables this coming week and see how I get on! I don’t want to gain more than a pound or two as it’s taken me years to get here!

I completely get how tough this can feel, and it’s great that you’re thinking about it.

Sustainable weight loss is really about building habits you can carry with you for life. The key is to focus on habits that can flex with your life because as a mum, your days are always changing!

Weight loss injections can be really helpful because they quiet your hunger signals, which makes losing weight a bit easier. But the most important part is working on your relationship with food alongside them. If you don’t, it’s easy for the weight to come back and that’s exactly what the trials have shown.

One or two consistent steps are what really make a difference, and you’re already in the right mindset to start.