Reached target weight with Mounjaro and stopped, but already putting weight back on after 2 weeks

[Weightreturning]

I was on Mounjaro between July 2025 and March this year. I lost a total of 40 pounds, which took me from being on the edge of obese to having a BMI of 23.8. I reached my target weight a few weeks ago. I thought I would be able to keep the weight off without Mounjaro, but unfortunately this has proven to be impossible for me. I had my final jab on the 4th of March. The effects last for about a week. Since the 11th of March, I've already put on 5 pounds in the space of 2 weeks. Yesterday I ate a big fry-up in the morning and a curry in the evening, with a few snacks in between. Right now, I feel ravenous. I feel like I could eat for England. I feel helpless without the suppression you get from the jab.

Is this the case for most people? Has anyone been able to keep their weight off after stopping the jab? I was hoping I wouldn't need to remain on the jabs for life, especially with how expensive they are. It looks like I'll have to though, or I'll just pile all the weight straight back on.

Yes. I think it’s the same as other hormone treatments like HRT.

You stop the treatment and the symptoms may well return. Not always and not for everyone but mostly, yes.

Well if you eat big fry ups and curries you will put weight on. Thin people don’t eat like that generally. You might need to stay on maintenance dose.

You can afford to eat like this if you're serious about weight training but probably not otherwise...

Slim people either 1. don't eat like that ever, 2. eat like that sometimes but offset it by eating less at other times, 3. eat that but only in small portions or they 4. eat loads and burn it off. When I was younger I was a mixture of 2,3 and 4 at different times, never 1.

I'm now actually at 50 the weight I was aged 16, and about BMI 24/25, and I can tell you now that I practically live on fresh air and celery compared with what I ate to maintain that weight at that age, and obviously, a hell of a lot more effort is required.

In my late teens I maintained about BMI 22/23 by, (essentially being happier at sixth form college than at school and) cutting out snacks, having salad or baked beans with my lasagne/pasty at lunch time instead of chips and getting a lot more exercise - dancing for hours every Friday night, plenty of walking into town from college doing aerobics classes and playing football for the college ladies team.

In my 20s I got down to BMI 20 by taking up running and being much more careful about food, more like 2. and 3. above.

I then put four stone on when I was pregnant with DD2 at 29. Lost three stone of that then went back to work, changed jobs to one that was very stressful, comfort ate and put a stone back on, but was just BMI 24/25 like now before I got pregnant with DD2. Only put two stone on this time (same full term weight each time) but really struggled with my weight after, also ended up with endometriosis & PCOS, and until last year (DD2 is 17) and before Mounjaro basically was usually between BMI 27 and 29, often losing and regaining the same stone year after year but also went up to BMI 32 at one point.

Now I'm doing 2. and 3. and also tracking food to make sure. And I'm not trying to be BMI 20, 24/25 is good, 23 would be great.

Yeah fluid and inflammation returned for me FAST even with retaining the same diet I put 2kg on within a week and my stomach went from washboard to full bloated again. However a month on from stopping and I’m still just 2-3kg heavier so it was an initial gain of bloating and inflammation but I don’t believe I gained actual fat yet.

Turns out MJ is about more than just weight loss.

To deal with the ravenous hunger I’ve learnt that I have to make sure I eat 3 meals a day, 5 hours between each, and a snack. Otherwise my brain goes haywire looking for food, sugar, fat. If I eat a really balanced diet on this structure then I don’t get hungry or too many cravings.

So I have -
B: Oatmeal with fruit or a soft boiled egg with a slice of wholewheat
Lunch: soup, salad or sandwich
Snack : fruit
Dinner: whatever I want, homemade, limited oil / fats.

At the weekend I have a homemade dessert - a portion of crumble or cake or something.

Turns out MJ is about more than just weight loss.

Yes, what really helped for me I think was it slowing down my digestive processes as I tended towards diarrhoea not constipation. Psyllium husk (and trying to eat a good amount of fibre anyway) is helping with that now.

Yes my IBS symptoms vanished completely on MJ. I was regular, no pain and flat stomach. Now? Well it’s all returned and I’m bloated with diarrhoea as I was before.

@GoldenCupsatHarvestTime omg me too, tbh the main reason I want to stay on it is due to how it’s supporting my IBS, I’m sure it’s partly correlation as I’m eating healthier, but my digestive system is still way more forgiving on MJ, I can eat trigger foods and be absolutely fine.

MJ is known to delay gastric emptying and slows intestinal transit so it very much targets IBS and isn’t just the change in diet. It was a bit of a miracle and I’m sad without

Cheat's way?
And maintaining weight loss after Mounjaro isn't about 'addressing underlying reasons' when the underlying reasons are hormonal - the medication IS addressing the underlying reasons and when you stop it, the underlying reasons are no longer being addressed.

@GoldenCupsatHarvestTime thank you that’s interesting to know, it makes me feel less guilty for considering staying on it for that reason! Why are you not on it now if you don’t mind me asking?

I’m no longer on it because 1) my BMI is now 20 and 2) I can’t afford it right now (I’m a student and my husband recently had to leave work due to illness).

@GoldenCupsatHarvestTime congratulations on the weight loss, sorry to hear about your husband. I hope the psyllium husk continues to help.

I’m in a really similar place to you at the moment and the appetite shift caught me completely off guard as well.

It’s not just that hunger comes back, it’s that it feels different, like it’s stronger and harder to read properly, especially after getting used to the quietness on the medication.

I had the same “I can eat anything again” feeling and it’s quite unsettling after thinking things were more under control.

From what I’ve been reading and experiencing, the first few weeks after stopping seem to be the hardest because everything hasn’t quite recalibrated yet.

You’re definitely not alone in this, it seems to be a really common phase that just isn’t talked about much.

Would be really interested to hear how others got through that first couple of weeks without it spiralling.

I lost just under 9 stone between May 2024 and August 2025. I came off it for a few weeks and then switched to Wegovy. Since then I’ve gained about 3.5 stone back on (have been very stressed with medical issues so some element of self-sabotage in not reining myself in and getting back on MJ sooner).

I definitely think a low dose of MJ for life is going to be necessary for me.

@gina9757 ,I thought this also, but having tried titrating down, spacing doses, and everything in between I need a dose of 5mg to be comfortable, anything less I might as well not bother, and I never went above 5 losing the weight either, I thought I'd be rid of this drug months ago, having lost the couple of stone I needed to, but no, it's kind of like I'm addicted to it, and come day 5 and I'm counting the hours til I inject and can feel the relief, I even kept on losing way past goal so I wouldn't panic putting a bit back on, but I hate the scales going the other way, and I hate the food noise, so here we are. I may try again at some point or wait until tablets appear and are affordable.

I have a question... genuinely curious...

You haven't taken GLP1s and it seems you don't need them as you're successfully controlling your weight.

So, why are you in the WLI board?

I think you need a solid plan to come off it, there are maintenance threads but themes include
tapering down gradually
meal planning and prepping
eating more protein and fibre
exercise - both cardio and strength training

I’ve tapered down to 2mg so far.
i eat 150g protein every day (including protein shakes) and mountains of veg so always feel full due to volume eating. I limit carbs to Around 100g a day
i plan each weekend what I’ll eat each day
i go to the gym most days
i get 15k steps a day
i will stop taking the jab eventually but want to taper down further gradually. Next pen will probably be 1.75mg a week. Pen after that 1.5mg etc.

To be fair this thread has only recently been moved to the WLI board, presumably at the request of the op, because a pp suggested it would be a good idea. It started off in the more generic Weight Loss one.

When I was on the jabs I actually couldn’t eat greasy food as I would be sick or get the shits. That helped in my choices 😂

Place asking as only on my 1st week. Need a plan for maintenance when the time comes.

I think your body tries to get you back to your original weight for a couple of years. It thinks thats your ideal weight. I cant remember where I got this from but there are some reliable sources

I took MJ from 1st April last year till December lost 7 stone and then carried on CC and started exercising and I’m 2/12llb off 10 stone in a year so no I didn’t put on but I must say it’s been difficult at times and have had to be super strict

I have eaten a 'fry up' from a cafe (no less) 2 -4 times since starting mounjaro in August last year, and also cook my own fry up brunches (2 egg omelette, 120g beans & 1 slice of sourdough toast w/ butter) at home with olive oil - approx. 650 calories.

I've also eaten red thai curry, kebab, and the other meats / foods that people say shouldn't be eaten, but I've avoided deep fried food and also minimised carbs.

I say all this because I think people that struggle with their diet after coming of mounjaro, is because their calorie restriction was extreme when they were on it and therefore not manageable when they come off it.

I am still losing weight eating what I like, so when I stop it shouldn't be that difficult.

I have had no side effects and have lost 41lbs. I'm also active and do 4 one hour exercise classes a week - rebounding, cardio kickboxing, kettlebells, weights+plyo plus walking.

@Lemonthyme spray oil is ultra processed and not really healthy - small quantities of good quality fat is not a bad thing. I put olive oil in my own spray bottle.

@Crikeyalmighty alcohol is a known inflammatory, causing water retention and also slowing fat loss due to liver focusing on processing the alcohol. So, no weight loss and possibly weight gain is the norm.

@TheHouse I know that eating high calories (eating back some exercise calories) is effective, which is why my calories aren't so restrictive. But the hunger you feel sounds like your blood sugar is out of whack, so I think you should look at the food (macros) you're eating - carb portion sizes

Yes, it’s called ‘set point’ theory.