Mounjaro / Wegovy with > 5st / 30kg to lose - Alumni Maintenance Thread

[WeAllHaveWings]

Trying the new Community groups feature for a maintenance focussed thread for our Mounjaro/Wegovy with >5 stone/30kg to lose alumni 👩‍🎓

All Mounjaro/Wegovy with >5 stone/30kg to lose posters and lurkers who enjoyed the supportive weight loss thread welcome whether you have graduated to maintenance already or getting close and pondering what happens next!

I expect this thread will be much quieter than our main Mounjaro/Wegovy with >5 stone/30kg to lose thread (which has been running for almost 2 years now!) as it feels intensity drops when in maintenance, but it would be great to keep in touch with everyone now and again and how we are all getting on post-weight loss and what we find works / doesn't work.

I'll start the thread with Mumsnet maintenance posts most repeated practical maintenance advice gathered by asking CoPilot to look at the board -

🚫 Don’t stop abruptly – taper your dose and/or slowly space injections; stopping suddenly often means hunger and regain

🎯 Aim for the lowest dose that keeps food noise calm, not zero at all costs

🍽️ Expect appetite to return – hunger is normal in maintenance, not a personal failure

🔄 Don’t jump from dieting straight to “normal eating” – a slow reverse diet (adding food gradually) helps weight stay off

🍗 Keep protein‑first habits and the smaller portions you learned while losing

🏥 Check your provider supports maintenance (some stop prescribing below certain BMIs)

📏 Allow a weight “zone” (±2–5 lb) rather than chasing one exact number

🧠 Weigh less often – watch trends, not single‑day/week blips

🚶‍♀️💪 Walk regularly; add gentle strength if you can – movement supports stability and confidence

💭 Expect maintenance to feel mentally harder than loss – less scale feedback doesn’t mean you aren’t succeeding 💛

(Hope this works in the Mumsnet Community Group feature!)

I gained weight once i hit goal because of changes to my routine and eating. I increased from around 1200 calories to around 1800 by reverse dieting because i had no intention of my maintenance calories being low. My weight stabilised quite quickly and i am trying to see if i can increase calories even more now.
I also am not as bothered by losing weight and and focus more on losing fat soecifically. I dont mind if the scales go up as long as my body fat percentage reduces and i can gain some muscle. I do think once at maintenance we have to shift from BMI to body composition to avoid being gaunt or skinny fat and, more inportantly to protect muscle mass.
Welcome to maintenance! Been here since Jan, using chatgpt to guide me through!!

this is probably TIM - feel free to skip.

I never understood the adverts with the sad women (never seems to be men) rubbing their tummies and talking about "bloating".

I might have got backed up occassionally but I never saw it in my body - well now I know what they are on about. If I'm not going regularly for a few days my stomach actually grows quite a bit - I notice this in my jeans/clothes and how my tummy looks. Once I'm sorted out my stomach is much flatter.

This is basic shiz I guess but seriously mind blown 🤯

The things we learn after a lifetime of obesity!

I was thinking similar the other day - I can now feel my full bladder from the outside which is 🤯🤯. I also cannot get over being able to feel my bones through my skin. Sounds so silly, but I will often sit there fiddling with my wrists or my collar bone. Actually, I probably need to stop and probably look very odd doing it 🤔

oh my collar bones are divine!! who knew? tapping them is a relaxing therapy so enjoy playing with them :)

Hip bones too!! Oh hello - never seen you before!
I'm not so fond of my sacrum meeting the bottom of the bath - not quite as comfy as the padding of a big bottom but hey ho I'll cope.

Getting to know my shoulders/collar bones/hip bones I now understand why I will always be a size large in most brands - I really do have a big frame/skeleton! I can feel it and I love it. Now I'm at a healthy weight everything about my body makes sense. I'm kind of giddy with the normality of this healthy weight life.

This is going to seem silly but I realised this week that a size "large" isn't really for a women who is carrying too much weight, but for a normal sized woman like me who is 5'9" with lovely broad strong hips & shoulders.

I've tirated down to 5mg MJ now - starting to feel an increase in appetite but still holding a stable weight & feeling good.

@GiveMeWordGames yes, i do seem to operate within a narrow window between thin - overweight. No, i am not very short.
When i look okay, i am exactly on the border of healthy & overweight on the BMI scale. I have been thinking about this, the thing is i have big bones. That must contribute to the weight.

But my problem is more that now I am maintaining, I would like to not have to do a minimum of 10K steps everyday or feel like I can't miss a workout.
I also had hoped to increase my calorie intake a bit but I can't.

@MrsMiagi I had started body recomposition way before i hit my target weight and because I have been basing my target weight on how i feel and how i look, my target weight went from 58kg to 61.5 - 62kg.
For my weight loss and body recomposition plan, I also completely worked with ChatGPT. And frankly it was excellent and spot on. I have rather got used to chatting with ChatGPT about everything and trying to break that habit, so decided to ask on here instead. I guess i should check in with ChatGPT. It would be interesting to hear it's take.

I had 2.5mg 2 weeks ago. I was thinking of stopping at this point, but my joints are so painful that I think I'll try 1.25 tomorrow.

Worth remembering that if you have lost a lot of weight you will have more skin to body ratio than an always slim woman of the same size. And that weighs something. I hope that makes sense.

Am only really lurking on here as I've still got 2lb to lose until my BMI is the magical 24.9, but just to say I often think this at the moment - I've lost 8.5 stone (minus 2lbs!) and I reckon my loose skin weighs at least 2lbs...! 🙄😀

Am hoping to join this group officially at some point this side of Christmas, but in the meantime have already started tapering off the MJ so I can start getting used to a slightly lower dose (and slightly more money in my bank account!).

See you on the other side at some point... 🙏💪

Been a long time since I’ve posted on here but maintenance isn’t going well. I’ve put 1.5 stone back on despite still being on 5mg. So now I’m overweight again 😭. It’s very noticeable but I’m trying to keep thinking about the positives - I’m still 5st less than when I started MJ.

Oh, welcome back @PissedOffNeighbour22 . Are you going to up your dose for a while?

I've been looking around to find some support for maintenance, but all the apps and organisations seems to be for weight loss (apart from weight watchers and slimming world and I'm not really keen on either of those). I just want somewhere I can check in weekly, report whether I'm losing weight, gaining weight or starting the same and where I can troubleshoot any problems whenever I gain weight and nip it in the bud, and get ongoing support for a generally healthier lifestyle. Have any of you found anything? On tends of exercise, I already have a programme designed by as person trainer. Maybe I should book some sessions with a nutritionist? Or maybe I be just need to accept that actually, I've already done lots of work and knows what to do and just need three cottage of my convictions, and keep the nutritionist and trainer in reserves in case I need them?

It all feels kinda of daunting.

@RobinEllacotStrike I know what you mean about the bloating. I have increased HRT (again!) recently and the bloating is visible. Trousers feel uncomfortable/tighter even through weight has stayed reasonably steady.

@Questions1234 I find my collarbones so weird and I play with them too, if I pull a shoulder forward and I can feel the shape of the full bone and a huge gap around it (possibly because my skin is loose there too).

I remember when you first started @MooBaggage , and you were "encouraged" 🤣 to take over as the main thread OP when velociraptor stepped away. Amazing you are nearly at maintenance! When I gave ChatGPT my history - age, 9st+ loss, length of time obese etc it told me my loose skin could be anything from 8-15lbs!!!!!! 😮

@UnimaginableWindBird I dropped from 2.08mg (25 clicks of 5mg) to 1.67mg (20 clicks of 5mg) and so far I haven't noticed too much of a difference. 20 clicks would give me 12 weeks out of my 5mg pen which makes it nicely affordable. I only done 10 weeks max out of the one pen before - my provider (SD) allows 8 weeks so 10 weeks didn't seem like to much of a stretch, will see how I feel about 12 weeks when I get there..........

@PissedOffNeighbour22 do you know why you have gained 1.5st. Do you think you have stuck to how you were eating before, or going off track? I am finding I am going off track a bit with bad habits creeping in, it isn't appearing on the scales yet, but it feels like it is looming. I would probably be considering an intervention at this point, either start tracking calories/protein/fibre again to see if you can do it with 5mg, or look at increasing dose again before trying to reduce again in future. Don't feel you are lost, there are options.

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Can’t remember if I mentioned it before, but my DH had a health scare back in June, and at his latest cardiology appointment they told him he needs to get more cardio into each day to help with his recovery. He’s never been one for going out for walks and wouldn’t go to a gym, so last week I surprised him with a static bike and a rowing machine (if I’m honest, have been thinking about them for me for a while too 🤣).

They have screens, like a poor man’s Peloton! We haven’t signed up for any of the classes, just now using them to watch YouTube music videos. I've actually been pretty good and have been getting on them most days - so handy when there are just there. I’ve even used them a couple of times during work when I had my camera off on Teams 🤣 I put the meeting on the screen and switched between pedalling and rowing for the call! My legs are struggling a bit, it is much harder than walking, but it will be good having something regular to do over the coming winter months. dh has been using the bike most nights, doing much better than me, he did 15km last night, I prefer/find the rowing machine easier than the bike which I find uncomfortable after a while with my now unpadded bum!

@WeAllHaveWingsyes I’ve gone off track but I’m so off track it doesn’t feel recoverable. I’ve been back up to 10mg (have never gone higher than that) and it did nothing. I never had much suppression but now it feels like nothing at all. I’d previously been maintaining on 6mg for many many months.

@UnimaginableWindBird I upped my dose for a few months and it made no difference 😕. No I haven’t come across anything that offers what you’re looking for. There’s probably quite a call for things like that as quite a few people would be avoiding slimming world/weight watchers.

Sounds like you are experiencing what we all dread @PissedOffNeighbour22 that it one day it feels like it has "stopped working".

Please don't feel it has gone too far or is unrecoverable, a 1.5st regain may feel massive but it doesn't undo all the progress you made before or mean you can't get back to maintaining but it may take some work to get back into routines that were working for you.

Whenever I start to feel MJ is doing nothing for me, I remind myself of how I felt the last two years after Christmas. I keep taking MJ over Christmas but can easily eat "through it". By the time Christmas is over the food noise and cravings are back big time. It is such a stark contrast over a short period of time it stood out. It made January very challenging, but when I forced myself back into a routine and back to basics for 3-4 weeks, I felt the effects of the medication working again and I did get back on track.

I know this fight with the chronic disease of obesity can sometimes feel like a lonely place in real life. And I think the maintenance phase will always be the hardest part, I don't feel the same excitement I did during weight loss. Keeping focus and motivation can be really difficult. Obesity is a relapsing disease, so having times where things slip doesn't mean we have failed. You've recognised it, now it is time to reset and get back on track one step at a time.

Is there anything we can do to help support you? You could share food diaries, or weigh ins here - or back on the main thread which is a bit busier, if you find that helps with accountability? Or share where you know you are going off track for any tips anyone might have.

I’ve been down to 5mg this week.

all week I’ve experienced a return of osteoarthritis joint pain especially in thumb joint, shoulders & knees. Been slowing down in yoga. Just occurred to me today that this is probably because of lowering my mj.

can’t I just stay on it forever for the anti inflammatory benefits!

jab day today so fingers crossed pain levels reduce.

Hope your get some relief after this weeks injection @RobinEllacotStrike . Are you going to try to stick with the 5mg and see if the inflammation flare up is a coincidence or tied to the dose decrease? You have done so well to get down from 15mg it will be a shame if OA scuppers your plans to reduce further.

Your dd might just have to survive on tesco value beans on toast for her first year! 🫣 Has she started uni now? Hope she is settling in ok.

Thanks @WeAllHaveWings

ill stick with 5 for this pen and hope things improve.

I remember now how I used to rely on cold swimming to keep OA pain at bay. The MJ scuppered that as I started feeling cold for the first time in my life as a side effect. I’d love to get back into the sea, so maybe it’s not all bad. I’ll see how things pan out. My beach sauna opens next week and I would live to get back into a sauna/sea dip routine- for many reasons but absolutely pain relief.

what with dd2 now seeing private doctor for adhd/possible Au adhd, (no nhs support on offer) and DD1 off to Cambridge uni this week, the belts are tightened indeed. Dried lentil’s & chickpeas have been stocked up!

I’ve been living on various versions of “filthy cabbage” and it it all week. So far I’ve done versions in Mexican chilli / butter chicken / Mattar paneer. Might try katsu curry sauce next.
Basically I make normal recipe with double the sauce - the add a whole head of chopped cabbage & let it soften. It’s all over insta & I’m here for it.

after a massive Vinted shopping spree my winter wardrobe is set. I’ve now turned my attention to selling!!!

Just looked at "filthy/dirty cabbage" as haven't seen it before. Looks nice. Does it store well for leftovers? I doubt I be able to get ds/dh to try it.

This thread is definitely for me. I am about to take my last (I hope) dose of MJ at 12.5 mg. The next one will be 10 mg and I really hope to be able to get down to 5 mg, but will see how I go. I have lost 80 pounds and still losing on 12.5 though I only really want to maintain now. It’s a very difficult balance as I know what to do to lose weight, but I am frightened to put it on. I think it will be trial and error; I’ll be watching everyone’s stories.

Absolutely it’s great over a few days.

Hello everyone, especially OP@WeAllHaveWings and others from the main 5st to lose thread. I remember when you were setting ready to start the maintenance thread and I’ve been reading it since but only now can officially join in🙂.

I’m now 63kg with bmi 23.3 and have gone down from 7.5mg (my max dose) to 5mg.

I’m not sure actually how it works - will the providers continue prescribing considering the healthy weight is achieved? And if so for how long?

I am very happy with my loss of 6 st but I am worried the appetite will come back if I stop MJ at some point.
I have never been an emotional eater, never (or very rarely) ate sweet things, I just was always hungry.

So it is a real concern for me and I wonder if I wouldn’t have to be on MJ for life.

I wouldn’t really mind. I don’t mind my slightly boring diet (still nutritious) with occasional strayings if I only had this guarantee of keeping my appetite in check.

I still have a few spare pens, still order from Pharmulous with no problems but it’d be interesting to know how the providers view prescribing once the goal is reached.

I wouldn’t really like having to put a lot back in order to qualify for prescription again.

Hey @SecondCircuit . Well done on your amazing 6st loss and nice to see you over here!

Firstly, quite a few providers do maintenance, including Pharmulous. There's some variation on how low they will go in BMI terms - eg MMP will cut you off at 22 - but where you are now you should be fine. Monj have a section devoted to maintenance. I'm only now looking into it myself as my in-person provider is not very maintenance supportive and a bit pricey to carry on long term. @WeAllHaveWings recommended Swift Doctor to me and right now that's who I'm thinking of going with because they support split dosing and allow you 8 weeks to use a pen.

Like you I'm realising I want to stay on perhaps longer than I originally planned. I'm currently taking 4 having gone down to 2.5/3 (from max 10) and found my snacking urges coming back rather more strongly than I want right now. I also like the metabolic & anti-inflammatory benefits - no IBS, no menopausal aches and pains, brain is more chilled.

Hello @GiveMeWordGames 👋
and thank you so much for your explanation.
Yes, I also plan split dosing and with bmi 22 pretty close I was worried how it will go further down the line.

Having recently experienced sudden hunger pants (I gave in and wolfed down rather a lot in one go)I was painfully reminded of the dangers of huge appetite being back in full force. Honestly, it was like the old days when I could get super hungry and so unable to ignore, suppress it that it frightened me to no end.

It’s a shame we don’t hear any more from posters who lost a lot long ago , would be great to know how they have found keeping the weight off ( @infosecinthecity, @alltablenochairs ) but of course they probably are now slim, happy and back to their busy lives.

I do hope it will be easier for us than we worry🙂

I think infosec is on MJ permanently as she's prescribed it via the NHS for T2D.

I don't know about alltable - she disappeared from the main 5st+ thread after being a regular poster on it. I hope everything's all right with her.

I think it's good that you're aware and reacting to old habits coming back. It's being complacent that's the danger.

@SecondCircuit , good to see you here. I am also from the other thread (just realised I probably have a different username there).
I am also scared of the hunger coming back and not being able to control it.
I have been weaning my MJ. So far have only weaned 0.25mg and towards the end of the week, my hunger is pretty strong and I find myself prowling around in the kitchen aiming to devour. I am starting to think I may not be able to come off it.
I gain weight very easily too! A glance at a gorgeous cake has me buying the next size up in clothes!