Struggling to reduce Mounjaro after reaching goal weight

[Cakeymauve]

I started mounjaro as a desperate last resort as I couldn’t get my appetite under control and was just getting bigger. My initial plan was 3 months.

Yes, naive I know.

it’s nearly a year later and the last month I’ve titrated down to 2.5mg from 5mg. I was lucky in I got to goal on 5mg. Changed my life with strength training. Best shape of my life. I’m a healthy bmi.

the last four weeks on 2.5 has been very hard, food noise is back. I’ve put on 5lb. I’m always thinking about food. I might have to move back up.

I feel deeply ashamed. My plan was to come off. And now I can’t cope without it. If I’m struggling on 2.5, what will happen if I come off completely? Feeling stupid for thinking I might be different.

Please don’t feel ashamed. Personally I don’t think it should be prescribed without accompanying nutrition coaching. But it is.
Up your protein- aim for 120 g a day spread over 3 meals. Drink 2-3 litres of water. Try to get 7 hours sleep a night minimum. also try a short walk after lunch and dinner or just dinner. This will make a big difference with the food noise.

No need for shame. You’re having a medical reaction to changing your medication, any other medication and there would not be this self blame going on. Go back up to 5mg, stay there for a while until you’ve stabilised your weight and then have a rethink about long term maintenance. You could try moving down very slowly, or stepping down to 3.75mg for a while.

Everyone hopes they might be in the tiny percentage of people who can just stop and then maintain. No harm in trying it and seeing how you got on, now you just need to readjust, that’s all.

If you had a heart condition and the tablets prescribed by the GP took away the symptoms, would you then stop taking them or would you understand that the symptoms you had previously would likely return?

I was prescribed MJ by my GP here in Ireland and she said I needed to accept that it’s likely I’ll need to be on them for at least 2 years after reaching goal to re-stabilise my system and possibly stay on them for life.

All the research so far suggests that the vast majority of formerly severely obese people will need to stay on a WL drug for life.

Your physical body has changed shape but the issues that led to obesity haven’t necessarily gone away. Particularly if it’s due to endocrine/hormone based issues.

How does doing all that help with the food noise? If it were that easy no-one would need mounjaro.

Absolutely no need for shame.

I got to a healthy BMI, titrated down to 2.5mg. Hunger returned like a ravenous beast.

Went back to 5mg. Settled. Content. Weight stable.

Some of us need these meds, like insulin or blood pressure tabs. It’s as simple as that.

Sadly, this is nonsense.

No shame needed. MJ is giving us something our body was missing. I’m taking whilst maintaining between 3-4mg. I have most days where I’m in control and stick to my meal plan other days I feel more snaky, but MJ stops me overindulging like the old days.

Sorry, I have no advice to offer just empathy. I have nitrates down from 7.5mg to 5mg for the past 3 injections have maintained but left 8 day gap before my dose today. I could really "feel" it. I am doing all inclusive holiday soon so thinking about going to 2.5mg as want to enjoy my holiday and really want to reduce with aim to come off it, but not sure I can do it.

I don’t understand the shame? The meds don’t work when you don’t take them, your body doesn’t alter permanently or in any way, you are now simply back to the way you were before you took them,

obesity is a relapse disease, the hunger and cravings come back as they were

i maintain in 5mg, I feel no shame about this.in fact I feel very grateful that there is a medication that can keep me healthy and I can afford it.

Don’t be silly now. Your advice is sound but it will make zero difference to the food noise.

The only thing that works for my Dd2 is she doesn't eat anything that triggers the food noise . So she doesn't eat anything processed , eats a lot of protein , upped her fibre, drinks a lot of water and exercises every day , whether that's a lot of steps or the gym. lt's a constant battle but she is determined to keep the weight off bless her . Good luck @Cakeymauve

Like other medications Mounjaro only works whilst you take it.
People who have a lifelong serious issue with eating ie no full switch are likely to need the medicine forever.
I tried coming off and regained.
Now accepted that I will need to stay on either Mounjaro or whatever comes along next for life.
It isn’t simply a matter of changing habits, nor the ridiculous assumption that very big people don’t understand what constitutes a proper diet, it is the fact that our bodies do not function in the normal way so we are constantly and insatiably hungry.
Trying not to overeat when your brain is screaming you need food is akin to trying to hold your breath. Only possible in short bursts.
Our struggle is not the same as an average person who has just over indulged a little and wants to lose a stone or two at most.

Nothing to be ashamed about, you're a human with a body that behaves like a human. If you'd lost weight using traditional methods, you'd be overwhelmingly likely to regain it. It's just what happens when you've been obese, which I'm assuming you were.

Is it necessary for you to stop? I'm just thinking, if it's finances, maybe a move to Wegovy could be an option.

@Cakeymauve please don't feel ashamed of yourself. What you have already achieved is fantastic. Think of GLPs as hormone replacement. If you were a bit short of another hormone in your body, you wouldn't feel ashamed that you were replacing it.

If you fancy it, come and join the maintainers thread. Lots of us doing all sorts of different journeys to maintain our weight loss. Everyone is very supportive, we all have slightly different struggles and we are all finding our own way through.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5511892-its-time-to-spring-into-the-maintainers-thread-4-where-we-dont-eat-all-the-easter-eggs-and-undo-all-our-good-work?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

You know, I had my thyroid removed when I was 15. If I stopped taking my thyroxine I be very ill within about three weeks. Eventually I might even die. Not immediately but I’d become very compromised. So I don’t stop taking it. Zero shame, zero anxiety. It simply replaces something my body can’t make for itself. I view MJ in the same way. It’s just costs more. I’m fortunate that I have enough financial flexibility that I have things I can cut down on to enable me to buy it. I realise that’s a privilege. But other than that - I need this to replace something I can’t make myself.

I initially planned on three months too, just a boost to get me started then I'd do the rest on my own, Ha! 64 weeks later I have no plans to stop.
As the others have said there's no need for shame, if it was a medication for any other condition you wouldn't be shaming yourself for being unable to manage without it