Finishing WLI and keeping the weight off

[GoneWithTheWind4]

Hello! I’m looking for top tips and advice from those who have decided to stop WLI.

ive been on 2.5mg for 3 months and then 5mg for 2 months. Sometimes stretched the dosage out for 8/9 days or did less clicks to get 5 dosages a pen.

my final dosage was today.

what’s the best tips and advice to remain at a healthy weight / BMI after finishing?

if context helps - went from approx 13 stone 9 to current 10 stone 7. Over approx 7 months.

thanks :)

Well done!

Not much in the way of tips, I am only just starting, but want to join the thread to see the answers you get.

The small tip I have is a second-hand bit of intel from someone I know who has been on the meds for a couple of years, is down to her target weight but is continuing indefinitely with a maintenance dose. I was concerned about that because I know I can't afford to do that. However, what she said to me is that the main benefit of staying on the meds indefinitely is that she gets to drink whatever she wants, and (whilst this is none of my business) her normal alcohol intake is way too high for health anyway. So I've concluded from that, that an important tip after coming off the meds will be to keep alcohol intake modest.

My perception from various threads on here is that most people who stop put significant amounts of weight back on. Some are successful in maintaining but they’re a minority.

I am on a maintenance dose, probably for life or thereabouts!

You haven’t mentioned how you approached the weight loss? If you have been following a plan and keeping in a calorie deficit whilst eating healthily then keep doing what you are doing. If you let the WLI do the work for you and didn’t overhaul your diet it’s likely you will regain.

I'm a long way off target yet but I plan to titrate down and then stay on as low a dose as I can without gaining and see how that feels for a while.

I’ve been on a maintenance dose for 8 months now. I plan to do at least - year as that is the minimum amount of time it takes for your body to reset its set point weight. Coming off before that risks my body fighting me to get back to the set weight it wants to be at.

Of necessary I will stay on for years or even life.

I stopped towards the end of april

i have kept up with the gym and counting calories on nutricheck which i think i will have to do for life

i am sticking to low amounts of chocolate, biscuits etc and still watch what I eat when out and when at home to be fair. I do have cheat days or the odd day when i don’t count my calories

so far so good

Tips

1. keep protein high
2. avoid UPF
3. exercise both cardio and weights
4. weigh yourself every morning

I think I need it for life - lost 6 stone, stopped and gained 2 quickly. Back on and losing much more slowly this time but without it I am ravenous and eat everything

So Im not on WLI ....but cutting upfs/ grains and sugars has really helped me with appetite. Also macha latte (ceremonial grade 1 tsp in 200ml cows milk) has massively curved my appetite. . I was always always so hungry so relieved to have flind thjnga that tune that out. Im not religiously strict. I have bread or cake on a special occasion every few weeks like a meal out but otherwise they arent part of my diet. Just thinking re appetite returning these things may help.

I’m someone who failed… only ever took 2.5 /5mg .
weigh yourself daily
limit alcohol
journal how will you motivate yourself
meaL planning
consider micro dosing ie 1.25mg per week .

It’s really easy to fail ! Put on 2.5 stone of 3.76 stone list over 8 months.

You need to consider how you hav lost weight - did you just eat less or more healthily . I just ate less .

Studies show you will likely put all the weight back on. Id try a small dose for at least the time you were on the meds. Set point theory isnt proven but i have read it takes 2 years at least.

One of the main ways mounjaro works is to slow gut motility and gastric emptying which keeps you feeling full. So eat foods that mimic this by taking longer to digest - so high protein and fibre foods.

And yes, skip the booze. It’s 7 calories per gram almost double that of carbs or protein and close to fat. The body also doesn’t properly digest other calories in the normal way when processing alcohol.

For most people, it’s not a quick fix. A small number of people who have used WLI to lose weight after being obese, will be able to stay slim afterwards, but the vast majority will put the weight back on again and return to using some form of WLD’s.

Have you significantly changed your eating habits and increased your exercise whilst you were taking WLI or did you just eat less food?

I plan to stay on a low dose of WLI for at least a couple of years after getting to my goal to help me establish a new healthier lifestyle. I’m about a stone from my goal weight.

There are a few maintenance threads that you might like to read and join for support?

I lost 4 stone over 6 months so quite fast (went up to 5mg)
Then (with a new relationship and all the going out eating in etc that brought with it) I put on 1 1/2 stone
I have now gone back on it but I have cut alcohol right back / regular swimming / calorie count and have now lost a stone so I’m the same weight as when I first met my b/f
I’m not sure I want to be on Mounjaro forever (the cost!) but I realise that it can only work long term hand in hand with sensible eating / regular exercise!

Did you taper back down or did you just stop cold turkey from 5mg? It takes time for your body to produce natural GLP when a drug has been in your system for so long producing it at a high level, so the body switches its own production off as it is not needed, so when wanting to come off its best to taper slowly to allow your body to start its production of GLP again...this was said in a video live by the owner of Oushk who is also an obesity expert.
This rings true for me and is what I've been doing, got upto 15mg for my weight loss then I got to bmi 25 and suddenly doses got too strong, started tapering down sept 25, everytime I go down a dose I stay on it and it ends up ramping up and being too strong over time so I can barely eat. I'm now on 5mg and today only managed 1038 cals, which most of it was forced in due to strong suppression. I'm planning on going further to 4.5mg and then to 4mg etc over time and eventually 2.5, 2 and 1.25mg to allow my body to get used to the reduced dose. Slow tapering is best and gives best chance to managing off the drug.
Other than that track food if you don't already, I use myfitnesspal app and stick yo your maintenance calories, prioritising protein. If your appetite ramps up, make sure to drink plenty of water/squash/fruit tea inbetween meals and stick to high protein snacks. Also weigh regularly so you can adjust food intake when necessary.

So I’ve been at maintenance for a year and my maintenance dose is 10mg. I started to feel I had too little energy to exercise, for context I could do ONE thing a day, a 3 mile walk or 3-4 hours of work. Wasn’t enough. So I’ve cut to 5mg and eaten about 300-400 calories more a day and am now able to burn off more as have enough energy for 2 things a day.

its very early days, only been doing it for a month but so far still maintaining, every better, food intake more tasty.

I lost 5 stone, going from 15 st 2 to 10 st 2. I went up a dose each month, spent several months at 15mg, went down to 7.5mg then stopped and have been off it for over 12 months now. I went up to 11 stone over Xmas, but am back down to 10st 7 and have just come back from a week AI holiday without gaining a lb.

I prioritise protein and fibre in my duet, and exercise regularly. I follow people like Bethany Dobson on Insta and follow her way of eating (volume eating) and it really works. I'd like to get under 10 st eventually but am not beating myself up about it and am mainly focussing on fitness and building muscle.

@KrazyKatty could you recommend a specific thread? Every time someone posts about maintenance people refer to helpful maintenance threads but I’ve searched and searched and can’t find one! I am 11 months into my WLI journey and have gone from obese to BMI 22.8, planning to stay on a maintenance dose for at least a year and probably more but would love to find a thread to join!

My hairdresser was on WLI, came off and now goes to Slimming World. I’ll find out later this month how she’s doing with that when I see her.

High fibre, high protein, no snacks, lots of water, no added sugar, no alcohol, weights, pilates, walking, calorie tracking and weighing every day - exactly what I did whilst on it.

@OneDayIWillLearn

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5518938-mounjaro-wegovy-with-5st-30kg-to-lose-alumni-maintenance-thread

I'd keep focusing on the habits you've built, protein, regular movement, and keeping an eye on your weight

I came off a couple of months ago because I want to TTC and I won’t lie, its been hard, the food noise is back and I struggle daily but I have increased my exercise, use MFP and weigh myself every few days. I will definitely be returning to WLI at some point