Moving on from Wegovy

[Candyfloss99]

I've lost 4 and a half stone on wegovy. I've gone from an obese BMI to BMI of 21. I'm so happy. It took me a year. So now I'm going to taper down and stop. Has anyone else stopped yet? I'm going to keep up the calorie counting and exercise of course to keep the weight off.

Hi @gracijela1 I was at 23.1 when Boots finally said they would recommend I stopped the treatment. They didn't refuse, and I was given the option of reducing my dose, but as I had a pen "in hand" at home I decided just to taper myself (I was getting fed up of the cost tbh!).

I've put 3.5 lbs back on since then (2 months) and I know I've let some bingeing creep back in occasionally so I'm back to tracking calories now and trying to keep to around 1600 per day alongside exercise to maintain. I've had to concentrate on not letting myself get too hungry because I can become quite shaky and faint when that happens and I end up stuffing my face with anything in a panic - there was none of that on Wegovy and I miss that aspect!

Hello. Im a 36yr old single mum of three. Gained weight over covid due to working full time and home schooling (ie permanent sitting) insomnia and antidepressants (now ceased).

Tipped scales at 16stone - not sure bmi as am very tall but tipped into obese category. I’ve been on a clinical trial either taking semaglutide or cagrisema or both since July 2023. High dose. Could have been placebo but very much doubt it. Very little side effects (apart from hair loss) and have lost nearly five stone down to 11 stone 8 pounds last week. Felt like didn’t even have to try.

The medication has now been stopped as planned cold turkey. I’m on first week no medication and can feel difference even though I know takes several to come out of system. I was avoiding/in denial until it happened and when the dr told me to expect weight gain and wanted to manage expectations that this has been pretty devastating for other participants - that this is long term medication like blood pressure medication for some and obesity is a neurological issue and chronic disease - I really panicked. I put it out of my mind and hoped for the best however I feel so puffy and have gained 4 pounds already. I started tracking calories again (haven’t for last 6 months) and my god! 1600 calories so soooo little food! My BMR is 1533 I think as I have such little muscle mass (something I need to focus on but I suffer so severely with DOMS). I did 1800 for a few days and then had the urge to binge a few days ago and clocked in 3500. I’ve got it back down 1500 last few days but I no weight 11.12 so i’m back in overweight category already.

Ive noticed my blood sugar is all over the place and i’ve been having night sweats. This may be panic as I feel out of control and worried about what’s going to happen but I think it is related to sharp stop. I’ve asked to be fitted glucose monitor and if there is any discretion to put me back on and taper me slowly down. I’ll speak with them next week.

Ive been reading online - some people do manage to keep it off but most gain and I can’t stand the idea of gaining more. I still have more to lose. I wish I had focused more on exercise and muscle gains during this period. I struggle with time with working a full on job and the kids.

I walk over ten k steps a day and do 20 min workout in morning, occasional swim or other more high intensity class or gym session. Obviously I need to increase and prioritise this.

Has anyone got any tips? Has anyone else also had extreme anxiety coming off? I feel very distracted and desperate.

The last year has completely healed my brain and relationship with food. I’ve felt normal patterns of hunger for the first time and able to think clearly about nutrition.

Surely 1500 calories a day plus intense exercise can’t be the way of life forever?

I can’t afford 150 a month to buy privately unfortunately. Also, not sure should start now as don’t know what i’ve been taking until study unblinded in December.

The good news is that the doctor said the price will come down and quite quickly as they understand that people need this now and will develop supplement doses so more tailored approach like BP meds.

Thank you for listening. Just had to get it out as didn’t tell anyone about this trial either. Feel alone with it.

Wow that's a big loss! Do you know what your current BMI is? You can see my history below, I am older and am sitting around 24 BMI which is just fine for me.

I have been sitting around 68-69 kg but it is definitely a need to stay focused on maintaining.

@Marliena
This is definitely a safe space where you can share and you are not alone!!!!!

I completely understand all your anxiety and emphasis with your situation. Im kind of in the same situation though it's different as my body suddenly rejected the drug badly so I'm having to ween myself off it as even taking the smaller dose doesn't agree with me and makes me ill.

I'm petrified of putting the weight back on and I got down to 10st7lbs but slowly creeping up to 11stone though I can be 11st10 and still in my BMI as I'm tall but it's really concerning.

It's hard not to eat when very hungry! I try not to but I can't concentrate etc so it's hard. Not great at counting calories and my BMR is 1300 which is really low. I don't exercise so your doing better than me at that but I know I need to build muscle in order to eat more and not put on weight! It's freaking me out too and I don't want to get any bigger. I'm currently to scared to weigh myself but know I'm putting on weight. It is very devastating and I do believe this should be a lifelong drug for some. Unfortunately for me my body doesn't like it.

I know you mentioned about not being able to afford it privately but also they wouldn't give it to you unless your starting BMI is over 30 so you couldn't get it anyway unfortunately.

I am trying to get my blood glucose levels consistent as I've watched many videos lately saying that glucose levels fluctuations cause cravings etc so I wanted to buy a monitor and sort mine out as there are many things you can do to keep it level.

Yes we are here to support each other as it's really hard coming off something that helped you eat the right amount of food and quieted the food noise.

You said you lost your hair, I did to, what did you do to help with that, I'm trying different tablets and hair oils

Thank you so much for your messages.

My BMI fluctuates between 24 and 25 so between normal and overweight !

I have calmed down a bit since my panicked message. I was so overwhelmed and it was all a bit sudden.

I’ve been focusing on calorie control steps and protein and haven’t put on anymore since I messaged.

I have struggled today with appetite and focus as well however I am premenstural now so maybe that’s not helping. I will really miss not having to constantly battle myself but it is nice to take control and feel hunger and also food looks amazing again - the smell of fresh oranges in the market(!)

I can tell the medication is leaving my body as well as smells which had changed whilst on it - in particular of cigarettes and marijuana have returned to how they used to smell. Very odd!

For hair loss I do have androgenic alopecia so I use minoxidil on derms recommendation anyway however the shedding has been next level - I don’t have any other tips other than the clinical trial doctors told me this happens all weight loss and should slow and reverse. They recommended to focus on protein. You can try iron and vitamin d. A friend recommended sea moss but I don’t know anything about it.

I ultimately would like to go back on the medication and I wish I have focused more on losing more weight when I was on it but it was so so nice to eat whatever i liked and stay in normal range.

I hope the medication becomes available to those who have food noise issues not just overweight - it clearly helps with addictive thinking etc

I am still very worried about this but calmer to just stay curious and see what happens. Any tips much appreciated.

@Marliena it’s great that you were able to take part in a trial. For you and for the rest of us long term hopefully if what your doctor says is true. I do think (and hope) that the medications will come down in price and be more widely prescribed and not just for those who can afford them privately.

I was on Ozempic and then Wegovy for over two years and after an initial fairly fast three stone loss I stalled for a long while on Ozempic. Tried going it alone by tapering down for a short while but gained. Started Wegovy and went up to the highest dose and lost what I’d gained. Decided to switch to Mounjaro so had to stop Wegovy for a month. I got quite worried about the cravings I experienced when I came off. Huge food noise. The cravings were almost a compulsion rather than a craving. It was a bit scary and I figured I will have to be on nit for life. However the cravings did reduce to being a bit more manageable. I’m now on the lowest dose of Mounjaro and it’s not really done anything as yet which I expected. I’ve gained about ten pounds.

I am planning on really upping my protein and fibre and exercise like you. Also drinking water which I’m really bad at.

So my tips would be to eat as well as you can - lots of protein and fibre. Watch out for foods that cause blood sugar spikes. Avoid ultra processed foods as much as possible. Move as much as you can. Do some strength training exercises to build muscle- you can do them at home. Drink lots of water. I wouldn’t try to calorie count at the moment. If you are eating lots of protein and fibre and healthy foods and avoiding crap you will hopefully gradually lose the feeling of panic and getting too hungry which can lead to bad choices. If you are hungry eat. But make it protein heavy.

The book “Why We Eat (Too Much) by Dr Andrew Jenkinson is really good at explaining the whys of obesity and what to avoid etc.

I’m following someone on Facebook - I think it’s called Hungry Healthy Happy and she posts lots of easy healthy meals - she calls them picky plates and they are based on protein and fruit and veg and some sensible carbs and very easy to put together. And you can sign up and get recipes sent.

Thank you so much for your message. I know exactly what you mean about the compulsive behaviour. I have more tools now to deal with that sort of addictive impulse and I know my brain more than ever yet that doesn’t mean I can completely overcome my biology and I think it takes 5 weeks for the medication to come out of my system.

I do have moments of feeling petrified - not because my body getting quickly bigger may be unpleasant but because I think it does have a positive impact on my mental health however worrying about my mental health is completely counterproductive and I do believe in life if there is a crisis my body will overcome and there is always a way of finding support and solutions even if they are not instant. You can tell I am trying to reassure myself :-)

I know what you mean about calorie counting and I think that deprivation mindset is unhealthy and actually leads to overeating however I think I need to for now to feel in control as my panic prevents me from functioning effectively and I have an overly busy life to cope with.

I will absolutely take on board what you say about fibre and protein. I noticed when I have any processed food my cravings after are enormous even if it is high protein low sugar. Ultra processed foods are really bad but sooo convinenet to just grab and go.

I will start exploring ways to get glp1 long term not just for food noise but also for pms etc. I think it’s the anti inflammatory effect which is helpful. I also have very bad insomnia nd have been prescribed melatonin which also is good anti inflammatory and is being explored as weight loss aid too.

Thanks for the reminder on the water - iI feel soo much better after staying hydrated yet my brain just pretends water doesn’t exist sometimes? I’d love to know the psychology behind that.

Will buy the book now. I have teenage daughters and only one is like me - never full, always thinking about food. The others do not at all and are neutral on food. Been like that since birth which tends me to think it is totally a genetic thing.

Thanks again for listening. This is very unpleasant thing to go through for sure.

Hello everyone, just thought I’d post a quick update as haven’t been on here for a while.

I ended up weaning myself off of wegovy in July and August, down to 0.25 every couple of weeks. I’ve now been wegovy free for about a month…

The food noise has definitely crept back in and I’m finding it frustrating thinking about food more and I’m finding it tricky not to binge a bit at times.

so far I’ve maintained my 3 1/2 stone weight loss, I’m so scared of putting it all back on. I’m calorie counting during the week and being more relaxed on the weekend, that seems to be working for now. I think unfortunately I’m going to have to be one of those people that calorie counts forever as I just can’t be trusted with portion size!

I hope everyone else is managing ok, it would be lovely to see some updates from the original wegovy users. It’s almost been a year since I started and although expensive it is absolutely the best money I’ve ever spent!

I've also been off Wegovy for about 6 weeks and panicking about the food noise and my growing waistband. I am 'experimenting' with fibre supplements to see if they help with feeling satiated, as well as protein shakes. I loved my life on Wegovy, when food took a backstage. The initial sensation of hunger sends me into a panic, and I quickly start feeling dizzy.
Has anyone heard of Berberine, which is supposed to be natural glp-1?

So I am down to 0.25mg of Wegovy every two weeks and it's been like that for about 4-5 months because my body hates Wegovy now and I get really bad side effects but I seem to be able to tolerate this amount (just about).

I really wish I could still have Wegovy properly but my body says no! I am eating more than I usually would on full dose Wegovy but not as much as I used to eat. It is difficult to stay at the 5&half stones loss but I did factor in a buffer zone where I can put in more effort to lose weight if it starts creeping on without going overweight again but it's very difficult 😔

@NutellaWithEverything So I did research into Berberine as I heard that this is a natural version of GLP-1 and helps with food noise etc. So I have been taking Berberine, tried one company and switched to another. I still have a bit of Wegovy in my system at the lowest dose but I think between the two of them, they seem to be helping me stay in track but I haven't tried Berberine alone yet. I'm trying to stay on the lowest dose of Wegovy as long as I can because it really really helped me manage my eating and put food to back of my mind. Also let me know how your getting on with fiber supplements?

I also take magnesium to help with my sleep which works beautifully and I take vitamin D and K3 and two tablets for my hair as I experienced hair loss and tablets for digestion.

I seem to be just about coping but nothing is as great we Wegovy and honestly I wish I could be on it long term but even if I wanted to, my body is saying hell no unfortunately.

Is anyone else taking anything for hair loss and trying Berberine?

Also has anyone heard of The Glucose Goodess, I encourage you to look her up on Instagram and online (she has a website). Her insites on glucose and glucose spikes are amazing and tells you ways to deal with cravings! I first heard her on 'the diary of a CEO' video on YouTube and I encourage anyone who reads this to watch that video and send me your thoughts.

If anyone knows of anything else to help weaning of Wegovy but keep food noise away then let us know especially going up to Xmas.

its like you’ve gone inside my mind and can see what I’m thinking.

I’ve just been looking into berberine, I’d not heard of it before. I’m willing to try anything. I’m even considering trying to get another pen to help with maintenance at just a low level.

@Stel83 i follow glucose goddess but haven’t seen her on YouTube. She’s definitely got some good tips for dealing with cravings. I just feel so weak willed now the cravings are back.

I would suggest going high fibre for maintaining. Fibre triggers your body's production of GLP1 naturally
https://www.medexpress.co.uk/health-centre/oatzempic/#:~:text=How%20does%20food%20trigger%20GLP,release%20the%20GLP%2D1%20hormone.

Also if you eat fibre rich foods before any carbs it lowers the glycemic response which reduces blood glucose fluctuations and cravings. A small handful of plain almonds before a meal is very effective and even though they are high calorie only around 60% of the calories are used (the rest passes through you).

UPF is generally low in fibre and even if it fibre has been added back in it is not in the original food matrix so does not has the same benefits as if you get it from a whole food.

I aim for 40g fibre a day, never feel hungry and maintain a healthy weight.

I originally started this thread after losing 4 and a half stone. I've put on about 10 pounds over the summer so I'm trying to get it off now by calorie counting.

Hi @Candyfloss99, I'm the same - I stopped Wegovy around August and have put on the same as you, about 10lb.

Things have been really strained at work with lots of upheaval and I've fallen back into binge eating - I'm furious with myself.

Must must must get back on the horse - life is always going to throw stuff at you and you can't always react by downing a full tube of Pringles. I want to feel as good at my Christmas parties as I did at events earlier this summer 🥲

Thank you so much @Candyfloss99 for this thread.
And thank you everyone for your amazing comments. Reading them was like a therapy session. I’m incredibly grateful for your candour.
@Candyfloss99 and @Radish12 we’re all allowed a blip. Hope you’re getting back on track now.

How is everyone getting on with Christmas approaching? It's a definite danger zone for me. Loads of food and lots of clothes to cover up with.... I'm so much more motivated coming up to summer.

Did you manage to get back on course OK? It's very hard once you go off the rails to get back to normal. I'd say I've put on about 4 more pounds so that my regain a stone now.

Hi @Candyfloss99 - definitely thinking about Christmas as I was still on Wegovy this time last year. However am still keeping the weight off - hovering between 68-69 kg 9 months on from my final dose so am hopeful.

I put on about 10lbs. I was doing ok but October half term and work travel have added 3kgs more than I'm really comfortable with. I'm managing it now (a lot of soups!) and it's coming down slowly.

That said, I feel so bloated and gross right now! But I have met people recently who haven't seen me in a while and they're all complimenting me for keeping the weight off. I'm still more than 22lbs down from where I started.

Hi all,
Just checking in. Well after nearly 20 months I'm still on the jab, just gone up to max dose but effect is noticeably wearing off and maintenance is not effortless. I've lost nearly 5 stone, from a miserable size 18/20 to 10, BMI 21-22 now. Absolutely no regrets, I am a new person in every way. Just had a big health checkup and it was all great news. At 52 I feel better than I did in my 30s and the skin sag is improving over time too. QuickMeds have suggested I stay on (well they would, wouldn't they?) as it would be tricky coming back on after a break with my weight so low now. But since the appetite suppression is wearing off I'm thinking I might as well do calorie counting as I have been doing. The best news is that my alcohol noise isn't back unlike some food noise and I really hope it stays that way. I just hope the hunger won't be brutal.

Hallooo @VanellopeVonSchweetz99 !!!

You have been a big help to me - basically your explanation on TDEE was a lightbulb moment for me -

I've got my last dose of Wegowy this week, I'm quitting cold turkey. I'm around bmi 23.5 now and future goals are more around fitness (building muscle/ toned) than weight-focused. Slightly worried if I gain weight especially as I'm in 40s and perimenopause looming. At least it's the time of the year to be on (continued) a health kick 😂

Best of luck to you! Are you on HRT? If not, maybe look into it. It might go better if you titrate down?

I'm in the same boat, down 6 stones, from 16st 1lb to 10stone and a size 8/10 which i have not been since i was in my 20's. I had some issues int he middle of my journey with side effects but they are all gone now and i am 1.7mg and still feeling the effects quite strong actually. I have not gone up to 2.4mg yet but i am not sure how long i will stay on the injections for. I am trying to move onto Berberine which is supposed to be like Wegovy but not as strong as i want to come off the drugs as they are just so expensive though they have single handed helped me lose all the weight. Bit scared about coming off them though so i need to start exercising more and doing resistance training to keep the weight loss i have made. You said Quick meds suggested you stay on Wegovy, do they allow you to stay on them for life?

How did everyone cope at Xmas, i did not each much at all and i did not eat any dessert and i stayed the exact same 10stones.

@flappingmadly I don't have many symptoms so not needed HRT yet. Just aware of my age and what may come!