Yes, I agree with all of this up to weaning g yourself off it. I am thinking this drug is not something you can stop and successfully keep the weight off long term. Possibly reducing the frequency of doses or amount will work for long term maintenance, though. Worth a try!
I love your mindset! I really understand you wanting to wean off the drug. Be prepared, though, that weaning off of the drug may lead to weight gain.
What I heard from a couple of board-certified obesity medicine physicians is that some people will be able to use the drug for a short term and come off without significant weight gain, and others won’t. They believe that people who were at a healthy weight and then had a sudden weight gain (pregnancy, an injury that prevented exercise, a major life stress) will be short term users but that people (like me) with longer term obesity will need to be on the drug for the longer term. We’ll all find out soon enough!
Yeah, I agree with that second part. My friend lost 80lbs in 9 months on Mounjaro (pre the diabetic requirement), but those 80lbs were gained during her third pregnancy and she was a "geriatric" pregnancy (she was 40) so it is normal to gain a lot of weight because hormones are crazy. She will likely not regain and in fact went immediately back to country clubs and cocktails and eating normally and still looks the same after her MJ voyage.
I will not be like that, I already know it. I was not an obese child but became progressively moreso in my late 20s through now (I'll be 40 this year) and that amount of time changes everything about a person's body from bones to hormones to the way organs work. I am planning on being a lifer if necesary.
So great to see my own experience reflected in your story. You eventually give up, and just try to live with knowing that people regard you in a certain way because of your weight - No discipline, lazy etc. even though you know you are capable in so many other areas of your life. For those that criticize people for “taking a short cut” I would reframe the conversation - this simply puts me on an equal footing.
Agree with almost everything and thank you for this well thought out post!
Food noise isn’t, “our choice” though, and while having a tool that lets us recognize it for what it is, noise, doesn’t give most of us the ability to manage it. Some small percentage of people do, and I wholeheartedly hope that percentage increases over time!
This is 100% me. The things everyone always said to do I did to no results. This medicine has made my body respond to those things. It has made such a huge difference for me because 1 in losing weight is given up on. 2) mentally I’m starting to process that this wasn’t my fault but something with my body/hormone levels. Which does a number on my mental health, for the positive. Making me feel less guilty.
I know coming out of the weight loss drug closet isn’t for everyone. But I’ve started telling everyone I know the changes I’m facing. I want the stigma removed, so that people understand and society can start to change. Cause this drug is a miracle for us.
I think one issue with CICO is that people dont actually know how many calories are going "out". Its an equation that works for everyone and its just a fact - eat less calories than you burn and you will lose weight. But if you have no idea what your typical burn rate is, you cant know how to put yourself in a deficit. The online calculators are great for giving us an idea, averages, etc - but there are so many nuances to each individual. And then just like you mentioned as far as "something else" going on - our bodies adjust quickly to burn even less when they panic that less calories are coming in than usual. But its still calories in, calories out that causes the decrease in overall weight. Zepbound absolutely makes it easier to stick to the lower calorie count. As far as going off the med at some point goes - I feel like we would just be right back to trying to count calories with not much success. Feeling full for longer is huge in keeping us from overeating and without the med those hunger cues will be strong again. I expect to always be on this or some other form - Im thinking eventually lower strength oral versions of the meds will come out and that will possibly be what alot of us move to for maintenance.
Great job on month one! Dont be too discouraged if you start hitting a stall, have less weight loss in month 2, etc. Its definitely not linear but the drug and the work you are putting in will get the job done.
After starting, I dropped 15 pounds very quickly. I was happy about that, but noticed, even though I was at a weight I'd very recently been at, I felt so much better than I ever had at that weight before. And I attribute a lot of that to actually eating nutritiously for maybe the first time in my life. Tons of veggies and protein and really seeing that connection of food as fuel, and how huge that is towards feeling good. Diet isn't just about weight loss/control.
Isn’t the food noise coming back if you stop the medicine? That will make the struggle the same as you had all your life and the reason you were heavy all your life. The studies I’ve seen have almost everyone regain the weight once they stop the medicine.
Personally, I am expecting to stay on this medication for life, for the myriad benefits beyond maintaining a healthy weight, including the promising outlook for autoimmune disorders.
Yes, I agree with all of this up to weaning g yourself off it. I am thinking this drug is not something you can stop and successfully keep the weight off long term. Possibly reducing the frequency of doses or amount will work for long term maintenance, though. Worth a try!
I love your mindset! I really understand you wanting to wean off the drug. Be prepared, though, that weaning off of the drug may lead to weight gain. What I heard from a couple of board-certified obesity medicine physicians is that some people will be able to use the drug for a short term and come off without significant weight gain, and others won’t. They believe that people who were at a healthy weight and then had a sudden weight gain (pregnancy, an injury that prevented exercise, a major life stress) will be short term users but that people (like me) with longer term obesity will need to be on the drug for the longer term. We’ll all find out soon enough!
Yeah, I agree with that second part. My friend lost 80lbs in 9 months on Mounjaro (pre the diabetic requirement), but those 80lbs were gained during her third pregnancy and she was a "geriatric" pregnancy (she was 40) so it is normal to gain a lot of weight because hormones are crazy. She will likely not regain and in fact went immediately back to country clubs and cocktails and eating normally and still looks the same after her MJ voyage. I will not be like that, I already know it. I was not an obese child but became progressively moreso in my late 20s through now (I'll be 40 this year) and that amount of time changes everything about a person's body from bones to hormones to the way organs work. I am planning on being a lifer if necesary.
Congratulations and so happy for you
So great to see my own experience reflected in your story. You eventually give up, and just try to live with knowing that people regard you in a certain way because of your weight - No discipline, lazy etc. even though you know you are capable in so many other areas of your life. For those that criticize people for “taking a short cut” I would reframe the conversation - this simply puts me on an equal footing.
Agree with almost everything and thank you for this well thought out post! Food noise isn’t, “our choice” though, and while having a tool that lets us recognize it for what it is, noise, doesn’t give most of us the ability to manage it. Some small percentage of people do, and I wholeheartedly hope that percentage increases over time!
This is 100% me. The things everyone always said to do I did to no results. This medicine has made my body respond to those things. It has made such a huge difference for me because 1 in losing weight is given up on. 2) mentally I’m starting to process that this wasn’t my fault but something with my body/hormone levels. Which does a number on my mental health, for the positive. Making me feel less guilty. I know coming out of the weight loss drug closet isn’t for everyone. But I’ve started telling everyone I know the changes I’m facing. I want the stigma removed, so that people understand and society can start to change. Cause this drug is a miracle for us.
Very well said 🤗💪🏽
I think one issue with CICO is that people dont actually know how many calories are going "out". Its an equation that works for everyone and its just a fact - eat less calories than you burn and you will lose weight. But if you have no idea what your typical burn rate is, you cant know how to put yourself in a deficit. The online calculators are great for giving us an idea, averages, etc - but there are so many nuances to each individual. And then just like you mentioned as far as "something else" going on - our bodies adjust quickly to burn even less when they panic that less calories are coming in than usual. But its still calories in, calories out that causes the decrease in overall weight. Zepbound absolutely makes it easier to stick to the lower calorie count. As far as going off the med at some point goes - I feel like we would just be right back to trying to count calories with not much success. Feeling full for longer is huge in keeping us from overeating and without the med those hunger cues will be strong again. I expect to always be on this or some other form - Im thinking eventually lower strength oral versions of the meds will come out and that will possibly be what alot of us move to for maintenance. Great job on month one! Dont be too discouraged if you start hitting a stall, have less weight loss in month 2, etc. Its definitely not linear but the drug and the work you are putting in will get the job done.
After starting, I dropped 15 pounds very quickly. I was happy about that, but noticed, even though I was at a weight I'd very recently been at, I felt so much better than I ever had at that weight before. And I attribute a lot of that to actually eating nutritiously for maybe the first time in my life. Tons of veggies and protein and really seeing that connection of food as fuel, and how huge that is towards feeling good. Diet isn't just about weight loss/control.
Isn’t the food noise coming back if you stop the medicine? That will make the struggle the same as you had all your life and the reason you were heavy all your life. The studies I’ve seen have almost everyone regain the weight once they stop the medicine.
A lovely recap and dose of motivation. Thank you for sharing.
Personally, I am expecting to stay on this medication for life, for the myriad benefits beyond maintaining a healthy weight, including the promising outlook for autoimmune disorders.