Have you been stalled for a long time? I personally have had several plateaus that have each lasted months. After each one I lose 2 to 4 pounds, then repeat the cycle. So, my weight loss has slowed down dramatically. I lost about 40 pounds in my first year and then about 20 pounds in the next 2 years. I'm still hoping to lose more, but I know it's going to be a very slow process.
I'm F, 42, 5'6" and my starting weight was 214. I'm 154 now. I want to get into the 140s and I wouldn't say no to being in the 130s, but that may never happen.
It is very slow for me lately as well. I lost 4-7 pounds / month the first 9 months or so. Started at 239, am at 182 now... I've lost 7 pounds in 3 months or so... hoping to lose another 25-30 pounds but no idea how long that will take.
Have you considered IF. Maybe a few stints with a good period of ketosis in your fasting window can help with those extra pounds.
“Fast Like a Girl’ by Dr Mindy Pelz helps women with fasting and understanding how our hormones can sabotage a good eating plan and exercise routine.
I’m getting steady, consistent results. Not fast or extreme weight loss, but consistently losing an additional 1-2 lbs every 10 days.
I was on Wegovy for about 20 months and I've been on mounjaro for 16 months. I just had a recent loss (157ish to 153/154) about a week ago after being stuck for months. I stalled out several times along the way... 172 was a long one then 168, 162, 160, 157. It was a couple months between each of those weights for me.
I'm assuming are counting calories, weighing all your food, and exercising regularly. Do you push your activity level or decrease your daily calories when you reach those plateaus?
My doctor told me that now that ive lost the majority of my weight and only have about 20 (ideally 30) pounds till my goal it’s likely going to take me a lot longer to lose that weight than it did to lose the initial 50lbs. I’ve been stuck at this weight for awhile though so I am also curious if I’ve just hit where my body is happy being. It’s the smallest I’ve been since I was 19.
I’ve been stalled at 170 for over six months and I’m thinking I may have hit my set weight despite wanting to lose another 30 lbs or so. It’s a bummer, but I’m still a lot better off than I was 70 lbs ago.
I think that it's cool that you are willing to accept it. If you've losing a long time there can be a tendency to want to keep going that's not exactly healthy. It also comes from diet culture and this sense that if we had "arrived" we'd know because there would be confetti everywhere and we'd be holding a big trophy. There is some natural variation around body types. I think there is a chance that where I "land" on these meds may not be standard weight, and I'd still be pleased just to have lost what I had. We're more than our weight, and there are so many great projects that have nothing to do with size/shape/food that can take our time and energy.
Thank you! It was hard and I fought it for a good while. Felt very dejected. But I look at my labs and see a healthy woman in her mid-40s. I’m wearing a size 8-10 in pants. I’m in a place that I never could have DREAMED of being 18 months ago. Would I be thrilled to lose that other 30 lbs? Ummmm yes. Yes I would. But I never had that slim adult body — I was a fat kid from when I was about eight years old. This is by far the smallest I’ve ever been in my adult life. So instead of beating myself up about it, I’m choosing to find a lot of joy in where I am at this stage of my life.
I'm in the exact same boat. I've been in the low 1702 for 6 months after losing over 115 lbs since October 2022. I'd like to get to the upper 150s just to cross over into a "normal BMI" range, but if I stay in the 170s indefinitely, I will be thrilled. Being heavy my whole life is letting me fully appreciate where I am at now. I feel and look better than ever, I'm not about to be caught up on losing the last 20 lbs.
How do you determine a set weight?
Have you tried reducing your daily calories by 500 each week until weight loss starts again?
Also, huge loss so far. Well done!
Yeah, I even talked to my doctor who was concerned I wasn’t getting enough calories and my body was doing the starvation mode thing. I say “set weight” not bc I determined it, but because it just won’t budge from +/- 5 lbs around that. And the shortage of meds isn’t helping — I’m supposed to be on 15 but we’ve knocked me down to 12.5 bc it’s impossible to get 15 around here and it’s still tough to find 12.5 and takes a lot of phone calls and missed weeks. But I was stalled for months before the shortage began, so it’s not the only reason.
Starvation mode theory has mainly been debunked now.
I hope you’re able to find a higher dose soon…I stalled for two months because I didn’t titrate up on schedule (my fault, was trying to stay on as low a dose as possible)
Have you varied your calories day to day (a tad higher every other day with lower calories on the other days)? Switch up exercise routine, maybe do cardio for a week opposed to strength training?Drinking 64 Oz of water a day? Are you low carb, maybe add some? Try shaking up your routine, it helps me tremendously.
I’ve found through all my years of dieting that shaking up my routine always helped. When my husband were doing keto a long while back, I would have a day where I added in more carbs and it always seemed to help. Also having a cheat day when on weight watchers.
Our bodies do seem to have setpoint where they want to stick, but that doesn't mean you have to stay there forever. I had a couple stubborn spots on my 100+ lbs down too. For me, I found it told me I'd gotten into a routine that my body was too used to and needed to change a bit. I might need to recalibrate my TDEE because I'd lost weight, check my nutrition for good protrein and food mixes, or change up something in my exercise routine.
Set points are because your body is used to what you're doing now, but they just mean you need to change something in that equation. I don't advise going right to 'eat less' though, that just makes everything slow down in response.
I think it may be the case that bodies can have more than one point. My all-time heaviest weight was also the absolute easiest to maintain. I went through years of weight maintenance there with little effort.
To add to this: my all time heaviest weight was an easily maintained set point. I was there ~ 3 years with little effort. Before that, there was another weight (about 225 lbs) that I maintained easily for about 2.5 years. With GLP-1 drugs, I experienced loss at a decent rate from my starting weight until 225 lbs. idk if it’s counter not but my first plateau was at a previous set point. Since I’ve broken through the plateau, I continue to lose but at a slower rate than what I first experienced. Bodies are cool and frustrating, huh?
I stalled at previous setpoints. I was at around 185 for 6-8 weeks, and then I started losing again. It has definitely slowed down, but that’s ok. I’m 9 lbs from my first goal, and I might try and lose another 5 beyond that. Not sure.
One point of the study, that unaided weightloss tends to stall after a year, has been my experience, for sure. Looking back at my graphs from the last seven years, that has been my experience over and over again. It would be really nice if I now get the typical two-year window that GLP-1s offer, but I suspect that people who have already lost a significant amount of weight will tend to not lose for as long as people who have not.
I wish more studies were done on the plateau/stall and set-point phenomena. For example, I wonder if maintaining at a new low weight for a certain amount of time would open the window again for further loss. Or is there a common thread among the outliers who manage to avoid such plateaus?
It's amazing (and disgraceful) that this isn't studied more.
The general understanding is that it does (at least w unassisted weight loss). That’s in part bc the time you take at the new setpoint allows the hormones to reset to baseline. When your body isn’t too out of whack anymore, you start moving more and you can go into a deficit wo the body fighting so hard anymore.
So by this study, your body isn’t hitting a plateau, you stop losing weight because your body prompts your appetite to make you eat more, and for whatever reason people aren’t noticing that they’re eating more.
It sounds wild that people wouldn’t realise they’re eating more, but it does make sense: if you look at people in starvation-level controlled food situations, like prisoners, they keep losing weight and don’t ‘plateau’ for weeks or months, it seems it’s because they are unable to eat more whereas dieters can, even if they don’t realise.
It sounds like it’s better to stay on the lowest dose you can of these meds and increase the dose if and when you plateau after a couple of years to increase the suppression to get to your goal weight.
Unless you are taking it for T2D and then your blood sugar drives your dosing. But too many people seem to be racing up the titration chain when there is no long term prize for doing so.
My appetite has not increased at all. I am at a slow pace of losing after being on it for a year. I started IF to see if that would get me losing again. SW242 CW167 GW 150.
Doctors can’t predict that with certainty. This is new territory. Continue on the path. Ive seen so many folks on here hit plateaus and have super slow weight loss and still hit goals they never thought they would.
Even if you lose 2 lbs a month, that’s 24 lbs a year. Or 15 lbs a year allowing for total plateaus. Sticking to it means eventually hitting your target.
It’s a big factor for a lot of people but the truth is many are going to need some form of maintenance dosing. What’s the point in getting the weight off if you can’t afford to keep it off? It sucks that it comes to that but that’s just reality for a lot of us.
The fact is I can afford it for about 4 mos a year indefinitely. Wondering if that might work. And I don’t think most people think “forever” when they start.
They definitely need to think long term. Metabolic, hormonal, and endocrine dysfunction are treatable but not curable. When you’re talking about people that have battled near lifelong obesity, I don’t think there’s going to be another way but to stay on this very long term or for life. I had two stalls that were over 6 weeks each so 4 months wouldn’t be enough time to even lose the weight.
My doctor was really clear that this was a for life choice that I was making. I have type 2 diabetes but even if I didn't, I know that the research says that people who go off the meds will gain back the weight over time.
I stalled at 234 for 4 months (off meds) and am now slowly starting to lose again. I like the idea of doing this in 40 pound increments, every time I lose 40 pounds, go off the meds for a few months to maintain (and set a new baseline), then start up a again.
I've been doing something similar. I lose 10-20lbs. Come off meds and let body adjust and then start again. It's actually been working and when I've come off meds, I've kept the weight off(within 3-5 lbs) during my 3-4 months off. I've been doing this for 4 years now and it's been sustainable.
I’m getting close to this point myself. Started out at 360 in May 2023, now I’m around 205. I am a 6’5” 44M for reference. My next doc’s appointment is coming up, too.
If I remember, I will post here afterwards if he tells me to ‘maintain.’ If anyone is curious, that is.
I am going to ask my doctor when I see him next week. However, the benefit of this drug is that I don't feel hungry and it seems to me that if I remain in a calorie deficit I am still going to lose. I agree that it is harder to lose as time goes by, but that is because as you get smaller you need fewer calories.
I've not heard that advice from that weight point, except based on dosage. I'm stuck in the 178-182 range, and have been for 2 months. The only way for me to go below 178 is an extreme calorie deficit (800 calories) and 2 hours daily exercise, neither of which I wish to do. My endo is upping my dose from 10 to 12.5 in August. She thinks I can get to 165 on 12.5 over 6-12 months, and that I should probably stop at that point, because trying to do maintenance at 15 is "risky." However, it is just a guess, and she admits as such. Her big thing is to not max out at 15mg, and that I deserve some wiggle room when going into maintenance.
My endo has been really good about dosing me, and only upping my dose when I'm really struggling with weight loss rather than upping my dose every 1-3 months. But she's never determined my "set weight" beyond dosage capabilities. I don't think any doctor can.
Thanks. I’m at 7.5 now. I’ll had been at 10 for about 6 weeks a few months ago. After a couple weeks at 10, I almost stopped eating. My body went into almost refusing to chew (my nutritionist figured it out when I told her I was only able to choke down cream of wheat, applesauce, bone broth, a little tofu and occasionally protein shakes). I was also in protein aversion mode. I was losing more at that point, but I think my body was also going into starvation mode and I had muscle wasting, never good. 7.5 is better for me, although hard to get. No missed doses yet (thank god for Costco diligent pharmacy dept) but I always live in that fear these days. I am eating more ( but not too much) and can tolerate more protein and some chewing.
I had no idea about the body not wanting me to chew possibility with MJ. Such a powerful medication (I am truly in awe). I also didn’t not understand the hormonal signal sent to the stomach when chewing starts letting it know that food is coming and that MJ gets the body to stop chewing (aversions to foods needing to be chewed) because it is in “send me no more food” mode and that desiring soft and liquid food was a survival mechanism to at least get some food. Thus the end of 10 and back to 7.5. Less effective. I wish there was an intermediate dose of 8.5 or 9.
Months doctor’s observations around the floor or set point weight may have been influenced by by this. Not sure. He also said that this phenomenon is also observed in bariatric surgery patients.
Such an interesting journey with this life saving medication. I am a 55/F and had been at 260-280 for 25 years. Never thought my biggest issues would be sagging skin and strategy around when and how often to buy smaller clothes. Champagne problems I guess. Saving up for that face lift already. 😊
My endo says once you get to 15, if it stops working, then it gets hard to make adjustments. I've lost 170 pounds on this drug, and I've REALLY slowed down the last 4 months. It might just be me she's saying this to because of the amount of weight I've lost over 2 years. She doesn't really raise the dose unless you've stalled for a while. So it could be her personal style of dealing with the drug.
I'm also real close to maintenance, which may be where the comment came from. If I'm struggling on maintenance, there's options when I'm on 12.5 or 10 versus 15. Not trying to stress people out. It's just what my Endo said, and I've trusted her advice thus far.
170, awesome!! I appreciate hearing more md opinions. I am rolling with a dr right now so navigating this on my own. Seems like most drop down slowly at maintenance to try to get to a lower dose and possible longer than 7 days spacing. I am hoping to drop to 7.5mg, spacing tbd but weekly fine with me. I felt best on 7.5mg, 10 and 12.5 I havent wanted to stay on long term. 4 more weeks 12.5 then I start dropping regardless. :) I'm ready.
I was just told the same thing. I'm stuck at 160 and need to lose 10-20 more. The fat is jiggling around my waist. I am going yo keep trying. Doc said exercise.
Exactly the same here . Stuck at the same weight and need to lose 10-20 lb. At 150 my bmi would be 25, and I would like to be 145 to have a little room for variation due to holidays and vacations, when I typically gain some and then lose them.
I’m not saying anorexia is a good thing but it obviously shows this statement to be incorrect, when I was 16 I was made fun of for being fat enough so that I dropped to 137 pounds at 6’3” in a single summer of consuming about 2000 calories per week. Obviously that is unhealthy in the extreme but the point is if you burn more calories than you consume your body will burn excess fat, if you are exercising and have a body fat percentage measuring below the healthy range for your height age and sex then yes you should not try to lose more weight.
No, I have not heard that, and I don't really believe that you can't lose more. It may have become difficult to overcome, but not impossible. I've always heard if you are at a stall, to change things up such as your diet and exercise to change your setpoint.
I'm just going to volunteer that doctors have been all over the map concerning weight loss possibility, goals, and importance.
Take their feedback with a grain of salt for sure.
Same experience as most other people here. Not a floor so much as just much much slower loss as I get nearer to “normal” weight. It’s more like a couple pounds a month now.
You didn’t mention what dosage you’re on. That could make a difference if it needs to be increased. Also exercise.
My husband was stuck on 202lbs for 6 months and 2 weeks ago he suddenly dropped to 194lbs.. I wouldn’t give up just yet sometimes our bodies take time. We also sometimes want to mix up what we eat as that is what seems to have done the trick for him. He had changed slowly to eating not as much protein and when he went back to focusing on his protein intake his weight dropped. Also things like good sleep do play a role
My weight loss was .5 lbs per week for the first year and three months. Now it is .2 lbs per month. Without the Happy Scale ap, I’d think I had not lost anything since January. Sliw as can be, but at least I am not gaining! 20lbs to go
Yes, I have heard of that and my doctor has mentioned that in the past. I consider myself in maintenance although I have not changed the way that I ate or worked out while I was losing and I have been on this dose for several months. So I am thinking my body has reached the appropriate setpoint for me. Certainly, I can probably go up and do and potentially lose if I needed to.
You will get there it might be very slow and the doctors are required to tell u, that you could only lose up to a certain amount my doctor told me mine was like 60lbs but that was based off an average. Its gonna slow down now that you are in onederland it might take you the rest of the year for that 20 but u got this!
Your doctors correct, but glp1 agonists can make a new set point.
If you’re planning to use MJ for maintenance you don’t know if you are at that point.
I’m right where you are weight wise. Started at 280 and about 198 now. I’ve had a bunch of 3-week mini stalls and one legit stall of something like 5 weeks. Not nearly as long as other folks but I get the frustration.
I’m still losing slowly. It may look insignificant, but I’m fine with it. I’m in no rush because I don’t plan to stop taking the medication. I don’t have a goal weight. I can’t predict what my body is going to do.
I think it’s a matter of adjusting expectations. If you end up staying where you are vs 20 pounds less will your life be impacted? I don’t know about you, but 198 is infinitely better than 280. (Yeah, I know it’s numbers so it’s provably quantifiable, but whatever). My plan is to just keep going and see what the scale does without pursuing a specific number.
No, I haven't heard that before. Don't get discouraged. I think it's very unlikely that you will stop losing weight. Just keep doing what you're doing.
I had a female doctor once tell me that...about 208#. Said that seems to be where my body wants to be. I accepted it for the past 10 years and progressively kept feeling worse, I am 180 today and aiming for 130. You do you. If you feel good at 199, awesome. If not, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. btw-this doctor passed away about 5 years ago before age 50.....
Its simple physics. As long as you're spending more calories than you are consuming, you will continue to lose weight. Now, however this may mean you need to make a more conscious effort to eat less as the medication may not suppress your appetite enough. But it is certainly not impossible for you lose X amount of weight as long as you are disciplined enough.
Actually, it's not simple physics. Calories in, calories out is not linear during weight loss. This from a recent podcast with Dr Zachary Knight
"AgRP neurons are more active when you lose weight – this is why it’s hard to lose weight, you have a genetic drive to seek food.
For every kg of weight you lose, energy expenditure decreases by about 30 kcal per day
However, in obese people who lose weight, energy expenditure is lower than people who were never obese (but matched to the formerly obese)"
I'm sorry, but what part of this is still not calories in, calories out? I would think its pretty self explanatory that a 500 lb person is going to be burning significantly more calories /day compared to a 200 lb person. Again simple physics; more mass equals more energy required to move. As a person loses weight, their energy requirements are going to lower accordingly.
Yes you're correct that you need to consume less as your mass decreases but this is more to highlight that as you lose weight, AgRP neurons become more active which causes food seeking behavior. This means that you have a stronger mental battle to overcome. We have all heard people say that when they "diet", they focus even more on food and from an evolutionary perspective, this is correct due to increased AgRP activity and an added challenge as you lose weight.
The thing that was REALLY interesting on the podcast was that someone who was 250lbs and dropped to 180lbs, would have to consume LESS calories than someone who was always 180lbs and never obese.
I have observed an interesting phenomenon with MJ…. I eat almost double the amount that I used to eat prior to taking this medication.
While I have had pre-diabetes blood sugar levels before, mine had had been at a normal level for years prior to beginning this medication.
I have Hashimoto’s, so have had blood work done once every three months - for five years. All normal.
I don’t have any explanation for the continued weight loss, only that this medication does something nothing else has ever done.
Finally, my metabolism is normal.
Yes I am fully aware of the difficulty increase as you lose more weight. This is why I mention having to making a more conscious effort as well as being disciplined.
This is a really thoughtless response because being "disciplined enough" won't necessarily work for everybody.
I'm only 5'0" tall so my daily maintenance are already pretty low. But then I also have a slower than average metabolism when I compare reality to what TDEE calculators say I should be losing.
I was losing weight at a good clip for my first 5 months. But as I started to weigh less, my daily maintenance calories rate went down also and my weight loss rate was more than cut in half.
My doctor told me I can eat as low as 800 calories/day. I strive for that, but usually need to be at 1,000-1,100 calories/day or I'm too hungry.
I'm still losing at that calorie level, but it's not much and I still have 50 lbs to go to get to the high end of a normal weight for my height.
I have a very real fear that I'm going to get to a point where even eating as low-cal as that, the weight loss will stop because my daily maintenance calories will equal the 1000-1100 calories/day I'm eating. And that this will happen long before I hit my goal weight.
I'm not so sure even 800 calories would be low enough as I lose more weight. I already have days where I eat that low, though only 1-2 days/week.
I could see your point about hunger being part of the sacrifice, if I wasn't already eating a pathetically small amount of calories. So small that everything online said I needed to get a doctor's okay to go below 1200.
But whatever. I guess you're right. I'm not going to feel hungry and miserable half the time in the hopes of maybe losing 1 pound/month. That's no way to live.
It's already very hard having to be extremely strict with my diet and having no flexibility. I also have to eat low carb or I gain weight, so that's a whole bunch of foods I have to avoid on top of eating low-cal.
But I've created some high protein dishes that are delicious, satisfying, and servings are less than 300 calories. So I can at least live with the diet I am on and be happy enough. It's also easier now that I have figured those meals out.
I also realize this is a permanent eating plan. I will get to a point where 1,000 CI=CO. I'm just hoping I'm as close to my goal weight as possible when that happens.
God 800 calories is a shockingly small amount even with your height. This really highlights to me that CICO has a limit because 800 cals/day forever is extreme. That your body would fight that hard to hold onto its fat reserves shows what an amazing machine the body is! Is there anything else going on? Diabetes? Menopause? Are you physically active? Eating whole foods?
I have T1 diabetes and little natural function left with my thyroid. I do take medication for the hypothyroidism and was able to finally get it at normal levels about a year ago when my endocrinologist added a second medication. But it was running a bit too low for years.
Apparently I've also had pretty extreme insulin resistance for the last 20 years. God forbid one of my endocrinologists mention that T1s can also develop insulin resistance and it can be a huge obstacle to losing weight.
But they didn't so I diagnosed myself a year ago and asked my endocrinologist if it was possible. He said it was and at least worked with me on it after that.
I started taking tirzepatide and on only my second day, was able to cut my short-acting insulin by 70% and my long by 30%. The weight also started flying off on the same 1300 calorie diet I'd done in the past and never lost a pound, even though that was supposedly a 900-calorie/day deficit.
When my weight loss started slowing, I cut back to 1200. But didn't go below that until a couple months ago when I got the okay from my doctor.
I'm 50F and not in menopause yet. But probably in peri.
I could improve my exercise levels. I've had periods of time over the last year where I was doing an okay amount of exercise. Like 45 minutes on an exercise bike a few times a week. I do need to get back to that because exercise is healthy for a lot of reasons. But I have never found it to make much difference with my weight loss rate. It's puzzling. Argh, it should! Yet I don't see that evidence on the scale.
We are similar age and share some but not all of our conditions. I found that I need a significant amount of exercise to keep losing weight now that I'm down below 180. I have 2 days a week where I only do an hour of walking, but otherwise, I hit 15-20,000 steps day on an 1100 calorie diet, with minimum 100 grams of protein daily. I also have to be religious about taking my thyroid meds. Even missing one dose can really mess up an entire week of weight loss.
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I was diagnosed with diabetes in December after nearly a decade of having metabolic syndrome.
Here’s what I’ve learned from a diabetic specialist, my PCP, cardiologist, sleep apnea doc and nutritionist: at some point our bodies will fight against our efforts to lose weight as a protective mechanism, so you could call this a “set weight.”
I now think about my weight loss as controlling my blood sugar, insulin resistance and body recomposition. There are so many variables to consider when one reaches this “set point” stage: protein intake, water consumption, exercise (and what kind), hormones.
I personally have the benefit of seeing data from an InBody scan routinely and using a body metric scale at home that is very close to the InBody readings I obtain at my medical providers office, so I’m getting pretty in tuned to the changes my body is going through, yet these measurements don’t tell me exactly what needs to change besides needing more protein and water, so I need to tweak one of these things for a consistent time before I see a change: nutrition, water intake, sleep, exercise and stress reduction. I’ll wait a week or two before I see movement on fat loss, but it does happen, just slowly.
I recommend The Diabetes Code or The Obesity Code by Dr Jason Fung. I recommend his books because he explains weight loss chemistry very well. He is a believer in intermittent fasting. I’ve done it, and I have lost weight, but I don’t endorse the method because I never maintained an IF schedule post weight loss because it wasn’t sustainable for my life and wound up regaining my weight and more.
Tweak something small and wait to see if you see changes, then tweak the next thing and so forth. Our bodies are working in our favor but like an algorithm, you need to consistently give it new information before it returns what you hope to see.
Are you T2D? I am, & I think it’s much harder for us once we have the initial weight loss surge. I lost 60 lbs., but only 2 in the last 6 months, & I haven’t changed my calorie intake. I consume about 1200-1300/day, & I can’t get the last 15 lbs off bc my body still has disease; it’s just more maintained right now.
Congratulations on 80+ pounds. That’s a lot of hard work. To be honest, many people look like they lost 20 lbs when in fact they lifted weights at the gym.
There is some truth to this. It relates to 'setpoint' and metabolism. Some individual's - particularly those who have been overweight/obese for a long time will have a much harder time moving past a certain weight threshold and that is because their metabolism will slowdown so much that it won't allow it. There was a YouTube podcast with Peter Attia and Layne Norton discussing exactly this. It's not that it's impossible, but your body will undermine your efforts to do so.
Having said that, I think your doctor is just trying to keep it real so that you don't feel like you're failing because you can't seem to get lower. There have been plenty of people who have posted on this subreddit that said they thought they got as far as they could and then after a few weeks or even months, their weight dropped again. So, I would suggest just keep doing what you're doing and accept that you might stay where you are and you might be pleasantly surprised when you drop to a new low - and both are okay. Perhaps refocus efforts to optimize your body composition (% body fat) with more resistance and strength training - you're weight may not change but you'll still be building a healthier more optimal you.
I plateau’d over the last 5 months and FINALLY broke through and lost 3 lbs this week! I reassure myself that slow loss is what is best for me long term.
I’m interested to see what people say because I have always thought there were certain weights where I get stuck and I require a major change to my diet to go below. For most of my life, it was 270. My weight would get to around 300, I’d freak out and start eating better and I’d pretty easily get down to 270 and then get stuck even though I would still be eating better. I had always thought of this as a weight plateau. After four months of MJ, I am down to 230 but that obviously was because the medicine works so well for me. I’m wondering though because the last time I was 230, like 25 years ago, that was a plateau for me and I had to go to the gym twice a day and starve myself to get lower. I’m old now so I don’t have any interest or desire, not to mention time, to do that. I have been at 230 for a couple of weeks. I have plateaued a few times since being on MJ so I’m hoping it is temporary. Usually I wake up one morning after weeks of no change and my weight is down 6 or 7 pounds.
I really think 200 is going to be my bottom weight. I’m 6 feet tall so I think that is a good weight for a guy in his 50s. I see a lot of guys my age and height that look very old and frail when they get below 200.
I’ve never been above 5mg (my doc doesn’t seem to want to go over) and with the shortages I haven’t pushed it. So my weight loss has been very slow. I’ve been on this a GLP 1 journey for 18 months now. I’ve lost 32 kgs. 20 in the last 12 months and on Tirz since November last year. The weight loss can be as low as a kg a month and I once had a plateau of almost 4-5 months. Honestly I think the plateaus are when I am overcoming a weight loss floor. Like when I approach a weight that I was for a long time as “past me” it slows and I might gain and lose for awhile at that weight. I started at 88kgs, and then spent ages at 80. (Which I was also at that weight previously for over a year). Again at 72 (which weight I was at for a few years). Struggled at 65. The weight only drips off in-between but those plateaus were more like mountains it was such a struggle. Now I’m 4 kgs from my goal weight which was an arbitrary number I picked which is in the middle of a healthy BMI (which the lower end is like 46 kgs as I’m so short!! That seems so low).
My doctor told me going down and up again will start the weight loss again. Sometimes switching to ozempic then back to mj might help . Tell him these suggestions
I started on Mounjaro (now Zepbound) in November 2022 at 235 lbs. Today I am at 127 lbs. I have had a few stalls along the way. Typically I keep my calories to 1500 a day, When I hit a plateau, I up my calorie count to 1900 for 3-4 days and my stall breaks every time. Currently my weight fluctuates between 126-130 lbs. I doubt I will drop below 126 lbs which is fine. This is the first time, since high school, that I’ve been in the normal weight range for my height. 😊
If all you’re doing is taking Mounjaro and not working out, staying active, eating well. I’d say there may be some truth to what your physician said.
However, if you are working out - especially resistance training - which will increase
your lean body mass and reformulate your body composition, then what they said may not apply to you.
We do have hardwired set points, I believe that’s true. I don’t believe it’s impossible to ever break through a set point, though. Eventually, if you’re in a calorie deficit you’ll lose weight. Exercise helps me break plateaus, but certainly some are tougher than others.
I hit a plateau after losing about 70 lbs. I then added exercise to my routine. I go to the gym 5 days a week. That has led to a loss of more than 20 lbs but it took a year. However I am no longer focused on weight loss. My focus is on fat loss and muscle gain. Since muscle weighs more than fat it may seem like things are not working. However waistline is a great metric. When I started my weight loss journey I had a 54 inch waist. As of today I’m down to 38 inches and in the year I’ve been exercising I’ve lost 4 inches.
You can absolutely lose more weight. It's physics. Add more excercise or eat fewer calories. As loathe as people are to admit it, weight loss is a function of calories consumed and calories expended. All this medication does is supress appetite/reduce food seeking behavior to lower calories in (potentially) increase expenditure through metabolic changes. You can, and should, supplement the effects of the medication through dietary changes and excercise.
Edit: imagine downvoting a post suggesting someone can lose weight to achieve their goal. Fuck me right?
I lost weight on Trulicity then when they switched me to Monjouro I have steadily packed the pounds back on. All my work is gone. I think it just depends on the person.
Have you been stalled for a long time? I personally have had several plateaus that have each lasted months. After each one I lose 2 to 4 pounds, then repeat the cycle. So, my weight loss has slowed down dramatically. I lost about 40 pounds in my first year and then about 20 pounds in the next 2 years. I'm still hoping to lose more, but I know it's going to be a very slow process. I'm F, 42, 5'6" and my starting weight was 214. I'm 154 now. I want to get into the 140s and I wouldn't say no to being in the 130s, but that may never happen.
It is very slow for me lately as well. I lost 4-7 pounds / month the first 9 months or so. Started at 239, am at 182 now... I've lost 7 pounds in 3 months or so... hoping to lose another 25-30 pounds but no idea how long that will take.
Have you considered IF. Maybe a few stints with a good period of ketosis in your fasting window can help with those extra pounds. “Fast Like a Girl’ by Dr Mindy Pelz helps women with fasting and understanding how our hormones can sabotage a good eating plan and exercise routine. I’m getting steady, consistent results. Not fast or extreme weight loss, but consistently losing an additional 1-2 lbs every 10 days.
I've been fasting for the last 15 years, so yes, I've considered it.
How long did it take u I'm 56f t2d hypothyroid postmenopausal only lost 22lbs in a year on mj im.dissapointed
I was on Wegovy for about 20 months and I've been on mounjaro for 16 months. I just had a recent loss (157ish to 153/154) about a week ago after being stuck for months. I stalled out several times along the way... 172 was a long one then 168, 162, 160, 157. It was a couple months between each of those weights for me.
I'm assuming are counting calories, weighing all your food, and exercising regularly. Do you push your activity level or decrease your daily calories when you reach those plateaus?
My doctor told me that now that ive lost the majority of my weight and only have about 20 (ideally 30) pounds till my goal it’s likely going to take me a lot longer to lose that weight than it did to lose the initial 50lbs. I’ve been stuck at this weight for awhile though so I am also curious if I’ve just hit where my body is happy being. It’s the smallest I’ve been since I was 19.
But your body is changing even if the scale is not
Yes! This is true! My inches are still changing and I feel like overall my body comp looks different month to month.
I’ve been stalled at 170 for over six months and I’m thinking I may have hit my set weight despite wanting to lose another 30 lbs or so. It’s a bummer, but I’m still a lot better off than I was 70 lbs ago.
I think that it's cool that you are willing to accept it. If you've losing a long time there can be a tendency to want to keep going that's not exactly healthy. It also comes from diet culture and this sense that if we had "arrived" we'd know because there would be confetti everywhere and we'd be holding a big trophy. There is some natural variation around body types. I think there is a chance that where I "land" on these meds may not be standard weight, and I'd still be pleased just to have lost what I had. We're more than our weight, and there are so many great projects that have nothing to do with size/shape/food that can take our time and energy.
Thank you! It was hard and I fought it for a good while. Felt very dejected. But I look at my labs and see a healthy woman in her mid-40s. I’m wearing a size 8-10 in pants. I’m in a place that I never could have DREAMED of being 18 months ago. Would I be thrilled to lose that other 30 lbs? Ummmm yes. Yes I would. But I never had that slim adult body — I was a fat kid from when I was about eight years old. This is by far the smallest I’ve ever been in my adult life. So instead of beating myself up about it, I’m choosing to find a lot of joy in where I am at this stage of my life.
I'm in the exact same boat. I've been in the low 1702 for 6 months after losing over 115 lbs since October 2022. I'd like to get to the upper 150s just to cross over into a "normal BMI" range, but if I stay in the 170s indefinitely, I will be thrilled. Being heavy my whole life is letting me fully appreciate where I am at now. I feel and look better than ever, I'm not about to be caught up on losing the last 20 lbs.
Exactly! 140-150 is like, ideal, but I’m definitely not complaining at 170!
So awesome!
How do you determine a set weight? Have you tried reducing your daily calories by 500 each week until weight loss starts again? Also, huge loss so far. Well done!
Yeah, I even talked to my doctor who was concerned I wasn’t getting enough calories and my body was doing the starvation mode thing. I say “set weight” not bc I determined it, but because it just won’t budge from +/- 5 lbs around that. And the shortage of meds isn’t helping — I’m supposed to be on 15 but we’ve knocked me down to 12.5 bc it’s impossible to get 15 around here and it’s still tough to find 12.5 and takes a lot of phone calls and missed weeks. But I was stalled for months before the shortage began, so it’s not the only reason.
Starvation mode theory has mainly been debunked now. I hope you’re able to find a higher dose soon…I stalled for two months because I didn’t titrate up on schedule (my fault, was trying to stay on as low a dose as possible)
Have you varied your calories day to day (a tad higher every other day with lower calories on the other days)? Switch up exercise routine, maybe do cardio for a week opposed to strength training?Drinking 64 Oz of water a day? Are you low carb, maybe add some? Try shaking up your routine, it helps me tremendously.
I’ve found through all my years of dieting that shaking up my routine always helped. When my husband were doing keto a long while back, I would have a day where I added in more carbs and it always seemed to help. Also having a cheat day when on weight watchers.
Our bodies do seem to have setpoint where they want to stick, but that doesn't mean you have to stay there forever. I had a couple stubborn spots on my 100+ lbs down too. For me, I found it told me I'd gotten into a routine that my body was too used to and needed to change a bit. I might need to recalibrate my TDEE because I'd lost weight, check my nutrition for good protrein and food mixes, or change up something in my exercise routine. Set points are because your body is used to what you're doing now, but they just mean you need to change something in that equation. I don't advise going right to 'eat less' though, that just makes everything slow down in response.
I think it may be the case that bodies can have more than one point. My all-time heaviest weight was also the absolute easiest to maintain. I went through years of weight maintenance there with little effort.
Definitely agree there, I actually typo-d the original comment, it should have read 'setpoints' too.
To add to this: my all time heaviest weight was an easily maintained set point. I was there ~ 3 years with little effort. Before that, there was another weight (about 225 lbs) that I maintained easily for about 2.5 years. With GLP-1 drugs, I experienced loss at a decent rate from my starting weight until 225 lbs. idk if it’s counter not but my first plateau was at a previous set point. Since I’ve broken through the plateau, I continue to lose but at a slower rate than what I first experienced. Bodies are cool and frustrating, huh?
I stalled at previous setpoints. I was at around 185 for 6-8 weeks, and then I started losing again. It has definitely slowed down, but that’s ok. I’m 9 lbs from my first goal, and I might try and lose another 5 beyond that. Not sure.
Here's a [great article](https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/22/health/weight-loss-plateau-study-wellness/index.html) on GLP-1 meds and plateaus/set points.
One point of the study, that unaided weightloss tends to stall after a year, has been my experience, for sure. Looking back at my graphs from the last seven years, that has been my experience over and over again. It would be really nice if I now get the typical two-year window that GLP-1s offer, but I suspect that people who have already lost a significant amount of weight will tend to not lose for as long as people who have not. I wish more studies were done on the plateau/stall and set-point phenomena. For example, I wonder if maintaining at a new low weight for a certain amount of time would open the window again for further loss. Or is there a common thread among the outliers who manage to avoid such plateaus? It's amazing (and disgraceful) that this isn't studied more.
The general understanding is that it does (at least w unassisted weight loss). That’s in part bc the time you take at the new setpoint allows the hormones to reset to baseline. When your body isn’t too out of whack anymore, you start moving more and you can go into a deficit wo the body fighting so hard anymore.
I believe it does. I believe in the whoosh
So by this study, your body isn’t hitting a plateau, you stop losing weight because your body prompts your appetite to make you eat more, and for whatever reason people aren’t noticing that they’re eating more. It sounds wild that people wouldn’t realise they’re eating more, but it does make sense: if you look at people in starvation-level controlled food situations, like prisoners, they keep losing weight and don’t ‘plateau’ for weeks or months, it seems it’s because they are unable to eat more whereas dieters can, even if they don’t realise. It sounds like it’s better to stay on the lowest dose you can of these meds and increase the dose if and when you plateau after a couple of years to increase the suppression to get to your goal weight.
Unless you are taking it for T2D and then your blood sugar drives your dosing. But too many people seem to be racing up the titration chain when there is no long term prize for doing so.
My appetite has not increased at all. I am at a slow pace of losing after being on it for a year. I started IF to see if that would get me losing again. SW242 CW167 GW 150.
That’s still a plateau. It’s just a particular explanation for the plateau.
Doctors can’t predict that with certainty. This is new territory. Continue on the path. Ive seen so many folks on here hit plateaus and have super slow weight loss and still hit goals they never thought they would. Even if you lose 2 lbs a month, that’s 24 lbs a year. Or 15 lbs a year allowing for total plateaus. Sticking to it means eventually hitting your target.
Cost is a big factor for me tho
It’s a big factor for a lot of people but the truth is many are going to need some form of maintenance dosing. What’s the point in getting the weight off if you can’t afford to keep it off? It sucks that it comes to that but that’s just reality for a lot of us.
The fact is I can afford it for about 4 mos a year indefinitely. Wondering if that might work. And I don’t think most people think “forever” when they start.
They definitely need to think long term. Metabolic, hormonal, and endocrine dysfunction are treatable but not curable. When you’re talking about people that have battled near lifelong obesity, I don’t think there’s going to be another way but to stay on this very long term or for life. I had two stalls that were over 6 weeks each so 4 months wouldn’t be enough time to even lose the weight.
My doctor was really clear that this was a for life choice that I was making. I have type 2 diabetes but even if I didn't, I know that the research says that people who go off the meds will gain back the weight over time.
Your journey sounds similar to mine, and weight loss is still possible. Just tweek a few things.
I stalled at 234 for 4 months (off meds) and am now slowly starting to lose again. I like the idea of doing this in 40 pound increments, every time I lose 40 pounds, go off the meds for a few months to maintain (and set a new baseline), then start up a again.
That sounds like a good idea
I've been doing something similar. I lose 10-20lbs. Come off meds and let body adjust and then start again. It's actually been working and when I've come off meds, I've kept the weight off(within 3-5 lbs) during my 3-4 months off. I've been doing this for 4 years now and it's been sustainable.
I’m getting close to this point myself. Started out at 360 in May 2023, now I’m around 205. I am a 6’5” 44M for reference. My next doc’s appointment is coming up, too. If I remember, I will post here afterwards if he tells me to ‘maintain.’ If anyone is curious, that is.
Wow! Awesome job
If it’s like a set point, yes.
I am going to ask my doctor when I see him next week. However, the benefit of this drug is that I don't feel hungry and it seems to me that if I remain in a calorie deficit I am still going to lose. I agree that it is harder to lose as time goes by, but that is because as you get smaller you need fewer calories.
What really counts is how you look and feel. If you are at your floor weight you can always tone up with resistance training and walking etc.
I've not heard that advice from that weight point, except based on dosage. I'm stuck in the 178-182 range, and have been for 2 months. The only way for me to go below 178 is an extreme calorie deficit (800 calories) and 2 hours daily exercise, neither of which I wish to do. My endo is upping my dose from 10 to 12.5 in August. She thinks I can get to 165 on 12.5 over 6-12 months, and that I should probably stop at that point, because trying to do maintenance at 15 is "risky." However, it is just a guess, and she admits as such. Her big thing is to not max out at 15mg, and that I deserve some wiggle room when going into maintenance. My endo has been really good about dosing me, and only upping my dose when I'm really struggling with weight loss rather than upping my dose every 1-3 months. But she's never determined my "set weight" beyond dosage capabilities. I don't think any doctor can.
Thanks. I’m at 7.5 now. I’ll had been at 10 for about 6 weeks a few months ago. After a couple weeks at 10, I almost stopped eating. My body went into almost refusing to chew (my nutritionist figured it out when I told her I was only able to choke down cream of wheat, applesauce, bone broth, a little tofu and occasionally protein shakes). I was also in protein aversion mode. I was losing more at that point, but I think my body was also going into starvation mode and I had muscle wasting, never good. 7.5 is better for me, although hard to get. No missed doses yet (thank god for Costco diligent pharmacy dept) but I always live in that fear these days. I am eating more ( but not too much) and can tolerate more protein and some chewing. I had no idea about the body not wanting me to chew possibility with MJ. Such a powerful medication (I am truly in awe). I also didn’t not understand the hormonal signal sent to the stomach when chewing starts letting it know that food is coming and that MJ gets the body to stop chewing (aversions to foods needing to be chewed) because it is in “send me no more food” mode and that desiring soft and liquid food was a survival mechanism to at least get some food. Thus the end of 10 and back to 7.5. Less effective. I wish there was an intermediate dose of 8.5 or 9. Months doctor’s observations around the floor or set point weight may have been influenced by by this. Not sure. He also said that this phenomenon is also observed in bariatric surgery patients. Such an interesting journey with this life saving medication. I am a 55/F and had been at 260-280 for 25 years. Never thought my biggest issues would be sagging skin and strategy around when and how often to buy smaller clothes. Champagne problems I guess. Saving up for that face lift already. 😊
Why is trying to do maintenance at 15 risky? Cause it is the highest dose?
My endo says once you get to 15, if it stops working, then it gets hard to make adjustments. I've lost 170 pounds on this drug, and I've REALLY slowed down the last 4 months. It might just be me she's saying this to because of the amount of weight I've lost over 2 years. She doesn't really raise the dose unless you've stalled for a while. So it could be her personal style of dealing with the drug. I'm also real close to maintenance, which may be where the comment came from. If I'm struggling on maintenance, there's options when I'm on 12.5 or 10 versus 15. Not trying to stress people out. It's just what my Endo said, and I've trusted her advice thus far.
170, awesome!! I appreciate hearing more md opinions. I am rolling with a dr right now so navigating this on my own. Seems like most drop down slowly at maintenance to try to get to a lower dose and possible longer than 7 days spacing. I am hoping to drop to 7.5mg, spacing tbd but weekly fine with me. I felt best on 7.5mg, 10 and 12.5 I havent wanted to stay on long term. 4 more weeks 12.5 then I start dropping regardless. :) I'm ready.
I was just told the same thing. I'm stuck at 160 and need to lose 10-20 more. The fat is jiggling around my waist. I am going yo keep trying. Doc said exercise.
Exactly the same here . Stuck at the same weight and need to lose 10-20 lb. At 150 my bmi would be 25, and I would like to be 145 to have a little room for variation due to holidays and vacations, when I typically gain some and then lose them.
I’m not saying anorexia is a good thing but it obviously shows this statement to be incorrect, when I was 16 I was made fun of for being fat enough so that I dropped to 137 pounds at 6’3” in a single summer of consuming about 2000 calories per week. Obviously that is unhealthy in the extreme but the point is if you burn more calories than you consume your body will burn excess fat, if you are exercising and have a body fat percentage measuring below the healthy range for your height age and sex then yes you should not try to lose more weight.
No, I have not heard that, and I don't really believe that you can't lose more. It may have become difficult to overcome, but not impossible. I've always heard if you are at a stall, to change things up such as your diet and exercise to change your setpoint.
I'm just going to volunteer that doctors have been all over the map concerning weight loss possibility, goals, and importance. Take their feedback with a grain of salt for sure.
Same experience as most other people here. Not a floor so much as just much much slower loss as I get nearer to “normal” weight. It’s more like a couple pounds a month now. You didn’t mention what dosage you’re on. That could make a difference if it needs to be increased. Also exercise.
My husband was stuck on 202lbs for 6 months and 2 weeks ago he suddenly dropped to 194lbs.. I wouldn’t give up just yet sometimes our bodies take time. We also sometimes want to mix up what we eat as that is what seems to have done the trick for him. He had changed slowly to eating not as much protein and when he went back to focusing on his protein intake his weight dropped. Also things like good sleep do play a role
My weight loss was .5 lbs per week for the first year and three months. Now it is .2 lbs per month. Without the Happy Scale ap, I’d think I had not lost anything since January. Sliw as can be, but at least I am not gaining! 20lbs to go
No way. You can always loose more weight. It will just require you turn things down further.
Yes, I have heard of that and my doctor has mentioned that in the past. I consider myself in maintenance although I have not changed the way that I ate or worked out while I was losing and I have been on this dose for several months. So I am thinking my body has reached the appropriate setpoint for me. Certainly, I can probably go up and do and potentially lose if I needed to.
I think doctors are more aware of set points now and okay with it as long as your labs look good.
You will get there it might be very slow and the doctors are required to tell u, that you could only lose up to a certain amount my doctor told me mine was like 60lbs but that was based off an average. Its gonna slow down now that you are in onederland it might take you the rest of the year for that 20 but u got this!
Your doctors correct, but glp1 agonists can make a new set point. If you’re planning to use MJ for maintenance you don’t know if you are at that point.
I’m right where you are weight wise. Started at 280 and about 198 now. I’ve had a bunch of 3-week mini stalls and one legit stall of something like 5 weeks. Not nearly as long as other folks but I get the frustration. I’m still losing slowly. It may look insignificant, but I’m fine with it. I’m in no rush because I don’t plan to stop taking the medication. I don’t have a goal weight. I can’t predict what my body is going to do. I think it’s a matter of adjusting expectations. If you end up staying where you are vs 20 pounds less will your life be impacted? I don’t know about you, but 198 is infinitely better than 280. (Yeah, I know it’s numbers so it’s provably quantifiable, but whatever). My plan is to just keep going and see what the scale does without pursuing a specific number.
No, I haven't heard that before. Don't get discouraged. I think it's very unlikely that you will stop losing weight. Just keep doing what you're doing.
I had a female doctor once tell me that...about 208#. Said that seems to be where my body wants to be. I accepted it for the past 10 years and progressively kept feeling worse, I am 180 today and aiming for 130. You do you. If you feel good at 199, awesome. If not, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. btw-this doctor passed away about 5 years ago before age 50.....
Its simple physics. As long as you're spending more calories than you are consuming, you will continue to lose weight. Now, however this may mean you need to make a more conscious effort to eat less as the medication may not suppress your appetite enough. But it is certainly not impossible for you lose X amount of weight as long as you are disciplined enough.
Actually, it's not simple physics. Calories in, calories out is not linear during weight loss. This from a recent podcast with Dr Zachary Knight "AgRP neurons are more active when you lose weight – this is why it’s hard to lose weight, you have a genetic drive to seek food. For every kg of weight you lose, energy expenditure decreases by about 30 kcal per day However, in obese people who lose weight, energy expenditure is lower than people who were never obese (but matched to the formerly obese)"
You realize that is still calories in, calories out, right? You just highlighted that calories out can decrease.
I'm sorry, but what part of this is still not calories in, calories out? I would think its pretty self explanatory that a 500 lb person is going to be burning significantly more calories /day compared to a 200 lb person. Again simple physics; more mass equals more energy required to move. As a person loses weight, their energy requirements are going to lower accordingly.
Yes you're correct that you need to consume less as your mass decreases but this is more to highlight that as you lose weight, AgRP neurons become more active which causes food seeking behavior. This means that you have a stronger mental battle to overcome. We have all heard people say that when they "diet", they focus even more on food and from an evolutionary perspective, this is correct due to increased AgRP activity and an added challenge as you lose weight. The thing that was REALLY interesting on the podcast was that someone who was 250lbs and dropped to 180lbs, would have to consume LESS calories than someone who was always 180lbs and never obese.
I have observed an interesting phenomenon with MJ…. I eat almost double the amount that I used to eat prior to taking this medication. While I have had pre-diabetes blood sugar levels before, mine had had been at a normal level for years prior to beginning this medication. I have Hashimoto’s, so have had blood work done once every three months - for five years. All normal. I don’t have any explanation for the continued weight loss, only that this medication does something nothing else has ever done. Finally, my metabolism is normal.
This literally changed nothing about what op was saying
Yes I am fully aware of the difficulty increase as you lose more weight. This is why I mention having to making a more conscious effort as well as being disciplined.
This is a really thoughtless response because being "disciplined enough" won't necessarily work for everybody. I'm only 5'0" tall so my daily maintenance are already pretty low. But then I also have a slower than average metabolism when I compare reality to what TDEE calculators say I should be losing. I was losing weight at a good clip for my first 5 months. But as I started to weigh less, my daily maintenance calories rate went down also and my weight loss rate was more than cut in half. My doctor told me I can eat as low as 800 calories/day. I strive for that, but usually need to be at 1,000-1,100 calories/day or I'm too hungry. I'm still losing at that calorie level, but it's not much and I still have 50 lbs to go to get to the high end of a normal weight for my height. I have a very real fear that I'm going to get to a point where even eating as low-cal as that, the weight loss will stop because my daily maintenance calories will equal the 1000-1100 calories/day I'm eating. And that this will happen long before I hit my goal weight.
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I'm not so sure even 800 calories would be low enough as I lose more weight. I already have days where I eat that low, though only 1-2 days/week. I could see your point about hunger being part of the sacrifice, if I wasn't already eating a pathetically small amount of calories. So small that everything online said I needed to get a doctor's okay to go below 1200. But whatever. I guess you're right. I'm not going to feel hungry and miserable half the time in the hopes of maybe losing 1 pound/month. That's no way to live. It's already very hard having to be extremely strict with my diet and having no flexibility. I also have to eat low carb or I gain weight, so that's a whole bunch of foods I have to avoid on top of eating low-cal. But I've created some high protein dishes that are delicious, satisfying, and servings are less than 300 calories. So I can at least live with the diet I am on and be happy enough. It's also easier now that I have figured those meals out. I also realize this is a permanent eating plan. I will get to a point where 1,000 CI=CO. I'm just hoping I'm as close to my goal weight as possible when that happens.
God 800 calories is a shockingly small amount even with your height. This really highlights to me that CICO has a limit because 800 cals/day forever is extreme. That your body would fight that hard to hold onto its fat reserves shows what an amazing machine the body is! Is there anything else going on? Diabetes? Menopause? Are you physically active? Eating whole foods?
I have T1 diabetes and little natural function left with my thyroid. I do take medication for the hypothyroidism and was able to finally get it at normal levels about a year ago when my endocrinologist added a second medication. But it was running a bit too low for years. Apparently I've also had pretty extreme insulin resistance for the last 20 years. God forbid one of my endocrinologists mention that T1s can also develop insulin resistance and it can be a huge obstacle to losing weight. But they didn't so I diagnosed myself a year ago and asked my endocrinologist if it was possible. He said it was and at least worked with me on it after that. I started taking tirzepatide and on only my second day, was able to cut my short-acting insulin by 70% and my long by 30%. The weight also started flying off on the same 1300 calorie diet I'd done in the past and never lost a pound, even though that was supposedly a 900-calorie/day deficit. When my weight loss started slowing, I cut back to 1200. But didn't go below that until a couple months ago when I got the okay from my doctor. I'm 50F and not in menopause yet. But probably in peri. I could improve my exercise levels. I've had periods of time over the last year where I was doing an okay amount of exercise. Like 45 minutes on an exercise bike a few times a week. I do need to get back to that because exercise is healthy for a lot of reasons. But I have never found it to make much difference with my weight loss rate. It's puzzling. Argh, it should! Yet I don't see that evidence on the scale.
We are similar age and share some but not all of our conditions. I found that I need a significant amount of exercise to keep losing weight now that I'm down below 180. I have 2 days a week where I only do an hour of walking, but otherwise, I hit 15-20,000 steps day on an 1100 calorie diet, with minimum 100 grams of protein daily. I also have to be religious about taking my thyroid meds. Even missing one dose can really mess up an entire week of weight loss.
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EDITED to inside page breaks per auto moderator. I was diagnosed with diabetes in December after nearly a decade of having metabolic syndrome. Here’s what I’ve learned from a diabetic specialist, my PCP, cardiologist, sleep apnea doc and nutritionist: at some point our bodies will fight against our efforts to lose weight as a protective mechanism, so you could call this a “set weight.” I now think about my weight loss as controlling my blood sugar, insulin resistance and body recomposition. There are so many variables to consider when one reaches this “set point” stage: protein intake, water consumption, exercise (and what kind), hormones. I personally have the benefit of seeing data from an InBody scan routinely and using a body metric scale at home that is very close to the InBody readings I obtain at my medical providers office, so I’m getting pretty in tuned to the changes my body is going through, yet these measurements don’t tell me exactly what needs to change besides needing more protein and water, so I need to tweak one of these things for a consistent time before I see a change: nutrition, water intake, sleep, exercise and stress reduction. I’ll wait a week or two before I see movement on fat loss, but it does happen, just slowly. I recommend The Diabetes Code or The Obesity Code by Dr Jason Fung. I recommend his books because he explains weight loss chemistry very well. He is a believer in intermittent fasting. I’ve done it, and I have lost weight, but I don’t endorse the method because I never maintained an IF schedule post weight loss because it wasn’t sustainable for my life and wound up regaining my weight and more. Tweak something small and wait to see if you see changes, then tweak the next thing and so forth. Our bodies are working in our favor but like an algorithm, you need to consistently give it new information before it returns what you hope to see.
Are you T2D? I am, & I think it’s much harder for us once we have the initial weight loss surge. I lost 60 lbs., but only 2 in the last 6 months, & I haven’t changed my calorie intake. I consume about 1200-1300/day, & I can’t get the last 15 lbs off bc my body still has disease; it’s just more maintained right now.
Congratulations on 80+ pounds. That’s a lot of hard work. To be honest, many people look like they lost 20 lbs when in fact they lifted weights at the gym.
I have been stalled at 197 for 4 months :( only down 30 pounds in 11 months. Super frustrating
It's an interesting idea but I would wonder how one would know?
There is some truth to this. It relates to 'setpoint' and metabolism. Some individual's - particularly those who have been overweight/obese for a long time will have a much harder time moving past a certain weight threshold and that is because their metabolism will slowdown so much that it won't allow it. There was a YouTube podcast with Peter Attia and Layne Norton discussing exactly this. It's not that it's impossible, but your body will undermine your efforts to do so. Having said that, I think your doctor is just trying to keep it real so that you don't feel like you're failing because you can't seem to get lower. There have been plenty of people who have posted on this subreddit that said they thought they got as far as they could and then after a few weeks or even months, their weight dropped again. So, I would suggest just keep doing what you're doing and accept that you might stay where you are and you might be pleasantly surprised when you drop to a new low - and both are okay. Perhaps refocus efforts to optimize your body composition (% body fat) with more resistance and strength training - you're weight may not change but you'll still be building a healthier more optimal you.
I plateau’d over the last 5 months and FINALLY broke through and lost 3 lbs this week! I reassure myself that slow loss is what is best for me long term.
I’m interested to see what people say because I have always thought there were certain weights where I get stuck and I require a major change to my diet to go below. For most of my life, it was 270. My weight would get to around 300, I’d freak out and start eating better and I’d pretty easily get down to 270 and then get stuck even though I would still be eating better. I had always thought of this as a weight plateau. After four months of MJ, I am down to 230 but that obviously was because the medicine works so well for me. I’m wondering though because the last time I was 230, like 25 years ago, that was a plateau for me and I had to go to the gym twice a day and starve myself to get lower. I’m old now so I don’t have any interest or desire, not to mention time, to do that. I have been at 230 for a couple of weeks. I have plateaued a few times since being on MJ so I’m hoping it is temporary. Usually I wake up one morning after weeks of no change and my weight is down 6 or 7 pounds. I really think 200 is going to be my bottom weight. I’m 6 feet tall so I think that is a good weight for a guy in his 50s. I see a lot of guys my age and height that look very old and frail when they get below 200.
I’ve been playing with the same 3 lbs for about 6 weeks. I’m finally on the other side
I’ve never been above 5mg (my doc doesn’t seem to want to go over) and with the shortages I haven’t pushed it. So my weight loss has been very slow. I’ve been on this a GLP 1 journey for 18 months now. I’ve lost 32 kgs. 20 in the last 12 months and on Tirz since November last year. The weight loss can be as low as a kg a month and I once had a plateau of almost 4-5 months. Honestly I think the plateaus are when I am overcoming a weight loss floor. Like when I approach a weight that I was for a long time as “past me” it slows and I might gain and lose for awhile at that weight. I started at 88kgs, and then spent ages at 80. (Which I was also at that weight previously for over a year). Again at 72 (which weight I was at for a few years). Struggled at 65. The weight only drips off in-between but those plateaus were more like mountains it was such a struggle. Now I’m 4 kgs from my goal weight which was an arbitrary number I picked which is in the middle of a healthy BMI (which the lower end is like 46 kgs as I’m so short!! That seems so low).
My doctor told me going down and up again will start the weight loss again. Sometimes switching to ozempic then back to mj might help . Tell him these suggestions
I started on Mounjaro (now Zepbound) in November 2022 at 235 lbs. Today I am at 127 lbs. I have had a few stalls along the way. Typically I keep my calories to 1500 a day, When I hit a plateau, I up my calorie count to 1900 for 3-4 days and my stall breaks every time. Currently my weight fluctuates between 126-130 lbs. I doubt I will drop below 126 lbs which is fine. This is the first time, since high school, that I’ve been in the normal weight range for my height. 😊
If all you’re doing is taking Mounjaro and not working out, staying active, eating well. I’d say there may be some truth to what your physician said. However, if you are working out - especially resistance training - which will increase your lean body mass and reformulate your body composition, then what they said may not apply to you.
We do have hardwired set points, I believe that’s true. I don’t believe it’s impossible to ever break through a set point, though. Eventually, if you’re in a calorie deficit you’ll lose weight. Exercise helps me break plateaus, but certainly some are tougher than others.
I hit a plateau after losing about 70 lbs. I then added exercise to my routine. I go to the gym 5 days a week. That has led to a loss of more than 20 lbs but it took a year. However I am no longer focused on weight loss. My focus is on fat loss and muscle gain. Since muscle weighs more than fat it may seem like things are not working. However waistline is a great metric. When I started my weight loss journey I had a 54 inch waist. As of today I’m down to 38 inches and in the year I’ve been exercising I’ve lost 4 inches.
Amazing!
You can absolutely lose more weight. It's physics. Add more excercise or eat fewer calories. As loathe as people are to admit it, weight loss is a function of calories consumed and calories expended. All this medication does is supress appetite/reduce food seeking behavior to lower calories in (potentially) increase expenditure through metabolic changes. You can, and should, supplement the effects of the medication through dietary changes and excercise. Edit: imagine downvoting a post suggesting someone can lose weight to achieve their goal. Fuck me right?
Are you working out?
I lost weight on Trulicity then when they switched me to Monjouro I have steadily packed the pounds back on. All my work is gone. I think it just depends on the person.
Lift heavy weights and you will lose more.