Coming off GLP-1s: What's it like?

Yuki_2006

Active member
had gastric bypass, signals came back the same once healed. ate less because fullness hit faster but the mental food noise stuck around. gained it all back actually. this med handles the noise way better.
 
For those who have stopped taking GLP-1 meds, what was your experience? Did everything revert back to the way it was before, only with the benefit of being lighter and potentially more active? Did the constant thoughts about food and strong cravings return? Did your hunger become overwhelming, or did you gain a better understanding of genuine hunger cues?
 
If your weight loss was quick and you didn't change your habits, you'll probably gain it back after stopping. You have to eat less, and less often, to lower your insulin resistance. If that's still a problem, the weight will return. I heard the book, The Obesity Code, is good for understanding this. Intermittent fasting might help for longer.
 
Most people on these meds for weight loss will need them for life. If you discontinue, your body will likely try hard to get back to its original weight. However, some can maintain their weight without medication, but it might not last.

Oprah talked about stopping them and what happened on this podcast with Serena Williams: https://youtu.be/g7pw3MJ7QVE
 
When supply issues forced me to stop, my glucose levels rose, and I needed more insulin. I was still losing fat and gaining muscle but my insulin resistance hit hard! After being off for around 2 months each time, and only being able to take a tiny dose when I could get it, my A1C went up to 7.1 from 5.5 during the shortages.
 
Honestly, nothing much happened when I stopped in August of last year. I haven't put on any weight. I check my weight every few days and am careful about what I eat. I lost around 30 pounds and was only on a .75 dose. It does make me a bit anxious, though.
 
I started gaining weight back pretty fast. The food cravings were back after about a month. I'm back on it now, but it doesn't seem to work as well as it did before.
 
I had to discontinue use early Feb for surgery. My last shot was Feb 1st. By the 12th, the food chatter and severe hunger pangs, even right after eating, were back. It was awful.

Also, the meds had been controlling some really bad IBS and gut problems. More than even the weight loss, getting that under control was life changing. It all came rushing back. Dark times. I jabbed myself again within hours of waking up from surgery.
 
I had a little break where I dropped from 1mg weekly to nothing for a couple of months and experienced a gradual, yet steady, weight regain.

Now I'm back on 2mg weekly, and the scale is moving in the right direction again.
 
I stopped for three weeks last summer for a surgery. By the time I was able to start again, the food noise was intense.

It's best to taper off slowly when stopping. If food noise reappears, stay at the lower dose, or increase a bit. Stay on a lower dose for 3-4 weeks because of how long the medication stays in your system.
 
I saw someone on Reddit saying they switched to a whole food, high-protein diet and did some resistance training. They only went up to 5mg a week, and then tapered down before stopping completely. Sounds like a good way to do it. Anyone else try something like that?
 
That's interesting about tapering off, @HappyTale. I wonder if that makes a difference in the long run. I'm also curious about the maintenance dose some people are talking about. Is it really a lifetime thing?
 
Self-pay clarifies the calculus fast - who funds it themselves tracks efficacy more closely and makes more deliberate dose decisions.
 
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