Keep Weight Off After Stopping Mounjaro: Practical Tips

The active ingredient in Mounjaro, tirzepatide, works by mimicking the effects of 2 hormones that regulate appetite, food cravings, and blood sugar levels. They are:

1. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1)
2. Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)

When you stop using Mounjaro, your body experiences a shift in these hormonal signals which can lead to increased hunger and food cravings. For these reasons, many people find it challenging to maintain their weight loss when they stop their medication.

Some people will regain weight after stopping Mounjaro injections because of the changes that take place in the body.

Results from clinical trials

Data from a randomised controlled trial suggests that without making long-term changes to your lifestyle, weight gain is likely when you stop taking Mounjaro.

In the trial, 670 participants received a once-weekly Mounjaro injection at their maximum tolerated maintenance dose of either 10 or 15mg. After 36 weeks, the average weight loss in the group was around 21%.

From here, the participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups to continue receiving Mounjaro or to receive a placebo to investigate what happens to weight loss when Mounjaro is stopped.

After 52 weeks, the results showed that:

• the group who continued Mounjaro treatment lost a further 5.5% of their body weight
• those assigned to the placebo group regained 14%

Over a total of 88 weeks, the Mounjaro group lost on average 25% of their body weight compared to almost 10% in the group that stopped Mounjaro part way through and then went on a placebo.

Although losing one tenth of your initial body weight is a significant achievement, the trial results indicate that stopping Mounjaro treatment increases the likelihood of putting weight back on.

If you want to stop taking Mounjaro, it is important you discuss this with your doctor first. If you still want to lose weight but Mounjaro isn’t working out for you for any reason, they may recommend a different type of weight loss medication.

When you stop taking Mounjaro, it can remain in your system for 25 to 30 days. So, if you are stopping because you are experiencing side effects, it can take a little while for them to subside completely. This also means your appetite may slowly come back, rather than all of a sudden. During this time, it’s important to carry on with your diet and exercise changes to maintain your weight loss.

When you first start taking weight loss injections like Mounjaro, following healthy habits, and a diet and exercise plan are typically part of the prescribing criteria to help you boost your results and reach your weight loss goals.

These healthy habits can stand you in good stead when you want to stop Mounjaro treatment. Weight maintenance, with or without medication, is challenging, but there are several things you can do to help you keep the weight off after Mounjaro treatment.

Mindful eating

During Mounjaro treatment, you alter your diet to enhance your results. It can be easier to make such lifestyle changes during your treatment because the medication suppresses your appetite, helping you to transition into life without weight loss medication. To maintain weight loss, you’ll still need to follow a healthy diet plan, rather than going back to how you were eating before you started taking Mounjaro.

It’s unlikely that any particular foods will exactly mimic the effects of Mounjaro, but certain nutrients can help to keep you feeling fuller for longer:

Dietary fibre

Research shows that dietary fibre reduces the risk of heart disease and obesity and keeps you fuller for longer.

Soluble fibre sources like oatmeal, carrots, flax seeds, and black beans also:

• reduce cholesterol
• increase the production of important molecules by the good bacteria in your gut
• may reduce the amount you eat at mealtimes

Protein

Protein is another food group important for weight loss because it can help regulate your calorie intake and energy metabolism. Some evidence suggests that increasing protein intake can promote fat loss while retaining muscle mass.

A high protein diet also increases how much energy your body uses to digest, absorb, metabolise and store nutrients, also known as the thermic effect of food (TEF). Between 20 and 30% of protein’s calories are used for digestion. So, you’ll burn more calories when you digest protein which might help increase weight loss.

Foods like legumes and beans are good sources of protein and fibre.

Regular physical activity is recommended for everyone as part of a normal, healthy lifestyle, but it is also essential for weight management and weight loss.

The NHS recommends that all adults aged 19 to 64 should aim to complete either:

• 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity
• or 75 minutes of intense or vigorous exercise each week

A small study involving 26 obese women found that a combination of a low-calorie diet and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) had an appetite suppressing effect.

Another study found that a combination of aerobic and resistance training reduces intermuscular fat by 41% and visceral fat by 36% in older (65 years and up) obese adults.

Taking care of your emotional wellbeing

Losing weight isn’t just about the physicality of the process but also understanding what, why, and how we eat. Understanding this may help to identify potential causes of overeating or other unhelpful eating habits. This will help you to address these triggers and plan how you are going to overcome them.

For example, approximately 40% of people will increase their food intake when they feel stressed. If stress-eating has been a factor in your weight gain, knowing how to combat stress with other strategies will help you overcome this in the future. Ways to combat stress include:

• exercising more – this boosts natural feel-good hormones and can also get your mind off whatever is bothering you
• choosing more nutrient-dense foods – a healthy diet leads to a healthier mind
• staying hydrated – keeping hydrated helps keep our body working as it should and may help regulate hormone levels associated with stress
• finding healthy distractions like meditation, mindfulness, or yoga

When you stop taking Mounjaro, it is important to set realistic goals. Setting targets that are impossible or put you under lots of stress and pressure will negatively impact your weight loss goals and can lead to an increase in stress-eating and a decrease in motivation.

Start with small achievable milestones, like:

• aiming to complete 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week over 4 to 5 days
• walking to work each day instead of driving or using public transport
• swapping unhealthy snacks for nutrient-dense alternatives such as a piece of fruit, trail mix, or vegetable sticks with low-fat dips

Treat underlying health conditions

Obesity can increase the risk of several other health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and some types of cancer (like breast and bowel). Therefore, it is important to look after your health and address any additional or underlying medical conditions that may have an impact on your weight loss journey such as (but not limited to): hypothyroidism, arthritis, metabolic diseases. An awareness of any underlying health conditions will enable you to figure out how best to approach your weight loss journey once your treatment with medication has ended.

Equally, when you stop weight loss treatment, it’s important to discuss any current medications you take with your doctor. That’s because some can affect your body weight and metabolism, including those used to treat:

• diabetes
• high blood pressure
• psychiatric disorders
• depression

Get support

An effective way to help you keep weight off after Mounjaro is to let your support network know that you are stopping treatment. By involving your friends and family in your journey, you’ll be motivated to succeed. They can even help you further by joining in with your exercise activities or avoiding offering you unhealthy foods and drinks.

There are also support networks available for weight loss, both online and in your local area. You may find you need support for some of the triggers for unhealthy habits, and there will be options available to help, including:

• local support groups and services
• counselling

Weight gain is common when you stop GLP-1 weight loss medications like Mounjaro, and studies show people can put up to 14% of their weight back on. When you stop Mounjaro, its beneficial effects stop too. Some people notice an increase in their appetite and may revert back to their previous diet.

However, there are steps you can take to minimise the risk of regaining weight, including:

• eating healthily
• exercising regularly
• addressing your emotions
• setting realistic goals
• treating underlying health conditions
• getting support