Jump to: Do you have to take weight-loss injections forever? | How do you maintain weight loss after weight loss injections? | Take home message
Based on data from randomised controlled trials on semaglutide and tirzepatide (Wegovy and Mounjaro), you’ll likely gain back weight when you stop weight-loss injections if you don’t introduce healthy habits like a healthy diet and being more physically active.
Weight-loss injections work by mimicking hormones in the body that help us feel full, so we eat fewer calories and lose weight.
Weight-loss injections are long-acting, which means the drug reaches a level in the body called a ‘steady state’.
The steady state these drugs reach means their impact is longer-lasting, so the effect on lowering hunger remains consistent.
If you’ve been taking weight-loss injections for a long time and suddenly stop taking them, the effects may reverse, and hunger and food noise can return if you don’t introduce healthy habits to manage your eating habits naturally.
Do you have to take weight-loss injections forever?
Most people won’t need to stay on weight-loss injections for life if they introduce healthy habits to help them keep the weight off in the long term.
New research suggests slowly tapering (or titrating) off weight-loss injections alongside a healthy lifestyle can help maintain weight loss.
The study was conducted on participants in a weight-loss programme based in Denmark. The programme focused on developing healthy habits like eating a diet based on whole foods, moving more, and getting better sleep.
The participants slowly titrated off semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) over the course of 9 weeks.
The study showed that the participants maintained the weight they’d lost 26 weeks after they stopped taking the medication.
The lead researcher from this study said, “The combination of support in making lifestyle changes and tapering seems to allow patients to avoid regaining weight after coming off semaglutide.”
This approach differs from the studies referenced above, where weight was regained after participants stopped taking weight-loss injections without slowly tapering off.
There may be some people with genetic predispositions to obesity who need to stay on weight-loss injections for life, but this would likely be the exception rather than the rule.
How do you maintain weight loss after weight-loss injections?
The study discussed above suggests that a combination of slowly coming off of weight-loss injections and developing a healthy lifestyle will help maintain weight loss after stopping weight-loss injections.
However, this is only one study, and more research is needed to determine the most effective way to maintain weight loss after stopping weight-loss injections.
Still, from Second Natures’ perspective, we believe that a combination of coming off of the medications slowly and developing the following healthy habits will help to boost your chances of maintaining weight loss after weight-loss injections:
- Eating a healthy diet based on whole foods that limits ultra-processed foods
- Being more physically active and introducing formal exercise into your daily routine
- Having a consistent sleep schedule
- Forming and maintaining strong social relationships
- Having a positive relationship with stress and building resilience to life’s struggles
Second Nature has launched Wegovy and Mounjaro weight-loss programmes designed to help you build healthy habits, calm food noise, and keep the weight off in the long term.
The programme is delivered entirely via an app and includes the support of a registered dietitian or nutritionist 5-days-a-week.
The first step to see if you’re eligible for our programme is to complete our health quiz.
Take home message
Two randomised controlled trials on Mounjaro and Wegovy indicate that weight regain is likely after stopping weight-loss injections without a titration period.
However, more recent research suggests that coming off the medications slowly combined with a healthy lifestyle can boost the chances of weight loss maintenance.
At Second Nature, we believe that most people can maintain weight loss in the long run by gradually coming off weight-loss injections and adopting a healthy lifestyle.
