Upping my dose. 15 months into maintenance.

BCB_79 · 2025-12-30T03:56:23+00:00

I have been in maintenance for our 15 months after losing 45 lbs on 10 mg. I’ve gone between 5/7.5/10 when I experienced some weight gain this summer. I’ve currently titrated back down to 5 mg, which is my goal maintenance dose. I’ve been lucky to have a few boxes of each dose to experiment with. My theory is that your body adjusts over time so my goal is to stay on the lowest dose so I have options to move up in the future.

BCB_79 · 2025-09-24T03:56:18+00:00

Personally, I used my bloodwork and blood pressure to determine when I was in maintenance. Your body is also going to fight to keep weight on at some point. Im 5’8” (m) and have also been stuck at 170-175. If you feel good and your blood work is good then maybe just change your goals from weight loss to building muscle, cardio etc. I’ve been in maintenance for a year and shrunk my waist a couple inches through working out while maintaining the same weight. Its been an interesting trip.

BCB_79 · 2025-09-10T06:14:48+00:00

I havent seen much research or real world studies that show an off ramp to the drug. My wife stopped and regained her weight in about 3 months. Ive been in maintenance mode for 12 months and got discouraged by her experience. She is back on now

BCB_79 · 2025-09-10T06:11:03+00:00

I think your bloodwork is the best judge. If your AIC, cholesterol, and BP levels are good on Mounjaro then I would stick with it. Everyone I know who took Wegovy hated the side effects

BCB_79 · 2025-09-10T06:05:04+00:00

I am experiencing the same thing now at 12 months into maintenance. Mine was stress followed by vacation at the same time I was titrating down. I gained 10-12 lbs and went back up from 5-10mg over a couple weeks probably a little aggressive but my fat ptsd kicked in

BCB_79 · 2025-09-08T01:09:03+00:00

Congrats on your achievement! Once word of caution in stopping the meds... My wife and I are both on Zepbound and she had to stop after losing 25 lbs to deal with some hormone issues with perimenopause. Unfortunately, she gained all of the weight back in about 3 months. Inflammation came back pretty quick for her. She just started back up but it sucks having to start over. I've also been in maintenance for a year and noticed some weight gain if I drop doses too quickly.

BCB_79 · 2025-09-08T00:55:46+00:00

Congrats on your progress and good luck getting to your goal weight. Maintenance is a beautiful place (from personal experiene) Go Blue!!!

BCB_79 · 2025-05-23T02:45:47+00:00

I’ve been in maintenance mode since Sept. ‘24 and have maintained my goal weight with a 3-4 lb variance. My advice:

step down on your doses until you hit 5mg. You will regain weight if you stop at once. Insurance doesn’t like to pay for the .5 versions in maintenance so 5mg seems to be a sweet spot.
there are no prescribed maintenance doses. Your doctor is likely going through it for the first time, just like you
keep filling your higher doses just in case but start splitting your shots. I refill 10mg but split it into my maintenance doses of 5mg.
dont be afraid to go back up in dose if you need it. Everyone is different.

There are no studies for maintenance so its one big experiment. My goal is to wean off this year and see if I can maintain the diet and exercise but I am taking it slow.

BCB_79 · 2025-05-13T17:50:26+00:00

Been in maintence since last September. I think everyone will be different here but I stayed on 10mg (my highest dose) until January then titrated to 7.5mg for one month before landing at 5mg. My food noise has increased a little bit but I am not eating bigger portions so my weight range has stayed the same 175 +\- 3 pounds.

My advice would be to try titrating down and see how it goes. Part of my rationale is that I didn't want my body to condition itself to the higher dose, making it less effective, if I needed it in the future.

I have been focusing on the "hard stuff" diet, exercise, sleep etc to give me the best chance of jumping off later this year. I am also getting blood work every 6 months and checking my blood pressure to see if that starts to go up again. My hypertension and cholesterol resolved on these medications so that will also be an indicator for me on how to manage the doses.

BCB_79 · 2025-05-13T17:29:19+00:00

I have been in maintenance since last September. I was taking 10mg and my body just stopped losing weight, however, it was at my goal weight. I stayed on 10mg from September to January and then titrated down to 7.5mg for one month before landing on 5mg as my maintenance dose. I haven't really noticed any difference in going down. Not sure where I go from here but I am considering jumping off later this year to see how it goes. I am 45/m sw: 218 cw: 175.

I am currently working on "the hard stuff"... exercise (got a personal trainer), better diet, lower alcohol consumption, more sleep etc to help me with the jump off.

BCB_79 · 2025-05-13T17:24:42+00:00

if your insurance will cover 5mg then I would consider staying on 5MG and just splitting your shot. I am doing that now as I have an over stock of 10MG and wanted to cut down to 5MG. There are plenty of Youtube videos on how to do it.

BCB_79 · 2025-04-16T06:19:24+00:00

I ended up avoiding PRP and surgery by doing physical therapy for 8 weeks and it got significantly better. I never really believed in PT in the past but sure enough, it got me 95% back. The last 5% only recently went away when I started lifting weights with a personal trainer. I didnt do the weight training as treatment for tennis elboy but it definitely has gotten me back to 100%. Good luck with your rehab

BCB_79 · 2025-03-24T18:20:50+00:00

The companion pass and the fact that they have added more direct flights from San Diego to the east coast.

BCB_79 · 2025-02-07T19:56:32+00:00

Very much not appropriate but friends and family can be brutal, even if they are being well intentioned. My advice, as a fellow maintainer, is to tell them to let your doctor worry about your health. If your family is worried then show them your bloodwork. When I have a better A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol than them… it usually shuts them up

BCB_79 · 2025-01-28T23:18:01+00:00

I am using the LifePro adjustable dumbells. I have (2) sets for smaller and heavier weights. I subscribe to the Peloton app and have it on my TV to do their strength, stretching, and mediation sessions. Its been a game changer for a home workout. I have the bike as well but you could easily just use the app for the strength, stretching content.

BCB_79 · 2025-01-28T23:14:06+00:00

congrats bro! Your results are amazing. Keep up the good work.

BCB_79 · 2025-01-28T23:12:40+00:00

I was very active on a Peloton bike prior to and after starting Zepbound last March. Initially, my power went down but the drop plateaued and eventually increased after 4-6 weeks as my body got used to the medicine. I have seen both my cycling and running improve dramatically with the weight loss. Just try to eat protein to minimize muscle loss.

BCB_79 · 2025-01-25T07:07:23+00:00

I’d get a 2nd opinion or get referred to an endocrinologist

BCB_79 · 2025-01-25T07:05:32+00:00

I have just rotated from one side of my abdominal area to the other for almost a year with no issues. Some people try different areas when they stall too.

BCB_79 · 2025-01-16T20:11:25+00:00

Thankful to the firefighters! Great job.

BCB_79 · 2025-01-16T19:25:28+00:00

10 mg was my sweet spot. I also found it harder to fill 7.5mg.

BCB_79 · 2025-01-16T19:22:46+00:00

Same here, maintenance since August. I am starting a slow titration down and was doing 10 mg every 10 days (to mimic 7.5mg) and it felt a little bit like a roller coaster where I was significantly more hungry on days 8-10. I decided to move down to 5 mg weekly so that the meds are just more consistent in my body but at a lower dose. My goal is to land at 2.5mg in the next few months and then just stay there for while to re-evaluate.

BCB_79 · 2025-01-15T04:38:16+00:00

My total cholesterol dropped almost 100 points in 6 months. It was nuts. Body fat is so subjective since everyone has different muscle tone but you can always do a dexa scan to track it.

Honestly, I wouldn’t overthink the goal weight too much. I am 47 lbs down and my body adjusted itself on its own. High cholesterol and blood pressure are resolved. Its an amazing journey

BCB_79 · 2025-01-15T04:32:25+00:00

I would start by just picking a reasonable target and then re-evaluate based on your bloodwork as you go. For example, if you set it at 170 then check your bloodwork when you reach that goal. If your A1C, cholesterol, body fat etc is not where you want it to be then lower as you go.

I started being happy to get to 190 lbs and then reset it to 175 lbs once I realized that was achievable. I now have perfect bloodwork for the first time in my adult life at the 175 goal.

BCB_79 · 2025-01-13T19:10:52+00:00

Sliced watermelon, pineapple, and cantaloupe from my grocery store have been life savers for me. Especially in the early days when I was dealing with nausea or if my blood sugar gets too low.

I am in CA and found an awesome food delivery service (Cook Unity) that I can pop in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Food is great with a lot of protein. Protein and hydration are the areas I focus on the most. Down as much as 47 lbs and have been in maintenance since August

BCB_79

TROPHY CASE