Once you meet your goal - Cycle off or find a maintenance amount and cruise...

[gimmeshelter]

I am just curious with those that have met the weight goal they had in mind. For example, you went from 200lbs to 165lbs. Once you get to 165lbs are some lowering the dosage but staying on a schedule or do you cycle off and then back on as needed?

For those that find a maintenance number is it near the amount you started at? Below? Above? Thanks !

 

[DunningKruger]

In the past I have cycled off, so as not to become dependant on exogenous molecules. I've only ever had 10-15 lbs creep back in times of inadequate diet/exercise/stress, and deal with it accordingly with another short cycle.

I find the best maintenance number is not so much a number, but where your body can comfortably sit without excessive effort. To me, too much maintenance effort is a sign that the goals are unsustainable. The lower the body fat the harder it is to maintain without rigorous diet/exercise, and then you have the hormonal BS that goes with it, chronically high cortisol, loss of hair, loss of menses (for women).

What about you? What's your take on it?

 

[byefatlicia]

I'll be a lifer... Too many benefits to stop And I love having control over food.

 

[Sasquatch]

I'll tell you in 6 months. Folks I know, including my Dr. cycled off and only pin when needed. (seldom)

Whoops! Just noticed this is in the Reta group. N/M

 

[lemon lady]

it cured my IBS-C so I'm never stopping, I don't even care about the weight loss i'm taking it for this

 

[yrrdead]

I'm currently trying to find equilibrium. I'm extending time between doses while also tweaking my dose. Currently at 2.2mg/5days. Will continue to adjust as necessary. I don't plan on attempting to discontinue use.

 

[Ragu1]

I am just curious with those that have met the weight goal they had in mind. For example, you went from 200lbs to 165lbs. Once you get to 165lbs are some lowering the dosage but staying on a schedule or do you cycle off and then back on as needed?

For those that find a maintenance number is it near the amount you started at? Below? Above? Thanks !

Been in "maintenance" for 6 months. I have yet to find the sweet spot of doseages and frequency. I was on tirz for 2 years went from 255 down to 190. I never went above 5mg .. I responded well to the low dose. Currently doing 2.5 every 5 days, but still playing with it. I have not gained more than a few pounds but have been able to lose it back. I dont think ill ever stop being on a glp. Everyone responds differently and depending what glp your taking or if your stacking your "maintenance" will be a process until you are comfortable of where your at.

 

[Habibibi]

This is a metabolic optimizing drug, I won't be cycling off. My A1c is on point, my fasting insulin stays low, my egfr is the highest it's ever been. I'm at goal. Some luckier people have been able to reduce dosage to maintain , but I haven't been one of those people.

 

[randompersonrandom]

I figure the dose that got me there is probably the dose that'll keep me there. I just did what I hope will be my last increase (to 9mg) and I've only got six pounds to go.

I DO plan to stop the survo, though. I really only started doing it to fight tirz fatigue, and I suspect that after six months, I may not have it anymore. Or I may never have had it at all and just thought I did and was just tired because I wasn't eating enough to support my then-bigger body comfortably. Plus, because all my compulsive nature vanishing overnight meant that until my brain adjusted, I didn't have compelling reason to do anything but sit on the couch. But my brain adjusted to being able to feel motivation, and I'm pretty sure when I stop the survo, I won't get tired again

 

[Mr. Blonde]

Nothing like a good blast and cruise!

 

[lessthanhalf]

Even if I was not trying to keep off more than half my bodyweight, I would be staying on it forever to prevent heart attacks, stroke, heart failure, diabetes and probably cancer. I am likely to be at above average risk, but so are a very high percentage of people who have had obesity long term.

 

[Calm Logic]

The lesson from SURMOUNT-4:

"The consistency of these data across therapeutic classes... suggests that obesity is a chronic metabolic condition ...requiring long-term therapy in most patients. Much of [the] initial improvement in cardiometabolic risk factors had been reversed [after stopping tirzepatide]."

 

[MFGamesta]

I hit my goal weight on reta and now I'm titrating down to find my maintenance dose. I may just stop all together if I can't find it.

 

[lessthanhalf]

For people who have or had severe long term obesity, and lost the weight using GLP's, stopping it after losing the weight is pretty much wishful thinking. By all means try, especially if you have better eating and exercise patterns, but I think it would be important to restart it sooner rather than later if weight started increasing , otherwise you are basically back to yo yo dieting, which if you stay on them you may never need to do again. I strongly agree with the comment above that if it takes constant mental effort to keep the weight off by eating less than your body tells you to, it is not really sustainable, almost everyone will run out of that sort of effortful mental energy eventually.

For people who are not in this category, ( less severe obesity or more recent ) it is not quite as straightforward , although I think the same issues apply in the end. Putting back on 10 or even 20 kg is not great for health but not anywhere near as destructive as bmi's in the 40's or more. The biggest advantage of GLP drugs is that you can keep the weight off. It does make it a bit easier to lose the weight in the first place, but almost everyone who has any kind of weight problem will have lost some weight successfully at some point, it really is not the hard part. The hard part is months or years after, still having to resist eating things you want to eat, if you do not want to regain the weight. And doing this when stressed or upset or at Christmas or on holidays etc. GLP drugs essentially solve the problem, given that in this weight range they are good enough to get to healthy body weights or non overweight BMI's, and it does not require that constant forever mental effort, just keep taking the GLP, and from what is currently known but not yet proven in healthy populations, they are likely to make you live a longer healthier life. Assuming side effects are not a problem, it really is a no brainer, and if you do not stay on them and put weight back on the chances are you will end up needing blood pressure pills and statins and maybe anti diabetes medications in the long term anyway so you do not necessarily escape relying on medication either way.

 

[RubbaDubba1]

Most people probably won't be able to maintain the weight loss, hence here we are with the GLP1's and probably needing some sort of small dose to be compliant. Me included! I have found 1mg Reta & 1-1.5mg Tirz to work pretty well for me, keeping the Demons at bay. I fought this all my life (like most people) I'm down about 400lbs, between weight loss surgery and the help of a GLP-1. It takes about 6 weeks for it to leave your system, I've done this 3X and gained some weight right back like I'm a Rock Star and have to go back in rehab! (I'll say hi to Lyndsey Lohan for us) Honestly still makes me feel like a bit of a disappointment. Sooo

 

[oldrunnerguy]

This is a metabolic optimizing drug, I won't be cycling off. My A1c is on point, my fasting insulin stays low, my egfr is the highest it's ever been. I'm at goal. Some luckier people have been able to reduce dosage to maintain , but I haven't been one of those people.

I, too, began using primarily for metabolic health. Had bloodwork done 12/28/25, began Reta the next day. Bloodwork done on 2/23/26 showed 0.2 drop in A1C, total cholesterol dropped 8%, triglycerides dropped 28%, HDL which was already great rose 5% to 96(!), and my LDL reduced by 30%. As I experiment for a few months with Tirz, I think I'm in for life (figuratively and literally.)

 

[randompersonrandom]

Honestly still makes me feel like a bit of a disappointment. Sooo

I don't feel like a disappointment at all. I knew going in that if these drugs worked for me, then it was likely that I'd have to keep taking them for them to keep working for me. I didn't even know about SURMOUNT, but it just seemed like common sense. If bp meds only bring your bp down as long as you keep taking them, and statins only keep your cholesterol down as long as you keep taking them, and ADHD meds only keep you able to funciton as long as you keep taking them, then why on earth would I expect that "don't be overweight" meds would keep working without me having to keep taking them?

I don't have time to hand wring about whether I should feel bad for needing these meds to keep the weight off because I'm buying shirts that don't hide the lines of my waist, because I paid too much money for this waist and waited too long for it to come into existence to throw it into shirts that hang down from my bust and make me look like a tank.

 

[Minkster]

My non scientific theory is if you were metabolically broken you'll probably be a lifer. If you just over ate and needed some will power help you could cycle off. I lost the same 5-10lbs with diet and exercise and now have lost almost 20lbs with close to same diet and exercise I was doing before Reta.

 

[RubbaDubba1]

I don't feel like a disappointment at all. I knew going in that if these drugs worked for me, then it was likely that I'd have to keep taking them for them to keep working for me. I didn't even know about SURMOUNT, but it just seemed like common sense. If bp meds only bring your bp down as long as you keep taking them, and statins only keep your cholesterol down as long as you keep taking them, and ADHD meds only keep you able to funciton as long as you keep taking them, then why on earth would I expect that "don't be overweight" meds would keep working without me having to keep taking them?

I don't have time to hand wring about whether I should feel bad for needing these meds to keep the weight off because I'm buying shirts that don't hide the lines of my waist, because I paid too much money for this waist and waited too long for it to come into existence to throw it into shirts that hang down from my bust and make me look like a tank.

I get what you're saying 110% and appreciate it. I'm old, lifetime of bullying, parents not wanting a huge child, body dysmorphia, etc! It was always hard work, move more, eat less etc. I have worked in production all my life, been on my feet all my life and it's been hard to come down off that shelf and except that I can't do it by myself. The weight loss surgery was 17 years ago, after regaining 150lbs 14 years later and I needed help again. I've had 13 surgeries, 2 more this year and a few more in my future. Mostly Orthopedic, being in pain everyday and trying to stay out of a nursing home. I'm just being honest with myself, trying function while I can and hoping peptides can help limp along into retirement or disability (whichever hits 1st)

Maybe that's a little too much or too real or sounds exaggerated, I'm on the slow fast track and I think if I don't feel like this. I'll lose the fight!

 

[randompersonrandom]

Maybe that's a little too much or too real or sounds exaggerated, I'm on the slow fast track and I think if I don't feel like this. I'll lose the fight!

Oh no, no shade or scorn at all--and my experience isn't yours, and doesn't cancel it or is at all intended to invalidate it. I only hope to be able to pass you some of my refusal to bully MYSELF, the rest of the world can try it if they want to, but I won't help them by saying their mean shit in my head to myself.