I hit my goal weight two weeks ago. 185 pounds. Down 100 pounds from my starting weight. I should be celebrating, riding the high of achievement, posting triumphant before-and-after photos.
Instead, I'm terrified.
Because losing weight, as hard as it was, turns out to be the easier part. Keeping it off? That's where the real challenge begins.
The Maintenance Mindset Shift
For the past 14 months, I've had a clear goal: lose weight. Every week, I stepped on the scale hoping to see the number go down. That downward progress was motivating, tangible proof that what I was doing was working.
Now? The goal is for nothing to change. Stay the same weight. See the same number on the scale week after week. It's psychologically very different, and I'm struggling with the shift.
There's no more "progress" to track. No more victories of dropping another pound or fitting into a smaller size. Just... maintenance. Which feels static and somehow less exciting.
The Medication Question
The biggest question I'm grappling with: do I stay on GLP-1 medication indefinitely, or do I try to maintain without it?
My doctor's recommendation is clear: stay on it. Studies show that most people regain significant weight when they stop GLP-1s. The medication isn't just helping me lose weight—it's managing the underlying biological drives that led to obesity in the first place.
But there's a part of me that wants to prove I can do this without medication. That voice saying "you've lost the weight, now maintain it on your own like a normal person."
Except I'm not a normal person when it comes to weight regulation. My brain chemistry doesn't work like someone who's naturally thin. That's why I needed medication in the first place.
The Research on Maintenance
I've been doing a lot of reading about what happens when people stop GLP-1s. The data is... not encouraging.
Most studies show significant weight regain within 6-12 months of stopping. People regain an average of two-thirds of the weight they lost. Some regain all of it.
Why? Because the medication was doing several things:
Suppressing appetite and reducing food noise. Slowing gastric emptying so you feel full longer. Affecting reward pathways to make food less appealing. Improving insulin sensitivity and metabolic function.
When you stop, all those effects reverse. The hunger comes roaring back. The cravings return. Your metabolism slows down (which happens with any significant weight loss, not just GLP-1-assisted).
Basically, you're fighting your biology again. And biology usually wins.
My Maintenance Plan (For Now)
After lots of discussion with my doctor and soul-searching, I've decided to stay on Mounjaro for at least another year. Here's my reasoning:
1. I'm not ready to risk regaining
It took 14 months to lose 100 pounds. I'm not willing to risk regaining it in 6 months because I wanted to prove I could maintain without help.
2. This is chronic disease management
I have to reframe how I think about this. Obesity is a chronic condition. If I had diabetes, I wouldn't stop taking insulin once my blood sugar normalized. I'd stay on it to keep it controlled.
Weight management is the same. The medication is controlling a chronic metabolic dysfunction, not fixing something temporarily broken.
3. The medication is still working
I've reduced my dose from 15mg to 7.5mg of Mounjaro, and it's still effectively managing my appetite. I'm maintaining without effort or constant hunger. Why mess with what's working?
4. I need time to solidify new habits
The medication is giving me breathing room to establish sustainable eating and exercise patterns without fighting constant cravings. Maybe after another year, those habits will be solid enough that I can try maintaining without medication. Maybe not. We'll see.
Lifestyle Changes for Maintenance
Even staying on medication, I know I can't just coast. I'm making deliberate changes to support long-term maintenance:
Regular Movement
I'm committing to 30-45 minutes of activity most days. Not to lose more weight, but to preserve muscle mass, support metabolic health, and maintain fitness. This is now part of my lifestyle, not a diet phase.
Protein Priority
Keeping protein intake high (100-120g daily) helps preserve muscle mass during maintenance and keeps me feeling satisfied.
Weekly Weigh-Ins
I'm setting a "maintenance range" of 183-188 pounds. If I go above 188, I'll reassess my eating and possibly increase medication dose. If I go below 183, I'll make sure I'm eating enough.
Continued Therapy
Working with a therapist to address emotional eating patterns and develop coping mechanisms that don't involve food. The medication helps, but the mental work still needs to happen.
Staying Connected
Continuing to engage with online communities of people managing weight with GLP-1s. Maintenance can feel isolating—having people who understand helps.
The Cost Consideration
Let's be real: staying on Mounjaro long-term is expensive. Even with insurance and savings cards, I'm paying about $50/month. That's $600/year, potentially for the rest of my life.
Is it worth it? For me, yes. Six hundred dollars a year to maintain a 100-pound weight loss and avoid regaining? That's cheaper than new clothes in larger sizes, potential diabetes medication, joint problems, and all the other health issues that come with obesity.
But I recognize not everyone can afford it. And that sucks. Access to these medications for maintenance shouldn't be a luxury.
The Mental Challenge
The hardest part of maintenance is mental, not physical.
There's a weird letdown after reaching your goal. The exciting journey is over. Now it's just... life. At this weight. Forever.
I have to resist the urge to set a new, lower goal weight just to have something to work toward. 185 is a healthy weight for my height. I don't need to be 170 or 160. That's diet-brain talking, the voice that says I'm never good enough.
I also have to resist the urge to "relax" now that I've hit my goal. Maintenance isn't about going back to old habits. It's about sustaining new ones. That requires ongoing effort and vigilance, even if it's less intense than the weight loss phase.
What Success Looks Like Now
During weight loss, success was obvious: the scale going down, clothes getting looser, people noticing.
In maintenance, success is subtler:
Stepping on the scale and seeing the same number as last week. Fitting into the same jeans month after month. Eating a normal amount and feeling satisfied. Not thinking about food constantly. Having energy for activities. Managing stress without turning to food. Staying on my medication consistently.
These aren't dramatic victories. But they're victories nonetheless.
The Long Game
I've spent my entire adult life losing and regaining weight. This is my chance to break that cycle.
It's not going to be easy. The statistics aren't in my favor. But for the first time, I have tools that actually work—medication that manages the biological drives, therapy that addresses the emotional patterns, and a support system that keeps me accountable.
Maintenance is the real test. Anyone can lose weight temporarily. Keeping it off is the challenge.
Ask me in a year how it's going. Ask me in five years. That's when we'll really know if this worked.
For now, I'm taking it one day at a time. Staying on my medication. Sticking to my habits. And trying to celebrate the victory of maintaining instead of always chasing the next goal.
This is my life now. And I'm determined to make it sustainable.