It really can stick, even if we have metabolic or autoimmune issues that make it more difficult for pudge to budge. I lost 70 lbs 26 years ago (the old WeightWatchers way) and have kept it off ever since.
When I do gain, its only ever 10 to 15 lbs, and it's only happened twice in the two plus decades since. Those were times when indulgence increased, fitness decreased, and self care went out the window (stress + holidays + breakups = 😵💫).
You really do work on yourself, inside and out. You learn your patterns and consciously work to change them (like going to the fridge when bored or stressed). You learn to love and respect yourself, and change your entire lifestyle. It's possible, and it's glorious.
The better you feel in your body, the better you start to treat yourself, and you decide not to hurt yourself anymore. It takes time, but it can stick. 🙂
Congratulations on having lost weight and kept it off in the pre GLP era. It is certainly something I tried very hard to achieve and failed to do, best ever was getting to normal BMI and staying there for nearly 3 years then putting weight back on and ending up at 145kg about 8 years later. Every bit of research I have ever read says that while it can be done, it is genuinely rare, with only around 5% of people who achieve massive weight loss through diet and exercise keeping the weight off long term.
For most people with significant obesity and especially those with health problems associated with obesity, staying on them long term for weight maintenance and added heath benefits are a better option than stopping them. Most people who have lost a lot of weight who stop them will either end up regaining weight or restarting the GLP's or both.
In most or all people with severe obesity who lose lots of weight there are processes occurring that make keeping the weight off hard. With weight loss hunger increases, and metabolic rate decreases. While obese metabolic rate is above normal usually due to extra lean and fat mass and the extra energy required to move that extra mass around. With massive weight loss this falls to normal as extra mass is lost and then metabolic adaptation reduces daily energy expenditure to below levels that would be usual for someone of that weight, age and activity level. So that to maintain the weight loss calorie intake has to be lower than average, despite the increased hunger, and this problem continues for years or possibly forever. Maintaining this requires mental effort and in nearly everyone this eventually is exhausted and weight regain occurs as food intake increases.
I only started GLP's for maintenance.
I have the fairly recent experience of losing 70kg or so without GLP medication, and staying there for a year. At that point as far as I knew the costs were just not viable for me. Eventually I worked out that there was a reasonably inexpensive legit option for ozempic in Australia and started that. The difference in maintaining that weight loss with and without GLP medication is huge, even with low dose ozempic it was worth putting up with the nausea and malaise for a year in exchange for less hunger. And once I discovered grey GLP's , they made a much bigger difference as I was able to tolerate normal doses of tirzepatide, and added a bit of retatrutide as well to increase the effect.
Trying to keep the weight off without GLP's I was constantly worried that I would mess up and eat the wrong foods or start putting on weight and did not really believe I would be able to keep it off long term, as that is what had happened every time in the past. And was hungry a lot of the time. This was despite daily exercise and a very healthy diet.
With GLP medication I have reasonable confidence the weight will stay off. And life is more pleasant without the near constant hunger and fears of triggering excessive eating. I am asking a lot more than the studies have shown in getting them to assist in keeping off a weight loss of 54%, but so far it seems to be working.
For most people staying on GLP's after the weight loss improves people chances of maintaining healthier lifestyle choices. Several studies have shown people buy and eat healthier, less processed, lower fat and sugar foods while taking them. And exercise is easier, more pleasant and less likely to cause injuries or long term joint damage at lower weights, increasing odds of continuing exercise by preventing weight regain. For most of the population cost is a major factor on staying on them long term. The price for grey GLP's is so low at 25c/mg for tirzepatide and around 50c/mg for retatrutide that this is a non issue even for fairly poor people.
