40,000 Patient Records Reflect >50% Maintained or Increased Weight Loss After 24 Months Off GLP’s

No matter how much information is available, some people will still claim the results must be made up. It is impossible to run a study that satisfies everyone. There are still people convinced the planet is flat.

My guess is something in the digestive system got better. A doctor started me on one of these because tests showed low levels of a certain gut bacteria even though my weight was already low. I keep hearing people talk about hormones being off but they have never actually seen a specialist and just started taking things without any baseline numbers. Are they using cards or star charts?

Similar to when I report a low number of drinks to my liver doctor.

This part does not add up. Those bacteria are said to produce the same signal, so why not just give a probiotic or suggest the implant instead? At that weight level the medication would not normally be recommended anyway.

I am not part of that system but I get the question about the charts. Did you talk with your doctor about it? They started with a much larger group that stopped and narrowed it down to the 40,000 they followed, probably to reduce cases like the one you describe.

The write-up does not mention any controls for that issue. The authors never bring up the chance that people moved to other versions, which weakens the whole thing. If my chart had been used it would look like I stopped because no more prescriptions appear, yet I kept losing afterward. Charts cannot detect a switch to another source. For those of us with the genetic tendency we know nothing is actually fixed. Once we come off, the strong hunger and old taste preferences return quickly.

Mine starts returning toward the end of the week already. I cannot picture holding steady for two years without the constant hunger that came with every other diet. I am not going back to that feeling.

Just taking the bacteria will not make a lasting shift. Changing what you eat to support the ones you want works better.

That is accurate, and some of those bacteria are hard to get. One type only comes at birth and antibiotics wipe it out.

There is a solid case that the information is skewed and does not show what really happens after people stop. They pulled records for anyone with a long order who lost some weight and then had no order in the following year. That misses people who moved to other sources or changed doctors outside the system. Someone could have switched providers, used leftover supply, or paid cash and it would not show up. It also only counts those who returned later for a weight check. If a patient moved to a different record system or a non-connected clinic the data would not capture it.

No matter how the research is performed or what it finds, a portion of people will still say their idea without evidence beats any study. The past few years showed how some still believe extreme remedies can fix a virus. Someone posted about this recently. The report started with nearly 190,000 who stopped and kept only 40,000 to reduce the chance that some had moved to another version or similar workaround. For those who stopped and did not regain everything, seeing that others had the same result is reassuring.

Where does it say they removed people to account for other versions when they narrowed to the 40,000?

They did not remove 40,000; they simply kept that many out of the larger group that stopped. I have seen more than ten other reports with similar results. The reason I shared this was not to tell anyone to quit, but to counter the claim that stopping will always erase all progress. It does not have to be all or nothing. Still, some people believe extreme remedies fix viruses or that the planet is flat.

No one is upset.

Come on. You are in a community where many use other sources and still argue the results could not possibly be affected by that. The report also goes against the main clinical trial. Plenty of people here are not on the brand-name version, and that is not considered. It is like saying half the people who filled up at one station never needed gas again, ignoring every other possibility.

Share those other studies.

It also does not handle someone moving from one medication to another. It looks at people stopping one but does not check whether they started a different one or added something else.

We agree on the main point. One big problem with very heavy patients is that these medications get attacked in the media and by some online groups. Young influencers who already have health issues from their weight hear they can never keep it off without daily injections forever, so fewer of them seek help. Most people do regain, but most people also eat poorly and do not move enough. Talking about how daily habits can help keep weight in a healthier range is more useful than telling everyone there is no hope.

I did not see anyone say people should simply stop. I have seen many here insist that lowering the dose or stopping will make the medication stop working later.

Both views appear. Mostly the ones who shame larger people push stopping, while those who have been shamed insist they will regain or lose effectiveness if they lower or stop. The topic carries a lot of emotional weight, which makes calm discussion harder.

I hoped there were enough level-headed people here for real talks without overreactions or wrong assumptions. Bodybuilders get called meatheads yet they often stay open to new findings and trying things, even after dealing with weight issues themselves. The flood of private messages after any post that does not match the usual view is tiring. Apparently others are also lowering doses or testing, but most stay quiet about it.

I have had spinal meningitis twice and after surgery the strong antibiotics likely cleared out a lot of the gut bacteria. I eat well, take supplements, and exercise several times a week, but I know that is not enough to fully restore things. I am near a university that has done transplant work but did not qualify for the trials. Working in the field probably helps me manage better than I otherwise would.

I wondered about that, since you seem to get treatments without much trouble. My insurance would never cover these medications just for missing a certain bacteria. Heavier patients here struggle to get them at all. You are in a better position there. Still, you have dealt with serious health problems and I am sorry you went through that. The bacteria in the gut matter a lot, but replacing them is not simple.

I would not call it luck so much as choosing a career path that supports better access. I moved to be near the largest medical center so I could reach top research clinics.

Send any links you like. I learned my doctor is out of the country for another week, so I will check again next week or the week after for a clear answer.

If the new medication shows up in the same record system then the switch would be noted and the patient would count as still using one. This only works if the prescriber and pharmacy stay inside that system. A bit detailed but worth clarifying.

Plenty of people here talk about reaching their goal and slowly lowering the dose until they are off, sometimes spacing it out further. Others, like me, find the strong cravings return when the dose drops and the body seems to want to go back to its old weight. I have not seen any group here demand everyone must stay on or must get off. Some report needing higher amounts later if they stop for a while, but not everyone. Views differ because experiences differ. Some stay open to both options because they recognize bodies vary. It feels like one side is being pushed more than a balanced view is offered.

I am in maintenance, using a much lower dose now, and actually enjoying meals again. I have started trail running once more. As long as my clothes fit I will keep lowering slowly. Like any medication I prefer the lowest effective amount or none long term. Coming from not having been heavy most of my life may give me a bit more confidence.

I do not see much of that rigid talk outside certain platforms. Once people reach spaces like this there seems to be more room for nuance, which is why I limit time on the more basic forums.

Those forums can be alarming. I am convinced a noticeable share of the accounts there are trying to scare people away from other sources.

That platform really is its own separate space.

Good to hear. I have had major health problems and was told I would need certain prescriptions with bad side effects for life. I am now off both and doing fine. I have mixed feelings about medical care in general because of experiences with some doctors. I am taking a short break over the holidays. There will probably be some change when I restart but I do not expect a complete reversal. I was only on a very low dose so restarting will begin even lower.

You think the successful half all moved to other sources? Not a bad guess given how expensive the approved versions are here.

This.