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GLP-1 dependence for modest weight loss?

13 replies12 peopleJan 28, 2026☆ Follow
Summary

Will people who only need to lose 20-30 pounds on GLP-1s face the same hunger, food noise, and regain problems after stopping as those who started obese?

Participants largely agree that stopping GLP-1s tends to bring back weight and appetite issues regardless of starting weight. Several who lost only 25-40 pounds report they plan to stay on a maintenance dose or titrate down slowly rather than quit entirely. Others say they will try to stop after reaching goal and use lifestyle changes or cycle back on if needed. The thread shows personal histories of repeated regain without the drugs.

What this discussion establishesWhere people disagree

Whether users who only needed to lose 20-30 pounds should be encouraged to start at all, given likely long-term dependence

Still open

Whether those with minor weight loss will experience worse post-stop hunger than before they began

Nothing here is advice.

13 replies · 12 people
WryLedger88archiveopening postJan 28

Everyone accepts the chance of putting weight back on after quitting these GLP-1 meds. My real question is about people who weren't obese to start with. Like those just wanting to drop that stubborn 20-30 pounds, or bodybuilders using them for cutting. Will stopping cause worse hunger and food thoughts than before they began? Might they end up committed to ongoing use the way many of us are?

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CopperMarble87archiveJan 28

Those fitness types online who only had a little weight to lose act like they understand the full struggle after using peptides.

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QuietFenwick11archiveJan 28
↳ replying to @WryLedger88 (opening post)

They should expect to stay on them because the data is clear about what happens when you stop. Some try switching to other compounds to hold the loss and that seems unwise. No one expects you to quit statins once cholesterol improves, so the same logic should apply here.

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WryLedger88archiveJan 28
↳ replying to @QuietFenwick11

The real issue for me is whether I should steer friends who only need to drop 20 or 30 pounds away from these meds. Would it be wrong to just say go ahead because they work, knowing they might have to stay on them indefinitely?

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PlainSignal69archiveJan 28

I only had 25-30 pounds to lose and nothing else ever moved the scale. After four months on a GLP-1 I'm nearly at goal. I have no plan to stop once I get there. It really comes down to whether your friends can lose the weight and keep it off without the drug. If the GLP-1 is the only thing that works, the amount lost doesn't change that.

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QuietFenwick11archiveJan 28
↳ replying to @WryLedger88

You can tell them both things at once: the meds work well and also what usually happens when people stop. That holds true no matter how many pounds they want to lose.

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CopperTimber28archiveJan 28
↳ replying to @PlainSignal69

Same situation here and I'm staying on tirz for as long as possible.

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BrightBeacon35archiveJan 28

In my view most of the weight can stay off if real lifestyle changes stick, with healthy eating and exercise continuing. Some regain from lost metabolic effects and inflammation is likely. These are just my thoughts, not medical advice.

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ClearThistle20archiveJan 28

I'm just as focused on keeping the health marker improvements as on the weight itself. A lower long-term dose plus ongoing lifestyle work might be enough.

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BlueTimber78archiveJan 28
↳ replying to @WryLedger88

I just tell people I plan to take it forever, the same way blood pressure or cholesterol meds are used. Friends will do what they want anyway. Plenty of people lose the 20 pounds then stop and regain it. Some programs have been profiting from that cycle for decades.

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WarmAlder92archiveJan 29
↳ replying to @WryLedger88

It depends more on the percentage of body weight involved, any existing conditions, and age. For me the anti-inflammatory effects matter as much as the scale. Losing 40 pounds was a big fraction of my weight. A taller person dropping 30 pounds has an easier task than a shorter one dropping the same amount. Younger people without health issues probably shouldn't start these drugs at all.

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SteadyQuill55archiveJan 29

I began at 176 and want to reach 125. I have no intention of trying to stop at goal. I've lost down to a certain weight multiple times before and always gained it back plus more. At 45 I already know what happens when I'm not on these meds.

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PatientAnchor11archiveJan 29
↳ replying to @BrightBeacon35

I was married to one once. Everything had to be sterile or it counted as dirty. Took five kids before I caught on.

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LevelLedger10archiveJan 29

I plan to lower the dose just as gradually as I raised it once I hit goal. Six months in and still only at 1.9 mg per week with steady 1-2 pound losses each week. My blood work has improved a lot and I'm fine with the pace. I'll try coming off completely and see if weight stays stable at a comfortable level. If it climbs again I'll go back on to reach goal then find the lowest dose that holds it. I want to test whether I can use it only for this period and then stop.

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GLP-1 dependence for modest weight loss? · ZyraTrack Community