It has been a year since Ellen Ogley put down her Mounjaro pen after shedding 3st on what has been dubbed the ‘King Kong’ of weight-loss jabs.
The nursery manager from Yorkshire, once 16st 12lb, dropped several dress sizes after the jab silenced her constant ‘food noise’ – the intrusive thoughts about eating that saw her repeatedly raid the snack cupboard.
But what Ellen, 42, has achieved since quitting Mounjaro – also known as tirzepatide – is even more remarkable. While studies show most people regain weight within months of stopping the drugs, Ellen is proof it doesn’t have to happen.
The mother-of-three, who turned to binge drinking and comfort eating after being diagnosed with cervical and ovarian cancer in 2023, is now a stone lighter than she was when she took her final dose last October.
It’s a striking result, given research suggests most people regain about 1st 7lb and return to their original weight within ten months – once the drug’s appetite -suppressing effects wear off.
Ellen’s secret was simple. She began strength training to rebuild muscle after becoming, as she puts it, ‘too skinny’, and swapped takeaways for high-protein, healthier meals to keep hunger at bay.
‘I have abs at 42 – it blows my mind,’ she says. ‘I used to have two or three takeaways a week and drank too much. It helped numb everything from my cancer treatment, which involved a hysterectomy.
‘I told myself, “If I come out the other side, I’ll take control of my health.”
Ellen Ogley, 42, with husband Phil after losing 6st on Mounjaro
Research suggests most people regain about 1st 7lb and return to their original weight within ten months of quitting fat-loss jabs
‘I hope it shows others they can maintain their weight loss after coming off the drugs.’
While jabs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro have been life-changing for an estimated 2.5 million Britons, many don’t want to stay on them long-term. Most pay privately – and Mounjaro’s cost has recently soared – while some doctors warn that obesity is a chronic condition, meaning many will need ongoing treatment to keep weight off.
Still, experts say there are ways to avoid regaining weight once you hit your target, as long as, like Ellen, you’re prepared to work for it.
Dr Adam Collins, associate professor of nutrition at the University of Surrey, says: ‘Your body is like a coiled spring – if you let it, it’ll bounce back to its old weight. But maintaining it is achievable. You just have to accept it’s a challenge and put the effort in.’
DON’T GO COLD TURKEY
Evidence suggests gradually reducing the dose – rather than quitting abruptly – can keep the weight off more effectively.
One study by weight-loss clinic Embla, presented to the European Congress on Obesity last year, found patients who reduced their dose over nine weeks not only
continued to lose weight during that time, but maintained a stable body weight for the next six months of the study.
Evidence suggests gradually reducing the dose – rather than quitting abruptly – can keep the weight off more effectively
Lead researcher Dr Henrik Gudbergsen said patients should also make diet and lifestyle changes (more of which later).
But Professor David Strain, an expert in metabolic disease at the University of Exeter, agrees it can work for patients.
‘First, patients should go down to a lower dose and then start extending the time period between doses before stopping completely,’ he says. ‘While I’ve seen patients put on weight since, it hasn’t been large amounts.’
It means appetite increases will happen more slowly, explains dietician Zoe Griffiths, VP of Behavioural Medicine at digital healthcare provider Numan.
‘This might make it easier for patients to adjust,’ she says.
EXERCISE IS KEY
Only one high-quality study has examined how best to maintain weight loss after coming off the jabs, and it found that regular exercise makes all the difference.
Begin exercising while still on the medication, and keep it up once you stop, say experts.
The Danish research showed that people who combined four weekly workouts with the weight-loss drug liraglutide, known as Saxenda, had lower body weight and less body fat a year after stopping treatment than those who used Saxenda alone.
Both groups regained some weight, but the exercisers gained an average of 2.5kg compared with 6kg for non-exercisers.
Those who took part in cycling and circuit training sessions generally kept up their routines over the next 12 months, suggesting the habit stuck.
Lead author Signe Sorensen Torekov, from the University of Copenhagen, said: ‘The study almost makes me want to advise against medical treatment without increased physical exercise.’
Begin exercising while still on the medication, and keep it up once you stop, say experts
Professor Alexander Miras, an obesity expert at Ulster University, says: ‘It’s the strongest evidence we have that exercise is key to maintaining weight loss.
‘It doesn’t work by burning more calories, but by reducing appetite and energy intake.’
Zoe Griffiths adds that most studies suggest around an hour of daily activity is needed to prevent weight regain.
‘It doesn’t have to be high intensity or done all at once,’ she says. ‘It could be walking, swimming or any activity that gets you slightly out of breath but you can still hold a conversation.’
BURN CALORIES AT NIGHT
One of the downsides of the jabs is that they don’t just get rid of fat.
I LOST 9st, AND NOW ANY WEIGHT GAIN IS MUSCLE
Beautician Baylee Eugene says Mounjaro has ‘literally changed my life’.
The 29-year-old Londoner has lost nine stone altogether – five stone thanks to Mounjaro – going from a dress size 20 to a petite size 8, and it even curbed symptoms of her multiple sclerosis, with fewer flare-ups.
But the cost of the drug left her with a problem – stopping it could undo her good work, but staying on it was unaffordable. So Baylee – pictured left before her weight loss and, right, how she is today – overhauled her lifestyle.
She started to walk instead of driving, and went to the gym regularly. She made healthy swaps in her diet – eating the same as her two children, but in smaller portions, and loading up on protein and vegetables rather than carbs. Since coming off Mounjaro in July she has kept those habits.
Baylee Eugene went from a dress size 20 to a petite size 8
‘It wasn’t a breeze but it wasn’t horrific,’ she says. ‘I’ve gained around 9lb, but that’s because my muscle mass is increasing. I’m still in size 8 clothes but I’m in the gym and not eating enough to gain weight, so I know it’s not fat.’
MRI scans monitoring her MS show it has been stable since using Mounjaro, with no new lesions. ‘I’ve started taking it again, at a very low dose, just for that – and the difference was instant,’ she says.
Between 20 and 50 per cent of the weight lost can be muscle mass, which makes strength training to rebuild it important – during and after using the drugs. And because muscle burns calories even when the body is at rest, it is also important for keeping weight off.
More lean muscle mass may even help dampen down your appetite, explains Zoe Griffiths, because muscles absorb glucose from the blood, stabilising blood sugar and reducing the cravings that come from blood sugar spikes. ‘Your body does everything it can to regain weight by increasing your appetite,’ she says.
‘If you counteract that with increased movement and lean muscle mass, that may minimise appetite changes when you come off the drugs.’
You don’t need a gym membership, Prof Strain says: ‘Do squats while you’re watching TV, stand on one leg while cleaning your teeth, carry a couple of tins of beans around with you. These things are just as good, if not better, than a gym membership because you’re more likely to build them in as a habit.’
EAT PROTEIN AND FIBRE
For many people, the jabs quieten so-called ‘food noise’ – the constant cravings and thoughts about eating.
The downside is that this often returns within weeks of stopping.
Experts say it can be managed by eating more protein and fibre, which help you feel fuller for longer. Both may also trigger the release of natural GLP-1 hormones in the gut that tell the brain you’re full – the same hormone mimicked by the jabs.
Professor Naveed Sattar says: ‘You can start adding these things in while you’re still on the jabs, when the food noise is quieter. It’s a chance to think about what you eat and broaden your diet.
‘Fibre really helps with weight control. It acts as the gut’s lubricant, but you also have to chew it more for the same calories, and it may trigger satiety hormones naturally – not a huge amount, but enough to make a difference.’
Good fibre sources include lentils, chickpeas, wholegrain pasta, rice, oats, broccoli, carrots, apples and nuts. Try to include protein at every meal – eggs or yogurt at breakfast, lean meats, fish, beans or lentils for lunch and dinner.
Professor Alexander Miras adds: ‘The best way to maintain weight loss is by following a high-protein, low glycaemic index diet – a bit like a Mediterranean diet with fewer carbs.’
WHY SNACKING IS GOOD
It’s often demonised for causing weight gain, but snacking can also help reduce cravings.
Zoe Griffiths suggests eating regularly to ‘stay one step ahead of hunger’.
But she warns: ‘Eat the right things which will keep you sated but won’t be too high in calories. That may mean being organised and planning your snacks – ideally something that combines protein and fibre.’
Try a low-fat Babybel cheese with sliced peppers; a fruit or veg smoothie with milk; chia seeds or flaxseed; or some plain Greek yogurt with berries and seeds.
TRY ‘URGE SURFING’
If you’re afraid you might overeat when your appetite returns, experts recommend using smaller plates when you’re still using the jabs so you’re used to smaller portions.
Prof Sattar recommends filling half your plate with salad so you eat less of everything else while upping your fibre intake.
‘You’ll maybe have three or four fewer chips or a bit less pasta, but these things add up,’ he says.
‘I know I always have to have something sweet with my cup of tea, so I have half a biscuit, or half a bit of cake. It’s not about avoiding your triggers but learning to moderate them.’
It is recommended to fill half your plate with salad so you eat less of everything else while upping your fibre intake
Or try something Zoe Griffiths describes as ‘urge surfing’.
‘Think about whether your urge to eat is really about genuine physical hunger,’ she says. ‘If it isn’t, think about it as a wave which will repeatedly crash on a beach. Visualise yourself riding it, but not responding to it and see how you feel in five minutes’ time.
‘That, in itself, can reduce or remove the craving, and you may feel better you moved beyond it and didn’t act on it.’
GET ENOUGH SLEEP
Poor sleep can promote weight gain and cause fat to accumulate.
One study found getting just four hours of sleep for two nights in a row reduced levels of the satiety hormone leptin by 18 per cent and increased levels of hunger hormone ghrelin by 28 per cent. As a result, people craved foods dense in calories.
Prof Sattar says: ‘If you sleep well, you put on less weight. Sleep helps appetite control, and gives you the energy to be active. If you don’t sleep well, you crave the sorts of foods that give you a quick energy boost but are high in sugar, and will make you put on weight.’
Aim for seven to nine hours’ kip by avoiding screen time before bed, making sure your bedroom is cool and dark, eating your last meal early, and exercising.
TRY SLIMMING MEALS
Several companies offer calorie-controlled meals and snacks that are nutritionally balanced and come in small portions – something that may help people, says Professor Sattar.
One, The 1:1 Diet – formerly the Cambridge Diet – has proved especially popular among people using the jabs or coming off them.
A study found participants were able to maintain their weight loss for up to three years by intermittently returning to the plan, eating three meals a day totalling around 800 calories for five weeks whenever they regained a few pounds.
Its nutritionist Mark Gilbert says: ‘It’s definitely something people can do to maintain their GLP-1 losses.
‘I’d be shocked if people taking the drugs weren’t deficient in some vitamins or minerals simply because they’re not eating enough.
‘This way, they get all their nutrient requirements plus essential fats and high-quality protein.’
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