Maintaining your GLP-1 drug weight loss

Congratulations! You’ve reached your goal weight and are ready to enter phase two: maintenance. What now? Here, we’ll explain what you need to know about the maintenance phase of GLP-1 weight loss. Read on for the latest guidance on maintaining your weight on GLP-1s.

GLP-1 drugs help you lose weight by reducing appetite and helping you feel full longer. If you stop taking the GLP-1 drugs, it’s likely you’ll regain at least some weight as appetite returns. To maintain your weight loss, you’ll likely need to keep using GLP-1s. How much and how often you take the drugs, however, may change. 

It’s important to plan any changes to your meds carefully with your care provider. With their support, you can achieve your goal of weight maintenance. 

Two strategies for the maintenance phase

When you start taking GLP-1s, your care provider starts by increasing the dose while watching for side effects. They will generally increase to the maximum dose that you can tolerate until your weight plateaus. 

Once you’ve hit your target weight, the goal is to decrease the amount of medication you need, while maintaining weight loss and a reduced appetite. There are two main strategies to achieve this: stepping down and stretching out.

Stepping down (dose reduction)

Your health care provider may gradually lower your dose, while making sure that your cravings remain under control. With this method, your provider will continue to monitor you to make sure your weight and other health markers are stable. You will also get the chance to see how lifestyle changes can compensate for less medication. The cost of the medication with this method, however, will stay the same. Stepping down can also be a step toward weaning off the medication completely.  

Stretching out (increase spacing of doses)

Your dose stays the same, but your health care provider may increase the spacing between doses. For example, instead of once every 7 days, you might have an injection every 10 to 14 days. The research with this dosing strategy is still emerging, but early evidence suggests that much of the weight loss may be maintained with it. This method can help bring down costs and may be helpful in the face of supply shortages. 

How to maintain with lower doses

Lifestyle interventions are crucial for maintaining weight loss. Before making any adjustments to your medication, think about how your lifestyle can support sustained weight loss. Consider the following aspects:

• Diet: Have you adjusted your diet? Are you eating lower-calorie, more nutrient-dense food
• Exercise: Do you have a regular exercise routine? Have you found ways to add movement to your day?
• Stress management and mental health: Do you have healthy ways to cope with stress? Have you addressed mental health challenges, such as emotional eating? Are you resilient and able to come back from challenges?
• Sleep: Are you getting enough good-quality sleep each night? 

Many people find it easier to make healthy lifestyle changes with the support of GLP-1 medications. Before changing your dose, assess your ability to support maintenance through these lifestyle factors. 

When making changes to your medication, you and your doctor will continue to monitor your weight, food cravings and “noise,” metabolic markers and side effects. If you start to regain, your doctor will likely recommend that you increase to the most recent effective dose. 

Next steps 

If you’re interested in stepping down or stretching out your doses, the first step is talking with your care provider. They should guide you through any changes to your medication. Schedule a visit to discuss which strategy is right for you.