For countless individuals battling obesity, weight-loss injections have been a game-changer, achieving what endless diets couldn’t. These GLP-1 agonist medications, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, work by imitating a hormone that naturally controls hunger, helping to silence the relentless “food noise” that leads to overeating. But with their popularity skyrocketing, a tough reality is coming into focus: what occurs when someone decides to stop?
Take Tanya Hall’s story—she’s found quitting far tougher than beginning. Every attempt to pause her Wegovy shots has brought back intense hunger almost immediately. “It’s like flipping a switch,” she explains. “Suddenly, you’re ravenous.” In no time, she’s consuming way more than planned, leaving her stunned and worried.
Tanya, who works in the fitness sector, started the injections as a test. She felt her expertise was overlooked due to her size. After dropping several stones, she noticed people treating her differently—with more respect. But the journey wasn’t easy. In the beginning, she dealt with nausea, headaches, insomnia, and even major hair loss, likely tied to the quick weight drop.
Fast-forward 18 months: Tanya has shed six stones and hit a weight she’s happy with. Still, despite trying multiple times, she can’t seem to go without the medication. Each pause sparks dread of packing the pounds back on fast. “I feel almost hooked on continuing,” she confesses, wondering if the drug has taken over her life.
Experts confirm this is common. Lifestyle doctor Dr. Hussain Al-Zubaidi compares stopping GLP-1 drugs to “leaping off a cliff” for many. Patients often quit cold turkey after hitting their goal, sometimes still at max dose, only for appetite to roar back right away.
Research backs this up: Studies show that within one to three years of stopping, people typically regain 60-80% of the weight lost. Dr. Al-Zubaidi stresses that while these drugs are incredibly effective, they don’t fix underlying issues like poor eating habits or the obesogenic world we live in.
Contrast that with Ellen Ogley’s success. She turned to Mounjaro when her weight threatened a critical surgery. “It was my last chance to make it work,” she says.
Before the shots, Ellen was an emotional eater, turning to food in good times and bad. The medication curbed that impulse, giving her room to rebuild her relationship with eating. She prioritized balanced nutrition, established better habits, and ramped up her exercise.
After 16 weeks, she tapered off over six weeks. She’d lost over three stones and kept up her workouts. When her weight ticked up a bit post-medication, it rattled her, but she stuck to her new routines. Eventually, she stabilized—and has since dropped even more, totaling over eight stones.
The key difference? Support. The UK’s health guidelines from NICE advise at least a year of ongoing help after stopping, including personalized strategies for maintaining healthy changes. Sadly, many who buy these drugs privately miss out on that structured follow-up.
Drug makers like Novo Nordisk (Wegovy) and Eli Lilly (Mounjaro) emphasize consulting doctors for decisions on starting or stopping, weighing side effects and long-term use carefully. Patient safety is their priority.
As these injections surge in demand, doctors caution against seeing them as a lifelong cure. “Obesity isn’t just a lack of GLP-1 hormones,” says Dr. Al-Zubaidi. Without shifts in diet, movement, and surroundings, quitting can feel like starting over.
Right now, users are essentially gambling: Will they hold steady or slip back? For some like Ellen, life without the shots is manageable and ongoing. For others like Tanya, it’s a constant tug-of-war between the drug’s perks and the terror of letting go.
