I never expected that stopping a medication could feel like stepping off a cliff — but here I am, bracing myself for the fall.
For the past year and a half, two injectable weight loss drugs, Wegovy and Mounjaro, have done what nothing else could: they didn’t just quiet the chaos around food in my mind, they wiped it out entirely.
These meds gave me freedom — freedom from the endless mental battles with appetite, guilt, and cravings.
I lost 4 stone and finally reached the BMI goal my IVF clinic requires before they’ll let me try for a baby.
Now, as I slowly come off Mounjaro, I’m learning just how tough staying on track really is.
Why This Weight Loss Is Different
This isn’t about vanity or fitting into smaller jeans. It’s about my last chance at motherhood.
I’m 47, have type 1 diabetes, and the clinic demands my BMI be 32 or under — and that I stop all GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro at least two months before IVF, because their effects on pregnancy are unknown.
Type 1 diabetes isn’t caused by weight or diet, but managing it means walking a fine line.
Insulin is life-saving but also makes it easy to gain weight, since it tells the body to store fat.
Before these meds, my weight was impossible to control. But with them? It became manageable.
How the Medications Changed Everything
I first started Wegovy at the end of 2023 after hearing diabetes specialist Professor Barbara McGowan describe obesity as a disease finally with an effective treatment.
From tiny doses, my appetite began to calm. For the first time ever, I felt satisfied after just a small meal.
Switching later to Mounjaro felt like hitting the gas pedal.
This drug targets even more appetite hormones, suppressing hunger like nothing else.
By December 2024, at my highest dose, I could easily skip meals and only eat once a day, feeling full and nourished.
For someone who once weighed nearly 20 stone, this was life-changing.
The Real Challenge: Coming Off the Drugs
Now, with IVF treatment scheduled, I have to stop the meds — but it can’t be sudden.
Your body gets used to these drugs dampening hunger hormones, so when they’re cut too fast, hunger can come roaring back.
My dose has dropped slowly from 12.5mg down to 2.5mg over five months.
At first, the creeping food thoughts were subtle — a craving for a late-night snack here, a longing glance at chocolate there.
But now? It’s a full-on struggle. The mental battle to resist food is exhausting, and old habits are knocking hard.
Fighting to Stay on Track
Part of me hopes my body will keep cooperating, that I can slip back into being one of those people who forget to eat lunch or savor a single chocolate bar for weeks.
But I know better. I’ve done therapy, studied metabolism, and learned nutritional science — these meds gave me the headspace to make it all stick.
I’m now a size 16-18, and for the first time, size 12 doesn’t seem like a fantasy.
But that’s not the goal. My goal is a baby. Once I’m a mum (please, fingers crossed), I plan to return to the meds — maybe for life, maybe not.
Preparing for Life Without Medication
I’ve put together a strict plan to keep my weight in check once I stop the injections completely. Muscle-building is a big part of that.
Muscle burns more calories at rest and helps control blood sugar — vital for someone with type 1 diabetes like me.
I’m using a fitness app called Owning Your Menopause, run by my friend Kate Rowe-Ham, who finally got me exercising without excuses.
Embracing Low-Carb Living
Since meeting Dr Ian Lake, the “Keto King,” I’ve embraced a low-carb, sometimes ketogenic diet.
This approach helps shift the body into burning fat instead of carbs and has worked wonders for my diabetes management.
Fewer carbs mean less insulin, and less insulin means less fat storage.
Plus, low-carb eating boosts natural appetite-suppressing hormones, which could help me stay on track even after the meds are gone.
Trying Nature’s Appetite Helpers
On a recent trip to Dubai, I met Dr Feruza Gafarova, a top endocrinologist who recommended a natural supplement called Calocurb.
Developed after 15 years of research in New Zealand, it contains an extract from hops that stimulates the body’s own satiety hormones.
I’ve started trying it, and so far it’s helping curb my hunger and reduce cravings — a welcome support in this critical time.
Holding on to Hope
This journey has been anything but easy. But with every step, I’m reminded that this is more than a weight loss story.
It’s about reclaiming control, finding balance, and most importantly, creating the chance to become a mother.
As I prepare to say goodbye to the medications that saved me from a lifetime of food battles, I’m ready to face the challenge — armed with everything I’ve learned, and fueled by hope.