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While treatments like Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy can provide a helping hand, there’s no magic bullet when it comes to losing weight.

Given GLP-1 agonist medications have been shown to help people lose up to four times more than going it alone, it’s no wonder they’re popular.

However, a proportion of the estimated 1.5 million people in the UK who are now on these jabs will struggle to keep the pounds off long-term — and some may even end up heavier than when they started.

‘While it can differ depending on the individual, it’s quite common for people to regain some of the weight lost once they stop taking the medication,’ Dr Donald Grant, GP and senior clinical advisor at The Independent Pharmacy, tells Metro.

There are a few factors behind this, from metabolism to appetite. But going back on your progress isn’t inevitable, as long as you’re careful to avoid these five common pitfalls.

Abruptly stopping treatment

As these treatments work by suppressing appetite, Dr Grant warns that going cold turkey ‘could increase it, leading to poor eating habits and potential weight gain.’

If you’re considering coming off your medication, he recommends speaking to your GP about doing so slowly and safely.

‘A medical professional can advise further on a potential tapering plan, while also providing dietary advice and lifestyle habits that can help reduce weight gain,’ he adds.

Not making lifestyle changes

According to a recent study of over 6,000 people by scientists at Oxford University, those who use GLP-1 drugs will put their weight back on within 10 months of stopping if they don’t continue to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Dr Grant explains: ‘When stopping weight loss injections, it’s crucially important that individuals replace the treatment with another way to keep weight off.’

Even 30 minutes of daily exercise can make all the difference, burning off some of those extra calories you’re consuming and stopping you falling into a sedentary routine.

Stopping too early

Quick fixes and ‘crash diets’ rarely result in any lasting improvements — and the same is true for GLP-1 medications.

‘Choosing to stop weight loss treatment too early is by far one of the most common errors people make,’ says Dr Grant. ‘These drugs are designed to be used long-term, but not doing so gives the body little time to adapt to the treatment.’

It’s a marathon, not a sprint, with many providers recommending a course of between 12 and 24 months. Unless you’re prepared to make that commitment, you may not reap the full benefits of treatment.

Not changing your diet

Making changes to your diet while taking Ozempic, Mounjaro or Wegovy is a vital step to maintaining your progress forward. In fact, Dr Grant claims failure to do so is a ‘sure-fire way to regain weight lost’.

‘It’s important for people to draw up a dietary plan, including structured meal times to avoid overeating,’ he explains.

‘I also recommend a well-balanced diet including a variety of high-protein, fibre-rich and healthy fat foods.’

Not monitoring weight regularly

‘While it’s important not to create an unhealthy relationship with weight management, tracking weight closely once ending any treatments can help people adjust their routine to avoid losing progress,’ says Dr Grant. 

It’s easy to revert to old habits once you end a course of medication, but regular monitoring ensures you can get back on track before you lose too much progress.

Since you’ve put so much time, energy and potentially money into the progress you’ve made so far, just think of this as protecting your investment.

Not addressing your emotional relationship with food

As medical director at Weight Medics, Dr Debra Marcos, adds, it’s also important to consider – and heal – your emotional relationship with eating.

In her view, weight gain is ‘rarely just about food,’ as it often involves ’emotional eating, hormonal imbalance, stress, poor sleep, and even unresolved trauma.’

‘The jab may reduce weight temporarily, but unless these underlying causes are addressed, weight regain is likely. GLP1s don’t fix emotional eating, stress eating, or deep-seated habits,’ she tells Metro.

‘Once the medication is stopped, the feeling of “losing control” may lead patients to emotional eating, perpetuating the roots of their weight problems.’

Wondering where to start? Dr Marcos suggests working with dietitians and even therapists to help you identify your ’emotional triggers’ and implement alternative coping strategies.

Not eating enough protein

As Dr Marcos adds, weight loss injections can suppress your appetite —but you need to make sure you’re eating enough protein, even when you stop using them.

Not packing in enough can cause muscle loss and a lower metabolism, and as the British Heart Foundation suggests, most adults need around 0.75g of protein per kilo of body weight each day.

On average, this works out at 45g for women and 55g for men.

If possible, you’ll also want to include regular strength training to help preserve that much-needed muscle.

This article was originally published in July 2025.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

Honey actress Jessica Alba, 44, showed off her impressively sculpted abs in three bikini pictures from her family’s beach vacation.

Four Christmases ago, I was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour and given just 18 months to live.

My symptoms started in early 2021 when I felt tremors – like a strange vibrating sensation – in my stomach before the feeling moved to under my arm.

I knew this wasn’t normal, so, each time it happened, I went to my GP for help. I went back and forth a couple of times over the next few months, but he just put it down as a possible muscle spasm and referred me for an MRI scan.

That MRI sadly never happened until I became an emergent case.

Between Christmas and New Year, I felt the tremors again. I’d been cooking dinner for the family on 27 December when my arm suddenly locked in an upright position and I couldn’t move it for a full five minutes.

This time, the vibrating was strong and excruciatingly painful, so my wife Fiona took me to A&E but I was only sent home with painkillers.

Then, on 3 January 2022, the same thing happened again. My arm locked and I couldn’t move it at all for 15 minutes.

Once again I went to A&E and fortunately saw the same doctor who immediately sent me for an MRI and CT scan. That’s when I learned of the frightening mass in my brain.

No one could tell us what it was at this point, why it had appeared or when. All I could do was take the steroids I’d been prescribed to help with the pain and swelling in my arm and wait for an operation on my brain.

Immediately after my operation, my consultant said he was confident that he had managed to take most of the tumour away but that we would need to wait for the results of the biopsy to know exactly what we were dealing with.

Sadly, at my oncology meeting two weeks later, it was confirmed that the tumour type was glioblastoma grade 4.

It was a terminal diagnosis, and I was told my life expectancy would be around 18 months.

My mother-in-law, who had come to the appointment with me as my wife had Covid, had to leave the room. Fiona, who had been listening in on the phone, had put her microphone on mute so that I couldn’t hear her crying.

As for me, I thought, ‘That’s it. Everything is over’. Everything I had imagined for the future for me, Fiona and our little girl, Imogen – holidays and Christmases together, seeing her grow up – was pulled from under my feet.

While I didn’t have any more operations – the remaining 10% of the tumour could not be removed surgically because of where it was located – I did begin having chemotherapy in tablet form, and six weeks of radiotherapy. I was also prescribed anti-seizure medication and steroids to take the swelling down on my brain.

My hair started to fall out which I found very upsetting, partly because the scars on my head became more apparent, but mainly because it made the whole ordeal a reality.

And when that was all finished, all that was left to think about was that I didn’t have very long to live.

By the time December 2022 rolled around, I was feeling deeply sad about what I thought could be my last Christmas, yet I still wanted to make the most of it.

We tried to keep things fairly normal by having our close family members around like we always do and, thankfully, no one made too much of a fuss as I didn’t want to be the centre of attention. But I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t started to dwell on the fact I may never experience an occasion like that again.

I went deeper into my own thoughts, often crying when I was home alone and wondering why this had happened to me. Frankly, I couldn’t see a way forward and was treating my life like it was already over.

Concerned, Fiona suggested I found someone professional to talk to, and a few months later in June 2023, I found Maggie’s – a UK-wide cancer charity providing free, professional emotional, practical, and social support for anyone affected by cancer.

The charity put me in touch with a counselling psychologist who helped me to accept that, even though I have a terminal illness, I’m still here and I still have lots to offer.

She also introduced me to the ‘Living Well with Ongoing Cancer’ group where I was able to make many friends who were going through similar things. And it made all the difference.

I decided I had to live for every minute, even the small things – like going to the chippy and playing with my little girl, or going for afternoon tea with Fiona – and, before I knew it, 18 months had passed since the diagnosis.

December 25 soon rolled around again which we spent on a cruise. Then we celebrated Christmas 2024 in Turkey. I knew I was lucky to have made it past the 18 months mark, let alone two more Christmases, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

This year, after being given the all-clear to fly long distances, my family and I are gearing up to spend the festive period in Florida, where we’ll swim with dolphins on Christmas Day. I’m so excited and know we are going to have an amazing time.

Of course, I still have my limitations – I am now registered disabled and I have to use a walking stick as I have been left with limited use of my left leg – but I haven’t needed any more treatment. 

I take anti-epileptic medicine, one co-codamol and one paracetamol every day, but that’s it. And though I used to worry in between my scans, especially if I got more headaches, now I try to just look ahead. 

Because while I may not know how many more Christmases I’ll see, one thing I know for sure is that life truly is for living and I want to enjoy every single moment of it.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. 

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