What I’d Tell You About GLP-1 Maintenance (If I Wasn’t Worried About Hurting Your Feelings)

If you’ve hit your goal weight on a GLP-1, let me start with this: I’m proud of you. Truly.

But maintenance is where things get messy. Not because you failed, but because no one really prepares you for this part. So let’s skip the sugarcoating for a minute.

Here are the things I would tell you about GLP-1 maintenance if I wasn’t worried about hurting your feelings.

1. Maintenance Is Not “The Easy Part”

A lot of people think maintenance means you’re done. Done with structure. Done with intention. Done thinking about it.

That mindset is exactly how regain happens.

Maintenance still requires effort, just a different kind of effort. Less pushing. More awareness. Less restriction. More consistency.

If you go into maintenance expecting to coast, you’re going to be frustrated fast.

2. Stopping Your GLP-1 Cold Turkey Is Usually a Bad Idea

I know some people want to prove they can do it without medication. I get the pride piece. But abruptly stopping a GLP-1 after significant weight loss often leads to hunger roaring back like it never left.

That doesn’t mean you failed. It means biology showed up.

Maintenance often looks like:

• Lower doses

• Longer spacing between injections

• Finding the smallest dose that keeps food noise quiet

The medication’s job in maintenance is not weight loss. It’s appetite regulation. Those are not the same thing.

3. “Eating Normally Again” Is a Dangerous Phrase

Let’s be honest. The way most of us were eating before GLP-1s wasn’t working.

Maintenance is not about eating whatever you want whenever you want. It’s about eating in a way that keeps your body and brain regulated.

Protein is still critical. Structure still matters. Balanced meals still matter.

You don’t need perfection, but you do need intention.

4. Protein Is Still Doing the Heavy Lifting

If I could drill one thing into your head during maintenance, it’s this: protein protects your progress.

Adequate protein:

• Preserves muscle

• Supports metabolism

• Keeps hunger from spiraling

Most people do best staying close to 0.7 to 1 gram per pound of goal body weight, adjusted for real life and individual needs.

Skipping protein during maintenance is like removing the foundation and hoping the house stays standing.

5. Hunger Coming Back Does Not Mean Something Is Wrong

You are supposed to feel hunger again. Maintenance is not about never being hungry.

The goal is hunger that feels:

• Predictable

• Manageable

• Proportional

If hunger feels frantic, obsessive, or all-consuming, that’s a sign something needs adjusting. Not that you lack willpower.

6. If You Don’t Lift Something Heavy, Regain Gets Easier

You do not need to live in the gym. You do need to protect your muscle.

Strength training a few times per week plus daily movement does more for maintenance than endless cardio ever will.

Muscle helps regulate blood sugar, appetite, and metabolism. Losing muscle makes maintenance much harder.

Think of strength training as insurance, not punishment.

7. Your Weight Is Going to Fluctuate. Stop Panicking.

Daily scale swings are normal. Hormones, salt, stress, sleep, travel. All of it matters.

Maintenance works best when you think in ranges, not single numbers.

A few pounds up is not failure. It’s data. Respond early and calmly instead of waiting until things feel out of control.

Small course corrections beat dramatic resets every time.

8. Staying on a GLP-1 Long Term Is Not a Moral Failing

Let me say this clearly.

Using a GLP-1 for maintenance is not cheating.
Needing ongoing support is not weakness.
Staying on medication does not erase your effort.

GLP-1s treat a medical condition. They do more than just help with weight.

You did not take the easy way out. You took a medically appropriate one.

The Part I Really Want You to Hear

Maintenance is not about proving you can do it without help. It’s about choosing the tools, habits, and support that keep you healthy long term.

If your maintenance plan feels chaotic, stressful, or all-or-nothing, it probably needs adjusting. Maintenance should feel steady. Boring, even. And boring is a good thing here.

You didn’t just lose weight. You learned how your body works.

Now the goal is to protect that progress, not sabotage it with unrealistic expectations.

And if no one has told you this yet: you’re allowed to stay supported.

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