10/26/2026
Here's a question I get a lot from clients on a weight-loss medication: "What happens when I stop?"
A new review in The BMJ looked at 37 studies and 9,341 people to answer it.
After stopping, people regained just under a pound a month on average. For the newest medications it was faster, closer to 2 pounds a month, and the researchers projected people back at their starting weight in about a year and a half.
The part that stood out: people who lost weight through habit-based programs (changing how they eat and move) lost less, but regained about 4 times slower than the average after medication.
To be fair, those were different studies with different people, so it's not a head-to-head test. And this isn't a reason to fear the medication. It works. Any decision about stopping belongs with your doctor.
But it tells me exactly what to do while you're on it: build the habits that will still be there when it's done. Protein at every meal. Strength training. A daily walk. Sleep.
If you're on a medication right now, what's one habit you're building alongside it?
