Help needed to keep weight off after stopping them

People coming off obesity jabs like Wegovy and Mounjaro should have check-ups for at least a year to make sure they don’t pile weight back on, new advice for the NHS says.

It’s not uncommon for people to regain most of what they shed once they stop treatment, experience shows.

The guidance, from health assessment body NICE, warns weight management is a long-term journey, not a short-term fix.

Patients may need extra support and a plan for how to stay at their new weight, such as eating healthily and hitting the gym or going for walks, it says.

In England alone, obesity affects around one in four adults.

An estimated 1.5 million people are on weight loss jabs in the UK, but the vast majority are paying for them privately so will not be eligible for NHS support as they come off the treatment.

Wegovy (semaglutide) is already available on the NHS on prescription, but only to those most in need (with health problems due to their weight and a high BMI) for a period of two years.

Around 240,000 people are expected to be offered Mounjaro (tirzepatide) over the next three years. There’s currently no specified time limit for being prescribed the drug.

Both drugs help reduce appetite and can lead to life-changing weight loss. They are prescribed alongside programmes that support healthy weight loss through changes to diet and physical activity.

In a Wegovy drug trial, patients regained around two-thirds of their original weight once they came off the injections. It’s a similar story for those on Mounjaro.

New advice from NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, encourages patients to build long-term behavioural habits, use self-monitoring tools, and draw on wider support “from online communities to family-led interventions and local activities.”

Prof Jonathan Benger from NICE said: “Successful weight management doesn’t end when medication stops or when someone completes a behavioural programme.

“We know that the transition period after treatment is crucial, and people need structured support to maintain the positive changes they’ve made.”

Prof Kamila Hawthorn from the Royal College of GPs said: “There is no one-size fits all approach to tackling obesity – what works for one patient will likely not work for another.

“We also need to see a greater focus on prevention, stopping people becoming overweight in the first place so they don’t require a medical intervention later.”

Obesity can cause people difficulties in their daily lives, and put them at more risk of serious health problems, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer.