Episode 7: GLP 1 Maintenance: Why Keeping Weight Off Is Harder Than Losing It

You Lost the Weight. Now What? GLP 1 Maintenance, Mindset, and Long Term Success

Many people focus on how to lose weight.

Far fewer talk about what happens after.

For many individuals using GLP 1 medications, pursuing Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery, or making significant lifestyle changes, reaching a goal weight is not the end of the journey. It is the beginning of a new challenge: maintaining weight loss long term.

In this episode of Weight & Measure with Mike and Zach, we explore one of the most important and least discussed topics in obesity care: long term weight maintenance.

Joining us are:

• Leslie Golden, MD
• Robyn Pashby, PhD

Together, we discuss why weight recurrence happens, why it is not simply a matter of willpower, and what people can do to build sustainable strategies for long term success.

Topics include:

• Why keeping weight off is often harder than losing it
• The biology behind weight maintenance and weight recurrence
• GLP 1 maintenance strategies after active weight loss
• Long term use of obesity medications
• Hunger, metabolism, and the body's response to weight loss
• The psychological challenges of maintaining weight loss
• Identity changes after significant weight loss
• Fear of weight recurrence and how to navigate it
• Perfectionism and all or nothing thinking
• Emotional eating, stress, and coping strategies
• Building sustainable habits for long term success
• Bariatric and metabolic surgery considerations during maintenance
• Why body composition may matter more than the scale
• The mindset shift from losing weight to living at a lower weight

One of the most overlooked realities of obesity treatment is that maintenance is not just a physical challenge. It is also a psychological one.

How do you trust yourself after years of weight cycling?

How do you respond when the scale moves up?

How do you stop living in fear of regaining the weight you worked so hard to lose?

Whether your journey includes Wegovy, Zepbound, Mounjaro, GLP 1 medications, Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery, nutrition changes, physical activity, or a combination approach, this episode provides evidence informed insights to help you navigate the next phase of your journey.

Weight & Measure with Mike and Zach is a live conversation series bringing together patients, clinicians, researchers, and advocates to discuss obesity medicine, GLP 1 medications, Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery, patient advocacy, and long term health.

Keywords: GLP 1 maintenance, weight maintenance, weight loss maintenance, weight recurrence, obesity medicine, obesity care, Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, Mounjaro, Foundayo, semaglutide, tirzepatide, obesity treatment, Bariatric Surgery, Metabolic Surgery, health psychology, emotional eating, weight cycling, body composition, obesity medications, long term weight loss.