Maintain Your Weight with Superdrug Online Doctor

Keep your progress steady, without the stress.

You’ve worked hard to reach your weight loss goal, or maybe you are on track to reach your goal soon. Now it's time to consider the next step: the maintenance phase. This phase is all about making sure your progress continues, and your weight stays off.

This is your time to focus on long-term goals rather than short-term wins. Your Superdrug Online Doctor is here to make sure you can feel confident in maintaining your results with:

The maintenance phase is all about keeping your weight loss progress on track and sustaining the healthy habits that helped you reach your goals in the first place.

At this stage, you may focus on continuing changes to your diet and exercise, but at a pace that feels right for you. In some cases, your doctor may recommend going on or staying on a maintenance dose of medication to facilitate your progress, making it easier to manage your weight loss long-term.

During the maintenance phase you may choose to:

• continue your treatment as it is now
• adjust your dose
• taper off treatment

Alternatively, some people choose to:

• stop treatment right away
• continue without medication, only maintaining weight loss with diet and exercise

In these cases, depending on your needs, you can restart treatment down the line if you regain weight and find it hard to manage your weight loss with just your new habits alone.

Everyone’s weight loss journey is different, it is important to find what is right for you in the long-term.

Why does weight loss maintenance matter?

Weight loss is a long-term goal. Keeping the weight off is just as important as losing it in the first place. The maintenance phase is all about making your results last, so your healthier lifestyle becomes a habit.

Whether you’re continuing to make progress, reducing your dose, or thinking about stopping treatment, your Superdrug Online Doctor is here to help.

Weight loss journeys are different for everyone. There are a range of options you may take when starting the maintenance phase.

For example, you might:

Keep taking medication

Others choose to continue treatment as part of their routine. This might be because:

• They feel it helps manage their weight
• They notice benefits beyond weight loss

Stop taking medication

Some people decide to stop treatment completely. This might be because:

• Lifestyle changes feel enough to keep results going
• They’re worried about relying on medication long term
• They need to start another medication that could interact with treatment

Please note: It is safe to use weight loss injections long term, as long as a doctor agrees it’s still right for you.

If you choose to keep taking your medication, you could:

Stay on your current dose

For some, sticking with their current dose works best. This might be because they’re seeing good results and want to maintain them.

Lower the dose that you’re on

Reducing the dose may be a good option if:

• They’d like to minimise side effects
• They have concerns about using higher doses long-term
• They want to feel less dependent on medication

Increase the dose that you’re on

In some cases, increasing the dose could be considered. This might be because:

• Progress has stalled
• Their doctor recommends it
• They’re experiencing stronger cravings

Taper off medication altogether

Gradually reducing treatment can sometimes help. This might be because:

• They want to find the lowest dose that still works
• They’d like to stop completely, but in a steady and supported way

In some cases, people choose to restart later. In this case, if you would like to restart later and it has been more than 2 weeks, you may need to start again from the lowest dose.

Or, they may have not fully adjusted to maintaining the lifestyle required to manage weight loss.

Keeping the weight off is about what works for you. Some people continue treatment to strengthen healthy habits, others step forward on their own. Either way, this phase is about making your progress last and taking control of your journey.

Not always, it depends on what your needs are. You may want to stay on medication if you are concerned about putting weight back on, or if you think you may need more time to build on your diet and exercise habits.

Our doctors will always assess if maintenance is safe for you. From there, whatever you choose, we’re here to help you keep your results for the long term.

Our doctors can check your eligibility, help to make sure your dose is right for you and provide advice if you:

• are not pursuing further weight loss beyond your goal weight
• have reached or are nearing your goal weight

Can I keep the weight off without medication?

Yes, some people can stop treatment and focus on their new routines, using a balanced diet and exercise to maintain their weight successfully. Others prefer to continue treatment a little longer for extra support while adjusting to healthy habits so that they can curb cravings and ‘food noise’.

Whatever you need, we can help you stay on track and keep your results for the long term.

Should I consider taping off treatment?

If you don’t feel stopping right away is right and want to try reducing the dose of your medication to weight management without it, this is possible too. If you find that you are comfortable during this, you will likely have more of an idea of your next steps going forward.

When you taper off treatment, you can experience your appetite returning at a slower rate than when you stop straight away.

Can I restart treatment after coming off it?

Yes. However, you may need to start from the lowest dose of your treatment again if it has been more than 2 weeks since your last injection.

What if I want to stop taking weight loss medication?

Our doctors can provide advice and we can support you. You can either stop straight away, this is completely safe to do. Alternatively, you can taper off, which means gradually decreasing your doses.

Is it ok to stop treatment right away?

If you feel ready, you can stop treatment and focus on your new lifestyle changes without medication. It is safe to stop, and it doesn’t cause withdrawal symptoms. GLP-1 medications leave the system slowly over a few weeks. In this time you may notice appetite changes and the return of cravings.

You can stop with Superdrug Online Doctor by simply not requesting more treatment. You can request to restart after you stop if you need to, one of our doctors can get in touch if you request this and can confirm next steps if your request is approved. If it has been longer than 2 weeks you may need to restart from the lowest dose.

Our doctors will always review everything as usual, noting that you are ready for the maintenance phase of your journey.

At Superdrug Online Doctor we have all the resources, optional check-ins and support in place so that you can sustain your weight loss success in the long-term. Losing weight looks different for everyone, and it’s not always easy to maintain. We can keep things running smooth so that you can keep the weight off without the extra added hassle.

You may be eligible for the maintenance phase of weight loss treatment if you:

• have a BMI that meets our maintenance criteria – still be eligible for treatment even if it means you have a normal BMI below 25
• have reached or are close to your goal weight
• have been on the same dose of your weight loss medication for 8 to 12 weeks and are tolerating it well
• are motivated to maintain progress and happy to get support

Just place a request for treatment at the dose you want to go on for maintenance and one of our doctors will request it as usual.

Once you have reached a healthy goal weight or are close to reaching it. It is important that you also feel ready to focus on keeping up your progress. It might be a sign that you are ready for maintenance if your:

• weight has stabilised
• motivation has changed from losing weight to maintaining it
• focus has shifted to your long-term health rather than short-term goals
• routine has positively changed (increased exercise, balanced diet)

Noticing these signs can help you start the right conversations with your doctor. Our doctors will always check if a treatment is safe for you, they’ll do this by checking your previous tolerance to your treatment, medical history and whether you are eligible for maintenance.

For as long as it is safe for you to do so as advised by your doctor. When you start treatment, one of our doctors will have checked whether it is safe for you to start, the exact same process happens when you request maintenance treatment. Our doctors take into consideration:

• your BMI
• your current lifestyle
• how long it has been since you stopped treatment (if you have)
• how well you tolerated your treatment
• your health history
• if you experienced any side effects

Maintaining weight can be just as tough as losing it, and life changes can sometimes make progress tricky. Superdrug Online Doctor can provide the right support and treatment to allow you space to continue to succeed through your weight management phase.

The dose you use for maintenance will depend on the weight loss injection you’ve been prescribed. Each type has different strengths, our doctors can help choose the right one for your health and progress.

Why does thinking about my dose during maintenance matter?

The weight loss phase of your treatment is often shorter than your maintenance phase. So, it’s just as important if not even more important to make sure you find a dose that is safe for you to take long-term.

Our doctors can help you find a plan that balances effective appetite control with minimal side effects, allowing you to maintain your progress in a way which is comfortable and safe for you.

Can my dose be different during the maintenance phase?

Yes. Any clinically approved dose can be effective for maintaining your weight depending on your needs and safety. You can discuss options with your doctor based on your health and lifestyle as you plan for weight management long-term.

How do I decide what dose I may need?

When considering what dose may be right for you during your maintenance phase, consider:

1. Any side effects I can’t manage?
2. Is my current dose working for me?
3. Can I stick to an exercise routine?
4. Am I aware of my diet and food habits?

Staying on your current dose

If you’re tolerating your current dose well and want help managing cravings, sticking with it can be a good way to support your new diet and exercise habits. At the same time, if you find you’re continuing to lose weight beyond your goal, it’s worth reviewing your dose with your doctor to make sure it’s right for you.

Dropping your dose

If you notice you’re still losing weight beyond your goal, it’s a good idea to review your dose with your doctor to make sure it’s right for you. If your current dose is working well you should continue with it to support your new diet and exercise habits.

Increasing your dose

If your cravings are returning or weight feels harder to manage, it may be time to review your maintenance dose and perhaps increase your dose. Stress, lifestyle changes, diet, exercise, or other health factors can affect how your body responds to treatment. Your doctor can help adjust your plan or explore other options so you can maintain your progress with confidence.

Everyone responds differently to weight loss medication. Some may need a higher dose over time, and if you’re at the maximum, it could be time to explore other treatment options. For example you may opt to just adjust to your new lifestyle without medication by following a balanced diet and exercise routine – our trackers and resources can help with this.

Alternatively, you may find that you need to switch treatments. You can find our more about switching from Mounjaro to Wegovy, or from Wegovy to Mounjaro via our switching services.

For more information on dosages, check out our guides:

• Mounjaro Dosages
• Wegovy Dosages
• Liraglutide Dosages

Discover more about our switching services:

There are so many factors that contribute to weight loss success, your weight loss injection is just one piece of the puzzle. When you enter the maintenance phase we’ll be be here with: