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How much weight comes back after stopping Wegovy or Mounjaro?
Wegovy and Mounjaro weight regain, answered with study data
Studies show that within 1 year of stopping, half to two-thirds of the weight lost comes back. With Wegovy, about two-thirds of the weight lost came back in the year after stopping, and with Mounjaro, people who stopped regained about 14% of their body weight within a year.
When the medical team at ACRO Korean Medicine Clinic in Sinnonhyeon, Gangnam, gets this question, we explain it with the studies below.
By medication
| Medication | Research | While on injections | After stopping |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wegovy (semaglutide) | STEP 1 extension, 2022 | −17.3% at 68 weeks | About 2/3 of the weight lost came back within 1 year; final −5.6% |
| Mounjaro (tirzepatide) | SURMOUNT-4, 2024 | −20.9% at 36 weeks (22.4kg on average) | Stopped group regained about +14% over 52 weeks; continued group lost 5.5% more |
| Mounjaro (tirzepatide) | SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN, 2026 | Split after 60 weeks of weight loss | Stopped group kept only 42.8% of weight lost; high-dose group kept 96.5% |
In SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN, 67% of the group that stopped regained so much weight that they went back on the medication partway through. The researchers noted that weight regain would likely have been even greater had they stopped completely.
How fast does weight come back?
In a 2026 BMJ analysis of 37 studies and 9,341 people, those who stopped Wegovy or Mounjaro regained an average of 0.8kg a month and were back to their original weight in about a year and a half. People who lost weight through diet and exercise alone and then stopped regained more slowly, about 0.1kg a month, and took about 3.9 years to reach their original weight.
Still, the regain does not go on forever. In a 2026 eClinicalMedicine analysis, about 60% of the weight lost came back within 1 year of stopping, and after that it tended to level off at around 75%.
To reduce weight regain
- Taper off instead of stopping all at once. In the same study, the group that lowered the dose to 5mg kept 67.9% of the weight they had lost, better than the group that stopped (42.8%). Plan the tapering schedule with the clinic that prescribed your injections
- Build habits while you are on injections. Getting enough protein while your appetite is suppressed, doing strength exercise and settling into a regular sleep schedule make the change after stopping easier on your body
- Check often in the first few months after stopping. Appetite comes back during this time, so it helps to check your weight and how much you eat often
At ACRO
For the first 3 months after you stop GLP-1, we see you every month, check your appetite and weight together, and prescribe herbal diet medicine to match. Results vary from person to person depending on your body and daily habits. See After GLP-1
- Can I start herbal diet medicine right after stopping Mounjaro?
- At ACRO Korean Medicine Clinic, we start herbal diet medicine once 1 week has passed since your last Mounjaro or Wegovy injection.
- When should I stop GLP-1?
- Please decide this with the clinic that prescribes your injections.
Related questions
Reviewed by Dr. Lim Joo-hyuk and Dr. Park Ji-seon ·
Studies referenced
- Wilding JPH et al. STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes Obes Metab 2022;24(8):1553-64
- Aronne LJ et al. SURMOUNT-4. JAMA 2024;331(1):38-48
- Horn DB et al. SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN. Lancet 2026;407:2305-18
- West S et al. Weight regain following the cessation of medication for weight management. BMJ 2026
- Budini B et al. Trajectory of weight regain after cessation of GLP-1 receptor agonists. eClinicalMedicine 2026