Maintenance phase — 18 months at goal weight, labs still improving

Dr.PulmRoch said:

A defensible baseline is short: HbA1c and fasting glucose, a lipid panel with ApoB if you can get it, ALT and AST, creatinine with eGFR, TSH, ferritin…

Pregnancy after maintenance dosing weight loss: stopped GLP-1 medication 3 months before TTC as recommended. Was terrified of regaining weight during pregnancy.

Worked closely with my OB and MFM. Gained 26 lbs during pregnancy (within recommended range). Baby is healthy. The metabolic improvements from pre-pregnancy weight loss gave both of us a healthier pregnancy.

If you're planning pregnancy, discuss the medication discontinuation timeline with your OB. GLP-1 agonists are NOT safe during pregnancy.

alex_tucson said:

One addition: if the lab changes analytical platform between your draws, the comparison breaks and nobody tells you.

This answered a question I did not know how to ask. Taking it to my next appointment.

Dr.PulmRoch said:

A defensible baseline is short: HbA1c and fasting glucose, a lipid panel with ApoB if you can get it, ALT and AST, creatinine with eGFR, TSH, ferritin…

This is where I part company with the consensus forming above. I would drop the "get everything" instinct further than this thread does. Every extra test is another chance at a false positive, and incidental findings have their own cost in scans, biopsies and worry.

MarkLI_maint said:

I am eight weeks into deliberately reducing rather than stopping, and the appetite change came back faster than the weight did.

MarkLI_maint said:

...I stopped maintenance dosing and regained all the weight...

This is a really important data point and I appreciate your honesty. The STEP 1 extension data showed ~2/3 of weight regain within 12 months of discontinuation.

This doesn't mean the drug "doesn't work" — it means obesity is a chronic disease requiring ongoing treatment, just like hypertension or diabetes. We don't criticize blood pressure meds for "not working" when BP rises after stopping them.

The framing matters. maintenance dosing is a treatment, not a cure. And that's okay.

Moderator note: the sourcing question belongs in the vendor section and has been split out. Report rather than reply if it drifts again.