Anish Vij
A woman who lost over two stone in just four months has revealed how she was able to quit weight-loss jabs for good by 'micro-dosing'.
Madison Shari, 33, was struggling to keep her food down after giving birth to her two daughters, now aged three and five.
The Missouri resident told LADbible that 'it became about survival' and that she would 'eat whatever was convenient' to keep going.
But by trying to balance her PR and marketing job with raising two kids, before she knew it, she became 'clinically overweight' at 170lbs (12st).
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After making the decision to use compound tirzepatide (the active ingredient in Mounjaro), Madison lost over 2st in just four months, and by the six-month mark, she lost a total of 2.5st.
Now, the thought process for most people who use weight loss jabs is that 'I don't want to be on it forever'.
Quitting cold turkey, however, brings all sorts of challenges and side effects that can lead to putting all of the weight back on.
The content creator, instead, was able to wean herself off it during a six-month micro-dosing period and has been able to maintain her weight of 9.5st for nearly a year since.
Micro-dosing involves taking very small amounts of medication, often lower than the standard prescribed amount. This can either be a less frequent dose or a reduced dose of, in this case, tirzepatide.
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And because the mum-of-two suffers with a heart issue, she was prescribed with the active Mounjaro ingredient under medical supervision.
For the first four months, she took the 'lowest standard dose' for active weight loss, and then for the last two months, she started micro-dosing at 1.5mg (below standard dosing).
"I did the lowest standard dose during my first four months when I was actively losing weight, and then my last two months on it... I did 1.5, which would be considered a micro-dose.
"I have been off it almost a year now, and I have not gained any of the weight back. Now, everyone's body is different. Some people are going to need to be long-termers on it, definitely."
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Micro-dosing can cause fewer side effects, as Madison explains: "It's also really nice as you wean off of it, or prepare to get off of it, you're not like, shocked by the hunger coming back. It comes back slower if you wean off of it or micro-dose for a while.
"I definitely had less side effects when I was on my micro-dose and when I was weaning off of it."
It is advised while using any weight-loss drug to continue to eat healthy, exercise regularly and to live a balanced lifestyle, which was exactly Madison did - and is still doing.
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"Now that I'm eating more protein and fibre, less carbs, my body does just feel overall healthier," she says.
"When I was on the medicine, I made sure my minimum was 1200 calories. Now I would say, on an average day, I eat between 1600-1800 calories."
“I was very cardio focused, and when I switched to strength training two or three days a week, I noticed a big difference," Madison added.
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"When it comes to actually improving your metabolism and building strength and improving your body's function, I think strength training is something that you need to keep in mind and not forget."
Madison says she tries to give herself a 14 to 16 hour break from eating food 'which is great for insulin resistance, digestion, breaking down fat, all of that'.
"I did have some nausea and some fatigue, I think were my biggest complaints, maybe occasional stomach upsets," she admitted.
"Sometimes uncomfortable, but it didn't interfere with daily life in the sense that I ever felt like I had to stay home from work or anything."