3 Months On - Time to Go Off
MJ progress in Aus
So I shared this in another MJ sub and was given a bit of flak for my approach - despite it being done with my GP. Keen to hear thoughts from other Aussies.
Goal Hit - My Experience - Titrating Down, Off MJ
Alright, so after 107 days on MJ – goal weight has been hit – time to talk titrating down/off!
Stats –
Starting Weight: 77kg / 30%bf (169ish lbs)
Current weight: 57kg / 18%bf (125 lbs) (20kg/44lbs lost)
Goal: \\\~57kg / \\\~13%bf
Dosage Deets –
2.5mg – 76kg down to 69.95kg (4 doses / 4 weeks)
5mg – 69.95kg down to 65.5kg (4 doses / 4 weeks)
7.5mg – 65.5kg down to 56.90kg (8 doses / 8 weeks)
Diet Deets –
First 6-8 weeks was VLED – 800-900 calories on Optislim
From week 8 onward was adjusting to 900-1100 calories with focus on lean meats and veg
For the last few weeks has been on 1200 calories with focus on protein and balanced macros
Going forward will be re-aligning calories to BMR/TDEE with a focus on protein and balanced macros
Workout Deets –
First 6-8 weeks was hyper-focussed: 6x cardio sessions a week (1 hour on xtrainer, medium resistance, target for 10km), daily 1hr walks, plus walking as much as possible, and strength training 4 times a week
More recently I've cooled off the cardio, and going for 3-4x a week, and 4x a week strength training (upper, lower, full split) with progression on weights (Shoutout to Cr33g who helped me with some great advice on strength training, which has really helped retain the muscle mass)
Tech Deets (i.e. technology I used to help me) –
Gadgets: Whoop fitness tracker, Renpho body comp scale
Apps: MyFitnessPal (food tracking), Whoop app, Renpho app, ChatGPT, Hevy (weight-lifting tracking), iFit (cardio tracking synced to my xtrainer)
Using my Renpho scale was able to identify that majority of the weight loss was fat, but around 3-4kg was muscle mass as well.
Diet-wise was immaculate about calorie and macro tracking – even through a Bali trip and a minor back injury, the diet did not falter. This has helped my overall approach of building a lifestyle for maintaining a fit body (and not just weight loss without lifestyle adaptation).
All this as a full-time working dad – the approach of lifestyle adaptation and uplift has really helped build habits that (I hope) sustain a fitness mindset long after the MJ is finished!
So – for anyone starting or on it, happy to answer any questions on my experience.
But – for anyone who has titrated off, keen to hear your experience and learnings!
Edit to add: 38yo male - 162cm (5’5 or something I think)
Edit to add: I worked with my Dr/GP on all of this, prior to prescribing MJ and the VLED we did blood tests etc (main driver was very high visceral fat and fatty liver), he recommended the VLED for a max of 12 weeks (https://baker.edu.au/health-hub/fact-sheets/vled-program). 800 calories is very low - yes - and not something that anyone should even attempt without professional medical advice and support.