The short answer
On average, much of it, and fastest in the first year. A 2026 review of 37 studies found people regained about 0.8 kg a month after stopping semaglutide or tirzepatide.1
Your prescriber decides about your medicine. Reviewed November 14, 2026.What people ask
Searched every month
- life after ozempic1,000
- how to keep weight off after zepbound720
- how to keep weight off after wegovy260
- how to maintain weight loss after tirzepatide260
US Google searches a month, 12-month average to November 2026 (Google Ads Keyword Planner).
What the research says
The numbers, on average
- 0.8 kgregained a month on average after stopping the newer medicines, in a review of 37 studies1
- 0.1 kgregained a month on average after diet and exercise programmes ended, in the same review1
- 12.1%net loss a year after stopping, on average, for people in STEP 1 who had lost 20% or more2
- Stayed on tirzepatide
- −25.3%
- Switched to placebo at week 36
- −9.9%
Regain had not stopped when the trial ended
In the STEP 1 extension, weight was still rising at week 120, so the picture past one year off is unknown.2
This part is a projection
On the modelled trend, weight returns to the starting point about 1.5 years after stopping the newer medicines, versus 3.9 years after diet and exercise programmes end.1
Most regained weight was fat in one trial
After stopping liraglutide, an older daily medicine, people regained 6.3 kg of fat in a year, more than 70% of the fat they had lost.4
What it means for meals
Meals that hold the line
Protein first
Start meals with eggs, fish, chicken, tofu or beans so the plate keeps you full.
Half the plate as vegetables
Volume from vegetables makes larger portions feel normal again without much extra energy.
Mostly minimally processed
The joint advisory links weight maintenance with minimally processed foods higher in fiber and protein.5
Alma logs a meal from a photo, voice or text in about 10 seconds and shows protein and fiber for each meal.
Questions people ask
How fast does weight come back?
On average about 0.8 kg a month after stopping semaglutide or tirzepatide, fastest in the first year, according to a 2026 review of 37 studies.
Is regain a sign I did something wrong?
No. These medicines change appetite signals while you take them. When they stop, the signals change back, which is why regain shows up in every stopping trial.
Do people restart the medicine?
Some do, and that is a prescriber decision. In a US study of 125,474 people, 36.3% of those without type 2 diabetes who stopped restarted within a year.
Sources
- Weight regain after stopping weight-loss medicines: systematic review and meta-analysis of 37 studies. The BMJ, 2026.
- Wilding et al. 2022. Weight regain and health effects after stopping semaglutide: STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
- Aronne et al. 2024. Continued tirzepatide vs placebo for weight maintenance: the SURMOUNT-4 trial. JAMA.
- Jensen et al. 2024. Weight maintenance with exercise, liraglutide or both, then one year without treatment. eClinicalMedicine.
- Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity: joint advisory of ACLM, ASN, OMA and The Obesity Society, 2025.
- Rodriguez et al. 2025. Discontinuation and restarting of GLP-1 medicines in 125,474 US adults. JAMA Network Open.
US Google searches a month, 12-month average to November 2026 (Google Ads Keyword Planner). Editorial standards
Alma does not give medical advice. Starting, stopping or changing a GLP-1 dose is a decision for your prescriber.
