When the Weight Comes Back: What the Latest BMJ Evidence Tells Us About Life After Weight-Loss Drugs
Weight-loss medications, especially GLP-1–based drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide, have transformed obesity treatment. Double-digit percentage weight loss, rapid metabolic improvements, and strong cardiovascular signals have driven unprecedented demand.
But a crucial question has lingered behind the headlines: what happens when people stop taking these drugs?
A major new BMJ systematic review and meta-analysis (January 2026) offers the clearest answer yet, and the findings should reshape how clinicians, policymakers, and patients think about weight-loss medications.
The review pooled data from 37 studies, over 9,300 participants, covering nearly every major weight-management medication used over the past four decades, from older agents like orlistat and sibutramine to modern incretin mimetics.
The headline finding is stark:
After stopping weight-loss medication, people regain ~0.4 kg per month on average
This projects a return to baseline weight within ~1.7 years
With newer, more potent drugs (semaglutide and tirzepatide), regain is even faster: ~0.8 kg per month
Without a long-term strategy, weight-loss drugs alone are unlikely to solve a chronic problem.
