Can’t Afford Ozempic or Mounjaro? I Stopped Taking a GLP-1 and Kept Healing

I was prescribed Mounjaro (a GLP-1 medication) in late 2023 to support weight loss and help manage Type 2 Diabetes. My endocrinologist told me I would probably need to stay on it for life, even just a low dose, to maintain progress.

But after six months on the medication, I stopped.

Not because it wasn’t working. Not because of side effects. Not because insurance stopped covering it.

I stopped because I’d reached a point where I was managing my weight, blood sugar, and overall metabolic health through other means. My A1C was now 5.1%. That’s well below even pre-diabetes.

I didn’t switch to another drug. I didn’t join an expensive program. The only thing I paid for, other than my labs and doctor visits, was a $40.99/month online membership at The Fasting Method, where I learned from coaches and members how to better understand my body, support healing, and ask for the right labs. (I paid for the membership March 2024-January 2025. The Fasting Method gifted me a free 11-month subscription in February 2025.) The rest came down to consistency, self-trust, and a willingness to re-learn everything I thought I knew about hunger and healing.

I started making serious changes to what and when I ate in June 2023, several months before I started Mounjaro. That shift included:

• Removing processed foods, seed oils, added sugars, artificial sweeteners, natural flavors, legumes, and grains (I’m not 100% off dairy. The struggle is real!)

• Prioritizing protein and healthy fats

• No snacking and no meals past 7 p.m.

• Incorporating intermittent and therapeutic fasting

• Eliminating alcohol

• Tracking blood glucose trends

• Doing the emotional work that helps me stop soothing myself with food

Mounjaro helped. But in hindsight, I think I was losing too much weight too quickly. While it did contribute to curbing my appetite, what I was doing with changing what I ate and when I ate was enough on its own. Mounjaro was a tool. And like many tools, I didn’t need to use it forever. And without the mindset work, I think I would have gained a lot of the weight back when I stopped Mounjaro.

Right now, there’s a lot of panic about GLP-1 coverage. Insurance plans are changing. Supplies are short. Out-of-pocket costs are often $1,000 or more per month. And people are understandably scared about what happens if they can’t afford their medication anymore.

I get it.

But here’s the good news: we can still reverse Type 2 Diabetes and lose body fat without long-term medication. It might not be quick. It definitely won’t be one-size-fits-all. But it is possible.

There are still things we can do. Things that work. Things that support healing instead of just symptom management.

And none of them require a monthly refill.

It’s a step forward that obesity is finally being acknowledged as a real medical condition: one influenced by hormones, insulin resistance, inflammation, and more. That shift matters. It moves us beyond the tired narrative of “just eat less, move more,” and opens the door to deeper understanding.

But somewhere along the way, the assumption has crept in that the only way to treat obesity is with medication.

For many of us, healing is still possible without a prescription. We need tools, support, community, and education. Not shame. And we deserve access to those resources, even if we can’t afford (or don’t want) a GLP-1.

Even after stopping Mounjaro, I’ve been able to see results by continuing to prioritize:

• Lower carb, nutrient-dense whole foods

• Early time-restricted eating (2 or 3 meals within 6–8 hours)

• Movement and sunlight

• Mindful boundaries around stress and sleep (this one is a real challenge!)

• Community support and accountability (thanks, TFM)

• Listening to real hunger and satiety cues

• And yes, plenty of learning, and unlearning, along the way

My endocrinologist told me I’d probably need to be on Mounjaro forever. But when I showed up to my June 2024 appointment with a 5.1% A1C and continued weight loss, she acknowledged that I was right, I didn’t need to continue taking Mounjaro.

There is nothing radical about wanting to heal.

You don’t need to be rich, skinny, or perfect to take care of yourself. You don’t need to stay on medication forever just because someone told you that you would. And you don’t need anyone else’s permission to try a different approach.

If your body is healing, keep going. If you’re still figuring it out, keep learning. If you’re discouraged, know that you’re not alone and that there are people who believe you deserve support whether or not you’re on a prescription.

You are not broken.

And you deserve to feel better.

Want to know what helped me shift my mindset around hunger, satiety, and hormone signaling? I wrote about how understanding leptin helped me get off a GLP-1 and stay off.

→ Read: How Understanding the Hormone Leptin Got Me Off a GLP-1