'I shed 5 dress sizes with weight loss jabs - huge problem you need to know'
Miranda Edmonds, 30, from the US, had battled with low self-esteem for years and began hiding in oversized clothes before she lost 46lbs and 5 dress sizes with weight loss injections
A young mum has bravely opened up about her weight loss journey that took a scary turn when she was surviving on a mere 900 calories a day.
Miranda Edmonds, 30, found herself in a troubling situation as she grappled with low self-esteem, often concealing herself in baggy clothes and shying away from social gatherings. The turning point came when her health began to suffer.
"I was pre-diabetic, constantly exhausted, and inflamed. My doctor warned me I was on the path to fatty liver disease," Miranda said.
The fear for her wellbeing as a mother was the catalyst for change. At 15st (95kg), she delved into research on GLP-1 medications, an emerging type of injectable drug designed to curb appetite and aid in blood sugar control.
Having tried every other method available, she decided to take the plunge, reports the Mirror US.
"I was nervous," she admits. "It was expensive, and I wasn't sure it would work. But I was desperate. I'd tried everything - counting calories, gym memberships, restrictive diets-and nothing lasted."
At first, the results seemed miraculous. She was eating less, shedding pounds rapidly, and feeling full.
However, it wasn't long before worrying side effects surfaced.
"I started feeling weak and irritable," Miranda says. "I was nauseous, drained, and in bed by 7pm every night. My hair began thinning. I knew something wasn't right."
The bombshell hit when she documented a "What I Eat in a Day" video on TikTok and calculated her daily consumption. "I was eating about 900 calories a day-less than my toddlers," she reveals.
"I felt full, but my body was starving. I'm an active mum, constantly on my feet. I couldn't survive like that."
Understanding the lack of discussion around the risks of undereating while taking GLP-1s, she decided to share her story candidly.
"I talk about everything now-the progress, the setbacks, the hard days, because I know someone out there needs to hear it."
Miranda says, emphasising the importance of structured, nutritious meals.
"Protein is my foundation," she explains. "I drink a shake in the morning, eat beef sticks, bars-anything to fuel my body, even when I'm not hungry. I set reminders to eat, not out of obsession, but necessity."
Despite her improvements, calorie counting is no longer part of her routine. "Counting calories wrecked my mental health," she admits.
"I'd panic if I didn't know the macros of a restaurant meal. I'd lose 10lbs and gain it all back. I just couldn't live that way anymore."
Currently seven months into her weight-loss journey, Miranda has shed 46lbs (20.8kg), going from 15st to 11st 7lb (74kg) and dropping from a US size 18 to a size 8. However, the change isn't just physical.
"Mentally, I'm the healthiest I've ever been," she says. "I love working out, I'm building muscle, and for the first time in my life-I actually love my body."
She's become a champion of her stretch marks and relaxed skin, seeing them as badges of her life's challenges. "This body grew two children," she declares with pride.
"It's strong. It's powerful. And now, it's finally nourished."
Miranda has fostered an encouraging virtual network by being open about her journey, surrounded by others treading the same path. Notwithstanding, she's not been immune to critique.
"Some say using a GLP-1 is cheating, that I didn't earn it," she says. "But there's nothing easy about this. The medication is just one tool-it's not a magic wand. I still had to do the work."
Family is what keeps her going—her partner Caleb and their young lads, who are 7 and 5. "I have a goal weight, but more than that, I want freedom. To eat without guilt. To go places with my kids without worrying if I'll fit in the seat or hate every photo. I just want to live without my weight hanging over everything."
And for her past self, the one agonising in fitting rooms and loathing the shopping experience, Miranda sends out a heartfelt dispatch: "It wasn't your fault. You weren't lazy or weak. You just needed help. And there's no shame in that."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Swing time: experts weigh in on TikTok's kettlebell challenge
We've all seen the headlines around the importance of strength training. But if you're not a regular gym goer, it can feel intimidating to know where to begin. What is the difference between sets and reps? How many should you do? What if you don't want to turn into the Hulk? The latest viral fitness trend of doing 100 kettlebell swings a day for 30 days might seem like a straightforward way in. TikTokers' videos showing them doing the challenge seem to have struck a chord, racking up millions of views, and promising the regime can flatten your stomach, make your glutes stronger and help with back pain. But experts warn people – especially beginners – to treat the trend with caution. While they encourage people of all ages to start strength training, for some, doing 100 kettlebell swings a day might be an 'injury waiting to happen'. Kettlebell training has been shown to increase muscle mass, which makes your bones stronger, and has been shown in some cases to help reduce fat mass as well as improve back and neck pain, Dr Kim Way, an exercise physiologist and lecturer at Deakin University, says. However, those studies have not assessed doing 100 kettlebell swings a day – typically they have examined some form of kettlebell exercises two to three times a week, Way said. 'There's certainly a lot of difference in … the amount of stress that's being placed on the body, in terms of exercising every day versus having some recovery to allow for the body to essentially adapt,' Way said. A/Prof Justin Keogh, an exercise scientist at Bond University, said the health benefits also depended on the weight of kettlebell used. A heavier weight will help increase strength, muscle power and mass, while doing more repetitions with fewer rest periods will improve strength and endurance, may reduce body fat, and can have cardiovascular health benefits, he said. Kettlebell swings can be advantageous because you have to coordinate different upper and lower body segments and it mirrors the movement patterns that are 'more similar to what life throws at us,' Keogh said. Doing 100 kettlebell swings a day carries the risk of 'going a little bit too hard, too early', Keogh says. 'The chance that your hamstrings, lower back, forearms, etc, are going to feel really tight the next three or four days … is pretty high, and then you might not want to do any exercise over those next couple of days.' Keogh encourages people to start strength training carefully and gradually intensify their workouts in order to minimise their chance of what's known as delayed onset muscle soreness, which occurs when muscles that haven't been used to the level of exertion get quite sore for several days post-exercise. Way also agrees 100 kettlebell swings is 'quite a lot of swinging', especially if done every day. 'What I see with trends like this is that you're getting people excited about an exercise, which is great … but exposing people, especially if they haven't had any exposure to an exercise, that's just an injury waiting to happen because you haven't had the time to allow your body to adapt to the muscle stress, and the joint stress, that potentially this exercise will be placing on the system,' they said. Way is also concerned people might not be developing the correct technique. 'While the kettlebell swing might not necessarily look like a super complex movement – and compared to other exercises, it might not be – but even if you've just got a little part that's a bit wrong, it can put yourself into an area of potential injury.' They encourage people to find resources to ensure that they're using the correct technique. Way also advises if a person is new to exercise, they should listen to their body because if they start to fatigue, 'this is where technique can really quickly break down' and make injury more likely. Our genes largely determine the maximum size and strength of our bones, which is what's called 'peak bone mass', but exercise can also influence whether we reach our full bone mass potential by the age of 25-30. People generally begin to lose bone mass from the age of around 40 onwards. Keogh says it's better to begin resistance training earlier because then your muscle and bone mass will reach a higher peak. 'But again, we do know that regardless of the age that you start resistance training, you will get benefits compared to those people who [aren't].' Way says that types of exercise like yoga and pilates, which require us to use our body weight as a form of resistance, are 'a great way' to get into resistance training. However, people should keep in mind that if they use body weight exercises for their main form of resistance training there probably is a 'ceiling effect' once you are strong with your own body weight. Then using external weights – whether at the gym or finding weights at home through using cans of food or filling backpacks – can be helpful to get some resistance. Way emphasises 'it doesn't need to be a lot' – sometimes the big fear people have is that to do weight training they have to emulate bodybuilders online who are training for two or three hours each time. 'It actually can be pretty simple,' Way said. You can just strip it down, allocating five to eight exercises targeting your main muscle groups (your chest muscles, back muscles and leg muscles), and doing two to three sets, anywhere between eight and 15 repetitions. 'When you're trying to get into exercise, the best form of movement is always going to be the one that you enjoy. Resistance training or weight training is definitely a great one, because it gives you a really big host of benefits,' Way says. Natasha May is Guardian Australia's health reporter Antiviral is a fortnightly column that interrogates the evidence behind the health headlines and factchecks popular wellness claims What health trend do you want examined? Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Common pill is putting millions at risk of life-threatening breathing problems, doctor warns
They are pills prescribed to millions in the UK to treat heart conditions and anxiety. But beta blockers may pose a hidden risk to the 7.2 million people living with asthma, an NHS GP has warned. According to the British Heart Foundation, UK doctors issue more than 50 million prescriptions for beta blockers every year. However, Dr Sooj, a family doctor with over 250,000 TikTok followers, cautioned that the drugs can interfere with the way asthma medications work—potentially putting some patients at risk during an attack. Asthma causes symptoms such as wheezing, coughing and chest tightness. While generally manageable, it can become life-threatening, when severely inflamed airways make it extremely difficult to breathe. Asthma UK reports that around 1,200 people die from asthma attacks each year in the UK, while in the US the figure is over 3,500. In a TikTok, Dr Sooj explained: 'If you have asthma you need to be cautious and we need to make sure you're aware of any of the risks and potential complications of taking a beta blocker.' He continued: 'The medications we use in an acute asthma attack are called beta agonists—these help to dilate the pipes in your lungs.' Dr Sooj explained that these beta agonists, found in many common inhalers, work by relaxing the muscles in the airways, making it easier to breathe. But beta blockers—used to slow the heart rate and lower blood pressure—can blunt this effect. 'By doing that, they can worsen the symptoms of asthma,' he said. And it's not just people with asthma who may be affected. Inhalers are also routinely prescribed to those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an umbrella term covering long-term lung conditions such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. These incurable conditions can also cause severe breathing difficulties, and for this group too, beta blockers may pose a risk. The NHS advises patients with asthma or lung disease to inform their doctor before starting beta blockers, to ensure the medication is safe. That said, Dr Sooj added: 'I've seen lots of patients with COPD or asthma who are on beta blockers and they're completely fine with them.' 'But this is a discussion that you should be having with your own doctor.' Dr Sooj added that he still believed beta blockers to be 'excellent medications', and explained developments in the drugs that has improved them. 'We now have cardio selective beta blockers, which... affect the body a bit less.' The new warning follows concerns that a type of beta blocker called propranolol can put patients at risk of 'toxic overdose'—triggering seizures, depression and even cardiac arrest in high doses. Recent research showed the number of prescriptions for propranolol to treat anxiety in the UK doubled between 2003 and 2018. In theory, by keeping blood pressure low, feelings of panic and anxiety are reduced. However some experts have claimed there 'no evidence' that drugs are effective for mental health, and that patients often aren't adequately warned about risk of an overdose. In a recent letter to The Guardian, pharmacist Christopher Sullivan warned that the drug 'is associated with significant adverse outcomes' and urged GPs to exercise 'extreme caution when prescribing these medicines for anxiety'. 'Prescribing these medicines for anxiety is not recommended in national evidence-based guidelines,' he added. It followed comments from GP Dr Amir Khan, who told the newspaper that propananol had been linked to 'higher rates of depression' and warned GPs not to prescribe it to anxious patients who also suffer low mood. 'If you are taking them long term, you can't suddenly stop them,' he added. 'You need to be weaned off them.' The risks are not thought to pertain to those taking the medicine for heart problems and other physical issues like migraine—but experts say patients with mental health troubles are vulnerable to either accidentally or purposefully taking an overdose.
Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Doctor says 'harmless' wet hair mistake can make you go bald
The Harvard doctor says it's easy to get into the habit, but doing so may lead to serious damage A doctor has claimed that people should stop sleeping with wet hair as it may lead to baldness. It might take time to become noticeable, but anyone who does this regularly has been warned that it could lead to thinner and weaker hair, as well as other problems. Dr Saurabh Sethi is known for sharing his medical experience and knowledge with 1.1 million Instagram followers, reports What's The Jam. The 42-year-old has issued an urgent warning for people who go to bed with wet hair – as it could cause hair to fall off, he says. He explained his reasons in a clip, which has racked up 150,000 views on TikTok. "It might seem harmless, but sleeping with wet hair can actually mess with both your scalp and strands," he said. The doctor, who graduated from Harvard University, said that a damp scalp creates the perfect environment for fungi and bacteria, leading to dandruff or seborrheic dermatitis, which causes itching and flaking. Dr Sethi added: 'Wet hair is weaker. Tossing in your sleep puts stress on it, causing breakage, frizz and even thinning over time.' To combat this, he urges people to take the time to dry their hair before going to sleep, even if it's a quick blow-dry. The doctor stressed: "It can make the biggest difference to your hair health. Don't make this common mistake." People flocked to the comments to share their reactions. One said: "I always tell my son this, but he doesn't listen. Maybe he will listen to you!" Another added: 'Yes! I used to sleep with a loose wet ponytail and my hair started to smell like mildew!' And, a third commented: 'Omg I do this every time! Well, not anymore!" He previously claimed that drinking water with one 20p fruit added daily for a month could be the 'secret' to looking younger. The health expert said that the drink "packed with 30 different beneficial plant compounds" might help wipe away some signs of ageing. On top of hair loss and breakage, you might notice that your skin is more prone to acne. Experts claim that, whilst sleeping with wet hair might not directly cause acne, it can create conditions that make acne more likely. The Sleep Foundation reported that: "Some people caution against sleeping on a damp pillow, believing it to be an ideal environment for certain types of bacteria to thrive, potentially increasing the risk of skin problems like acne. "A pillow that is damp or has collected residue from hair products could potentially make acne worse by creating an environment that is humid or oily, leading to clogged pores and inflammation. For these reasons, some experts suggest it is better to sleep with clean and dry hair that is pulled away from the face."
