I lost 12st with fat jabs and reversed high blood pressure and joint pain – ex-boyfriends are crawling back
Susan Forgie's transformation has brought about an unexpected side effect - as the 75-year-old says her exes have come crawling back.
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Susan had been yo-yo dieting since her teenage years. Doctors became concerned when she reached 23 stone, as she grappled with a number of health issues including 'sky-high' blood pressure.
She was referred to an obesity clinic, which recommended she try weight loss medication to help slim down.
The 75-year-old hasn't looked back since – overhauling her health and reducing her metabolic age to that of a 59-year-old.
'A couple of men I dated prior to losing weight have commented that they should never have let me go and shouldn't we try again,' Susan, from Oswestry, Shropshire, said.
'Someone at the gym asked me to go for a drink with him, and someone else I have known for years says he can't stop thinking about me.
'I get looks I never used to have.'
Despite the attention, Susan is happily with her partner Tim, 74, whom she met after she shed six stone.
Having seen her success, he started taking Mounjaro himself and lost over two stone.
Susan added: 'My friends and family have been stunned by my transformation, too.
'I've never been the average pensioner, but, because of my size, I've never been able to follow fashion.
Weight Loss Jabs - Pros vs Cons
'I'm no longer restricted by wearing only what clothes are in my size – I wear a lot more colour now.
'I've replaced all the clothes in my wardrobe, having gone from a size 22/24 to a 12/14.
'I was never able to wear fashionable clothes like over-the-knee long leather boots – but I can now.'
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The decision to start taking Mounjaro - which private clinics will start charging more for come September - came following a series of health concerns linked to her weight.
Susan said: 'Two years ago, my blood pressure went through the roof and I was threatened with hospitalisation.
'I was reasonably healthy, but my mobility had been decreasing, and I had very little energy and extensive joint pain.'
Doctors recommended she lose weight – and fast – and so the retired sales director started on Wegovy, before switching to a programme with Juniper to receive Mounjaro.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR WEIGHT LOSS JABS ON THE NHS?
NHS eligibility for weight loss injections has expanded but still lags behind the number who could potentially benefit from taking them.
Wegovy, medical name semaglutide, is only available for weight loss through specialist weight management clinics.
Patients are typically expected to have tried other weight loss methods before getting a prescription.
They may be eligible if their body mass index (BMI) is higher than 30, or higher than 27 if they have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure.
Mounjaro, known as tirzepatide, is also available from GP practices but currently only to patients with a BMI of 40 or higher (or 37.5 if from a minority ethnic background) plus four weight-related health conditions.
The medicines are currently being rationed to the patients most in need.
NHS watchdog NICE estimates that more than three million Brits will ultimately be eligible.
The GLP-1 injections are prescribed separately by GPs for people with type 2 diabetes, and patients should discuss this with their doctor.
Now, Susan is no longer on blood pressure medication, she has no more joint pain, and her thyroid medication dose has been reduced by 25 per cent.
The effects of the jabs were noticeable just two weeks into taking them, back in August 2023.
Sue said: 'Within a couple of weeks of starting my weight loss journey, my joint pain completely disappeared.
'Cravings for sweet things and large amounts of food also went, and after a month, my blood pressure medication was halved.
'It stopped altogether a few weeks later.
'I had an underactive thyroid and was taking 125mg of Thyroxine, which was then reduced to 100mg.
It has been like handing back 16 years of my life
Susan Forgie
'I could walk long distances and uphill without getting out of breath, and exercise without tiring.
'I also wanted to eat different foods.
'It's as if my body chemistry has changed and I want lean meat, vegetables and fruit.
'My consumption of alcohol, fatty foods, cream and cheese has dramatically reduced – I simply don't want them.'
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Susan also recently had a fitness assessment at her local gym, and was stunned to discover her metabolic age puts her at just 59 – 16 years younger than her true age.
The 75-year-old says she is 'thrilled' with how her health has improved, having spent decades trying to diet and shift the excess pounds.
Susan has spent an estimated £4,600 on the medication over the past 23 months – which she says 'pays for itself' through her reduced food and takeaway spend.
She added: 'If somebody had come to me at the beginning and said, 'Pay this money and I will hand back 16 years of your life and improve your health immensely,' I think it would have been a no-brainer.
'My health is the best it has been in many years.'
She's been able to stay at 12st 4lbs since August 2024.
Susan added: 'I had never been able to do that before!
'I am greatly enjoying the health benefits that have come from losing weight, improved nutrition and increased activity.
'I just celebrated my 75th birthday, but the recent fitness assessment from my gym has calculated a metabolic age of 59 – so I'm thrilled with that.
'It has been like handing back 16 years of my life.
'I'm proof that it's never too late to strive for a healthy weight.'
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