I always felt like the ‘fat one' and cancelled nights out – I've lost 2st in 2 months on Mounjaro and got my fresh start

The Sun

5 hours ago

A MUM-of-two who used to cancel nights out because she felt like 'the fat one' has lost two stone in two months by using Mounjaro.
Sarah Hill, 32, from Glasgow, is among the estimated 1.5 million Brits that have used weight loss injections to get her dream body and a 'fresh start'.
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She says: 'I tried everything – Cambridge, Slimming World, calorie counting – and at one point I lost five stone, but I couldn't keep it off."
But it was Mounjaro that finally helped her stick to healthy meals.
'Now I'm planning nights out again and actually showing up,' the assistant manager at a soft play centre said.
'I've got an outfit ready for this weekend and, for once, I'm excited.'
Sarah used to spend hours getting ready for nights out, only to cancel at the last minute because she felt as if she did not belong – and for years she hid in the shadows.
'I'd get my hair and makeup done to try and make my face look nice, but I couldn't bear the thought of my body in photos,' she recalls.
'I'd always be in black tights and floaty dresses, trying to cover up.'
Earlier this year, Sarah, who is 5ft 4in tall, reached her heaviest weight of 245lbs (17st and 7lbs), wearing a size 22.
Sarah said she has struggled with her weight 'since (she) was a teenager'.
'I was bullied in school and it just stuck with me,' she said.
'Even in PE, I'd hide in the toilets to get changed.'
Having her first child at 17, Sarah said her priorities shifted.
Sarah gave her all to all the most popular diet clubs but even if she lost weight, she said: 'I'd pile it back on and end up in an even worse place.
'I became obsessed with the scales. If I gained a pound, I'd feel like a failure.
'There were times I cried after weigh-ins.'
The breaking point came after her grandmother Sandra died at age 70 in July 2024.
'She had cancer, and I was one of her main carers at the end,' Sarah said.
'Losing her broke me. I was grieving, burned out, exhausted from work and barely moving.
'That's when I knew something had to change – not just for me, but for my kids.'
Sarah said she had seen people online talking about weight loss injections, but she did not believe it could work.
It was not until she saw friends and family members getting real results with the Slim Results programme, a weight management company, that she decided to give it a go.
Tirzepatide, the active ingredient in the jab Mounjaro, is injected weekly by the patient themselves.
It makes a person feel fuller for longer and, therefore, less hungry.
It is advised that anyone taking the injection should eat a balanced, reduced-calorie diet and exercise regularly.
'I was nervous at first – it's a medication, and there's still so much stigma, but I can honestly say it's the best decision I've ever made,' Sarah said.
Sarah experienced tiredness and constipation in the early weeks of jab, but she said the round-the-clock support from the Slim Results team made all the difference.
'They were brilliant,' she said. 'I thought I'd just be sent the jab and that's it, but they were there any time I needed advice – on nutrition, vitamins, everything.'
Her diet has also completely transformed.
She explained: 'I used to start the day with two sausage rolls and a large vanilla latte. Now it's overnight oats or fruit and an Americano with a splash of milk.
'Lunch is soup or salad, and dinner is usually a big plate of veg with some protein – I've always liked food, but now I enjoy meals that actually fuel me.'
Two months on, Sarah has dropped from 245lbs (17st and 7lbs) to 216lbs (15st and 6lbs).
One of the biggest differences, Sarah says, is her confidence. She is now wearing a size 14 to 16 and said a recent shopping trip felt like a milestone.
'I used to just avoid Primark like the plague because I felt like I couldn't wear anything,' she said. 'I came out with a massive bag yesterday.
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'I was an XXL before, and I got larges and even some mediums. That was a big hit for me.
'I felt like I had to go to the plus-size ranges and online to find anything.
'Now I can walk in and pick something up. It feels amazing.'
She has also booked holidays she would have dreaded in the past.
'We're going to Disneyland with the kids in October and I'm not panicking about fitting on the rides or covering up in the heat,' she said.
'I just feel like a new person. I used to be the one behind the camera, never in them. Now I'm proud to be in the picture.'
Sarah said she still has a way to go, but for the first time, she believes she will get there.
As for Mounjaro, she says: 'People misunderstand weight loss injections.
'They think it's cheating or that you're lazy, but they've never lived in a body that feels like a burden.
'It's not just a jab. It's a fresh start.'
Everything you need to know about fat jabs
Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases.
Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK.
Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market.
Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight.
They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists.
They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high.
Can I get them?
NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics.
Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure.
GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss.
Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk.
Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health.
Are there any risks?
Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.'
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health.
Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines.