Mum loses 7stone in a year after switching from £400 food to £136 jabs
Mum loses 7stone in a year after switching from £400 food to £136 jabs
Ashley, 35, who weighed almost 18stone used to grab takeaways on her way home from the school run
Ashley Nickson, before losing weight
A mum who lost seven stone from "fat jabs" after ditching the school run takeaways says she 'couldn't be happier" - despite trolls claiming her "Mounjaro face" has aged her by 15 years. Ashley Nickson, 35, tipped the scales at 17st 10lbs and a size 18 to 20 after piling on the weight after giving birth to her two children - Mally, six, and Charlie, two.
The mum would pick off her kids' dinner plates, constantly snack and opt for takeaways three days a week - admitting her "unhealthy habits" cost her over £400 a month, but that it "made parenting easier". After she "felt disgusted" with the way she looked in old photos with her and her kids, she started taking Monjouro weekly - costing £136 for a month's worth - in March 2024.
A year later, she has dropped 7st 10lbs and is a healthy 10st - and a size 10 - and "couldn't be happier with the results". Sharing her Mounjaro journey on TikTok, the microinfluencer says trolls told her she looks older since the weight loss and that it was "obvious" she had the jab, but Ashley says it was "one of the best decisions I've made."
Ashley Nickson, with her two children, Mally and Charlie
Ashley, a Tesco worker from Rainhill, said: "My weight was my biggest battle. "Trolls may say I have gained years - but I actually have. I've got much more of my life to live now, thanks to Mounjaro. I feel a lot more confident in myself and I'm proud of my journey.
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"I'd rather people say I've aged rather than being unhappy and unhealthy. The jab was one of the best decisions I've made."
After giving birth to her two children, Ashley, who was originally a size 12, "struggled" to find time to cook or work on herself. During school pick up and drop offs, she would find time to sneak in a takeaway - usually McDonald's or a Costa - at least three times a week and four years later, her habits meant she eventually weighed in at her biggest a 17st 10lbs.
Ashley Nickson, before losing weight
"I wasn't always big," she said. "But becoming a mother meant I had to cut corners, so it just became routine. Every week, I would go to Costa or McDonald's to eat. I didn't have time to go to the gym or work on myself.
"At home, I would pick off my kids' plates when I made them dinner and I was just ashamed."
It wasn't until Ashley looked back at a photo, in February 2024, showing her holding her youngest, Charlie, after giving birth, that she "felt disgusted" by how she looked and wanted to change her ways. She had tried various diets before but had struggled to stick to them.
Ashley Nickson, after losing weight
She applied online for her first jab of Mounjaro, costing £136 for a month's worth, after receiving a 40 per cent discount, through private company VOY. Ashley first administered the 2.5mg dose at the beginning of March 2024. "I was really nervous," she said.
"But nothing happened for the first two weeks apart from waking up with dry mouth and slight nausea. I thought it was a placebo, but then I started to feel less hungry. And that's when the weight started to come off."
Ashley described how the jab left her waking up not hungry or desiring any food. It meant that within the first three weeks, she had lost over a stone after ditching her frequent pit stops at her takeaways. But instead, she, alongside her site manager fiancé, Jack Chadwick, 36, started investing in a Hello Fresh food service.
"I was originally scared to tell my fiancé, but he's been so supportive," she said. "It made my weight loss journey a lot easier, and I took it more seriously. At this point, I had stopped snacking completely."
Ashley Nickson, after losing weight
Ashley managed to refer at least three people a month for the jab during this time and secured four months of Mounjaro completely free. A year after starting and under £1,000 later, she finally reached her goal of losing seven stone, weighing just over 10 stone.
But it came with a deluge of insults when she shared her progress on TikTok with trolls claiming she looks "a lot older."
"A lot of my fat was in my face," she said. "So when I lost weight, it left me with some loose skin around my cheeks and under my eyes.
"People would comment that I didn't look like my age and that I looked unwell." One troll succinctly said: "The excess skin has aged you horribly."
"Added another 15 years to your face, you looked way better before," another penned. A third added: "The 'Mounjaro face' is too obvious, good luck hiding that."
Ashley Nickson, her fiancé, Jack Chadwick with her two children, Mally, 6, and Charlie, 2
However, Ashley, who is no longer using the jab, claims that she "doesn't care" about her Mounjaro face. "I can always get Botox," she added. "I may look older, but I've probably added 10 or 12 years onto my life.
"And I've definitely saved money by ditching takeaways."
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Although the mother-of-two has admitted that the cravings for chocolate and treats do come back occasionally. She is adamant that she won't return to her old habits and has become a big advocate for weight-loss jabs. "If people saw me in real life, they wouldn't be saying that I look older," she said.
"And I'm extremely confident with the way I look now. I would recommend the jab to anyone who is struggling with their weight.
"It has saved my life and I can be there more for my family now."
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