Latest news with #semaglutide
The Sun
5 hours ago
- Health
- The Sun
The 7 foods that could protect you from common fat jab side effect, suggest scientists
WOMEN and older adults who use increasingly popular weight-loss drug semaglutide could protect themselves from a common side effect by eating more protein, say scientists. It may be an important step in reducing insulin resistance and preventing frailty in people with obesity, they add. 1 A previous study presented at ENDO 2025 suggested women and older adults using semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, for weight loss may be at a higher risk of losing muscle mass. Muscle loss, also referred to as lean mass loss, is a frequent consequence of weight reduction in people with obesity. According to lead researcher Dr Melanie Haines of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in a new study, this type of muscle loss can negatively influence metabolism and bone health. That's because muscle helps manage blood sugar levels after eating and contributes to bone strength. According to a study published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, up to 40 per cent of the total weight lost while using semaglutide may be lean mass. But Dr Haines noted it's still unclear which patients are most likely to lose muscle and how this muscle loss might impact blood sugar control. To explore this further, researchers observed 40 adults with obesity over a three-month period. Of these participants, 23 were treated with semaglutide, while the remaining 17 took part in a weight-loss programme called Healthy Habits for Life (HHL), which focuses on diet and lifestyle changes. The team then monitored shifts in the participants' muscle mass over the course of the study. They found participants who were prescribed semaglutide lost more weight than those who participated in the diet and lifestyle programme. Weight Loss Jabs - Pros vs Cons But the percent of weight loss that was lean mass was similar between the two groups. After accounting for weight loss, the researchers found in the semaglutide group, being older, female, or eating less protein was linked to greater muscle loss. Losing more muscle was also linked to less improvement in blood sugar levels. 'Older adults and women may be more likely to lose muscle on semaglutide, but eating more protein may help protect against this,' Haines said. 'Losing too much muscle may reduce the benefits of semaglutide on blood sugar control. "This means preserving muscle during weight loss with semaglutide may be important to reduce insulin resistance and prevent frailty in people with obesity.' There are both animal and plant-based sources of protein. Here are seven to include in your diet: Animal sources Lean meats - chicken breast, turkey, beef, and pork are excellent sources of high-quality protein, offering a range of vitamins and minerals. Fish - salmon, tuna, and other fish are rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Eggs - a complete protein source, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids. Dairy - milk, yogurt (especially Greek yogurt), and cheese (especially cottage cheese) are good sources of protein and calcium. Plant-based sources Legumes - beans, lentils, and peas are excellent sources of protein, fibre, and other nutrients. Nuts and seeds - almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and pumpkin seeds offer protein, healthy fats, and vitamins. Tofu and soy products - tofu, tempeh, and edamame are good sources of protein, particularly for vegetarians and vegans. In the UK, semaglutide for weight loss is available under the brand name Wegovy, and is prescribed through specialist weight management services within the NHS. It's an injectable medication (once weekly) that is used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Ozempic, another semaglutide medication, is specifically for type 2 diabetes and is available on the NHS. What are the other side effects of weight loss jabs? Like any medication, weight loss jabs can have side effects. Common side effects of injections such as Ozempic include: Nausea: This is the most commonly reported side effect, especially when first starting the medication. It often decreases over time as your body adjusts. Vomiting: Can occur, often in conjunction with nausea. Diarrhea: Some people experience gastrointestinal upset. Constipation: Some individuals may also experience constipation. Stomach pain or discomfort: Some people may experience abdominal pain or discomfort. Reduced appetite: This is often a desired effect for people using Ozempic for weight loss. Indigestion: Can cause a feeling of bloating or discomfort after eating. Serious side effects can also include: Pancreatitis: In rare cases, Ozempic may increase the risk of inflammation of the pancreas, known as pancreatitis, which can cause severe stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting. Kidney problems: There have been reports of kidney issues, including kidney failure, though this is uncommon. Thyroid tumors: There's a potential increased risk of thyroid cancer, although this risk is based on animal studies. It is not confirmed in humans, but people with a history of thyroid cancer should avoid Ozempic. Vision problems: Rapid changes in blood sugar levels may affect vision, and some people have reported blurry vision when taking Ozempic. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar): Especially if used with other medications like sulfonylureas or insulin.
Medical News Today
2 days ago
- Health
- Medical News Today
What happens when you stop using Wegovy?
Weight regain and increased appetite are common after stopping Wegovy (semaglutide). Understanding the effects of stopping treatment is important to manage long-term weight loss expectations. Your doctor can help you stop Wegovy while still maintaining your weight management goals. Wegovy (semaglutide) is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist used for weight loss and weight management and to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events. Stopping Wegovy, especially suddenly, can affect your body and weight management reading to learn what happens when you stop Wegovy to stop WegovyWegovy is meant to be a long-term medication for certain people with obesity or overweight. If you need to stop taking the medication for any reason, be sure to talk with your doctor about how to safely stop your treatment. You should not stop taking Wegovy suddenly, or 'cold turkey.'Your doctor can provide guidance on stopping Wegovy to help reduce the risk of certain effects. They can also adjust your diet and exercise regimen and help monitor your progress after stopping treatment. Following a personalized plan can help maintain the progress you achieved with effects of stopping WegovyStopping Wegovy treatment can have different effects. This is because GLP-1 levels will decrease after stopping the medication. And your GLP-1 levels will return to what's normal for your is a hormone that's involved in several processes, including blood sugar and insulin regulation, management of appetite and satiety, and protective cardiovascular effects. The active ingredient in Wegovy, semaglutide, mimics the effects of GLP-1, which promotes weight loss and reduced appetite, among other effects.»Learn more about how Wegovy regainIf you've lost weight with Wegovy, stopping treatment may cause weight regain. This is sometimes called 'Ozempic rebound'. (Ozempic contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient as Wegovy, but it comes in smaller doses and is approved for different uses. Unlike Wegovy, Ozempic is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] for weight loss or weight management.)In a 2021 clinical trial, adults with overweight or obesity who used Wegovy for 20 weeks and then switched to a placebo (a treatment with no active drug) had a weight increase of nearly 7%. This was in comparison to adults who continued Wegovy treatment after 20 weeks and lost nearly 8% of their weight over the next 48 weeks of in a 2022 clinical trial, adults who stopped taking Wegovy after 68 weeks of Wegovy treatment regained two-thirds of the weight they lost within a year of stopping to these effects, Wegovy is typically taken long-term to maintain weight loss or weight management. If you have concerns about weight regain after stopping Wegovy, talk with your doctor. They can help determine the best course of action for of cardiovascular benefits and increased blood sugarStopping treatment with Wegovy may affect your risk of experiencing major cardiovascular events, such as heart attack or stroke. For people taking Wegovy to reduce the risk of these events, the risk may return to original levels when Wegovy treatment was shown in a 2022 clinical trial, in which most cardiovascular benefits that adults experienced with Wegovy went back to baseline after stopping treatment for 1 year. (Here, baseline refers to the original level of cardiovascular risk before Wegovy treatment began.)If you stop treatment with Wegovy, you may experience the following cardiovascular symptoms: increased blood pressureincreased cholesterol levelsirregular heartbeatnausea and vomitingheadacheschest paindizzinessdifficulty breathingnosebleedsbuzzing in the earsvision changesconfusionanxietyAlso in the same study, prediabetes returned in some people who used Wegovy for 68 weeks and then stopped treatment. So if you have high blood sugar levels and stop using Wegovy, symptoms of your high blood sugar levels may return. These may include:weaknessfatigueblurry visionsweatinggum bleeding or skin infections that keep coming backslow wound healingDue to these effects, your doctor will likely suggest other ways to manage your risk of cardiovascular problems and high blood sugar levels. They may recommend taking certain other medications or other lifestyle withdrawal symptomsWithdrawal refers to experiencing side effects after you stop taking a substance that your body has become dependent on. Wegovy hasn't been specifically reported to cause dependence or withdrawal. (With dependence, your body needs a substance in order to function as usual.) However, people who stop Wegovy may experience certain symptoms due to their GLP-1 levels going back to normal. These symptoms may include:increased appetitereduced feeling of fullness changes in moodchanges in energy levels If you have concerns about these symptoms, talk with your doctor. They can recommend ways to manage them effectively while transitioning off Wegovy the weight off after stopping WegovyAfter stopping Wegovy, it's important to have a plan in place to help prevent weight gain or continue your weight management efforts. This can also help your overall health. Ways to help prevent weight gain include: maintaining a balanced diet with nutrient-dense foodssticking with your exercise routine or adjusting it based on your doctor's recommendationsstaying hydrated with water or low calorie beveragesgetting enough sleep managing stress levels monitoring your weight periodicallyYou can work with your doctor to develop a plan to keep the weight off after stopping Wegovy. Preliminary research has also shown that people taking semaglutide maintained weight loss by tapering (slowly lowering) their dosage before completely stopping treatment. So to help prevent weight regain, your doctor may slowly lower your Wegovy dosage before stopping the what happens when you stop using Wegovy is important to help prevent weight gain, continue long-term weight management efforts, and maintain cardiovascular health. By working closely with your doctor and adopting certain lifestyle habits, it's possible to safely and effectively stop Wegovy Medical News Today has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Dr Reddy's Joins Generic Drugmakers Readying Semaglutide Launch
India's Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. is gearing up to launch a generic version of semaglutide — the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk A/S's blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy — next year, joining companies including Biocon Ltd. and Sandoz Group AG. The Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company is readying 87 countries including core markets such as Canada, Brazil, and India as patents for the drug begin to expire globally, Chief Executive Officer Erez Israeli said Wednesday. A key part of the strategy is targeting countries where Novo Nordisk does not hold patents for semaglutide, he said.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
I lost almost 3st in a year with fat jabs. It's not cheating
I feel reborn. I've been trying to think of a less dramatic way of saying it, but it's my birthday this week and I have acquired a delightful new lease of life in my 60s, so reborn is the right word. It's almost a year since I wrote in these pages that I was starting Mounjaro (tirzepatide), one of the new weight loss drugs that is revolutionising medical science essentially by sending a signal to your brain to tell it you are full. How has that gone? Well, on a purely practical level, I am no longer carrying an excess 38lb around with me – not far off what Royal Engineers must bear on their backs to complete an eight-mile ruck march in two hours. I was carrying my load 24 hours a day, on a small frame and without a soldier's brawn (we'll come to muscle in a minute). I can only offer my sincere apologies to my hips and knees – since drastically taking the pressure off them, all the pain I was experiencing has vanished. For those who have never struggled with their weight, as millions of us do, Mounjaro and Ozempic (semaglutide, a diabetes drug which can be used off-label for weight loss) are 'cheating'. Just jab fatty's little helper into your thigh once a week and, according to certain critics, it will magic away the pounds without the penitence and self-denial that sections of society appear to feel the fat owe to the thin. While 'fat-shaming' is now frowned upon (although people judge the obese all the time, of course they do), the media can be snarky about those who take medicine to help them slim down. They're not the only ones. 'You really don't want to lose any more,' your thinnest friend will advise you. It's always the slimmest friends who have the greatest difficulty watching you become a healthy size – as if they count on you to be the fat one, and feel betrayed when you start attracting some of the admiring attention that should belong to them, obviously. That's why many people who are 'on the pens', particularly women, I suspect, keep it a secret, even from their partners. They are scared of being seen as weak-willed and feeble. It is somehow shameful to take a weight-loss drug in a way it is not shameful to take statins, metformin or other drugs that become necessary when you are – yes – overweight. Try to make sense of that double standard if you can. Well, it's nobody's business, and anyway I'm far too happy with my new self to care what anyone thinks, but my transformation has taken persistence and hard work. Accelerated weight loss equals rapid muscle wastage, and I can't afford to lose any muscle at my age. Taking advantage of your new, suppressed appetite and shrunken stomach, it would be perfectly possible to exist on a pain au chocolat and a packet of crisps a day (some do), but you would rapidly become ill and malnourished. Your hair would fall out (one of the commonly cited side-effects of Mounjaro). I hired an exceptional personal trainer, James Wilkinson, from my local gym in Saffron Walden, and we set out on a mission to replace any muscle that was wasting away. Lifting weights at least twice a week, I was under orders to eat as much protein as I could. Cottage cheese was my new best friend. A sentence I never hoped to write. 'You were as weak as a kitten when we started,' James often reminded me when I was squashed and protesting loudly in a medieval leg-press contraption known (not fondly) as the 'bacon-slicer'. I've had more dignified smear tests. A couple of months ago, I texted James in a panic saying that my legs were suddenly looking 'really weird' and a bit like stringy hams. What could be wrong? 'Er, that's called muscle, Allison,' said the trainer. (He has kept his other clients entertained with reports of my cluelessness ever since.) Reader, I am an anatomical drawing! Legs are looking really good, arms are a work in progress, but something called 'definition' has been sighted. I am not yet ripped, more lightly frayed, but give me time. Looking back at the first entry in my Mounjaro diary last August, I weighed just over 12st, way too much for a 5ft 4in female with narrow hips lurking somewhere beneath the pillowy plumpness. My BMI was 28.8 (overweight) and, unsurprisingly, I was pre-diabetic. There was also a family history of heart attacks. 'You are at a crossroads,' my doctor, Rob Howlett, a private GP in Cambridge, told me flatly. 'If you carry on along this path, ahead lies diabetes, stroke, heart disease and dementia.' Gee, the four horses of the health apocalypse. All of that could be reversed, though, Dr Rob promised. Mounjaro, he said, was 'the closest thing to a miracle drug' he had encountered in his forty-year career. 'It's not just about weight,' he told me, 'the drugs reduce visceral fat, improve blood sugar control and lower the risk of heart disease.' Basically, the midlife 'midriff bulge' that the much-missed Terry Wogan used to tease Radio Two listeners about doesn't just make it an ordeal to do up a zip; it increases your risk profile for all the major Nasties. Still, I hesitated. For months. Truth be told, I am secretly one of those judgmental, get-a-grip-woman, just-eat-less puritans I can't stand. I had lost weight before by myself, so I could do it, couldn't I? 'Yes, but you keep putting it back on again,' said the doctor, jabbing at my notes which charted the dizzy highs and self-loathing lows of my constant battle to shed the pounds since having two implausibly large babies in the late Nineties. (Hoovering up leftover chicken nuggets from kids' teas solidified that 'baby weight' into a permanent malaise.) 'The drugs offer powerful, reliable results where diets and willpower often fail,' Rob said. 'That doesn't mean they should replace a healthy lifestyle, but they can give people the head start they need to reclaim their health.' Feeling pretty low by that point, both physically and mentally, I gave in and signed up with Dr Claire Gillvray, who runs a wellbeing and weight loss clinic in Cambridge. Claire both supplies Mounjaro and offers support to patients, including advice on diet and exercise classes. It was certainly worth the extra expense in the first few months when I bombarded her with queries. I began on the 2.5mg starting dose and felt it take effect within hours, although many people don't experience that until a larger injection. The 'food noise' in my brain that would see me rustling in the kitchen cupboards for something sweet an hour after I'd eaten dinner was stilled. I was elated when I lost 5lb in the first fortnight, but thereafter progress was slow and steady. Sometimes a pound a week, sometimes nothing at all. In the entry for Friday, Sept 13, when I was stuck at 11.7st, I drew a sad face with a downturned mouth. On Sunday, Sept 29, I was 11.1st – 'Lost 1 1/4lb this week, too slow,' I scribbled furiously. 'Not enough exercise?!!' Frequently, I would vent my frustration in texts to Dr Claire, who would calmly reply that 'things are changing internally and remember you are doing this for your long-term health.' Yes, yes, marvellous to think my poor old liver is less fatty, but I want to LOSE WEIGHT, dammit! It occurred to me that, counterintuitively, I was eating too little, so I increased my daily calories a bit. It helped. At the seven-week point, on Oct 4, a moment of triumph: 'Into the ten's!' I had dropped below 11st. People are understandably impatient to see the weight drop off. The mistake many make is increasing the dose too quickly, which can lead to those unpleasant side effects the media never stops printing scare stories about. (Boris Johnson reported that he was shedding 4 or 5lb a week on Ozempic when he started to dread the injections because they were making him feel ill. 'One minute I would be fine, and the next minute I would be talking to Ralph on the big white phone; and I am afraid that I decided that I couldn't go on.' I recommend Boris gives it another go with more user-friendly Mounjaro.) I have only ever gone up to 5mg, the second-lowest dose, and the only problems I've had are with constipation (magnesium tablets at night and a bit more fibre fixed that) and the ghastly 'sulphur burps' which make your mouth fill up with the noxious fumes from a stinky volcano. (I had an attack of the Etna reflux at a smart London dinner and spent the evening trying not to breathe out lest I horrify my famous neighbours on either side.) Mounjaro for me has always been a slender handrail to hold onto as I try to reset my dysfunctional relationship with food. 'Eat what you need first and then eat what you want,' trainer James advised. It really helped to think very consciously about feeding my body the good stuff it needed to thrive and build that all-important muscle. One evening, on my way home from a drinks party and starting to feel hungry without having had dinner, I stood scanning the shelves of tempting snacks in the train station shop. The old me would have picked up a bar of Dairy Milk, maybe a sandwich and some crisps – exactly the carbs I was now trying to avoid. 'There's nothing for you here,' I thought, and walked away. I really wanted a snack, but the progress I had made was more precious to me. Not only was Mounjaro helping to reduce my appetite, but I didn't want to taint my success so far by eating junk food. That was a turning point. Another milestone came in early December when Rob sent me an email. Subject: 'Blood test results and Gold Blue Peter badge.' My weight, he said, had dropped from 11st 13lb to 9st 13lb – a reduction of 16.4 per cent. I was no longer diabetic. Bad cholesterol had fallen by 30 per cent. Something called triglycerides (fat in the blood) dropped by 40 per cent. 'Amazing!' my doctor exclaimed. 'Not just the drug, Allison, you have made a big difference as well. But the combination of the two is stunning.' What a feeling of accomplishment – I was overjoyed. I had restored my body to her rightful self. To borrow a mantra on the gym wall, which I would once have found tooth-rottingly absurd, I was the me I wanted to be. Not just that, there was a new mental clarity. Having cut back on refined carbohydrates and focused on protein and fibre, I was now free from the blood sugar surges and crashes that had dictated my mood for so much of my life. It was like I'd been chained to a lunatic (greed/comfort eating) for years and suddenly released. It took time to adjust. My rings were loose on my fingers, and I suffered from a strange kind of body dysmorphia, unable to navigate my new size. In a favourite boutique, I found a top I liked but there was only an extra-small or a large on the rail. I asked for a medium and Hayley, the owner, laughed. 'You'll get into that extra-small,' she said. Who, me? She was right – it fitted. My daughter sold many of my bigger clothes on Vinted; others I've donated to charity shops, while some old favourites went to another Mounjaro user who's lost a heroic 4 1/2st and is now down to my original size 14 (another 2st to go before she reaches her goal). I have bought myself a new wardrobe of colourful or striking clothes I would never have dared wear. My new blue-and-white Margaret Thatcher pussy-bow tribute dress would have looked frumpy on me before, instead of elegant, I know. This new person no longer wears cardigans over summer dresses in the heat. 'You've been used to trying to hide your body, now you're not hiding,' Hayley said, and I realised that was true. Buying new clothes isn't cheap, of course, but think what I've saved on that hip replacement a consultant warned I'd probably need before I started Mounjaro – and the excruciating pain that has since vanished. I've also been able to revive outfits that I'd imagined I'd never wear again. What a surprise and a pleasure it is to put on a skirt you last wore pre-motherhood and find that it fits! Someone flatteringly asked if I'd had a facelift – no, but another major saving! I do have friends on Gaunt Watch – they've sworn to warn me if my cheeks look like they're caving in, which can be a consequence of excessive weight loss. If I had a magic wand right now, I would wave it and give this feeling – this lovely freedom from self-consciousness, this sense of being confident and entirely happy in your own skin – to every single person who has struggled time and again to lose weight and fallen back, dejected, into the sticky embrace of the Cookie Monster. Please don't think of it as cheating; think of it as a leveller that gives everyone the willpower to shed burdensome pounds and embed routines that make for sustainable change. A month ago, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: 'The NHS should be providing this medication to as many people as is needed. Obesity is now one of the leading causes of ill health, costing the NHS billions.' He's absolutely right. Although Mounjaro has finally been approved for use on the NHS in England, it is only under incredibly strict criteria – including that patients must have a BMI of 40 or over, plus four other weight-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. This spectacularly misses the point: weight loss like mine (and early intervention) is meant to prevent those serious conditions from developing in the first place. We could curb the obesity epidemic and start getting millions who are mired in misery and hopelessness off the sofa – and off disability benefits too. Dr Claire Gillvray is passionate about the medication as a health game-changer and wants everyone who needs Mounjaro to be able to access it. 'I worry about the health inequality and the delay in access within the NHS,' she says. 'I want to use it with my patients to get them ready for hip surgery and those with mental health problems to prevent them developing metabolic syndrome and dying 20 years younger than they should, but that unfortunately feels like years away.' Claire Gillvray, Rob Howlett and James 'See, I told you you could lift it' Wilkinson have been my guides on this incredible journey. 'You've changed your life around, Allison,' Claire says, 'gained healthy life years, but it has not just been about the injection. You have worked really hard. I'm proud of you.' If I can do it, so can you. I had no interest in exercise, and my main food group was paprika Pringles. Today, I'm lifting two-and-a-half times the weight I could a year ago and, every morning, I sprinkle on my Greek yogurt a protein-rich sawdust that rightly belongs on the floor of a gerbil cage. It's worth it because zips do up without protest, my triglycerides are world class and I'm not going to get dementia. At speaking engagements around the country, I've met Telegraph subscribers who read my original Mounjaro article last September and decided to try it too. (Wives tended to lead the way, with dubious husbands grumbling, but soon converted, and now approaching smug.) They come up beaming, often hug me, gesture down at their sylphlike forms and whisper, 'Best thing ever.' I couldn't agree more. Mounjaro, in the immortal words of The Stylistics: You make me feel brand new. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
I lost almost 3st in a year with fat jabs. It's not cheating
I feel reborn. I've been trying to think of a less dramatic way of saying it, but it's my birthday this week and I have acquired a delightful new lease of life in my 60s, so reborn is the right word. It's almost a year since I wrote in these pages that I was starting Mounjaro (tirzepatide), one of the new weight loss drugs that is revolutionising medical science essentially by sending a signal to your brain to tell it you are full. How has that gone? Well, on a purely practical level, I am no longer carrying an excess 38lb around with me – not far off what Royal Engineers must bear on their backs to complete an eight-mile ruck march in two hours. I was carrying my load 24 hours a day, on a small frame and without a soldier's brawn (we'll come to muscle in a minute). I can only offer my sincere apologies to my hips and knees – since drastically taking the pressure off them, all the pain I was experiencing has vanished. For those who have never struggled with their weight, as millions of us do, Mounjaro and Ozempic (semaglutide, a diabetes drug which can be used off-label for weight loss) are 'cheating'. Just jab fatty's little helper into your thigh once a week and, according to certain critics, it will magic away the pounds without the penitence and self-denial that sections of society appear to feel the fat owe to the thin. While 'fat-shaming' is now frowned upon (although people judge the obese all the time, of course they do), the media can be snarky about those who take medicine to help them slim down. They're not the only ones. 'You really don't want to lose any more,' your thinnest friend will advise you. It's always the slimmest friends who have the greatest difficulty watching you become a healthy size – as if they count on you to be the fat one, and feel betrayed when you start attracting some of the admiring attention that should belong to them, obviously. That's why many people who are 'on the pens', particularly women, I suspect, keep it a secret, even from their partners. They are scared of being seen as weak-willed and feeble. It is somehow shameful to take a weight-loss drug in a way it is not shameful to take statins, metformin or other drugs that become necessary when you are – yes – overweight. Try to make sense of that double standard if you can. Well, it's nobody's business, and anyway I'm far too happy with my new self to care what anyone thinks, but my transformation has taken persistence and hard work. Accelerated weight loss equals rapid muscle wastage, and I can't afford to lose any muscle at my age. Taking advantage of your new, suppressed appetite and shrunken stomach, it would be perfectly possible to exist on a pain au chocolat and a packet of crisps a day (some do), but you would rapidly become ill and malnourished. Your hair would fall out (one of the commonly cited side-effects of Mounjaro). I hired an exceptional personal trainer, James Wilkinson, from my local gym in Saffron Walden, and we set out on a mission to replace any muscle that was wasting away. Lifting weights at least twice a week, I was under orders to eat as much protein as I could. Cottage cheese was my new best friend. A sentence I never hoped to write. 'You were as weak as a kitten when we started,' James often reminded me when I was squashed and protesting loudly in a medieval leg-press contraption known (not fondly) as the 'bacon-slicer'. I've had more dignified smear tests. A couple of months ago, I texted James in a panic saying that my legs were suddenly looking 'really weird' and a bit like stringy hams. What could be wrong? 'Er, that's called muscle, Allison,' said the trainer. (He has kept his other clients entertained with reports of my cluelessness ever since.) Reader, I am an anatomical drawing! Legs are looking really good, arms are a work in progress, but something called 'definition' has been sighted. I am not yet ripped, more lightly frayed, but give me time. Looking back at the first entry in my Mounjaro diary last August, I weighed just over 12st, way too much for a 5ft 4in female with narrow hips lurking somewhere beneath the pillowy plumpness. My BMI was 28.8 (overweight) and, unsurprisingly, I was pre-diabetic. There was also a family history of heart attacks. 'You are at a crossroads,' my doctor, Rob Howlett, a private GP in Cambridge, told me flatly. 'If you carry on along this path, ahead lies diabetes, stroke, heart disease and dementia.' Gee, the four horses of the health apocalypse. All of that could be reversed, though, Dr Rob promised. Mounjaro, he said, was 'the closest thing to a miracle drug' he had encountered in his forty-year career. 'It's not just about weight,' he told me, 'the drugs reduce visceral fat, improve blood sugar control and lower the risk of heart disease.' Basically, the midlife 'midriff bulge' that the much-missed Terry Wogan used to tease Radio Two listeners about doesn't just make it an ordeal to do up a zip; it increases your risk profile for all the major Nasties. Still, I hesitated. For months. Truth be told, I am secretly one of those judgmental, get-a-grip-woman, just-eat-less puritans I can't stand. I had lost weight before by myself, so I could do it, couldn't I? 'Yes, but you keep putting it back on again,' said the doctor, jabbing at my notes which charted the dizzy highs and self-loathing lows of my constant battle to shed the pounds since having two implausibly large babies in the late Nineties. (Hoovering up leftover chicken nuggets from kids' teas solidified that 'baby weight' into a permanent malaise.) 'The drugs offer powerful, reliable results where diets and willpower often fail,' Rob said. 'That doesn't mean they should replace a healthy lifestyle, but they can give people the head start they need to reclaim their health.' Feeling pretty low by that point, both physically and mentally, I gave in and signed up with Dr Claire Gillvray, who runs a wellbeing and weight loss clinic in Cambridge. Claire both supplies Mounjaro and offers support to patients, including advice on diet and exercise classes. It was certainly worth the extra expense in the first few months when I bombarded her with queries. I began on the 2.5mg starting dose and felt it take effect within hours, although many people don't experience that until a larger injection. The 'food noise' in my brain that would see me rustling in the kitchen cupboards for something sweet an hour after I'd eaten dinner was stilled. I was elated when I lost 5lb in the first fortnight, but thereafter progress was slow and steady. Sometimes a pound a week, sometimes nothing at all. In the entry for Friday, Sept 13, when I was stuck at 11.7st, I drew a sad face with a downturned mouth. On Sunday, Sept 29, I was 11.1st – 'Lost 1 1/4lb this week, too slow,' I scribbled furiously. 'Not enough exercise?!!' Frequently, I would vent my frustration in texts to Dr Claire, who would calmly reply that 'things are changing internally and remember you are doing this for your long-term health.' Yes, yes, marvellous to think my poor old liver is less fatty, but I want to LOSE WEIGHT, dammit! It occurred to me that, counterintuitively, I was eating too little, so I increased my daily calories a bit. It helped. At the seven-week point, on Oct 4, a moment of triumph: 'Into the ten's!' I had dropped below 11st. People are understandably impatient to see the weight drop off. The mistake many make is increasing the dose too quickly, which can lead to those unpleasant side effects the media never stops printing scare stories about. (Boris Johnson reported that he was shedding 4 or 5lb a week on Ozempic when he started to dread the injections because they were making him feel ill. 'One minute I would be fine, and the next minute I would be talking to Ralph on the big white phone; and I am afraid that I decided that I couldn't go on.' I recommend Boris gives it another go with more user-friendly Mounjaro.) I have only ever gone up to 5mg, the second-lowest dose, and the only problems I've had are with constipation (magnesium tablets at night and a bit more fibre fixed that) and the ghastly 'sulphur burps' which make your mouth fill up with the noxious fumes from a stinky volcano. (I had an attack of the Etna reflux at a smart London dinner and spent the evening trying not to breathe out lest I horrify my famous neighbours on either side.) Mounjaro for me has always been a slender handrail to hold onto as I try to reset my dysfunctional relationship with food. 'Eat what you need first and then eat what you want,' trainer James advised. It really helped to think very consciously about feeding my body the good stuff it needed to thrive and build that all-important muscle. One evening, on my way home from a drinks party and starting to feel hungry without having had dinner, I stood scanning the shelves of tempting snacks in the train station shop. The old me would have picked up a bar of Dairy Milk, maybe a sandwich and some crisps – exactly the carbs I was now trying to avoid. 'There's nothing for you here,' I thought, and walked away. I really wanted a snack, but the progress I had made was more precious to me. Not only was Mounjaro helping to reduce my appetite, but I didn't want to taint my success so far by eating junk food. That was a turning point. Another milestone came in early December when Rob sent me an email. Subject: 'Blood test results and Gold Blue Peter badge.' My weight, he said, had dropped from 11st 13lb to 9st 13lb – a reduction of 16.4 per cent. I was no longer diabetic. Bad cholesterol had fallen by 30 per cent. Something called triglycerides (fat in the blood) dropped by 40 per cent. 'Amazing!' my doctor exclaimed. 'Not just the drug, Allison, you have made a big difference as well. But the combination of the two is stunning.' What a feeling of accomplishment – I was overjoyed. I had restored my body to her rightful self. To borrow a mantra on the gym wall, which I would once have found tooth-rottingly absurd, I was the me I wanted to be. Not just that, there was a new mental clarity. Having cut back on refined carbohydrates and focused on protein and fibre, I was now free from the blood sugar surges and crashes that had dictated my mood for so much of my life. It was like I'd been chained to a lunatic (greed/comfort eating) for years and suddenly released. It took time to adjust. My rings were loose on my fingers, and I suffered from a strange kind of body dysmorphia, unable to navigate my new size. In a favourite boutique, I found a top I liked but there was only an extra-small or a large on the rail. I asked for a medium and Hayley, the owner, laughed. 'You'll get into that extra-small,' she said. Who, me? She was right – it fitted. My daughter sold many of my bigger clothes on Vinted; others I've donated to charity shops, while some old favourites went to another Mounjaro user who's lost a heroic 4 1/2st and is now down to my original size 14 (another 2st to go before she reaches her goal). I have bought myself a new wardrobe of colourful or striking clothes I would never have dared wear. My new blue-and-white Margaret Thatcher pussy-bow tribute dress would have looked frumpy on me before, instead of elegant, I know. This new person no longer wears cardigans over summer dresses in the heat. 'You've been used to trying to hide your body, now you're not hiding,' Hayley said, and I realised that was true. Buying new clothes isn't cheap, of course, but think what I've saved on that hip replacement a consultant warned I'd probably need before I started Mounjaro – and the excruciating pain that has since vanished. I've also been able to revive outfits that I'd imagined I'd never wear again. What a surprise and a pleasure it is to put on a skirt you last wore pre-motherhood and find that it fits! Someone flatteringly asked if I'd had a facelift – no, but another major saving! I do have friends on Gaunt Watch – they've sworn to warn me if my cheeks look like they're caving in, which can be a consequence of excessive weight loss. If I had a magic wand right now, I would wave it and give this feeling – this lovely freedom from self-consciousness, this sense of being confident and entirely happy in your own skin – to every single person who has struggled time and again to lose weight and fallen back, dejected, into the sticky embrace of the Cookie Monster. Please don't think of it as cheating; think of it as a leveller that gives everyone the willpower to shed burdensome pounds and embed routines that make for sustainable change. A month ago, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: 'The NHS should be providing this medication to as many people as is needed. Obesity is now one of the leading causes of ill health, costing the NHS billions.' He's absolutely right. Although Mounjaro has finally been approved for use on the NHS in England, it is only under incredibly strict criteria – including that patients must have a BMI of 40 or over, plus four other weight-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. This spectacularly misses the point: weight loss like mine (and early intervention) is meant to prevent those serious conditions from developing in the first place. We could curb the obesity epidemic and start getting millions who are mired in misery and hopelessness off the sofa – and off disability benefits too. Dr Claire Gillvray is passionate about the medication as a health game-changer and wants everyone who needs Mounjaro to be able to access it. 'I worry about the health inequality and the delay in access within the NHS,' she says. 'I want to use it with my patients to get them ready for hip surgery and those with mental health problems to prevent them developing metabolic syndrome and dying 20 years younger than they should, but that unfortunately feels like years away.' Claire Gillvray, Rob Howlett and James 'See, I told you you could lift it' Wilkinson have been my guides on this incredible journey. 'You've changed your life around, Allison,' Claire says, 'gained healthy life years, but it has not just been about the injection. You have worked really hard. I'm proud of you.' If I can do it, so can you. I had no interest in exercise, and my main food group was paprika Pringles. Today, I'm lifting two-and-a-half times the weight I could a year ago and, every morning, I sprinkle on my Greek yogurt a protein-rich sawdust that rightly belongs on the floor of a gerbil cage. It's worth it because zips do up without protest, my triglycerides are world class and I'm not going to get dementia. At speaking engagements around the country, I've met Telegraph subscribers who read my original Mounjaro article last September and decided to try it too. (Wives tended to lead the way, with dubious husbands grumbling, but soon converted, and now approaching smug.) They come up beaming, often hug me, gesture down at their sylphlike forms and whisper, 'Best thing ever.'
