FOR years stay-at-home mum Natalie Strange tried everything to lose weight – all the trendy diets, calorie counting, you name it.
So when fat jabs came along, she expected drastic results – and she got them, shedding 2st in the first month. Despite a series of grim side effects she says the surprising financial benefit has helped “change her life”.
Natalie wore a 22 dress size before taking MounjaroJam Press/@mounjaro_maintain_with_me Jam Press/@mounjaro_maintain_with_meWithin a year of starting the medicine, she’s lost seven stone – dropping to a size 10[/caption] Jam Press/@mounjaro_maintain_with_meShe claims the jabs have changed her life[/caption]While many consider weight loss jabs “cheating”, Natalie tells Sun Health they simply “level the playing field” and just make her “normal”.
Before she resorted to taking the medication, the 36-year-old indulged in pastries for breakfast and burgers for lunch.
Come the evening and with her phone in hand, she could rarely resist the temptation – one night a Chinese takeaway was ordered, the next a kebab.
At her largest, a size 22, the stay-at-home mum from Norwich was spending hundreds each month feeding her “takeaway addiction” – until fat jabs changed everything.
Now, Natalie says she feels like “a new person”.
Within a year of starting the medicine, she’s lost seven stone – dropping to a size 10.
And what’s more, her dramatic change in eating habits has helped her start to build up her savings account at the same time.
Before turning to the jabs, Natalie had tried various diets – from Weight Watchers and Slimming World to calorie counting – but nothing worked.
“I had been trying my whole adult life to lose weight,” she explains.
The mum hated her body so much she would avoid travelling with her husband.
“I felt like an embarrassment,” she explains.
“It made me miserable, anxious and depressed,” she adds.
Natalie admits she would spend £250 a month on takeaways instead, which she “didn’t even enjoy”.
“It just left me feeling guilty and bloated,” she says.
This cycle continued until she visited her doctor, who warned she was pre-diabetic with “dangerous” high blood pressure.
Jam Press/@mounjaro_maintain_with_meBefore starting the medicine, Nataline would binge on takeouts[/caption] Jam Press/@mounjaro_maintain_with_meHer dramatic change in eating habits has helped her start to build up her savings account at the same time[/caption] Jam Press/@mounjaro_maintain_with_meNatalie paid £200 a month for her prescription – £50 less than she was spending on takeaways[/caption]Before, she’d eat pastries or a full English for breakfast, followed by a large Big Mac meal with a milkshake and apple pie for lunch, followed by a takeaway for dinner.
Natalie, who always felt exhausted and could never muster the energy to squeeze in any exercise, was left weighing 19st at her heaviest.
Terrified about the future, she came across Mounjaro and cut her unhealthy habits to fund the jabs instead, costing £200 a month.
“[Cutting this addiction] has basically funded my medication,” she explains.
Instant results
Mounjaro contains tirzepatide, which is designed to suppress a person’s appetite so they eat less.
It mimics a gut hormone called GLP-1, which is released after eating, and slows down the movement of food in your gut, so you feel fuller for longer.
It’s closely related to the better-known diabetes drug Ozempic, which contains the active ingredient semaglutide, but works in the same way.
In the UK, Ozempic is only approved as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, but the active ingredient semaglutide is also found in Wegovy, approved for both diabetes and weight loss here.
Meanwhile, Mounjaro is available privately, meaning people can access it through private clinics or online services after a consultation with a doctor.
It is typically prescribed for people who are overweight or obese.
While it is not yet widely available on the NHS for weight loss, it is approved for type 2 diabetes treatment.
The cost for private prescriptions generally ranges from £129 to £249 per month, depending on the provider.
After starting Mounjaro in March 2024, Natalie saw instant results.
She says: “In the first week, I lost 10lbs and then in less than a month, I went down by two stone.
“I never felt full before and was constantly craving junk food; but not anymore.”
And she also noticed a difference to her savings account.
Natalie paid £200 a month for her prescription – £50 less than she was spending on takeaways.
By making the switch, she could now save around £600 a year.
She now regularly does yoga, strength training and running, which has led her to finding new friends and given her confidence a boost.
Jam Press/@mounjaro_maintain_with_me‘The skinny jabs have just made me normal,’ she says[/caption]‘Skinny jabs have just made me normal’
Currently, she’s on a 5mg maintenance dose and plans to come off the jabs completely this year.
Like many other users, Natalie did experience some side effects, including nausea, stomach cramps and frequent headaches.
Other reported side effects include dizziness, extreme fatigue, dehydration, and even vomiting or diarrhoea.
There are also bigger risks, like inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), thyroid problems, gallstones and kidney issues.
Earlier this year, The Sun reported that 82 people in the UK had died after using weight loss or diabetes jabs.
But Natalie is adamant, the side effects were worth it.
“My only advice is to do it,” she adds.
“It’s changed my life – and only for the better – you won’t regret it.
“I think there is a general thinking that using medication for weight loss is cheating.
“I feel like it’s just leveling the playing field.
“My desperate need to overindulge was a health problem, not a willpower issue.
“The skinny jabs have just made me normal.”
If you’re considering fat jabs it’s crucial to speak with your doctor.
They can assess your eligibility, discuss potential risks and benefits, and help you determine if this treatment is right for you.
Weight loss injections are often prescribed by specialist weight management services after a referral from your GP.
Jam Press/@mounjaro_maintain_with_meNatalie is now urging others try the medicine[/caption]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.
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