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, . Despite a series of grim side effects she says the surprising financial benefit has helped “change her life”;.
While many consider “cheating”;, Natalie tells Sun Health they simply “level the playing field”; and just make her “normal”;.
Before she resorted to taking the , 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 – from and 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 with “dangerous”; high blood pressure.
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 , was left weighing 19st at her heaviest.
Terrified about the future, she came across 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 drug , 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 , 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 .
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 , and , which has led her to finding new friends and given her confidence a boost.
‘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 , and .
Other reported side effects include dizziness, extreme fatigue, dehydration, and even vomiting or .
There are also bigger risks, like inflammation of the pancreas (), , and .
Earlier this year, The Sun reported that 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.
