I tried to lose weight on Mounjaro but was bleeding & in constant pain – then found a cheaper way with zero side effects

IT was when Gillian Coia saw herself in a new photo that something finally clicked.

Topping the scales at 15.5 stone, the Scottish mum-of-four realised something needed to change – after suffering family loss, Gillian, now 44, fell into and relied on as a coping mechanism.

Gillian, 44, at the start of her weight loss journey in February – and now Before discovering the 1:1 diet, the mum-of-four tried Mounjaro – which caused her severe pain and even abdominal bleeding She has since shed a whopping 3 stone – and the method is cheaper than Mounjaro

Like thousands across the nation, the stay-at-home mum wanted to lose weight – and she wanted to .

Ultimately, she resorted to – first, Saxenda, which she used for eight months, before switching to , then at 12.5 stone.

But Mounjaro – which is often referred to as the King Kong of jabs – left Gillian with severe , stomach cramps, abdominal bleeding and in constant pain.

Over the three months that she was on Mounjaro, Gillian didn’t lose any weight – and her old habits of eating and Chinese eventually caused her to balloon up to over 14 stone.

”It was giving me a very sore head, I was sick all the time,” Gillian exclusively shared with Fabulous .

”On my first injection, I thought it was amazing. I lost a lot of weight, the weight just fell off.

”But it didn’t teach me what was good food, what was , healthy food.

”It just taught me that my stomach didn’t want to eat the amount of food that I normally put in it.

”The minute I stopped the injections, my were the exact same as before I even started.”

While on the jabs – which she had forked out an eye-watering £2,300 on in a year – Gillian was still downing instead of water and munched on , sausage rolls and biscuits after dropping the kids off at school.

”I was getting no good nutrition in my body. My face was breaking out, I was getting spotty, I was drained,” she says.

”I should’ve been springing around in my 40s – not acting like an 80-year-old.”

In February this year, the Scots mum she stumbled across the 1:1 diet (formerly known as The Cambridge Diet) which a friend had recommended.

Gillian is currently 10.5 stone – feeling more confident than ever, Gillian’s overall attitude to food has completely changed and she now makes sensible food choices instead of poor ones.

The concept of the diet is to replace most or all of a person’s daily food intake with 35 specially formulated  products, such as shakes, soups, bars, and porridge, all of which are approximately  or under.

While the meal replacement products are low in calories, they contain all the necessary and vital nutrients.

As the body doesn’t get enough calories to meet its energy needs, it starts burning fat stores to keep functioning and induces a state of “,” or the use of fat, rather than glucose, for energy.

There is  and those on the strict diet need to drink at least three litres of water daily.

Unlike with Mounjaro and Saxenda, the 1:1 diet program also offers support and regular check-ins to keep you on track – something Gillian, now 2 stone lighter, appreciates.

”I come and get weighed every week. There are Facebook and WhatsApp groups, I talk to other people also on the diet,” she explains.

”Every day everybody is inspiring everybody, they talk about what they’ve had for lunch, what they’ve had for breakfast.

”Everybody sharing their experiences gives you more confidence.”

When it comes to the meal replacements, Gillian said there’s something for everyone – and the diet offers a huge variety of dishes, such as porridge, shakes and pasta.

”I feel like it never put me off. Whereas sometimes if you’re eating the same meal every day it makes you fall backwards,” she says.

”It doesn’t matter what time of the day you have them – there is no right or wrong time.

”If I didn’t want to eat all day, at nighttime I can sit and eat [it all].”

Making better choices on holiday

Gillian also managed to stay more or less on track on a recent holiday

Even a recent cruise trip to the didn’t get in the way of Gillian’s jaw-dropping transformation – despite enjoying herself for five days, the mum-of-four only put on a few pounds, which she is on track to shedding off again.

”I did cheat on holiday – because I was on holiday. But I thought about what I was having.

”I used to be bad for bread, so I would have pizza or something that’s not good for you.

”But when I went on the holiday, I had Caesar salad, I would have meat, a bit of veg – but I wouldn’t have chips.”

Gillian’s glow-up – which has also seen her drop two bra sizes – hasn’t gone unnoticed by her friends, some of whom struggle to recognise her in public.

At the time of jumping on the diet in February, Gillian’s (Body Mass Index) was 33.9 – which falls into the obese range.

Many medical professionals believe that having a BMI that’s too high or low can increase your risk of health problems, including ,  and type 2 diabetes.

Now, Gillian has reached the healthy BMI range – which falls between 18.5-25 – and feels better than ever.

My confidence, my self-esteem is better

Gillian CoiaScotland

”I feel like I’ve got more , my health is ten times better. My , my self-esteem is better,” said the mum who previously didn’t like being in photos.

As far as costs concerned, Gillian pays around £210 every month – but this gives her access to everything and all the food that she needs.

By contrast on Mounjaro, jabbers are now facing costs of £270 to £340 following , and they still have to buy food on top of that.

Gillian is proud to have achieved the results without fat jabs – but understands why some people are ”willing to put up with the pain [side effects]” to shed weight.

”If that’s what works for you, it works for you. It worked for me for a good while and it was good.

”But the minute you stop, I will tell you – you’ll gain all the weight back.”