THE price of Mounjaro is set to soar, The Sun revealed last week.
It threatens to spark a cost of slimming crisis, adding more than £100 per month to prescription bills.
A typical monthly prescription for weight loss injection Mounjaro — medical name tirzepatide — could rise from less than £200 to more than £300 from the start of September.
But while some have admitted they’re willing to get themselves into debt to stay on the jab, one woman has revealed how she lost weight in a totally natural way.
The woman, only known as @ biffgoudiebkup on TikTok , claimed she dropped several dress sizes without Mounjaro, often regarded by some as the King Kong of weight loss jabs .
Mounjaro works by suppressing your appetite , making people feel fuller for longer.
The injections are licensed for patients with type 2 diabetes and to assist those who are clinically obese (with a Body Mass Index of 30 or over).
One jab is administered each week but the duration is dependent on someone’s weight.
But according to the woman, who went ”from a size 20 to a size 12”, there’s a method that ”beats Mounjaro” – and it’s friendlier to your wallet too.
Showing off her incredible transformation, the TikToker revealed she had lost a lot of weight thanks to ”fruit fasting”, she said in the video .
Fruit fasting is when you only consume fruit for several days – and as fruit, such as watermelon and apple, is lower in calories and higher in water, you’re likely to shed weight.
But while consuming fruit is certainly beneficial, following a fruit fast is short-lived truth if you don’t know how to adjust your long-term diet and lifestyle for more sustainable weight loss.
Those who’ve followed the fruit-only diet have also claimed they’ve noticed significant changes in their digestion , experiencing less bloating.
But according to Ashley Simper, manager of Dietetic Services with OSF HealthCare , it can go the total opposite way.
She told the publication: ”Fibre is important to help keep our digestive system moving. But if you have a sudden increase in fibre in your diet, as you would if you ate all fruits for three days straight, it can have the opposite effect.
”The claims to reduce bloating can be quite the opposite. It can actually promote bloating , abdominal cramping and pain,” the expert warned.
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.
“What we would recommend is a slow increase in fibre as well as making sure you’re having adequate fluids (eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily), we don’t want to do something like that overnight.”
As well as shedding weight, the TikToker revealed she’s noticed another change – potentially, a result of her new diet.
”Day four of my fruit fast. Slept like a baby last night , first time in years I’ve had a full 12 hours,” she said in the video .
”Could this fasting be healing insomnia? I think so.”
While fruit fast hasn’t been directly linked to better sleep, there are some popular picks which may improve sleep quality , such as kiwis, tart cherries and pineapples, Hartford Healthcare reported .
The jaw-dropping makeover has since taken the internet by storm, winning the slimmer stunner close to 80k views in just one day.
One viewer said: ”Well done proud of u keep it up.”
”Well done, you look fab,” another chimed in.
The dark side of Mounjaro
Last year it was revealed that Scots nurse Susan McGowan , 58, died after taking low-dose injections of Mounjaro over a fortnight.
A probe also found that nearly 400 people have gone to hospital after taking weight loss drugs.
Side effects include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea leading to severe dehydration.
But doctors say they have also seen “life-threatening complications”, including seizures, bowel obstruction and inflammation of the pancreas.
Model Lottie Moss, 27, also said she had a seizure after taking high doses of Ozempic .
The makers of Mounjaro, Lilly UK, said patient safety is its “top priority”.
Lilly UK stressed: “Regulatory agencies conduct extensive independent assessments of the benefits and risks of every new medicine and Lilly is committed to continually monitoring, evaluating, and reporting safety data.
“If anyone is experiencing side effects when taking any Lilly medicine, they should talk to their doctor or other healthcare professional.”
