Donique Wint, 38, tipped the scales at 18st after years of eating out and snacking on sweets took their toll
A mum who shed five stone in just 21 weeks using weight loss injections has revealed that the treatment also helped curb her £500-a-month shopping addiction. Donique Wint, 38, tipped the scales at 18st after years of dining out and indulging in sweet treats began to take their toll.
In addition to “non-stop grazing” on crisps while working from home as a civil servant, Donique would spend her evenings engrossed in online shopping. The self-proclaimed shopaholic confessed to splurging up to £500 each month on trainers, spontaneous purchases of outfits from online retailers, and lavish £5,000 family holidays to Jamaica for her 20-year-old daughter and six-year-old son.
After struggling to fit into a size 22, she decided in February 2025 that enough was enough and forked out £160 per month to start taking GLP-1 medication, Mounjaro. Describing the effects as “immediate”, the mother-of-two found her food cravings were replaced with feelings of nausea – effectively putting her off fast food and sugary snacks.
Donique, who suspects she may have ADHD tendencies, said the weight loss injections not only “switched off” her food cravings but also curbed her compulsion to shop online. Now weighing in at 13st 11lbs, she’s focused on maintaining her weight by continuing with the injections and spends her spare time – once used for shopping – hitting the gym every day.
Donique, hailing from Greater Manchester, said: “Before, I was constantly grazing on crisps and Haribo because I worked from home. Having neurodivergent tendencies means that I have certain impulses that before, I couldn’t ignore before.
“Mine was shopping, I would spend hundreds and hundreds on new outfits and trainers, which I didn’t need. My brain craved the instant rush a purchase gave me.
“But I wasn’t happy with the way I looked, so I decided to do something about it. The effects were instant. In the first week, I lost 7lbs.
“I was thrilled, but it was scary because it was so effective. It wasn’t until two months in that I noticed I no longer craved a late-night online shopping spree.
“It switched off my craving for food and my addiction to shopping. I put it down to Mounjaro because I’m spending £500 less a month on online shopping and snacks.
“It’s also made me a better mum, because I’m more active. I feel like I have a spring in my step.”
Donique said she had battled with her weight throughout her life – despite attempting Weight Watchers and intermittent fasting, neither proved successful for her. From the age of 14, she has suspected she exhibits ADHD characteristics.
The NHS GP-led service, Think ADHD, states that symptoms for these conditions include struggles with impulse control and emotional regulation, which Donique reckons contributed to her compulsive spending habits.
“I was so unhappy in my body because of my lifestyle, I’d use shopping as a quick fix,” she said. “I’d wake up at night to shop as well as buy things throughout the day.
“You name it, I ordered it; electric salt and pepper shakers, light dimmers, beds, perfume for me and my daughter, make-up. My Evri man knows me by name – we have each other’s numbers. But it was short-lived because I was just always chasing that short-term satisfaction.”
In February 2025 Donique decided enough was enough and privately paid for access to the GLP-1 medication. She shed a stone in her first month and by her holiday to Turkey in April, she had slimmed down to a size 12. By the time five months rolled around, she’d lost 5st.
Not only did the jabs silence the food “noise”, but they also curbed her impulsive shopping habit, she said. Now, she is pocketing up to £500 a month without her online shopping addiction and old grazing habits.
She said: “I just don’t get that urge anymore. Now, if I find a £20 note, I don’t feel like I need to spend it. Everything is calmer. Food noise has died down, so have my spending impulses.”
She said she felt “better than ever” and noticed that strangers treat her differently.
Donique said: “My confidence is better and I get more acknowledgement from strangers. They smile and hold doors for me.
“I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s pretty privileged, but it’s nice. Sometimes my friends and family don’t spot me if I’m out and about, and I have to catch their attention. I can’t recommend the jabs enough – it’s been a god-send for me.”
Donique’s diet before
Breakfast: Full English, including eggs, beans and bacon
Lunch: Takeaway like fish and chips
Dinner: Takeaway like pizza and Chinese
Snacks: Crisps, scones with jam and cream, sweets, fruit and nut chocolate
Drinks: Fizzy drinks and juice
Donique’s diet now
Breakfast: Nutritional greens drink, oats and yoghurt
Lunch: Steamed fish and vegetables
Dinner: Fish and vegetables
Snacks: Raw cashew nuts
Drinks: At least two litres of water a day