A busy mum-of-two has dropped three dress sizes with the help of weight loss jabs. She’s debunked myths about the medication and has one thing to say to people who call her ‘lazy’
A woman has revealed she’s managed to drop a staggering three dress sizes thanks to weight loss jabs – but people brand her “lazy” for using them.
Emma Lasenby, 36, previously spent her mornings in tears after looking at herself in the mirror, so she turned to medication to help shift her weight. The mum-of-two would heartbreakingly make excuses not to leave the house or see friends, and she also struggled to keep up with her two kids aged four and six, due to her weight. She has now managed to lose over four stone in less than a year, going from a size 18 to a size 12, but has been branded lazy for not going down the natural weight loss route.
Emma, from Kent, said it wasn’t until she saw a photo from her brother’s wedding that she knew something had to change. “I felt so confident and comfortable in what I had worn for my brother’s wedding, but when I saw the photo, I was shocked,” she said. “In reality, I looked entirely different. I’d tried so many diets and exercise programs that only kept the weight off in the short-term, I needed a sustainable way to lose weight.”
With 1 in 10 women in the UK currently using weight loss medications, Emma is part of the 38% who feel that users are treated “differently” than those who have chosen a more natural approach. “There is so much judgement about people’s weight and size, and then again about people doing something about it,” the NHS infant feeding worker said. “I had been quite selective with who I told about using this medication, but I had already heard so many people talking about those who use it, such as myself, as lazy or that the weight loss doesn’t count, as it wasn’t done through exercise.”
Debunking one myth about weight loss jabs, Emma said that for her, using the medication is “another tool to aid the process” – not a “magic wand”. She says it gives people the time and space to “reset habits” and help heal unhealthy relationships with food.
Before starting the medication, the mum had been trying to lose weight since she was a young adult, but she had put it to the back of her mind after giving birth to her second child. She explained: “I didn’t feel confident or accepted at my size. I learned to dress a certain way, to hide my body, and lost my sense of style and the way I liked to dress, as I worried about how it would make me feel – and how others would see me. Compliments always seemed to have a caveat and didn’t have the energy to keep up with my children; I would be tired, have aches and a lack of energy.”
Trying other options like Slimming World, calorie defecits and “gruelling” exercise routines, Emma’s results only ever stuck in the short term, and she was fed up of nothing working. As a lover of food, it was always on her mind and she’d often grab whatever, whenever, without a thought about how nutritional it was.
Emma eventually accessed medication through Juniper after checking her eligibility and discussing a plan with a prescriber. However it can be a pricey option – a starting dose can begin at £180 and then go up depending on increases in dosage. She said: “Before, when I had lost weight, it quickly crept back on faster than it came off whenever I stopped with the diet or exercising. Now I’m more confident, wear what I like and feel like I’ve got my new, own style. I’m more energised and willing to do more things.”
Currently, she weighs 10st and has gone from a UK dress size 18 to 12 and says she now knows how to balance her nutrition through the day. Emma also says she understands the importance of eating as well as fuelling her body regularly. “I make use of protein shakes, and lunch is something simple – balanced, with a focus on protein – and not eating loads of food for the sake of it,” she revealed.
For dinner, Emma uses a meal subscription which she said has been great for finding new recipes. She’s also found ways to enjoy work outs. “I’m building exercise into my routine and everyday tasks. Getting out with the kids, multiple trips up and down the stairs or anything else where I can get moving.”
Emma is now on a maintenance dose of the medication she is on as she’s closer to her target weight. She wants to get to a point where she feels happy to stop the medication, when her weight and size no longer impacts her day-to-day life.
She had some firm advice for those looking to lose weight and said: “No weight loss will stick if you aren’t willing to change your habits. I knew nothing about weight loss medication, but had seen an advert and thought it was worth looking into. I had no contradictions, beside being mindful of the side effects, but I thought it was at least worth a go. Now, I no longer worry about what people think about my looks – as they’ll always judge regardless – but what’s more important is my acceptance of how I look and feel. And that’s been a massive shift.”
Weight loss jabs were originally approved just for Type 2 diabetes in the UK but versions such as Wegovy and Mounjaro are now approved on the NHS for people who are obese and have other health problems as a consequence. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends Mounjaro on the NHS as an option for patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 with at least one obesity-related condition. This is known as obesity class II where everyday movements are much more strenuous and the risk of secondary diseases is increased significantly. Anyone with a BMI over 30 is considered obese.
But as of this month, weight loss jabs will be subject to a national clampdown following fears they are being abused by some users. The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has told online pharmacies they can no longer prescribe the weekly injections after reading a patient questionnaire, and instead must verify whether a user is actually dangerously overweight. The guidance comes after England’s top doctor Sir Stephen Powis warned appetite-suppressing jabs should not be used just to get people “beach body ready” as they can come with dangerous side effects.
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