Jodie Reid, 32, had a gastric sleeve operation after she struggled to lose weight following a netball injury in 2018 – but after she fell pregnant she found it hard to shift the pounds
A mum who felt “trapped” in her overweight body lost a total of nine stone – and said the weight loss jab Mounjaro was “more effective” than surgery.
Jodie Reid, 32, from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, had battled with her weight for years and after an injury left her immobile, she saw her weight climb to 19st 6lbs wearing size 24 clothes.
Despairing at her situation and with personal and fertility troubles mounting, Jodie decided on gastric sleeve surgery in the UK in September 2021, which cost her £10.5k and led to a five stone weight loss over six months.
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She then experienced a “whirlwind” romance and pregnancy with new partner Denny Swan, 29, an electrician, but found herself gaining weight again during the pregnancy, giving birth to Eleanor Swan in December 2022.
Jodie turned to Mounjaro jabs in April 2024 to shed the post-baby pounds, astonishingly losing more weight than she did from her surgery, dropping down to a healthy 10st 9lbs.
The life-changing injections have now made her a proponent of the treatment, declaring: “So many people are using weight loss jabs now – it’s changing lives.”
Reflecting on her experience, she stated: “I’ve lost more weight from Mounjaro than I did the sleeve surgery – if I were to do it again I’d use Mounjaro first.”
Through her journey, Jodie has been fortunate, suffering only minor side effects like a dry mouth initially, finding success and support in her nursing role within the private sector.
“I’ve had no significant side effects.
“I’m funding it all myself and I’m now the healthiest I’ve ever been – so I don’t really care what people think.”
Talking about her health journey, Jodie described how she “gained a lot of weight” after a netball incident in June 2018 which led to a ruptured Achilles tendon.
It took two years before she underwent surgery, where doctors took a tendon from her foot to repair her Achilles.
Alongside her physical struggles, Jodie’s efforts to conceive were hampered by her weight issues.
These challenges coincided with personal upheaval as her decade-long relationship crumbled, leading to the end of her marriage in February 2019.
Determined to turn things around, Jodie explored various weight loss solutions and eventually decided to undergo a gastric sleeve procedure, arranging it privately in the UK in September 2021.
She shared her motivations: “I was just so fed up with being overweight.
“I reached the end of my tether, I felt like I was trapped in a body that wasn’t mine.”
Jodie, who is a nurse, found reassurance in local medical services: “Being a nurse myself, it felt safer in the UK at the time.”
Looking back, she believes the investment was worth it: “It was the best money I’ve ever spent.”
Post-surgery, Jodie “recovered quickly”, spending a mere one night in Burcot Hall Hospital, Birmingham, before returning home.
Her weight loss soon kickstarted, as she dropped five stone within six months.
Just four months post-operation, love blossomed for Jodie; she fell “head over heels in love” with new partner Denny, and they conceived their first child together three months into their relationship.
Due to the recent surgery and her still slightly high BMI, the pregnancy began under consultant care.
Reflecting on her journey, Jodie expressed: “I hadn’t lost all the weight yet but I was just so happy to be pregnant.”
Jodie gave birth to her daughter in December 2022 after being closely monitored due to her high-risk pregnancy. Following childbirth, her weight fluctuated significantly, prompting her to start using Mounjaro in April last year.
At the time, Jodie weighed 16 stone, but has since slimmed down to 10st 9lbs. She has been documenting her weight loss journey online, where she has received largely positive and supportive feedback, despite some negative comments.
Jodie shared: “I’ve a few comments saying I should just eat less and move more – which is not helpful.
“There is so much more to obesity and losing weight.
“Mounjaro’s really helped me and now I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been.
“It’s helped with polycystic ovaries symptoms and my menstrual cycle too – I have less period pains now.
“It’s healed in so many different areas.”
In retrospect, Jodie wishes she had tried the weight loss injections before undergoing gastric sleeve surgery. “Having a surgical procedure is a big decision and if I were to do things again I’d have the jabs first before the surgery.
“The surgery did change my life, but knowing what I know now about Mounjaro and how effective it is, I’d do that first.
“I don’t know if it’s psychological, but my head feels a lot clearer, and I feel generally better on it.”