I didn\u2019t tell my GP, children or my close friends until I knew whether my experiment would work. The only people sharing my secret have been my husband Jon and my sister Helen. But now I\u2019m coming clean.<\/p>\n
As a health writer, working for the Daily Mail for more than three decades, I\u2019ve investigated \u2013 and tested \u2013 every possible diet and been fascinated by GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. Last year I worked with Dr Jack Mosley (son of Dr Michael Mosley) on his book, Food Noise, which digs deep into the pros and cons of the jabs.<\/p>\n
I became intrigued by ways in which these drugs might improve our health \u2013 irrespective of weight loss<\/a>. They have been shown to help dampen inflammation (easing arthritis and reducing risk of disease); shrinking the chance of having heart attacks, strokes, depression<\/a> and anxiety; and slowing the progression of Alzheimer\u2019s and Parkinson\u2019s. They have even been shown to offer protection against some cancers.<\/p>\n The years between 50 and 70 are referred to as \u2018sniper\u2019s alley\u2019 because that\u2019s when these life-limiting conditions are most likely to strike.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve always followed a healthy lifestyle (Mediterranean-based diet, no smoking, daily exercise), but with a family history of high blood pressure and too many on my mother\u2019s side fatally struck by cancer (bladder, brain, womb) I\u2019m fully aware those snipers have me in their sights. Could self-medicating with weight-loss jabs help me dodge the bullets?<\/p>\n My starting BMI of 29 placed me at the top of the \u2018overweight\u2019 category \u2013 nudging on obese \u2013 but not heavy enough to qualify for jabs on the NHS. However, GLP-1s can be legally prescribed if you have a BMI of 27-29 and a weight-related medical condition.<\/p>\n Louise Atkinson didn’t tell anyone but her husband and sister that she had started using the Mounjaro weight-loss jabs<\/p>\n As a health writer, working for the Daily Mail for more than three decades, Ms Atkinson has investigated \u2013 and tested \u2013 every possible diet and been fascinated by GLP-1 medications<\/p>\n When I ticked the boxes on the online form to confirm osteoarthritis, high blood pressure and sleep apnoea (a snoring-related condition which means I stop breathing at regular intervals) I was approved for my \u2018starter dose\u2019 of one month\u2019s supply of 2.5mg.<\/p>\n Studies show arthritis increases sharply after the age of 45 as the body struggles to cope with the wear and tear on joints.<\/p>\n The swelling, stiffness and pain in my knees (I\u2019d been forced to have a partial knee replacement at 47), my big toe joints and my lower back meant I was relying on painkillers to get me through the day. A decade of sleep apnoea left me exhausted and I was worried about research showing the stress this puts on your heart can shorten life expectancy.<\/p>\n Although I knew losing weight would ease the pressure on my worn-out joints and trim the fat around my neck to potentially ease the snoring and sleep apnoea, I was most excited by emerging reports of the anti-inflammatory effects of the jabs. Inflammation speeds up the ageing process, gumming up the tiny blood vessels in the heart and brain and accelerating the cancer process.<\/p>\n I was determined to use this jab to kickstart a super-healthy diet and exercise regime to reverse the biological ageing process before it was too late.<\/p>\n Following advice in Jack\u2019s book about nutritional deficiency and muscle wastage, which can commonly go with rapid weight loss, I prioritised protein (aiming for 60 to 80g a day) and fibre (loads of vegetables and pulses); had no booze or processed foods; did heavy weightlifting sessions four times a week; and added Pilates classes and padel to my daily dog walks.<\/p>\n From day one the food noise disappeared. The silence was blissful, and overnight I became the self-disciplined healthy eater I\u2019d always wanted to be. Yes, I still get excited about food \u2013 but only if it is fresh, highly flavoured and in small quantities.<\/p>\n I lost around a pound a week and was happy with this slow progress. By the time I ordered my second pen (increasing the dose to 5mg), I was half a stone down.<\/p>\n I stayed at this 5mg dose, figuring it would help keep a lid on the cost (around \u00a3140 a month, with the cost rising with the dose) and force me to incorporate a bit of self-discipline. The best effect has been the flattening of my menopausal belly.<\/p>\n Over the years my waist had expanded to be wider than my hips, meaning I had substantial deposits of harmful visceral fat in there, clinging to my organs.<\/p>\n Visceral fat contributes to inflammation (which causes metabolic chaos) and insulin resistance (making cells less responsive to the beneficial action of the hormone insulin). It can also increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnoea, dementia and even certain cancers.<\/p>\n Mounjaro is one of the three most common weight-loss jabs along with Ozempic and Wegovy<\/p>\n From day one the food noise disappeared. The silence was blissful, and overnight I became the self-disciplined healthy eater I\u2019d always wanted to be.\u00a0<\/p>\n When I started on the jabs I took a baseline of scientific readings of body fat, visceral fat and muscle density using the hi-tech InBody machine at my gym.<\/p>\n My body fat was 29.5 per cent and visceral fat covered an area of 104cm sq. Both were alarmingly in the danger zone. Now, after five months, my body fat is 25.5 per cent and visceral fat has reduced to 82cm sq. Both figures are very much in the healthy zone.<\/p>\n After two months, when I had lost a stone, I noticed I was sleeping better. My long-suffering husband confirmed that my snoring had stopped, and with it the sleep apnoea. Studies show losing 5 to 10 per cent of your body weight can resolve the problem \u2013 for me that was about a stone.<\/p>\n My knees stopped complaining, then my back and toes, and I haven\u2019t taken a painkiller for months. My body is so much happier scampering around a padel court now that I no longer have to carry the equivalent of a small child around with me.<\/p>\n I\u2019d been taking tablets for blood pressure for two years, but last month I recorded a week\u2019s worth of much lower readings and called my GP for advice. I was worried she might chastise me for self-medicating on Mounjaro but, to my surprise, she congratulated me for being proactive. Under her supervision, I\u2019m now off the blood pressure pills altogether.<\/p>\n My cholesterol levels are now back to normal, too. My liver was showing signs of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, but a FibroScan (available privately from loveyourliver.com) showed all signs of toxic fattiness are gone.<\/p>\n So far my weight has dropped from 13st to 11st and my BMI has tumbled from the top to the bottom of the \u2018overweight\u2019 category to 25.8 \u2013 just a few pounds away from the \u2018healthy\u2019 range. My intention is to keep going until my BMI is comfortably below 25 (around 11st) and stay there.<\/p>\n I\u2019m proud that my focus on eating plenty of protein and pumping weights has meant I haven\u2019t lost any muscle, according to the InBody scanner. The weight I have lost must be entirely fat \u2013 and I\u2019m thrilled!<\/p>\n I\u2019ve enjoyed this journey so much I don\u2019t want to stop \u2013 and I\u2019ve never said that about a diet and exercise regime before.<\/p>\n My plan is to \u2018microdose\u2019 long-term by dropping down to the 2.5mg \u2018starter\u2019 dose and spreading out the jabs to fortnightly or even monthly, to maintain the health effects my body is responding so well to while stabilising my weight.<\/p>\n I\u2019m lucky I can afford to pay for the jabs privately, but I\u2019ve done the \u2018girl maths\u2019 and I reckon my Mounjaro habit costs me around \u00a33 a day \u2013 a bargain when I\u2019m now consuming at least \u00a35 less in food and wine each day.<\/p>\n I know there are risks attached to taking this relatively new drug, but I figure I\u2019ve swapped a fast-growing prescription list (blood pressure meds, painkillers, steroid sprays, cortisol injections, statins) for one medication at the lowest possible dose. I\u2019m healthier now than I have been for decades and doing everything possible to dodge the bullets of sniper\u2019s alley.<\/p>\n I\u2019d also be lying if I said I didn\u2019t love my flatter stomach, smaller boobs, enhanced jawline, boosted self-esteem and a wardrobe of new figure-hugging clothes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Since mid-January, I\u2019ve been hiding a secret drug habit. Once a week I sneak off and jab myself…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":187925,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[92,368,105,211,370,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-187924","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-dailymail","9":"tag-femail","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-nhs","12":"tag-ozempic","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114690824959355794","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187924\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Louise](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/99396625-14814363-Louise_Atkinson_didn_t_tell_anyone_but_her_husband_and_sister_th-a-8_1750022870068.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"As](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/99396627-14814363-As_a_health_writer_working_for_the_Daily_Mail_for_more_than_thre-a-7_1750022870062.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Mounjaro](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/99396623-14814363-image-a-16_1750004386834.jpg\")
<\/p>\n