Dates ghosted me after I hit 15st 7lbs – I spent £1k on failed diets then pal’s cruel comment saw me lose 5st on jabs

AT university in my early twenties, all the nights out and careless eating pushed my weight up to 15 stone 7lbs. I was a size 16 and constantly felt embarrassed. In my early 30s, I was online dating, but I’d often get ghosted after a date or two and suspected it was due to my size. Naomi Hyland has lost 5st since taking weight loss jab Mounjaro Credit: Supplied Naomi, pictured before weight loss, says nights out and careless eating saw her weight creep up Credit: Supplied Over the years, I’ve tried Slimming World, juice cleanses, the Special K diet, supplements, even online personal trainers. I spent well over £1,000 trying to lose weight. I’d often shift a couple of stones, but then my old habits – snacking on family-sized Dairy Milk bars and crisps – would creep back and I’d regain weight. Still, I always made an effort with my clothes, hair and make-up and thought I looked good. Until 2019, when a work colleague was reading aloud the side effects of a new medication she was taking, one of which was weight loss. A comment made by a work colleague gave Naomi the push she needed to lose weight Credit: Supplied Mounjaro made Naomi nauseous but she says acupressure wristbands for seasickness helped Credit: Supplied “You should give it a go then, Naomi,” another colleague said. I was mortified. Despite being well-groomed, clearly everyone thought I was fat. It pulled me up sharp. I lost two stone through counting calories but the weight went back once I stopped. I’d almost given up hope, but then, in 2024, I started following someone on social media who’d lost loads of weight on Mounjaro. Back then there was lots of scaremongering around the side effects, like nausea and even pancreatitis. It also cost £79 a month too, but still, I felt it had to be worth a go. I worried that if I carried on the way I was, I’d end up with Type 2 diabetes or having a heart attack. I was 14 stone 10lb when I started Mounjaro in August 2024. I felt nauseous almost immediately. It was tough, but the appetite suppression was worth it – I lost a stone in the first month. I stopped snacking and went off chocolate. But I still felt sick all the time. Then, I saw on social media some GLP1 users had tried a £10 pair of Sea-Bands, acupressure wristbands that help with seasickness, to ease their Mounjaro queasiness. Naomi had previously tried diet plans, juice cleanses and supplements to lose weight but they didn’t work Credit: Supplied Naomi says she felt amazing losing weight and her confidence soared Credit: Supplied I ordered them, and they worked – I carried on with the weekly jabs, and by October 2025, I was 9 stone 3lb, a size 8. I felt amazing – my confidence soared. I met someone and we’ve been dating for two years. Last November I came off the jabs, but made the mistake of going cold turkey rather than weaning off gradually. By February this year, I’d regained two stone. So I went back on Mounjaro. Naomi spent over £1,000 trying to lose weight before discovering Mounjaro Credit: Supplied Naomi says doesn’t think she would have lost the weight without GLP1s Credit: Supplied Thankfully, the weight has come off again. Now, I weigh 10 stone 3lb and plan to stay on the jabs for the foreseeable future. I’ve not seen the colleague who told me I was fat for years, but despite how cruel she was, I’m grateful – her comment was a wake-up call. I still don’t think I’d have been able to lose the weight without GLP1s though, so I’m glad the jabs are an option for people like me who’ve struggled with their weight their whole life. The famous faces who have owned up to jabbing Sharon Osbourne: The former X-Factor judge took Ozempic and lost three stone in four months, but suffered from persistent nausea. Ultimately warned others against it after finding she couldn’t stop losing weigh saying: “I didn’t actually want to go this thin, but it just happened… I’m too gaunt, and I can’t put any weight on. “I want to because I feel I’m too skinny… Be careful what you wish for “ Lottie Moss: The model sister, 28, suffered severe dehydration and a seizure and was rushed to the hospital after obtaining a black-market version of a GLP-1 drug – despite weighing less than eight stone. She then told fans: “Please, if you’re thinking of taking it, do not take it, it’s so not worth it. I would rather die any day than take it again.” Stephen Fry: An early adopter of Ozempic, Fry, 69, praised the drug for eliminating his appetite for food and alcohol and helping him to lose five and a half stone after getting a prescription in the US. But he warned it did make him severely nauseous – and he threw up as many as five times a day. James Corden: The funnyman, 48, also admitted to trying Ozempic but found it largely ineffective saying the drug takes away hunger but doesn’t address emotional or psychological eating, saying, “nothing about my eating has anything to do with being hungry”. Gemma Collins: She’s always been proud of her plus-sized figure, but the GC admitted to using Mounjaro to drop over three stone. She later raised concerns over rapid facial ageing and had to come off the drug when she started to form gallstones. Boy George: Revealed in his memoir Karma that he used Ozempic before moving on to Mounjaro. He said: “I love food and I can’t control my appetite, but I think I have finally got it under control. “Well, I’m on Mounjaro. Isn’t everyone? Trust me, anyone who was fat last year and is now skinny is on the wonder drug. Robbie Williams: The pop legend told The Times that he needed the medication to manage what he jokingly labelled “type 2 self-loathing,” stating that being overweight caused a catastrophic toll on his mental health and body image