WHEN Caitlin Cameron started taking fat jabs, she saw dramatic results – losing two stone in just three months.
But for the 33-year-old mum of two, it was the impact on her drinking that truly changed her life.
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“I just had no desire to drink alcohol after that [starting fat jabs],” she said.
“That completely surprised me.”
After having her first child in 2020, Caitlin, from Mississippi, US, struggled with postpartum depression.
During that period, she turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism.
“I wasn’t drinking a lot in quantity,” the project manager explained, “just often”.
“A glass of wine a day, a beer after running with my husband – it became habitual, comfortable,” she added.
By 2024, Caitlin was 241lbs (109kg) and size 18 (US).
“I had two little kids and was really struggling to get through every day,” she said.
Caitlin and her husband, Matt, 35, also a project manager, share two daughters, ages two and four.
Despite how difficult things felt, Caitlin says Matt helped her feel safe enough to seek change.
“No matter what I looked like, what I was going through, my husband treated me the same,” she said. “That gave me the encouragement I needed.”
Caitlin was eventually diagnosed with pre-diabetes, which pushed her to try GLP-1 medication, used to manage type 2 diabetes and obesity.
She took the weight loss injection for three months which saw her lose 30lbs before she lost 75lbs more naturally.
‘Found healing through fitness’
Caitlin is now a slender 135lbs and a size 4/6 and says she has the energy to be a “better mum” and “wife.”
“I’ve lost 105lbs, reversed pre-diabetes, and found healing through fitness, community, and mental health support,” she added.
Caitlin made the decision to stop drinking a year ago.
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“That choice changed my life,” she said.
Although she later had to stop taking the medication due to a conflict with her antidepressant, the disinterest in alcohol remained.
That, she says, was the turning point.
“I had more energy, more clarity,” she said.
“I started going to the gym regularly, met people who made me love showing up, and found a healthy relationship with exercise again.”
‘I have more energy for my kids, my job, and my life’
This time, her weight loss was part of a bigger transformation.
She worked with a personal trainer and dietitian, focused on balanced eating, and stopped obsessively counting calories.
Last time she had tried to lose weight. it was just about weight loss, she said.
“This time it’s holistic. It’s mental, physical, emotional – and it’s sustainable,” she said.
Reflecting on the journey, Caitlin notes how the changes helped her regain a sense of self that had felt lost during early motherhood.
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“I felt really stuck,” she said. “Like I had lost my identity. When you’re not physically and mentally healthy, it can feel a lot worse.
“But once I made those changes, it was night and day.”
Now 105lbs lighter, Caitlin said the transformation goes far beyond the scale.
“I just feel like I did a 180,” she said. “I’m a better mum, a better wife, a better friend. I have more energy for my kids, my job, and my life.”
Everything you need to know about fat jabs
Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases.
Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK.
Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market.
Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight.
They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists.
They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients’ sugar levels are too high.
Can I get them?
NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics.
Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure.
GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss.
Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk.
Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health.
Are there any risks?
Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients’ mental health.
Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines.