I lost 9 stone on Mounjaro in just 10 months - here's what I wish I knew before I started taking it
Marc McKee, from Northern Ireland, who goes by the name @my.health.with.marc on TikTok, opened up about his weight loss journey which changed his life.
In a video Marc admitted to making 'all the major mistakes no one warns you about.'
To help others along their own weight loss journeys he listed his 'top five' tips, saying one of them 'caught him off guard.'
'My name is Marc and I have lost nine stone in the last 10 months on Mounjaro and I am sharing every mistake I wish someone had told me before I started.'
Marc claimed he 'learned the hard way' and made '500 mistakes' while dropping the pounds over the past year.
He said: 'Number one not planning ahead for social events so I'd wing it and end up buying something that didn't sit right or felt pressured into just fitting it in.
His advice was to make sure and check that menu before you go out to choose a meal within your nutritional and calorie needs.
Next he said: 'Number two letting other people's opinions influence me.
'So those comments like you don't need it or just be healthy you know them comments shake confidence. You just got to protect your peace.
'Number three do not compare yourself with others.
'Such a rookie error, I used to obsess over what other people on Mounjaro were doing.
'Why are they losing faster than me? It's a trap their body isn't your body. Comparison stalls momentum.
'Number four not dressing for your changing body. So wearing oversized clothes made me feel disconnected from my progress.'
Marc claimed once he started buying clothes that fit his 'mindset caught up.'
He added: 'Checkout, Vinted or second hand stores, charity shops, they're all great for short term clothes.
'Number five, waiting too long to build new habits. I treated it like a quick fix at first but when I focused on routine, sleep, hydration, movement that's when things started to feel sustainable.
'So yeah, which of these hit home for you or did you make a totally different mistake that I should include in part three? Drop it in the comments below.
'We're all learning together and yeah, I'll catch you on the next one.'
Many took to the comments to share their own weight loss journeys and express their gratitude to Marc for his guidance.
One person wrote: 'That's so true , I bought clothes for holiday next month and tried them on last night , half of them are too big.'
Another said: 'Thank you for this!! Its definitely a journey x'
Someone else added: 'You have done incredible x'
A fourth added: 'I'm starting it next week, I've watched a few of your videos and I was worried about using it because some people have said some bad things about it and that it doesn't work, you've totally made me feel more better about using it so thank you so much, you're doing amazing and look great too.'
As of last week, obese patients in England will be able to access the 'revolutionary' weight-loss jab Mounjaro free of charge directly from their family doctor.
Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, will be offered to around 220,000 people over the next three years under new NHS prescribing rules.
To help others along their own weight loss journeys he listed his 'top five' tips, saying one of them 'caught him off guard' (Pictured after weight loss)
Many took to the comments to share their own weight loss journeys and express their gratitude to Marc for his guidance
GPs can now prescribe the drug to patients with a BMI over 40 – classed as severely obese – and at least four obesity-related health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnoea.
Mounjaro is a weekly jab that can help patients shed up to a fifth of their body weight in a year.
More than a million people in the UK are already using it via private clinics, where it costs around £250 a month.
However, until now, only a limited number of patients could access it on the NHS via specialist weight-management services.
It comes after a mother who saw instant success on the weightloss jab said she was left looking like 'Skeletor' when she stopped using the injections.
Ellen Ogley, 42, from Yorkshire, weighed 16st 12lbs and was a size 18 at her heaviest.
While she lost 3st on an 'unsustainable diet', she turned to the weight loss medication Mounjaro in May last year to try and transform her body.
The mother-of-three said it had an instant effect and stopped her incessant raiding of the snack cupboard.
'I thought it was going to be another diet trend but the food noises got switched off,' said Ms Ogley, who used the injections for five months.
'As soon as I went on it I realised 'I've not touched the snack cupboard'.'
This change helped her make healthier choices in other aspects of her life and she started exercising.
Soon the nursery manager had lost a further 3st, taking her down to a total body weight of around 10st.
However, she said the process of weaning off the drug came with a worrying side effect.
Ms Ogley recalled how, in coming off the jab, she became obsessed with getting as 'skinny as possible'.
'I got trolled, they called me Skeletor. I was being told I looked like a 60-year-old,' she said.
Skeletor is the name of a skull-faced villain from the 80s children's cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
Losing muscle mass is known side-effect of weight loss jabs as well as other rapid weight loss methods.
While dieters lose fat, they can also shed muscle if they consume very few calories and fail to perform muscle-building exercises.
It was nasty social media comments, alongside Ms Ogley's husband's concerns that she looked 'ill', that gave the wake-up call she needed.
Ms Ogley took up weight training and said this – combined with some healthy swaps– had a made a world of difference.
'I have abs at 42 – it blows my mind,' she said.
'I have hacks in place. If I'm craving sweets I have [high protein] Greek yoghurt, berries and granola.'
'I still have takeaways but I exercise portion control.
'We make chicken kebabs as fakeaways instead of ordering them as takeaways.'
She said making these swaps and cutting back on alcohol had helped prevent the weight from coming back.
A study, published last month, warned that many patients using weight loss jabs risk piling the pounds back on within ten months of quitting the injections.
Scientists at Oxford University discovered the effects of GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are short-lived if patients do not maintain a healthy lifestyle afterwards.
Ms Ogley said she hopes her example shows others they can maintain their weight loss if they stop using the drugs.
She said she'd battled comfort eating and binge drinking after being diagnosed with cervical and ovarian cancer in 2023.
'I'd have two to three takeaways a week. My drinking was excessive,' she said, adding that she'd often share three bottles wine with her husband on an evening out.
'It helped numb everything.'
As part of her cancer treatment, she was forced to undergo a hysterectomy – a major surgery to remove the uterus – but it was recommended she lost weight before going under the knife, to reduce the risk of complications.
'I said to myself 'if I come out the other side I will try and take control of my health',' she said.
While she started with an highly restrictive fasting diet that helped her lose 3st she knew it wasn't sustainable.
'I was doing it in not a very healthy way,' she said.
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