A woman using Mounjaro says the weight loss medication has been “life-changing” – but there’s one side effect she never anticipated.
Kelly started taking the jabs after a decade of struggling to lose weight – which, being at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and being a mum, she was desperate to do.
The 32-year-old was thrilled to find the pounds dropping off her, but after a few months noticed a rather unwelcome change: her taste buds have changed, leaving her “instantly put off” of any food she eats.
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Even when Kelly is “starving”, she says nothing sounds appealing.
“Mounjaro has completely changed my taste buds,” the talent executive, from Sunderland, told Need To Know.
“I have gone off the taste of food.
“When I eat, it’s because I need it – and not because I enjoy the taste.
“It gets to around 1pm and my belly will rumble, and I’m aware that I’m hungry, but when I make myself a meal – no matter what it is – as soon as I have a bite, I’m instantly put off.
“All of a sudden, I feel full and don’t like the taste of what I’m eating.
“If I’m eating a ham sandwich, all I taste is the bread and meat – but I won’t enjoy the combination.
“Whereas when I was overweight, I was eating sandwiches and multipacks of crisps in between meals.
“I used to be able to eat, and eat, and eat without ever being full or satisfied.
“I would eat dinner and order a takeaway straight after!
“I ate purely for enjoyment.
“Everything that touched my lips was the best thing I’d eaten – and now even a takeaway pizza, which was my go-to, doesn’t taste the same.”
Kelly has been documenting her Mounjaro journey on TikTok, where one video garnered 230,000 views.
In the clip, she shared how it was “such a struggle” to eat, while she no longer enjoys the taste of food.
She tried foods including spaghetti Bolognese, sushi, a protein bar and strawberries – and can be seen visibly disgusted by some of the foods, particularly the sushi.
At one point she says “this was disgusting and I was just so over it all”, before ending the day on a staple dish of hers – cheesy pasta.
The problem? As soon as she prepares even her favourite dishes, she immediately finds she no longer wants the food.
Kelly said: “I know I have to eat.
“I am trying to avoid food I know I won’t like, for example meat and eggs.
“But if I have to, I force it down because I know my body needs it.
“Protein shakes have been a life saver for me.”
It’s a far cry from her appetite before the drug.
Kelly said: “I’d always crave pizza, a Big Mac, Chinese or Indian food, and when I got the craving I had to satisfy it, no matter what.
“When I started Mounjaro those cravings completely stopped, and that’s why the pounds dropped off.
“I occasionally get cravings now, because my body is so used to the drug, but I know as soon as I start eating it I won’t enjoy the taste.
“So I try not to give in.
“I am using will-power combined with Mounjaro.”
Kelly, who has lost just over four stone since starting the drug in October, added: “I have stayed on my current dosage of 10mg because I don’t want to risk getting side effects that could be worse.
“I have previously had side effects like having low energy levels, digestive problems like diarrhoea and gas – but nothing I couldn’t handle.
“Since losing four stone, I’ve noticed my hair has also been thinning.”
Despite the issues, Kelly says the experience is well worth the trouble, having gone down from a size 18 to a 12.
She said: “Regardless of what I am going through, I’m continuing to buy it because I’m losing weight, I’m almost at my goal, and I enjoy being on it.
“I get excited when it’s jab day because it makes me happy.
“You read about horror stories but it’s never put me off because I don’t have any health complications and I put in my research before starting it.”
Kelly says her quality of life has increased massively since shedding the excess weight, with her now weighing 11st 7lbs.
She said: “When I was overweight, I was looking into weight loss surgeries and receiving counselling for my self-esteem.
“I now look in the mirror and I don’t completely hate myself.
“I receive compliments all the time about how much better I look and it really boosts my mood.
“I can fit into clothes I never thought I could instead of just wearing black baggy clothes all the time.
“I can run up a flight of stairs without almost dying at the top.
“I can now play with my children without being out of breath and I am no longer ashamed to be in pictures with them.
“I also feel like it has massively changed my relationship with food – I’ve learned that food is a need, not a want.
“I don’t need to eat for the taste and I don’t let it rule my life.
“I eat and I get on with my day.
“Whereas before I would lie in bed at night and think about what I was having for dinner the next day.
“It has absolutely changed my life for the better and I would always recommend it!”
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