‘I turned 30 and was too embarrassed to date until I tried fat jabs’

An overweight woman who was too embarrassed to date until she tried weight loss jabs has shared her experience – as she gears up to find romance in 2026.

Katy Bugg started using Mounjaro at the beginning of 2025, after years of suffering humiliation due to her weight.

The 30-year-old from Hertfordshire weighed just under 22st at her heaviest and was a size 24.

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But within a month of using the jab, the pounds started to come off steadily and her cravings for takeaways and late-night snacks faded within the first week.

Now, almost a year later, her life looks completely different.

“I’m slowly regaining my confidence and want to start dating again,” Katy, an advertising worker, told Need To Know.

“I haven’t started yet but it’s something I’ll explore in the new year.

“I never thought I’d get back to a place where I’d even think about dating, let alone doing it and going out.

“I was so scared of going on dates because I had so little confidence in myself.

“I was super confident but when it came to meeting new people that was always my first thought: ‘Do they think I’m fat?’

“I would even avoid using dating apps – I was so scared of being fat online.

“I went on a few dates when I was younger but in recent years I’d lost a lot of confidence.

“When I turned 30, I knew if I didn’t sort something out then, I never would.”

After spotting ads for Juniper, a weight loss drug provider for weight management, Katy decided to give jabs a go.

Katy admits there were some mild side effects from the GLP-1 drug in the beginning, including nausea and fatigue, but they soon settled as her body adjusted.

Alongside the jabs, she made small lifestyle changes too, swapping her usual fast food lunches for salads and protein bowls, cutting out fizzy drinks and going on regular walks.

Katy has already lost 5st 7lbs, dropping to 16st 2lbs and a size 16–18.

She said: “I had always struggled with my weight.

“Even through school, I was going to slimming groups when I was 17.

“I tried the gym and even got a personal trainer and a health coach, but nothing would stick or work.

“I had attempted everything else, so I thought I’d give Juniper a try.

“My biggest thing was just snacking, but the food noise was completely gone.

“I would be sitting at my desk always wanting a snack – I wasn’t craving a snack anymore.
“I got a Chinese with my friends and I was full up straight away.

“It’s been amazing.”

Katy had one of many mini wake-up calls last October during a flight when she realised the seatbelt wouldn’t fasten.

Mortified, she had to quietly ask a flight attendant for an extender while fellow passengers watched.

Katy said: “It was just really embarrassing because everyone had got on and I knew it wasn’t going to do up.

“Everyone was listening.

“I was always a stress eater, even though I knew it was wrong.

“It was like something in me – I felt really guilty eating it as well, but I couldn’t stop it.

“My breaking point to lose weight was a slow build-up, but it was the moment on the plane where it really hit me.”

That moment – followed by her 30th birthday a few months later – made her determined to finally take control.

She said: “I’m a lot more confident, and it’s nice that more people are noticing not only a weight loss change, but that I feel confident, I’m happier and more bubbly.

“My main goal now is to get to a healthy BMI range.

“I would need to lose another 4st.

“I’ve always said I don’t want to put a number on it – I just need to lose this exact amount more.

“I’m going to stay on it for now and see what happens.”

Katy no longer dreads social situations, avoids shopping trips or worries about being “the fat friend”.

She added: “I feel lighter mentally and physically.

“It feels like a fog has been lifted.

“My weight was such a downer on my life – going out and being worried about how I look and how people perceive me.

“Even though I’m still on a journey, I even feel like I’m ready to meet new people.

“I felt like the designated ugly fat friend. I’m so sad for the Katy who felt like that.

“But I managed to turn it all around and now I just feel so much happier.”

Katy’s diet before:

Breakfast: A little fry-up or a make-at-home McMuffin – bacon, egg, sausage in a bap.
Lunch: A meal deal from the supermarket – the biggest sandwich, biggest bottle of Diet Coke.

Dinner: Chicken nuggets and chips from the freezer, pizzas, big bowls of pasta with no portion control.

Snacks: Biscuits, crisps, packets of sweets.

Katy’s diet now:

Breakfast: A slice of toast with low-calorie butter on, protein drink.

Lunch: Sushi, soup, homemade curry.

Dinner: Pasta with pasta sauce from scratch, fajita wraps and protein wraps with chicken and veggies.

Snacks: A small chocolate bar with 99kcals and fruit.

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