Wolverhampton mum who lost 3st on weight loss jabs put it all back on as soon as she stopped

A 21st woman lost 3st on weight loss jabs but put it straight back on after she couldn't afford it anymore - and says GLP1s "didn't solve the long-term problem".

Pamela Phillips, 42, struggled with her weight throughout her teens, and tried many different diets to slim down.

But she would lose and re-gain the weight again despite all her attempts - and she ballooned to 22st 7lbs in 2010 after having her daughter.

She continued to "yo-yo diet" through the years - losing around four stone each summer, but then would regain the weight each winter when she became less active again.

Pamela, from Wolverhampton, heard about weight loss jabs in early 2022, when she was 20st 11lbs - and decided to give them a go.

She jabbed £170-a-month Saxenda for three months - and had lost 3st with ease by June, but then money became tight so she came off the jabs.

She hoped to keep the weight off without them - but said by October, she was back up to her starting weight after the food noise came back and her old snacking habits crept back in.

By the following January, she was having ongoing back problems requiring surgery, but surgeons said her weight prevented her from being operated on and she needed to shed stones fast.

Pamela eventually booked for gastric sleeve surgery in May 2023 - and dropped from 20st 8lbs to 11st in the months following.

Three years on, she has maintained her healthy slim figure with lifestyle changes - but said for her, the jabs didn't do the trick.

This comes after data published earlier this year by the British Medical Journal revealed slimmers on jabs regain their lost pounds four times faster than those who stop conventional dieting and exercising - which was indeed the case for Pamela.

Pamela, a wellbeing coordinator, said: "The jabs helped me lose the weight, but it was expensive.

"When things get tight, you give up your luxuries - and the weight just crept back on.

"Then I was told by doctors that I needed to lose weight fast for surgery to treat my back, which was when I looked into bariatric surgery.

"Since I lost the weight, I've kept it off, and I feel fitter, healthier and younger.

"If not for bariatric surgery I'd still have been stuck in that rut - jabs worked in the moment for me, but they didn't solve the long-term problem."

Pamela began her first diet aged 15, trying a Weight Watchers programme after feeling like she was bigger than her peers, but always gained the weight back.

She started university at 18 when she was 15st, and tried "all the diets that were popular in the early 2000s" into her 20s.

Her weight shot up to its highest - over 20st - after having her first child in 2010, and then a second in 2015.

But Pamela also struggled with three prolapsed discs in her back, which caused her pain and often restricted her mobility.

Each year, when summer rolled around, she would become more active and motivated, dropping up to 4st, but in winter she would regain it.

Pamela said: "In summer I'd lose the weight, but in winter I'd be in pain with my back, and I would put it on again.

"It was the same three or four stone every year, coming on, going off."

In January 2022, she took the plunge and ordered her first month's supply of Saxenda from an online pharmacy, costing £170 for a month's supply.

She said she noticed her cravings improving, and had minimal side effects besides weight loss.

By June 2022, she had shed 3st with ease, but the monthly cost was unsustainable for her.

Despite her best efforts, without the medication she noticed the number on the scales rising once more.

Pamela said: "In October, when I had regained the weight, I did buy another pen. But it didn't seem to work that time."

By January 2023, she was beginning to suffer with her back, and doctors warned her that her prolapsed discs had caused nerve damage.

She was told she was at risk of losing the use of her leg without surgery, but that her weight was too high to operate on.

Needing a speedy result, she looked into bariatric surgery and underwent her surgery in April 2023 - paying £10,500 at Tonic, based in the Midlands.

In the months that followed, she slimmed down to a trim 11st and has maintained that since.

Pamela said: "You still have to think about what you're eating, but I still eat normal food, just smaller portions.

"Now I've got a thirst for life and it feels exciting."