When Emilly Murray asked her dad to buy her a weight loss jab for Christmas last year, she had no idea how life-changing it would be.
At her heaviest, the mother-of-three, 35, tipped the scales 22st 1.5lbs (309.5lbs) and struggled to squeeze into a size 30.
She had struggled with binge eating her whole life, mindlessly gorging on around 5,000 calories every day as she tucked into Chinese takeaways, pizza, chocolates and Haribos, unable to control her hunger.
Ms Murray, of Aintree, Liverpool, tried different diets but would always put the weight back on again, prompting her to ask her dad Paul, 55, for a Christmas gift of Mounjaro last year.
She jabbed for the first time on December 30 2024, a day she describes as the start of a ‘life-changing journey’.
Ms Murray said: ‘My dad asking me what I wanted for Christmas was the catalyst for so much change.
‘My nickname as a child with my friends was “the whale”—I was always big.
‘I tried to lose weight but I didn’t understand nutrition and I ended up restricting and then binging on the weekends.
‘I used food as a crutch and a comfort. If I was happy, sad, or depressed, the answer was always to eat.
Emilly Murray tipped the scales at over 22stone at her heaviest
She has now shed an impressive 13 stone, six of which she shed while taking Mounjaro
Since starting the medication, which works by controlling the hormones responsible for appetite and satiety, she has slimmed down to a near-unrecognisable 9st 2lbs (128 lbs) and can slip into a slender size six with ease.
In total, she has lost almost 13st (182lbs) in total and is the slimmest she can remember being since childhood.
Ms Murray says that now she is now fitter and healthier, she can play with her children, Esme, 12, Ellie, six and Joseph, four, more easily and feels more confident.
She said: ‘People would tell me to “just move more and eat less” but that’s not so easy when it feels like food controls you.’
‘I was eating myself into oblivion. I think I was a walking heart attack.
‘I pinch myself because I can’t believe how this year has gone for me.
‘It’s changed not just my life but my whole family’s life.
‘I’m a better mum for my kids, I can play with them in the play centre and go down the slides.
Emilly Murray was cruelly dubbed ‘the whale’ at school, but has since lost 13 stone
‘It was literally the best Christmas present from my dad. I think I owe him a good one this year.’
Ms Murray began researching weight loss jabs late last year after seeing strangers’ transformations online, and felt it could be a good option for her and could cut out the ‘food noise’ which drove her calorific binges.
The year prior, Ms Murray had lost over six stone by sticking to a calorie deficit and exercise routine, but she was worried that she’d plateau and then put the weight back on if she didn’t take action.
So when her dad asked her what she’d like for Christmas, she admitted she’d like to try Mounjaro.
He sent her £105 so she could order her first dose online, and she started the jabs, weighing 16st and as a size 24, just before New Year’s Eve.
She said: ‘I took my first dose and it was like a switch flicked in my head.
‘I didn’t wake up in the morning wondering what I could eat any more. That just vanished.
‘I felt like I had so much space in my head for everything else.’
Ms Murray noticed the weight beginning to drop off
She experienced some side effects, including constipation and diarrhoea, but found ways to manage them by adjusting her diet.
Ms Murray noticed the weight beginning to drop off, her mental health began to improve, and she began to find it easier to do things like walk up the stairs and play with her young son.
Despite spending around £1,500 in a year on the jabs, she still reckons it’s less than what she previously splashed out annually on snacks, takeaways and food on-the-go.
Ms Murray said: ‘I used to go to the shop every night and get a massive bag of sweets, crisps and a big share bar of chocolate for myself.
‘I used to order takeaways and buy freezer food because I was struggling mentally and I didn’t feel able to cook for myself after I’d cooked for the kids.’
Reflecting on how much she has weight since her heaviest weight, including the six stones she shed while taking the Eli Lilly weight loss medication, she said: ’13st is more than I weigh now— that’s like the weight of me plus my son as well.’
Emilly is now preparing to move back down the doses to eventually come off the jabs, as she has entered a maintenance stage where she doesn’t want to lose any more weight.
She is preparing for an excess skin removal surgery in May in Lithuania, which is costing around £12k.
This Christmas she looks forward to a ‘nice quiet family Christmas’ with partner Oliver, 30, a car manufacturer, and her children.
She said: ‘It’s nice this year to feel happy and healthy, I’m in such a different headspace from last year.
‘I can’t believe this year – I still pinch myself at how much has changed.
‘Thanks for the present Dad.’
Known officially as tirzepatide, or colloquially as the ‘King Kong’ of weight loss medication, Mounjaro has been hailed as a ‘game-changing’ treatment.
Around 2.5million Britons are thought to be on weight loss injections such as Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy.
They are classed as GLP-1 agonists, and work by mimicking a hormone found naturally in the body.
Mounjaro, which is taken weekly, works by signalling the body to produce more insulin when needed, reducing the amount of glucose produced by the liver and slowing down digestion.
The drug, which helps patients shed up to a fifth of their body weight in a year, will be offered to around 220,000 people over the next three years under new NHS prescribing rules.
Previously it was available privately and at a small number of specialist NHS weight loss clinics.
