MUM and daughter Gill Foster and Ellie Westcott have a combined 50 years of dieting between them.
But the pair say that none of their health kicks have been as successful as their most recent weight loss mission.
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Gill, 58, and Ellie, 27, have lost more than nine stone and eight dress sizes between them – thanks to fat jabs and friendly family rivalry.
At their heaviest, Gill weighed 17st 10lb, and Ellie tipped the scales at 16st 2lbs, and despite trying traditional weight loss programmes, the weight would always creep back on.
Then, in August 2024, Gill, who wore a size 20, decided to take action, starting Mounjaro injections with NHS-backed healthy eating plan Second Nature – although she kept it a secret from Ellie.
But, when the duo met just four weeks after, and Gill had already lost 12 pounds, the driving instructor confessed – and Ellie, a project manager, was inspired to give the jabs a go.
She started with the same programme in September 2024, and between them, the pair have now lost a combined nine stone, and Gill and Ellie now weigh 12st 11lbs, and 12st 10lbs and wear a dress size 14 and 12-14 respectively.
Gill, from Blandford in Dorset says: “I have battled with my weight for 30 years.
“I’d tried everything and even had success, but the weight would pile back on.
“Medication was a last resort because it was getting to the point where my weight was affecting my health.
“I wanted to be able to eat normally and healthily and be rewarded for my efforts.
“I did my research and found Second Nature. I was a little skeptical and didn’t want to tell anyone I was doing it but just a few weeks later, the results were impossible to hide.”
Ellie, from Pimperne just outside of Blandford, says: “I’ve always had an unhealthy relationship with food.
“The only time I remember being slim but still thinking I was fat was back at school and doing extreme exercise to fit in my prom dress.
“I’ve done quite a few diets over the years since, the same as mum, and obviously growing up with a mum who also dieted, it’s easy to learn those habits, and we obviously love food.
“But the day after taking Mounjaro for the first time, I texted mum to say that I hadn’t been thinking about food at all, and my day seemed to feel quicker, because I wasn’t constantly looking at the clock thinking, ‘what am I going to eat next?’”
Growing up, Gill struggled with body dysmorphia in her teens and had always been naturally curvy and a ‘picker’ when it came to food.
Looking for support in more healthy choices and a better relationship with food, she tried to join a weightloss programme at 19 but they told her she didn’t weigh enough to join them.
When she went to university, she ate what she wanted and her weight spiralled. The next time Gill, a mum of three, went on a diet was when her oldest son was 18 months old and she was 28.
Diagnosed with an underactive thyroid in 2003, her health was starting to suffer.
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Gill tried traditional diets, and weightloss plans over the years – but she would always end up putting the weight back on – and each time just a little bit more.
She says: “I’ve always enjoyed healthy, good-quality food, but whenever I was cooking, I’d help myself to a mouthful here and there, kind of one for the pot and one for Gill but I’ve never been a big portions meal person.
“As my children got older and I worked as a driving instructor, time became my biggest issue. I would skip breakfast then grab something on the go.
“It’s difficult to make healthy choices at the petrol station and when hunger strikes the temptations won. I was finding it harder and harder not to give up all hope.
“After getting home, I’d eat whatever I could find in the fridge – picking at cheese, leftovers, cold meats, pickles.
“I would have good intentions; portioning a healthy meal for dinner, sometimes spaghetti bolognese or homemade curry, but every time I went back into the kitchen, I’d help myself to another mouthful.”
Gill tried everything to lose weight but it was beginning to impact her health.
After four weeks on the programme, it became impossible to hide
Gill Foster
At her heaviest at 58, Gill weighed 17st 10lbs and was squeezing into size 20 clothes. She hit “breaking point” and knew she had to do something “drastic”.
Her online search took her to Second Nature, an NHS-backed healthy eating plan that uses behavioural science to ‘rewire’ eating habits.
It also offers medication-assisted programmes including Mounjaro, or tirzepatide, or as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which treats type-2 diabetes and weightloss, and Wegovy, or semaglutide.
Potential users have to complete a strict test online to see whether they’re eligible for the medication.
She took her first Mounjaro injection at the end of August 2024 and almost immediately, her hunger began to subside.
“When I had dinner that night, I wasn’t hungry anymore. It felt like a switch had flipped,” she says.
“I questioned how I was supposed to feel and couldn’t help thinking it might be a placebo effect. I was terrified of the potential side effects but luckily didn’t experience any.
“At first, I kept it a secret from my daughter Ellie. I didn’t want her to think that I was doing something extreme. But after four weeks on the programme, it became impossible to hide.”
Ellie had also struggled with her weight for years.
Diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), she had tried everything from intermittent fasting to intense gym routines, and walking her dog every day.
Despite her efforts to shift the pounds, the dial on the scale rarely moved. At her heaviest, Ellie weighed 16st 11lbs and wore a size 20 clothes.
Seeing the difference in her mum, Ellie followed suit and joined Second Nature in September – and called her mum for the “scary” first injection.
Everything you need to know about fat jabs
Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases.
Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK.
Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market.
Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight.
They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists.
They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients’ sugar levels are too high.
Can I get them?
NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics.
Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure.
GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss.
Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk.
Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health.
Are there any risks?
Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients’ mental health.
Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines.
Ellie says: “I was terrified of actually putting a needle in me and was on FaceTime to mum ‘what if I’m allergic?’ But it was nowhere near as bad as I thought.
“I definitely eat less because I’m able to control myself now, and with my portion control, I can pick and choose and know that I’m eating less.
“The biggest shock for me has been the health side of it, where I’m losing weight, I’ve had my first period in five years now, which is amazing. I’m healing.”
Instead of reaching for a chocolate bar, now when Ellie fancies a sweet treat, she opts for a few strawberries and she doesn’t eat the whole punnet – like she previously would have.
In her breaks at work, she used to scroll Instagram looking at food and would eat a tupperware pot full to the brim of pasta for lunch before having a snack from the vending machine in the afternoon. Now, she naturally puts less on her plate.
We’re healthier, happier, and we’ve made it through this journey together
Gill Foster
Ellie’s lost 4st 6lbs and now weighs 12st 10lbs and Gill’s lost 4st 13lbs and now weighs 12st 11lbs – and they’ve even turned their transformations into a friendly rivalry.
They check in with each other on their progress and push each other to keep going.
“I just want to weigh less than my mum,” Ellie admits.
They both admit they enjoy going through their weight loss together, and have supported each other through the ups and downs.
Gill says: “We send each other screenshots of our scale progress every morning, and we share pictures of the meals we’re eating.
“In the early days, when Ellie wasn’t seeing as much progress, I felt like she needed some reassurance, and we’d talk about it. That kept us going.”
Ellie’s target weight is to be a small size 12, and to wear the box of clothes that have been sitting above her wardrobe since lockdown.
Gill says she would like her weight to be less than 11st and have a healthy BMI.
She adds: “Now, I feel like a ‘normal’ person again – I eat what I want, when I want, without feeling overwhelmed by food.
“We’re healthier, happier, and we’ve made it through this journey together.
“The absolutely liberating part is I have zero guilt around food, the habits that I’ve tried to form over the years, it’s being fulfilled now, because it’s possible to do it, it’s working, and I just have to make sure I do whatever it takes to keep that going.”
GILL & ELLIE’S DIETS BEFORE AND AFTER FAT JABS
GILL BEFORE
Breakfast: Skip
Snack: Crisps, chocolate
Lunch: Something convenient from the petrol station like a ready-made sandwich or sausage roll, crisps, and another chocolate bar
Dinner: Home-cooked meals such as pastas, curries, stews, but portions for 2 or 3 people
GILL NOW
Breakfast: Overnight oats or sourdough toast with a poached egg
Snack: Herbal tea, fruit like apples or berries
Lunch: A portion of the meal from the night before or something on toast or a jacket potato, homemade soup
Dinner: Sticky chicken with new potatoes or vegetarian curry with green vegetables, salmon fillet with steamed green veggies
ELLIE BEFORE
Breakfast: Skip
Lunch: Leftover from dinner – pasta or chilli in a tupperware bowl filled to the brim
Snack: Something from the vending machine.
Dinner: Big portion of pasta, homemade chilli or lasagne.
ELLIE NOW
Breakfast: Greek yogurt with homemade granola and berries
Lunch: Half a sandwich and a pepperoni stick, a much smaller portion of the meal left over from the night before
Snack: Fruit, hummus and veggies to dip
Dinner: Smaller portion of homemade chilli or salmon and salad, big healthy salads, paella, homemade family favourites like cottage pie with lots of veggies and much smaller portions
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