Spending £200-a-month on takeaways, Somers Arrowsmith couldn’t afford to take weight loss medication… until she swapped McDonald’s for Mounjaro.
The 27-year-old, who tipped the scales at 17-and-a-half stone at her heaviest, thought nothing of spending £50 on pizzas and burgers every week – which she realised equated to the cost of a GLP-1 pen.
Ms Arrowsmith said: ‘Stopping the takeaways has funded my medication.
‘I’ve saved money cutting down on my food portions, but if it were based solely on takeaways – Mounjaro has basically funded itself throughout my weight loss journey.
‘I’d usually have spent £200 a month on takeaway food, and I was paying the same amount per month for the higher doses.
‘I feel amazing in myself and so much healthier for stopping the rubbish foods – and now I’m reaching the end of my medication journey, I can start saving that £200 and putting it towards other things.’
Ms Arrowsmith started using Mounjaro, which she purchased through weight loss medication provider Voy, in October 2024, as she had concerns about her weight and health, including pain from two slipped discs.
And while Mounjaro has raised eyebrows with soaring prices ranging from £120-£350 per month, the expense has completely balanced out for the Leicestershire-based GP receptionist.
At her heaviest, Somers Arrowsmith weighed 17-and-a-half stone
She now weighs seven stone after swapping takeaways for weight loss jabs
She said: ‘Before starting, I thought there was no way it was going to work for me – I enjoyed takeaways and binge eating too much.
‘I would always opt for the easy option, meaning takeaways were always a win in my household, and we would usually order a minimum of one or two times a week, which cost us a fortune.
‘I did this not only for ease but for cravings too – usually choosing burgers, pizzas or Indian.
‘I’d tried dieting and Slimming World in the past, but never found myself in the right frame of mind.
‘I’d seriously considered having a gastric bypass, despite the risks and potential complications, until a friend of mine started using Mounjaro.
‘She convinced me to give it a go, so I looked online for the most reasonable prices and was recommended to join Voy.
‘From the moment the medication got delivered, my life had completely changed.’
Mounjaro is a type of medication called GLP-1 receptor agonists, which were first developed as a treatment for type 2 diabetes.
At one point she ‘seriously considered having a gastric bypass’
They work by mimicking the hormone GLP-1 to regulate blood sugar and insulin levels, and effectively silence ‘food noise’ and hunger pangs, helping users lose weight through a calorie deficit.
A number of the drugs are recommended on the NHS to help people lose weight, including semaglutide, under the brand name Wegovy, and tirzepatide, also known as Mounjaro.
Ms Arrowsmith experienced none of the documented side effects – which have recently been updated to include potentially fatal pancreatitis – such as diarrhoea and nausea.
Encouragingly, she found the scales were going down every time she weighed herself, and it wasn’t long until her size 24 clothes were billowing over her shrinking frame.
She said: ‘The first thing I noticed was my clothes getting bigger.
‘Other people would comment and had started to really notice a big difference, and this gave me the confidence I needed to keep going.
‘Many people would comment on the obvious changes, such as around my face or my collar bones that had now started showing, but most people were more shocked to see such a striking difference, especially people I had not seen for a while.
‘I’ve found my palate has completely changed, too – I no longer crave junk food.’
Ms Arrowsmith ate burgers and pizzas every week before starting the medication
She used to wear size 24 clothes
To help supercharge the results, and to improve her overall health, Ms Arrowsmith purchased a walking pad to encourage herself to become more active, and as her weight loss has continued, she has steadily reduced the strength of her dosages.
She is now set to come off the medication entirely, having completely overhauled her lifestyle. She now weighs 10 stone and wears a size 10 in clothes.
She said: ‘I’ve found the process completely life changing.
‘Some mornings I wake up and feel no different.
‘It’s not until I catch myself in the mirror that I really can see how far I’ve come.
‘I’m still shocked myself at my results, but I’m completely over the moon and can now focus on using my new habits to maintain a happy and healthy life.’
However, weight loss medications aren’t the only way to transform your health – and waistline.
Yesterday we shared the story of Fran McElwaine who dropped from a size 18 to a size 10 after cutting out one food.
And Katie Turton shed nearly half her bodyweight by discovering a love of walking.
