PACKING for her holidays Ann Howard wonders whether to put her bikini into her suitcase.
She might have shed three stone after taking fat jabs but she knows deep down that the idea of wearing a bikini is a step too far for her.
Ann, 38, has fallen victim to an unwanted side effect as a result of taking the weight loss job Mounjaro.
“I dropped three stone but I’ve ended up with a four-inch muffin-top,” says the mum-of-two.
“Even though I have bought my first bikini in a decade, flaunting it on the beach this summer is a worry due to my new wobbly stomach.”
Mental health support worker Ann, 38, lives in Norfolk, East Anglia with her husband, Dan, 41 an IT manager and their two children aged 16 and five and says her muffin-top is not the only strange side effect.
She claims using the weight loss jabs not only took inches from her waist but also an inch from her height.
“I used to be 5ft and I have always felt like the smallest person in the room,” she says.
“Now I am 4ft 11. I shrunk an inch in height using the jabs.
“When you are short like me and only five feet tall you need every inch you can get.”
Height loss is not a common side effect of weight loss injectables but can occur because the body is losing fat and muscle quickly, especially in the core and back.
National Library of Medicine research reveals rapid fat and muscle loss can lead to a small loss of height because of the way a person stands.
If fat is lost from the feet, it can also impact a person’s height.
“I now have to hit the gym and do more resistance and weight training to make myself stand taller or grow back an inch,” Ann adds.
Growing up Ann says she was always an average size.
“It wasn’t until I moved out at 18 and started shopping and cooking for myself did the weight pile on,” she says.
“I went from a size 14 to a size 18 in just eighteen months.”
Ann met her husband through work and the pair started dating when Ann was 18.
“Our daughter, now 16, was born in May 2009 and I was a size 22,” Ann says.
“I couldn’t shift the baby weight no matter what diet I tried.”
WHY A BELLY CAN BE HARDEST TO SHIFT
Dr Bryony Henderson, a GP, obesity management expert and medical director at Numan, tells Sun Health: “Successful weight control requires more than simply lowering calories.
“Years of overeating can dull the brain’s response to leptin, the ‘I’m full’ hormone, so appetite remains higher than it should be.
“Plus, poor sleep or constant stress raises cortisol, a survival hormone that tells the body to store spare energy around the waist.
“Together these hormonal shifts can slow or even stop fat loss in people who feel they are ‘doing everything right’.”
HIGH levels of the hormone oestrogen can cause women to store fat around their hips and thighs and stomach, according to registered nutritionist Karen Preece Smith.
“In men, low testosterone can lead to increased body fat, especially in the abdominal area,” she adds.
“This is partly due to the conversion of testosterone to oestrogen by fat cells, which can contribute to hormonal imbalances and fat storage.”
You can combat this by boosting testosterone levels with a diet full of lean proteins (chicken, turkey), healthy fats (olive oil, avocado), complex carbohydrates (whole grains such as oats, brown rice), zinc (found in lean red meat, beans, nuts) magnesium (from dark green leafy vegetables) and vitamin D (in eggs, oily fish).
“Weight training, with a focus on multi-joint compound movements such as squats and lunges, can also stimulate testosterone production for men,” Karen adds.
Dominika Blonska, a personal trainer, nutrition coach and founder of DEFINE BY DOM, says: “Your liver is responsible for breaking down excess oestrogen.
“To help it out, limit alcohol, drink at least two litres of water per day and eat cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower.
“Improving your gut health will also help with oestrogen elimination.
“You can do this by avoiding inflammatory foods, such as processed products, sugar and seed oils, and eating fibre-rich food, like vegetables, chia and flax seeds.”
Tuck into healthy fats too – think avocado, coconut oil, nuts and sardines.
Ann and Dan married in April 2013 and Ann says she was an overweight bride.
“I had to wear a size 20 wedding dress,” she recalls.
“Everyone told me I looked amazing, but I felt like I had failed.
“After that I was always on diets. I lost some weight at Slimming World but then would regain it.
“I have tried soup diets, shake diets, and diet groups.”
At her heaviest Ann hit the scales at 17st 11 lbs and had a BMI of 49.9 putting her at risk of heart disease and a shorter lifespan.
The couple welcomed their second daughter in June 2019 with Ann vowing to find a way to lose weight that offered a permanent solution.
“I asked to be put on the NHS waiting list for free bariatric surgery but was told there was a waiting list of up to five years just to get an appointment with a consultant,” she says.
So, in November 2023 Ann flew to Turkey for gastric sleeve surgery.
“I lost three stone and then my weight plateaued, I was devastated,” she admits.
Ann also started regaining weight and after a visit to her GP discovered she was suffering early menopause as a result of endometriosis.
“At the time I was 36 suffering hot flushes, low energy levels and mood swings,” she says.
“I’d spent £5,000 on weight loss surgery, and I was actually putting on weight.”
After speaking to a friend who had used weight loss injectables Ann started taking Mounjaro in March 2025.
“Within a day the food noise was gone – it was the first time in over 30 years,” she says.
I won’t be showing off my bikini on British beaches yet – my wobbling muffin top has put an end to that
Ann Howard
Ann lost almost three stone and is now 12st 03 lbs.
“I am back to a size 12-14 and feel amazing,” she says.
“It’s been life changing and it is the first time I feel in control of my body and weight.”
However, Ann admits her rapid weight loss using the jabs has left her with a ‘muffin top’ or belly apron on her stomach.
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.
“My jelly belly has developed in the last year, I know it’s due to rapid weight loss,” she says.
“No matter how many exercises or skin care products you use, I know not to expect your skin to ping back to its pre-fat tightness.”
Ann’s belly apron is four inches long and she admits she chooses clothes to hide its wobble.
“It bulks me out at the front. Until I have cosmetic surgery, I still have to wear loose clothes over my tummy,” she claims.
Despite this, Ann is planning to debut her new bikini on holiday with her ‘Mounjaro mates’, a group of female friends who all lost weight using the jabs or from gastric sleeves.
“We are all going on a girls’ holiday to Jamaica. I can wear my bikini with a cover up shirt and enjoy the sun to celebrate our weight loss,” she says.
“I won’t be showing off my bikini on British beaches yet – my wobbling muffin top has put an end to that.”
The mum has also revealed her marriage got a Mounjaro makeover as well.
We used to make love once a month, but now we’re enjoying adult time once or twice a week
Ann Howard
“Since I started using the jab my self esteem and body confidence has improved,” Ann says.
“I am not hiding my body all the time under black baggy clothes and our love life has improved dramatically.
“We used to make love once a month, but now we’re enjoying adult time once or twice a week.
“I feel like a teenager again.”
Ann is now saving for her Mounjaro mummy makeover and wants to have a tummy tuck and liposuction.
She is planning to renew her vows with Dan when they celebrate 20 years of marriage in 2033.
“I want to have the fun of being a slim bride,” she says.
“When we got married, I hated my body and didn’t get to choose the dress I wanted. I had to choose a dress that was ‘in my size’ and was a hand-me-down.
“I want to have a hot wedding dress, some sexy underwear, and to have the experience of being the bride I have always dreamt of.”
