I spent 30 years trying to lose weight and even had a gastric sleeve operation – but lost 10 stone after using the NHS’s answer to Ozempic

A mother-of-two struggled with her weight for nearly 30 years and tried ‘every diet’ without lasting results, has revealed how she finally lost five stone in a year.

Lisa Jenkinson, 45, was 20 stone at her heaviest and even had a gastric sleeve operation in an attempt to keep the pounds off, but it didn’t remove the desire to ’emotionally eat’.

Having yo-yo dieted since she was a teenager, Lisa had previously ‘starved’ herself on Weight Watchers, drank weight loss shakes, attempted Keto and even restricted herself to eating only boiled eggs and grapefruit. But nothing worked long term.

Last year, when Lisa was 16 stone and becoming aware that her weight was starting to affect her health, she discovered NHS-backed Second Nature, which offers Wegovy and Mounjaro-assisted weight loss programmes.

Wegovy and Mounjaro, like Ozempic, can help people lose weight by decreasing their appetite for food. 

One year on, Lisa now weighs 11 stone 7 pounds and wears a size 12.

With ‘slight reservations’, Lisa started on a low dose of Wegovy in November 2023 and saw improvements immediately.

Lisa said: ‘When I was younger, I would feel like there was something wrong with me, as I couldn’t eat what everyone else was eating. 

‘Some people can remain really skinny and eat big packets of crisps and chocolate and cakes.

‘And I didn’t want to be different, and I was trying to be ‘good’ on the outside, but in secret, I would eat what I shouldn’t. 

‘I was filling an emotional hole which can never be fulfilled. I would do it when I was happy as a reward, and when I was sad. 

‘If you’ve never been into food or never been overweight, you’d think ‘just don’t eat it’, but it’s not that simple.

‘Wegovy has been life-changing for me. I wasn’t expecting it to work the way it has done by taking away all the cravings. 

‘And what I’ve also found invaluable is the support programme, the daily lessons about diet foods and how what we’ve read and learned about dieting over the years, isn’t actually true.’

Single mum Lisa was ‘fit but stocky’ as a child and she swam for her county. 

But at five feet and four inches and weighing 11 stone at the age of 14, she started dieting.

Throughout her twenties, she yo-yo dieted and experienced ‘fat and thin periods’ – going up to almost 14 stone and wearing a size 18.

Lisa was 32 when she had her daughter Clara, now 13, and she gained five stone during her pregnancy. 

And, in the four years that followed Clara’s birth, Lisa gained another five stone, reaching 20 stone. 

Desperate to lose weight for good, in 2014, aged 35, she paid to have a private gastric sleeve operation, removing part of her stomach.

She said: ‘I felt like being pregnant was an excuse to eat. I used to joke I was eating for six. When Clara was born, I was so involved with her, I didn’t think about what I was eating, and I kept putting weight on.

‘I tried everything, from drinking just shakes three times a day with no food, I’d gone back to Slimming World, tried Weight Watchers, and Atkins, and it felt as though I couldn’t shift the weight and I couldn’t stick to these unsustainable diets because they made me so unhappy.

‘I’d never had much support from my GP. It was very much ‘move more, eat less’. 

‘I didn’t qualify for anything because I was ‘healthy’, even though my BMI was over 40!’

A BMI of over 40 indicates severe obesity, according to NHS inform.  

Lisa added: ‘I had joint pain, I was breathless due to the extra weight – but I was considered lucky by the GP as I didn’t have high cholesterol or wasn’t prediabetic.

‘I felt as though I had no choice but to have the surgery. It took away the physical hunger but it didn’t take away the emotional side of things.’

After the surgery, Lisa saw a steady weight loss due to eating smaller portions and reduced appetite. 

She dropped to 10 stone, before falling pregnant with Reuben, now eight, in 2015. 

After her son was born, Lisa ‘lost all the baby weight quickly’, and was really active, being busy with two children.

But by 2019 and weighing 13 stone, the weight was ‘creeping back up’ so she started going to the gym.

Lisa said: ‘It just creeps and creeps and creeps. I was starving myself on certain diets. I wouldn’t eat breakfast, I would be ‘good’ for lunch and home cook a dinner with smaller portions, but then I would eat chocolate and crisps in the evening to ‘reward’ myself for being ‘good’ throughout the day.’

Last November, Lisa realised she needed extra support and, worried that her weight would impact her health long-term, she discovered NHS-backed Second Nature.

Over 10 years, Second Nature has helped more than 250,000 people in the UK achieve long-lasting weight loss.

It also offers medication-assisted programmes including Mounjaro, or tirzepatide, which treats type-2 diabetes and weight loss, and Wegovy, or semaglutide.

Potential users have to complete a strict test online to see whether they’re eligible for the medication.

Lisa said: ‘Initially, I was worried. What if I had a really awful side effect? But another part of me thought if I didn’t do something, I was going to be huge, which wouldn’t be good for my health either. 

‘After starting a low dose of Wegovy, I felt a bit nauseous but I didn’t have anything else.

‘I started losing weight straight away, which was amazing. Even with healthy eating I hadn’t noticed that. I was more mindful about what I was eating, and I wasn’t thinking about food as much as I had been previously.

‘It was liberating not to have to deal with that side of things.’

Since November, Lisa has gradually increased her Wegovy dose every month, alongside support from Second Nature. 

She has access to health coaches, support material, and a group chat with others who are on a similar weight loss journey. 

Having got down to 11 stone 7 pounds, Lisa is now a dress size 12. While she has treated herself to some new clothes, she’s still getting used to her new weight.

Lisa added: ‘The support that comes with the Second Nature programme has been brilliant. 

‘There are daily lessons, just a five-minute read, that make you think about things. Like all the diet foods, they still have the same impact on the body but you crave more as they’re full of processed things.

‘I’ve been more confident since losing weight, and I’ve even applied for a job I never would have done. I’ve gone back to Pilates and I feel as though I can face people and do some exercise. I feel like I’m a different person when I’ve lost weight.

‘I’m no longer frightened of food – the Second Nature medication programme works better when you do eat regularly. 

‘So I’ll have fruit and yogurt or bacon and egg for breakfast, I’ll have something low-carb for lunch such as a tuna salad, and then for dinner, I cook something like bolognaise, but I do eat smaller portions as I’m full. I’ve learned not to ‘clear my plate like a good girl’.

‘It really has been amazing, and I definitely wouldn’t be here at this weight even as this weight if I hadn’t come across Second Nature.’