A woman has achieved an extraordinary transformation by shedding 9st 2lb whilst breaking a two-decade pattern of unsuccessful weight loss attempts.

Joanna's journey with the prescription medication Mounjaro has resulted in a nine-stone reduction, which she describes as removing "an entire human being off my body".

Her success stems from a fundamental shift in approach, focusing on preserving muscle mass rather than simply reducing numbers on the scale.

"Yes, there is a right and wrong type of weight to lose," she declared in a video documenting her progress.

Joanna's prescription resulted in a nine-stone reduction

The achievement marks the end of a frustrating cycle that began when she was 17 years old.

For years, she found herself trapped in a pattern of losing substantial amounts of weight only to regain it. "Since I was about 17, I've dieted on and off, I've lost about 50, 60, 70 lb at a time," she explained.

Despite these significant losses, her body composition never matched her current results. "I didn't look the way that I look now in terms of my muscle structure," she noted.

Her previous methods involved restrictive eating without proper nutritional understanding.

She added: "What I would do is I would lose the weight, but didn't exercise, didn't eat high protein, ate as much bread as I wanted, didn't understand macros."

This approach led to a predictable outcome where rapid weight loss was accompanied by muscle deterioration.

"When you eat a diet like that, what happens is you lose a lot of weight quite quickly, but you lose muscle," she revealed.

The consequences created a vicious cycle lasting two decades. "So my cycle would be to diet, lose a lot of weight, but lose muscle, get to a point where I can't diet anymore, then put weight back on.

"This cycle has been repeating for me for 20 years, and I finally managed to break it."

Her current strategy involves using body composition scales to monitor her progress beyond simple weight measurements.

"This morning I weighed in at 14st 1lb, which takes my total weight loss to 128lb," she reported, whilst emphasising the importance of building "a stronger body and not just a thinner one."

Joanna had been stuck in a vicious cycle for years before taking Mounjaro

Who can take Mounjaro?

The prescription medication requires specific eligibility criteria for those seeking treatment.

According to Superdrug Health Clinic, Mounjaro can only be prescribed to adults with a BMI exceeding 30 or those with a BMI of 27 who have at least one weight-related condition.

The medication must be prescribed as part of a comprehensive weight management programme that includes dietary modifications and exercise. In December 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved the drug for NHS obesity treatment.

The medication is now accessible through specialist weight management services across England, with some patients able to obtain prescriptions through their GPs.