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JAB MIRACLE

I lost 3 stone in 6 months on fat jabs after terrifying wake-up call – it’s a wonder drug… it’s time men get onboard

Rod also reveals what he thinks the biggest and most unexpected hindrance to the whole process was

ABOUT 20 years ago, a dear pal of mine mocked me on holiday when I emerged by the pool in a pair of swim shorts.

“Mate,” he said with a laugh, “you look like E.T.”

Photo of Rod McPhee, a television editor.
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Rod started taking fat jab Mounjaro in SeptemberCredit: Ian Whittaker
Rod McPhee and Felicity Cross, The Sun’s TV team.
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Sun man Rod, above with Felicity Cross, before his treatmentCredit: Dan Charity
Person's feet on a scale showing a weight of 109.4; a piece of paper shows the dates 7, 9, and 24.
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Rod, who is 6ft 2ins tall, weighed 17 stone in September 2024
A person holding a Mounjaro injection pen.
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Mounjaro sapped Rod's hunger and the side effects of not eatingCredit: Getty

And my friend, a naturally muscular rugby-player type from Bradford, was right.

I had an unusually large — but not actually fat — torso and spindly limbs. And I did, indeed, look like something out of a sci-fi movie.

But it was still preferable to the Jabba the Hutt I became over the next two decades.

All that has been sorted, however, after I started taking fat jab Mounjaro and lost 3st in six months.

I reversed my diabetes, restored my peace of mind and returned to something that looked more like my old self.

I certainly couldn’t have gone on the way I was.

By last September I was tipping the scales at 17st, which, even for someone who is 6ft 2in, still made me obese.

For about five years I’d been pre-diabetic. If I didn’t exercise more and improve my diet, I was on a fast-track to getting full Type 2 diabetes. Of course, I did neither.

Eight months ago my blood-sugar readings confirmed that I officially had the same condition as my older relatives.

If that was not enough, just months earlier my brother, who also has diabetes but doesn’t smoke, had suffered a minor heart attack at the age of 57.

Weight Loss Jabs - Pros vs Cons

This was a particular shock, because our dad had his first heart attack aged 54 and a second at 59 was fatal. I’d just turned 20 when he died.

Food noise

Now I was about to enter my fifties with a 38in waist and arms and legs that were becoming flabby.

I longed for the days when I looked like E.T. At least I was a healthy E.T. and, heck, some parts of me were skinny.

So last September I started the jabs, which cost me about £220 from Superdrug.

Mounjaro worked for me by sapping the hunger and the side-effects of not eating

After an online assessment via emails and pictures sent to a doctor, my pack arrived in the post and the first injection was on a Friday night.

It was remarkably easy. As someone who is not a fan of needles, I was surprised by how tiny it was. Imagine a centimetre-long stiff hair.

The needles used to take your blood at the GP will suddenly look like javelins.

When I woke up on the Saturday, my hunger, which was invariably ravenous in the mornings, had evaporated.

Man holding a photo of himself in an office.
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He now weighs 14st with a 32in waistCredit: Ian Whittaker
Man showing significant weight loss by holding up loose jeans.
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The jabs have enabled Rod to reset his health as well as reverse his diabetesCredit: Ian Whittaker

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.

I skipped breakfast and went for a brunch affair, but even then I couldn’t eat much.

Usually, by about 2pm I’d be grumpy and light-headed as my blood sugar plunged, but none of that happened.

Instead, I pushed through till dinner when I had a proper meal.

It has pretty much been a similar pattern for the past six to eight months. The weight started to fall off immediately.

First, a few ounces then more as the dose intensity increased and I got used to when I could and should eat.

My tip is to eat three times a day, but only as much as you are able to physically muster.

I lost, on average, about half a stone a month and, after about three months, I could see the change in my body.

I had smaller man boobs, a flatter stomach, and a waist that shrank to about 32in. Mounjaro worked for me by sapping the hunger and the side-effects of not eating.

It allowed me to break the vicious cycle I had been on: I ate, I got bigger, my bigger body demanded more fuel, I ate more.

Crucially, the jab cuts out the food noise that seeps into our busy, daily lives — the shops, cafes, restaurants, pubs, vending machines and bags of birthday sweet treats in the office that we cannot resist.

There were side-effects for me, however, and they are not always the things you’d bring up at refined dinner parties.

The problem with fat jabs is that, unlike with women, lots of men see anything to do with dieting as trivial and faddy, and are either dismissive or wary of it

Constipation is common as the drug makes you feel fuller for longer by slowing down your digestive system.

Diminished libido is another. Why? My own theory is that you lose that brain buzz just before you enjoy something — whether it’s a chocolate bar, pint, or any other thrill.

But since I don’t intend to be on the jabs for ever, it is a small, temporary, price to pay. And I actually found I enjoyed mealtimes more, because when I chose my grub I did it on the basis of what intrigued me, not what was guaranteed to fill me up and satisfy that junk-food buzz. 

'Being a bloke'

Crucially, Mounjaro won’t transform you into an Adonis.

The weight fell off me unevenly, so I still have a disproportionately large torso and skinny limbs. But I know that just means I need to hit the gym.

The biggest positive change is that my blood-sugar levels have fallen by a third.

I’ve officially gone from being diabetic, through the pre-diabetic banding, deep into the normal category. Which is staggering in six months.

In fact, the biggest hindrance to fat jabs is perhaps the most unexpected — a chronic condition called “being a bloke”.

The problem with fat jabs is that, unlike with women, lots of men see anything to do with dieting as trivial and faddy, and are either dismissive or wary of it.

Ironic, really, given that at the other end of the spectrum are male gym junkies who think nothing of injecting themselves with steroids.

There will be loads of fellas who are struggling with their health and want to do something about it, but will not because they are too busy, too preoccupied, or too sceptical.

Crucially, they will also think it seems a tad vain.

To them I simply say this: After mocking me for looking like E.T., my muscular mate from Bradford also piled on 3st over the same 20-year period.

Then, as though by magic, he lost it all over the past six months and looks and feels fantastic.

And, no, it was not from playing more rugby.

Rod McPhee standing outside a large brick building.
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For Rod, the side effects of the jabs include constipation and diminished libidoCredit: Supplied
Mounjaro (tirzepatide) injection pen and box.
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Mounjaro was remarkably easy to use, according to himCredit: Getty

How to lower your risk of type 2 diabetes

According to Diabetes UK, there are a few diet tweaks you can make to lower your risk of type 2 diabetes:

  1. Choose drinks without added sugar - skip out the sugar in your tea and coffee and stay away from fizzy and energy drinks
  2. Eat whole grains such as brown rice, wholewheat pasta, wholemeal flour, wholegrain bread and oats instead of refined carbs
  3. Cut down on red and processed meat like bacon, ham, sausages, pork, beef and lamb
  4. Eat plenty of fruit and veg - apples, grapes, berries, and green leafy veg such as spinach, kale, watercress, and rocket have been associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes
  5. Have unsweetened yoghurt and cheese
  6. Cut down on booze - and have a few days a week with none at all
  7. Have healthy snacks like unsweetened yoghurt, unsalted nuts, seeds and fruit and veg
  8. Eat healthy fats included in nuts, seeds, avocados and olive oil
  9. Cut down on salt
  10. Get your vitamins and minerals from food instead of tablets
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