A mother from Wolverhampton who shed three stone using weight loss injections has revealed how the weight quickly returned after she could no longer afford the £170-a-month treatment. Pamela Phillips, 42, said the medication initially worked with ease, but the pounds crept back after she stopped, leaving her convinced the jabs did not solve the long-term problem.
A Cycle of Dieting
Pamela, who works as a wellbeing coordinator, has struggled with her weight since her teenage years. She spent decades trapped in a cycle of crash dieting and regaining weight. At her heaviest, she weighed 22 stone 7 pounds after giving birth to her first child in 2010. She would often lose several stone during the summer months when she was more active, only to put it back on during winter when back pain and mobility issues worsened. Pamela suffers from three prolapsed discs, which frequently caused severe pain.
“I was constantly yo-yo dieting,” she said. “In summer I’d lose the weight, but in winter I’d be in pain with my back and it would all come back on again.”
Turning to Weight Loss Jabs
By early 2022, Pamela weighed 20 stone 11 pounds and decided to try Saxenda after hearing more people discuss GLP-1 weight loss jabs online. She ordered the injections through an online pharmacy and paid around £170 each month. The medication quickly reduced her cravings and helped quieten what many users describe as “food noise.” Within months, she dropped three stone.
However, the treatment soon became financially unsustainable. After stopping the injections, her appetite increased, and the weight gradually returned within months. “When things get tight, you give up your luxuries – and the weight just crept back on,” she said. “By October I was back where I started.”
Health Complications and Surgery
Pamela later tried to restart the medication but found it no longer had the same effect. Around the same time, worsening back problems led doctors to warn she needed surgery urgently due to nerve damage from her prolapsed discs. However, she was told her weight made surgery too risky and she needed to lose a significant amount quickly. Facing the possibility of losing the use of her leg, she explored bariatric surgery options.
In April 2023, Pamela underwent gastric sleeve surgery at Tonic Weight Loss Surgery, paying £10,500 for the procedure. In the months afterwards, she dropped from 20 stone 8 pounds to 11 stone. Three years later, she has successfully maintained the weight loss through lifestyle changes and smaller portions. She believes the surgery, rather than the injections, finally broke the cycle she had battled for decades.
“If not for bariatric surgery I’d still have been stuck in that rut,” she said. “The jabs worked in the moment for me, but they didn’t solve the long-term problem.”
Wider Debate
Pamela’s experience comes amid growing debate about the long-term effectiveness of GLP-1 medications once treatment stops. Research published earlier this year in the British Medical Journal found many patients regained weight after discontinuing injections, particularly without long-term lifestyle support. Despite her difficult experience, Pamela says she finally feels healthier and more confident. “Now I’ve got a thirst for life,” she added. “It feels exciting.”
