‘I was a walking heart attack waiting to happen – then I lost 13st’ | UK | News
The mum-of-three, who weighed 22 stone, shed 13 stone after her dad bought her “the best Christmas present ever” last year – her first dose of weight-loss medication. Emilly Murray, 35, previously weighed 22st 1.5lbs and has struggled with overeating throughout her life, struggling to fit into a size 30 at her heaviest.
Despite every attempt to control his hunger, he was consuming approximately 5,000 calories a day, gorging on Chinese food, pizza, chocolate and Haribos. Emily tried different diets but would always gain weight again. In December last year, Emilly’s father Paul Murray, 55, a community center manager, asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she asked for Mounjaro, a popular drug used to help people lose weight.
Emilly, from Aintree, Liverpool, received her first jab on December 30, 2024, and said it was the start of a “life-changing journey”.
She has since slimmed down to an almost unrecognizable 9st 2lbs, losing almost 13 stone in total, and can now fit into size six with ease and play with her children (Esme, 12, Ellie, six, and Joseph, four) more easily.
Content creator Emily said: “My dad asking me what I wanted for Christmas was the catalyst for so much change. I was eating myself into oblivion – I think I was a walking heart attack. I’m pinching myself because I can’t believe how this year has been for me.”
“This has changed not only my life but my whole family’s life. I’m a better mom for my kids, I can play with them at the play center and go down the slides. It was literally the best Christmas present I ever got from my dad. I think I owe him a nice present this year.”
Emily said she was overweight as a child and was never able to keep that weight off. She tried various diets and weight loss techniques over the years, but she would always binge and gain weight again.
“My nickname with my friends when I was a kid was ‘whale’; I was always big,” he said. “I tried to lose weight but I didn’t understand nutrition and started restricting on weekends and then overeating.
“I used food as a crutch and comfort. Whether I was happy, sad, or depressed, the answer was always food. People would tell me to ‘just move more and eat less,’ but it’s not that easy when you feel like food controls you.”
Emily started researching weight loss shots late last year after seeing other people’s transformations online. She had lost more than six stone in a year due to a calorie deficit and prior exercise, but was worried that if she didn’t take action she would plateau and gain weight again.
When dad Paul asked him what he wanted for Christmas last year, he admitted he wanted to try Mounjaro.
He sent her £105 so she could order her first dose online and she started the injections just before New Year’s Eve, weighing 16st and a size 24.
She said: “I took my first dose and it was like a switch appeared in my head. I no longer woke up in the morning thinking about what I could eat. That just disappeared. I felt like there was so much room in my head for everything else.”
She experienced some side effects, such as constipation and diarrhea, but found ways to manage them by adjusting her diet.
Emily noticed her weight began to drop, her mental health began to improve, and she began to find it easier to do things like go up the stairs and play with her young son.
Although she spends around £1,500 a year on jabs, she reckons this is less than she previously spent each year on snacks, takeaways and on-the-go food.
She said: “Every night I would go to the shop and buy myself a big packet of sweets, crisps and a big portion of chocolate. I would order takeaways and buy freezer food because I was struggling mentally and felt like I couldn’t cook for myself after cooking for the kids.”
His diet previously looked like this:
BREAKFAST – nothing
LUNCH – sandwich, chips
DINNER – takeaway, freezer food
SNACKS – sweets, chips, chocolate
BEVERAGES – carbonated drinks
It now consists of:
BREAKFAST – protein shake and protein coffee
LUNCH – chicken legs, tuna bagel
DINNER – regular fare like curry, chicken, fried rice, healthy burrito bowls
SNACKS – fruit, cheese, meat
DRINKS – 2-3l unsweetened fruit juice
This December marks one year since she first started the shots, and she now weighs just 9.2 lbs. Almost 7 of the 13 stones she lost were on Mounjaro and Emilly says the transformation has been “life changing”.
Now that she’s entering a maintenance phase where she doesn’t want to lose any more weight, she’s preparing to taper off the doses to finally get off the injections. Emily is also preparing for surgery to remove excess skin in Lithuania in May, which will cost around £12,000.
This year he was looking forward to having a “nice, quiet family Christmas” with his partner Oliver, 30, a car manufacturer, and their children.
“It’s nice to feel happy and healthy this year, I’m in a very different headspace than last year,” she said. “I can’t believe it this year; I still pinch myself when I see how much has changed. Thank you for the dad you are now.”
Mounjaro and other weight loss medications are available on the NHS and in private practices where a healthcare professional deems appropriate. They should always be taken under medical supervision.
