Pamela Phillips explained her tumultuous fitness journey after using weight loss jabs
Pamela struggled with her weight throughout her teens, and tried many different diets to slim down(Image: © SWNS)
A mum who lost three stone using weight loss injections says the results quickly unravelled after she could no longer afford the £170-a-month treatment. Pamela Phillips, from Wolverhampton, explained how the medication initially worked “with ease”, but claimed the weight soon returned after coming off the jabs – leaving her convinced they “didn’t solve the long-term problem”.
The 42-year-old said she had struggled with her weight since her teenage years and spent decades trapped in a cycle of crash dieting and regaining weight. At her heaviest, Pamela weighed 22st 7lbs after having her first child in 2010.
Over the years, she said she repeatedly lost several stone during 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 often left her in severe pain.
“I was constantly yo-yo dieting,” said Pamela, who works as a wellbeing coordinator. “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.”
Pamela Phillips before and after weight loss(Image: Barifest© SWNS)
By early 2022, Pamela weighed 20st 11lbs 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 began paying around £170 each month for the treatment.
Pamela said the medication quickly reduced her cravings and helped quieten what many users describe as “food noise”. Within just a few months, she had dropped three stone.
But despite the early success, Pamela said the treatment soon became financially unsustainable. After stopping the injections, she noticed her appetite increasing again and claimed 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.”
Pamela later attempted to restart the medication but claimed 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 linked to her prolapsed discs.
However, Pamela said 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 began exploring bariatric surgery options.
In April 2023, Pamela underwent gastric sleeve surgery at Tonic Weight Loss Surgery after paying £10,500 for the procedure. In the months afterwards, she dropped from 20st 8lbs to 11st.
Three years later, Pamela says she has successfully maintained the weight loss through lifestyle changes and smaller portions. She believes the surgery, rather than the injections, finally helped break 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.”
Pamela’s experience comes amid growing debate around 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 than she has in years. “Now I’ve got a thirst for life,” she added. “It feels exciting.”
