SIERRA Robichaud was among the first wave of people to see her excess fat melt away after starting weight loss jabs – and she was stunned by how quickly they worked.
But coming off them was much, much, harder than she expected and she learned some valuable fat jab lessons along the way.
Sierra Robichaud first took Wegovy in November 2022, and is still on a low dose nearly three years later[/caption]
Sierra, a 36-year-old stay-at-home mum-of-two, was prescribed GLP-1 medicine by her doctor when she complained that she was unable to lose weight after her second child.
Weighing 14st 9lbs (205lb), Sierra was the heaviest she had been.
She tells Sun Health: “It felt like nothing I did was working, which was frustrating.
“I was a normal weight my whole life until I had kids. I have two kids.
“And after my second, I just could not lose the weight I had gained – like 40 or 50lbs.”
Sierra, from Delaware, United States, visited her doctor, in Albany at the time, who suggested she take semaglutide.
Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Wegovy, as well as Ozempic which is only liscenced for type 2 diabetes in the UK, but also for weight loss in the US.
“People are just so desperate to lose weight, myself included, that I was willing to take the risk of the medication,” Sierra says.
“I could have lost the weight without taking the medication. I just think it would take a lot of discipline and I chose not to take that route. I had two little kids and I was like, ‘I don’t have time for this’.
“The only way to lose weight is to eat less calories than you burn. And that’s that’s where I was struggling.”
Sierra began taking Wegovy in November 2022.
She was already eating well and exercising to try and shift the pounds, so when she saw the scales finally changing, she knew the medication was the fix.
“It was surprising and encouraging,” says Sierra, who adds there were only a “handful” of people on TikTok talking about using the drug at the time.
Her own videos gained attention as people asked her how they could access it.
Sierra struggled to lose the weight she had gained due to the pregnancy of her second child[/caption]
Her doctor recommended Wegovy and Sierra was encouraged to see the weight fall off her, having been ‘frustrated’ when diet and exercise didn’t work[/caption]
“If I was making like, tacos or a salad, I would make the same amount that I was making before, but I wouldn’t wouldn’t be able to finish,” she says.
I’ve gone off of it for a few months, and then I’ll start to see the scale go back up, and I get freaked out and I go back on the medication
Sierra
“Nausea was my number one side effect. I had that a lot. And some fatigue, towards the end when I was moving up to the higher dose. I definitely felt like I had less energy in the day.
“Sometimes you don’t drink enough water, so I was forcing myself to, adding electrolytes in.”
After six months, Sierra had lost the weight she’d gained over pregnancy and more – 3st 13lbs (55lbs).
At her lowest weight in a while, 10st 10lbs (150lbs), she came off Wegovy due to the side effects she was experiencing.
“During the six months I worked up in dose, and that’s when I started feeling really tired,” she says.
SCALES CREEPING UP
“So I want to take a break once I hit regular weight, my old weight.
“I stopped for around three months.
“But then I started seeing the scale go up, I gained like eight pounds or something.
“I actually had a lot of side effects coming off of them. I was very bloated, just stomach discomfort, my stomach would get upset when I would eat.
“I just felt uncomfortable coming off the medication. I felt like my appetite was just what it was before.
“And so I went back on it.”
Sierra had reached 1.7mg, which is the second to highest dose of Wegovy.
I don’t want to have to think about every single bite that I take. On the medication, all you have to think about is making sure that you’re eating healthy foods, and the medication will do the rest
Sierra
She decided to go onto a low dose of 0.25mg in August 2023 and still is two years later, despite having a few breaks inbetween.
Now, she’s on a dose of 0.5mg since mid-July to “kick it up a notch”.
Sierra’s most common side effect of Wegovy was nausea[/caption]
The mum-of-two, pictured after her weght loss, said: ‘People are just so desperate to lose weight, myself included, that I was willing to take the risk of the medication’[/caption]
Sierra gets ‘freaked out’ when she sees her weight going up again, so stays on the medication[/caption]
She was among the first people to share her journey on TikTok[/caption]
Can you microdose fat jabs?
Microdosing is when you take a very small amount of a medication instead of the standard dose.
It is referenced in context to weight loss jabs when people say they are either losing weight very slowly, with smaller dosages, or are weaning themselves off after hitting their goal weight.
Microdosing Mounjaro would mean taking less than the lowest dose, which is 2.5mg. This might be 0.1mg for Wegovy, which starts at 0.25mg.
This is not prescribed by most private pharmacies in the UK, and there are no clinical guidelines about doing it safely.
The pen that you use to inject Mounjaro has dosages set already. Though it is possible to adjust this yourself, it is not advised by healthcare professionals.
For example, ASDA Online Doctor says: “Some people suggest that taking smaller doses can help the injection pen last longer and reduce the monthly costs. However, microdosing Mounjaro KwikPens is not cost-effective, as opened pens must be used within 30 days or thrown away.”
Instead, the lowest dose may be used for the same purposes. For example, you might use 2.5mg of Mounjaro or 0.25mg of Wegovy to maintain weight loss, or you may even choose to stay on this for the entirety of your weight loss journey, rather than increasing in dosage, if considered safe by a prescriber.
In fact, gradually reducing dosage, rather than abruptly stopping, is recommended to help with adjusting to life off the jabs, and any potential weight regain.
The prescriber can help set a maintenance dose that is appropriate – it may not be low for everyone.
Guidelines suggest weight loss GLP-1 medications should not be used for more than two years.
The mini-dose keeps her appetite suppressed just enough that she can live life with some normality, but without having to worry about food noise.
She says: “I’ve gone off of it for a few months, and then I’ll start to see the scale go back up, and I get freaked out and I go back on the medication.
“I’ve been on it for two years.”
OBSESSING OVER EVERY BITE
Now 25lbs heavier than her lowest weight, Sierra says she isn’t on a mission to lose more weight – she just wants “peace of mind”.
She finds the amount of advice on how to lose and maintain weight loss exhausting, and says there isn’t enough information on how to adjust to life after the jabs.
“My theory is that the jabs slow down your metabolism, and so if you come off them, and you are hungrier and eating more, you’re not burning as much.
“I think that’s the reason why people gain weight when they come off, because their metabolism is not matching their hunger.
“I guess, where the information lacks is like, when you come off the medication, how can you kind of reset your metabolism to your new body?
“The people that have come off of it have to be extremely diligent about what they eat.
“They count calories or go on just another restrictive diet, in my opinion.
“If you have to count your calories and think about every single thing that you eat, there’s a psychological aspect to that. And that’s part of the reason why I stay on the medication.
“I think a lot of people don’t have the education about how to do that, and that’s why people struggle with diets, too.
“I don’t want to have to think about every single bite that I take.
“On the medication, all you have to think about is making sure that you’re eating healthy foods, and the medication will do the rest.”
Thankfully Sierra isn’t paying for the jabs out her own pocket, but with the help of insurance through her husband of 12 years.
“I have really good insurance through my husband,” she says. “But if you were to buy it without insurance it would be like $1,000-$1,500 a month.”
The prices of weight loss injections have been higher outside of the UK.
But that’s set to change on September 1, when the maker of Mounjaro, Eli Lilly, will double the cost of its medicine for pharmacies.
Sierra has received mixed opinions on her journey, having shared it from start to now on her TikTok page (@sierra.robichaud).
She says: “It’s like, people are pro medication, they say ‘It’s amazing, it worked for me’.
“But other people say ‘You’re killing yourself by taking medication’.
“No matter what you do, you’re wrong.”
The 7 fat jab mistakes stopping you losing weight
WHILE weight loss jabs have been hailed as a breakthrough in helping tackle Britain’s obesity crisis, some users say they’re missing out on their waist-shrinking powers – and it could be down to some simple mistakes…
POOR PENMANSHIP
Many people don’t correctly use the injection pen, according to Ana Carolina Goncalves, a pharmacist at Pharmica in Holborn, London.
Make sure to prime your weight loss pen correctly, as per the instructions. If nothing comes out, try again, and if it still doesn’t work, switch the needle or ask a pharmacist for help.
It’s also recommended to rotate injection sites between the abdomen, thigh and upper arm to avoid small lumps of fat under the skin.
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE
Make sure you’re using the jabs on the most effective day of your schedule.
For example, taking the jab right before a takeaway or party won’t stop you from indulging, says Jason Murphy, head of pharmacy and weight loss expert at Chemist4U.
Weight loss injections need time to build up in your system, so if you’re planning for a heavier weekend, inject your dose mid-week.
MAKING A MEAL OF IT
You may not feel the urge to overeat at mealtimes due to the jabs. But skipping meals altogether can backfire, says Dr David Huang, director of clinical innovation at weight loss service Voy.
If a person is extremely malnourished, their body goes into emergency conservation mode, where their metabolism slows down.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
A key mistake using weight loss jabs is not eating the right foods.
As well as cutting out sugary drinks and alcohol, Dr Vishal Aggarwal, Healthium Clinics recommends focusing on your protein intake.
DE-HYDRATION STATIONS
Dehydration is a common side effect of weight loss injections. But it’s important to say hydrated in order for your body to function properly.
Dr Crystal Wyllie, GP at Asda Online Doctor, says hydration supports metabolism, digestion, and can reduce side effects like headaches, nausea and constipation.
MOVE IT, MOVE IT
It can be easy to see the jabs as a quick fix, but stopping exercising altogether is a mistake, says Mital Thakrar, a pharmacist from Well Pharmacy.
Exercise helps maintain muscle mass and help shape the body as you lose weight, which may be crucial if you’re experiencing excess skin.
QUIT IT
While there’s the tendency to ditch the jabs as soon as you reach your desired weight, stopping them too soon can cause rapid regain.
Mr Thakrar recommends building habits like healthier eating during treatment for sustaining results.