Thinking About Weight Loss Injections? Read This First.

I've been wanting to write this blog for several months now.

If I'm honest, I've put it off because it feels like one of those subjects where people often have very strong opinions. A bit like liquorice!

Some people believe weight loss injections are one of the best things to happen in the fight against obesity. Others think nobody should use them.

I'm not here to tell you who's right.

I'm also not here to tell you what decision you should make.

What I would like to do is invite you to pause for a moment before making that decision.

Because after speaking to someone who has used weight loss injections herself and listening to her story, I realised there is one part of the conversation that doesn't seem to get talked about enough.

The mind.

As a clinical hypnotherapist, that's naturally where my attention goes.

Not because I think weight loss injections are "bad", but because I believe there is something even more important to explore first.

I spent time researching this topic through different platforms, reading people's experiences and learning more about the medication. But I felt something was missing. The facts and statistics are important, but they don't tell the whole story.

I wanted to hear about the human experience.

A Real Experience with Weight Loss Injections

I met up with Alison, who I know from my gym. Alison had been using weight loss injections for around nine months and kindly agreed to share her experience with me.

I have to admit, our conversation opened my mind even further. It broadened my perspective and made me even more empathetic towards anyone who chooses this route.

Before I continue, I want to be clear that I'm not going to discuss the medical risks or benefits in detail because that isn't my area of expertise. Weight loss injections are a medical treatment, not a harmless supplement, so if you're considering them, please speak to your GP or another qualified healthcare professional and do plenty of research before making your decision.

Alison's Story

Alison told me about her long history of trying to lose weight.

She wasn't someone who had spent years avoiding exercise or living on takeaway meals. Quite the opposite.

She regularly went to the gym, played netball and generally ate a healthy, balanced diet. These weren't simply her own observations either. Even a personal trainer had looked at her food diary and couldn't understand why the weight wasn't shifting.

She describes herself as having a slow metabolism. During a boxing camp, where some women lost as much as two stone over three months while training once or twice a day, Alison lost just six pounds.

Now, we know weight loss is about much more than calories in versus calories out.

Stress, sleep, hormones, genetics, certain medical conditions and even the body's natural tendency to defend its current weight can all influence how easily we lose weight.

A Few Things About Alison's Health Before Starting

• She no longer has a gall bladder.

• She has an underactive thyroid.

• She has elevated liver enzymes.

• Her BMI was over 30.

• Otherwise, she was fit and healthy.

  
  

After speaking with her GP, Alison weighed over 14 stone 6 pounds and had a BMI above 30. Although she met some of the criteria, she didn't qualify for weight loss injections on the NHS because other requirements weren't met.

Instead, she chose to purchase the medication privately online.

She explained that the process involved completing detailed health questionnaires and submitting photographs in underwear to confirm eligibility. There are safeguards in place, and she believes most people answer honestly.

The medication came with instructions on how to administer the injections safely, but very little guidance beyond that. One important point that wasn't highlighted was the need to stay properly hydrated. After speaking with a doctor specialising in diabetes, Alison discovered that dehydration can actually make it harder to lose weight while taking the medication.

She started losing weight after around five weeks of weekly injections. While many people begin losing weight much sooner, Alison eventually lost around three and a half stone.

Apart from feeling very sick whenever her dosage increased and she ate too much, and feeling exhausted when she first started, she experienced very few side effects.

There was, however, one unexpected benefit that really caught my attention.

She described her mind as feeling noticeably calmer than it had before starting the injections.

Her thoughts around food became quieter.

The constant "food noise" that so many people describe seemed to disappear.

It was a feeling she hadn't experienced before and one that gradually faded after she stopped taking the medication.

As far as I'm aware, we still don't fully understand why some people experience this.

After around nine months, Alison slowly reduced the injections and eventually stopped taking them. She has since regained a few pounds, but her weight has stabilised and, more importantly, she feels healthier and happier than she did before.

One thing that really stood out to me was that Alison had already put the work in.

Before she ever started the injections, she had established healthy habits. She exercised regularly, had learned about nutrition and wasn't chasing a particular dress size. She genuinely wanted to improve her health and build strength.

I think that's an important distinction.

Alison's Biggest Takeaway

When I asked Alison what she would say to someone thinking about starting weight loss injections, she didn't hesitate.

"Unless you make fundamental changes, you're going to put it all back on. Don't do it because you want to be skinny. Skinny isn't the best thing ever. You still have those fundamental problems in your mind."

Those words really stayed with me.

Because in all the years I've worked with people, I've never met anyone whose deepest desire was simply to be thinner.

What they really wanted was confidence. Freedom. More energy. To stop hiding from photographs. To play with their children or grandchildren without getting out of breath.

To stop feeling guilty every time they ate. To look in the mirror without immediately criticising themselves.

The weight was rarely the real problem.

It was everything the extra weight had come to represent.

How Can Hypnotherapy Help?

When Alison spoke about the constant "food noise" becoming quieter, I found that fascinating.

As a hypnotherapist here in South Manchester, it made me think about the incredible power of the mind.

Medication may quieten food noise chemically, while one of the aims of hypnotherapy is to help people quieten it psychologically. They're very different approaches, but both remind us just how influential our minds can be.

I'm not here to tell you whether you should or shouldn't use weight loss injections. That decision is entirely yours and should always be made alongside advice from your GP or healthcare professional.

What I would encourage you to do, though, is pause for a moment before making that decision.

Ask yourself this one question:

Have I really addressed the reasons why I struggle with food, cravings or my weight in the first place?

Because for many people, the challenge isn't a lack of willpower.

It's years of stress. Emotional eating. Comfort eating. Eating because life feels overwhelming. Eating because food has become the quickest way to soothe difficult emotions.

Weight loss injections may reduce your appetite, but they don't usually change your relationship with food.

They don't heal years of negative self-talk.

They don't teach your nervous system how to cope with stress differently.

They don't help you understand why you find yourself standing in front of the fridge when you're not actually hungry.

That's where hypnotherapy can make such a powerful difference.

Before you consider changing your body with medication, I believe it's worth taking the time to understand your mind.

Together, we'll gently explore why your eating habits developed in the first place. We'll uncover the subconscious patterns that may have been running in the background for years without you even realising it and begin replacing them with healthier, more supportive ones.

We'll work on reducing stress, improving your sleep, strengthening your self-belief and creating healthier habits that feel natural rather than forced.

Because lasting change rarely comes from fighting yourself. It comes from understanding yourself.

If you've already started using weight loss injections, it's certainly not too late.

Hypnotherapy can work beautifully alongside your journey, helping you build healthier habits while your appetite is reduced and supporting you as you gradually reduce or stop the medication. The aim is to give you the confidence and mindset to maintain those positive changes long after the injections have finished.

Unlike many weight-loss programmes, I don't measure success by the number on the scales.

There, I said it!

Because the number on the scales doesn't tell me whether you're sleeping better. It doesn't tell me whether you have more energy. It doesn't tell me whether you're feeling calmer. It doesn't tell me whether you're finally enjoying food without guilt.

And it certainly doesn't tell me whether you've started to like the person looking back at you in the mirror.

That's the transformation I care about.

Most importantly, I want to help you discover your own personal why.

Perhaps you want more energy to play with your children or grandchildren.

Maybe you'd like to reduce your risk of future health problems.

Perhaps you want to enjoy holidays without worrying about how you look in photos.

Or maybe you're simply exhausted by feeling as though you're constantly at war with your own body.

Whatever your reason, it matters!

Because when your motivation comes from self-care instead of self-criticism, healthy choices become so much easier to maintain.

My role isn't to tell you what to eat.

It isn't to judge you.

And it certainly isn't to make you feel guilty if life gets in the way.

My role is to help you understand yourself.

And when you understand yourself, lasting change becomes possible.

So, Where Do We Start?

We start at the beginning.

It sounds simple because it is.

As I often say, small and consistent steps beat big and bold ones every time.

The moment you decide to invest in yourself and your wellbeing, you've already taken your first step.

We don't wait until we've lost weight before allowing ourselves to feel happy or confident.

We begin opening those doors now.

Because if exercise becomes punishment for calories you've eaten, and happiness is something you believe you'll only deserve when you've reached a certain number on the scales, you'll probably remain trapped in the exhausting cycle of guilt, restriction and yo-yo dieting.

Instead, we begin by learning to treat your body with kindness and respect.

When you stop seeing your body as the enemy and start working with it instead of against it, everything begins to feel different.

One of the first areas we often work on is reducing stress and improving sleep because they influence so many other aspects of our health.

When your nervous system feels calmer, you're naturally able to make better decisions.

When you're sleeping well, cravings will reduce.

When you understand your triggers, you're no longer relying on willpower alone.

And that's incredibly freeing!

You see, there are so many factors that influence not only losing weight—which, in many ways, is often the easier part—but maintaining a healthier body long term.

There isn't one answer that works for everyone.

Only you can decide what's right for you.

But before you rely on something outside of yourself, I hope you'll also consider exploring what's happening within. Because sometimes the missing piece isn't another diet, another programme or another injection.

It understanding yourself!

As I often remind my clients, small and consistent steps beat big and bold ones every time. Real, lasting change doesn't happen overnight. It happens one decision, one habit and one step at a time.

Whatever path you choose, I hope you'll remember this:

• You are not lazy.

• You are not weak.

• And you are certainly not broken.

  
  

Your mind has simply learned ways of protecting you that may no longer be serving you.

The wonderful thing about the subconscious mind is that it can learn new ways too.

I truly believe that when you understand yourself instead of constantly fighting yourself, everything starts to change.

If you're ready to stop battling with food, quieten the constant chatter in your mind and build a healthier relationship with yourself, I'd love to help you Open That Door.

If you'd like to find out more about how hypnotherapy can support your weight loss journey, I'd be delighted to chat. Together, we can explore what's really been holding you back and create a plan that feels realistic, compassionate and sustainable—one that isn't based on guilt or quick fixes, but on lasting change from the inside out.

With love