From 140kg to 70kg: UK woman halves her weight with obesity drug and lifestyle changes

A woman in her 30s from the UK, who once weighed 140kg, has reportedly lost about 70kg through the use of an obesity drug and lifestyle changes. She has overcome stress-induced binge eating and now maintains a healthy diet.
According to The Sun and other foreign media, Emily Murray (35), who lives in Liverpool, saw her weight climb to nearly 140kg by 2024. She pointed to stress-related binge eating as the main cause of her weight gain. Her binge eating worsened when her daughter, born prematurely with a congenital condition, had to be hospitalized for treatment.


Her serious weight-loss effort began in December 2024, when she started taking the obesity drug Mounjaro. Within less than a year of treatment, Emily shed 70kg. However, she hit a plateau just before reaching her target weight of 63kg. To break through this, she said she increased her daily water intake to 2–3 liters and adopted a protein-focused diet centered on meat and fish.
Emily cited Mounjaro (active ingredient Tirzepatide) as the key to her successful weight loss. Mounjaro is a second-generation anti-obesity injection that stimulates both GLP-1 and GIP receptors. The drug helps promote insulin secretion, suppress appetite, and stabilize blood sugar levels. Approved in the UK in 2023, it is administered once a week by subcutaneous injection, and clinical trials have shown an average weight reduction of about 20%.
However, there are concerns about side effects. Because it slows the rate at which food leaves the stomach, gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation are common. In rare cases, serious conditions like acute pancreatitis or gallstones can occur.
Experts advise that if abdominal pain, vomiting, or persistent upper abdominal discomfort develops after starting Mounjaro, patients should stop the medication immediately and undergo medical evaluation. They also recommend avoiding its use in people with a history of pancreatic disease.

Reports suggest that, as in Emily’s case, 80–90% of patients on Mounjaro experience a weight-loss plateau. During this phase, it is important to increase strength training and protein intake, and to work with healthcare professionals to adjust the drug’s dosage or injection schedule.
Drinking more water can also help. Water not only promotes a feeling of fullness and reduces overall calorie intake, but also supports the metabolic processes that break down body fat and convert it into energy.

Emily recalled that in the past she would binge on a single large evening meal instead of eating three proper meals a day, and frequently drank sugary soft drinks. She explained that she now eats three regular meals a day and has switched her beverages to water or sugar-free juice.

Even if total daily calorie intake is the same, concentrating most of it in the evening makes weight gain more likely. At night, insulin sensitivity decreases, so a greater proportion of what you eat is stored as fat. In addition, the body’s circadian rhythm tends to suppress energy expenditure during nighttime hours.
Soft drinks are particularly harmful for weight loss. Liquid calories provide little satiety and, unlike solid food, do not usually lead to reduced intake at subsequent meals. Most of the fructose in soft drinks is transported to the liver and converted into fat, significantly increasing the risk of abdominal obesity.

hsg@fnnews.com Reporter Han Seung-gon Reporter