A mum-of-three who weighed 22 stone shed 13 stone after her father bought her the “best Christmas present ever” last year – her first dose of a weight-loss drug. Emilly Murray, 35, previously weighed 22st 1.5lbs and struggled to squeeze into a size 30 at her heaviest, having struggled with binge eating throughout her life.
She would consume around 5,000 calories a day – gorging on Chinese takeaways, pizza, chocolates and Haribos despite every attempt to control her hunger. Emilly tried different diets but would always put the weight back on again. In December last year, Emilly’s dad, Paul Murray, 55, a community centre manager, asked her what she wanted for Christmas, and she requested Mounjaro, a popular drug used to help people lose weight.
Emilly, from Aintree, Liverpool, got her first jab on December 30, 2024 – which she says was the start of a “life-changing journey”.
She’s since slimmed down to a near-unrecognisable 9st 2lbs, losing nearly 13 stone in total, and is now able to slip into a slender size six with ease and play with her children – Esme, 12, Ellie, six and Joseph, four – more easily.
Emilly, a content creator, 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 pinch myself because I can’t believe how this year has gone for me.
“It’s changed not just my life but my whole family’s life – I’m a better mum for my kids, I can play with them in the play centre and go down the slides. It was literally the best Christmas present from my dad – I think I owe him a good one this year.”
Emilly said she became overweight as a child and was never able to keep the pounds off. She tried various diets and weight loss techniques over the years, but would always end up binge eating and putting the weight back on.
“My nickname as a child with my friends was ‘the whale’ – I was always big,” she said. “I tried to lose weight, but I didn’t understand nutrition, and I ended up restricting and then binging on the weekends.
“I used food as a crutch and a comfort. If I was happy, sad, or depressed, the answer was always to eat. People would tell me to ‘just move more and eat less’ but that’s not so easy when it feels like food controls you.”
Emilly began researching weight loss jabs late last year after seeing other people’s transformations online. She had lost more than six stone in a year through a calorie deficit and exercise beforehand, but worried that if she didn’t take action, she’d plateau and then put the weight back on again.
So when Dad Paul asked her what she’d like for Christmas last year, she admitted she’d like to try Mounjaro.
He sent her £105 so she could order her first dose online, and she started the jabs, weighing 16st and as a size 24, just before New Year’s Eve.
She said: “I took my first dose and it was like a switch flicked in my head. I didn’t wake up in the morning wondering what I could eat any more. That just vanished. I felt like I had so much space in my head for everything else.”
She experienced some side effects, including constipation and diarrhoea, but found ways to manage them by adjusting her diet.
Emilly noticed the weight beginning to drop off, her mental health began to improve, and she began to find it easier to do things like walk up the stairs and play with her young son.
Despite spending around £1,500 in a year on the jabs, she still reckons it’s less than what she previously splashed out annually on snacks, takeaways and food on the go.
She said: “I used to go to the shop every night and get a massive bag of sweets, crisps and a big share bar of chocolate for myself. I used to order takeaways and buy freezer food because I was struggling mentally and I didn’t feel able to cook for myself after I’d cooked for the kids.”
Her diet previously looked like this:
BREAKFAST – nothing
LUNCH – sandwich, crisps
DINNER – takeaways, freezer food
SNACKS – sweets, crisps, chocolate
DRINKS – fizzy drinks
It now consists of the following:
BREAKFAST – protein shake and protein coffee
LUNCH – chicken thighs, tuna bagels
DINNER – normal meals, like curry, chicken, fried rice, healthy burrito bowls
SNACKS – fruit, cheese, meat
DRINKS – 2-3l sugar free juice
This December marks a year since she first started the jabs – and she now weighs just 9st 2lbs. Almost 7st of the 13 stone she has lost lost was on Mounjaro, and Emilly says the transformation has been “life-changing”.
She’s now getting ready to move back down the doses to eventually come off the jabs, as she has entered a maintenance stage where she doesn’t want to lose any more weight. Emilly’s also preparing for an excess skin removal surgery in May in Lithuania, which is costing around £12k.
This year she was looking forward to a “nice quiet family Christmas” with partner Oliver, 30, a car manufacturer, and her children.
“It’s nice this year to feel happy and healthy, I’m in such a different headspace from last year,” she said. “I can’t believe this year – I still pinch myself at how much has changed. Thanks for the present Dad.”
Mounjaro and other drugs used to manage weightloss are available on the NHS and at private practices for those deemed suitable by a health professional. They must always be taken under the medical supervision.
