Women share their bittersweet experience after taking weight-loss drugs
Grace Dean
BBC News
When Branneisha Cooper was overweight, she felt both invisible and like she stood out.
Her friends would get attention when they were out together, while she was overlooked. But she also had a sense that everyone was staring at her, scrutinising her.
Everyday scenarios were daunting: fairground rides (would she fit in the seat?), working out (would it hurt?), clothes shopping (would she find attractive clothing in her size?).
At the end of 2022, Branneisha, now 28 and working in Texas for a major retailer, began using weight-loss injection Mounjaro. She's lost about six stone (38kg).
Things changed quickly. Suddenly, she could exercise without her body getting sore, colleagues made more small talk with her and she felt comfortable going on adventurous dates with her boyfriend. She was go-karting, dancing and going to arcades - activities that previously made her feel self-conscious.
But despite feeling like she had a "second chance at life", weight loss was bittersweet.
"It was almost like I had stepped into a different world overnight," Branneisha recalls. "People were suddenly more friendly, more attentive, and I was given opportunities and respect that didn't exist before."
"That rapid shift was jarring and really opened my eyes to just how deeply size bias is ingrained in our culture," she continues. "Psychologically, it was a lot to process because while I was the same person, the way I was perceived had completely changed."
Weight-loss transformations are nothing new. In the 90s and 00s, they filled the pages of tabloid newspapers, sold celebrity diet regimes and inspired popular TV series like The Biggest Loser, You Are What You Eat and Celebrity Fit Club.
But in the 2020s, the advent of weight-loss injections like semaglutide and tirzepatide (marketed under brand names Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro) has meant people can lose huge amounts of weight rapidly, without undergoing invasive surgery. The jabs suppress people's appetites, causing them to feel fuller sooner.
Wegovy has been available on the NHS in England, Wales and Scotland since September 2023 with strict eligibility criteria, but weight-loss drugs are expected to become more accessible when Mounjaro becomes available through NHS England later this year.
The jabs, which are not suitable for everyone and can have severe side effects, are also available from pharmacies in the UK for people who can't get them prescribed by their GPs.
So other than the physical difference, how does the way you're perceived change when you lose weight quickly and look different to the world?
People who have used the injections have told BBC News that rapid weight loss has caused a massive shift in the way they are treated - by both strangers and loved ones - as well as a change in how they approach their lives.
'Strangers are a lot more chatty'
Branneisha's feeling of sticking out and being overlooked at the same time while overweight is one others can relate to.
When you're overweight, people either avoid eye contact or "really stare and glare at you", says Jess Phillips, 29, a primary school teacher from Sittingbourne, Kent.
She previously felt uncomfortable taking flights, travelling on public transport and eating at restaurants. Finding suitable seating worried her, as well as the feeling she was "taking other people's space".
People had even shouted "fat" at her from cars and at a festival.
A trip in 2023 to Sorrento, on the Italian coast, was a major catalyst for starting weight-loss injections last June.
"Everyone was staring at me the whole time," she says. "They're just not used to people being that big out there."
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