My first visit to Elegant to start on Wegovy was in late August 2024.
Arriving at the clinic a lot of emotions hit me. I was just 40, 17st 5lbs (about the heaviest I had ever been). My life had changed a great deal since my 20s. I had got married, been through a complex surrogacy process to have kids with my husband, and had been working fulltime whilst raising my 4 year old and 2 year old twins. As I guess often happens, my health had taken a back seat, although in fact, a recent medical had told me that my general health was actually very good with one exception; I was almost obese. This was the trigger word that persuaded me to approach Shikha at Elegant. I had three young children and I consider 40 the new 30 but I wouldn’t be heading into my 40s in sustained health and feeling happy, while I was carrying all this weight. I needed to do something to make sure I was around for my kids and not impaired by Type 2 Diabetes or Heart Disease. The problem is, my life had by this point become so busy, so involved, with so very little free time or energy, that losing weight had become not just hard, but now impossible.
Shikha was so kind. She told me of her own experience using the brand Wegovy and how it had helped her when she was in a similar situation. I had read up on the treatment myself and realised – this was legit. It had gone through all the drug testing and in fact it decreased the risk of all the diseases that I felt would be stalking me if I didn’t drop some weight.
Shikha showed me how to use the pen. The Wegovy pens contain 4 doses; one per week. The first thing to say if you have no experience with this kind of thing (I didn’t) is that these are not scary long syringes, they’re pens with a little twist top on them and a clicker button. For those afraid of needles I can only say, everyone I know who has used them might have been apprehensive the first time, but never after that. These needles are tiny both in length and diameter – there is no pain at all using them, it just feels like a tiny little scratch. You don’t need to plunge a syringe in – you just push the button at the top of the pen and it clicks out when it is done. You can’t feel the medication going in (you inject into your tummy) and it really is, to coin a phrase, an elegant process!! Then all you do is pop the pen back in your fridge at home and forget about it until next week!!
Shikha started me on the 0.25mg dose as part of a programme to slowly raise the dose strength in a way that avoided side effects. I didn’t have any side effects whatsoever – so I would say her way of doing this works well.
Mild positive effects on hunger – I forgot about food in a way that had never happened before. This was particularly noticeable between meals – I genuinely forgot to eat snacks. At work if an email came through saying there were cakes in the staff room, I’d be the first one there – not this time.
Loss of interest in snacks – it wasn’t just that I forgot about snacks, I didn’t care about them. On a diet, I found myself obsessively thinking about all the snacks I couldn’t have any more. This time I mostly wasn’t even interested in them. “This must be how thin people feel all the time!” I thought to myself.
Ability to indulge without falling off the wagon – on the occasions I did indulge in a doughnut or calorific treat, for maybe the first time in my life I felt no urge to eat more than one. I enjoyed the snack and then stopped. In the past, I would have wanted to eat more and more until they were all gone, and quickly as well – now, in contrast, I felt calm around treat foods and in control without even having to try.
Unchanged mealtimes – I felt on this dose I ate my meals as I always did.
I lost about 5lbs in this first weight loss period. I felt better about myself and healthier, very quickly.
After the first pen is used up, Shikha invites you back to Elegant for a checkup and carries out weight and waistline measurements. I had lost 2inches off my waist!! Shikha is so comprehensive in her checks on you. She reminded me that I mustn’t forget to eat my meals and asked if there were any problems or side effects (there weren’t any!) and then she gave me my next pen – the 0.5mg dose.
The care shown by Shikha is what I call “The Elegant Difference.” Other venues will just give you then pen and dismiss you from the store. Shikha takes the time to carry out the checks by the book. She takes time to consider the right dose for you (and even the right medication – not everyone is suited to Wegovy, she offers Mounjaro and other brands of weight loss medication as well). Shikha explained how the drugs work. Wegovy is semaglutide, a modified hormone that the brain releases naturally to make you feel full after eating; but the natural hormone is metabolised away quickly by the body and this can lead to faulty impulse control around tempting foods. Semaglutide does two things:
It’s metabolised far more slowly – this means it remains active for a week (instead of the usual 15mins)
It prevents glycolysis – the loss of your glycogen stores from muscles which can trigger hunger pangs
It can also improve other impulse control issues – users report being less interested in drinking alcohol (I didn’t feel this effect but it is very common).
In addition to those experienced during 0.25mg phase (I had 2x 0.5mg pens that lasted 8 weeks)
Mealtime restraint: I often didn’t finish my breakfasts. I had the feeling that if I did finish, I was eating for the sake of it – there was really no need to keep eating.
At lunch I often ate a salad with a low cal dressing. In the past if I had eaten only this I would be ravenous well before dinner – now, I just carried on to dinner without feeling particularly hungry.
Dinners – I no longer returned for second helpings. I still ate my normal dinner but the single serving was more than enough.
Rich foods responses – if I tried to eat very rich meals, I felt very full very quickly. I never felt sick but I felt very strongly that I didn’t want to finish the meal. My portion control radically improved as a result of this effect.
Unhealthy snacks put me off dinner – if I ate an unhealthy snack, or the kids’ leftovers, it put my off eating dinner – and I like eating dinner, so I just stopped these poor snacking habits.
Buffet selection improved – I found myself far more in control, and far less likely to give in to cravings and less likely to overeat, at buffets and parties.
I lost about 12lbs in this period of 8 weeks. The key thing is I didn’t even feel like I was trying. Compared to my previous weight loss journeys, this felt so painless and stress free.
1mg. For my last pen, Shikha put me on the 1mg dose. This was to try and accelerate the weight loss and also because I would be able to tolerate the dose without side effects as I had slowly built up to it. Key points from this phase:
The effect was the same as the 0.5mg phase except stronger. I really really could not eat a meal if I had snacked in between.
The only time I really got hunger pangs was if I had been to the gym.
I lost 7lbs in this phase for a grand total of 24lbs – close to 2stone.
Benefits by the end of the 16wk process:
I felt lighter and aches and niggles in my right knee had gone.
My skin was clearer.
I felt liberated from the constant Battle Royale in my head over portions and eating.
I no longer felt like I was slipping down a slope if I occasionally overate – I just returned to my balanced eating pattern effectively. This was a really significant point for me – I no longer felt that all was lost if I overate just once. This is a key behaviour of “naturally thin” people and a key mistake that overweight people make. I was thinking like a thin person at last!!!
I didn’t feel the urge to go for coffee breaks as much.
I went for a Number 2 far less frequently than before!!
I looked so much better. I was getting compliments from men and women all around me. I looked in the mirror and didn’t feel like I needed to make excuses any more – I felt I was looking my best again.
Is this drug safe to take? Yes. The drug has gone through years of medical testing. The only risk that is noted is for people with a family history of thyroid cancer. Otherwise, you are safer taking this drug because it reduces your risk of Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart attacks – because you won’t be carrying the extra weight any more.
Aren’t the side effects awful? I didn’t have any. The most common side effect is nausea. If you use it and find the side effects are too unpleasant, you just stop injecting and the side effects will wear off – but it’s worth a shot.
Isn’t it unnatural to take this drug? All drugs change the way the body works. If that is what you count as unnatural then yes it is, but no more unnatural than taking paracetamol to stop a headache, or taking amoxycillin for an ear infection. I think you should consider being obese is unnatural and this medicine will help return you to the natural weight you deserve and need for good health.
Can’t I take it in tablet form? There is a tablet form available. The reason Wegovy must be injected is that, like insulin, it is a hormone which would be digested in the stomach if you swallowed it!
In terms of weight loss, isn’t this cheating? No – this isn’t cheating at all. This is recognising that you have a problem – a complex problem that many people in the Western world struggle with – and you are taking control to help yourself solve the problem.
If I buy this medicine privately isn’t it taking it from an NHS patient who might need it more than me? The NHS pays for Ozempic which is the form of semaglutide that diabetic patients need. Wegovy is not available for diabetics to use. There is no supply shortage of semaglutide – the NHS have chosen not to supply it to overweight people. You buying Wegovy has no influence on their decision.
Do you have any regrets that you used this medicine? NONE AT ALL. From someone who has struggled continuously with his weight all his adult life, I have NO REGRETS and in fact I intend to use the medicine again in the future when I feel I need it. If, like me, you have become trapped in a cycle of bad food choices, and as a result felt almost enslaved to them and the miserable feelings that come with being unhappy about your appearance and your health – what I say very strongly is, this medicine is your way out. You can free yourself from what seems like a hopeless situation, and return to Good health, Good emotional wellbeing and Better self-esteem.
Do it not only for yourself but for your family and your partner. Carrying extra weight is dangerous – it can lead to terrible health problems in middle and older age. This drug will liberate you completely from those problems and free you to enjoy your life to the full and be there, up front and centre with full mobility and emotional wellbeing. It will make it far more likely that you will have a longer, happier, healthier life, with those that you love around you.
My advice – is to do it….. and if there is any doubt in your mind at all, speak to Shikha. She is a professional and she will answer any questions or worries that you have. She is so patient and so knowledgeable. If you’re going to do it, you should do it with Elegant as your partner in the process. Like me, I do not think you would have any regrets.
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Amazing clinic! Shikha was amazing, we had a quick chat about what countries I was travelling to and advised which vaccines I needed. I was always in and out within about 5-10 minutes so it was super quick and easy. Would absolutely recommend this clinic if you are travelling and are looking for vaccines! ❤️
This is the second year in a row I’ve been to Elegant Clinic to have my Hayfever injection. Shikha was incredibly professional, kind, personable and made me feel at ease. The treatment itself was painless and I have had no side effects. 10/10 would recommend Elegant Clinic and thank you to all the staff who have made my visits a real pleasure.
Elegant Beauty is exactly that! Shikha was amazing, she was very knowledgable about the lip balm treatment. We had a quick talk about the pro’s of having this treatment over lip filler, one major feature is that it can last up to two years, magic! Thank you so much for my new flawlessly smooth, hydrated lips.
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