A woman who yo-yo dieted for 30 years and tipped the scales at 20st 7lbs says if it wasn’t for weight loss medication, she believes she would have died. Due to her size, Bev Thomas, 53, from Port Talbot, Wales, struggled with simple tasks such as putting on socks and would struggle to walk around her house. Her sugar cravings were so strong, she would often eat cake for breakfast.
Bev battled health issues, including sleep apnoea and depression, and believed she was half-a-stone away from being “completely immobile”. At the start of 2024, desperate to improve her life, Bev started searching online for weight loss surgery and came across Second Nature. The weight loss plan offers two medication-assisted programmes.
In May 2024, Bev started the programme’s Mounjaro medication plan. Within just five months, she had lost six stone and her life was transformed. She is now more mobile, and eats a healthy, sustainable diet. “I was half a stone away from being immobile, like the people on My 600lb Life,” Bev said. “I honestly thought I was heading for an early grave.I was getting bigger and bigger and started to struggle. Mobility was very poor anyway, I was struggling to take care of myself and was back and forth with the doctors.
“I knew I had to take action, but diet plans just didn’t work. It was like my cravings were so powerful that I couldn’t concentrate on anything but what I was going to eat next. It felt like an illness. I was contemplating surgery and found weight loss medication, along with a support programme, and it has transformed my life.
“I’m now confident, I don’t overeat, and I don’t get the cravings I used to. I couldn’t see that I could achieve this any other way.”
Growing up, large portions of food were the norm in Bev’s household. She battled with weight from a being teenager, and despite countless diets and exercise attempts, comfort eating was her emotional go-to. Bev’s heavy eating habits continued into adulthood, with large portions and sugary treats like cake for breakfast, chocolate for lunch, and pasties or calorific jacket potatoes loaded with toppings for dinner.
She was in a consistent cycle of yo-yo dieting. She said: “When I felt down, I ate. When I felt good, I ate. I loved food.Growing up, we were always healthy eating at home but then I would go across the road to my nana’s and I’d end up having nibbles and more treats there. Both my nana and grandad were big and they both had heart problems.
“Over the years, I put on weight and lost weight dozens of times. Other than my wedding, the only time my weight was down was when I just finished recovering from pneumonia. I’d eat cake for breakfast, chocolates, muffins, anything sweet I could get my hands on,” she said. “I could easily finish a whole tub of chocolates in one sitting.
“Portion wise, I’ve always been absolutely hopeless and would eat every little treat until I could burst. I could eat a packet of biscuits while I was looking for more biscuits!”
In 2019, Bev, was involved in a serious car accident, leading to a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, worsening her mobility and causing her weight to spiral. Unable to exercise at all, her weight gain quickly accelerated.“I also have to rely on a walking stick,” she said. “I became depressed and antidepressants didn’t help with my weight situation either. I developed sleep apnoea and was given a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) in April 2023.
“I also started going through the menopause. Various different HRT treatments saw me balloon and at the start of this year I hit my heaviest – I was mortified. “My ability to take care of myself was getting really difficult. I was having problems showering, dressing, sleeping, you name it.”
By early 2024, Bev weighed her heaviest at 20st 7lb. She was unable to put her shoes on without difficulty. She hid her frame under baggy, black clothes, and said she felt “disgusted” with herself as she looked “dreadful”. Bev didn’t go out socialising and hid away, finding it more difficult to move. Her BMI was nearly 50, and she would eat cheese on toast or cake with sugary drinks in the morning, jacket potatoes with cheese for lunch, and pasties for a ‘gigantic-sized’ dinner – with boxes of chocolates, muffins, custard slices and eclairs as daily ‘treats’.
Her family’s history of heart disease and diabetes made her fear for her future. She believed she was heading for an early grave unless something drastic changed.
Bev became desperate and started searching for weightloss surgery online, discovering Second Nature, a weight loss programme that combined medication with nutrition support. The plan also uses behavioural science to ‘rewire’ eating habits.
It also offers medication-assisted programmes including Mounjaro, or tirzepatide, which treats type-2 diabetes and weight loss, and Wegovy, or semaglutide.
Potential users have to complete a strict test online to see whether they’re eligible for the medication. She signed up and started its Mounjaro programme in May 2024, hoping it might be the solution she desperately needed. Within just five months, she had lost almost six stone.
“I was at my wits’ end. I was terrified I would have a heart attack. Googling weight loss surgeries and injections when I found Second Nature. I knew I needed help beyond just changing my diet,” Bev said. “I was braced for the side effects from the medication, but luckily, I haven’t had any!
“I honestly feel amazing. I can put my socks on without help! I can walk around the house without getting winded. It’s like I’ve got my life back.”
The medication helped curb Bev’s cravings and drastically reduced her appetite. Bev, who is 5ft 5in tall, focuses on protein-dominant meals including homemade curries, yoghurt and fruit as well as chicken and fish recipes. And the medication has halted Bev’s cravings.
Bev said: “I used to dream about cake for breakfast. Now, I can’t even finish a meal. The constant noise in my head about food is gone.My ability to look after myself has improved, it looks like I may not need my CPAP machine anymore.
“Now, I can shower brilliantly. I can’t walk miles but I can get up and go to my kitchen and come back and not be out of breath. Friends and family have said I’ve done really well and are really proud of me!”
Bev’s health has also dramatically improved, and for the first time in years, she says she feels free. Her mental health has improved, and she describes her confidence as being “through the roof” Now weighing 14 stone 10lbs, Bev is on track to reach her goal weight of 12 stone and feels as though she’s been given a new lease of life.
Losing weight has also meant that Bev has been able to undergo surgery for a pelvic organ prolapse – which she had waited four years to have. “At the start of last year, my BMI was nearly 50. Now, it’s in the 30s. I feel healthier, happier, and I’m finally in control,” she said.
“This programme saved my life. Without this medication, I would be in an early grave but now, I feel like with Second Nature, I’ve been given a second chance.”