Scottish woman, 41, says ‘obesity is a disease’ she she felt like ‘food had control’ over her brain
A Scottish woman who shed over six stone in weight after hitting rock bottom has revealed she was initially so ashamed of using Mounjaro she kept it secret.
Mounjaro is a prescription-only treatment for weight loss, it’s also prescribed for type 2 diabetes.
Marianne Bell, 41, was grieving the death of her father, she felt emotionally and physically exhausted when she decided her life had to change.
She said: “I’ve tried everything – every diet, every quick fix, even a gastric balloon. When I started Mounjaro, I felt ashamed. I didn’t want people to think I’d cheated.”
Marianne was scared she’d fail again, so the 41-year-old turned to Mounjaro as a medical aid.
She’s now lost 6st 3lb (40kg), dropping from 15st (96kg) to 8st 7lb and she no longer stays silent about how she did it.
Marianne has said she views fat loss drugs like Mounjaro as medical treatments, not vanity tools.
She pointed out that people are not shamed for using insulin or inhalers, she questioned “why should this be different?” Adding that “the stigma is what keeps people stuck”.
Marianne explained that this “isn’t the easy way out”. Mounjaro is “just one tool” and you “still have to show up, do the work, and heal from the inside out”, she said.
She added: “You don’t owe anyone an explanation. You’re allowed to do this quietly. You’re allowed to get help. Don’t let shame keep you from freedom.”
Marianne, who’s from West Lothian, Scotland, said Mounjaro has “completely transformed” her life – and her relationship with food, including the obsessing over “food noise”.
She described a constant internal radio, bugging her with questions such as “what will I eat next? Should I eat that? What’s wrong with me?”
She explained that she felt as though food had control over my brain and it was exhausting for her.
Mounjaro, she said, didn’t just help with appetite, the prescription also quieted the chaos in her head.
She added that her real transformation was deeper than diet – and this was a welcome side effect of Mounjaro.
She said: “For the first time, I had space to think about things that mattered. I could feel hunger and fullness again instead of guilt and chaos.
“The biggest shift wasn’t physical, it was emotional. I’ve learned to love my body, even with imperfections. I’ve stopped apologising for taking up space.”
Marianne felt overwhelmed with grief at her dad’s funeral, she’d lost weight but would eat to numb the sadness.
She explained: “That used to be a trigger. I’d eat to numb. But I didn’t. I let myself feel it. That was a breakthrough. I proved to myself I could face pain without food.”
She is now in the maintenance phase and, while fearing weight will creep back on, has worked to control her anxieties.
“I didn’t do this for anyone else. I did it for me,” she said. She has not been “relying on willpower alone”.
She said: “Mounjaro gave me the breathing space to build the habits, routines, and emotional tools that keep me going.”
Marianne documents her life on TikTok @mariannewellness where she has built a supportive community.
She discusses feelings of self worth and the struggles she has faced and got through. She says the messages she receives from followers on TikTok often bring her to tears.
And while she spends her day working in financial services, the rest of her time is used to coach other women to escape cycles of emotional eating and self-sabotage.
“I’ve always been drawn to coaching and mentoring,” she said. “But it was through my own journey that I found my real purpose. I want to help women feel at home in their bodies.”
“Women message me saying, ‘I thought I was the only one who felt this way.’ We’ve been made to believe we’re weak if we need help but that’s a lie. Obesity is a disease, not a failure of character.”
