Amy Carding, a 38-year-old mother from Manchester, has transformed her life by losing six stone (38.1kg) in 18 months, funding her weight-loss injections with income from her TikTok videos. She dropped from a size 22 to a size 12 and now says she finally “likes” her reflection in the mirror after years of “yo-yo dieting.”
From heaviest weight to dramatic loss
Amy reached her heaviest weight of 17st 7lb (111.1kg) in June 2024, 18 months after giving birth to her daughter Raine. Standing at 5ft 2in (157.5cm), she had an obese BMI of 44.8 and wore a size 22. She said her weight affected her confidence, leading her to avoid going out and struggle to play with her baby. “I found it hard juggling the baby and cooking, and it got to the point where my knees were so sore. I couldn’t bend down to pick Raine up properly, or play with her on the floor,” she explained.
In October 2024, Amy began taking Mounjaro, a once-weekly injectable prescription medication containing tirzepatide, prescribed through an online pharmacy with her GP’s approval. Within one month, she lost one stone (6.4kg) and started documenting her journey on TikTok under the handle @amy_lisa29.
Funding injections through TikTok
Her videos quickly gained hundreds of thousands of views, and she now has more than 5,000 followers. The income from her TikTok account helps fund her Mounjaro injections, which cost around £300 per month. Amy, who works as a midday assistant at a school, said: “It’s literally changed my life, I feel 1,000 times better – I feel like a new woman. Before, I felt so depressed about my weight, now I actually like what I see in the mirror. It feels like a miracle.”
She regularly shares what she eats in a day and runs a series called ‘Weigh-in Wednesdays,’ where she steps on the scales and discusses her weekly weight loss.
Changing eating habits and managing side effects
Before her weight loss, Amy’s typical daily diet included a bacon sandwich for breakfast, a Pot Noodle for lunch, “living off coffees and biscuits” between meals, and a takeaway pizza most evenings. After starting Mounjaro, she switched to fruit for breakfast, vegetables as snacks, and meals like chicken, rice, and vegetables for dinner, with occasional takeaways or desserts at weekends.
After a few months, Amy began experiencing nausea, which she said felt “very similar” to pregnancy sickness. She used Sea-Band acupressure bands, which she has not been paid to mention, and “noticed a difference immediately.” She now wears them on the day she takes her injection. To boost her weight loss, she also walks around 15,000 steps a day.
Current weight and future goals
Now 18 months into her journey, Amy weighs 11st 11lb (74.8kg) and has a BMI of 30.2, just over the NHS obesity threshold of 30. She said she has “some loose skin” and does exercises at home to combat it. “I can see it on the scales, but I think I had a bit of body dysmorphia – I couldn’t really see the changes on my body until I looked at photos,” she explained.
Amy is now a much more active mother, taking her children out to play every day and no longer shies away from socialising. She has met up with other women on Mounjaro through TikTok. “We all went out in Manchester and I would have never been able to do that before. I feel a lot more confident now – people compliment me more and it just gives me a huge boost,” she said.
Looking ahead, Amy hopes to lose another stone and plans to stay on the medication to maintain her weight loss, following guidance from her GP and pharmacist. To others wanting to lose weight, she said: “Just do it. If I can, anyone else can.”
