Grace Parkin, a 34-year-old mum from Sheffield, has lost 8st after taking Mounjaro, and says the drug curbed her weekend binge drinking – she now can't even finish a pint. At her heaviest, she weighed 19st 11lbs and wore a size 26.
From binge drinking to barely a sip
Parkin would stick to a strict diet during the week, but on weekends she would binge-drink and gorge on takeaways and bacon butties, spending up to £400 a month on her blow-outs. She estimates she drank up to 10 bottles of lager or vodka, lime and lemonades in one go. Now, having switched to wine, she drinks between six and seven glasses on a night out but often "forces it down" and frequently can't finish a pint of lager. She saves £200 to £250 a month on alcohol.
Mounjaro journey and cost
Parkin had considered weight loss surgery but opted for Mounjaro, getting it privately for £150 a month, starting in May 2024. She had already dropped to 17st 9lbs before the injections, and has now lost 8st 1lb, weighing 11st 10lbs. She previously spent up to £1,000 a month on recreational items from her £1,600 disposable income, but now saves £600 monthly. She noticed a reduced appetite for alcohol almost immediately, cutting her intake by 75%. A study, "Semaglutide and Tirzepatide reduce alcohol consumption in individuals with obesity," found Mounjaro can help reduce alcohol cravings, with 71% reporting a reduced desire to drink.
Parkin said: "I've never been a heavy, heavy, drinker, I'd drink on the weekend and I just completely lost any appetite for alcohol. I will drink on occasion now, but I'd probably say I'm drinking once a month as opposed to once a week." She recalled an incident during the Euros: "I went out to watch the football and ordered a beer out of instinct. I don't think I got a third of the way down it and I thought 'oh god, not for me'."
Past struggles and current maintenance
Parkin had a gastric balloon in 2009 at age 18, losing only three stone, but it didn't help her eating habits. She would binge on weekends, eating pizza on the way home from drinking and a bacon sandwich and takeaway the next day. She said: "By Monday I'd hate myself and be back to the diet." She started Mounjaro after seeing a Facebook post in May 2024, calling it "incredible" and saying it "turns the food noise off."
She had skin removal surgery in Lithuania on February 19, stopping Mounjaro beforehand, and had reached 10st 7lbs. The 360-tummy tuck and breast uplift with lipo removed 7lbs of skin. Although she gained "a little" weight back, she is now back on the medication for maintenance. She said: "I'm 11st 10lb, but I want to maintain my weight – I was a bit too slim for my liking. I'm back on it for maintenance and taking it as normal, but I'm not planning on losing any weight. I'm never coming off the medication."
Spending habits transformed
The mindset shift also changed her spending. Previously, she would splurge on clothes, holidays, and eating out without thought, buying from Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing, and Shein. She said: "I'd get an idea in my head - like I need some new sunglasses. I wasn't getting into debt, but if I was bored in an evening I'd buy... I was void-filling - looking for that adrenaline." Now she buys only what she needs and goes out drinking once a month.
Parkin's weekend diet before included a bacon sandwich for breakfast, a sandwich or sausage roll for lunch, and a takeaway for dinner. After, she skips breakfast, has sliced beef or chicken skewers with Greek yoghurt, honey and granola for lunch, and steak with vegetables or curried chicken and rice for dinner. Her spending has dropped from £200-£300 on clothes to £100 max, takeaways from £200-£400 to £100, and meals out from £200-£400 to £100, with £200 on the food shop.
