My phone’s photo gallery from two years ago is a culinary graveyard. It’s a blurry montage of greasy pizza boxes, half-eaten kebabs glowing under the unforgiving glare of a streetlamp, and enough beige food to redecorate a sad seaside B&B. I was, for all intents and purposes, a Takeaway Queen. My royal sceptre was a plastic fork and my kingdom was ruled from a Deliveroo app. The idea of choosing a salad was as alien to me as voluntarily enjoying Morris dancing.

But then came Wegovy. This once-a-week jab didn’t just change my dress size; it kickstarted a hostile takeover of my tastebuds and turned my entire world from beige to glorious technicolour green. This is the story of my Wegovy weight loss journey, a tale of how I went from a fast-food monarch to a humble salad explorer.

My First Jab and the Great Hunger Truce

The first injection arrived with less fanfare than a damp weekend in Bognor Regis. I’d read the leaflet twice, consulted Dr Google until my eyes blurred, and braced myself for the worst. Would I suddenly develop a burning desire for kale? Would I wake up with the urge to run a marathon? The reality was reassuringly undramatic. The hunger that once stormed in like a bailiff with an urgent notice became a polite knock at the door. It was still there, but it no longer demanded a three-course meal with a side of onion rings.

My journey began on the starter dose of 0.25 mg, a gentle introduction to let my system acclimatise. The side effects were present but weren’t the horror story I’d feared. A mild wave of queasiness meant I developed a deep and meaningful relationship with ginger tea. My stomach, once a cast-iron incinerator, suddenly fancied itself a delicate food critic. This wasn’t a Hollywood montage of instant change, but a slow, steady process of learning the new language my body was speaking.

Ditching Autopilot: Healthy Eating with Wegovy

With the constant “feed me” static turned down, I had the brain space to actually think about food for the first time. It was initially terrifying. What does one eat when not ordering a number 42 with extra cheese? My first few supermarket trips were a masterclass in bewilderment.

Slowly, a new pattern emerged. Instead of craving carbs, my body began hinting at a need for protein. Chicken breasts, salmon fillets, and even tofu (I was as shocked as you are) started making their way into my basket. Then came the colour. I started with gateway greens like cucumber and lettuce before getting braver with peppers, tomatoes, and broccoli. Healthy eating with Wegovy wasn’t about following a rigid diet plan, but about making deliberate choices that made me feel better, not just full. Hydration became my secret weapon, the unsung hero that vanquished headaches and kept my energy levels from flatlining.

Navigating the Bumps in the Road

It wasn’t all smooth sailing on this weight loss journey. There were days when nausea won, and my entire diet consisted of dry toast and weak tea. An unexpected bout of constipation sent me on a frantic search for fibre and a long walk around the park. Spicy food, once a beloved staple, was demoted to a special guest appearance.

I learned to manage these blips by being prepared. Small, frequent meals became my go-to strategy. I discovered that eating protein and vegetables before any carbs kept my energy stable and my stomach settled. Most importantly, I learned that sleep was the ultimate superpower. A bad night’s sleep made the craving monster stir, whereas a solid eight hours kept it soundly asleep.

From Couch Potato to… a Slightly More Active Potato

Exercise has always been a form of punishment for me, a penance for a weekend of indulgence. But as the weight started to come off, moving my body felt different. It became less of a chore and more of a celebration of what I could now do. I started with walking, just 20 minutes a day. Soon, that felt too easy, so I added short jogs, feeling a ridiculous surge of pride the first time I ran for five minutes without stopping.

Inspired by countless success stories, I added resistance training twice a week. This wasn’t about becoming a bodybuilder, but about feeling strong in my own skin and protecting my muscle as I lost fat. The progress was addictive. I slept better, the cravings grew even quieter, and I could climb a flight of stairs without needing a recovery team.

The Unseen Victories and a New Mindset

The biggest changes weren’t on the scale. They were the quiet moments: zipping up jeans I hadn’t worn in five years, seeing a photo of myself and not immediately wanting to delete it, and having the energy to play with my nephew without getting out of breath. The constant food-focused chatter in my head was replaced by a sense of calm.

The office biscuit tin lost its power. After-work drinks became more about the conversation than the pint and crisps. This wasn’t about restriction; it was about freedom. Wegovy was the tool, but I was the one building a new, healthier life with it. The old “all or nothing” diet mentality was replaced with a kinder, more sustainable approach.

A Word on Doing It Safely

This journey is far from over, and it’s one I’ve taken with professional support. Regular check-ins with my GP have been non-negotiable for monitoring progress and managing the medication safely. Wegovy is a powerful tool, but it requires respect and expert guidance.

A New Chapter, Same Old Me (Mostly)

The takeaway apps are still on my phone, but they’re now buried in a folder labelled “In Case of Emergency.” My fridge is home to a colourful array of vegetables, and “salad explorer” feels like a fitting, if slightly unbelievable, new title. The Takeaway Queen isn’t gone for good. She’s just learned that a bag of chips by the seaside, eaten slowly and without guilt, tastes a hundred times better when it’s a conscious treat, not a mindless habit. And that, I’ve discovered, is the real secret ingredient.