Earlier this month, WeightWatchers made the extraordinary announcement that it would be offering its own version of the 'fat jab' Ozempic.
Barely a week goes by, after all, without the publication of new photographs showing a totally transformed celebrity – some of whom admit to using Ozempic-like drugs and some of whom keep mum. She used to use meal replacement shakes and soups to drop weight quickly, but now reaches for Mounjaro. After four weeks of injections, she's already 10lb down.AFTER: The star, pictured last month, credits lifestyle changes for most of her 7st weight loss – and Ozempic for the last 20lb
Inevitably, the jabs are having an effect on the traditional diet business, which is seeing sharp downturns in its profits. BEFORE: Sarah Le Brocq is perfectly placed to offer a unique insight into weight-loss injections and their impact on the diet worldIt can't have helped that Oprah Winfrey, WW's most famous ambassador for almost a decade, was looking the slimmest she had in years – and a month later admitted using weight-loss drugs to get there.
WeightWatchers' most recent financial statements showed the company's revenue had shrunk by 10.9 per cent year-on-year and, in the last quarter, its net income was down a whopping 52.2 per cent from the previous year at $23.3million . Sarah has a scientific background and spent years working in the pharmaceutical industry. She's also an obesity expert who works with NHS England and founded All About Obesity, a campaigning group fighting for better understanding of the disease. She's been on Wegovy for 14 months and has shed 6st.'I've been overweight most of my adult life,' she says. 'I've tried WeightWatchers, Slimming World, LighterLife, The Cambridge Diet, Atkins and various juice cleanses.
'When it comes to people who have a BMI of 30 or above – meaning they're obese – then, yes, I think they'll turn their back on the traditional diet industry. The drugs make far more sense than programmes that can never work long-term for them.''Research shows that when people stop taking these drugs, they regain the weight,' she says. 'I think, down the line, the advice therefore will be to not come off it.
Louise Temlett, a web designer and podcaster, is a former Slimming World member who has turned to Mounjaro. Three weeks on, she has lost a stone. As well as decreasing her appetite she has found that the jabs do what no diet ever can – liberate her mind from the 'noise' around food. 'There were lots of repeat customers in my group and it became almost a toxic environment because nobody was stepping out of their mindset to go and do something on their own, they were just repeating old behaviour. The groups gave us a community but I don't think it was a particularly healthy one.'Carolyn Pallister, registered dietitian and Head of Nutrition, Research and Health at Slimming World, says: 'We have complete confidence in our tried, trusted, evidence-based methods.
But what is interesting is that, post-pandemic and in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, while people aren't rejoining slimming clubs for as little as £6 a week, they are willing to spend between £150 and £200 a month on Ozempic.