Michelle felt like she was missing out on life at 23 stone
A 23-stone woman who started taking weight-loss jabs while on the waiting list for a gastric band has now lost nine stone and has entered a beauty contest. Michelle Akpata, 30, says she felt ‘invisible’ when she was at her heaviest, but now plans to be a model and an actress.
Michelle, from Islington, north London, was prescribed Mounjaro by her GP in June last year while she was on the waiting list for the operation, which followed in October. Now, recovered from surgery and with a target weight of 10 stone, Michelle is back on weight-loss jabs and has a fresh outlook on health and diet.
She has also entered Miss Cosmo Great Britain and will compete to be to UK’s entry in the international finals in Vietnam. It is another step towards her dream of becoming an actress. Michelle said her weight had ‘spiralled out of control’ in her twenties due to undiagnosed polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS,) leaving her exhausted, low in confidence and struggling to enjoy everyday life.
She said: “I just felt a bit invisible. I felt like I wasn’t really living my best life at 23 stone. I used to cover up a lot to hide my size. I wouldn’t want to take off my coat, no matter how warm it was. I would always shy away from seeing people too, making excuses or putting off. It was always ‘maybe next time,’ or ‘when I’m slimmer’.”
She added: “Part of me felt like I just wasn’t good enough.”
Michelle approached her GP and was prescribed Mounjaro while also being placed on a waiting list for bariatric surgery. She said: “They encouraged me to go on Mounjaro while I was waiting. It gave me something to hope for. To work towards.
“At 23 stone I needed to do something, even if it was drastic, that was going to help me and improve my wellbeing and my outlook.”
Michelle struggled with fatigue and low mood, often finding it difficult to even start her day. She said: “Before, when the alarm went off, it was snooze, snooze, snooze because I just felt so lethargic. I must have hit that snooze button three or four times every morning.
“It felt like life was going past me. Instead of me living my best life, it was like a film – and I was missing the best bits.”
Blood tests also revealed Michelle was deficient in key vitamins, including vitamin D, B12 and iron – which she says further impacted her energy and mental wellbeing. “I did blood tests as well and it was identified that I needed vitamin D, B12 and more iron in my system,” she said.
“They encouraged me to take vitamins, which I think really helped in terms of improving my mood, improving my skin, improving my overall mental wellbeing and health.”
Now, Michelle says her life has been completely transformed. Her days start early, with gym sessions. “Now my day starts around six. The alarm goes off, I’m up,” she said. “If my friends invite me to something, I’m there.”
Her diet has also changed dramatically following surgery, with much smaller portion sizes now the norm. “Before I was eating bigger portions but now with the bariatric surgery I eat smaller portions,” she said. “For eggs maybe just one instead of two… porridge, but a smaller portion.”
Michelle has now entered Miss Cosmo Great Britain. “I’ve lost nine stone so I wanted to get myself out there more,” she said. “I wanted to put myself out there and do a challenge to improve female empowerment.”
Michelle hopes sharing her story will inspire other women struggling with PCOS and weight-related issues to seek help and not give up. Michelle said: “Don’t let it be like a death sentence. Don’t let it be something that is going to stop you from living life.
“It’s something that you can manage with different methods. Don’t stop trying to find the best course of action for you. You can really defeat it and overcome it.”
Well Pharmacy offers a pharmacy-led weight-loss service across its UK branches and online, with structured consultations, regular check-ins and clinical monitoring designed to ensure treatment is safe.
