There’s an unavoidable side effect of rapidly losing a lot of weight—you’re often left with a lot of loose, sagging skin—and a man who shed seven stone in a year has opened up about the realities of living with it.
Many people in his situation undergo painful plastic surgery procedures, known as full body lifts, to tighten their redundant pouches and folds of flesh, trusting surgeons slice off excess bits of skin to give them a sleeker silhouette.
But super slimmer Jon, who shares his experiences taking weight loss jab Mounjaro on social media, has decided to do the opposite.
Jon, who boasts over 21,000 followers on his TikTok page @jonboys_losingit, revealed that he’s happy with his new shape, even if it might seem unsightly to other people.
In a video, he poses confidently in front of the mirror pinching the skin on his abdomen and hips.
He added in the caption: ‘Biggest question I get asked… I can deal this with this.’
His followers loved his attitude, with one man commenting: ‘I’d be happy with that. What was your skin routine through your weight loss journey?’
Jon explained that he hadn’t followed anything in particular, but was keen to start lifting weights.
Jon has posted about how people would speak to him about his weight
He is now left with lots of loose skin after his weight loss
Jon has lost seven stone in a year, and is now happily embracing his new shape
Another follower said: ‘The loose skin is my struggle, not quite ready to embrace it yet but well done you’.
Showing a different attitude altogether, another follower said: ‘I see the loose skin as a battle scar, it’s there to remind me everyday of what I’ve achieved.’
Jon previously told his followers how he came to lose seven stone in just 12 months, sharing his five top tips for success.
After starting on Mounjaro on June 25 2024, he has maintained a calorie deficit, using a Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) Calculator to find out his basic calorie needs.
He explained: ‘All you’ll simply do is put your height, your weight, your age in. It’ll work out what your specific calories need to be each day.
‘I definitely recommend in your first few months of starting Mounjaro, that you start tracking calories.
‘That’s going to make sure that you’re not going above your calorie deficit, but also, again, more importantly, that you are eating enough.
‘It’s good to make sure that you have actually enough, because you are going to feel crap if you don’t eat enough calories.’
Jon says he is often asked about loose skin, but he can ‘deal with it’
His second tip was also related to nutrition, urging his followers to make sure they are hitting their daily protein goals.
‘That’s going to prevent muscle loss, and it’s also going to make you feel fuller for longer as well,’ he said, adding that the TDEE calculator can also work out your macros so you can make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need.
Tip number three was to make sure you stay hydrated, and number four was to avoid comparisons with people’s extreme before and after photos, and to stay focused on maintaining a calorie deficit.
His final tip was to not get caught up in the pros and cons of different jab sites—users can inject in any fleshy area in the thighs, stomach or backs of their arms—and just go with what is comfortable for you.
Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, is a weekly jab that can help patients shed up to a fifth of their body weight in a year. It will reportedly be offered to around 220,000 people over the next three years under new NHS prescribing rules.
GPs can now prescribe the drug to patients with a BMI over 40 – classed as severely obese – and at least four obesity-related health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnoea.
More than a million people in the UK are already using it via private clinics, where it costs around £250 a month. However, until now, only a limited number of patients could access it on the NHS via specialist weight-management services.