Would I Have Taken Weight Loss Injections? The Honest Answer From a Coach Who’s Been There
Claire Jones is an award-winning weight loss coach, helping people build a healthy relationship with food and themselves. She is the author of How to Eat Less and the founder of YourOneLife. Claire empowers clients to break free from diets, create effective habits, and build confidence in new challenges, guiding them towards lasting success.
Weight loss injections are transforming the weight loss industry, offering real relief for people caught in cycles of hunger, cravings, and frustration. As a weight loss coach who has maintained a healthy weight since 2011, I’ve been asked, "Would I have taken them if they were available back then?"
The honest answer is yes. And yet, I’m profoundly grateful I didn’t. In this article, I share why both perspectives matter, how mindset and medication can work together, and what truly drives lasting change beyond what’s on your plate.
A question I get asked again and again
I remember standing in front of the fridge and cupboards countless times, not hungry, but desperately drawn to eat. More often than not, I gave in, consuming large amounts of food that lacked much in the way of nutrition but were incredibly tasty and hard to stop eating. And when I wasn’t eating it, I was thinking about it, unable to escape the constant mental pull. So, if someone had handed me an injection and said, “This will make it easier,” I wouldn’t have hesitated.
So, when people ask me if I would have taken weight loss injections had they existed back when I was overweight, my honest answer is, yes. Absolutely.
Even when I didn’t have much weight to lose, the temptation of relief, from the exhaustion, the obsession, the constant mental tug-of-war, was too strong to ignore. And yet, I am deeply grateful that I didn’t have that option.
Why I would have said yes
Looking back, I wasn’t weak or lazy. I was exhausted.
I had dieted, fallen off track, blamed myself, and started over more times than I could count. Food consumed far too much of my mental energy. My weight was a low-grade hum of frustration I carried everywhere. If I wasn’t gaining weight, I was starving myself, and there was no happy medium. I didn’t know how to behave ‘normally’ around food.
If there had been a tool to make eating less feel easier, to reduce the constant cravings and self-judgment, I would have jumped at the chance. And I don’t judge anyone who does.
Weight loss injections can:
Lower hunger levels
Reduce cravings
Quiet the obsessive thoughts about food
That alone can feel life-changing. But here’s what I didn’t know at the time, the true transformation wasn’t just about my body. It was about everything underneath.
Why I’m glad I didn’t
If injections had existed back then, I likely would have skipped the mindset work that changed everything for me. I wouldn’t have:
Faced the emotions behind my eating
Learned how to manage stress without food
Moved away from my all-or-nothing thinking
Rebuilt trust in myself
Developed resilience in a food-obsessed world
And that’s the work that helped me maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle for 15 years. Not because I became more "disciplined." Not because I found the perfect diet. But because my relationship with food and with myself fundamentally changed. It wasn’t fast. It wasn’t glamorous. But it lasted.
The problem with seeing injections as the solution
The danger I see now, as a weight loss coach, is when injections are treated as a solution, not a tool. Think of them like nicotine patches for smokers. If the root patterns don’t change, they eventually resurface.
You might still:
Use food to cope emotionally
Fear weight regain constantly
Feel out of control without support
Have no plan for life post-medication
When the injections stop or lose effectiveness, people often feel betrayed by their body or like they’ve failed again. That’s not a flaw. That’s a missing piece of the puzzle.
Where I am now with it all
With experience, and hindsight, I no longer see this as an either-or decision. When used ethically and intentionally, weight loss injections and mindset work together can be incredibly powerful. Medication can:
Reduce the biological drive to eat
Create mental breathing room
Ease the constant internal battle
Mindset work helps you:
Build sustainable habits
Learn how to eat in a way that supports your health
Learn to eat without fear or guilt
Understand your triggers and patterns
Rebuild self-trust
Prepare for life during and after injections
One supports the body. The other supports the person living in it.
The uncomfortable truth
If you rely solely on injections without doing the inner work, you may find yourself facing the same struggles in new forms.
At the same time, for some people, doing mindset work while constantly battling cravings and metabolic resistance feels impossible, like trying to learn to swim while someone’s holding you underwater.
This isn’t a question of morality. It’s about reality. Different people need different levels of support at different times. And that’s okay.
My bottom line
Would I have taken injections back then? Yes. Am I glad I didn’t rely on them to fix what only deeper work could change? Absolutely. Now, I see the best outcomes when medication and mindset work are used together, thoughtfully and responsibly.
Not as a shortcut. Not as a sign of failure. But as a respectful, realistic approach to sustainable change. Because weight loss is never just about the weight. And lasting change is never just about what’s on your plate.
Read more from Claire Jones
Claire Jones, Weight Loss and Confidence Coach
Claire Jones is an award-winning weight loss coach and author of How to Eat Less. After struggling with her own weight and relationship with food, she transformed her mindset and developed a sustainable approach to lasting health. Now, she helps others break free from dieting cycles, build confidence, and create healthier habits. With a background in coaching and behavioural change, Claire empowers clients to embrace a positive, long-term lifestyle. Her mission is to inspire sustainable health and self-belief.
