A mother with two children who lost almost half of her body weight by using weight loss injections has revealed the key advice she wishes she had known at the beginning of her journey to better health.

Camilla Do Rosario, who weighed 25-and-a-half stone (158 kg) at her highest weight, took a moment to reflect on what she would tell herself before starting her weight loss injections in April 2024, in the hope that it could assist others going through similar situations.

Since taking Mounjaro, she has shed an incredible 10-and-a-half stone (66kg). 

During a video shared with her 152,000 TikTok followers, the 30-year-old mother from Essex expressed her desire to have been forewarned about the side effect that caused her the most discomfort.

She said: ‘This is what I would tell myself, if I could go back in time and talk to myself before I took that first dose. 

‘The very first thing I would tell myself, if I was about to start is, “oh my gosh, girl, this is about to change your life. You’ve finally found something that is going to work and is going to make you the happiest, healthiest version of yourself possible”. 

‘And the second thing I would tell myself is “you need to get yourself a package of prunes and eat prunes every single day”, because the number one, worst side effect for me was constipation.’ 

Camilla, who is a full-time content creator posting about married life and her two little girls, Rosie and Bella, added that she had even eaten unpeeled kiwis in a bid to get her bowels moving. 

Camilla Do Rosario has lost 10.5 stone since she started taking Mounjaro in April 2024

The Essex mum, 30, suffered badly with constipation, a common Mounjaro side effect

She said:  ‘I tried everything. I don’t know if you saw the video where I ate a couple of kiwis with the skin on that was not a pleasant experience. And then I had a very violent experience afterwards. 

‘Prunes keep me regular. If I need a very good clear out, this sounds disgusting, but it’s factual, if I need a very good clear out, I will have maybe seven to 10 of these prunes…prunes are the best thing for me for constipation.’ 

Prunes have long been heralded for their laxative properties. 

The purple treats—dried plums—are high in fibre which helps to bulk out stools, making them softer and easier to pass.

It’s also rich in a natural fruit sugar called sorbitol which draws water into the gut.

Furthermore, they’re a natural remedy, easily accessible and affordable, with a packet costing just £1.60 at Sainsbury’s. 

Camilla also shared more advice, and confided that she had lost ‘half’ of her hair, a common—but not official—side effect of the medication. 

She continued: ‘The next thing I would talk to myself about is hair loss.

‘”Camilla, you are going to lose hair”. That’s what I would say. “You are going to lose probably half of your hair”. 

‘My hair was so thick before, but also that experience was like shedding a lot of my old self, and I had to let go of a lot of my old self to find my new self, which I’m so much happier with.’ 

She added that after speaking to the team at Voy, who facilitate her jabs, she was told it’s normal and related to dietary changes, echoing the information shared with the MailOnline by a doctor just last week. 

‘Hair loss will eventually stop with this kind of weight loss related hair loss, but it is something that we just have to accept. Sometimes we’re shedding the old versions of ourselves, but also it can be like an indication towards your diet,’ she said. 

Camilla rounded off by shutting down naysayers who say that losing weight doesn’t equate to happiness, and her goal is to be healthy for the sake of her family, rather than being ‘skinny’. 

She said: ‘I will say personal experience losing weight has made me so much happier. It has changed so many aspects of my life. 

‘Being 25 and nearly 25 and a half stone definitely had an impact not only on my  immediate family, like my husband and my children, but also my parents. 

‘They worried constantly about me. My friends worried constantly about me, not because of how I looked, but because of how I felt, and how it was affecting the inside of, like, my soul, but also my body. 

Camilla also lost ‘half’ her hair while taking the medication 

Camilla says losing the huge amount of weight has been life-changing

 ‘I was really unhealthy…it’s hands down the best thing [I’ve ever done] for myself, best decision I’ve made for me, my body and my life.’

In December it was reported that more than 1.6 million Britons are set to get the ‘King Kong’ of fat jabs on the NHS over the next 12 years.

Before 2027, the jabs could be given to almost a quarter of a million people with a BMI of 40 or more, plus three health conditions linked to excess weight – including heart disease, high blood pressure or obstructive sleep apnoea.

Mounjaro, which costs £122 a month, is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist, a family of medications that help manage blood sugar. Other GLP-1 agonists include semaglutide – sold under the brand names Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus. 

It is estimated that there are roughly 500,000 people in the UK currently taking weight loss medications, mostly obtained via private prescription.