As someone who has been using Semaglutide for two years, I can attest to its benefits… and so can my lucky doctor: SARAH VINE talks about using the anti-diabetic drug popularized by Kim Kardashian

As someone who has been using semaglutide for two years, I can attest to its benefits.

When I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in my 20s, I managed to control my weight through diet and lots of exercise. But after having children and then going through early menopause, I’ve always weighed about 30 pounds over my ideal weight.

I’ll always try more draconian diets to get rid of the excess, but once I get back to normal eating, it creeps back.

And stress didn’t help because when I’m sad, I turn to food for comfort.

As someone who has been using semaglutide for two years, I can attest to its benefits

Because I hated being overweight (it makes me feel depressed and worthless), and also on the advice of my doctor who warned me that I had prediabetes, I decided to see if I could get a tummy tuck.

I went to a specialist bariatric surgeon, Mr. Marcus Reddy, went and he suggested that I first try a daily injection (liraglutide) and then weekly semaglutide.

Both, he explained, act like a chemical gastric band, inhibiting hunger hormones in the stomach and stabilizing blood sugar levels so you don’t get those lows that make you reach for that 4pm KitKat.

The result is that I eat about a third less than I used to, which is enough to keep my weight in a healthy range. But what is also fascinating is that over time the injection rewired my relationship with food. I eat a lot less of the bad stuff – sugar, high fat processed foods – simply because it doesn’t trigger the same reaction in me. In fact, they even make me a little nauseous.

Eating is no longer a pleasure, it has just become a fuel. It’s functional, not relaxing. It’s like drinking non-alcoholic wine or beer: tastes the same but without the high. I now eat much healthier, my weight is stable – and most importantly, my doctor is happy.

I am aware that some people will see this as a great escape. I’m just saying that we’ve judged people with depression to be weak or somehow morally deficient, and now we’re giving them the help they need. I feel the same way about obesity. Some people really struggle with their weight, not helped by the fact that we live in a very obese society fueled by an industry bent on filling us up on low-quality, high-quality processed foods.

Are fat people morally deficient? Do they deserve to be punished and ridiculed for their condition? I do not believe it. If methods are available, let’s give them the help they need – and save them not only a great deal of misery, but also the millions the NHS spends every year on treating the side effects of obesity.