As weight-loss injections like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro gain popularity across the UK, Hanna Longstaff — a respected eating behaviour expert — is urging a critical rethink. She believes the growing obsession with jabs reveals more about our emotional struggles than our waistlines.
With an estimated 13% of American adults now using GLP-1 medications for weight loss, the UK is quickly following suit. The surge has been powered by influencer content, celebrity hype, and the tantalising appeal of a shortcut to slimness. But Longstaff, founder of the neuroscience-informed MFB Method, believes the reliance on medication conceals an urgent emotional and psychological crisis.
“These drugs may suppress appetite, but they don’t address the real reasons why people overeat,” Longstaff said. “Many believe their weight is the problem – when in reality, it’s a symptom of a deeper unmet emotional need, they are trying to fill with food. Until the root cause is addressed, no jab, medication or crash-diet will offer a lasting solution. It’s time to talk about the cravings, coping and confidence-gaps that medication alone cannot fix.”
She highlights a concerning trend: weight-loss drugs may temporarily dull hunger, but they do little to resolve the trauma, habits, or emotional voids driving unhealthy eating. In fact, studies show that users frequently regain weight after stopping treatment, reigniting the same cycle of guilt and desperation.
“It’s not sustainable, and it was never meant to be,” she added. “These medications weren’t designed for lifelong use in otherwise healthy people. If we don’t fix the underlying patterns, the weight — and the emotional struggle — will keep coming back.”
There are also serious physical concerns. Reports are increasing of users experiencing digestive distress, muscle loss, fatigue, and mental health side effects. Longstaff is particularly concerned about how this affects women’s long-term strength and vitality.
“We’re seeing people lose lean muscle, which compromises metabolic health and increases frailty. It’s not just about being lighter — it’s about being well.”
And it’s not only individuals who may pay the price. With online clinics and private prescribers booming, the NHS may eventually bear the cost of managing the fallout — from side effects to psychological impacts. In 2024, global data linked GLP-1 jabs to hospitalisations and even deaths, though formal investigations are ongoing.
“It’s a ticking time bomb,” warned Longstaff. “The long-term impact — both personal and societal — is being massively underestimated.”
She believes the phenomenon is part of a broader societal shift towards instant gratification, where convenience often overrides critical self-reflection. “We’ve trained our brains to crave fast solutions — whether it’s weight loss, food delivery, or scrolling for dopamine. But true change takes time. We must stop chasing shortcuts and start listening to what our bodies and behaviours are trying to tell us.”
Rather than medicating the symptoms, Longstaff’s MFB Method encourages individuals to explore their internal world — identifying emotional triggers, changing behavioural patterns, and reconnecting with their bodies in a meaningful way.
“Weight loss should be the side effect of healing — not the goal,” she said. “Until we start treating the cause rather than the symptom, we will continue to see people caught in this cycle of despair and dependency. There is a better way, but we have to be willing to look deeper.”
To discover more about Hanna Longstaff’s award-winning approach, visit www.mindfoodbodycoach.com.
