A woman who once indulged in McDonald’s and Chinese takeaways every day has shared the transformative lifestyle changes that helped her lose 10 stone in just six months.

Holly Barron, a 22-year-old from Manchester, found herself struggling with weight loss despite her efforts. Within a year, she gained eight stone, reaching her peak weight of 21st 8lbs (136kg).

Describing her experience as “feeling like I was existing rather than living,” Holly points to her rapid weight gain as a result of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This common hormonal disorder is linked to elevated insulin levels in the body.

At just 20, Holly was also diagnosed with type two diabetes, a condition often influenced by factors such as obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.

Today, Holly has successfully reduced her weight to 11st 8lbs and swapped her wardrobe from size 3XL to XS.

The key to her dramatic weight loss? A daily diet consisting of chicken salads accompanied by full-fat mayonnaise.

She said: ‘I’ve always been overweight and no matter what I did, I couldn’t obviously lose weight.

‘It led to me being bullied through school, and in everyday life, people out there were not seeing me for me, just as someone overweight.

At her heaviest, Holly Barron, now 22, weighed 21st 8lbs and wore a size 3XL

Ms Barron was diagnosed with type two diabetes at the age of 20, which is primarily caused by lifestyle factors like obesity and inactivity

Ms Barron shed 10 stone in six months – and can now fit into children’s clothes

‘I left school and I had been diagnosed with diabetes and PCOS. 

‘Life changed overnight. All of a sudden, I gained seven or eight stone in a year and I didn’t understand why.’

Ms Barron spent four days in hospital after suffering from an intolerance to her old diabetes medication, Metformin, which ‘nearly left her in a coma’.

In June 2025, her diabetes clinic recommended she try Mounjaro, which mimics two hormones (GLP-1 and GIP) that help the body produce more insulin when needed and reduce blood sugar. 

She took her first 2.5mg dose on June 18, 2025, and claims that the medication has changed her life. 

Admitting to previously ‘always’ feeling hungry and eating until she was sick, she claims the medication has given her the ability to know when she is full – something she did not have before.  

‘With Mounjaro, it gave me back being able to understand when I was full and when I wasn’t full.

‘I’ve been on it six months and completely went clean with my diet and had chicken salad every day. It has changed my life,’ she said.

Holly gained eight stone in the span of a year before her weight loss journey

She took her first dose of Mounjaro in June 2025 and claims it has changed her life

Previously bullied for her size, Holly is now 11st 8lbs and plans to lose another two stone

‘I was a size two or three XL, and now I’m an XS, and my pants are age 13 in the kids section. I never expected that.’

Ms Barron’s diet overhaul saw her switch her morning McDonald’s or bacon sandwich for turkey ham, and ditch Chinese takeaways for weighed-out high protein salads.  

She said: ‘For my breakfast now I’ll have turkey ham and Fridge Raiders chicken grills.

‘I’ll have my breakfast around lunchtime. Tea will be chicken salads, weighed out.

‘I have full-fat mayo but only 15 grams of it because I track the carbs and sugars each gram holds.’

Ms Barron wants to lose a further two stone and has recently had a meeting with her doctor and is awaiting results from blood glucose tests.

If she is in a normal range, she will progress on to the next dosage of 10mg.

‘Obviously, a lot of people are so scared of starting it,’ she said.

‘They don’t know where to turn, and I feel like that’s something I was nervous about.

‘If you’re scared of your health, it’s the best thing possible to do if you think it’s for you. There’s nothing to be scared of.’