The most confronting side effect of my Wegovy weight loss wasn’t physical: I went from a size 18 to a size 10 – and discovered I’d been invisible for years
Elea Zucchiatti had spent years making peace with the idea that she would always live in a larger body.
The 27-year-old, from Sydney, had been trying to lose weight since age 14, cycling through fasting, high-protein diets and rules like banning carbs after 4pm.
Yet Elea never hated herself. Born in France, she grew up in a family where her father was a cook and food was central. She was a confident, sociable and happy teenager, comfortable in her own skin.
The pressure to be thinner came from the outside world.
It appeared in offhand comments, the attention others received, and medical appointments where her weight seemed to end the conversation before doctors explored her symptoms properly.
By the time Elea started a GLP-1 prescription medication under medical supervision at age 26, she had spent over a decade believing her body needed to change.
Elea lost 17kg (37lbs/2st 9lbs) in four months, dropping from a size 18 to a size 10. She was 90kg (198lbs/14st 2lbs) at her heaviest, and 55kg (121lbs/8st 9lbs) after stopping medication.
‘When you chase a certain body type your whole life and finally have it, it’s daunting,’ she told the Daily Mail.
Elea Zucchiatti had spent years making peace with the idea that she would always live in a larger body
Elea had spent years making peace with the idea that she would always live in a larger body
She also became so tired she sometimes struggled to get out of bed. Her appetite vanished, her periods became irregular and she felt she’d lost much of her strength and muscle alongside the weight.
Months after stopping, Elea was still grappling with the most confronting aspect: the way people treated her so much more warmly once she was thin.
‘I was reasonably happy in my own skin’
Elea’s relationship with her body was always more complex than simple unhappiness.
She knew as a teen that she looked different to many friends but escaped the bullying often associated with growing up overweight. Instead, she experienced subtle exclusion.
People rarely approached her when she was with thinner friends; she didn’t get the same romantic attention and sometimes felt sidelined in social situations without anyone ever saying why.
‘I was a very confident teenager because I was smart and very social,’ she said. ‘It was more about the image people sent back to me than my own self-image.’
Doctors also commented on her size and sometimes attributed health problems to her weight without deeper investigation.
Elea was aware from adolescence that she looked different from many of her friends, but she did not experience the relentless bullying often associated with growing up overweight
She recalled developing serious knee pain and mobility issues in her early 20s, despite her weight being stable.
She saw a fill-in doctor expecting her sudden problems to be investigated. Instead, he recommended physio and said, ‘Objectively speaking, your knees aren’t supposed to carry that much weight.’
Once again, her body was seen as the explanation for everything.
‘It implied that because I was fat, my knees were just suffering for that reason,’ she said.
Her attempts to lose weight started early. At 14, Elea tried nearly every diet she came across.
She limited eating to a six-hour window, joined her mother in egg and lean meat diets, and spent years avoiding carbohydrates after a certain time, believing it would aid weight loss.
Like many young women, Elea had absorbed the idea that a smaller body remained just one more rule, restriction or burst of discipline away
Like many young women, she absorbed the idea that a smaller body was only a matter of willpower, restriction or the right rule.
Years in ‘medical limbo’
Elea’s weight rose significantly after medication she took in 2022, reaching 90kg.
At 164cm (5ft 4½in) tall, she was considered obese on the BMI scale. She began a balanced diet, cutting snacks, fried and sweet foods, and lost 15kg (33lbs/2st 5lbs) in 2023.
Other issues remained. Elea had experienced irregular periods and symptoms linked to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) since her teens.
She first saw a gynaecologist at 17 but said it took about eight years before someone explored the links between her hormones, insulin, symptoms and weight.
‘I was in medical limbo for a while,’ she said.
‘My PCOS symptoms always went under the radar. I was overweight, therefore the issue supposedly lay there and it wasn’t worth looking into.’
Elea had experienced irregular periods and other symptoms associated with polycystic ovary syndrome since her teenage years
Elea was diagnosed with PCOS in 2024 when a doctor finally ordered blood tests and an ultrasound. Her insulin levels were also raised, putting her at risk of pre-diabetes.
‘It was the first time my weight was discussed in relation to underlying issues,’ she said.
In March 2025, she was again advised to lose weight. She returned to healthy habits, but saw little progress and quickly became demoralised.
Her GP then offered medical assistance and prescribed the medication.
Far from an ‘easy solution’
The weekly injection mimics a hormone involved in appetite regulation, helping people feel fuller and eat less.
It is approved for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or those overweight with certain health risks, alongside a reduced-energy diet and increased physical activity.
Elea was well aware of GLP-1 medications through media coverage. After years of struggling, the idea of something that could genuinely suppress her appetite and make weight loss achievable was attractive.
‘It honestly seemed like the magical solution,’ she said. ‘When you struggle with your weight, you’re always looking for the easy fix.’
The cost concerned her more than the medication itself. Elea paid $1,200 for four months.
Elea’s weight rose significantly after medication she took in 2022, eventually reaching 90kg
She started on the lowest dose and later moved up. She didn’t need the highest as the weight continued to come off.
She weighed herself shortly after her first injection and believed she lost between one and two kilograms (2.2lbs to 4.4lbs) in two days. By the end of the first week, she was 3kg (6.6lbs) lighter.
The results were striking – but the physical experience was tough.
Her appetite almost vanished. She didn’t count calories but estimated she sometimes ate 800 calories a day or less. Even drinking water felt difficult at times.
During treatment, she noticed loss of appetite, fatigue and disruption to her menstrual cycle, and later found her energy and muscle strength reduced.
Exercise also felt unmanageable despite encouragement from her GP.
‘I was struggling to get out of bed in the morning,’ she said. ‘You’re told to exercise, but when you eat so little, it can feel impossible.’
Why she kept it from her family and friends
Elea told her partner and close friends about the injections but hid them from her family.
Body image had affected many of the women around her and she worried one might become fixated on the treatment and want to try it too.
Becoming a size 10 almost overnight left Elea feeling like a stranger in her own body
The few workmates she told were supportive, though some were concerned due to alarming stories about weight loss medication.
Those closest to Elea also knew she had a history of disordered eating and was recovering from binge eating disorder, making her appetite suppression especially complex.
Her family’s reaction to her weight loss was complicated.
‘They were happy that I was finally taking care of myself,’ Elea said.
Seeing how ‘thin women’ are treated
Becoming a size 10 almost overnight made Elea feel like she was inhabiting a body she didn’t know.
‘I know what it’s like to be treated differently now,’ she said. ‘I notice how people put you on a pedestal, compliment you, treat you nicely and give you attention.’
This made her fear regaining weight and losing this new-found acceptance.
‘Before, I was overweight and already treated as lesser than,’ she said.
Her smaller body finally gave her the confidence to enter the fitness world, though she felt saddened that she first needed to be thin to belong.
‘I know what it’s like to be treated differently now,’ she said. ‘I notice how people put you on a pedestal, compliment you, treat you nicely and give you attention’
Elea stopped the medication after four months. Eight months on, she was only just able to eat full meals again and her portions stayed smaller than before
‘It sounds stupid, but I felt like I was finally skinny enough to work out,’ she said.
‘You feel like you have to deserve treating your body correctly. You feel like you have to deserve eating properly and working out. You have to hate it first and then love it.’
Life after the injections
Elea stopped the medication after four months. Eight months on, she was only just able to eat full meals again and her portions stayed smaller than before.
She now follows a varied vegetarian diet: oats, protein wraps, vegetables, tofu, halloumi, chickpeas, lentils, soups, and curries. Heavier meals can still be hard to digest.
She has regained 5kg (11lbs) since stopping the injections and resuming normal eating. While she knows this is expected, it has tested her recovery and triggered old anxieties.
She is now working with a personal trainer to rebuild strength, doing Pilates, weightlifting, treadmill sessions and long walks outdoors.
‘Losing weight is one thing. Keeping the weight off and living a healthy, balanced lifestyle is another step. It takes time and effort,’ she said.
‘It won’t teach you how to love yourself’
Elea believes GLP-1s can help some people, and doesn’t dismiss what medical assistance did for her physical health.
She believes the injections helped with her physical hunger and ‘food noise’ temporarily but they didn’t address the emotions beneath her relationship with food or undo years of feeling judged for her size.
Elea’s goals now extend beyond the scales. She wants to improve her insulin and iron levels, balance her hormones, restore a regular menstrual cycle and become physically stronger
She’s still in recovery from binge eating disorder and expects that process to continue.
‘The food noise and guilt with eating are still there,’ she said. ‘The injection won’t fix why you emotionally eat.’
Her current goals go beyond the scales: improving insulin and iron, balancing hormones, restoring a regular menstrual cycle, and building strength.
Her main priority now is caring for herself, regardless of size.
Elea hopes others considering GLP-1s understand rapid weight loss can have complex emotional effects. She wishes she could offer her younger self the compassion she’s now learning.
‘Women deserve to feel good in any body shape,’ she said.
‘You might look one way today and completely different tomorrow. What will matter is the people around you, the memories you have and the way you care for yourself.
‘The injections might sound like the perfect solution, but they won’t teach you how to love yourself.’
Any prescription medicine can cause side effects. This is a personal account. GLP-1 medications are prescription-only and not suitable for everyone. Always seek medical advice from your doctor or health professional regarding any medical treatment.
