For millions who’ve battled with weight loss, drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro have succeeded where everything else failed – but their well-documented side effects remain a major deterrent.

Katie Johnston is one such example of a woman in her thirties who long struggled to maintain a healthy weight, only to find the solution came with a host of downsides.

The 37-year-old company director, from Queensland, turned to Mounjaro in the lead-up to appearing as a bride on this year’s season of MAFS Australia.

The drug, which early trials suggest can be more effective than Ozempic or Wegovy, mimics the GIP and GLP-1 hormones to slow digestion and suppress appetite.

While it has been hailed as a game-changer for those living with obesity, Katie found that her weight loss wasn’t accompanied by a feeling of newfound energy.

Instead, her day-to-day life became shrouded by nausea, fatigue and brain fog.

‘I didn’t feel alive,’ she tells me.

‘I was shrinking physically, but I had no energy – no spark.’

Katie Johnston long struggled to maintain a healthy weight, only to find the solution came with a host of downsides

Katie Johnston long struggled to maintain a healthy weight, only to find the solution came with a host of downsides

A new supplement is said to help to minimise the side effects

A new supplement is said to help to minimise the side effects

The timing could not have been worse.

When the side effects were rearing their ugly head, Katie was dealing with the stress of a looming televised marriage (spoiler alert: it would end in disaster).

‘I had so much to do before filming but was barely functioning,’ she says.

‘There was hair and makeup, dealing with producers, picking a dress, but I felt like I had the flu every day. I just couldn’t function, so I stopped [taking Mounjaro].’

Coming off the injections, her weight climbed to 108kg (238lbs or 17st) – the heaviest she had ever been – by the time she joined the social experiment.

The groom she was paired with, school teacher Tim Gromie, made it clear from the outset she wasn’t his type physically.

‘It wasn’t the fairytale I wanted, but it was the wake-up call I needed,’ Katie reflects.

‘I’d done the emotional work – but my body was still holding onto the pain.’

After leaving MAFS without meeting Mr Right, Katie was hesitant to try Mounjaro again following her initial experience

After leaving MAFS without meeting Mr Right, Katie was hesitant to try Mounjaro again following her initial experience 

After leaving MAFS without meeting Mr Right, Katie was hesitant to try Mounjaro again following her initial experience.

But everything changed when she discovered a protein supplement designed specifically for people on GLP-1 weight-loss medications like Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy.

Developed by Australian nutrition scientists, Glo_up_1 by Nuut is said to address common side effects of GLP-1 medications, including nausea, fatigue, muscle loss, bloating and even the dreaded ‘Ozempic face’. 

‘I was like, “Oh, I’ll have a go. What’s the worst that can happen?”‘ she recalls.

‘And everything I felt in terms of side effects from the weight-loss drug had completely disappeared.’

Each 55g serving of Glo_up_1 includes a blend of protein, collagen peptides and L-carnitine to help prevent muscle breakdown during weight loss.

It also includes ingredients to help with hydration and skin support, digestive comfort, energy support and lethargy and listlessness.

‘I felt energised, excited to work out, and like I was finally living again,’ Katie says.

Since incorporating Glo_up_1 into her routine, Katie claims to have experienced a transformation – not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually.

‘I can see my body. It’s already gone down a dress size, which is so exciting,’ she shares.

‘I’ve got two more dress sizes to go until my goal.’

But for Katie, it’s not about the numbers. ‘I’m not chasing a figure on a scale. I’m chasing a feeling – health, strength and pride in how far I’ve come.

Her daily routine includes a Glo_up_1 shake at 9am, setting her up for the day until about 3pm when she starts having healthy snacks.

Dinner typically consists of a small portion of broccoli and grilled salmon.

‘I know I don’t have much real estate in my appetite – so every bite must count with protein and nutrition,’ she explains.

For Katie, going back on Mounjaro was ‘about survival, not vanity’ as doctors advised she needed to lose visceral fat – the dangerous fat around her organs.

‘That internal fat is the real danger. I need to lose the fat, not the muscle, to give myself the long, healthy life I now realise I want.’

Looking better has allowed Kate to shine again after her disastrous marriage to school teacher Tim Gromie (right) on MAFS Australia. But more importantly she has lost dangerous internal fat

Looking better has allowed Kate to shine again after her disastrous marriage to school teacher Tim Gromie (right) on MAFS Australia. But more importantly she has lost dangerous internal fat

But looking better has allowed her to shine again.

‘I’m not waiting for anyone. I’m not seeking permission. I’m not holding back,’ she declares.

‘I want to be super proud of myself in all areas and be authentic in all areas, and talk about self-love from a really healed space.’

Healing is the operative word for Katie’s weight loss journey, as her struggles with size are deeply rooted in trauma.

At age 20, she was assaulted by a man she had offered a lift home.

The incident left her traumatised and ashamed. She withdrew socially and gained weight, not out of laziness, but as a protective shield.

‘I wore my weight like armour,’ she says. ‘If I looked less attractive, maybe I’d be left alone. Maybe I’d be safe.’

Determined to understand her own trauma, Katie enrolled in a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology) at the Queensland University of Technology at age 22.

‘I wanted to unpack not only what had happened to me but also why so many women carry guilt for assaults they had no control over,’ she explains.

She completed her degree with distinction and later added a Diploma of Life Coaching so she could use her lived experience and education to help others.

‘I believe this background makes me uniquely suited to support others navigating emotional challenges,’ she says.

‘Especially on platforms like Married At First Sight, where participants often need guidance in genuine self-love and personal growth.’

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