A 53-year-old married mother says her Mounjaro weight loss and revised hormone treatment have transformed her confidence – and led to a series of unexpected approaches from men.
Anniki Sommerville, who has been with her husband Paul for 30 years, said she had previously felt “relatively invisible”. After losing four stone and moving from a size 16-18 to a size 12, she now believes strangers are responding to a renewed sense of self-assurance.
Her experiences have ranged from compliments about her clothes to invitations to meet again. A father she knew from her children’s nursery days told her she had “this amazing energy” and suggested they attend concerts together.
Ms Sommerville, who has two daughters aged 13 and seven, said she did not want to pursue other men. But she admitted that the attention had highlighted the lack of affection and intimacy in her marriage.
How Mounjaro weight loss changed her confidence
She began taking Mounjaro in May after becoming upset while shopping for a swimming costume and finding she needed a size 18 – the largest size she had worn.
Although she had exercised regularly, including running, swimming and weight training, she said her weight had continued to increase around her waist during menopause. Night-time snacking was also part of the problem.
Ms Sommerville said the medication began working quickly. She started on a 2.5mg dose and lost weight from the second week, without needing to increase it.
“In six months, I’ve gone from a size 16-18 to a slim size 12,” she said, describing the result as the slimmest she had been in two decades.
She stressed that she did not believe her weight had been the reason for the absence of sex in her marriage. But the change in her body had altered how she saw herself.
“This is the slimmest I’ve been in 20 years, and at a size 12, I suddenly feel confident about myself in a way I barely recognise,” she said.
Alongside Mounjaro, she changed her hormone replacement therapy after consulting a hormone specialist. She had previously been taking progesterone and began using a pea-sized amount of testosterone gel in July, hoping to improve her libido.
She said her sex drive had been extremely low and that the couple had not had sex for almost two years. Although they periodically discussed making time for one another, neither had taken action, she said.
Compliments, messages and a new sense of visibility
Ms Sommerville said the testosterone began having an effect after about six weeks. Combined with the weight loss, exercise and a new wardrobe, it left her feeling more comfortable in her body and more willing to wear clothes that attracted attention.
She recalled a man on the school run looking her up and down before telling her: “Hey you’re looking different… In a good way. Those jeans really suit you.”
She also described being approached in a pub by a man she considered attractive, and being spoken to on the Tube by another stranger who asked what book she was reading.
There were also messages from men she did not know on Instagram, including one complimenting her figure and others praising her appearance. She said she had not received that type of attention during years on social media.
In one encounter, a man she vaguely knew from the local area sat with her on a park bench and told her: “I feel like you have this amazing energy. It’s unique. Not like other women. And I love it.”
He later suggested they attend music gigs together. Ms Sommerville said she did not think the conversation was an explicit attempt to begin a sexual relationship, but believed it might have developed in that direction if she had encouraged it.
When she told Paul, he laughed and suggested the man had simply been friendly. He then asked: “Are you saying I should be jealous?”
Ms Sommerville said the incident nevertheless made her feel she was being seen as both an interesting woman and a potentially desirable one – something she felt was missing at home.
She acknowledged that some of the attention might have been her own interpretation of ordinary interactions. A waiter who spoke to her at length about a solar eclipse, for example, was dismissed by her eldest daughter as merely being professional, despite what Ms Sommerville believed was a deliberate touch on her hand.
She also questioned whether the medication and testosterone had made her more alert to the possibility of flirtation. At first, she said, the change in her libido made the world seem full of new possibilities.
Hoping to revive intimacy with Paul
Ms Sommerville said she had once struggled to see herself as sexy and had often tried to cover up her body. Now, she has begun wearing brighter dresses, fitted denim and more figure-hugging outfits.
She described the result as a “virtuous circle”: feeling slimmer had made her more confident, which had made her happier and, in her view, more attractive.
She said the attention was not how she measured success, but that it provided reassurance after years of feeling like “a walking, talking human dishcloth soaking up stress and cleaning up my family’s daily mess”.
There have been signs that Paul has noticed the change. She said he had begun commenting on her clothes and had told their children: “Mum’s looking good these days isn’t she kids?”
She admitted it was not the most flattering compliment she had received, but believed it carried an undertone reminiscent of the early days of their relationship. She also said the couple had started exchanging affectionate touches in the kitchen.
Ms Sommerville has since reduced her testosterone use to every other day because she felt it was increasing her libido too much. Their sex life has not yet returned to the level they would both like, but she remains hopeful.
“I don’t want other men – I want my own partner,” she said, adding that she hoped the couple could move beyond the demands of family life and begin prioritising each other again.
For Ms Sommerville, the experience has been less about attracting strangers than recovering a sense of identity she feared had disappeared with age and menopause.
She said she had once assumed this stage of her life was “wrapped up”. Now, she feels she is stepping back into view – and wants Paul to share in the excitement.
