As the popularity of weight-loss injections like Ozempic surges across the UK, eating behaviour specialist Hanna Longstaff is encouraging the public to look beyond the scale and explore what really drives their relationship with food.
Following a steep rise in usage across the US — with over 13% of adults now on GLP-1 medications — the UK is now witnessing a comparable boom. Social media platforms are brimming with transformation stories, celebrities are promoting jabs, and private clinics are making access increasingly simple.
Yet Longstaff, founder of the MFB Method and a prominent voice in neuroscience-led behaviour coaching, urges caution. She believes these so-called miracle injections are merely masking the emotional and psychological drivers of overeating.
“These drugs may suppress appetite, but they don’t address the real reasons why people overeat,” she explained. “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.”
Longstaff warns that reliance on weight-loss medication can lead to a cycle of dependency and disappointment, especially as users often regain weight after treatment stops.
“It’s not sustainable, and it was never meant to be,” she said. “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.”
Side effects are another red flag. Reports of low energy, digestive problems, muscle loss, and mental health dips are becoming more common — posing particular risks to women, according to Longstaff.
“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.”
The financial implications are no less concerning. With the NHS likely to shoulder the burden of post-treatment complications, especially when accessed via unregulated private routes, Longstaff believes we may be underestimating the wider cost.
“It’s a ticking time bomb,” she cautioned. “The long-term impact — both personal and societal — is being massively underestimated.”
She links the public appetite for fast-acting solutions to a wider pattern of dopamine-driven habits. “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.”
Her proposed alternative? A shift towards behavioural transformation. Through her MFB Method, Longstaff helps clients achieve sustainable change by addressing emotional needs and rebuilding food relationships from the inside out.
“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 explore Hanna’s method, visit www.mindfoodbodycoach.com.
