Oprah, 69, Reveals She Uses Weight-Loss Drugs as a ‘Tool’ Against ‘Yo-Yoing’
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
Oprah Winfrey confirmed her use of weight-loss medication in a new interview.
She declined to reveal the exact drug she uses, but called it “a tool to manage not yo-yoing.”
The lifestyle mogul credits a holistic approach to weight loss—including diet and exercise—for her steady accomplishment of goals over the last two years.
As the face of WeightWatchers and someone who has publicly chronicled her dieting journey for decades, Oprah Winfrey voiced doubts in the past about weight-loss drugs (like Wegovy and Zepbound) and medications that may spur weight loss (like Ozempic, and Mounjaro). But she’s since had a change of heart and now uses her own prescription “as a tool to manage not yo-yoing,” she recently told People.
The mogul discussed her perspective shift that occurred during a September panel discussion she hosted in collaboration with weight loss experts and doctors called “The State of Weight” as part of her The Life You Want series.
“I had the biggest ‘Aha!’ along with many people in that audience,” she told People. “I realized I’d been blaming myself all these years for being overweight, and I have a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control.” She continued: “Obesity is a disease. It’s not about willpower—it’s about the brain.”
Winfrey opted not to share the exact drug she takes but stressed that it’s only one small aspect of her overall toolbox for health. “I eat my last meal at 4 o’clock, drink a gallon of water a day, and use the WeightWatchers principles of counting points. I had an awareness of [weight-loss] medications, but felt I had to prove I had the willpower to do it. I now no longer feel that way,” she said. “I know everybody thought I was on it, but I worked so damn hard. I know that if I’m not also working out and vigilant about all the other things, [medication] doesn’t work for me.”
The star added that she has “released my own shame” about taking weight-loss medication, and she’s setting a hard boundary against outward scrutiny. “The fact that there’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for,” she said. “I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”
Winfrey began steadily losing weight after undergoing knee surgery in 2021, per People. “After knee surgery, I started hiking and setting new distance goals each week. I could eventually hike three to five miles every day and a 10-mile straight-up hike on weekends,” she said. “I felt stronger, more fit, and more alive than I’d felt in years.”
She told People that she’s now seven pounds away from her goal weight of 160 lbs., however, “it’s not about the number,” she said. She’s simply relishing in the progress that is helping her feel her best. “It was a second shot for me to live a more vital and vibrant life,” she said.
And it’s very clear that she’s doing just that.
You Might Also Like
