Oprah Winfrey Opens Up About Her Weight-Loss Journey

In a recent interview with People magazine, Oprah Winfrey revealed that she has turned to a weight-loss medication to help her with her lifelong struggle with weight.

Winfrey, the former talk show host, spoke about the public ridicule she endured for years due to her size and how she internalized the criticism. She shared, "It was public sport to make fun of me for 25 years. I have been blamed and shamed, and I blamed and shamed myself."

One particularly hurtful moment she mentioned was when a magazine cover labeled her as "Dumpy, Frumpy and Downright Lumpy." Despite the hurtful comments, Winfrey didn't feel angry but rather sad and hurt. She admitted to swallowing the shame and accepting that she was at fault.

Over the years, Winfrey's weight has fluctuated, but she found a turning point in her health after undergoing knee surgery in 2021. During her rehabilitation, she started hiking and focusing on her fitness, which made a significant difference. She stated, "I felt stronger, more fit, and more alive than I'd felt in years."

Media mogul Oprah Winfrey revealed that she has started taking weight-loss medication after years of recommending it to others. Winfrey made the decision after participating in a panel conversation with weight loss experts and clinicians for her "Oprah Daily's Life You Want" series. During the panel, she initially dismissed the idea of medication as "the easy way out," but had a change of heart as she spoke to the panelists.

Winfrey admitted that she had been blaming herself for her weight for years, but realized that she has a predisposition that cannot be controlled by willpower alone. She now views obesity as a disease that is related to the brain, rather than a lack of willpower.

Although Winfrey did not disclose the specific medication she is taking, she emphasized that she still has to work hard to maintain her weight loss. However, she sees the medication as a "gift" and a relief from the constant shaming she has experienced from others and herself.

Over the past year, there has been a high demand for semaglutide, the generic form of the brand name drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus.

These drugs have proven to be highly effective in causing weight loss. According to one doctor interviewed by CBS News, these drugs can help individuals lose about 15% of their body weight, which is considerably more than previous generations of weight loss drugs.

Semaglutide drugs work by mimicking a gut hormone called GLP1, or glucagon-like peptide hormone. Dr. Amanda Velazquez, who works at Cedars-Sinai Center for Weight Management and Metabolic Health in Los Angeles, explains that these drugs enhance communication between the gut and the brain, making individuals feel fuller and reducing appetite.

Initially developed to treat patients with diabetes, drugs like Ozempic can produce insulin and lower blood sugar. However, they can also have serious side effects. Doctors caution that the long-term impacts of these drugs are still unknown.