Throughout her long career in the public eye, Oprah Winfrey has been subjected to intense scrutiny over her weight. In a recent interview with People Magazine, the iconic talk show host, 69, expressed confidence that she has finally found a sustainable path towards maintaining a healthy weight while overcoming feelings of shame.
The media mogul opened up about her holistic approach, which involves making lifestyle adjustments and prioritizing regular exercise. In addition, she also revealed that she incorporated a weight-loss medication into her routine, dispelling rumors that she has been using Ozempic, a drug that has garnered attention in the celebrity sphere due to its effectiveness for shedding pounds rapidly. It was initially developed, however, to aid individuals with type-2 diabetes regulate their blood sugar levels.
As she approaches her 70th birthday coming up in January, Winfrey explained how she remains committed to her health and wellness journey. In the publication’s recent cover story, Winfrey said: “It was public sport to make fun of me for 25 years.” She added: “I have been blamed and shamed, and I blamed and shamed myself.”
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Oprah Winfrey Opens Up About Taking Medication For Weight Loss And Overcoming Shame
The Color Purple star went on to say that weight fluctuations "occupied five decades of space in my brain, yo-yoing and feeling like why can’t I just conquer this thing, believing willpower was my failing." After undergoing knee surgery in 2021, Winfrey remained steadfast in her rehabilitation efforts, resulting in a sustained decrease in weight over the course of the past two years.
"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 told the outlet. "I felt stronger, more fit and more alive than I’d felt in years."
Now, Winfrey says that she eats her "last meal at 4 o’clock," drinks a "gallon of water a day," and also uses the "WeightWatchers principles of counting points."
She explained, regarding her past thoughts on weight loss drugs and how they have evolved: "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." Winfrey added: "I was actually recommending it to people long before I was on it myself."
During "The State of Weight," a panel conversation featuring weight loss experts and clinicians as part of Oprah Daily’s "Life You Want" series, Winfrey shared that it was in July 2023 when her approach towards using pharmaceutical aids for weight loss shifted. "I had the biggest aha along with many people in that audience," she said, reminiscing about the discussion that was posted online in September.
She continued: "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 [...] Obesity is a disease. It’s not about willpower — it's about the brain."
After coming to terms with the scientific aspect, Winfrey disclosed that she was able to let go of her shame regarding the issue and reached out to her doctor for guidance. Subsequently, her doctor recommended a medication for weight loss.
"I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing," Winfrey noted, without naming the specific drug. "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 went on. "I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself."
Winfrey acknowledged the attention on her body size amidst the rise in popularity of weight loss medications such as Ozempic and others like Wegovy and Mounjaro. However, she emphasized that these medications are not a one-stop solution or quick fix for weight loss.
She deemed her fitness and meal plans to be "everything." She elaborated: "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, it doesn’t work for me."
Before Thanksgiving last month, she admitted to taking the medication "because I knew I was going to have two solid weeks of eating." She added that "instead of gaining eight pounds like I did last year, I gained half a pound . . . It quiets the food noise." Despite being only seven pounds shy of her desired weight of 160 lbs., Winfrey insisted that the "number" on the scale is not the ultimate measure of her success.
Instead, she said she takes satisfaction in the progress she has achieved since undergoing surgery two years ago, and continues to build upon it. "It was a second shot for me to live a more vital and vibrant life," she noted.
"In Hawaii, I live on a mountain, and there’s this big hill — I used to look out the window every morning and say, 'God, one day I want to walk up that mountain,'" she told People. "Last year over Christmas I did it . . . It felt like redemption."
