"Done With Shaming": Oprah Winfrey Admits To Using Weight-Loss Medication

Celebrity talk show host Oprah Winfrey recently revealed that she takes weight-loss medication to help manage her weight. In an interview with People, Winfrey, who turns 70 next month, explained how she battled body-shaming and body image issues in all the decades she has been in the public eye. She said that she's over with the shame that comes with admitting that she uses these pharmaceutical aids. "I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing," she told the publication. 

"I'm absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself," the 69-year-old told People. "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 continued. 

Further, the global influencer revealed that a turning point in her weight-loss journey was knee surgery in 2021 after which she started to make stricter efforts to maintain a healthier lifestyle. "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, adding, "I felt stronger, more fit and more alive than I'd felt in years". 

"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," the talk show host said. 

Also Read | Indian-American Medical Student Rijul Maini Crowned Miss India USA 2023

Although Winfrey did not reveal the drug she takes, she said that her approach to using pharmaceutical aids came in July during a taped panel conversation with weight loss experts and clinicians. "I had the biggest aha along with many people in that audience," Winfrey said, adding that she had been blaming herself for being overweight without realising that she had a predisposition "that no amount of willpower is going to control". 

Overall, Oprah Winfrey said that her weight loss and fitness progress have allowed her to lead a "more vital and vibrant life". "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.' Last year over Christmas I did it...It felt like redemption," she added.

Notably, Winfrey's revelation comes amid a time when there has been a buzz around weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. The medication reportedly regulates hunger signals and allows people to feel full while eating less. However, experts have noted that the drug also has side effects such as nausea, diarrhoea and constipation.