Oprah Winfrey has probably tried every diet out there, every weight loss scheme, every fad and every cleanse. But she’s not trying Ozempic, the now-ubiquitous diabetes drug being used by so many people to lose weight fast. It’s not that Oprah necessarily has medical concerns about the drug, she just thinks Ozempic is “the easy way out” of weight loss. I mean… I can recognize Oprah’s perspective while also knowing intellectually how damaging that line of thinking is.
Oprah Winfrey is joining the conversation surrounding using type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic for weight loss. The media mogul, 68, recently hosted a panel, Oprah Daily’s “The Life You Want Class: The State of Weight,” discussing the obesity and weight crisis, which affects 2 billion adults globally. She held the conversation alongside obesity specialists Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford and Dr. Melanie Jay, and psychologist Dr. Rachel Goldman.
Winfrey — a board member and shareholder for WeightWatchers — was also joined by Sima Sistani, CEO of WeightWatchers, which recently started offering a telehealth treatment option for new weight loss drugs. During the panel, Winfrey revealed that she’s had some thoughts about taking Ozempic, an FDA-approved prescription medication for people with type 2 diabetes. It’s one of the brand names for semaglutide and tirzepatide — also known as Wegovy and Mounjaro — which works in the brain to impact satiety, and is the latest Hollywood weight loss trend.
“Shouldn’t we all just be more accepting of whatever body you choose to be in? That should be your choice,” Winfrey said during the panel. “Even when I first started hearing about the weight loss drugs, at the same time I was going through knee surgery, and I felt, ‘I’ve got to do this on my own.’ Because if I take the drug, that’s the easy way out.'”
Winfrey also explained that she was “shamed in the tabloids every week about for 25 years” for “not having the willpower” when it comes to her weight loss journey.
Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity medicine physician, emphasized that “obesity is a chronic disease” and “willpower” isn’t a word she uses when it comes to her patients.
“It’s hard to see you ostracized in the way that you’ve been. Because this isn’t about willpower. It’s not your fault,” she told Winfrey. “It’s how our bodies regulate weight and each of us is different, each of us is unique, not one is superior to another. We’re just different and acting on those differences and treating the differences in the heterogeneity of the population is how we’re going to actually make change in this disease.”
I hate that I recognize Oprah’s line of thinking in my own. I sometimes look at Ozempic – when taken purely for weight loss – as a “quick fix” for people who aren’t doing the work of simply eating healthier and staying active. But obviously, it’s much more complicated than that, and Dr. Stanford is right – every body is different and it’s not about “willpower.” I also didn’t realize that Oprah is still on the board of WeightWatchers!!
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I’m not saying overweight people should take Ozempic, but I am saying there is nothing wrong with finding an easy way to lose weight. Losing weight is HARD. And keeping it off is even harder. Maybe if it were a bit easier there wouldn’t be so many struggling.
I have friends who have used Ozempic for weight loss and they found out the hard way that you have to be on it for life. When they came off the drug they were ravenous and regained all the lost weight in a matter of weeks.
That’s what my medic husband said–has to be taken forever. He said that it’s safe to do so but IDK….
This is my understanding as well. For those of us with under 100lbs to lose, it’s only effective short term.
I think it’s a great idea for people who have to lose weight to be safe for weight loss surgery, because there are other things at play there helping them keep weight off.
ETA: I have no medical degree or any training or special insight- just what my doctor told me
I took Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes for 9 months, until a combination of supply chain issues and doctor who wouldn’t phone in refills forced me to stop. I lost 70 lbs while on it. I have lost close to 30 since I stopped. Taking GLP-1 drugs isn’t “easy”, that’s for sure. It’s beginning to seem like my guts won’t be the same as before the Mounjaro.
This is one class of meds where everyone is different. I am happy af I haven’t gained any weight though.
Doesn’t this just prove that taking a drug to stay slim is actually the easy way out? Because once you’re off the drug the weight piles back on unless you radically change your lifestyle and diet habits?
It’s like yo-yo dieting. Once you stop eating only veggies and fruit and exercising daily you start gaining weight?
Point being, staying slim all your life takes hard work, constantly.
Ravenous? Really? Not even just back to your former appetite? That’s terrible! Its like being punished for chemically controlling cravings…I know this is going down the insane conspiracy theories here but is this like the batteries that never die? The industry itself stifles the creation of things that could extinguish the need for that industry? That is so psycho and F-ing cruel.
I’m not a fan of people taking it for those “10 vanity pounds”. But life long obesity is as big a health problem as high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.
I’ve spoken on here about my wt. loss journey. I was always chubby/fat, going at my heaviest to 340 lbs on a 5’1″ frame. Literally as round as I was tall. Gastric bypass was a godsend for me, but that “stalls” after a time. And don’t kid yourself: if you don’t change your eating habits, and the way you think about/use food, you WILL regain the wt. you’ve lost for that. It’s not hard to restretch your stomach again. The majority of people who do this *do* regain their weight (Look at Carnie Wilson).
I stalled for years at 200 lbs., still way too much for me. I managed to take off another 20, and stayed around 180 for about 5 yrs. Took me another few yrs to lose another 25 lbs. I stayed around 155-160 for another 5 yrs or so. I thought that was it for me, I couldn’t seem to lose any more.
Then came Covid. And lockdown, and the fear of it all. “Cocktail Hour” started to be the highlight of the day, and while I wasn’t drinking more (usually 1 or 2 glasses of wine), it was all the yummy stuff that goes with it: cheese, crackers, nuts, etc. “Comfort eating”. I started to put on weight again. I watched the scale creep up and up till I was 170 lbs again. And that scared me witless! I could NOT go back to 340 lbs.
I called my doctor, and was very frank with him. While I was pretty much in control for the last 15 yrs or so, I was floundering now, and nothing I did was working (didn’t help that I was in the house almost 24/7 taking care of my dad, who had dementia and aphasia, and was in a wheelchair). I couldn’t get out of the house, so I ate.
He said he wanted to put me on Ozempic to help me jumpstart the weight loss. I started it, and in a month, I lost about 10 lbs. After another 2 months I lost another 10. I asked if I could stay on it, as long as it helped control my appetite, and lose the rest of the weight that I could never take off. He said yes, and he’d monitor me.
It took about a 11 months to get down to what is now my ideal range: 110-115. Some days, I’m a little under that, sometimes, I may go to my limit. I do daily weighings, and I chart it so as to always be aware.
For people like me, who’ve *always* struggled with that kind of weight issues, Ozempic is a godsend. It’s not *taking the easy way out*. You STILL have to make good food choices, eat mindfully, and move your butt! Ozempic is not a “miracle” in that you can take it and still eat the way you used to. I hate that thinking!
Jan thank you for sharing this. I reached my highest weight at 296 and Ozempic helped me take off 50 pounds. But now I am in phase 2 where I try to get under 200. In no way shape or form would I call phase 1 or 2 easy. I was on Ozempic for other reasons but it was clear my doctor was hoping this would give my weight loss a boost. Life is so much better at -50 pounds. It is such a hard thing to fight biology but for anyone doing it the small victories are so worth it.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Not many people, especially a billionaire, would fathom the stress of being a care giver for a parent with dementia. I am glad the medication is helping you be healthy and strong.
❤️ Thank you both.
Whyforthelove, keep up the good work! It *is* hard! And *all* victories should be celebrated.
We wouldn’t shame someone with balance problems to not use a cane or a walker, we don’t shame people for wearing glass to help them see better, we don’t say, “You’re taking the easy way out! Struggle!!”
Why do we shame people for needing some help to loose weight? It truly is one of the last “acceptable” biases that people feel they can do freely ou tloud.
I’ve been taking the classes for gastric bypass with Kaiser. Would you say it is a net positive if you can control your eating?
She said that she’d feel it would be the easy way out for her personally. Honestly, I thought she was only talking about herself. When I read her quote carefully it seemed she was talking about her own journey.
I think that’s a fair enough position to take if she’s only talking about herself. I know I’d likely look better with more makeup on my face, but I guess I don’t feel like it and would rather just accept my face for what it is (even if it looks kind of bad sometimes). I guess I don’t want the pressure to maintain that kind of look. I kind of see her desire not to take it as being a similar thing – something about it doesn’t feel right for her personally even if it’s fine for everyone else.
She did say it was wrong to shame people for lacking willpower so I don’t think she’s against it (for herself) for that reason. It sounds like she just wants to be accepted, even if that means being a larger size.
Correction about my post: it was the doctor who said it was wrong to shame people for lacking willpower. I got confused reading from my phone.
That said, I could see Oprah preferring not to use it for get personal reasons. I can also see her preferring we use Weight Watchers since she’s promoting it haha.
I did think the way she phrased it as a personal thing for her made it less offensive though. I personally wouldn’t feel like using Ozempic just because everyone else is using it and it works for them (ie. uh…Mindy Kaling, who wasn’t as big as Oprah to begin with).
Hard agree. I am currently taking Ozempic and it has been *amazing* and life-changing for me. I gained 100 pounds in 1 year during IVF, which is how I found out that my pancreas and thyroid don’t work very well. I have been trying to lose it for over 5 years and it has been hell. I made it through the first 50 pounds, the last 50 have felt impossible.
The body adapts to dieting, and if you are like me and don’t process insulin correctly, the larger you are the bigger that problem can get. I have felt like crying since I got on Ozempic. I have so much energy, I don’t feel tired, I don’t get hangry and snap at my kids. And I lose weight like a normal human – with a strict diet and exercise, 1-2 pounds a week.
My doctor does not think I will need to stay on it forever – I’m taking it for system / insulin regulation, and that should get better as I get closer to my regular size. Yes, if you’re taking it just for appetite control than that effect is temporary and would go away, but for me that’s a minor side effect.
I think wayyyy more people have insulin issues than they realize and I hope Ozempic helps those who want to take it. I am so tired of doctors acting like my body is a thermodynamics equation, where you subtract 3,000 calories and a pound of fat disappears. It does not work like that for a *huge* number of people. And many many of us are already burned out and exhausted from life. We could use the help.
That’s a pretty toxic thing to put into the ether. Of course she wants to shame ppl away from ozempic- she profits from WW. She’s officially become gross to me- the Maui mess and this? Just gross.
says the woman who owns the majority stake in WW, as WW sells the drug to its clients. I use to admire Oprah, but that is past tense now.
She’s dangerous. There’s no other word for it.
Her rhetoric surrounding food, dieting, is dangerous to people.
She’s like the goop of food.
She has major issues with food. She definitely should not be considered a source of safe information at all.
It was just this past January she was throwing out perfectly good food so she didn’t eat it. That’s not normal. It’s not healthy.
100% Oprah is on Ozempic!! She hasn’t been this trim in decades, even with the WW and personal chef. Who do u know has had knee surgery and loses weight?? Doesn’t make any sense AND she would never admit to Ozempic use because she’s a WW spokesperson and owns shares in WW too. Celebs trying to lose weight for years are all suffering from the Mindy Kaling effect: deny deny deny.
Completely agree. These bish* needs to come clean.
Oprah is soooo full of herself. Money is an addiction for these effing billionaires who no longer do any philanthropy like the wealthy used to do. Carnegie,the steel magnate, built libraries in every small town all over the country. Oprah just buys land and houses and fancy sheets. Can’t stand her.
Me neither. Agree 120%.
WW is no offering weight loss meds including Ozempic for members in the program now and purchased Sequence which is a telemed service that provides the meds so there is no reason for her to shame people into not taking it since she only gains if people do.
Oprah has done crash diets, championed Spanx, and looks like she’s had some work done (none of which is “bad”), so it is hypocritical to “draw the line” at ozempic at this point.
She also looks like she’s lost quite a bit of weight.
My exact thought. I noticed that at the beginning of the year when ozempic was getting alot of attention as the new Hollywood craze both she and Gayle were both looking like the weight was dropping off of them. 2 women in their later 60’s who’ve had a lifetime of struggling with their weight. One with a financial stake in Weight Watchers for almost a decade, suddenly both found the “secret” to quick/easy weight loss. I’m gonna side eye her a bit.
No one will ever convince me Oprah didn’t use Ozempic to achieve her current weight reduction. She has struggled so hard with her weight but then it suddenly reduced down to her current very small size.
She’s a liar and a hypocrite.
I too suspect she’s been using something similar, because all of a sudden she’s the smallest she’s ever been, and that typically doesn’t happen easily at any age, let alone pushing 70. She looks great, but I don’t know that she’s been 100%. She’s not obligated to tell anyone what she’s doing, but poo pooing it for others isn’t a good look.
@bluenailsbetty same. Every celeb ozempic post I’ve mentioned Oprah. She’s had chefs, pt’s, worked out daily for decades.. Suddenly at nearly 70 drops all this weight. She’s been part of WW for a number of years now, but in the last year or two huge weight loss. No one will convince me it wasn’t from a semiglutide type medication. And it’s not hiking! I follow a marathon runner who runs every single day and she’s like 260 so… And marathon trainers say, you can’t train to lose weight, it doesn’t work.
To anyone who thinks it actually is about lack of willpower and some kind of moral failing, please Google the hormone grehlin.
Thank you. People who have never experienced the hormone that can make you feel never full are really missing out. But seriously, will power isn’t fair if the playing field is rigged. And yes, Ozempic was created for diabetes which is something that requires chronic medications. Using it for a couple of months is NOT going to be the best results. Bottom line, weight loss is hard with all methods and people should try not to sound so judge about it 🤦🏻♀️ especially people like OPHRA
I just can’t with the shaming about losing weight or not losing weight or how people choose to do it.
It’s just mean spirited.
Do you remember there was some male movie star that posted the extensive regime the studio made him do to get trim for a role and it turned out it was like 12 hours a day for months and plus so many different professionals and tens of thousands of dollars all driving this?
Exactly, TOM! My endocrine system has been messed up since birth. My gut mis-fires and sends the wrong signal to my brain and it always has. Taking a GLP-1 (Ozempic) has been life-saving for me. It is NOT the easy way out, it’s simply another tool, just like working out and eating healthy. Thank God for my Oz, I’ve never felt better and the happiest I’ve ever been. First blood pressure check in the normal zone happened today after two years of borderline high. Can’t wait to get my cholesterol checked. No, I am not diabetic, or even pre-diabetic, but 80 lbs overweight.
But Oprah wasn’t talking about people who have medical reasons for gaining weight? Was she?
I think for people who have diabetes and suffer from other medical problems that fuel their weight gain, it’s only natural to seek medical help.
But Ozempic and similar has become popular with healthy people who have no problem losing weight or staying within a normal BMI range, they just want exactly what Oprah called “the easy way out” and to be super thin like models. Why are we denying this and acting as if every overweight person on the planet suffers from medical issues?
I used to be fat and thin and am now healthy BMI range. I have no medical issues. I got fat because I overindulged in food and sweets and was too lazy or too overworked for any sort of physical activity. There are many people out there who are like me. I could take Ozempic and lose those extra 20 pounds and look super slim. And that would be in fact the easy way out for me.
Aubrey Gordon’s work is really eye opening and I encourage everyone to read it! One thing I learned from her is that anti fat bias is the only form of bias that is trending upward, and we all know by now that bias and discrimination (even/especially among medical professionals) against folks creates worse health outcomes. It’s a complicated issue!
There are a lot of people out here who are overweight and even obese who exercise and eat some reasonable version of a “healthy “ diet. For a variety of reasons, their / our bodies “easily “ gain weight and fat. Gaining and losing weight is not a moral issue or, usually, a personal failure. It’s unfortunate that Oprah — with her gardens and personal chefs, AND her books and her ties to WW either doesn’t realize that or is fine with using her enormously influential platform to spread what to me looks like a combination of self-hatred or shame, and financial self-interest.
If being overweight is unhealthy for a given individual, why is using medication to help with that somehow an “easy way out” that she — or anyone— is willing to disparage, when the same medication prescribed once that same individual has diabetes, or that same individual takes a different medication for hypertension (also often responsive to weight loss) is not only fine, but applauded as self-care?
I admire Oprah, but this is harmful. And Oprah seems to have internalized some deeply problematic messages. Good for Dr Stanford for addressing it directly. I hope Oprah can internalize this too.
Exactly – I am one of those people. I have had PCOS and insulin resistance for ages, and it is almost impossible to lose weight despite eating pretty low carb and fairly healthy. Last year I was super careful eating keto-like, and ramped up my daily workouts for a few months, and the scale barely moved. When I eased up, I gained. It SUCKS.
Between those issues and family history, I am now type 2 diabetic, and was put on Ozempic in the summer. I’ve lost about 15-20 lbs so far. I have NEVER been able to do that. It’s not super fast, I’m on a low dose but it’s gotten my glucose right back into line – actually all of my bloodwork was fantastic at my last visit. It’s been a godsend for me. A friend with poorly controlled diabetes was put on the similar Mounjaro -it’s the only thing that’s ever worked well for them. it’s also being studied for addiction issues like alcohol, gambling, etc.
I don’t think it should be used for people looking to drop a few vanity pounds, but if it works for people who have likely tried EVERYTHING else, it shouldn’t be considered cheating or the “easy way out”. It’s a tool to help improve your life and health.
We know it’s not that easy. Even if you’re some fat-shaming, fat-phobic asshole, surely you can realize the collective benefit to society to not have people struggling with obesity, straining our economy and healthcare system. And if you’re not an asshole, you feel compassion for people who struggle to lose weight and recognize what a constant battle it is. It’s debilitating emotionally and physically and for that reason, I fully support the use of Ozempic for folks who battle with what is considered an unhealthy weight–NOT for the women who want to lose 10 lb before an awards show….
My issue is using a drug for diabetes for weight loss. I just think that these rich people are depriving diabetics of their medication.
I think it’s pretty common to find out that a drug can have more than one benefit. For example, there’s a hair regrowth med that was originally indicated for high blood pressure.
As long as there’s enough for everyone – not sure of the status of Ozempic’s availability these days – it’s fine. I’m sure the makers love it.
I know that but it’s just my feelings about the Ozempic craze. If the FDA has given the go ahead for people with weight issues that’s fine. But the people in Hollywood who are taken it are not obese.
I’m on the second lowest dose and haven’t had a delay in getting it, but I am on a bunch of forums and people are having trouble, especially the higher doses. The company needs to ramp up production.
I think most US insurance have changed their policy and won’t cover it except for diabetes. My insurance barely covers any of the cost as it is, but it’s working so well for my glucose I just pay the high cost.
I hope they figure out the supply issue and everyone it will benefit has access to it. If I had access to it years ago I probably wouldn’t be diabetic now.
Then the manufacturers need to boost production. Considering this drug can help prevent/delay people from developing T2 diabetes, that would cut down on the number of people with T2 (and all the related health problems) in the future.
Diabetic here whose doctor was trying to decide between Ozempic and Trulicity for treatment. He chose Trulicity for ease of use. And when I told the pharmacist that, the pharmacist said there was an Ozempic shortage, and they were having trouble filling orders.
If off label usage keeps diabetics from getting the medicine they need, then such off label usage shouldn’t be supported.
THIS! I have type 2 and its taken me OVER A YEAR to get it as part of my DIABETES regimen, but apparently people can get it for weight loss? Pathetic.
Jeanette, I don’t understand when I hear people say this. There are a million semi-, lira-, and tirza- glutides out there, all do pretty much the same thing … why would your doctor make you wait a year for Oz?
Oprah really didn’t need to weigh in on this topic, so to speak. I’ve never taken one of these drugs, but if I did or ever do, I’d never look to Oprah for her opinion on them.
What I do find a little surprising here is Oprah’s comment in light of the fact that Weight Watchers acquired or partnered with (not sure which) a telehealth company in order to prescribe these GLP-1 agonists. It’s not unusual for board members to be prohibited, from making any statements that could be perceived as being counter to, or critical of, company policies.
It’s difficult to have this conversation about weight. On the one hand, people should not be shamed for their weight and they should accept their bodies. On the other hand, over 40% of the country is obese. Recent studies show an increase in cancer among young people and it’s almost totally because of obesity and poor diet choices.
So … accept your fat self and your poor choices?
Jesus, @TOM.
I have an M.D. behind my name and a lot of education that can legitimately say that your response is inappropriately reductionistic and the a prioris behind that statement are not supported by modern medical science.
Nor do they realistically take in to account the systemic local, state and federal policies that have supported the qualities of food practically available to large numbers of the population. There is also the state of modern food development in which corporations are explicitly modifying their processed foods to induce maximal craving and over-eating. Also there is gross problem of difficulty accessing the medical system for so many Americans, even if they have “good insurance.”
Dude. Have some compassion for people who are struggling.
That makes us a pair o’ docs, Brenda, only mine is a Ph.D. In Cultural Anthro ( and a MPH, too). I was trying to engage with Eurydice. It was unclear to me what she was saying.
See my first post in this thread re: grehlin.
My point is that there are two competing sides to the conversation about weight. On one side is the currently acceptable view that people should accept their bodies as they are. And that’s not wrong, people shouldn’t feel shame, it’s counterproductive.
The other side is the medical one – that obesity is a serious health problem in this country. This is not generally accepted as a valid concern. People get defensive and interpret this concern as shaming and you’ll see all kinds of commentary about how so and so is obese but still perfectly healthy. And yet, we see cancer rates going up with obesity being named as a major contributer.
Somehow, we have to bring both sides together. People don’t have to be stick thin like a super model – super models are actually an anomaly – but they should also be healthy and try to avoid the long term consequences of obesity.
Great points Eurydice. I’m almost 71 and weigh what I did 40 years ago (140 lbs) at 5’6″. I exercise almost daily, eat a healthy diet and take supplements to help with joint mobility. I was on a bisphosphonate for 5 years to mitigate osteoporosis (it runs in my family) and it worked well, I now no longer have to take it. On the other hand, many of my contemporaries who gained weight over the years never exercised, smoked and drank too much, and had poor eating habits. Some had to have knees and hips replaced, are walking with canes, have suffered heart attacks and digestive problems (diverticulitis, GERD, ulcers) and strokes. Several have unfortunately died. There’s a happy middle ground where, like you say, one doesn’t have to be supermodel skinny or conversely ashamed of being overweight, but people need to be cognizant of the fact that much of the obesity problem is due to poor dietary choices and not getting enough exercise. It will catch up with you.
I don´t get this way of thinking. Why is it only worthwhile if it´s hard? Why do you have to be miserable for it to count? People with real weight problems should get effective solutions via whatever works.
I just wish we could all be kinder and gentler with each other and ourselves. Who cares what someone has chosen to do with their own body in consultation with a medical professional? That is their business. There are larger arguments to be made about access to medication and the pharmaceutical industry and privilege, etc. None of these arguments need to include shaming individuals; their bodies; and their choices. Let’s stop pointing fingers at one another and start holding the companies who are responsible for the cost and access to medication accountable.
I take one of these drugs because my cardiologist advised me to — she likes the protective effect it has on my heart, and I have been overweight for decades. Like Oprah, I’ve tried EVERYTHING to keep the weight off and my body chemistry fights me at every turn.
Unlike Oprah, I can’t afford a personal chef and personal trainer. So when Oprah says she works to control her weight on her “own,” that’s not really true (and I admire her, but she’s clueless on this kind of stuff sometimes).
I’m resigned to taking this medication for the rest of my life and it’s fine. It works, so I’m happy to keep using it. Plus, as you age, your medicine cabinet often gets more crowded, so I’ve just added it to the list LOL.
Bottom line: Do what’s right for you, with the advice of doctors you trust. Don’t rely on celebrities or social media.
Such a good point! Does OPHRA cook her diet meals or does her chef? How often do her personal trainers come over? We can’t all afford this
Sure, Oprah.
The FDA just put a warning on it that it can block your intestines. Please be careful everyone.
My mom is 66 and has finally found success on the pill version of Ozempic after years of trying to lose weight that was having adverse health effects as well as impacting her self esteem negatively. About 30 pounds. My mom has tried many diets including weight watchers but found as she aged nothing worked. She is also a very active person. She did everything right but the weight wouldn’t budge. I respect Oprah a lot but she has access to private chefs, personal trainers, etc. that most of us do not. I’m so glad to see my mom happy with her body again because for many of us it does directly impact our self esteem, especially as women.
I am on a daily injection of a weight loss drug. It isn’t easy to fork out the cash to pay for it and the needle tips. You must change the way you eat or you will feel terribly sick. BUT i count it as the greatest medication I have ever taken and it’s been great for my physical and mental well being. I hope I can take it forever.
I started wegovy 3 weeks ago, it’s been life changing so far in the way I feel. I saw a preventative cardiologist and was diagnosed with metabolic disease syndrome, meaning I am likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, stroke in the next 10 yrs. I was a healthy super active marathon runner before I hit with covid and hyperthyroid in 2020. Its been a long road to feel normal again and getting my thyroid to normal. I have been ready to lose the 50lbs that I have gained.
I think it is a life saving drug for obese people struggling with metabolic syndrome. But like every medication you have to make the tradeoff between Effekt and side effects.
My main problem with ozempic is, it allows society to keep ignoring the underlying reasons for the dramatic increase of people suffering from oberweight and obesety. A food industry focusing on addictive and fattening foods, a lifestyle that is getting more seditary, food deserts, lack of time to cook from scratch, lack of time and space to move outdoors and lack of professional support to deal with the underlying emotional reasons for overeating.
We are having problems with obesity in europe, but the wohle system in the US is far more rigged against the individual. Whenever I’m on a work trip to the US, I gain on average 1,5kg a week due to lower quality food and less movement.
Neither the willpower concept, nore ozempic adresses those structural problems.
@Lara — I agree. Whenever I visit the US I’m shocked at the mega-size portions you’re served in restaurants. Last time I was there I ate 1/3 of my meal and took a doggy bag back to my hotel that provided me with 2 more meals. Meanwhile, there were a number of obese people in the restaurant scarfing down the entire meal then had dessert. It is a serious and endemic problem.
This. I live in Northern Europe and we have totally different approach to food here. Not to mention the portions are 1/4th of the size compared to ones in US.
It is more complicated that Oprah makes it seem – Kaiser you are 100% right.
Let us not forget she is an owner of Weight Watchers- as mentioned above.
Also did she nuance out Wegovy for herself?
The only thing I can think of is maybe she’s trying to say it would be taking the easy way out *for her.* Maybe she feels like she needs to hold herself accountable for making good choices, but wouldn’t if she took Ozempic.
I’ve been counting calories, cutting back on alcohol, and exercising to lose weight – and I’ve been successful. But I could totally see myself choosing a BLT instead of oatmeal for breakfast if I were on a medication that limited my appetite. If I didn’t feel hungry so much, I’d absolutely throw away 300 calories on chocolate instead of something healthy and satiating. I can see what she’s saying from that point of view.
But I’m not somebody who hasn’t been able to lose weight otherwise. I can definitively say my extra 25 pounds are because of poor choices. I don’t think that’s true for most people who are on Ozempic.
Kebbie, even on Ozempic (and other drugs like it), you can’t “throw away calories”. Calories still count! Losing weight is still calories intake. It doesn’t matter if your 300 calories is in chocolate, a BLT, or an egg white omelette, whole grain toast, and some fruit. 300 cal. is 300 cal. no matter what. But what will make you *feel* better?
As I said above, I lost my Covid 20 plus an additional 45 lbs. over the course of a little over a year thanks to Ozempic. Yes, it curbs my appetite, and helps me by taking away my constant “craving”, thinking about food every minute. BUT, I also make very good, healthy food choices for my eating/snacking. I just don’t eat as much. Do I splurge occasionally? Sure, but I’m satiated with ONE slice of pizza, I don’t need 2 or 3. I’m happy, and FULL, with a cup or less of pasta. I can eat a few bites of a dessert, and it’s enough for me.
Taking Ozempic doesn’t mean you can eat anything in any quantity and still lose weight. You still have to put in the work!
Yep! That’s exactly the point I was making!! Maybe re-read my comment and you’ll see we are saying the exact same thing! I said calories count the same, but I’d make worse choices if I felt less hunger.
What I was saying about “throwing away” calories on chocolate is that I’d designate calories to something that isn’t satiating like chocolate if I didn’t feel hunger. I was saying that I would make worse choices.
“Shouldn’t we all just be more accepting of whatever body you choose to be in? That should be your choice….”. This is incredibly wrong and damaging to people that have gained weight through no fault of their own. You cannot assume that everyone chooses to be in and is comfortable with a larger body. There are a myriad of health problems that can cause you to gain weight, irrespective of your diet and activity lifestyle, and make it difficult, if not impossible, to lose the weight on your own. Sometimes people need help, if not just a kickstart. Mind you, I don’t think Ozempic should be the default answer. You and your physician need to figure out what is going on. E.g., you could end up throwing Ozempic at what could really be a thyroid or other hormonal or glandular problem. Not wise.
I remember waayyy back in the day (was it the 90s), Oprah went on that liquid diet and lost like 70 pounds. She was super skinny, but not particularly healthy looking, at least not to me. She lost it so quickly that her skin was hanging a bit off of her and she had that “lollipop head” or “PEZ dispenser” look. She did a whole episode about her weight loss. She even wheeled out a red wagon loaded with animal fat that supposedly weighed the same as the pounds that she lost. And then, she started eating real food again and gained all that weight back rather quickly. She may be judging Ozempic by that personal and very public experience with her own rapid weight loss.
https://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/memorable-moments
I’ve read through all the comments, and I have to say it’s disheartening to see some people frame obesity as a personal choice. If it was as simple as eat less and move more, I think everyone would gladly do it. The truth is that it’s much more complicated than that and the medical profession hasn’t been able to figure out the problem. Personally speaking, when I was one month old, my doctor had my mom put me on a diet because I was gaining weight too fast. My aunt said the screams from my mom starving me was unbearable. Despite their best efforts, I was a fat toddler, fat kid, fat teen, fat adult and I was VERY, VERY active. I’ve lost 100 lbs several times, only to gain it ALL back. This last time, I cut out dairy, eggs, nuts, legumes, all starches, gluten, chocolate and all processed foods. I survived on sweet potatoes, yams, chicken, turkey, some avocado, lots of veggies and some fruit. I lost 100 pounds and thought I had found the answer, but little by little I gained it ALL BACK, while still doing the diet. I ate soooo healthy and still gained it back. At least this time, the process was about 5 years of 20 here, 20 there as opposed to 70 lbs in 7 months, but still. I’ve run lab tests galore, and my doctor thought maybe it was because I was eating gluten, when I had to break the news that I hadn’t touched gluten in 10 years. She was shocked! and is determined to find the problem. So, please remember, we’re not all gluttons who DESERVE to be fat because we can’t make healthy food choices. It’s so much more complicated than that. Obesity is the only condition I see where people are blamed for their medical issue and I can reassure you, most overweight people have done everything under the sun to control it. I think if Ozempic works for people, I say finally.
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I’m on ozempic and it has been a miracle. The weight loss, sure, but I’m not _fighting_ my body for once in my life. I feel better than I have in years.
Fuck Oprah for being part of this fat shaming bullshit. I’m still just as good a human being as I was 30 pounds ago. I’m not less worthy of compassion because I found a medication that helps my body regulate itself. She has really toxic views on weight and needs to stfu.
I think I’d rather hear her say she doesn’t want to use it (for whatever reason), even if it is to support Weight Watchers, than see Mindy Kaling pretending she doesn’t use it (but really does) and going on Instagram to sell some bikini. I guess I prefer the former haha.
I can understand the use of it for people who are truly obese, though. Mindy Kaling, not so much.
I hope my fears are unfounded.
I am very concerned about people using a drug invented for diabetes for weight loss alone. I worry that in a few years, science will discover that long term use for weight loss only does crazy things to the pancreas or some other side effect. There are already (faint) smoke signals of digestive problems down the road.
As a retired nurse, I recall only too well some other drugs that were off a label used for weight loss only to cause horrid long term heart problems down the road. I also recall all the problems (gall bladder) the total liquid diet craze did in the 60-70’s.
I don’t disparage anyone using this, but I’ll keep my distance for the time being.
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Women with weight issues should go Wegovy. I hate staying should. I’m hate should but Wegovy is Ozempic for weight loss. I don’t have the $1500 a month for Wegovy but I would totally do Wegovy if I did.
This is a PR/Marketing statement from someone with a duty to and financial investment in Weight Watchers — which likely view Ozempic as a direct, threatening competitor.
She’s managing her bag, but it’s a shame that in doing so she’s falling back on some toxic thinking.
I think some of these people have actual medical issues that that mounjiuro and ozempic is regulating. I don’t have diabetes but I have all the symptoms expect blood sugar abd 1 more that I can’t think of. I took a simple generic metformin pill and I felt so much better. I bought it on my own without a rx. 500mg once a day and Than take a few weeks off.
Anyone who takes ozempic or mounjoruo just be prepared for various fatigues. HAVE A WORKOUT PLAN. I can’t stress that enough. Get a bag of flour and use it as a weight. Do something so you won’t have muscle pain. These drugs are hard on the body. Get some sport drinks. Maybe some sports powder. A good multivitamin from a real vitamin store. I can’t stress enough that it will help you.