Last week, Oprah attended the big premiere of The Color Purple, the latest (musical) adaptation. Her transformation was remarkable, and many people had conversations about Oprah’s weight loss and how she looks really great. There were other conversations too, about whether she’s on Ozempic or another weight-loss drug, and whether she should talk about it. Well, guess what? She’s talking about it. Oprah covers this week’s People Magazine, and she talked about the changes she’s made with her diet and fitness, and then she admits that she had an “aha moment” over the summer, when she did that panel discussion about weight loss, obesity and how weight isn’t a matter of pure “will power.” While Oprah sounded somewhat close-minded about weight-loss drugs then, she changed her mind and in true Oprah fashion, she’s talking about all of it pretty openly:
Conversations about Oprah’s weight: “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 hurtful moment came early in her career, when she landed on acerbic fashion critic Mr. Blackwell’s list. “I was on the cover of some magazine and it said, ‘Dumpy, Frumpy and Downright Lumpy.’ I didn’t feel angry. I felt sad. I felt hurt. I swallowed the shame. I accepted that it was my fault.”
No more: 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,” says Winfrey, whose dogged rehabilitation after knee surgery in 2021 kick-started what has been steady weight loss over the last 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. I felt stronger, more fit and more alive than I’d felt in years.”
Her new regimen: “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….I was actually recommending it to people long before I was on it myself.”
The turning point: Itcame in July during a taped panel conversation with weight loss experts and clinicians, called The State of Weight and part of Oprah Daily’s Life You Want series. “I had the biggest aha along with many people in that audience,” she recalls of the discussion, which posted online in September. “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.”
How she uses the medication: Once she reconciled the science, Winfrey says she “released my own shame about it” and consulted her doctor, who went on to prescribe a weight-loss medication. “I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing,” she says, opting not to name the specific drug she takes. “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. I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”
Weight-loss drugs are not the magic bullet: Winfrey is aware of the buzz around her body size, especially as the use of medications like Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro for weight loss has surged in popularity. But she stresses it has not been a magic bullet or singular solution. “It’s everything,” she says of her all-encompassing health and fitness routine. “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.”
Thanksgiving eating: She took the medication before Thanksgiving “because I knew I was going to have two solid weeks of eating,” she says, and “instead of gaining eight pounds like I did last year, I gained half a pound . . . It quiets the food noise.”
Goal weight: Though she’s seven pounds away from her goal weight of 160 lbs., Winfrey says “it’s not about the number.” Instead, she’s content building on the progress she has made during the two years since her surgery. “It was a second shot for me to live a more vital and vibrant life.”
I’m glad she’s talking about it and I’m glad she’s putting her decision in context, with how her mindset changed over time, how she understands that it’s not about willpower for her or millions of other people. The thing that depresses me though is that Oprah is almost 70 years old and so much of her brain-space is still occupied with thoughts about her weight. While she puts that in context too, and talks about her health and wanting to feel strong and resilient, it still feels like she should just give up the whole concept of a “goal weight.” She’s set goal weights for herself before, and she’s reached that goal weight, only to back slide and gain it back and the whole miserable cycle started up again. Like, you’re 70 years old. Just live a happy, rich and healthy life and stop weighing yourself. Release yourself from the prison of having a “goal weight.”
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, cover courtesy of People Magazine.
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- NEW YORK, NY- DECEMBER 6: Oprah Winfrey at The Color Purple World Premiere at The Academy Museum in Los Angeles, California on December 6, 2023. Copyright: xJeffreyxMayerx,Image: 827489709, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon
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- NEW YORK, NY- DECEMBER 6: Oprah Winfrey at The Color Purple World Premiere at The Academy Museum in Los Angeles, California on December 6, 2023. Copyright: xJeffreyxMayerx,Image: 827489717, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon
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- NEW YORK, NY- DECEMBER 6: Oprah Winfrey at The Color Purple World Premiere at The Academy Museum in Los Angeles, California on December 6, 2023. Copyright: xJeffreyxMayerx,Image: 827489728, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon
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- Celebrities at ‘The Color Purple’ World Premiere at The Academy Museum in Los Angeles, California Featuring: Oprah Winfrey Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 06 Dec 2023 Credit: Jeffrey Mayer/JTM Photos/Media Punch/INSTARimages
You lose muscle mass on these drugs not just fat. Muscle mass is linked to bone density. Not a great outcome overall in my opinion.
It’s not only on these drugs that people lose muscle mass.
Muscle mass decreases during weight loss from dietary restriction.
In order not to lose muscle mass, one must exercise.
As an obese diabetic 71 year old person, I lost so much weight and now have normal blood sugar levels thanks to Ozempic.
Please don’t criticise us for wanting to be healthier when older. It means a longer life for us!
I am with you Sara. Thanks for sticking up for us.
Thank you for that Sara. I did not like what this article implies, that she’s almost 70 so she should stop caring about her weight.
I lost 25 lbs taking Mounjaro for four months before my MD switched me to Wegovy, where I lost another 10 lbs in three months. I stopped taking Wegovy and lost another 10 lbs in three months. My muscle mass has increased because I started weight training and pilates, and I feel and look so much better, having lost 45 pounds in a year.
I love Celebitchy in general, but I really dislike the posts that shame people for taking FDA-approved weight-loss medications.
Sara 100%. I am 50 and lost over 50 pounds and am now active and healthier than I was at 30. People love to weight shame and pretend that often hormones and genetics are not playing into weight for a lot of people. ESPECIALLY OLDER WOMEN. If we want OPHRA to stop being obsessed with her weight maybe the world should stop being so obsessed with weigh shaming people like OPHRA..
Do drugs have side effects…of course, I use Botox to prevent migraines. Migraines put me at risk for stroke, massive pain, being unable to work and a few have been so bad I have evidence of burst brain blood vessels on tests…but some people think I should just live with that rather than use an FDA approved drug to manage them. Cause spider venom yucky.
I feel so the same. There are more, in-depth studies showing positive results for not just weight loss but cardiac events and health, for people who have struggled with SUD, mental health meds and challenges that make it difficult. My best friend is an internal medicine specialist, and I’m on the front end of a long process. But I hate words like “Admitted” when she just discussed it. She’s not using cocaine, it’s a medication.
agreed, body shaming and weight shaming are all encompassing and how we choose to lose weight is not for other people to opine on, quite frankly. maybe
Yes! 2 month on wegovy after countless attempts to lose weight and exercise my ass off, I’ve always eaten well and kept active but this is finally helping my blood pressure, cholesterol, AND I’ve stopped drinking alcohol completely, stopped biting my nails (something I frequently did to the point of being bloody for most of my 40 Years on this earth), I’ve decreased my ADHD medication and I don’t compulsively shop. I’m so hopeful there is ongoing research into the additional ways these drugs can be used (since obviously weight loss is the main target and not all people will need that), but seriously…..the shaming has to stop. I am FINALLY getting my life and health back.
I’ve been on Mounjaro since July and have lost 50 pounds. Losing that weight has eased my knee pain and made me more active. But as far as age related feelings about being overweight, I am 75 and was to the point of considering gastric bypass surgery. Thank heaven that my doctor put me on Mounjaro instead. No matter the age, most people I know want to look good, and there is nothing more fun than shopping now where it was depressing before. I look forward now to seeing people where I was once on my way to being a recluse. I’m grateful!
@Scurryalongnow – you’re where I hope to be. Congrats on the health improvements, sending you good juju.
the people criticizing patients who are appropriately prescribed these medications are ignorant. The purpose of these meds isn’t just to lose weight (or lose weight “easily”), it’s to manage the additional impact to health like lowering Hg a1c, improving lipid profile and other cardiovascular benefits. Even in patients who have plateau’d weight loss, the other benefits to using these meds continues as evidenced by their clinical labs.
I am pre diabetic with numerous co-morbidties as well as obesity (tried every diet) and old, as the name says. I can’t get any semaglutide or dulaglutide because in Australia gps will only prescribe for T2. I need the drug and I can’t access it. I would shout it from the rooftops if it worked for me.
In relation to shaming, Oprah did that herself. Now she’s bsing about maintenance. She part owns WW and has spruked books, diet plans for decades. She needed to own up.
That’s why she looks like a lollipop on a stick.
I think she looks beautiful and fit. We don’t need to assume she doesn’t work out. She has a history of using personal trainers and private chefs. Oh to be rich! Love that shade of purple on her.
@pollyv I think that’s more the Hollywood obsession with BIG hair….backcombed so it’s 3 or 4inches poofed up all around the face!
Your comment doesn’t make sense, as a lollipop by definition is a candy on a stick. Then your unnecessary insult doesn’t align with any of the photos or her body type. Her body type is evenly matched from top to bottom and is nothing like a lollipop or a stick.
No she doesn’t. She looks healthy and at 167 lbs she’s close to her goal weight of 160 lbs, hardly skinny. Kate Middleton looks like a lollipop on a stick by comparison.
There are dietary workarounds one can do, eating more protein, for example, to help offset muscle loss. FYI – aging causes muscle loss AND a loss of bone density, should we stop aging?
I mean, that’s a weight loss thing in general, but anyone taking these with the help of their doctor to treat their chronic disease is being directed to eat high-protein and do strength training. (Speaking from experience.)
I lost 65 pounds last year. Went from a size 16 to a 6, which was my size before divorce, death of my mom, and depression took me down. It took 14 months. No drugs. I did a high protein, low carb, moderate fats diet plan, about 1100 calories per day, plus exercise. It put me into ketosis and I did not lose muscle mass.
I disagree with Oprah — losing weight does take will power. It also takes the right kind of eating plan for your body type. It was hard. But I found that once you lose the first 20 pounds, which was transformative, you become invested and keep going. Plus I did a time restriction — no eating after 6 pm. Not everyone can do that, I know, but that cutoff really helped.
Anyway, I think using the drugs, which balance out blood sugar and make you satiated so you eat less, is perfectly fine. Definitely agree with O about how sh*tty diet- and body-shaming are.
TMI, I know, but maybe the info can be helpful to someone.
I also find not eating after a certain time to be helpful it also helps my sleep
@Teddy
There is a danger in believing what worked for you can work for everyone. Congratulations on your success.
People who lose weight on an extreme regimen like Oprah back in day on the restrictive diet based on diet shakes impact their metabolism negatively. And it skewers their hormones involving hunger cues & satiety. It is too simple to just say people lack will power if they can’t lose weight.
Exercise mitigates the muscle loss that occurs with all weight loss.
These drugs reverse diabetes or reduce risk and reduce deadly and disabling stroke and heart attack risk. So does a truly healthy way of eating, but our social environment works relentlessly against that.
Also thinking of weight all the time is a waste of life. With the food lobbies being what they are, people are set up to fail in weight loss and maintenance unless the truly march to their own drummer (e.g., relentless adherence to whole foods way of eating to the point processed junk “food” doesn’t even look like food).
Signed, a normal weight physician who loves not having her life usurped by food / weight matters and cravings, and who has seen all the nasty COMMON outcomes with obesity, diabetes, stroke, and heart attack.
You pretty much lose muscle mass on all diets. It’s just par the course of losing weight.
Ozempic was made for those with diabetes, prediabetes, PCOS and metabolic syndrome of which weight loss is a side effect.
So it will only work if you’re struggling with one of the above situations.
I am impressed w her honesty. But I’m 50 – grew up on Oprah and I know what you mean she is so successful. Damn she has reached so many other goals in life, so I do empathize w her desire for goal weight. Weeach have our own repeating challenges, stories, criticism of self, even if we are Oprah!
When you’re determined, and successful and have a goal in your mind, that you thought you could make but never made it, it doesnt matter how old you are, how rich you are, you’re gonna go for it, whatever it takes… let her get rid of these thoughts on weight. It’s such a waste of brain space and energy.
Some celebrities have faces that look like corpses, I hope oprah won’t go overboard, and will stay healthy, I love her so much.
We knew, Oprah. We already knew. And yes to this entire write-up. I understand being health-conscious, but there is still an element of “shame” in her weight struggles, particularly the goal weight part and the need to confess that she hasn’t reached it. That being said, she does look great.
We could have such a more meaningful conversation if we discussed affordability of good food, emotional eating as a coping mechanism for experiences of abuse and connected mental health problems…and if we discussed exercise in the context of what makes you feel good about yourself.
Oprah has looked good at many different sizes and it’s a shame she’s not more focused on getting pleasure from her ability to be very active in nature, in her late 60’s, after a knee replacement. That’s pretty great I think.
So true@ Kaiser about it feeling bleak the way Oprah seems so affected by her weight. She’s freaking OPRAH! What hope is there for us plebs if she is so full of shame about her weight going on 40 years. Very depressing personally. I understand that everyone has their issues and it’s theirs no judgement. But she is so much more thank her size up or down. And sometimes when she says I can’t believe I was 200 pounds at my worst, it’s like omg if I’m 200 pounds do I kill myself
There’s plenty of hope for us plebs because you don’t have to be rich in order to feel comfortable about your body.
@Eurydice – well said!
In my 20s, after a bout with disordered eating and enduring the millionth conversation about weight/diets with my girlfriends, I decided that weight is boring. Your diet is boring. Nobody is genuinely interested in what you eat on a daily basis, nor should they be. We women are too consumed by all of it, largely thanks to the beauty industry and the way women’s bodies are commodified for advertising.
I decided that I would no longer own a scale and never have a conversation about what I ate and why with anyone else again. I haven’t and it was the best thing I ever did for myself. I think every woman should live a life liberated from the scale. Why we weigh what we do has a lot to do with our internal state, our traumas, etc. Focusing on numbers is just a mindless game that tells us little about our health.
Oprah is wildly successful. Live your life, lady. Don’t internalize the criticism. If you want to eat, eat. If you want to feel stronger/healthier, go for it. But I live for the day that these decisions are relegated to the realm of the personal and move out of the public sphere for good.
In my 30s, I had a pregnancy without ever knowing how much weight I gained or eventually lost. I never tracked a pound and that was glorious. I wish it for every woman. The words “baby weight” shouldn’t even be a thing!
I love this comment! Thank you.
In college I decided, enough with weighing, and never in my adult life have I owned a scale or stepped on one outside a doctor’s office. Weight and appearance obsession is so unhealthy. Wish more people tossed their scales and mirrors and focused on happiness, healthfulness, and finding peace.
I threw my scale away when my daughter was a newborn. She’s 10 now. Couldn’t be more happy with that choice. I gauge my health by how I feel. I’m not perfect, I struggle with recognizing difficult emotions and sitting with them rather that mindlessly eating, but I’m proud of where I am.
That dress is gorgeous on her, I want that dress, I can’t afford that dress I’m sure, but I want it! She looks good because she feels good about herself, you can see it, it emanates from her.
I’m 50 and have struggled with my weight my entire life. You’re shamed when you’re heavy, praised when you’re thin BUT only if you’re thin the “right way”. Did you take drugs or get surgery? More shame, you’re weak for needing help.
I’m glad we’re slowly moving toward thinking of obesity as a disease, some day maybe there will be less stigma.
Good for Oprah for talking about it.
That “right way” stuff is just a tool to tear down women. Could be men too, but most frequently, it’s applied to push women down.
110% love your comment, Linda. Our society thinks fat is moral failure for which the only true solution is moral redemption. Thank God medical help is beginning to be available for the disease we call obesity.
It’s not just being overweight that brings on body shaming. Thin women are accused–yes, accused!–of having an eating disorder. Really, women are judged as problematic either way. It’s far better to learn to tune it all out. Eat healthy and exercise. Just be happy with yourself.
Yes. Agree with you Linda
Agree with you 100% Linda. Thank you
Before shaming overweight/obese people for not having willpower or taking the easy way out, people should stop and think of Oprah.
She is a 69 year old billionaire who, for the last 50 years, has struggled with her weight despite: personal trainers, personal chefs, therapy, access to best docs in the world, money for any treatment she wants, incredible work ethic, years of researching diet and nutrition, decades of being in the public eye and being shamed about her body…. I could go on and on.
If Oprah still struggled after every advantage she had going for her, how do you think the average, just scraping by, mom/dad/carer/whatever working 2 jobs and barely paying rent is going to do?
We all know obesity is multifaceted and complicated, and yes, nutrition education and some amount of willpower does play a role, but calling fat people lazy or stupid or whatever is not going to help the issue. Our literal daytime guru Oprah is still figuring it out! Let’s please give everyone a break.
And tbh, while I don’t have strong feelings one way or the other about these drugs, if they are able to help people get overall more healthy then that’s a net positive. Really I just want people to feel healthy again. Obesity is a b*tch and a huge epidemic. I want people to beat it.
Thank you, Beenie.
Ozempic literally saved my life because I was dangerously diabetic. Now, my blood sugar levels are like those of someone who never had diabetes. Same for cholesterol, trygliceride etc.
I also went from sizes 20/22 to 14 bottom & 16 top.
Besides looks it and feeling good, it means increased mobility & activity and lots of saved money on food because I’m full quickly.
Combined with exercises, it’s wonderful for us.
Woohoo! Keep it up! Here’s to an even healthier and happier 2024 for you 🎉
Same for me, it’s been fantastic. My labwork is the best it’s EVER been, and I lost about 20 lbs on it. My glucose is back to prediabetic numbers, and my weight loss has stalled, but I probably need to increase my dosage, I’m still on a very low dose.
I’ve been told my whole life to just eat less and exercise more, and was always shamed when that didn’t produce results – turns out I have a metabolic disorder and genetic predisposition to all of this stuff. This medication is a life saver, literally. And a friend has type 2 that was impossible to control until they start monjaro, it’s unbelievable how well it worked.
What’s disappointing is that not 2 months ago Oprah was saying it was the “easy way out” which only added to the negativity about this stuff, and honestly I suspect she’s been on it a lot longer than she’s saying, and you don’t use it “as needed”. Her private business is just that, she doesn’t owe anyone an explanation, but I’m disappointed in her earlier comments, especially now that she’s admitting to it.
I’m so glad that it worked for you. It was designed to help you & not the vain who compromised supply chain for the people it was meant for. My main issue about people who are not diabetic taking diabetic drug for weight loss is just that. This medication is NOT for you. Drugs used off label are often quite dangerous for those using it when they don’t meet the perimeters for the drug. As for Oprah, she has a lot of money & was able to procure a drug not meant for her because she is wealthy. It seems when we take what we want away from those who need it makes us a pretty crappy person.
There shouldn’t be any shame in taking medication as there wouldn’t be for taking blood pressure meds or for cholesterol.
Ozempic has been one of those drugs where it may be used for reasons unrelated to diabetes which is more of a medical risk than anything else. But if there are drugs specifically for weight loss, then why not. A lot of the diet industry will be decimated if it ends up being medication that mostly works. And that’s really why there are mixed messages all over.
Preach. OBESITY IS A CHRONIC DISEASE. I wish I could scream that from the mountain tops.
You’d never criticize people for taking meds for literally any other disease, and yet fat people are shamed relentlessly for taking meds for ours.
I have tried *everything*. I have dieted, exercised, fasted, tried other medications–the only thing I gained was disordered eating. Nothing has worked. I have PCOS on top of obesity, so I’m battling a lot to get any weight off. Semaglutide works because it’s *not* just an appetite suppressant. You still need diet and exercise, but this way those things can actually work. Because it’s a disease, and you’re treating it.
You would never tell someone with any other disease that their problems are a lack of willpower, so it’s just absolutely insane to me that people think that treatment of obese people is okay. The truth is, people just want to punish people for being fat. The idea that we have never tried diet and exercise… absurd. Of course we know to eat less and exercise more. That has literally never been my problem. I’ve had people comment on how little I eat (which, please don’t, but I get it). I wish it were that simple!
Okay that’s all, thanks for letting me rant 😉
PCOS and insulin resistance here too, it sucks! It’s made it a battle my entire life, pretty much puberty on. Something finally helps!
I can’t help but feel sorry for her….because no matter what she did, for years, the first thing she was known for was either how much weight she had gained or how much weight she had lost. And it was on every magazine/tabloid cover. No matter what anyone says that had to get old. If I was her, I’d do just about anything to get that weight off so people would just shut up and leave me alone about it. But Oprah is just beautiful, no matter what, I grew up watching her show and I’ve always loved her.
I agree. It seems like weight is the only thing people across the world can come together to wrongfully judge themselves and others about. It’s so ingrained in us that even the most progressive people socially don’t often check their biases and stay comfortable in their moral judgments of overweight people or certain foods (I want to scream when I see foods described as “clean” or “dirty”).
I hope with this weight loss she is able to finally let go of connecting her weight to her value. So often goal weights have a tendency to keep shifting downward once one is attained. Or if you reach a goal weight then the focus is placed on certain “problem areas” or whatever. It’s a perfectionism rabbit hole if you don’t do inner work to find your enough-ness.
“It’s not about willpower — it’s about the brain.”
Please don’t learn your neuroscience from Oprah.
What about that sentence is wrong? It is about your brain. If you’ve used food to cope you are literally making highways in your brain that become well worn as you continue to use that coping mechanism.
Anyone who has experienced the craving for massive amount of food while pregnant can understand this! I normally have no appetite, but while expecting I’d eat a meatloaf meal at 5 am. Some people feel like that all the time. It was really weird! I never felt full.
And even if you didn’t use food to cope*, if your brain chemistry and/or endocrine system is operating “abnormally” due to genetics or environmental factors or physical trauma, stress, there is biochemical, neurological stuff can happen which triggers weight gain and difficulty managing or losing weight.
Leptin, ghrelin, insulin and other hormones can have an extraordinary impact not just on eating behaviors, but also how your body processes food, nutrients.
And yes, a lot of how that plays out does, in fact, happen in the brain, not just RE conscious choices about what we eat, but in signals that relate to hunger, satiation, metabolism that we mere mortals have no direct visibility of or control over.
and those signals, pathways are what some of these newer classes of drugs help manage, so that people’s physical bodies aren’t actively fighting against efforts to manage, maintain blood sugar levels and or weight.
* no shame if someone does (even though it often gets trotted out as part of the ‘personal responsibility/moral failure’ nonsense), because people sometimes cope however they can against ish that shouldn’t be coming at them that they had no control over (I personally used food and weight gain to ward off lecherous, harassing men when I was a preteen, teen. It made me feel safer, because I WAS safer, from them at least. Those particular gross glassbowl weren’t interested in creeping on me when I was heavier)
The biggest thing I noticed was the “food noise” going away. I didn’t even realize how much I thought about it, how often my brain was like “you need a snack. Just grab a snack. It’s noon we should start planning dinner.”
Yesterday I had lunch early and didn’t make anything for dinner until 9 pm because I was busy, and wasn’t getting all those EAT signals.
Weight loss is absolutely about your brain. Loosing weight is sooooooo incredibly difficult because your brain is fighting to keep that “weight” on-healthy levels or not. It takes weeks to gain and times years to loose. In order to keep it off, weight loss drugs are a huge helper.
There are numerous studies proving that the brain controls eating habits. From a study by Northwestern Medicine:
Hunger and appetite are two separate processes that work in complex ways, which is partially why weight management can be difficult.
“Hunger itself is a primary reflex,” says Clinical Neurophysiologist Mircea T. Iacob, MD. Your brain measures hunger by reading changes in the levels of hormones and nutrients in the blood. These are controlled by a number of hormones, mostly within the gastrointestinal (GI) system.
“When those hormones are released, it activates your brain to look for food,” Dr. Iacob says.
On the other hand, appetite, or hedonic eating, is more driven by the pleasure centers in your brain. This explains why you crave food or have trouble stopping at just one (or two) cookies. When serotonin levels are low, you’ll look for ways to boost those pathways, such as over-eating.
It is definitely about the brain. Mounjaro has taken away my cravings and my constant thoughts of food. I told my doctor that I felt like it affaectd my brain, and she tiold me that it has been so successful in changing people’s thinking, that it is now being tested for a use in patients with OCD. If true and it works that would be fantastic.
I’ve been on compounded SG for 10 days. It definitely takes away the “food noise”. I’m in a holistic, three part program. Accountability is a tremendous part of it. But getting away from the food noise has been amazing for me. My husband is 6’3″ and has an amazing metabolism. Tall and skinny and all he talks about is food. As he is shoveling more food in his mouth. From the moment he takes his last bite of food at lunch, he is thinking about what he is eating for dinner.
I think it is good she is open about this given her investment in and sponsorship of WW, as it otherwise may be misleading to people that she achieved weight loss counting points when actually it is not that simple.
Otherwise, can’t wait until we get to a place where weight loss is not a front page announcement and is nobody’s business.
This March, Weight Watchers invested in a telehealth company that prescribes weight loss drugs. While I see the health benefits of these drugs, the profit motive muddies the waters a bit.
I’ve read that WW has embraced weight loss through drugs like Weygovy, and that they have (or are planning to) have their own system set up to help people get prescriptions for these drugs. So I was 100% certain that’s what Oprah (a part-owner of WW) did.
I agree, but it was fairly recently when she was still chalking it up to better eating, more strength training, etc. Seeing her in photos around the Maui fires to now, it was difficult to chalk up the difference to diet and exercise tweaks with her history. No one owes anyone details about their health, but as you noted, had WW not invested in the telehealth and, quite frankly, the pretty loud chatter about such a drastic difference in a fairly short time frame would she be that forthright? However I’m also not in the group that considers Oprah the be all end all. I appreciate she is self made, accomplished and all, but she’s also given a platform to some quacks (Drs Phil and Oz to start).
I have ADHD and struggled with my weight for years. Currently taking medication- and no longer have the “noise” around food.
I notice when I’m full, whereas I didn’t before. I truly believe a lot of weight issues/obesity are linked to the brain and neurodivergence, particularly ADHD.
So interesting! I’ve just been diagnosed as neurodivergent, and realized that one of my stims is chewing. I didn’t eat a lot of extra food, but enough that the calories added up. Now that I know and am choosing more gum, etc. I’m eating less.
Oh my lord, there is SO much to do with ADHD and just basic mobility. I literally *just* got out of a video consult with a physio who specializes in ADHD — in reteaching movement fundamentals so that we aren’t putting all our weight on our joints — because I finally realized that so much of my health journey is gonna be learning how to move without pain.
So many commenters called this the other day when the photos came out. I have to say this is what the umpteenth time that Oprah has lost weight and claimed that she now knows the secret. So I’m skeptical. Let us wait five years and there will be the inevitable regain and regret interview on what she said about weight loss drugs. I only learned about ozempic a year ago and I’ve already seen horror stories on the news about patients who take it and their intestines or stomachs stopping working properly, of nonstop vomiting, and even some deaths.
Chained,
I’ve been on ozempic for 18months and didn’t experience any side effects.
Results are that I’m no longer dangerously diabetic, no more cholesterol than triglycerides and went down at 71 from size 22 to 14.
My mobility has increased and I feel good.
Please don’t scare people. For us, it means a longer life.
Good for you, Sara!
Sara, I’m glad you have had good outcomes. Everyone has to assess the risks and benefits for themselves. I am just skeptical any time Oprah starts pushing a trendy new weight loss method…. I’m old enough to remember PhenPhen and maybe I’m dreaming this but I’m pretty sure I remember her featuring it on her snow. Odds are she is going to make money off this, and her influence will result in people for whom it is not appropriate pushing their doctors to get it.
I’m cynical and agree with this re Oprah. First, if she is taking as/when she needs help, as I understand it that is not how it’s supposed to be used (ie to not overeat over the holidays) and do wonder what would happen if/when she goes off it. I know multiple people who have had to cycle off after a year or two, when they could no longer use a coupon or participate in a trial and would have to buy it out of pocket or with a very high deductible. Once it was out of their system (3-4 months seemed average) their appetite/food noise came back with a vengeance and even with healthy habits, they have all had significant regain.
No doubt Ozempic, Wegovy, Munjauro, etc. have been a sort of miracle drug for weight loss. I actually have had a couple conversations with my doctor about it as I had bariatric surgery 5 years ago (sleeve), down 80 pounds and have 20ish pound of regain, combined with being over 50, weight loss is back to being a struggle. But, based on the current prescriptive directions, it is also supposed to be a lifelong medication. I’m fortunate that I do not have co-morbidities like sleep apnea, high blood pressure, am not prediabetic, etc., and decided that I’m not ready to go down that road of a medication for life. Nor do I have the extra $1k/month to spend out of pocket because, aside from a BMI that lists me as obese, insurance currently would not cover it. Maybe 6/12 months down the road I’ll feel differently, but right now, it’s not for me.
I agree. Her description of how she’s using the medication doesn’t sound like how semaglutide is used. It’s odd that she won’t say that’s what she’s taking, if that’s what she’s taking, given her investment in WW and its investment in semaglutide. I wonder if she’s taking something like Adderal, which maybe there is still “shame” about taking for weight loss – semaglutide is okay but amphetamine is not?
These conversations are minefields. I just don’t want to see another celebrity lying about weight loss to their financial gain.
We need an affordable version of these drugs. My insurance only covers the for diabetes not obesity. Out of pocket cost is north of $1000.00 per month
Why is it so expensive in the US? In Europe it is around 110€ per month out of pocket.
Because it’s the US and we have a broken healthcare system where even a cancer diagnosis can not only mean unending discomfort and potential death, but also financial destitution.
My insurance only covers HALF of it for diabetes, it costs me over $800 out of pocket for a 2 month supply. A manufacturer coupon takes it down $300 but it is still so expensive. I’m looking forward to more competition and eventual generics.
Which is why so many people make so many trips to Mexico and there is such a shortage.
Gee whizz I’m So so surprised 🙄🙄🙄🤣🤣🤣🤣
I’ve said this all year and been poo pooed
And didnt she flat out deny using weight loss drugs a week or so ago?
Every issue of O magazine touts “how to lose weight….” on its front cover.
That’s not true, and O Magazine doesn’t exist anymore anyway.
Good for you Oprah! Like someone said, at least she can afford it. I have a family history of diabetes and I’ve seen it kill people, its no joke. If this drug lowers the risk then I’m here for it. I’m sure you still have to do the work with exercise and eating healthy too.
I am so over Oprah’s disingeniousness and the “aha” moments she has on weight loss every few years and expects us to swallow hook, line and sinker. Great, lose weight but spare us your ever changing insights.
Society treats us differently as overweight people and it’s exhausting. I can imagine it’s even more intense for her as a professional Black woman in media. Like it just sucks. It’s easy to say oh you’re rich, just love yourself. But what if your body doesn’t just have some equilibrium and if you ignore it you will just keep getting bigger, clothes won’t fit or won’t look good without tailoring, people treat you as less than. So yeah I get it and I support her talking about it. And if you still have projects you care about and want to create you have to interact with other professionals. She knows she wants to feel her best and this is part of it.
Oprah lost me when she promoted “The Secret” If you wish hard enough – it will come true. She is very easily lead. No-one knows the long-term effects of this drug.
I like Oprah, but you could not pay me Oprah money to go back to the mindset of a “goal weight.” I couldn’t tell you what I weigh now, much less know whether I’m up or down seven pounds. After struggling with eating disorders for years, it’s a freedom I wouldn’t trade for anything.
It’s good’s that she’s open about her weight loss. I hope her doctor tells her that after awhile she won’t need those weight loss drugs or to be on a diet because as she gets older she will lose weight due to the loss of bone density and muscle mass.
How about we change the healthcare and drug industry so people can make choices, afford drugs and drugs needed are available for everybody?
People who need these drugs are not able to get them to treat health issues.
Or all the people needing painkillers, or cancer treatment but can not afford it.
Every single celebrity who has lost weight in the last year is receiving medical help to do it.
Absolutely. It’s so obvious, and really, who cares, but they lie about it and then people get annoyed. Just own up to it.
I’ve been on a weight-loss medication for about eight months and it has changed my life. After lifelong struggles with disordered eating (including anorexia as a teen and decades of obesity), food is now something I use to nourish my body — it’s not a crutch or a comfort; it’s not a way to celebrate or get through sadness. It’s food. I eat a meal without immediately thinking about what I’m going to get to eat next.
In addition to quieting the food noise that once filled my brain, the medication has enabled me to lose weight and relieve the stress on my lousy knees, so I can exercise. It’s amazing. I can walk without pain now, and it’s a revelation.
It’s easy to say that Oprah is so wealthy and accomplished that she shouldn’t have to worry about weight, but her surgically repaired knee is going to have other ideas.
Obesity is a physiological problem, not a moral failing. Thank goodness we now have safe medications to treat it. And semaglutide, the drug being used, IS relatively safe — it’s been around for years. This is just a new application. As with every other health issue, please let’s allow individuals to make their own choices with their doctors without the judgment of others. And let’s advocate for those without excellent insurance to be covered for these medications.
This is a very wise and empathetic post, QuiteContrary. I think we’ve posted under each other elsewhere re fighting anorexia once upon a time. I wish you well with your journey. x
And I wish you well with yours, sparrow! xo
I’m not going to read all of the comments for the sake of my sanity, but I’ll just say this: Semaglutide has been a life saver. I have a chronic disease: obesity. I have tried everything under the sun to treat this. Of course I’ve dieted and exercised. Of course I know to eat less! I get so irritated whenever someone suggests this like it’s brand new information. Obesity is a disease, not a failure or lack of willpower. I’m so glad there are finally meds to help treat this. I wish people would be more open minded and stop buying into the hysteria about these drugs, and listen to actual doctors and patients who are using this to treat their obesity.
On the article itself–I agree entirely that it would help Oprah to give up the idea of a goal weight. We spend too much of our lives focusing on a number. That’s how I ended up with eating disorders, and why my doctor and I don’t discuss numbers at all (only how I feel) or track what I eat. I think it would be more helpful for her to think of her goals in terms of what she wants to do and feel like. Personally, I want to be able to fit in an economy airplane seat. I want to not worry about weight limits. I want to buy my clothes at a regular store, not only online. I want to be able to keep up with my nephews; to get on the ground and play with them and not twist an ankle or hurt my knees trying to get up and down. I want to go on longer hikes and do more outdoor activities with less risk of injury. None of that will be dictated by a number.
I have no problem with using dietary aids under healthy supervision but I was surprised by Oprah’s announcement. She is someone that only lets info out “as needed”. I wondered if there was more to the story. There is. Weight Watchers will be making dietary drugs available. Oprah is part owner of Weigh Watchers. I’m not saying this is the only reason but I think it’s a contributor.
Is 70 some kind of magic number where you should stop caring about your weight? Your weight plays a significant role in diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and joint health. Age-related illnesses are rampant and as a 71 year old I’m determined to remain healthy. I eat well, I exercise, I take a number of supplements to maintain bone density and stave off the worst of menopausal symptoms. I weight 10 lbs more than I did in my thirties but hey, your face or your fanny. Good for Oprah, may she live a long, healthy and vital life.
Hopefully this is the end of asking how one has lost weight or stays slim. It’s no one’s business and it’s intrusive. pretty soon every celebrity will be slim anyway.
Who’s asking, though? I honestly don’t know why anyone would care how Oprah lost weight and if they do, it’s probably only because she constantly talks about it.
One problem with a goal weight is that once you reach it, you set a new (and lower) goal weight. It’s exhausting.
I have a family member who basically had her digestive system stop working for a while due to these and she couldn’t get sufficient nourishment for more than a month as they seemed to paralyze her system. She had to be hospitalized and given a feeding tube to get health back. She can eat normally now.
We don’t yet know the long-term side effects of these drugs, which worries me for people. I have a bad feeling we will see some horrible health related side effects after a few years of use.
Hope that isn’t the case but I’m skeptical. History has shown us that just because it’s FDA approved, doesn’t mean it’s healthy in the long run.
With respect, I think I’ll rely on my highly trained doctors rather than on your “bad feeling.”
I wasn’t giving medical advice.
The cases of prolonged issues with gastroparisis are just starting to surface and we don’t yet know the long term effects. Doctors can be wrong. I hope that’s not the case with this new drug. Hope it’s working for you.
I agree with my above Wegovy cohorts. I’m currently in post- open for knee replacement surgery. I had the left done previously and today was the right. My surgeon has a weight max and I had to lose a chunk. I see a clinical nutrition doc and we used a 3 pronged approach==== diet, exercise and wegovy. None of this is magic
The need or desire to lose weight is different for everyone. I’ve had ups and downs — mostly only overweight after having kids. But for me, “accepting” being overweight is not an option because I gain weight when I don’t take care of myself or when my mental health is poor and vice versa. I develop chronic pain, inflammation, sleep problems, high cholesterol, high blood pressure among other things. It makes me very unhappy. I had kids late, so it means I can’t participate fully in my very active young children’s lives, and I don’t want them to have to take care of me or lose me any sooner than necessary.
I am fully supportive of anyone who is happy with whatever kind of body they have, but I kind of resent being told I should just learn to be ok with my overweight body. It is deeply ignorant of the very justifiable reasons why I should not be ok with it.
If you don’t love your body I support you. If you want to lose 10, 50 or 100 pounds I support you, for whatever reason is important to you, and I don’t need you to justify it to me.
Weight training is my preferred way lose weight and stay in shape, but it can sure be hard to stay on top of a routine all the time.
Drinking a gallon of water a day is not healthy nor good for you. Hyponatremia can kill you and water intoxication can damage your brain.