Oprah Reveals Her Struggle With ‘Shame’ Of Weight Loss Medications And What Happened When She Quit Them
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Veteran talk show host Oprah Winfrey opens up about her recent weight loss success after following a GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1).
Winfrey, 71, started taking a GLP-1 medication in 2023, but tried to stop after six months to see if she could lose weight without it, according to a recent interview with People magazine.
Even while following her diet and exercise routines, the media mogul said she regained 20 pounds after stopping the medication.
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“It’s going to be something that will last a lifetime,” he shared. “I’m on high blood pressure medication, and if I stop, my blood pressure will go up. I realize the same thing is happening now with these medications. I’ve proven it to myself. [that] I need it.”
Winfrey revealed that her “default weight,” 211 pounds, was unhealthy, as she was prediabetic and had high cholesterol.
Veteran talk show host Oprah Winfrey opens up about her recent weight loss success after taking a GLP-1. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
In a recent interview with News, Winfrey revealed that she now weighs 155 pounds, a weight she intends to maintain.
“The combination of medication, daily walks and resistance training have given me the body I had when I ran a marathon,” he said. “I was 40 and feeling great, but being able to be 71 and feel like I’m in the best shape of my life makes me feel better than I did when I was 40.”
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On a new episode of “The Oprah Podcast” this week, Winfrey welcomed Dr. Ania Jastreboff, an endocrinologist and associate professor at Yale School of Medicine, to discuss GLP-1 weight loss medications and her own personal journey. The two also co-authored the new book “Enough.”
Winfrey shared that she initially questioned the use of weight loss medications because of the stigma surrounding them.
(Left) Oprah Winfrey speaks during Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus tour in February 2020. (Right) Oprah Winfrey at the American Ballet Theater Fall Gala in October 2025. (Steve Jennings/Getty Images; Lanna Apisukh/WWD via Getty Images)
“One of the reasons I was reluctant to use them at first, when I was trying to lose weight after my knee surgery, [is] “Because I also felt that it’s cheating, that it’s the easy way out,” he said. “I have to prove this one last time that I can do it for myself.” And I don’t want people to say I took the easy way out.”
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“I think that’s one of the main problems that people who are now open to drug use experience from their friends or colleagues, their families and also within themselves.”
As one of the most influential figures in American media, Winfrey said she was “publicly humiliated” for her weight for 25 years.
“I don’t want people to say I took the easy way out.”
“Any time a comedian wanted to make fun of it or make a joke about it, I could make a joke about it. And I took it because I thought I deserved it,” he said. “I accepted it. I was embarrassed and I accepted it, because I thought, ‘Well, they’re right.’ Now I know they were very wrong.”
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Winfrey noted that many overweight people, even those who don’t appear on television every day, have experienced the same “level of shame” about not being able to control their weight.
“Somehow in society, we think our weight is under our control. And it’s not. Our brain is in control.” (AP)
“It seems like the punishment you deserve,” Winfrey said.
“It’s absolutely the opposite,” Jastreboff responded. “And none of this is under our control. Somehow in society, we think that how much we weigh is under our control. And it’s not. Our brain is in control.”
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Winfrey compared this to an addict’s brain and noted that obesity is now considered as much of a disease as addiction.
“All these years I thought that thin people… just had more willpower, ate better food, could last longer and never ate a french fry,” he said.
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“And then the first time I took GLP-1, I realized that… oh, they don’t even think about it. They only eat when they’re hungry and stop eating when they’re full.”
Jastreboff agreed that while obesity is “not an addiction,” “eating noise,” or the urge to eat, uses the same pathways in the brain.
Winfrey aims to break the misconception that taking an LPG-1 is “taking the easy way out.” (iStock)
The conversation continued with guest Amy (last name withheld), a GLP-1 patient who lost 160 pounds in one year. She shared that, in her experience, public shaming persists. Jastreboff responded that “you can’t win.”
“You’re ashamed if you’re obese. You’re ashamed if you don’t try to lose weight. You’re ashamed if you lose weight,” the doctor said. “You’re embarrassed if you use the meds, if you don’t use the meds… there’s literally no way to win.”
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“The right thing to do is to stop shaming and blaming people… [when] “You are taking care of your health.”
GLP-1 medications have been linked to several side effects, primarily gastrointestinal in nature. These commonly include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal discomfort. Less commonly reported effects include fatigue, dizziness, and injection site reactions.
People interested in taking GLP-1 should consult a doctor about the recommended dosage and possible risk factors.
Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle reporter for News Digital.