Longtime media icon Oprah Winfrey is speaking candidly about her recent weight-loss journey, crediting GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) medication alongside daily exercise for helping her reach what she describes as her healthiest self.
Winfrey, 71, began using a GLP-1 drug in 2023. In a recent interview with People Magazine, she revealed that she initially attempted to discontinue the medication after six months to test if she could maintain weight loss on diet and exercise alone—but gained back 20 pounds.
“It’s going to be a lifetime thing,” Winfrey said. “I’m on high blood pressure medication, and if I go off the high blood pressure medication, my blood pressure is going to go up. The same thing is true now, I realize, with these medications. I’ve proven to myself that I need it.”
At her “default weight” of 211 pounds, Winfrey was pre-diabetic and had high cholesterol. She is now down to 155 pounds, which she aims to maintain through a combination of medication, daily hiking, and resistance training.
“The combination of the medication and hiking every day and resistance training has given me the body that I had when I was running a marathon,” she told CBS News. “I was 40 and feeling really good, but to be able to be 71 and feel that I am in the best shape of my life feels better than it did when I was 40.”
Winfrey recently discussed her experience on The Oprah Podcast with endocrinologist Dr. Ania Jastreboff, co-author of their new book Enough. She admitted that she initially hesitated to use weight-loss medication due to the stigma surrounding it.
“I felt it was cheating, the easy way out,” Winfrey said. “I’ve got to prove this one last time I could do it by myself. And I don’t want people saying I took the easy way out.”
The talk show legend also addressed the decades of public scrutiny she faced over her weight. “Every time any comedian wanted to make a joke about it—they could. And I accepted it because I thought I deserved it,” she said. “Now I know they were so wrong.”
Jastreboff emphasized that weight is not entirely within personal control, likening obesity to addictive behavior in terms of brain pathways. Winfrey agreed, noting that GLP-1 medications helped her regulate hunger naturally.
“The very first time I took the GLP-1, I realized… they’re only eating when they’re hungry, and they’re stopping when they’re full,” she said.
The episode also featured a patient who lost 160 pounds using GLP-1, highlighting ongoing societal shame surrounding obesity. Jastreboff added, “You’re shamed if you have obesity. You’re shamed if you don’t try to lose weight. You’re shamed if you lose weight… there’s literally no winning. What’s right is to stop shaming and blaming people when they’re taking care of their health.”
GLP-1 medications, including Wegovy, are effective for weight loss but can have side effects, primarily gastrointestinal issues like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. Less common reactions include fatigue, dizziness, and injection site reactions. Medical supervision is recommended for anyone considering these drugs.
