“Oprah Winfrey’s Revelation about Using Weight-Loss Drugs Is a Game-Changer: Here’s Why”, 2023-12-14 ():
[previously] Now, an icon in her own right—but also, yes, an icon in the weight-loss industry—Oprah Winfrey—is admitting to using weight-loss medication too, giving these drugs even more of a mainstream boost. Experts say it could be a turning point in how our culture views weight-loss medication and continues a healthy trend of transparency when it comes to celebrity body transformations.
…Winfrey said it wasn’t until this year that she added weight-loss medication to her health regimen, which also includes hiking, eating her last meal at 4 p.m. and drinking a gallon of water a day.
“I was actually recommending it to people long before I was on it myself”, Winfrey told People. “I had an awareness of medications, but felt I had to prove I had the willpower to do it. I now no longer feel that way.” She added: “Obesity is a disease. It’s not about willpower—it’s about the brain.”…After looking into the science behind the medication, Winfrey said she “released my own shame about it” and consulted her doctor, who prescribed it to her. Vazirnia emphasizes these medications can cause side effects and should only be taken under medical supervision.
“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”, Winfrey said. “I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”